UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 15: Moyer Sets New Track Record

On Way To Tri-City Speedway Victory

PONTOON BEACH, IL – July 4, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. -

Records are meant to be broken.

But when it comes to Billy Moyer, he doesn’t just break records, he shatters them.

Moyer smashed the one-lap Super Late Model standard for the three-eighths-mile Tri-City Speedway in qualifying on Friday night, then backed it up by pulling off an memorable outside pass to win the 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main.

The Batesville, Ark., legend’s lap of 14.144 seconds during the 51-car group time-trial session reduced the existing track record of 14.526 seconds that had been held by Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.

Things certainly didn’t go all Moyer’s way throughout the night, though. While he dominated the first heat from start-to-finish to emerge victorious, his Victory Circle M1 Chassis suffered a broken rearend as he crossed the finish line.

But that didn’t phase the six-time UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion or his trustworthy crew.

“We were prepared to fix whatever happened to the car,” said Moyer. “These guys, they knew what to do.”

Moyer, 50, and crew made the necessary repairs and he lined up fifth in the A-Main. He then set out to prove he was the class of the field.

After the fifth of the race’s seven caution flags flew on lap 13, Moyer dared to try the high side of the track and moved around Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and leader Steidinger to take command. Another caution flag for a spin by Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., negated the move, however, relegating Moyer back to third.

Moyer slid by Erb for second on the ensuing restart and went to work on Steidinger. With his No. 21 perched on the cushion, Moyer drove by Steidinger and a lapped car on lap 21 to assume command for good.

“The track has some slick spots and some rough spots there in the beginning,” said Moyer, who earned $10,000 for his second Summer Nationals RacingJunk.com Victory Lane visit of 2008 and his alltime tour-best 64th career win. “I just let the car work where it needed to. I just kind of waited for the right time to make the move.”

Erb, the defending Summer Nationals champion and current points leader, settled for a runner-up finish.

“We went a little hard on tires and it took awhile for me to get going,” said Erb. “Once we had a good long green run we were running good.”

Erb took some positives from the night as he padded his Summer Nationals points lead over Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who finished eighth, heading into the final week of tour competition. He doesn’t want to leave anything to chance, though.

“It’s so hard the way the points are,” said Erb. “The biggest thing is just to keep finishing good and running up in the front. Hopefully it will work out.”

Steidinger finished third after leading early in the main event. Like Erb, he felt as if tires were the biggest factor in the outcome of the race.

“I had soft tires on and I’m pretty sure (Moyer and Erb) were on harder tires,” said Steidinger. “I tried to save my tires there on the bottom, but it got to a point where I was struggling too bad down there in three and four so I tried to move up and change my line to get better.”

The optimistic young hotshoe, whose hometrack, Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway, is the next stop on tour, kept climbing the proverbial ladder with another strong finish.

“We’ll take third,” said Steidinger. “That’s not too bad with the kind of guys who showed up tonight.”

Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., finished fourth from the ninth starting spot and Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., placed fifth.

The 51-car field for the event was the largest of the 2008 Summer Nationals.

Heat winners were Moyer, Erb, Steidinger, Shirley and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich. Kyle Steffens of St. Charles, Mo., and Billy Faust of Lebanon, Ill., captured the C-Mains, and Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., topped the B-Main.

The Summer Nationals continues on Saturday night (July 5) with a $10,000-to-win event at Fairbury American Legion Speedway.

For more info on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com.

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps):

1. Billy Moyer
2. Dennis Erb Jr.
3. Wes Steidinger
4. Wendell Wallace
5. Darren Miller
6. Jeep VanWormer
7. Kevin Weaver
8. Brian Shirley
9. Ryan Unzicker
10. Randy Korte
11. Steve Sheppard Jr.
12. Jesse Stovall
13. Rodney Melvin
14. Billy Laycock
15. Jason McBride
16. Will Vaught
17. Jason Feger
18. Jordan Bland
19. Brent Kreke
20. Mark Voigt
21. Brian Birkhofer
22. Don O'Neal
23. Billy Faust

First C-Main Finish: Kyle Steffens, Tim Lance, Brian Wolfmeier, Steve Unterbrink, Dick Taylor, Bruce Unterbrink, Matt Weidner, Mike Schulte, Steve Sheppard Jr.

Second C-Main Finish: Billy Faust, Bryan Collins, Kevin Weaver, Jeff Beyers, John Seets, Craig Smith, Mike Hammerle, Don Cisco III, Brandon Sheppard, Dan Jacober, Rick Rhodes

B-Main Finish: Ryan Unzicker, Billy Laycock, Jason Feger, Mark Voigt, Tim Lance, Mark Oller, Kevin Weaver, Mark Burgtorf, Claude Walker, Cory Daugherty, Michael Kloos, Billy Faust, Kyle Steffens (DNS) Randy Korte

Unofficial UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 15 events)

1. Dennis Erb Jr. 1,176
2. Brian Shirley 1,149
3. Wes Steidinger 1,031
4. Jeep Van Wormer 995
5. Will Vaught 947
6. Randy Korte 916
7. Steve Sheppard Jr. 861
8. Jason Feger 669
9. Darren Miller 655
10. Kevin Weaver 628

2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals Schedule (Date/Day/Track/Location/To Win/Winner – Car Count):

June 12 – Thurs. - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway/Calvert City, KY - $7,500 (Brad Neat - 40)
June 13 – Fri. - Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 11)
June 14 – Sat. - Kamp Motor Speedway/Boswell, IN - $10,000 (Wes Steidinger - 36)
June 15 – Sun. – Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, IN - $6,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 39)
June 16 – Mon - OFF
June 17 – Tues. – Highland Speedway/Highland, IL - $6,000 (Terry English – 47)
June 18 – Wed. – Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, IL - $6,000 (Will Vaught – 41)
June 19 – Thurs. – I-57/I-64 Raceway/Mt. Vernon, IL - $6,000 (Darren Miller – 37)
June 20 – Fri. – Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL - $10,000 (Darren Miller – 50)
June 21 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO - $10,000 (CANCELED – flooding)
June 22 – Sun. – Vermilion Co. Speedway/Danville, IL - $6,000 (Jeep VanWormer – 43)
June 23 – Mon. - OFF
June 24 – Tue. – Sedalia State Fair Speedway/Sedalia, MO - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 27)
June 25 – Wed. – Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO - $6,000 (Billy Moyer – 31)
June 26 – Thurs. – Paducah Int’l Raceway/Paducah, KY - $6,000 (Kevin Claycomb – 35)
June 27 – Fri. – Lawrenceburg Speedway/Lawrenceburg, IN - $10,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 36)
June 28 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 19)
June 29 – Sun. – Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, IL - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 46)
June 30 – Mon. - OFF
July 1 – Tue. – Peoria Speedway/Peoria, IL - $6,000 (Jeep VanWormer – 40)
July 2 – Wed. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000 (Rain – postponed to Aug. 15)
July 3 – Thurs. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000 (Rain – postponed to Aug. 16)
July 4 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL - $10,000 (Billy Moyer – 51)
July 5 – Sat. – Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, IL -$10,000
July 6 – Sun. – Quad City Raceway/East Moline, IL - $6,000
July 7 – Mon. - OFF
July 8 – Tue. – Quincy (IL) Speedway - $6,000
July 9 – Wed. – Spoon River Speedway/Canton, IL - $6,000
July 10 – Thurs. – La Salle Speedway/La Salle, IL - $6,000
July 11 – Fri. – Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
July 12 – Sat. – Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, OH - $10,000
July 19 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
Aug. 15 – Fri. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000 (Rescheduled date)
Aug. 16 – Sat. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000 (Rescheduled date)
 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 7:

Darren Miller Becomes First Repeat Winner With Dominant Run At Farmer City Raceway

FARMER CITY, IL – June 20, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. -

Ask Darren Miller if twice is just as nice, and he’ll respond with an emphatic, “Yes – actually, it’s better.”

The 31-year-old from Milledgeville, Ill., became the first repeat winner of the 2008 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals on Friday night, rolling to a convincing victory in the 40-lap A-Main at Farmer City Raceway.

Coming off his first-ever Summer Nationals triumph the previous night at I-57/I-64 Raceway in Mt. Vernon, Ill., Miller used a top-five qualifying effort and a dominant heat-race victory to propel himself onto the outside pole starting slot for Farmer City’s annual event. He then moved by polesitter Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., for the lead on the fourth lap and never looked back en route to a $10,000 win.

Miller seemed to have luck on his side throughout the night once again.

“Everything has gone right,” Miller said after visiting RacingJunk.com Victory Lane on back-to-back nights. “Codey (Miller’s son) drew the front row (start) for me both nights, so I got out front and could drive where I wanted to. It felt really good even in traffic.”

One of the event’s biggest movers was Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who started sixth in the A-Main and was the first driver to try the bottom groove and make it work. He managed to pull close to Miller on a few occasions after reaching second place, but he had to settle for runner-up money.

“The track narrowed up,” said Mars. “Unless Darren screwed up, I wasn’t going to try and drive through him.”

When it was said and done, Mars found positives in his second-place finish.

“I came from sixth and passed some good cars,” he said, “so I’m not disappointed with that at all.”

Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., started and finished third for another strong showing on the Summer Nationals tour.

“With the circumstances, you had a few laps there to make a few moves,” said Shirley. “Darren had the best starting spot and he was good enough to hold it.”

Shirley remains optimistic for his Petroff Towing No. 3s team, which is still searching for its first victory of the 2008 Summer Nationals.

“We were close, just no cigars yet,” said Shirley. “It was a good rebound from last night (an 11th-place finish that knocked him from the points lead).”

Shirley unofficially regained the Summer Nationals points lead by four points over defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who finished ninth.

Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., finished fourth after being overtaken late in the distance by Shirley, and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, started and finished fifth.

Fifty UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models entered the pit gate to tackle the high-banked, quarter-mile oval.
Moyer was the overall fastest qualifier in the group time-trial session, rounding the track in 12.846 seconds.

Heat races were captured by Moyer, Birkhofer, Miller, Shirley and Korte, while Patrick Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., and Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., scored C-Main wins and Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill., topped the B-Main.

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals is off on Saturday (June 21) because the scheduled event at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., was canceled earlier in the week due to the floods that have blocked the track’s access road.

The tour returns to action on Sunday night (June 22) with a $6,000-to-win event at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville, Ill.

Be sure and stay tuned to www.umpracing.com for all the latest news and results from the 20th edition of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

UMP DIRT car Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps):

1. Darren Miller
2. Jimmy Mars
3. Brian Shirley
4. Billy Moyer
5. Brian Birkhofer
6. Randy Korte
7. Wes Steidinger
8. Scott Bull
9. Dennis Erb Jr.
10. Jeep Van Wormer
11. Steve Sheppard Jr.
12. Brian Diveley
13. Kevin Weaver
14. Eric Smith
15. Kyle Logue
16. Jason Feger
17. Jordan Bland
18. Will Vaught
19. Daren Friedman
20. Ryan Dauber
21. Matt Taylor

First C-Main Finish: Patrick Sheltra, Chris Simpson, Dewayne Kiefer, Joe Harlan, Jimmy Dehm, Jim Felker Jr., Nick Vandenbergh, Travis Wallbaum, Toby Hallett

Second C-Main Finish: Ryan Unzicker, Rocky Griffin, Derek Chandler, George Scheffler, Aaron Ricketts, Roger Brickler, Rich Bell, Brandon Sheppard, Russ Adams

B-Main Finish: Kevin Weaver, Matt Taylor, Ryan Dauber, Daren Friedman, Don O'Neal, Frank Heckenast Jr., Mike Mataragas, Terry English, Ryan Unzicker, Tim Lance, Jason McBride, Donny Walden, Chris Simpson

2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals Schedule (Date/Day/Track/Location/To Win/Winner – Car Count):

June 12 – Thurs. - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway/Calvert City, KY - $7,500 (Brad Neat - 40)
June 13 – Fri. - Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 11)
June 14 – Sat. - Kamp Motor Speedway/Boswell, IN - $10,000 (Wes Steidinger - 36)
June 15 – Sun. – Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, IN - $6,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 39)
June 16 – Mon - OFF
June 17 – Tues. – Highland Speedway/Highland, IL - $6,000 (Terry English – 47)
June 18 – Wed. – Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, IL - $6,000 (Will Vaught – 41)
June 19 – Thurs. – I-57/I-64 Raceway/Mt. Vernon, IL - $6,000 (Darren Miller – 37)
June 20 – Fri. – Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL - $10,000 (Darren Miller – 50)
June 21 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO - $10,000 (CANCELED – flooding)
June 22 – Sun. – Vermilion Co. Speedway/Danville, IL - $6,000
June 23 – Mon. - OFF
June 24 – Tue. – Sedalia State Fair Speedway/Sedalia, MO - $6,000
June 25 – Wed. – Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO - $6,000
June 26 – Thurs. – Paducah Int’l Raceway/Paducah, KY - $6,000
June 27 – Fri. – Lawrenceburg Speedway/Lawrenceburg, IN - $10,000
June 28 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000
June 29 – Sun. – Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, IL - $6,000
June 30 – Mon. - OFF
July 1 – Tue. – Peoria Speedway/Peoria, IL - $6,000
July 2 – Wed. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000
July 3 – Thurs. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000
July 4 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL - $10,000
July 5 – Sat. – Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, IL -$10,000
July 6 – Sun. – Quad City Raceway/East Moline, IL - $6,000
July 7 – Mon. - OFF
July 8 – Tue. – Quincy (IL) Speedway - $6,000
July 9 – Wed. – Spoon River Speedway/Canton, IL - $6,000
July 10 – Thurs. – La Salle Speedway/La Salle, IL - $6,000
July 11 – Fri. – Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
July 12 – Sat. – Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, OH - $10,000
 

UMP DIRTcar Racing Weekly Update: Erb Begins Defense Of UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Championship; Hammerle Regains Super Late Model National Points Lead

EVANSVILLE, IN – June 12, 2008 –

GOING FOR TWO: Dennis Erb Jr. began last year’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals intensely focused on winning his first career tour championship – and he proceeded to convincingly accomplish his goal.

Is the same fire to capture the title of the ‘Hell Tour’ still burning in his gut as the Summer Nationals kicks off tonight (Thurs., June 12) at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway?

“It’s there. It’s definitely there,” Erb asserted when asked the question. “I want to go back out and do it again. I’d like to win some more races and win another championship.”

That initial title in 2007 felt oh-so-good to Erb, a hard-working 36-year-old from Carpentersville, Ill., who operates his own Super Late Model effort. He authored an impeccable performance record, recording a career-high four wins, 14 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in 25 events on the grueling tour. Most notably, he didn’t drop out of a single A-Main – proof of his strong preparation with chief mechanic Heather Lyne, the 2007 UMP DIRTcar Racing co-Mechanic of the Year who takes a month off from her job as an electrical engineer for Northrop Grumman to follow the Summer Nationals.

A true Summer Nationals veteran, Erb has learned the ins-and-outs of chasing dirt Late Model racing’s biggest test of men and machines.

“It’s pretty much a routine now to get ready,” said Erb. “We have a good understanding of what it takes. We just make sure we’ve got everything prepared and got enough spare parts, and we try to stay out of trouble and hopefully run good.

“We just focus on getting out there and running good, getting in the right spot to go for the wins. If you’re running good, the wins should come.”

Erb doesn’t enter this year’s Summer Nationals with quite as much momentum as he did a year ago. He already had six wins under his belt by mid-June 2007, including two $10,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series scores, compared with three so far this season.

But Erb notes he’s experienced a regular diet of rainouts this year, preventing him from picking up too much steam. And he is currently ranked fourth in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings with fewer starts than two of the drivers ahead of him – much higher than he was at this time last year en route to winning the national crown – and he’s coming off a $6,000 score in the Tri-Track Challenge on June 1 at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.

“We’ve been running good this year, but we’ve had quite a few rainouts and some bad luck,” said Erb. “I think things turned around, though, when I won that race at Macon, and I’ve got some good equipment for the whole thing (two new Rayburn cars and a pair of fresh motors), so everything is looking pretty good.”

Erb expects to face tough competition from such Summer Nationals stalwarts as Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., a former champion who finished second in last year’s standings, Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., and Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.

Other drivers who are eyeing running much, if not all, of the Summer Nationals events include Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill.; Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.; former champion Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill.; first-time tour follower Will Vaught of Crane, Mo.; Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill.; Tyler Boggs of Warsaw, Ind.; Brian Diveley of Springfield, Ill.; Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill.; Michael Kloos of Trenton, Ill.; Terry English of Benton, Tenn.; Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich.; B.J. McCammon of Danville, Ill.; Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark.; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; and Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., who is returning from a February back injury that sidelined him for early-season events.

BACK IN FRONT: Veteran Mike Hammerle, 60, of St. Charles, Mo., returned to the top of the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings after a two-week run in the lead for 26-year-old Ryan Unzicker.

Hammerle, whose 25 UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned starts leads all Super Late Model drivers, holds a 117-point lead (1,188-1,071) over Wes Steidinger, who led much of last year’s national points race before settling for second place.

Randle Sweeney of Clifty, Ky., saw his amazing 10-race win streak come to an end with a second-place finish on June 6 at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway, but he got back on the winning track the following night at Soggy Bottom Raceway in Morgantown, Ky., and remained atop the UMP DIRTcar Modified national points standings.

Sweeney, 43, has now won in 12 of his last 14 starts and owns 15 overall triumphs.

COMING UP ON THE UMP DIRTcar RACING CIRCUIT:

* Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway holds the Pappy Allen Memorial this Saturday night (June 14), featuring a $2,000-to-win Super Late Model special.

* Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill., and Macon (Ill.) Speedway will host another leg of the inaugural ‘Big 10 Series’ this weekend. Morgan County runs on Friday night (June 13) and Macon goes on Saturday (June 14).

* A $4,400 top prize will be on the line for Super Late Model ‘Barney Oldfield Race’ on Saturday night at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio.

UMP DIRTcar RACING INFO: Log on to www.dirtcar.com for more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing and to view complete points standings for all divisions.

ATTENTION: Any UMP DIRTcar track or race team with news that could be used in the ‘UMP DIRTcar Racing Weekly Update’ release can e-mail the info to Kevin Kovac at kkovac@dirtcar.com.

UMP DIRTcar Racing National Points Standings (as of June 11):

Super Late Models (driver/points/races):
1. Mike Hammerle 1188 25
2. Wes Steidinger 1071 17
3. Ryan Unzicker 1053 23
4. Dennis Erb Jr. 1024 17
5. Michael Kloos 1019 22
6. Rusty Schlenk 981 19
7. Jason McBride 970 22
8. Jason Feger 899 16
9. Ed Dixon 858 18
10. Chris Shelton 850 19
11. Tyler Boggs 825 16
12. Rusty Griffaw 825 17
13. Steve Sheppard Jr. 791 16
14. Brian Ruhlman 711 13
15. Brad Looney 701 11
16. Mike Schulte 697 17
17. Richie Hedrick 690 16
18. Kerry Mathew 690 15
19. Tony Albright 687 12
20. Jayme Zidar 684 17

Open-Wheel Modifieds (driver/points/races):
1. Randle Sweeney 1818 24
2. Tim Hancock 1637 26
3. Kent Robinson 1614 25
4. Jeff Leka 1515 22
5. Anthony Madrid 1440 20
6. Chad Evans 1351 25
7. Gary Cook Jr. 1337 21
8. Denny Schwartz 1244 22
9. Jason Noll 1178 20
10. Mike Spatola 1139 20
11. Jon Henry 1132 19
12. R.C. Whitwell 1113 15
13. McKay Wenger 1081 21
14. Clayton Miller 1067 19
15. Rob Fuqua 1026 18
16. Matt Boknecht 1020 15
17. Clint DeMoss 1001 17
18. Tim Ward 983 20
19. Chad Osterhoff 968 17
20. Shelby Miles 963 16

Pro Late Models (driver/points/races):
1. Tait Davenport 1149 15
2. Kevin Hardin 1061 18
3. Jason Jones 1033 21
4. Josh Harris 999 17
5. Caleb Ashby 941 17
6. Levi Ashby 892 18
7. Phil Gregory 835 16
8. Carnell Parker 774 11
9. Duane Hodges 685 11
10. Cary King 619 13

Sportsman (driver/points/races):
1. Chris Hillman 966 15
2. Jeff Herzog 905 16
3. Derrick Hufford 893 14
4. Brad Cummings 880 15
5. Troy Clark 880 16
6. Jeremy Hines 814 14
7. Jimmy Cummins 800 16
8. Joel Funk 784 14
9. Rick Hufford 783 14
10. Bruce Westerman 745 12

Limited Modifieds (driver/points/races):
1. Jonathan Clayton 845 12
2. Derek Brooks 565 8
3. Rob Madrid 540 8
4. Brandon Buhler 538 8
5. Alex Ashley 532 9
6. Zach Dennis 518 8
7. John Paul Talkington 503 8
8. Matthew Holmes 488 8
9. Eric Adkins 431 7
10. Dustin Shoemaker 429 8

Street Stocks (driver/points/races):
1. Jerrad Krick 1004 14
2. Travis Myers 971 15
3. Chris Fisher 903 15
4. Dave Mannise 890 14
5. David Hurst 812 12
6. Lee Hall 809 14
7. Jon Wix 785 13
8. Jesse Simmons 784 14
9. Josh Griffith 778 12
10. Randy Arnold 778 15

4-Cylinders (driver/points/races):
1. Joe Reed 1137 16
2. Jeffery Bailey 1025 17
3. Keaton Downing 966 16
4. Michael Rittenberry 877 18
5. Jeff Rittenberry 871 14
6. B ob Zbinden 850 13
7. Daniel Stephens 797 13
8. Michael Perrigo 747 12
9. James Scott 665 13
10. Travis Statts 663 10

Factory Stocks (driver/points/races):
1. Williams Burton 597 9
2. Mickey Hines 564 9
3. Jim Scout 540 6
4. Chris Henry 498 6
5. Casey Crane 475 7
6. Bodi Henry 472 8
7. Josh Phelps 463 9
8. Craig Dippman 445 6
9. Donnie Wilson 444 9
10. Mark Bruce 433 8
 

DIRTcar Racing Expands West Coast Presence

With Acquisition Of Western Allstars Super Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – June 10, 2008 – DIRTcar Racing continues to increase its West Coast presence, acquiring the Western All-Stars Super Late Model Series in an agreement announced on Monday.

The deal brings the West Coast’s most prominent dirt Late Model tour under the auspices of DIRTcar Racing, the brand name for the sanctioning body run by the World Racing Group of Concord, N.C. DIRTcar Racing is responsible for nearly 5,000 local and regional dirt track racing events each year at more than 125 tracks in the United States and Canada.

“We’re proud to add the Western Allstars Super Late Model Series to the DIRTcar Racing banner,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region Director Chris Morgan, who will oversee operation of the Western Allstars tour. “All of us with DIRTcar Racing recognize that the West Coast is the region of the country where dirt Late Model racing has the most room for growth, so acquiring the region’s top series is a huge step toward what we feel will be an exciting future for all the area’s drivers, team owners and fans.”

Now officially known as the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series, the three-year-old tour has contested 10 events to date this season in California and Nevada. Nine points races remain on the 2008 schedule, beginning with a date this Saturday night (June 14) at Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway.

DIRTcar Racing assumes authority over the Western Allstars Series midway through the season as it has with its other recent West Coast acquisitions: the Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series and the Barnett Harley DIRTcar Modified Series.

“Like we have with the Late Model and Modified series in the Southwest, we’ll continue with the existing Western Allstars schedule and work to make the transition as seamless as possible,” said Morgan. “We want to continue the success that the Western Allstars Super Late Model Series has enjoyed for the past couple of years and at the same time apply the marketing and organization of DIRTcar Racing to advance the series as well as our footprint in the region’s dirt Late Model racing.”

Roy Piker, who has directed the Western Allstars Series in 2008, said it was his desire to see the tour reach its full potential that prompted him to turn over its operation to DIRTcar Racing.

“As far as I’m concerned, DIRTcar Racing and the Western Allstars is a marriage made in heaven,” said Piker. “I want to see the Western Allstars Series and dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast continue to grow and prosper, and DIRTcar Racing can make that happen.

“DIRTcar Racing has everything in place to make the series a success – the marketing tools, the experience, the staff, the national notoriety. I’m excited to see where DIRTcar Racing can take the series.”

Morgan envisions the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series becoming a platform that will allow DIRTcar Racing to bring bigger, richer events for the division to the Pacific Coast – and give fans a chance to see their West Coast favorites and some well-known drivers from across the country competing in true special shows. He also noted that involvement with the Western Allstars will help get DIRTcar Racing established as a sanctioning body with the local tracks around the region.

A big supporter of DIRTcar Racing’s acquisition of the Western Allstars Series is Bakersfield Speedway owner Scott Schweitzer. His high-banked, one-third-mile oval has hosted more WAS events than any other track – a total of 17, including all eight races run in 2006, six in 2007 and three this season – and he’s on board to hold five points shows and two sanctioned specials over the remaining months of the 2008 campaign.

“I think this is great for dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast,” Schweitzer said of DIRTcar Racing’s takeover of the Western Allstars Series. “Hopefully this will bring the stability to dirt Late Model racing here that’s been needed for a long time.

“I feel that Bakersfield Speedway is pretty key to dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast, so I’m excited to be working with Chris Morgan and everyone at DIRTcar Racing to make the division bigger and better.”

Another racetrack operator who views the news as a positive for the region’s dirt Late Model scene is Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway’s Dave Swindell.

“I think dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast finally has the stability it needs,” said Swindell. “With DIRTcar’s expertise overseeing everything, I see the future being very bright for dirt Late Model racing out here.

“The division is going to grow, and I think that sometime down the line we’re going to see tracks in California and other parts of the West Coast hosting some of the bigger races in the country for the division. It’s going to be exciting.”

The 2008 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series is scheduled to run 19 points races and two non-points special events at nine different tracks. Joining Bakersfield on the slate are American Valley Speedway in Quincy, Calif.; Antioch (Calif.) Speedway; Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif.; Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Marysville (Calif.) Raceway Park; Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif.; Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway; and Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif.

Mike Johnson of Lompoc, Calif., is the defending series champion, and Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., is the 2008 tour’s current points leader.

For more information on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing, visit DIRTcar.com.

2008 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Schedule (winners of completed races noted):

Feb. 28, Las Vegas Motor Speedway/Las Vegas, NV (Jimmy Mars)
Feb. 29, Las Vegas Motor Speedway/Las Vegas, NV (Tim McCreadie)
March 1, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (Bobby Hogge IV)
March 29, Kings Speedway/Hanford, CA (Chet Buckley)
April 19, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (Bobby Hogge IV)
April 26, Marysville Raceway Park/Marysville, CA (A.J. Kirkpatrick)
May 3, Kings Speedway/Hanford, CA (A.J. Kirkpatrick)
May 17, Santa Maria Speedway/Santa Maria, CA (Steve Drake)
May 24, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (Bobby Hogge IV)
May 31, American Valley Speedway/Quincy, CA (Richard Papenhausen)
June 14, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
June 20, Ocean Speedway/Watsonville, CA
June 21, Antioch Speedway/Antioch, CA
July 5, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
July 19, Santa Maria Speedway/Santa Maria, CA
July 26, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
Aug. 9, Silver Dollar Speedway/Chico, CA
Aug. 31, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
Sept. 20, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
Oct. 10, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (non-points)
Oct. 11, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (non-points)

Bloomquist Captures Record Fifth $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream Event At Eldora Speedway

ROSSBURG, OH – June 7, 2008 – Now Scott Bloomquist has one for the thumb.

The Mooresburg, Tenn., superstar registered a record fifth career victory in the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream XIV at Eldora Speedway on Saturday night, turning back a late bid by Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, to pocket the race’s $100,000 top prize – the division’s biggest single-race paycheck in 2008.

Bloomquist, 44, was never headed after charging forward from the ninth starting spot to take the lead from Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., on lap 24 of the 100-lap A-Main. He drove a new Miller Brothers Coal-sponsored Team Zero car that he built in his shop.

“This event has big very good to me,” said Bloomquist, who previously won the Dream in 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2006. “We’ve won five, but there’s probably three others that we should have had. We work really hard to come to come to this race.

“Following the Prelude (to the Dream) and the attention that got (on Wednesday night) – that makes this an even bigger event to win. It’s right up there, definitely one of the bigger highlights of my career.”

The triumph brought Bloomquist a sense of redemption for the heartbreaking loss he suffered at the hands of Birkhofer in the 2002 World 100 at Eldora. Birkhofer, who slipped by Bloomquist on the final lap to steal a victory in that event six years ago, settled for the $20,000 runner-up money in his Mars-Birkhofer machine, just over a second behind Bloomquist.

Clanton, who led laps 4-23 after starting sixth, slipped back to finish a distant third in a brand-new RSD Enterprises Rocket, and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., came from the 13th starting spot to challenge Clanton late in the distance before placing fourth in the Reece Monuments Bloomquist chassis.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who surged off his outside-pole starting spot to lead laps 1-3, completed the top five in the Valvoline Rocket No. 39. His car was fielded by defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who failed to qualify for the A-Main in Dale Beitler’s No. 15 after suffering a blown right-rear tire with two laps remaining in his heat.

Of course, with the race running caution-free from lap 36 to the finish, Bloomquist was blissfully unaware that an exact repeat of 2002 was possible. His mind was simply on staying in front, not on his closest pursuer.

“I didn’t know Brian was in second, so I didn’t really think about (2002),” said Bloomquist. “But you never not think about getting caught in traffic or getting passed close to the end. You just gotta keep your poise and worry about what’s in front rather than what’s behind you.”

Bloomquist took care of the competition ahead of him with relative ease. He cracked the top five by lap 11, then shot by both Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and McCreadie to reach second on a lap-17 restart before running down Clanton.

The fast move to the front was by design.

“I saw that Jimmy (Owens) had come through real quick,” said Bloomquist, who used a powerplant built by Vic Hill. “I didn’t want to mess up and let him get in front of me and then have us be the same speed, so I’d have a hard time getting back by him.

“That’s really the answer to why I pushed it early. I wanted to be sure and not give him an opportunity to get in front of me.”

Clanton, who set fast time in Friday night’s 122-car qualifying session with a lap of 16.580 seconds and raced to a Saturday heat win from the fifth starting spot, proved to be no match for Bloomquist.

“After how quick we (caught) him, there was no doubt in my mind that we were gonna pass him,” Bloomquist said of Clanton. “We had got such a good run on him at both ends, it was just a matter of time. We could’ve got him even sooner than we did, but I wanted to take my time and be sure.”

Clanton, 32, missed the setup on his No. 25.

“I was a little too free,” said Clanton, who earned $10,000 for a career-best Dream finish of third. “At the beginning of the race (the car) turned too good and had too much traction. It wasn’t pushing not one bit, so I knew I was in trouble.

“I thought to myself, ‘If I can get out (to a lead) as far as I can get and it goes green-to-checkered, maybe they won’t catch us.’ But that didn’t happen.”

It was left to Birkhofer, 36, to keep Bloomquist honest. Birky reached second place on lap 62 and managed to close within a car length of Bloomquist several times over the final 10 laps.

“I wanted to make him at least a little bit nervous,” smiled Birkhofer, who dived underneath Bloomquist through turns and two but couldn’t make a move stick. “Maybe with three (laps) to go I thought I might have a chance at him (in traffic), but he could just turn it on.

“I’m just happy that we were fortunate to make the race. I learned a lot about my race car tonight.”

Birkhofer had to rally after timing 75th-fastest on Friday night, which left him with a starting spot deep in a heat race. He ultimately transferred by winning the B-Main.

While Birkhofer got the attention of the large crowd late in the distance, Bloomquist was confident that he had the race under control.

“The line I was running wasn’t a line where you were gonna drive right by me,” said Bloomquist. “I would’ve seen you before you ever passed me -- catching and passing were too different things.”

The race was slowed by just two caution flags (on lap 17 for the slow car of Whitehouse, Ohio’s Matt Miller and lap 36 for nosepiece damage to the car driven by Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga.) and one red flag (a lap-10 rollover in turn two by R.J. Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, who was uninjured).

Pearson finished sixth and polesitter Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., who drove a Bloomquist Chassis, was the last driver on the lead lap at the finish in seventh.

Rounding out the top 10 was 18th-starter Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., 16th-starter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and 23rd-starter Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio. Each driver was one lap down at the finish.

Clanton’s fast-time award on Friday came after the first round of qualifying was cut short by Mother Nature with just 23 cars still waiting to time. The edge of a severe storm clipped Eldora Speedway and dropped some rain, forcing officials to wipe out the qualifications already completed and restart the first round from scratch.

Saturday’s 15-lap heat winners were Clanton, Shawn Toczek of Hebron, Ind., Pearson, John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., McCreadie and Buckingham. The C-Main was captured by Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and the B-Main went to Birkhofer.

For more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing, visit www.dirtcar.com.

14th Annual Dirt Late Model Dream Official Finish (100 laps):

1. Scott Bloomquist $100,000
2. Brian Birkhofer $20,000
3. Shane Clanton $10,000
4. Jimmy Owens $6,000
5. Tim McCreadie $5,000
6. Earl Pearson Jr. $4,000
7. Shannon Buckingham $3,500
8. Steve Shaver $3,000
9. Chub Frank $2,500
10. Bart Hartman $2,200
11. Audie McWilliams $2,000
12. Wendell Wallace $1,900
13. Eric Jacobsen $1,800
14. Rodney Combs $1,750
15. Mike Marlar $1,725
16. Billy Moyer $1,700
17. Shawn Toczek $1,675
18. John Blankenship $1,650
19. Don O'Neal $1,625
20. Dale McDowell $1,600
21. Aaron Scott $1,575
22. Tim Fuller $1,550
23. Matt Miller $1,525
24. R.J. Conley $1,500

Heat 1 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shane Clanton, Tim Fuller, Jimmy Owens, Dale McDowell, Michael England, Dennis Erb, Justin Ratliff, Matt Lux, Andrew Reaume, D. J. Wells, Robbie Hensley, Dan Schlieper, Donald Beyers, Freddy Smith, Terry Phillips, Bobby Kitchen, Darrell Lanigan, Jerry Rice, Brett Wyatt, Mark Anderson, Rodney Hambline

Heat 2 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shawn Toczek, Don O’Neal, Mike Marlar, Rodney Combs, John Gill, Rick Eckert, Donnie Moran, Casey Roberts, Frank Heckenast, Terry Casey, Curt Spalding, Scott Orr, Todd Morrow, Billy Moyer, Jeff Fornet, Jill George, Kirk Bradley, Michael Kloose, Jon Horner, Riley Hickman, Bob Lanter

Heat 3 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Earl Pearson, Jr., Scott Bloomquist, R. J. Conley, Brian Birkhofer, Jimmy Mars, Steve Casebolt, Vic Hill, Eric Jacobsen, Joe Arms, Tyler Boggs, Jason Keltner, Ky Harper, Tim Isenberg, Chris Ross, Justin Labonte, Bryan Bernheisel, April Farmer, Steve Francis, Shane Riner, Scott James, Ivedent Lloyd Jr.

Heat 4 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer) John Blankenship, Wendell Wallace, Chub Frank, Brady Smith, Chad Ruhlman, Jeep VanWormer, Jessee Stovall, Jerry Bowersock, Brian Shirley, Jordan Bland, Ben Adkins, Brent Kreke, Mike Collins, Damon Eller, Tony Knowles, Nick Marolf, Brandon Perkins, Scott Daly, Josh Williams, Justin Shaw

Heat 5 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Tim McCreadie, Matt Miller, Aaron Scott, John Mason, Shannon Babb, Jeremy Payne, Ryan Dauber, Casey Noonan, Jay Johnson, Larry Kingseed, Rick Rogers, Jared Hawkins, Wayne Chinn, Josh Richards, Rocky Owens, Brad Neat, Mark Thresher, Rocky Hodges, Doug Drown, Dillon Wood

Heat 6 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shannon Buckingham, Audie McWilliams, Steve Shaver, Bart Hartman, Chris Madden, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Rusty Schlenk, Jackie Boggs, Clint Smith, Ray Cook, Brian Ruhlman, Jason Feger, Billy Faust, Shannon Thornsberry, Bill Williams, Tommy Kerr, Dale Groves, Jr., Chris Conley, Jeff Beyers, Delmas Conley

C-Main Finish (15 laps – Top 6 Transfer to B-Main): Moran, Hill, Ratliff, Dauber, Arms, Lux, Heckenast, C. Smith, Shirley, Schlenk, T. Boggs, Stovall, Cook, J. Boggs, Johnson, Bland, Wells, Jacobsen, Noonan, Bowersock, Roberts, Reaume, Casey, Kingseed

B-Main Finish (20 laps – Top 4 Transfer to Dream): Birkhofer, Combs, Hartman, McDowell, B. Smith, Mars, Gill, C. Ruhlman, Madden, Carrier, Jr., Erb, Eckert, Ratliff, Babb, Arms, Hill, Dauber, VanWormer, England, Payne, Mason, Moran, Lux, Casebolt
 

UMP DIRTcar Racing Weekly Update:

Veteran Mike Hammerle Moves On Top Of Super Late Model National Points Race

EVANSVILLE, IN – May 8, 2008 –

TIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Veteran Mike Hammerle enters this weekend’s action leading the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings, but he knows his run in the sun will probably be short-lived.

So the 60-year-old grandfather from St. Charles, Mo., is going to enjoy every minute of his stint in the catbird’s seat – just like he relishes every lap he turns on the racetrack.

A short-track racer for 35 years and counting, Hammerle is a classic low-buck driver who pours his heart and soul into the sport he loves.

“It’s fun to be on top of the points,” smiled the likeable Hammerle, who moved to the national points lead on the strength of his circuit-leading 14 starts through May 6 (the next-busiest driver has run 12 races). “Maybe I can stay there for a few weeks.”

Hammerle realizes he’s racing on borrowed time, of course. Even though he plans to enter more than 70 UMP DIRTcar events this season and the national title will be determined using a driver’s best 40 finishes, most of his racing will come in weekly shows at small ovals where he can be competitive with his bare-bones budget. He doesn’t have the finances to follow the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals, which provides its regulars a chance to pile up bonus points toward the national title thanks to the tour’s strong car counts.

“They’ll definitely catch me during the Summernationals,” Hammerle said of his current pursuers in the standings. “They’ll get those maximum bonus points for the car counts.”

But Hammerle is fine with his ultimate fate. He’s honored simply to spend some time in the spotlight as the points leader, however short his stay there might be.

“I thought I might get the points lead this week because I got three races in last weekend and a lot of guys had their races rained out,” remarked Hammerle, whose weekend was highlighted by a feature win on May 2 at Belle Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill. “Last year I got the points lead once too because I ran a lot of races early in the season, so I was hoping I’d get the lead again this year for a little while.”

It’s certainly a neat story to see the points paced by a hard-working journeyman like Hammerle, a home-based welder by trade who is the epitome of a UMP DIRTcar Weekend Warrior. There’s no frills about any part of his race team, from the ramp-truck he uses to haul his car to the aged, battle-scarred No. 16H machines he campaigns.

Hammerle has three cars in his arsenal, but the newest of the trio is five years old. His favorite mount is a homebuilt piece he constructed in 2000 (it’s the dirt Late Model he put in Victory Lane last Saturday at Belle Clair); he also has a 2000 GRT car and a 2003 Rayburn chassis – although “the chassis builders won’t claim them anymore because I’ve cut ‘em up and changed them all around,” quipped Hammerle, whose small group of sponsors is headed by his crewman Mike Hickman’s King Edward’s Fried Chicken stores. (“When we get to the track everybody always wants to know if we have chicken to feed them,” said Hammerle.)

The motors in Hammerle’s equipment are built to his limited budget by Rolla (Mo.) Competition Engines. He estimated that his powerplants produce “probably 100 horsepower less than the big guys” because he has to go for durability in order to race as often as he does – and the tight bullrings he frequents don’t require big power anyway.

Last year Hammerle focused his weekly efforts on the two smallest tracks under the UMP DIRTcar banner – Belle Clair Speedway and Macon (Ill.) Speedway, both one-fifth-mile ovals. He won the points championship at Macon and finished a close second at Belle Clair, helping him to a seventh-place finish in the 2007 UMP DIRTcar national points standings.

This season Hammerle plans to again run Belle Clair regularly on Friday nights – he already has a fourth-place finish to go along with his win there – but he’s not committed to a Saturday track. It’s a lengthy two-and-a-half-hour one-way haul to Macon from his home outside St. Louis, so with rising gas prices he’s backing off weekly trips there. The always penny-pinching driver said he can save $50 in gas by racing closer to home at I-57/I-64 Raceway in Mt. Vernon, Ill. (where he has a top finish of fifth in two starts this season), so he’ll likely split his Saturdays between Macon, Mt. Vernon and perhaps others tracks now-and-then.

Hammerle will always find somewhere to race. You can count on that.

“I’m 60, but you need to keep practicing,” he joked when asked why he’s still so active behind the wheel.

Hammerle launched his racing career 35 years ago, competing in the Sportsman division at tracks near his home. Three years later he began a decade-long stint in the dirt Late Model division, then he bounced between a center-steer Modified class very similar to the Northeast’s DIRTcar big-block Modifieds (he competed in DIRTcar big-block Modified events in Florida and Texas during the late ‘80s) and the emerging UMP DIRTcar Modified division before returning to dirt Late Models, which he’s run for the last decade.

According to Hammerle’s best recollections, he’s won over 300 features in various divisions and more than 20 points championships. He’s finished as high as second in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings and has three fifth-place finishes since 2000.

It’s been a long, fun ride for Hammerle, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down.

Hammerle has even outlasted his wife Linda, who rarely attends her husband’s races these days, preferring to spend more time with the couple’s grandchildren.

“I guess I burnt her out,” said a smiling Hammerle. “She went with me everywhere for 25 years, but she was always a nervous wreck when she watched me race and she finally decided she didn’t want to go anymore.”

It’s a pretty good bet that Hammerle will never leave the pit area behind. He even dreams of a way to stay in the game after he finally hangs up his helmet sometime well into his senior-citizen years.

“I’m just gonna do it as long as I can,” Hammerle said of his future plans. “I still enjoy it too much to stop.

“Maybe I’ll get one of my grandkids driving some day,” he added with a twinkle in his eyes. “I’ve got a grandson who’s three years old, so maybe I can hold out and keep racing until he’s ready to take over driving my car.”

NOTABLE UMP DIRTcar RACING THIS WEEKEND:

* The UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Sunoco American Late Model Series swings back into action on Friday night (May 9) at Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio.

* The Northern Allstars Late Model Series – another UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned tour – has a Saturday-night (May 10) date at Highland (Ill.) Speedway.

* Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway will host a $700-to-win UMP DIRTcar Modified special on Friday night (May 9) as part of its USAC Sprint Car program.

UMP DIRTcar RACING INFO: Log on to www.dirtcar.com for more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing and to view complete points standings for all divisions.

ATTENTION: Any UMP DIRTcar track or race team with news that could be used in the ‘UMP DIRTcar Racing Weekly Update’ release can e-mail the info to Kevin Kovac at kkovac@dirtcar.com.

UMP DIRTcar Racing National Points Standings (as of May 6):

Super Late Models (driver/points/races):

1. Mike Hammerle 648 14
2. Jason McBride 557 11
3. Rusty Griffaw 544 10
4. Michael Kloos 534 12
5. Dennis Erb Jr. 521 7
6. Billy Moyer 506 6
7. Rusty Schlenk 499 9
8. Steve Francis 484 6
9. Ryan Unzicker 472 8
10. Chris Shelton 440 10
11. Brad Looney 428 7
12. Tony Albright 404 7
13. Wes Steidinger 395 6
14. Billy Faust 394 7
15. B. J. McCammon 375 7
16. Frankie Martin 369 7
17. Rick Eckert 368 5
18. Ed Dixon 364 8
19. Chub Frank 363 5
20. Chuck Proctor 360 6

Open-Wheel Modifieds (driver/points/races):

1. Kent Robinson 988 14
2. Randle Sweeney 964 13
3. Tim Hancock 914 14
4. Chad Evans 690 12
5. Gary Cook Jr. 687 10
6. Denny Schwartz 666 12
7. Jon Henry 614 12
8. Jeff Leka 592 9
9. Clayton Miller 584 10
10. Clint DeMoss 564 9
11. Mike Spatola 549 9
12. R.C. Whitwell 538 7
13. Rob Fuqua 525 9
14. Tommie Seets Jr. 511 8
15. Nick Allen 509 7
16. Matt Bex 494 8
17. Todd Miller 488 8
18. Johnny Scott 487 7
19. Bobby Bittle 480 8
20. Chad Osterhoff 480 7

Pro Late Models (driver/points/races):

1. Duane Hodges 511 8
2. Levi Ashby 487 10
3. Kevin Hardin 482 8
3. Jason Jones 482 10
5. Josh Harris 456 8
6. Caleb Ashby 430 8
7. Phil Gregory 424 8
8. Tait Davenport 371 5
9. Carnell Parker 365 5
10. Mike Watson 359 8

Sportsman (driver/points/races):

1. Troy Clark 474 9
2. Chris Hillman 466 8
3. Brad Cummings 448 8
4. Shawn Daugherty 445 7
5. Anthon Jackson 430 6
6. Bruce Westerman 420 7
7. Jeremy Hines 410 7
8. Patrick Vareika 391 7
9. Danny Vogel Jr. 380 6

Limited Modifieds (driver/points/races):

1. Jonathan Clayton 400 6
2. John Paul Talkington 368 6
3. Brandon Buhler 350 5
4. Will Duncan 313 5
5. Bryan Barrett 302 6
6. Evan Delahoussaye 260 4
7. Matthew Holmes 255 4
8. Alex Ashley 231 4
9. Lee Fincher 212 4
10. Ray Allen Kulhanek 210 3

Street Stocks (driver/points/races):

1. Travis Myers 561 9
2. Aaron Penton 474 9
3. Jon Wix 444 7
4. Randy Arnold 442 9
5. Grady Christian 433 6
6. Brad Taylor 409 8
7. Tyler Blankenship 390 6
8. Jerrad Krick 380 5
9. David Cline 380 6
10. Josh Griffith 371 6

Factory Stocks (driver/points/races):

1. Cody Vanosdol 364 5
2. Mickey Hines 335 5
3. William Burton 296 5
4. Willie Sallee 286 5
5. Bodi Henry 269 4
6. Josh Phelps 260 5
7. Mark Bruce 251 5
8. Bill Moore 245 5
9. Seth Hull 231 4
10. Tim Roberts 220 4

4-Cylinders (driver/points/races):

1. Joe Reed 525 7
2. Jeff Rittenberry 495 7
3. Michael Rittenberry 452 8
4. Michael Perrigo 443 7
5. Jeffrey Bailey 433 7
6. Travis Staats 425 6
7. Daniel Stephens 425 7
8. Bob Zbinden 407 7
9. Keaton Downing 406 6
10. Charlie Staats 399 6