6.17.11 Results OHIO SPEEDWEEK: OHIO CAT/EAGLE 99 NIGHT

Tim Shaffer Passes Smith Late for All Star’s Ohio Sprint Speedweek Win at Attica; Miller Scores Late Model Victory

By Brian Liskai: (Attica, OH) The battle for the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions national and Ohio region points title could be decided during the 29th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek. And, two-time and defending All Star champion Tim Shaffer has given notice that he is ready to make a run at both, as the Aliquippa, Pennsylvania driver passed Stevie Smith late in the 40-lap affair to claim the win at Attica Raceway Park Friday night.

Shaffer took the lead on lap 29 with a slide job exiting turn four and never looked back on route to his 38th career All Star victory on Ohio Cat/Eagle 99 Night at “ Ohio ’s Finest Racing” speedplant. The Ohio Sprint Speedweek opening win is his third All Star victory of 2011 and ninth career at Attica Raceway Park.

“Hats off to my guys…this is such a great track to race on. Brian (crew chief, Kemenah) and James and Five-O and Rob and everybody that works on this thing. They give me such a great race car…it’s a lot of fun. Stevie was pretty good there at the beginning and it seemed like in lapped traffic he got off his pace and we were able to capitalize,” said Shaffer beside his Kistler Engines, Kistler Racing Products backed #83.

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O’Reilly All Star Sprints – Tim Shaffer #83
“This is a great way to start speedweek. Last year here we had a little bit of bad luck and once you get behind the eight ball it’s hard to get back up. Hopefully this will keep going throughout speedweek. It’s going to be tough. We have some great cars this week,” added Shaffer in the Engine Pro Victory Lane with his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned machine.

Chillicothe, Ohio ’s Danny Smith, who a year ago at Attica for the speedweek opener crashed hard in qualifying, breaking his back and ending his year, would come on strong the last six laps, driving from fourth to second at the checkers.

“It’s been a long year and we’ve run out of money. I was kind of working the middle there early and could keep up with them but I’d kind of get my tires too hot and fade back. There at the end it started working pretty good and the top really slowed down and we were lucky enough to get up to the front,” said Smith beside his Dean Knittle & Sons Automotive, J&D Performance backed #4. “A year ago we were in pretty bad shape. Thanks to everyone who helped get me back here today.

There’s a lot of good cars and good competition for speedweek this year. I hope our six year old motor can hang with them.”

Smith, the 2009 Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion, would lead the first 28 laps of the feature and would hold on at the end to finish third.

“There’s no excuses. These guys are running good. We just need to get better at the end and we’re going to work towards that this speedweek. Hopefully we can make the right changes. Congratulations to Tim and Danny…they just plain beat us,” said Smith beside his Zemco Speed Equipment #1. “I think I’ve either spun out here every time or been up front…I’ve never been in between. I’m tired of going to the back so I just had to just settle down and drive the car the best it would let me and we just weren’t quite good enough. Our goal is to try and get better each night out.”

Findlay, Ohio’s Matt Miller would hang on to a car that suffered a broken left rear shock to claim the win in the Fultz Fabrications and Speed Shop UMP Late Model win, the fifth of his career at Attica.

“The shock came off on the left rear…it’s amazing we finished. I thought I felt something going on back there…we didn’t need a restart that’s for sure,” said Miller beside his McCullough Industries, PRC, Sunoco Race Fuels backed #7. “Jon Henry’s been kicking everybody’s butt out here so we kind of plan to run the bottom like him. We were better. We’ve been struggling here the past month or so but hopefully we’ve got something to come into the Summer Nationals.”

“I have to thank my car owners Steve and Terri McCulloug and Gressman Race Engines,” added Miller.

ImageStevie Smith would lead the 26-car field – which included NASCAR Sprint Cup stars Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart – to the green with Shaffer sliding into second while Danny Holtgraver, Danny Smith, Byron Reed and Daryn Pittman gave chase. Smith would rim-ride around the top of the track, setting a blistering pace as he encountered lapped traffic by the eighth circuit. This would allow Shaffer to close while Holtgraver, Smith, Reed and Pittman put on a great show for the capacity crowed for third. The first caution would fly for a Cap Henry spin on lap nine, giving Smith a clear track. A lap and a yellow for a Chris Andrews spin, and Smith would again set sail with Shaffer running comfortably in second while Holtgraver, Smith, Reed and Pittman continued their torrid battle for third.

Bryan Lay would tip over on the front stretch on lap 12, collecting Duane Zablocki and Sheldon Haudenschild. With on and off sprinkles of rain, the cars were quickly cleared off the track and Smith again would pull away from Shaffer. At the half-way mark, Pittman would spin in turn four for the final caution of the race. The restart order had Smith over Shaffer, Holtgraver, Smith, Reed, Craig Mintz, Brad Haudenschild and Phil Gressman.

The thin edge of the cushion at the top of turns three and four began to wear away and Smith began to struggle with 15 laps remaining. Shaffer could smell blood and closed quickly and was on Smith’s rear bumper by lap 27. Meanwhile, Holtgraver would have his hands full with Reed while Smith and Mintz battled for fifth. Shaffer would fly under Smith and slide up in front exiting turn four to complete the 29th lap. Smith would not give up without a fight and returned the slide job in turns one and two, but Shaffer was too strong in three and four and regained the top spot.

The leaders would catch the back of the field again on lap 32. This also allowed Danny Smith to rebound as he drove from fifth into third in one lap and quickly closed on Stevie Smith. When Shaffer took the white flag, Danny Smith drove under Stevie for second and started to close on the lead. But, it was too little too late as Shaffer coasted to the win. Danny Smith, Stevie Smith, Reed and Mintz would round out the top five.

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UMP DIRTcar Late Models – Matt Miller #7
In the 25-lap late model main, Wayne Maffett Jr. would grab the lead from his pole-starting spot with Ken Hahn applying pressure. Kyle Perry, Dave Hornikel, Justin Chance, Steve Kester and Miller would give chase. Maffett and Hahn would race side by side over the first three laps until the caution would fly for Dusty Moore and Ernie Haynes. On the restart, Hahn would again pressure Maffet while Hornikel moved into third with Perry, Chance and now Miller beginning to close. When John Bores spun on lap four, disaster would strike for Hahn as he too lopped it out in turn two.

On the restart the running order was now Maffett, Perry, Hornikel, Chance, Miller and Kester. On lap five, Chance would take third, bringing Miller into fourth. A lap later and Miller would drive under Chance for third and by lap 7 had taken second from Perry. Miller would close on Maffett a lap later and the two raced side-by-side until a caution on lap 11 for George Lee, Hornikel and Perry. But that tremendous battle for the lead would resume when the green returned as Maffett and Miller raced side-by-side with Chance, Kester and Casey Noonan rounding out the top five.

Miller would drive under Maffett and take the lead for good on lap 15 while a fantastic five car battle for third was underway between Chance, Kesster, Noonan, Ryan Missler and Roddy Schroyer. While Miller cruised around the bottom, Maffet ran comfortably in second. Noonan would move into third with five laps to go as Chance and Schroyer rounded out the top five. And that is how they would finish.

Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Friday, July 1 for Kear’s Speed Shop Fan Appreciation Night. General admission is just $10 for four divisions – FAST 410 sprints, 305 sprints, late models, and dirt trucks.

For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com

Attica Raceway Park – 6/17/2011
Ohio CAT/Eagle 99 Night

O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions (47 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position

Qualifying – Kistler Engines
1. 2-Dale Blaney, 12.459; 2. 89G-David Gravel, 12.482; 3. 1-Stevie Smith, 12.501; 4. 12-Jarred Ridge, 12.570; 5. 83-Tim Shaffer, 12.574; 6. D4-Danny Holtgraver, 12.621; 7. O9-Craig Mintz, 12.656; 8. 5T-Travis Philo, 12.658; 9. 5R-Byron Reed, 12.670; 10. 4-Danny Smith, 12.676; 11. 9Z-Duane Zablocki, 12.676; 12. 10-Brad Haudenschild, 12.698; 13. 27-Daryn Pittman, 12.730; 14. 45-Rob Chaney, 12.734; 15. O-Chris Andrews, 12.739; 16. 9X-Brandon Martin, 12.745; 17. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.777; 18. 53-Phil Gressman, 12.786; 19. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 12.870; 20. 45L-Brian Lay, 12.906; 21. 51-Brad Bowman, 12.909; 22. 16-Bryan Sebetto, 12.922; 23. W20-Greg Wilson, 12.922; 24. O4-Cap Henry, 12.931; 25. 97-Dean Jacobs, 12.937; 26. 312-Mike Linder, 12.942; 27. 60-Jody Keegan, 12.988; 28. 41-Jason Johnson, 12.998; 29. 14-Tony Stewart, 13.078; 30. 16M-Danny Mumaw, 13.116; 31. 1Z-Jessica Zemken, 13.150; 32. 7TW-Brandon Wimmer, 13.160; 33. 4X-Kasey Kahne, 13.178; 34. 15H-Mitch Harble, 13.187; 35. 57X-Andrew Palker, 13.193; 36. 91-Aaron Middaugh, 13.199; 37. 11D-Bryce Dickson, 13.238; 38. 22-Cole Duncan , 13.255; 39. 4K-Kody Kinser, 13.266; 40. 3J-Kevin Lee, 13.300; 41. 3-Pete Miller, 13.362; 42. 11N-Ed Neumeister, 13.485; 43. 96AU-Bruce White, 13.619; 44. 6Z-Zack Ames , 13.811; 45. 35-Wes McGlumphy, 13.905; 46. 26-Ryan French, 14.051; 47. 36-Brent Coffman, 14.287

Heat 1 – Kear’s Speed Shop (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 49-Brad Sweet[2] ; 2. 27-Daryn Pittman[3] ; 3. 83-Tim Shaffer[5] ; 4. 97-Dean Jacobs[7] ; 5. 5R-Byron Reed[4] ; 6. 2-Dale Blaney[6] ; 7. 51-Brad Bowman[1] ; 8. 14-Tony Stewart[8] ; 9. 4X-Kasey Kahne[9] ; 10. 11D-Bryce Dickson[10] ; 11. 3-Pete Miller[11] ; 12. 35-Wes McGlumphy[12]

Heat 2 – All Pro Aluminum Heads (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 16-Bryan Sebetto[1] ; 2. 53-Phil Gressman[2] ; 3. 45-Rob Chaney[3] ; 4. D4-Danny Holtgraver[5] ; 5. 4-Danny Smith[4] ; 6. 312-Mike Linder[7] ; 7. 89G-David Gravel[6] ; 8. 16M-Danny Mumaw[8] ; 9. 15H-Mitch Harble[9] ; 10. 26-Ryan French[12] ; 11. 11N-Ed Neumeister[11]

Heat 3 – MSD Ignition (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. W20-Greg Wilson [1] ; 2. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[2] ; 3. O-Chris Andrews[3] ; 4. 1-Stevie Smith[6] ; 5. O9-Craig Mintz[5] ; 6. 57X-Andrew Palker[9] ; 7. 1Z-Jessica Zemken[8] ; 8. 60-Jody Keegan[7] ; 9. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[4] ; 10. 4K-Kody Kinser[10] ; 11. 96AU-Bruce White[11] ; 12. 36-Brent Coffman[12]

Heat 4 – Kinsler Fuel Injection (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. O4-Cap Henry[1] ; 2. 10-Brad Haudenschild[4] ; 3. 45L-Brian Lay[2] ; 4. 41-Jason Johnson[7] ; 5. 3J-Kevin Lee[10] ; 6. 9X-Brandon Martin[3] ; 7. 5T-Travis Philo[5] ; 8. 6Z-Zack Ames [11] ; 9. 91-Aaron Middaugh[9] ; 10. 7TW-Brandon Wimmer[8] ; 11. 12-Jarred Ridge[6]

Outerwears Performance Products Dash (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature
1. 1-Stevie Smith[2] ; 2. 83-Tim Shaffer[3] ; 3. 4-Danny Smith[1] ; 4. D4-Danny Holtgraver[4] ; 5. O9-Craig Mintz[5] ; 6. 5R-Byron Reed[6]

C-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 2 finishers transfer to the B-feature)
1. 4K-Kody Kinser[1] ; 2. 3-Pete Miller[2] ; 3. 96AU-Bruce White[4] ; 4. 6Z-Zack Ames [5] ; 5. 11N-Ed Neumeister[3] ; 6. 35-Wes McGlumphy[6] ; 7. 36-Brent Coffman[8] ; 8. 26-Ryan French[7]

B-Main – University of Northwestern Ohio (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 2-Dale Blaney[1] ; 2. 89G-David Gravel[2] ; 3. 9X-Brandon Martin[6] ; 4. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[3] ; 5. 5T-Travis Philo[4] ; 6. 312-Mike Linder[8] ; 7. 14-Tony Stewart[10] ; 8. 51-Brad Bowman[5] ; 9. 16M-Danny Mumaw[9] ; 10. 1Z-Jessica Zemken[12] ; 11. 4K-Kody Kinser[17] ; 12. 57X-Andrew Palker[16] ; 13. 3-Pete Miller[19] ; 14. 4X-Kasey Kahne[14] ; 15. 7TW-Brandon Wimmer[11] ; 16. 15H-Mitch Harble[13] ; 17. 11D-Bryce Dickson[18] ; 18. 91-Aaron Middaugh[15] ; 19. 60-Jody Keegan[7]

A-Main – O’Reilly Auto Parts (40 Laps)
1. 83-Tim Shaffer[2]; 2. 4-Danny Smith[3]; 3. 1-Stevie Smith[1]; 4. 5R-Byron Reed[6]; 5. O9-Craig Mintz[5]; 6. 10-Brad Haudenschild[7]; 7. 53-Phil Gressman[16]; 8. D4-Danny Holtgraver[4]; 9. 41-Jason Johnson[23]; 10. 9X-Brandon Martin[14]; 11. 16-Bryan Sebetto[19]; 12. 89G-David Gravel[12]; 13. W20-Greg Wilson [20]; 14. 97-Dean Jacobs[22]; 15. 49-Brad Sweet[15]; 16. O4-Cap Henry[21]; 17. 14-Tony Stewart[25]; 18. O-Chris Andrews[10]; 19. 27-Daryn Pittman[8]; 20. 4X-Kasey Kahne[26]; 21. 3J-Kevin Lee[24]; 22. 45-Rob Chaney[9]; 23. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[13]; 24. 2-Dale Blaney[11]; 25. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[17]; 26. 45L-Brian Lay[18]

Hard Charger: 41-Jason Johnson[+14]
Fultz Fabrication & Speed Shop UMP DIRTcar Late Models (27 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position

Heat 1 – Engine Pro (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 21-Larry Kingseed[1] ; 2. 61-George Lee[3] ; 3. 28-Roddy Schroyer[4] ; 4. 77-Steve Kester[7] ; 5. 12-Michael Stiltner Jr.[2] ; 6. 51-Devin Shiels[8] ; 7. 35-Ron Miller[6] ; 8. 99-Steve Sabo[5] ; 9. 15B-Mike Bores[9]

Heat 2 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 7-Matt Miller[1] ; 2. O1-Justin Chance[7] ; 3. 71-Dave Hornikel[3] ; 4. 40-Wayne Maffett Jr.[8] ; 5. 55T-Tom Ordway[5] ; 6. 5H-Ernie Haynes[6] ; 7. 36-Matt Irey[9] ; 8. 18-Jamie Reed[2] ; 9. 12M-Ky Harper[4]

Heat 3 – Bell Racing (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 27-Ken Hahn[4] ; 2. 1N-Casey Noonan[3] ; 3. 50Y-Ryan Missler[7] ; 4. O6-Kyle Perry[1] ; 5. 48B-John Bores[9] ; 6. 69-John Mayes Jr.[5] ; 7. 56-B.J. Gregory[6] ; 8. 11-Curtis Deisenroth[2] ; 9. WD40-Dusty Moore [8]

B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 51-Devin Shiels[1] ; 2. 69-John Mayes Jr.[3] ; 3. 5H-Ernie Haynes[2] ; 4. 36-Matt Irey[5] ; 5. WD40-Dusty Moore [12] ; 6. 35-Ron Miller[4] ; 7. 15B-Mike Bores[10] ; 8. 56-B.J. Gregory[6] ; 9. 99-Steve Sabo[7] ; 10. 12M-Ky Harper[11] ; 11. 11-Curtis Deisenroth[9] ; 12. 18-Jamie Reed[8]

A-Main – (25 Laps)
1. 7-Matt Miller[7]; 2. 40-Wayne Maffett Jr.[1]; 3. 1N-Casey Noonan[10]; 4. O1-Justin Chance[6]; 5. 28-Roddy Schroyer[12]; 6. 77-Steve Kester[5]; 7. 50Y-Ryan Missler[9]; 8. 51-Devin Shiels[16]; 9. WD40-Dusty Moore [20]; 10. 27-Ken Hahn[2]; 11. 21-Larry Kingseed[8]; 12. 55T-Tom Ordway[14]; 13. 12-Michael Stiltner Jr.[13]; 14. 5H-Ernie Haynes[18]; 15. 36-Matt Irey[19]; 16. O6-Kyle Perry[3]; 17. 71-Dave Hornikel[4]; 18. 61-George Lee[11]; 19. 69-John Mayes Jr.[17]; 20. 48B-John Bores[15]

Hard Charger: WD40-Dusty Moore[+11]

©2011 – Results Provided by: Computer Man Inc. Fremont, OH

2011 DIRTcar Summernationals Preview

By Kevin Kovac: (Concord, NC) Jason Feger will admit it: he’s not ready for the start of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.
But don’t take that to mean the Bloomington, Ill., star is anything less than confident about beginning his pursuit of a second consecutive title on the aptly-named dirt Late Model ‘Hell Tour,’ which kicks off on Thursday night (June 16) at Kankakee County Speedway. He’s just stating a fact.

“You can never be ready for the Summer Nationals,” Feger bottom-lined with a smile. “It’s the toughest deal in dirt Late Model racing. You just go with the flow and try to be as prepared as you can.”

A grueling month of competition is on tap for Feger, 33, and his fellow DIRTcar Summer Nationals travelers, who face events at 25 tracks in nine Midwestern states during the 32-day period from June 16 through the series finale on July 16 at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio. The drivers will battle for the traditional award from Jaycee Trophies engraved with their name and accolade, along with a share of $167,000 in first-place cash and the $25,000 champion’s portion of the tour points fund.

All eyes will certainly be focused on Feger, the hip hard-charger who last year ended the three-year Summer Nationals championship reign of Carpentersville, Ill.’s Dennis Erb Jr. The ‘Highside Hustler’ heads out on the road for the ’11 tour as the driver to beat.

“It’s definitely gonna feel different,” Feger said of his new-found status. “I guess everybody will be gunning for me now. Instead of being the hunter, I’ll be the hunted.”

It’s a challenge that Feger accepts, however. He doesn’t anticipate any letdown from his team, any complacency after finally reaching the mountaintop of the biggest test of man and machine in the dirt Late Model division.

“We usually do pretty good at staying motivated,” said Feger, who has two Bob Pierce-built cars and four Rhyne engines at his disposal for the Summer Nationals grind. “Everything’s been going pretty good for us lately, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Feger enters the Summer Nationals with a healthy dose of momentum, notwithstanding his disappointing trip to Ohio’s Eldora Speedway for last weekend’s DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Dream XVII. He failed to qualify for the $100,000-to-win A-Main following a heat-race incident – his only truly disappointing outing over the past month.

After finishing second in a World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main on April 29 at Hartford (Mich.) Motor Speedway, Feger clicked off three wins and just one finish outside the top five (a seventh) in his next 10 DIRTcar UMP starts. Eight of those races came in the two weeks between May 20 and June 4, a busy stretch that gave him a taste of the virtually non-stop Summer Nationals schedule.

“We’ve been racing a lot here lately and it’s been hot too,” said Feger. “We’ve been getting a good warmup for the Summer Nationals. It’s gotten us back to reality about what we’re gonna be facing here for the next month.”

Not that Feger needs much reminding about how difficult the Summer Nationals can be. He has been through the whirlwind enough in recent years to understand what it takes to be successful.

“If you’re running good, it makes it a lot easier on you mentally,” said Feger, who owns five career Summer Nationals feature wins. “Winning can fix a lot of problems. If you’re running bad and tearing stuff up, that’s when you start getting frustrated and the guys get frustrated. If you can consistently get good runs, it helps keep you mentally fresh.

“The physical aspect is the hardest part – how the series can be so tiring. When you have to drive so far between races, you don’t even have a chance to stop, eat a good meal or relax for just a little bit. It’s hurry up, load up, drive down the road, grab some fast-food somewhere, and get to the track so you can fix the car in 100-degree heat – you get no time to recharge your batteries.

“They definitely don’t call it the ‘Hell Tour’ for nothing,” he concluded.

Feger won just two A-Mains en route to his ’10 Summer Nationals crown, but he recorded seven runner-up finishes. He’s hoping to turn those seconds into victories this time around.

“If you can win some races, that’s when you’re making your money,” said Feger. “We’d definitely like to improve and win a few more races this year and work toward the championship that way.

“It would be real nice to win 10 or more races like Shannon (Babb) and other guys did when they won championships, but the competition is really tough. I think it would be hard for anybody to win that many races again. Not only does everything have to go your way to win a race, but you have to deal with guys like (Billy) Moyer (the alltime winningest driver in Summer Nationals competition) and (Don) O’Neal popping in fresh and running awfully good against us and everywhere we go you have some locals who know their tracks real well.”

Feger’s prime rivals for the Summer Nationals title figure to once again be former series champs Erb and Moweaqua, Ill.’s Babb, but there’s a host of other drivers jockeying for position in the spotlight. DIRTcar UMP national points Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., is among the core group of racers planning to follow the entire ‘Hell Tour,’ along with up-and-coming teenager Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., Scott James of Greendale, Ind., Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., Donny Walden of Towanda, Ill., and Jim Moon of Zionsville, Ind.

Other drivers expected to enter numerous Summer Nationals events – and perhaps follow the entire trail, depending on performance – include Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill., Kent Robinson of Bloomington, Ind., Mike Spatola of Manhattan, Ill., Rodney Melvin of Benton, Ill., Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Gulport, Ala., Brandon Thirlby of Traverse City, Mich., and Gary Christian of Broken Bow, Okla.

“I think the 2011 DIRTcar Summer Nationals is going to be as competitive as ever,” said DIRTcar UMP director Sam Driggers. “We have a great group of drivers ready to go out on the road and bring fans across the Midwest a real action-packed month of racing.”

Teams that make it through the entire month will travel over 4,500 miles between the tracks on the series, which boasts 17 races paying $5,000 to win, seven events offering a $10,000 top prize and a tour-best $12,000-to-win event on July 1 at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway.

Driggers said the ‘Hell Tour’ will include a handful of new wrinkles this season, including two-lap group qualifying at each stop; electronic transponder scoring every night for the first time; and four provisional starting spots at each race (two Summer Nationals points provisionals, one 2010 DIRTcar UMP national points provisional and one track/ local provisional).

For more information on the DIRTcar UMP Summer Nationals, visit www.thehelltour.com and www.DirtCar.com.

2011 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Schedule
(Date-Day-Track-Location-Win $)

June 16-Thurs.-Kankakee County Speedway/Kankakee, Ill.-$5,000
June 17-Fri.-Cedar Lake Speedway/New Richmond, Wis.-$5,000
June 18-Sat.-Cedar Lake Speedway/New Richmond, Wis.-$10,000
June 19- Sun.-DAY OFF
June 20-Mon.-LaSalle Speedway/LaSalle, Ill.-PPD/Moved to 7/13
June 21-Tues.-Spoon River Speedway/Canton, Ill.-PPD/Moved to 7/14
June 22-Wed.-Highland Speedway/Highland, Ill.-$5,000
June 23-Thurs.-Fayette County Speedway/Brownstown, Ill.-$5,000
June 24-Fri.-Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, Ill.-$10,000
June 25-Sat.-Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, Ill.-$10,000
June 26-Sun.-I-96 Speedway/Lake Odessa, Mich.-$5,000
June 27-Mon.-DAY OFF
June 28-Tues.-Lincoln Park Speedway/Putnamville, Ind.-$5,000
June 29-Wed.-Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, Ill.-$5,000
June 30-Thurs.-Clay Hill Motorsports Park/Atwood, Tenn.-$5,000
July 1-Fri.-Paducah International Raceway/Paducah, Ky.-$12,000
July 2-Sat.-I-55 Raceway/Pevely, Mo.-$10,000
July 3-Sun.-Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, Ill.-$5,000
July 4-Mon.-34 Raceway/Burlington, Iowa-$5,000
July 5-Tues.-DAY OFF
July 6-Wed.-Peoria Speedway/Peoria, Ill.-$5,000
July 7-Thurs.-Macon Speedway/Macon, Ill.-$5,000
July 8-Fri.-Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, Ill.-$10,000
July 9-Sat.-Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, Tenn.-$10,000
July 10-Sun.-Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, Ind.-$5,000
July 11-Mon.-OPEN DATE
July 12-Tues.-Brownstown Speedway/Brownstown, Ind.-$5,000
July 13-Wed.-LaSalle Speedway/LaSalle, Ill.-$5,000
July 14-Thurs.-Spoon River Speedway/Canton, Ill.-$5,000
July 15-Fri.-Attica Raceway Park/Attica, Ohio-$5,000
July 16-Sat.-Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, Ohio-$10,000

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including Hoosier Racing Tires, ASI Racewear, Comp Cams, Intercomp Racing, JE Pistons, QuarterMaster, Superflow, Wix_Filters, Wrisco Aluminum, the University of Northwestern Ohio, R2C Performance, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, ButlerBuilt, MSD Ignition, Chizmark Larson Insurance, Vicci Apparel and Ohlins Shocks.
Sponsors Add Major Value to DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour & Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals
By Chris Dolack

(Concord, NC) The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour and the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals kick off Thursday night at Kankakee County Speedway, beginning one of the richest and most grueling months of racing in motorsports.

In addition to more than half a million dollars in nightly race purses over the course of the events that run from June 16 to July 16 throughout the Midwest, 16 sponsors have combined to add $100,000 in cash and contingency awards to the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour and another $40,000 in cash and contingency awards to the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.

“We know how challenging it is to compete on the Hell Tour and the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals,” said World Racing Group CMO Ben Geisler. “We’ve worked hard to bring in partners like Summit Racing Equipment to reward competitors for surviving night after night during what is no doubt the hardest month of competition in racing.”

To learn more about the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour, plus the awards available to competitors, click www.TheHellTour.com. For more on DIRTcar Racing, click www.DIRTcar.com.

At every DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals event, the Top 20 finishers will be rewarded. For a complete list of the nightly prizes on the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals tour, click the Awards section at www.ModifiedNationals.com.

2011 DIRTcar Summer Nationals ‘Hell Tour’ Contingency Awards

DIRTcar Racing: Mandatory for all competitors

Hoosier: Mandatory for all competitors

UNOH: Mandatory for all competitors

VP Racing Fuels: Mandatory for all competitors (unless competitor’s decal is displayed)
• VP “Heat #1” Award: $50 Cash Award to the winner of Heat #1 at each event

Quarter Master: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $100 Certificate to 1st place finisher
• $50 Certificate to 5th place finisher
• $25 Certificate to 15th place finisher

Wrisco: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• Three (3) sheets of aluminum to race winner only

Comp Cams: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $50 Cash Award to 10th place finisher
• $50 Certificate to 1st place finisher

JE Pistons: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $50 Cash Award to 1st place finisher
• Product Certificate for a Set of Rings to the 11th place finisher
• Product Certificate for a Set of Rings to the 21st place finisher

Superflow: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $50 Cash Award to 7th place finisher

Beyea Headers: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $40 Cash Award to 12th place finisher

WIX: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $50 Cash Award to 13th place finisher

Ohlins : Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $50 Cash Award to the Fast Qualifier

ASI Racewear: Mandatory for all Tow-Money Teams (unless competitor’s decal is displayed), Optional for all other competitors.
• $50 Cash Award to 5th place finisher
• 25 FREE t-shirts with every 144 ordered by any driver who competes in a Summer Nationals event

R2C Performance:
• Optional decal; Mandatory for contingency award eligibility
• $100 cash to feature winner if equipped with R2C Filter AND if decal is displayed
• $100 product certificate to feature winner if only decal is displayed or next highest with the decal

Chizmark and Larson Insurance:
• No Decal
• When Chizmark and Larson representative is in attendance a $100 cash award will be given to the “Hard Luck” driver of the race – will be announced at driver’s meetings

Fusion Graphics:

• No Decal
• $1,000 cash, plus $250 certificate to the “Fusion Graphics Passing Point Champion”
• Points will be awarded each night to every driver based on total number of positions improved in each race including Heat Races, B-Mains and A-Mains
2011 DIRTcar Summer Nationals ‘Hell Tour’ Point Fund

Point Fund Contributors: Hoosier, UNOH, Racing Electronics, Intercomp, Special Olympics, Vicci, GM Performance Parts, RacingJunk.com

2011 DIRTcar Summer Nationals ‘Hell Tour’ Year-End Awards

Butler Built
• Custom Seat to Rookie of the Year

Beyea Headers
• $500 Product certificate to Champion
• $300 Product certificate to 2nd place
• $100 Product certificate to 3rd place

Dyer’s Rods
• Set of Rods

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tires, GM Performance Parts, ASI Racewear, Comp Cams, Intercomp Racing, JE Pistons, QuarterMaster, Superflow, Wix Filters, Wrisco Aluminum, the University of Northwestern Ohio, R2C Performance, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, ButlerBuilt, MSD Ignition, Chizmark Larson Insurance, Vicci Apparel, Beyea Custom Headers, Fusion Graphics & Sign Company, Dyer’s Rods, and Ohlins Shocks.

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Summit Racing Equipment, Hoosier Racing Tires, GM Performance Parts, University of Northwestern Ohio, Aero Race Wheels, ASI Racewear, Auto Meter, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bilstein Shocks, Fast Shafts, Fusion Graphics & Sign Company, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Vicci, Chizmark Larson Insurance, KSE Racing Products, MSD Ignition, QA1 Motorsports, Quarter Master, R2C Performance Intake Systems, RacingJunk.com, Willy’s Carburetor & Dyno Shop, VP Racing Fuels.

6.16.11 Races Rained Out

By Brian Liskai: (Attica, OH) The race car show scheduled for Thursday, June 16th at Legends Sports Pub & Grille in Clyde has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Also, the Buckeye Speedzone on Eagle 99 will not be broadcasting from Legends but will be on the air from 6-7 p.m. with a special Ohio Sprint Speedweek kick-off show featuring NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne.

Ohio Sprint Speedweek kicks off Friday, June 17th at Attica Raceway Park as the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Cars compete at eight events over nine days across the Buckeye State.

6.10.11 Races Rained Out

By Brian Liskai: (Attica, OH) Heavy thunderstorms late Friday afternoon forced the cancellation of racing at Attica Raceway Park for June 10 on Croghan Colonial Bank/ All Pro Cylinder Heads Night.

Fans are invited to Legends Sports Pub and Grille in Clyde, Ohio on Thursday, June 16 to help kick off the 29th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek. There will be several race cars on display along with great food specials from 5-8 p.m. Eagle 99’s Buckeye Speedzone will also be broadcasting live from 6-7 p.m.

Attica Raceway Park will kick off Speedweek – featuring the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Cars – on Friday, June 17, Ohio Cat/Eagle 99 Night. The Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop UMP Late Models will also be in competition.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Star Kasey Kahne will be behind the wheel of a sprint car at Attica and usually sticks around following the races to sign autographs.

Ohio Sprint Speedweek features eight nights of racing over nine days across the Buckeye State.

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Kasey Kahne To Compete During 2011 Ohio Sprint Speedweek

By Brian Liskai: (Camargo, IL) NASCAR Sprint Cup star Kasey Kahne will strap into a 1,400-pound, 900 horsepower sprint car and compete at several shows during the 29th Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek with the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Car Series.

“A schedule of when the Enumclaw, Washington native will compete will be released after more details are secured,” said Guy Webb of All Star Championship Racing. “Not only will Kasey race several shows during Speedweek, but he has indicated he will accommodate fans with autograph sessions after the races each night he competes.”

It has been confirmed that his first race aboard his Kasey Kahne Racing, Maxim sprint car will be at Attica Raceway Park!

Kahne, who drives the #4 Red Bull Toyota in NASCAR, began his racing career driving sprint cars. He has continued his support of the popular dirt track open wheel machines buy owning two teams that compete in the World of Outlaws series – current point leader Joey Saldana and rookie of the year contender Cody Darrah. He also has teamed up with Dennis Roth of Roth Motorsports to back the #83 entry driven by Paul McMahan. On occasion, fellow NASCAR driver Brad Sweet – who competes in the Camping World Truck Series – climbs behind the wheel of one of Kahne’s sprint cars and has also competed during Speedweek, winning the 2010 show at Waynesfield Speedway, and later claiming another All Star win at West Virginia Motor Speedway.

Ohio Sprint Speedweek features eight nights of racing over nine nights across the Buckeye State. The All Star tradition begins Friday, June 17th at Attica Raceway Park in northern Ohio, then heads to KC Raceway near Chillicothe on Saturday, June 18th followed by a journey to one of the original Speedweek tracks – Millstream Speedway near Findlay – on Sunday, June 19th. On Monday, June 20th the All Stars head to “The Field,” Waynesfield Raceway Park, followed by the first of two stops at the historic Fremont Speedway on Tuesday, June 21st. Wednesday finds the All Stars at another one of the traditional Speedweek stops – Sharon Speedway near Hartford, Ohio on June 22nd. Everyone collects their breath on Thursday before finishing out Speedweek on Friday, June 24 at Limaland Motorsports Park with the $10,000-to-win finale slated for Saturday, June 25 at Fremont Speedway, which is celebrating its 60th season of racing.

For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com.