MOORESVILLE, NC (February 8, 2023) — Heading into the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season reigning Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso announced today the renewal of her marketing relationship with Powerbuilt Tools. The marketing program will include primary branding on Caruso’s KB Titan Racing powered Chevrolet Camaro for five national events during the season beginning with the NHRA Winternationals as well as the Arizona Nationals, the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals and the In-N-Out Burgers NHRA Finals in Pomona to close out the season. Powerbuilt Tools will be featured as a major associate the remaining 13 NHRA national events.

“I am excited to continue to grow this marketing program with Powerbuilt Tools,” said Caruso. “I believe these are the best tools in the industry and I have a lot of confidence knowing my race car is being serviced with Powerbuilt Tools. I have been fortunate to talk with so many fans about Powerbuilt Tools and I can’t wait to get the season started.” 

During her successful rookie season Caruso qualified for every NHRA national event, was the No. 1 qualifier at the Spring Nationals in Houston and raced to a runner-up finish at the same event. The 24-year-old driver finished the regular season in the Top Ten and qualified for the NHRA Countdown playoffs. Caruso began driving in the NHRA Jr. Dragster League before attending Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and earning her Super Comp license.  She has continued to move up through the NHRA competition classes for over a decade. After three years of competing in the 8.90 index class, she went back to Frank Hawley and obtained her Top Dragster license, successfully competing in both PDRA and NHRA for a couple years before her jump into Top Alcohol Dragster with Randy Meyer Racing where she won her first Wally in only her second start in the class.

“We have enjoyed our relationship with Camrie and the Caruso Racing family over the last two years,” said Greg Livingston, President and CEO of Alltrade Tools. “Being a part of Camrie’s rookie season and her success as 2022 Rookie of the Year. Powerbuilt is excited to be a part of the 2023 season and we wish Camrie the best this year. She has our full support from the entire Powerbuilt team.

Headquartered in Cypress, California, Powerbuilt Tools are recognized for their high quality, innovative and durable tools. They offer best in class tools and equipment that deliver quality, innovation and durability to automotive professionals and enthusiasts. For 40 years they’ve produced consistent quality, performance and value to earn the trust of tool users. 

As a third generation drag racer, Caruso the daughter of former Pro Modified racer Marc Caruso and granddaughter of “Papa Joe” Caruso, who raced in Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Pro Mod, showed in 2022 that she brings much more to the competitive table than just a great racing pedigree. Throughout the season she continued to improve as a driver and NHRA ambassador.

The NHRA Gatornationals will start the NHRA’s season in sunny Gainesville, Florida, on Friday, March 10, the quickest sixteen Pro Stock cars will race on Sunday with the event being televised on FS1 and FOX nationally.

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 8, 2023 – Jade Avedisian became the winningest driver in Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota history and the first female driver to take the checkered flag in a national Midget race in 2022. This year, she’s poised to make more history, chasing the Series title with one of Midget racing’s most decorated teams.

Avedisian has joined Keith Kunz Motorsports and will run all 35 races on the Xtreme Outlaw Midget schedule in pursuit of her first national championship. Piloting a Bullet by Spike Chassis with Toyota Racing power by Speedway Engine Development, the young Californian will drive KKM’s iconic #71 with sponsorship from Mobil 1 on the full-time Xtreme Midget roster.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Avedisian said. “Keith and Pete [Willoughby, team co-owner] are giving me a shot, and to have Mobil 1 on this year is going to be really cool.

“There’s a lot of pressure obviously, because I want to win, and everyone wants to win. So, I’m going to give it all I’ve got and see what happens.”

At 16 years old, Avedisian has already begun breaking ground in the Midget world. She became the first female driver to claim the checkered flag in a national Midget race last June, leading the Xtreme Outlaw Feature at Jacksonville Speedway flag-to-flag to bank the $5,000 prize on the historic Sunday night in Illinois.

She backed that win up in October with her second Xtreme Outlaw victory of the year, becoming the current winningest driver in Series history. She beat POWRi National Midget champion Bryant Wiedeman to the line in a near photo-finish to win the season finale at I-44 Riverside Speedway.

Both of her record victories came in cars fielded by team owner Chad Boat, who she drove for in her first full-time Midget season last year. Avedisian first partnered with Boat in 2021 for her rookie Midget campaign on a part-time schedule after several years competing and winning in the Micro Sprint ranks, which she said all has prepared her for her next Midget venture at KKM.

“My year last year with Chad and everyone at [Chad Boat Industries] was really great,” Avedisian said. “I think that really helped me learn and progress into this year to have this opportunity with Mobil 1, Toyota Racing and Keith Kunz Motorsports.”

Kunz has kept a close eye on Avedisian’s racing career for the past several years, watching her rise from Jr. Sprints through the Micro Sprint ranks and into the national Midget scene. After her record-setting season in 2022 and her A-Main appearance as a rookie at the Chili Bowl Nationals in January, Kunz knew Avedisian was going to make a strong addition to his team in 2023.

“She was at the top of Toyota’s and our radar,” Kunz said. “We just eventually gravitated toward each other as her career’s moved along. She was able to get a couple wins last year with Chad Boat and had really solidified herself as a strong competitor.

“We’re all looking to take her to the next level and win more races and chase an Xtreme championship this year.”

In the midst of a remarkable wave of youthful talent sweeping through the national Midget ranks in the past five years came a variety of skilled female racers as well – several of which Kunz has fielded cars for and made defining moments in Midget racing.

From the days of Sarah McCune’s starts in KKM cars in the early 2000s, to Holly Shelton’s multi-season tenure with the team in the 2010s, to Kaylee Bryson’s groundbreaking achievement in becoming the first woman to start the Chili Bowl A-Main last year, Kunz has developed some of the best female racing talent in Midget history and looks to drivers like Avedisian to carry the torch for other female racers into the future.

“For us, it’s been really cool to see that progression and be a part of it,” Kunz said. “I think there’s going to be a day that comes when there’s just as many girls winning races as guys.”

Kunz’s experience, his mechanics’ knowledge and Avedisian’s skill behind the wheel will combine to form what is poised to be one of the most competitive Midget teams in the country.

“That’s what it’s going to take to win the championship – she’s going to have to be a consistent competitor for the win every night,” Kunz said. “I think we can put her in that position. We’re really looking forward to it.”

“I honestly feel like we have a really good chance to win the championship,” Avedisian said. “It’s one of my goals to win the championship, and hopefully, win some races as well.”

Don’t miss Avedisian take on the entire Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota schedule in her first season with Keith Kunz Motorsports. For tickets to events, visit XtremeOutlawSeries.com or stream every lap live on your device with the DIRTVision app.

The four-time Series champion is searching for his third Big Gator Championship

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 8, 2023 – Brandon Sheppard, the four-time World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model champion, is taking a new path to try and win his fifth title in 2023.

The New Berlin, IL driver announced a switch to Longhorn Chassis in the offseason after more than a decade driving a Rocket.

That change is coming with growing pains, as the driver with the most wins in World of Outlaws CASE Late Models history has yet to find Victory Lane in 16 races. Despite struggling, he said he thinks the team is going in the right direction.

“I think we’re starting to turn a curve,” Sheppard said. “We’ve gotten a lot better here the last few days, and everything is starting to click pretty good. It’s a learning curve, and the way we’re going about everything is a lot different than what I’m used to. 

“I’m just getting used to everything again and getting back into the swing of things has been the biggest challenge.”

Those challenges included the season’s opening weekend at Volusia Speedway Park during Sunshine Nationals.

Despite scoring two top 10s, he struggled during Qualifying—a part of his night he said was getting better with more laps during Florida Speedweeks. 

“We’re starting to get our beginning of the nights better,” Sheppard said. “We’ve been racing pretty good but Qualifying has been our struggle so far. We’re starting to get that better. We just have to continue it and get some consistency going. 

“Consistency leads into good runs, and hopefully, we’ll be stringing off some good runs in a row and keep the ball rolling. That’s the hardest part.”

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to Volusia on Feb. 16-18, for the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. 

Sheppard has found success at the event, winning eight times and taking home the Big Gator trophy in 2019 and 2020. 

He said he feels more prepared for what to expect each night after the two Sunshine Nationals Features.

“It’ll be good just being there and having an idea,” Sheppard said. “Just having that little bit of notebook is going to help us going into next week, and like I said, it’s all about taking good notes and remembering the changes we’re going through throughout the nights and getting everything figured out and dialed in.”

While he’s eyeing a fifth World of Outlaws championship in November, his eyes are still on leaving Volusia with another Big Gator title. If he wins the week-long chase, he’d be the first driver to take home three trophies.

“It would mean the world to me, my team, my family, and everyone involved,” Sheppard said. “A lot of stuff has changed for me over the past few months, so the good runs feel really good. So, in order to win that Big Gator, we’re going to have to be consistent and have good runs.”

Sheppard and the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models make their final stop at Volusia Speedway Park of 2023 for the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Feb. 16-18—including a $20,000-to-win finale on Saturday, Feb. 18. FOR TICKETS: CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision – either at DIRTVision.com or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 7, 2023 – Ninety-five DIRTcar UMP Modifieds answered the bell for Round #2 of the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park Tuesday night and brought three repeat winners from Monday back to Victory Lane, while three first-time winners headlined the second half of the program.

Feature #1 – Justin Haley

Less than 24 hours after scoring his second career DIRTcar Nationals gator trophy, Justin Haley bagged his third with a flag-to-flag victory in Tuesday’s opening UMP Modified Feature.

This one was slightly less dramatic than Monday’s, as Haley came in with a full night’s rest after going around 48 hours straight without sleeping on Sunday-Monday due to his NASCAR obligations in Los Angeles. Though the start to his day was different, the on-track results were the same, as Haley set Quick Time in Qualifying for the second-straight night and went unchallenged for the Feature win.

“Hats off to the whole #99 Darkhorse Racing team, it’s really been fun to come down here,” Haley said. “Matt Smith is crew chief-ing this thing this week. He’s been with me for a few years now. We’ve always come down here trying to win, and they just keep getting easier.”

Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 99-Justin Haley[1]; 2. 145-Kyle Hammer[2]; 3. 18L-Michael Long[5]; 4. 21CZ-Benji LaCrosse[3]; 5. 51-Dalton Lanich[9]; 6. 0-Glenn Styres[11]; 7. 57-Fletcher Mason[10]; 8. 05-Dave Wietholder[8]; 9. 777-Trevor Neville[4]; 10. 00-Dylan Henkins[14]; 11. 130-Chase Allen[6]; 12. 8X-Cody Brightwell[7]; 13. 9PG-Percy Gendreau[12]; 14. 40R-Shawn Reiss[15]; 15. 463-Daniel Sanchez[13]; 16. 59-Doug Stine[16]

Feature #2 – Tyler Nicely

Tyler Nicely once again showed his prowess around the half-mile of Volusia with his second consecutive flag-to-flag victory in two days. But this one had a bit of extra meaning behind it.

Two of Monday’s Feature winners ended up in his Feature, making it an interesting first half of the race as Nicely tried to run away from fellow frontrunners Lucas Lee and Kyle Strickler. He did so successfully, but not without a hefty challenge from Lee for the lead around the halfway point.

Lee eventually slipped up in traffic and tangled with a lapped car, sending them both around and into the outside wall. Lee was towed back to the pits with front-end damage, while Strickler was unable to catch Nicely in the end and settled for second.

“I knew that tonight, whenever we drew, that Group A was pretty stacked,” Nicely said. “All six Feature winners [from Monday night] were in Group A, and we ended up with three Feature winners from last night in ours.

“I just knew I couldn’t go out there and mess up; they were on my heels. Lucas was right there.”

Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[1]; 2. 8-Kyle Strickler[3]; 3. 95-Michael Altobelli[4]; 4. 11S-Jared Spalding[6]; 5. 43A-Mark Anderson[7]; 6. 90R-Raymond Kable[9]; 7. 22K-Dale Kelley[10]; 8. 7D-T J DeHaven[5]; 9. 29-Steve Shellenberger[11]; 10. 2A-Matt Altiers[8]; 11. 1-Randy Giroux[15]; 12. 77S-Jim Shipman[13]; 13. 3-Josh Sanford[16]; 14. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[12]; 15. 12L-Lucas Lee[2]; 16. 24D-Jesse Dill[14]

Feature #3 – Ethan Dotson

Another day, another runaway victory for Ethan Dotson.

Dotson, the Longhorn Chassis UMP Modified house car driver from Bakersfield, CA, bagged his second career gator trophy by way of domination, leading every lap unchallenged and crossing the finish line with a two-second gap over runner-up David Stremme.

“I haven’t gotten into lapped traffic either night, and I’d like to get in just to see if I can move around,” Dotson said. “Hopefully, maybe tomorrow night we can, and we’ll go from there.”

Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 00E-Ethan Dotson[1]; 2. 35-David Stremme[2]; 3. 7-Evan Taylor[5]; 4. 5CS-Curt Spalding[3]; 5. 22TW-Tim Ward[8]; 6. 09-Michael Leach[4]; 7. 1S-Brian Shaw[7]; 8. 99M-Mike Mullen[11]; 9. 07-Curtis King[6]; 10. 17-Rob Pitcher[9]; 11. 33-Kenny Mihalik[12]; 12. 4S-Craig Shaw[13]; 13. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt[10]; 14. 7M-Steve Maughan[14]; 15. 4M-Tim Monroe[15]; 16. 21S-Kenny Shaw[16]

Feature #4 – George Dixon 

If there was an award given to the most enthusiastic roof dance of the week, George Dixon would certainly be in the running after his dominant performance in the fourth UMP Modified Feature.

Climbing atop his Lethal Chassis #77 in Volusia Victory Lane for the first time in his career, Dixon was ecstatic to claim his first gator trophy after making the long tow south from his home in Shirleysburg, PA. He did it in flag-to-flag style, holding off stout Florida local Clay Harris and 2021 Gator Championship winner Justin Allgaier.

“I just planned on coming down here and maybe running top-five in the Features, hopefully make it in the big show Saturday,” Dixon said. “To come down here, run second [on Monday], set fast time in my [Qualifying] group tonight and to win the Feature, it’s unbelievable for us.

“We’re just a small family team. We don’t have any big backing.”

Feature 4 (20 Laps): 1. 77-George Dixon[1]; 2. 21J-Clay Harris[2]; 3. 7A-Justin Allgaier[3]; 4. 13-Charlie Mefford[5]; 5. 114-Clayton Bryant[12]; 6. 10Y-Trent Young[8]; 7. 99G-Gavin Graham[4]; 8. 3D-Makayla Tyrrell[15]; 9. 34X-Shane O’Connor[13]; 10. 7B-Brad Deyoung[14]; 11. 22B-Austen Becerra[10]; 12. 51G-Brandon Green[6]; 13. 17T-Tyler Evans[7]; 14. 16C-John Clippinger[9]; 15. 25W-Allen Weisser[11]; 16. 99W-Wade Olmsted[16]

Feature #5 – Mitch Thomas

At 17 years old, Mitch Thomas is taking on a daunting task of racing against so many drivers with decades of experience at Volusia. But he rose to the occasion and put it in Victory Lane Tuesday night, passing two-time DIRTcar Nationals Feature winner Brian Ruhlman for the lead on Lap 14 and carrying the field across the line as one of three first-time event winners that night.

“It’s really exciting,” Thomas said. “We’ve tried down here for three years and we’ve struggled. There’s really good competition down here, so when you win a race here, it really means a lot.”

Thomas pilots a brand-new Elite Chassis, built by seven-time and reigning DIRTcar Nationals champion Nick Hoffman, who was working the stick signals for his Elite customers throughout the night.

“I tried getting up top, but I was driving way over my head,” Thomas said. “I was trying to tell myself to slow down and get to the bottom. I knew I would have a shot at winning it because this car is better at the bottom.”

“I was watching my [stick signal] guy, and he was telling me ‘get down, get down.’ I finally listened to him, and we reeled [Ruhlman] in and I really didn’t have a problem passing him.”

Feature 5 (20 Laps): 1. 97-Mitch Thomas[4]; 2. 7G-Seth Geary[5]; 3. 49-Brian Ruhlman[1]; 4. 9-Ken Schrader[6]; 5. 72X-Todd Neiheiser[8]; 6. 60-Shannon Fisk[7]; 7. 32-Chad Roush[13]; 8. 56-Chris Wilson[2]; 9. 24-Zeke McKenzie[10]; 10. 21C-Taylor Cook[16]; 11. 22-Doug Carson[14]; 12. 12-Robert Gast[12]; 13. 91B-Chris Beaulieu[3]; 14. 22J-John Baker[15]; 15. 00EH-Steve Arpin[9]; 16. 00B-Buzzie Reutimann[11]

Feature #6 – Drake Troutman

As one of two 17-year-olds to visit Victory Lane Tuesday night, Drake Troutman finally got himself a gator after a wire-to-wire victory in the final Feature of the night.

Troutman, of Hyndman, PA, drove the Jerry Foster Racing Longhorn Chassis #5 to meet his first career gator trophy in Volusia Victory Lane, two years after making his debut at the half-mile.

He settled for second on Monday night, coming in behind Ethan Dotson, whose gap at the checkers stretched nearly five seconds. Troutman took a page out of Dotson’s playbook for Tuesday, checking out in the Feature and crossing the stripe by over four seconds to bag the win.

“Ethan came over and gave us a hand today,” Trouman said. “I’ve definitely got a lot of respect for him and the help. It’s awesome to have him in my corner, and in this team’s corner.

“This car has been awesome. We really haven’t had to mess with it a whole lot; just small tweaks.”

Feature 6 (20 Laps): 1. 5T-Drake Troutman[1]; 2. 88-Matt Crafton[4]; 3. 8A-Austin Holcombe[2]; 4. 4-Mike Learman[5]; 5. 77B-Ray Bollinger[8]; 6. 199-Travis Pastrana[12]; 7. 90-Jason Beaulieu[3]; 8. 6B-Dave Baldwin[16]; 9. 17C-Coleman Evans[7]; 10. 11-Jesse Rupe[9]; 11. M20-Mike Potosky[14]; 12. 35W-Ethan Weber[10]; 13. 49G-Billy Green[6]; 14. 07N-Adam Nayler[13]; 15. 100-Dylan Murray[15]; 16. 54-Zachary Hawk[11]

UP NEXT 

The UMP Modified extravaganza at Volusia Speedway Park continues on day #3 of the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals – Wednesday, Feb. 8 – racing alongside the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars.

Hot Laps set for 5:30pm ET. Tickets are available at DIRTcarNationals.com or at the gate. If you can’t be in attendance, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

TAMPA, Fla. (February 7, 2023) – Ashton Winger picked up his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory on Tuesday night during the 47th Annual Wieland Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil at East Bay Raceway Park. With the win Winger becomes the 87th different driver to win a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event in series history. The 23-year-old Georgia native went to the lead at the start of the 30-lap main event and other than a brief time when Kyle Bronson got by him in turn number two, he officially led every lap after getting back around Bronson at the scoring loop. For the second night in a row Hudson O’Neal finished in second with Brandon Sheppard coming home in third. The remainder of the top five were Brandon Overton and Dennis Erb Jr. Winger took the lead at the start with O’Neal moving into the second spot. Bronson was the car on the move early in the race. After starting in fifth Bronson moved past O’Neal for second on lap six. There were back-to-back cautions that cleared traffic for Winger after he was about to pick up the tail end of the field. After a lap eight restart Bronson kept the pressure on Winger and was able to take the lead briefly after Winger slipped in turn two. However, by the time the two drivers crossed the line Winger was still in front. Bronson continued to hold the second spot until Sheppard was able to get by him with ten laps to go. Bronson, while running third slowed coming off turn two on lap 24 forcing the final caution of the race. On the restart after Bronson had exited the race O’Neal and Sheppard would get Winger in their sightlines, but Winger was able to pull away in the waning laps to secure the victory. “It’s awesome to win in front of these people,” said Winger in Lucas Oil Victory Lane as he became the sixth different winner in eight races so far in 2023. “I felt like we’ve been really close this year. We were really close here last year. It’s hard not to get emotional. My mom and dad gave up everything for me to be here. I know it’s only $5,000 to win, but to beat these guys, Hudson and Sheppy are two of the best in country. I felt like when I got into a rhythm, I was pretty good there, but the track was treacherous and the longer and longer it went I don’t know what was going to happen. Like I said I got into a rhythm, and then on those restarts I messed up bad there that one time and Kyle [Bronson] got by me and going into three and four I pretty much held it to the floor to get the lead back” O’Neal in his first full season piloting the Rocket House car finished 1.833 seconds behind Winger at the finish line. “I gave it all I had. I drove my heart out, but I just couldn’t quite get to him [Winger]. There was one time there the last couple of laps I got around that bottom and I thought ok maybe if I could get to him one time, I could burn it and about that time I was driving back to him I got my tires hot and I just faded back from him.” Sheppard, who owns nine career wins at East Bay, finished in third after not making the feature on Monday night. “I really needed to get by Ashton [Winger] going down the back straightaway and get back to the bottom. The car was good tonight we were glad to be in the hunt and in the race tonight. It was a big turnaround from last night and I can’t thank my guys enough for working their tails off on this thing and not giving up after we missed the show last night.”  The winner’s Jeff Mathews Motorsports, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Recreational Vehicle Service, Keyser Manufacturing, Integra Racing Shocks, Super K Express, Wraptech, FK Rod Ends, Johnny Doan Plumbing, Credit Union Remarketing, and Angry Elephant Tattoos and Piercings. Completing the top ten were Garrett Smith, Ryan Gustin, Tim McCreadie, Mark Whitener, and Devin Moran. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 47th Annual Wieland Winternationals – Presented by Lucas OilTuesday, February 7, 2023East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Dennis Erb, Jr. / 14.797 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Hudson O’Neal / 14.860 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 12-Ashton Winger[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 7. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[8]; 8. 187-David McCoy[10]; 9. 25B-Mike Benedum[9]; 10. (DNS) 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 10-Garrett Smith[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[3]; 3. 66JR-Eddie Carrier Jr[4]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 5. 22*-Payton Freeman[7]; 6. 91-Rusty Schlenk[8]; 7. 1C-Kenny Collins[9]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[10]; 9. 20B-Todd Brennan[5]; 10. 111B-Max Blair[2] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 2. 89J-Mark Whitener[3]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[4]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[7]; 5. 81J-Jack Riggs[5]; 6. KB-Kerry King[6]; 7. D8-Dustin Mitchell[1]; 8. 4S-Danny Snyder[10]; 9. 6-Blake Spencer[8]; 10. 55-Benji Hicks[9] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 4. 21M-Billy Moyer Jr[5]; 5. 81-Jason Riggs[4]; 6. 12D-Doug Drown[6]; 7. S21-Seth Daniels[8]; 8. 29-Larry Grube[7]; 9. C4-Freddie Carpenter[9]; 10. 75-Daniel Adam[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 19M-Wil Herrington[3]; 3. 79-Ross Bailes[2]; 4. 96V-Tanner English[5]; 5. 89M-Mike Spatola[4]; 6. 31-Tyler Millwood[6]; 7. 47W-Tyler Riggs[7]; 8. 21K-Jimmy Owens[9]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 10. 22B-Perry Brown[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2X-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[1]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 4. 89-Logan Roberson[4]; 5. 212-Josh Putnam[6]; 6. 83-Jensen Ford[5]; 7. 86-Kyle Beard[7]; 8. 1Z-Logan Zarin[8]; 9. 5T-John Tweed[9]; 10. (DNS) 3B-Billy Boyd Sr Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 4. 91-Rusty Schlenk[6]; 5. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[7]; 6. 22*-Payton Freeman[4]; 7. 1C-Kenny Collins[8]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[10]; 9. 187-David McCoy[9]; 10. 25B-Mike Benedum[11]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 12. 20B-Todd Brennan[12]; 13. (DNS) 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr; 14. (DNS) 111B-Max Blair UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 12D-Doug Drown[6]; 3. 29-Larry Grube[10]; 4. C4-Freddie Carpenter[12]; 5. S21-Seth Daniels[8]; 6. 75-Daniel Adam[14]; 7. 81J-Jack Riggs[3]; 8. 81-Jason Riggs[4]; 9. 21M-Billy Moyer Jr[2]; 10. (DNS) KB-Kerry King; 11. (DNS) D8-Dustin Mitchell; 12. (DNS) 4S-Danny Snyder; 13. (DNS) 6-Blake Spencer; 14. (DNS) 55-Benji Hicks MyRacePass B-Main Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 89-Logan Roberson[2]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[1]; 3. 212-Josh Putnam[4]; 4. 89M-Mike Spatola[3]; 5. 86-Kyle Beard[8]; 6. 31-Tyler Millwood[5]; 7. 1Z-Logan Zarin[10]; 8. 99B-Boom Briggs[11]; 9. 5T-John Tweed[12]; 10. 21K-Jimmy Owens[9]; 11. 47W-Tyler Riggs[7]; 12. 83-Jensen Ford[6]; 13. (DNS) 22B-Perry Brown; 14. (DNS) 3B-Billy Boyd Sr Wieland Winternationals Night 2 Feature Finish (30 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 60Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Ashton WingerLap Leaders: Ashton Winger (Laps 1-30)Wieland Feature Winner: Ashton WingerArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 1.833 secondsStop-Tech Brakes Cautions: Dustin Mitchell (Lap 8); Eddie Carrier, Jr. (Lap 21); Kyle Bronson (Lap 24)Series Provisionals: n/aWieland Fast Time Provisional: Dustin Mitchell, Jason RiggsSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ashton Winger, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon SheppardPenske Shocks Top 5: Ashton Winger, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton, Dennis Erb, Jr.Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Logan Roberson (Advanced 9 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Finisher: Ryan GustinDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Finisher: Brian ShirleyEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Ashton Winger (30 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’Neal         Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aEtchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Ashton Winger (Lap 13 – 15.355 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Gary Winger (Ashton Winger)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jensen Ford (14.893 seconds)Time of Race: 14 minutes 42 seconds

Drivers Vying for Big Gator Championship Across Five Nights in Barberville, FL

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 7, 2023 – After 97 agonizing days away from the racetrack, the off-season is finally over and the 2023 season begins this week for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

For the 19th consecutive year, The Greatest Show on Dirt opens the most grueling campaign in dirt racing at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL for the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

The five-night “Sprint Week” at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile begins with a pair of All Star Circuit of Champions races on Tuesday and Wednesday before the World of Outlaws take center stage Thursday through Saturday. An expected field of nearly 40 competitors will be racing for valuable points across all five shows in the hunt for the prestigious Big Gator Championship.

For those unable to make the trip to Florida in February, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.com.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Let’s preview some of the top storylines entering this week:

DRIVE FOR FIVE: Not one, not two, not three, but four championship rings now don the hand of Brad Sweet, who has built a Hall of Fame career out of strictly the last half-decade. In 2023, “The Big Cat” wants to add one for the thumb with a fifth consecutive title on the line for his Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 Team.

The 37-year-old native of Grass Valley, CA has topped all four of his crowns by a margin of less than 100 points, proving the World of Outlaws championship contenders are consistently tighter than ever before. However, after a lowkey five-win season in 2022, Sweet – along with crew members Eric Prutzman, Tye Wolfgang, and Andrew Bowman – is extra determined to rattle off a big year and leave the points without doubt.

His quest for five consecutive championships begins at Volusia this week – arguably his best track. He owns eight DIRTcar Nationals wins with six of those coming in World of Outlaws action. That ties Volusia with Cedar Lake Speedway as his winningest track through 79 Series victories. He’s going for his third Big Gator Championship this week, something only his former KKR teammate Daryn Pittman has achieved before.

GATOR COLLECTOR: There are nine former DIRTcar Nationals winners in the field this week and leading the way is 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz with an unmatched 22 scores. He and former Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing star, Danny Lasoski (19 wins), are the only drivers to reach double-digit wins at the event.

Schatz, who will embark on his 27th full-time campaign with the Series this year, will split time between a slick blue Carquest Auto Parts look and a flashy yellow Advance Auto Parts design. The #15 will continue fine-tuning the Ford Performance Stewart 410 Engine as the Fargo, ND native eyes his 11th title.

Additional DIRTcar Nationals winners include Brad Sweet (8), Logan Schuchart (3), Sheldon Haudenschild (2), David Gravel (2), Carson Macedo (1), Aaron Reutzel (1), Kraig Kinser (1), and Kasey Kahne (1).

THE GRIND BEGINS: Every year since 2005, the cross-country tour that is the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series always starts at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Including a Bike Week stop on March 5-6, Volusia Speedway Park hosts a record-high five races in 2023.

The 87-race schedule will take teams to 36 different tracks in 19 states, testing both man and machine all the way through to November’s World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, where the 46th champion will be crowned.

BIG GATOR CHAMPIONSHIP: The little gators given to all Feature winners are cool and all, but the ultimate goal of DIRTcar Nationals is leaving with the Big Gator Championship – a trophy created for the event in 2012.

Daryn Pittman (‘13, ‘15, ‘19) remains the only driver to earn the trophy on three occasions, while David Gravel (‘17, ‘22) and Brad Sweet (‘16, ‘20) are also multi-time champions. Additional Big Gator conquerors include Logan Schuchart (‘21), Donny Schatz (‘18), Paul McMahan (‘14), and Sammy Swindell (‘12).

Spread across two All Star nights and three World of Outlaws nights, the Big Gator Championship utilizes a points system offering 250 to the winner then 246, 244, 242, etc.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: It’s a “1v1” match for the 2023 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award as Giovanni Scelzi and Robbie Price square off for the right to call themselves the top newcomer with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

Scelzi, a 21-year-old native of Fresno, CA, is no stranger to success with five wins and 81 top-10s to his credit through 152 starts; but he is a stranger to full-time competition. The KCP Racing #18 pilot is committed to all 87 events in 2023 as he chases the World of Outlaws championship for the first time in his career.

Price, a 24-year-old native of Cobble Hill, BC, will take over control of the Sides Motorsports #7S – vying for ROTY honors exactly 20 years after Jason himself earned the award in 2003. Entering his Volusia debut, Price owns 55 career World of Outlaws starts with two top-five finishes coming late last year.

THE OUTSIDERS: Along with the expected cast of 15 full-time World of Outlaws stars, a handful of lethal invaders will be on the scene chasing their own gators.

Brent Marks, of Myerstown, PA, is fresh off a career-year after winning five World of Outlaws Features – including the Historical Big One and Kings Royal – on his way to making more than $600,000. Now, he eyes his first-career win at Volusia Speedway Park.

Anthony Macri, of Dillsburg, PA, was the winningest Sprint Car driver (23 wins) in 2022 and hopes to earn the same title this year with another true outlaw slate. With four-time World of Outlaws champion car chief, Joe Mooney (previously with Brad Sweet), now on the wrenches, the 23-year-old is focused on taking his program to the next level and it begins this week.

Buddy Kofoid, of Penngrove, CA, will make his debut at Volusia Speedway Park this week. The highly touted 20-year-old is piloting the Crouch Motorsports #11 as he begins his career’s most extensive Sprint Car schedule.

The All Star Circuit of Champions will be well represented by the likes of Tyler Courtney in the Clauson-Marshall #7BC, Justin Peck in the Buch Motorsports #13, Hunter Schuerenberg in the Vermeer Motorsports #55, Zeb Wise in the Rudeen Racing #26, and Parker Price-Miller in the McCandless #9P.

Additional expected contenders include Alex Bowman, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, and Aaron Reutzel, among others.

Feb 7, 2023 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Special Announcements

Julie Nataas and Hunter Green will serve as the full-time drivers for Randy Meyer Racing (RMR) in the 2023 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season, the team announced today. Along with Nataas and Green, Randy Meyer Racing will field its pair of Top Alcohol Dragster entries with new and returning part-time drivers at various races throughout the season 

Nataas is entering her fifth season of full-time competition driving RMR’s Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg (OTG) A/Fuel dragster. She plans to run 17 races between national events and regional races to compete for her first world championship and the team’s fourth in five years. 

“I’m just as focused as last year, but probably even more motivated to get this dragster back on track and where we want it to be this year,” said Nataas. “We had a lot of both ups and downs in 2022, but we need the consistency and the Wallys. I know this team is capable of doing just that.”

Nataas finished sixth in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series national points in 2022 with a pair of national event wins, including a prestigious double-up at the U.S. Nationals and JEGS All-Stars in Indianapolis. She has even bigger goals in mind for 2023, with a repeat win at Indy and a first-time win at the historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip at the top of the list. 

“At this point I’m just really excited to get back at the track for testing and get this year started,” Nataas said. “I’m excited to see where we’re at in testing. I know the team has been working hard in the shop this offseason, so I’m looking forward to starting the year off strong in Belle Rose, LA. The U.S. Nationals is definitely a favorite after we doubled up in 2022, but my favorite racetrack has always been Pomona. Maybe this will be the year we bring home a Wally at my favorite track.”

Nataas will also continue driving Meyer’s new nitro-injected A/Fuel Funny Car, which made its debut in 2022. Nataas will run Funny Car Chaos races with it on weekends that don’t overlap with the team’s prior commitments on the Top Alcohol Dragster schedule. 

“I’m so excited to get back into the Funny Car,” Nataas said. “It’s been way too long since March last year. We quickly realized back then that we had a lot to work on, and with the dragsters being our priority we decided to put it on hold. It’s definitely a fun project, and as a driver, I’m excited and ready to expand my driving skills. The little taste I got from testing it last year just made me want to drive a Funny Car even more. I look forward to getting this A/Fuel Funny Car down the track.”

Green, the son of NHRA Funny Car driver Chad Green, is returning for his second year with RMR. An enjoyable rookie campaign with the team led to a bigger schedule this season. 

“Randy Meyer, me, and my dad have all gotten close over the last year,” Green said. “Randy and my dad particularly have become pretty good friends. We just mesh good with Randy and his family. Julie is a great teammate too. Megan [Meyer-Lingner] is great with everything she does with social media and the marketing. Between the relationship with Randy and the fact that he has what I think are the best cars out there, I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

The father-son Green duo will have their hands full this season, with Chad running the full NHRA Camping World Series season in Funny Car and Hunter driving Meyer’s Bond-Coat A/Fuel dragster at 11 races. 

“Seven of those will be national events and four will be regionals, which is basically just enough to make it to where I can be competitive in the points for the championship,” said Green, 28. “It’s going to be crazy. Three of the regionals I’ll be doing will be at the same time my dad is off somewhere else racing, so this is going to be a different year for both of us. It’s going to be our busiest year in racing yet by a long shot. I’m pretty excited to see how it goes.”

While Green already has an ambitious schedule, he hasn’t ruled out running additional races. 

“If things go well at the start of the season, we’re interested in adding more races,” said Green, who also has his Top Fuel license. “Eleven is what we have planned, but we could slip a few more in there if we think we have a shot at being competitive [in the championship].”

RMR will begin testing mid-February before the team’s first NHRA regional race of the season Feb. 24-26 at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, LA. 

Fans can also stay up to date with Nataas, Green, and the other RMR drivers on the Randy Meyer Racing website and Facebook page. 

###

ABOUT RANDY MEYER RACING

A highly-respected member of the NHRA Drag Racing family, Randy Meyer has had a successful career spanning over 40 years of drag racing as driver, team owner, and crew chief from AHRA Pro-Comp to IHRA Top Fuel and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster. Randy Meyer is a multi-time world champion in the sport of drag racing. Together the team has won well over 90 NHRA races and 12 championships. They are the 2019-2021 NHRA world champions.

The Randy Meyer Racing team is proudly supported by: Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg (OTG), Lucas Oil, Right Trailers, NGK Spark Plugs, Gunk Cleaners, Jiffy-Tite Quick Connectors, ARP Bolts and Studs, Aeroquip, and Aeromotive.

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 6, 2023 – A grand total 102 DIRTcar UMP Modifieds packed the Volusia Speedway Park pit areas for opening night of the 52nd annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Monday night and put the newly refreshed event format on display for the first time, awarding six of the field’s top drivers with the first gator trophies of the week for their Feature wins.

Feature #1 – Lucas Lee

For a driver that has not been fond of Volusia in the past, Lucas Lee made it look like he’d been winning races at the half-mile oval for years with his flag-to-flag performance in the opening Feature.

Lee led all 20 laps, virtually unchallenged for the win, holding off podium finishers George Dixon and Trent Young through several restarts to bag his second career DIRTcar Nationals victory. Despite his speed, Lee said there were still some issues he’s hoping to have fixed asap.

“The car was good, but the motor wasn’t running right,” Lee said. “It was just loading up real hard; not running real well. It wouldn’t get up to temperature, and my car wouldn’t fire-off.”

“Other than that, everything else was decent. I think if I can get the car to pull harder, I might have more traction.”

Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 12L-Lucas Lee[1]; 2. 77-George Dixon[3]; 3. 10Y-Trent Young[5]; 4. 13-Charlie Mefford[4]; 5. 90R-Raymond Kable[13]; 6. 60-Shannon Fisk[9]; 7. 8A-Austin Holcombe[8]; 8. 99G-Gavin Graham[16]; 9. 51-Dalton Lanich[7]; 10. 12-Robert Gast[11]; 11. 130-Chase Allen[6]; 12. 07N-Adam Nayler[10]; 13. 29-Steve Shellenberger[12]; 14. 9PG-Percy Gendreau[14]; 15. 16C-John Clippinger[2]; 16. 34X-Shane O’Connor[17]; 17. 463-Daniel Sanchez[15]

Feature #2 – Kyle Strickler

Two-time Gator Championship Feature winner Kyle Strickler added to his collection of small gator trophies with his 10th career DIRTcar Nationals Feature win in exciting fashion.

Strickler sat on the outside pole and jumped out to a nice lead in the opening laps over polesitter Justin Allgaier. Allgaier, the 2021 Gator Championship winner, stayed with Strickler the entire race, and when Strickler got tripped-up by a stray lapped car, Allgaier nearly blew by on the bottom for the lead.

“I just didn’t want to wreck, because that’s been how our luck’s been going lately – if something bad can happen, it’s going to happen to us,” Strickler said. “Ol boy decided to pit right in front of us, and I had to turn hard to the right, got up over the cushion and then was coming back down the racetrack. Got into Allgaier a little bit and had to put it on the fence and blast it around the top.”

However, Strickler was able to recover, get back in front of Allgaier and drive it across the line first to bag the win.

“I love driving the Modifieds,” Strickler said. “The Late Model stuff can be a lot of high pressure and high stress, so it’s fun to come back and just enjoy the week of going back to my roots and running the Modified stuff. They’re so much fun to drive.”

Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 8-Kyle Strickler[2]; 2. 7A-Justin Allgaier[1]; 3. 99M-Mike Mullen[5]; 4. 18L-Michael Long[3]; 5. 51G-Brandon Green[4]; 6. 114-Clayton Bryant[7]; 7. 8X-Cody Brightwell[6]; 8. 11S-Jared Spalding[10]; 9. 17-Rob Pitcher[11]; 10. 00EH-Steve Arpin[8]; 11. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[12]; 12. 100-Robert Murray[15]; 13. 21C-Taylor Cook[9]; 14. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt[13]; 15. 6B-Dave Baldwin[14]; 16. 12M-John McClure[17]; 17. 24-Zeke McKenzie[16]

Feature #3 – Tyler Nicely

In one of the more dominating performances seen all night, Tyler Nicely bagged the fourth gator trophy of his career, leading all 20 laps unchallenged and adding 80 points to his Florida Speedweeks total.

He broke out a brand-new Elite Chassis that he’d been saving specifically for DIRTcar Nationals, which seemed to pay dividends.

“We tested it two weeks ago at All-Tech [Speedway] and it seemed really good,” Nicely said. “Nick Hoffman and his crew got here today and we changed a few things, and it was pretty spot-on tonight.”

Feature 3 (20 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[1]; 2. 88-Matt Crafton[5]; 3. 25W-Allen Weisser[8]; 4. 90-Jason Beaulieu[4]; 5. 9-Ken Schrader[3]; 6. 25A-Jason Altiers[7]; 7. 07-Curtis King[9]; 8. 22J-John Baker[10]; 9. 77B-Ray Bollinger[6]; 10. 7D-T J DeHaven[13]; 11. 1S-Brian Shaw[2]; 12. 77S-Jim Shipman[15]; 13. 57-Fletcher Mason[12]; 14. 4S-Craig Shaw[11]; 15. 59-Doug Stine[14]; 16. 54-Zachary Hawk[16]; 17. 27-Jason Garver[17]

Feature #4 – Justin Haley

Less than 24 hours after competing in NASCAR’s headline Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, Justin Haley showed up at Volusia, running on no sleep and a strong drive to win. He did just that Monday night in an intense battle with Illinois weekly racer Trevor Neville.

Starting on the pole, Haley jumped out to a small advantage over the guy to his right. That gap, however, was quickly dissolved, and Neville got another chance on the outside. He made it stick in the outside lane and took the spot, which was later taken back by Haley with a big dive into Turn 1 on Lap 5.

Haley held onto the spot from that point forward and drove it back across the stripe to bag his second career DIRTcar Nationals Feature win, thanks in part to a certain caffeinated beverage in his arsenal, which sponsors his Cup Series team.

“Yeah, a lot of Celsius,” Haley said. “I’m ready to go to sleep.

“I had a Coke on the plane and then probably three Celsiuses, so I’ve got it all covered. I’m definitely ready for bed; I haven’t been to sleep in 48 hours.”

Feature 4 (20 Laps): 1. 99-Justin Haley[1]; 2. 777-Trevor Neville[2]; 3. 09-Michael Leach[15]; 4. 4-Mike Learman[5]; 5. 22K-Dale Kelley[11]; 6. 72X-Todd Neiheiser[8]; 7. 7G-Seth Geary[4]; 8. 22TW-Tim Ward[9]; 9. M20-Mike Potosky[13]; 10. 17C-Coleman Evans[7]; 11. 00-Dylan Henkins[17]; 12. 3D-Makayla Tyrrell[14]; 13. 11W-Chris Wilson[6]; 14. 199-Travis Pastrana[10]; 15. 21S-Kenny Shaw[16]; 16. 41-Brad Goff[3]; 17. 24D-Jesse Dill[12]

Feature #5 – Ethan Dotson

Only one Feature was decided by more than a two-second gap Monday night, and that was the one won by 24-year-old Modified sensation Ethan Dotson.

Dotson, the 2022 Reutimann Memorial winner from Bakersfield, CA, led all 20 laps unchallenged and beat second-place Drake Troutman to the line by nearly five seconds. With the speed Dotson has showed thus far, it’s going to be one tough task for any driver to try and match him this week.

“Our Longhorn Chassis was super good tonight,” Dotson said. “We were one of the last Features, so it got pretty slick and slow, so that’s good for Saturday. We can put it in our notes and build on that for the big show on Saturday.”

Feature 5 (20 Laps): 1. 00E-Ethan Dotson[1]; 2. 5T-Drake Troutman[2]; 3. 145-Kyle Hammer[4]; 4. 21CZ-Benji LaCrosse[6]; 5. 43A-Mark Anderson[8]; 6. 21J-Clay Harris[3]; 7. 2A-Matt Altiers[12]; 8. 35W-Ethan Weber[5]; 9. 7B-Brad Deyoung[13]; 10. 7-Evan Taylor[7]; 11. 32-Chad Roush[11]; 12. 2C-Ronnie Chance[14]; 13. 0-Glenn Styres[15]; 14. 40R-Shawn Reiss[16]; 15. 33-Kenny Mihalik[10]; 16. 222-Cory Hupp[17]; 17. 17T-Tyler Evans[9]

Feature #6 – David Stremme

After breaking through last February for his first DIRTcar Nationals Feature win since 2018, David Stremme now has wins in back-to-back years at Volusia.

The Lethal Chassis builder/co-founder led flag-to-flag and fended-off a hungry Michael Altobelli, driving a brand-new Lethal Chassis, in the closing laps. Altobelli came from ninth and was challenging for the lead after the final restart with three-to-go, but Stremme kept him at bay.

“Michael’s a great guy; that’s a brand-new car we built him,” Stremme said. “I’m just happy that he was coming up through. He had some issues in Qualifying. Michael is a great racer.”

Feature 6 (20 Laps): 1. 35-David Stremme[1]; 2. 95-Michael Altobelli[9]; 3. 05-Dave Wietholder[7]; 4. 97-Mitch Thomas[2]; 5. 5CS-Curt Spalding[3]; 6. 49-Brian Ruhlman[4]; 7. 22B-Austen Becerra[8]; 8. 49G-Billy Green[10]; 9. 91B-Chris Beaulieu[5]; 10. 1-Randy Giroux[14]; 11. 22-Doug Carson[11]; 12. 99W-Wade Olmsted[17]; 13. 00B-Buzzie Reutimann[12]; 14. 11-Jesse Rupe[6]; 15. 3-Josh Sanford[13]; 16. 7M-Steve Maughan[16]; 17. 4M-Tim Monroe[15]

UP NEXT

The UMP Modified bash at Volusia Speedway Park continues on day #2 of the 52nd Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals – Tuesday, Feb. 7 – racing alongside the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars.

Hot Laps set for 5:30pm ET. Tickets are available at DIRTcarNationals.com or at the gate. If you can’t be in attendance, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

TAMPA, Fla. (February 6, 2023) – Tyler Erb scored his first win of the 2023 season on Monday night, capturing the first night of the 47th Annual Wieland Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil. Erb took the lead on lap two from Kyle Bronson and led the rest of the way to score his fifth career win at the “Clay by the Bay.” Hudson O’Neal finished in second followed by 20th starting Tyler Millwood who claimed his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series podium. Brandon Overton, driving the John Henderson-owned No. 2x, was fourth, with last year’s opening night winner Dennis Erb Jr. rounding out the top five finishers. Bronson led the first two laps from his pole starting spot before Erb passed him on the inside coming off turn number two. O’Neal then moved into second taking the spot away from Bronson. There were back-to-back cautions on lap 11 and 12 which kept the field bunched up behind Erb.  Early in the race the outside line proved beneficial for Brian Shirley who had moved from 12th to sixth and Ashton Winger who after starting sixth climbed to second on lap 12. After the lap 12 caution, Winger had a great restart and went to the outside of Erb entering turn four before losing his momentum and falling several spots in the running order. There were cautions with 18 and 24 laps scored while Erb held the lead. On each of those subsequent restarts Erb kept his car glued to the bottom and went on to pick up the win. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 20th time in his career, Erb let out a sigh of relief to get to victory lane for the first time since the Gateway Dirt Nationals back in December. “It’s awesome to get this win. We ended last year on such a crazy note at the Dome. We unloaded at Vado with really high expectations and just struggled. I just can’t say enough about everybody that helps me. We complained to Eric [Brock] that we needed a new car, and Mark [Richards] built us a car in two days. Brunswick wasn’t good us; Bubba wasn’t good until the second night. We got things turned around I feel at All-Tech with our finish there.”  “I love East Bay,” Erb added. “I didn’t think it would be too good. The top down there was the only place I thought maybe I should have been in. I could tell, someone was close. I left Winger about as much room as you could. It was literally the wall, Winger, and me. It’s just East Bay you’ve got to know where to start.” O’Neal said he felt good on the restarts. “I was getting caught in his [Erb’s] slime sometimes. I went to the top there for a while when it finally cleaned up there at the end. On that last restart I got clear of Overton and just got back to the bottom. I knew it was safe down there.” Millwood earned the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race after coming to third. “I was running behind those guys, and I just said let’s go up there and see what happens and it worked. It was an awesome night.” The winner’s Eric and Kelly Brock, Best Performance Motorsports-owned, Rocket Chassis is powered by Clements Racing Engines and sponsored by Bulk Material Lift, Lucas Oil Products, Bazell Race Fuels, Anthony’s Pizza, First Class Septic, Roberts Bee Company, Sunoco Race Fuels and Penske Shocks. Completing the top ten ere Mark Whitener, Spencer Hughes, Ryan Gustin, Tanner English, and Eddie Carrier Jr. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 47th Annual Wieland Winternationals – Presented by Lucas Oil Monday, February 6, 2023East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tanner English / 14.871 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Tyler Erb / 14.909 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 3. 89J-Mark Whitener[7]; 4. 96V-Tanner English[1]; 5. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 7. S21-Seth Daniels[9]; 8. 99-Devin Moran[4]; 9. 22B-Perry Brown[10]; 10. 47W-Tyler Riggs[5] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 83-Jensen Ford[1]; 3. 2-GR Smith[4]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 5. 20B-Todd Brennan[8]; 6. 187-David McCoy[3]; 7. 91-Rusty Schlenk[5]; 8. 14W-Dustin Walker[7]; 9. 12D-Doug Drown[10]; 10. 25B-Mike Benedum[9] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2X-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[4]; 3. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 4. 31-Tyler Millwood[6]; 5. 86-Kyle Beard[7]; 6. 21K-Kenneth Howell[9]; 7. 19M-Wil Herrington[8]; 8. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 9. 18-Chase Junghans[3] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[3]; 3. 66JR-Eddie Carrier Jr[2]; 4. 89-Logan Roberson[5]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 6. B5-Brandon Sheppard[6]; 7. 29-Larry Grube[8]; 8. 89M-Mike Spatola[10]; 9. 75-Daniel Adam[9]; 10. (DNS) 2V-Allen Murray Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 2. 79-Ross Bailes[3]; 3. 1C-Kenny Collins[6]; 4. 6-Blake Spencer[2]; 5. 55-Benji Hicks[7]; 6. 81-Jason Riggs[8]; 7. 21M-Billy Moyer Jr[4]; 8. KB-Kerry King[10]; 9. 81J-Jack Riggs[5]; 10. 5T-John Tweed[9] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 12-Ashton Winger[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 4. 212-Josh Putnam[6]; 5. 19R-Ryan Gustin[5]; 6. D8-Dustin Mitchell[4]; 7. C4-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 8. 1Z-Logan Zarin[7]; 9. 4S-Danny Snyder[9] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 96V-Tanner English[1]; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 4. 17SS-Brenden Smith[5]; 5. 20B-Todd Brennan[4]; 6. 91-Rusty Schlenk[8]; 7. S21-Seth Daniels[7]; 8. 99-Devin Moran[9]; 9. 12D-Doug Drown[12]; 10. 14W-Dustin Walker[10]; 11. 25B-Mike Benedum[14]; 12. 22B-Perry Brown[11]; 13. 187-David McCoy[6]; 14. (DNS) 47W-Tyler Riggs UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 31-Tyler Millwood[1]; 2. 89-Logan Roberson[2]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 4. B5-Brandon Sheppard[6]; 5. 86-Kyle Beard[3]; 6. 89M-Mike Spatola[10]; 7. 75-Daniel Adam[12]; 8. 21K-Kenneth Howell[5]; 9. 29-Larry Grube[8]; 10. (DNS) 19M-Wil Herrington; 11. (DNS) 76B-Blair Nothdurft; 12. (DNS) 18-Chase Junghans; 13. (DNS) 2V-Allen Murray MyRacePass B-Main Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 2. 55-Benji Hicks[3]; 3. 81-Jason Riggs[5]; 4. D8-Dustin Mitchell[6]; 5. 212-Josh Putnam[2]; 6. C4-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 7. 21M-Billy Moyer Jr[7]; 8. 4S-Danny Snyder[12]; 9. 1Z-Logan Zarin[10]; 10. 5T-John Tweed[13]; 11. KB-Kerry King[9]; 12. 6-Blake Spencer[1]; 13. (DNS) 81J-Jack Riggs Wieland Winternationals Feature Finish (30 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 58Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Kyle BronsonLap Leaders: Kyle Bronson (Laps 1-2); Tyler Erb (Laps 3-30)Wieland Feature Winner: Tyler ErbArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 2.604 secondsStop-Tech Brakes Cautions: Ross Robinson (Lap 3); Ross Bailes, Logan Roberson (Lap 11); Daulton Wilson, Ross Bailes, Jensen Ford (Lap 12); GR Smith (Lap 18); Ashton Winger (Lap 24)Series Provisionals: n/aWieland Fast Time Provisional: David McCoy, Daulton WilsonSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Tyler Erb, Hudson O’Neal, Tyler MillwoodPenske Shocks Top 5: Tyler Erb, Hudson O’Neal, Tyler Millwood, Brandon Overton, Dennis Erb, Jr.Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Millwood (Advanced 17 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Finisher: Spencer HughesDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Finisher: Kyle BronsonEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Tyler Erb (28 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler ErbMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aEtchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Tyler Erb (Lap 16 – 16.421 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Ashton WingerOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Randall Edwards (Tyler Erb)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Garrett Smith (14.920 seconds)Time of Race: 23 minutes 24 seconds

The event will kick off the Low-E Insulation FL to PA Spring Showdown six-race battle

BARBERVILLE, FL (Feb. 6, 2023) – The biggest two-wheel event in Florida will collide with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars when the Series returns to Volusia Speedway Park, Sunday-Monday, March 5-6.

The doubleheader weekend at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” will help kickoff Bike Week and commence the Low-E Insulation FL to PA Spring Showdown six-race series – which starts at Volusia and ends at Lincoln Speedway (March 18), paying $10,000 to the overall points earner, $6,000 for second and $4,000 for third.

Drivers will contend for a $10,000 payday each night, along with valuable points toward the prestigious World of Outlaws championship.

TICKETS: CLICK HERE

Event Highlights:

GATOR KING: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series begins its season at Volusia Speedway Park during the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 9-11, handing out three Feature wins and a Big Gator Championship. The winners of each will have the best momentum going into the Bike Week doubleheader.

Last year, David Gravel won the final race of the event and took home his second Big Gator Championship.

GRAVEL’S HOME: There’s nothing more relaxing and rejuvenating for a driver than being able to race close to home. With Gravel, originally from Watertown, CT, calling Florida home, he gets the benefit of spending the first month of the season a short drive from his house. Paired with his stout record at Volusia, including two Big Gator Championships and two Feature wins, Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports team will be poised to start off the season strong and hunt down their first championship.

DRIVE FOR FIVE: Four-time and defending Series champion Brad Sweet returns with Kasey Kahne Racing to chase their fifth straight World of Outlaws title. Doing so would add his name on another page of the history books with Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz as the only drivers to win five straight titles.

Volusia has been one of Sweet’s best tracks with eight Feature wins there and two Big Gator Championships (2016, 2020).

SHARK ATTACK: The Shark Racing duo of Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen will be at home during Bike Week, being bikers themselves. They’re both also strong competitors on half-mile tracks. Schuchart has two Feature wins at Volusia and a Big Gator Championship (2021). And while Allen has yet to win at Volusia, he earned a top-five finish last year and is coming off the momentum of a career best season.

EVENT INFO: CLICK HERE

Pastrana, Dotson, Lee, Troutman and more headline newly reformatted event

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 6, 2023 – The single toughest test of endurance in DIRTcar UMP Modified racing hits the half-mile of Volusia Speedway Park this week in the 52nd annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

Six-straight days of racing. Over 100 cars expected to compete. All in pursuit of the iconic Big Gator trophy and $5,000 check as winner of the Gator Championship Feature Saturday night.

The event format has been completely overhauled for 2023, featuring six separate Features on each of the first five nights of competition. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday’s Features will be lined up by Qualifying laps, while Thursday will set the field according to points accumulated by each driver over the previous three nights. Friday’s field will be split in half for the Gator Qualifier night before Saturday’s Gator Championship.

Read More: Purse Increase, New Format for UMP Modifieds at 52nd DIRTcar Nationals

The driver with the most points at week’s end will be crowned the DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator champion and hoist the iconic Big Gator trophy. Drivers will also be earning points toward the UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks championship chase, which crowns its champion after the conclusion of Saturday’s Feature.

To get your tickets, visit DIRTcarNationals.com. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the entire week of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch for and storylines to follow this week:

NEW GATOR CHAMP – For the first time in seven years, a driver not named Nick Hoffman will hoist the Big Gator trophy as DIRTcar Nationals UMP Modified champion at the conclusion of the week.

Hoffman, who has not missed a DIRTcar Nationals since his Volusia debut in 2009, won the division’s event points title every year from 2016-2022. This week, however, he will sit on the sidelines, with his focus on his World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model ride, and be a resource to the several Elite Chassis drivers in the field.

Hoffman will also have the Tye Twarog Racing, NOS Energy Drink #9 Super Late Model with him as he prepares for competition during week #2 of DIRTcar Nationals with the DIRTcar Late Models and World of Outlaws. Hoffman recorded finishes of fourth and eighth in his first two starts as a full-time World of Outlaws driver in January at the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals.

HORNS UP – If there’s one driver among the 100-plus UMP Modifieds expected for the week that’s highest amongst the favorites to win the Big Gator trophy, it’s Bakersfield, CA-driver Ethan Dotson.

Dotson, the 24-year-old Longhorn Chassis UMP Modified house driver, won the ninth annual Emil & Dale Reutimann Memorial in his Volusia debut last November – one day after breaking the 11-year-old track record.

He returns to Volusia this week for his DIRTcar Nationals debut, piloting one of the most well-maintained cars in the pits, backed by Longhorn and the knowledge of multi-time DIRTcar Nationals Feature winner Steve Arpin.

A DOLLAR BET – A multi-time motocross and rallycross champion, and a NASCAR Truck Series champion walk into Volusia. No, really – it’s happening. And there’s a big bet on the line.

Travis Pastrana will make his DIRTcar Nationals debut this week in a UMP Modified built by 2007 DIRTcar Nationals champion and fellow ex-rallycross racer Steve Arpin and his Longhorn Chassis brand, backed by his partners at Black Rifle Coffee Company. After being asked if he was “too much of a sissy to drive” by fellow Black Rifle Coffee driver Matt Crafton, Pastrana took on Crafton’s challenge and made a one-dollar bet with him to see who could finish higher in races throughout the week.

Crafton, a regular of the UMP Modified division at DIRTcar Nationals, will pilot his own K1 RaceGear Elite Chassis #88 against Pastrana’s #199, all in pursuit of his first career gator trophy.

POINTS LEADER – Lucas Lee comes into Volusia as the UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks points leader by 17 over second-place Drake Troutman. On the back of three Feature wins and top-10s in all seven races on the Speedweeks trail, Lee now faces his toughest challenge of all at Volusia.

Lee, the defending Speedweeks champion from Paris, TN, historically, has not been as big of a factor at Volusia compared to the other Speedweeks venues. But with a win already at North Florida Speedway (Jan. 29) and two he garnered at East Bay Raceway Park (Feb. 3 and 4) to cap-off Winternationals, he’s the one driver going in with more momentum than any Speedweeks championship chaser.

Lee does have one gator trophy on his mantle at home, having captured one of the Gator Qualifier Features at Volusia in 2019.

ELITE-IST – Tyler Nicely currently holds onto the third spot in Speedweeks points, currently 60 points back from leader Lucas Lee.

Nicely, the 27-year-old Modified standout from Owensboro, KY, has two wins in seven Speedweeks starts, and has consistently been a contender for the win throughout Speedweeks with top-10 finishes in all but two events thus far (East Bay 2/1 [DNF, 21st]; East Bay 2/4 [DNF, 14th).

Prepared special for this week, Nicely will be armed with a brand-new Elite Chassis built by the seven-time DIRTcar Nationals champion Nick Hoffman in pursuit of his first Gator Championship Feature win and second UMP Modified Florida Speedweeks points title.

THE BIG CATCH – Coming off an action-packed week at East Bay, Drake Troutman rides the Jerry Foster Racing, Longhorn Chassis #5, into Volusia with only a 17-point deficit to points leader Lucas Lee.

Troutman, the 17-year-old racer from Hyndman, PA, got the win on the opening night at East Bay, and nearly did it again Friday night if not for a post-race penalty assessment. Despite the blunder, however, he’s the only driver to record top-five finishes in all seven Features thus far.

DOE RUN, MO – Feb. 6, 2023 – Dirt Midgets will race around Doe Run Raceway for the first time in the track’s 29-year history when the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota makes its debut there on Friday, July 21. The 1/6-mile oval in Missouri, more widely known for its weekly racing program of Winged Outlaw Micro Sprints, 206 Cage Karts, Mod Lites, B-Modifieds and the newly added Junior Sprints, will take on the national stars of the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets as part of the Series’ two-day weekend with Southern Illinois Raceway (July 22) in the Midwest. “It’s awesome to have a national series like the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets come to Doe Run Raceway,” said Track Owner & Promoter Tommy Harris. “We’ve always dreamed of it for the last five years since we bought the track. We’ve made it bigger and better to bring something new to the locals around here.” Doe Run fills the last remaining TBA date on the schedule, bringing the Series’ 2023 schedule to a complete 35-race slate. “It’s exciting to form a new relationship with the Doe Run staff and bring Midget racing to a new local fanbase,” said Xtreme Outlaw Series Director Tyler Bachman. “We’re honored that Tommy and his team have chosen the Xtreme Outlaw Series to host their first-ever Midget event, and can’t wait to see what the future holds at the facility.” Catch the rising stars of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota in action at Doe Run Raceway on Friday, July 21. If you can’t be at the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

BATAVIA, Ohio (February 6, 2023) – The Wieland Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will take center stage this week in Tampa, Fla. Race Teams are looking forward to a thrilling week of racing at the “Clay by the Bay” for the 47th Annual Wieland East Bay Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil. The action starts on Sunday, February 5 with an open practice from 6:00PM ET – 9:00PM ET. Monday and Tuesday, February 6 and 7, teams will compete for a $5,000 top prize. Wednesday, February 8 will see drivers gunning for $7,000 in top prize money. On Thursday, February 9 the winner’s prize increases to $10,000 before the stakes get even higher on Friday, February 10, with teams competing for a $12,000 paycheck. The week will end on Saturday, February 11, boasting a $15,000 top prize. A full program is scheduled for each of the six nights, which includes: Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series main event. Each day, Hot Laps will begin at 5:30PM ET. Saturday’s program begins with a Dirt Racing Outreach service at 3:30PM ET in the main grandstands near turn one. You can watch all six nights of the 47th Annual Wieland East Bay Winternationals – presented by Lucas Oil from East Bay Raceway Park via MAVTV on FloRacing. For ticket and camping information, visit www.ebrp.co. For more information about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, visit www.lucasdirt.com.    About Wieland Metal Services:Wieland serves virtually all metalworking sectors with its extensive range of services and products. The inventory includes copper and brass alloys, as well as aluminum alloys and stainless steel, engineered plastics and other niche materials in strip, sheet, rod, bar, profile, coil, and foil forms. In addition, Wieland offers a variety of value added services including, but not limited to, strip slitting, tinning and electroplating, cutting, finishing, metal coatings, and traverse winding. With a broad geographical presence and IT-based service offerings, customers can rely on Wieland’s strong market position to meet their custom needs. To learn more, visit www.wieland-metalservices.com. Track Information:East Bay Raceway ParkPhone Number: (877) 457-5611Location: 6311 Burts Road, Tampa, FL 33619Website: www.ebrp.coDirections: Directions to Track: I-75 to exit 250, then 2.0 miles west, then 1.2 miles north on US 41, then right 1.3 miles on Old US 41, then right on Burts Road. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule February 6 – February 8:Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT1Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20 For the A-Main, competitors may use 1 new right rear tire:Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20 *Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule February 9 – February 11Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT1Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20 For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT1, (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s *Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Wieland Winternationals Presented by Lucas Oil Purses:Monday and Tuesday – 1. $5,000, 2. $3,000, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,000, 6. $800, 7. $750, 8. $700, 9. $650, 10. $600, 11. $550, 12. $500, 13. $500, 14. $500, 15. $500, 16. $500, 17. $500, 18. $500, 19. $500, 20. $500, 21. $500, 22. $500, 23. $500, 24. $500, 25. $500, 26. $500 = $24,050 Wednesday – 1. $7,000, 2. $3,500, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,400, 6. $1,300, 7. $1,200, 8. $1,100, 9. $1,000, 10. $950, 11. $900, 12. $850, 13. $800, 14. $750, 15. $725, 16. $700, 17. $700, 18. $700, 19. $650, 20. $625, 21. $625, 22. $600, 23. $600, 24. $600, 25. $600, 26. $600 = $31,975 Thursday – 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800, 25. $800, 26. $800 = $50,175 Friday – 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000, 25. $1,000, 26. $1,000 = $54,800 Saturday – 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. 2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000, 25. $1,000, 26. $1,000 = 59,050

(Feb. 06, 2023) – It was announced today that Flav-R-Pac Frozen Fruits and Vegetables, a recognized brand of PNW VEG CO., LLC DBA NORPAC, a subsidiary of Oregon Potato Company (OPC) which is owned by Frank Tiegs, will be featured as a primary sponsor on Robert Hight’s Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. In addition to maintaining their primary sponsorship of Brittany Force’s Top Fuel dragster for half the season, Flav-R-Pac has stepped up to take on four races with the three-time Funny Car champion. Hight will field the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to open the 2023 season at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida March 10-12. “I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to race the Flav-R-Pac colors. Frank Tiegs, who owns Flav-R-Pac and Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist on Austin Prock’s dragster, has been a major part of the John Force Racing family over the last several years. I think it really says something about how well the partnership is working to have him take on an additional car with us for four races,” said Hight, President of John Force Racing. “I look forward to celebrating with him in the winner’s circle and maybe even getting a double up with Brittany in her Flav-R-Pac dragster. That would be huge.” “Over the years we have continued to grow our relationship with John Force Racing. That growth was always part of the plan when we first signed on with them,” said Frank Tiegs, owner of Flav-R-Pac Frozen Fruits and Vegetables. “I’m looking forward to having a Funny Car run the Flav-R-Pac colors. After such a successful season from Robert last year, it was an easy decision to support his Funny Car in a more prominent way. Partnering with John Force Racing has been a perfect fit for Flav-R-Pac so I’m looking forward to what the future will bring us.” In addition to debuting at the season opening Gatornationals, Hight will pilot the Flav-R-Pac Chevy Funny Car at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas and the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.

Whiskey Myers will again sponsor the “4-Wide Salute to the Fans” and now be a part of the World of Outlaws’ contingency programCONCORD, NC (Feb. 6, 2023) – Multi-Platinum band Whiskey Myers is bringing its rock ‘n’ roll energy back to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series in 2023 in multiple ways.The band will continue to be the presenting sponsor of Johnny Gibson’s famous “4-Wide Salute to the Fans” at all World of Outlaws Sprint Car races and will now also be a part of the Series’ contingency program for drivers.“As a fan of World of Outlaws, it was exciting to be able to partner with them last season and to become more involved in the sport,” shares Whiskey Myers drummer Jeff Hogg. “We’re excited to come back in a bigger way this year to support the series and the drivers, and we can’t wait to get the season underway!”This will be the first full World of Outlaws season that Whiskey Myers’ genre-bending music is paired with the “4-wide” call, starting with the season-opening event at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 9-11. And, as part of the contingency program to reward more money to drivers at the end of the night, the band’s logo will be featured on all full-time World of Outlaws drivers’ cars throughout the year, along with awarding $50 each Feature to any driver – with the Whiskey Myers decal on their car – who finishes sixth.Whiskey Myers shares its birthplace with the World of Outlaws, having formed in Texas and now selling out shows across the globe. Composed of members Cody Cannon, Cody Tate, John Jeffers, Jeff Hogg, Jamey Gleaves and Tony Kent, the group has sold more than 1.5 million albums and amassed over 2 billion streams while earning six RIAA Platinum & Gold certifications as an independent band.Their latest self-produced album, Tornillo, is available everywhere now as the band known for their high-energy live show prepares for another exciting year on the road, from headlining their own tour to serving as direct support across several dates of Eric Church’s Outsiders Revival Tour.Fans will also see Whiskey Myers spots on DIRTVision throughout the year. The band previously partnered with the premier dirt racing broadcast provider, which broadcasts every World of Outlaws race live, in December to livestream its concert from the Macon Centreplex in Macon, GA.To find out more about Whiskey Myers, visit whiskeymyers.com and follow on social media @WhiskeyMyers. Be on the lookout for social sweepstakes during the year.For the full 2023 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, CLICK HERE.

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES FEBRUARY 5, 2023

CHEVROLET TAKES FOUR OF THE TOP-FIVE AT THE CLASH  TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL MAIN EVENT TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL13rd      Kyle Busch, No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL14th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 5th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL18th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL110th    William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL MAIN EVENT RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1.        Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2.        Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)3.        Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)4.        Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)5.        Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicks off at Daytona International Speedway with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19, at 2:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1Finished: 2nd“The Get Bioethanol Chevy was really fast. Keith [Rodden] and our engineer did a really good job. We were prepared for the race and it showed up. We really weren’t great in practice until the very last one and I felt like we had something to race with. Qualifying went well, and we got to beating and banging out there pretty good but we ended coming home second. It was nice. Kyle [Busch], he knew we had a really fast car and he let me run down Truex at the end. That was nice of him. Loving my new teammate. We’ll go to Daytona and see if we can’t return the favor.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1Finished: 3rd“Man, if I had another 15 laps of rear tires on it, I think we could’ve went spin to win. All of these boys would’ve been sad seeing that happen. It was a good run for us. You can never count us out. You’ve always got to bet on the BetMGM Camaro and we made the most of it today with going to the back, coming to the front, passing on the outside, passing on the inside, and everywhere we could. Just a lot of chaos, a lot of mayhem, a lot of disrespect if you will. That’s tight quarters racing at a quarter mile. What do you expect, right? All good though. I’m looking forward to Daytona and getting the season started.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Finished: 4th“I think it went pretty well. We struggled here last year and didn’t have a good weekend. I was nervous a little bit and didn’t know what to expect. Yesterday went really well, and today went pretty well. When you come out of here with fourth kind of bummed about it, it’s a good weekend. I think the whole team is working really well together and Blake’s fitting in really, really well.” Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Camaro ZL1Finished: 11th “I’m so proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing and where we have come in a short amount of time. The race results weren’t exactly what we wanted, but this weekend was a fun confidence booster. It’s pretty cool to get mine and Kaulig Racing’s first NASCAR Cup Series pole, points race or not, and I think we really showed we belong here. I feel pretty confident about where we are, and I think we are in a good spot to start the season.” Noah Gragson, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Camaro ZL1Finished: 14th“I felt like we had a decent No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevy. We just had some damage on the front from the heat race that hurt us with cooling the right front and the brakes. We got really tight in the first half of the race. We started cutting some of it away, but overall, it was just a pinball machine out there. I thought we had some good restarts; good lane choices and we were making our way back up there. We got back up to eighth but just didn’t have enough there. I kind of made some poor decisions there at the end and chose the wrong line. I thought they were all going to stack up there on the bottom, so I went to the outside and they didn’t. It’s just part of the learning curve.  Thank you to everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB; Jimmie Johnson, Maury Gallagher, Richard Petty, Mike Beam.. everybody that’s a part of this team. Definitely the Sunseeker team. They worked really hard and I’m definitely excited to start the year off with making it into this race. I’m just very thankful.”  Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Jockey Camaro ZL1Finished: 19th“It was tough. I couldn’t breathe and it was tough because of that. I think at lap 30 or so in the first stage, we had contact in the right side of the car, and that made the exhaust get some fumes inside the cabin. After that, I struggled a lot, especially the second half of the race. I felt like I was okay for a while, but then the second half of the race I struggled big time. We just have to continue to get better. I felt like the car was okay. We definitely made a big swing for the main race and we showed that, but actually went to the other side of it. We just have to continue to work and continue to learn.”     Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 16. Finished: 27th It’s early in the race for Erik Jones to be standing in the infield. We saw the move by Michael McDowell, diving into the inside. Was it ultimately just too late to react to it? “Yeah, I couldn’t move over. I was clear on the straightaway, but obviously he (Michael McDowell) really wanted the spot. When we got spun out, I think we must have got hit in the right rear and it bent the toe link pretty bad. It kind of is what it is. Michael has gotten me twice pretty good now, which is frustrating. I think we had a decent car. We were kind of moving up there and I felt good about it. It’s a tough little place and it’s easy to get in trouble like that. We’ll move on with the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy to the Daytona 500 and hopefully go for a win.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES: ·       12 Chevrolet drivers made up the 27-car field for the 45th running of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. ·       The first caution of the race flew on lap 16, involving Erik Jones and the No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 team. Damage sustained in the on-track incident ultimately ended the day early for Jones. ·       The halfway break on lap 75 saw five Camaro ZL1’s in the top-10 of the running order, led by Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1 team in the third position. ·        Camaro ZL1’s finished in the top-five of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum main event, led by Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1 team in the runner-up position. ·       Joining Dillon in the top-five of the final running order was Richard Childress Racing teammate Kyle Busch (third); and Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman (fourth) and Kyle Larson (fifth).

February 5, 2022

A loose condition entering Turn One while running in second place with eight laps to go in the first of two 50-lap Last Chance races cost Harrison Burton and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team a starting berth in the main event of Sunday night’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team entered Sunday’s races with hopes of once again racing their way into the 150-lap main event. On Saturday, Burton qualified 13^th, earning the fourth starting spot in the first of four 25-lap qualifying races.
 
But two laps into that race, Burton was spun around, bringing out the caution flag. Restarting in ninth place, he worked his way to seventh, giving him the third starting spot in the first 50-lap Last Chance race.

He spent most of that event running in second place, only to lose that spot in the closing laps and wind up one finishing position shy of a transfer spot.

Burton and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to preparing their Mustang for the season-opening point-paying race – the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19.

 

February 5, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang were 13th fastest in qualifying for Sunday’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

Burton’s quick trip around the quarter-mile temporary track inside the Coliseum means he will start fourth in the first of four 25-lap heat races.

The top-five finishers in each heat race will earn starting spots in Sunday’s 150-lap main event. The remainder of the line-up will be determined by two 50-lap last chance races, with the top-three finishers in those events advancing to the feature race.

Sunday’s program starts at 2 p.m. (5 p.m. Eastern) with the four 25-lap heat races, followed by two 50-lap last chance races. 

The 150-lap main event begins at 5 p.m. Pacific (8 p.m. Eastern), with Sunday’s coverage on FOX.

 

ELLISVILLE, Fla. (February 4, 2023) – In a race that saw five lead changes among three drivers, Ricky Thornton Jr. emerged victorious on Saturday night at All-Tech Raceway. Thornton passed race leader Max Blair after a lap 29 restart and went on to win his second Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race of the season. For the first time in his career, Thornton has taken over the top spot in the championship point standings after his seventh career series win. Tim McCreadie, the two-time and defending series champion, came from the 12th starting spot to finish in second. Brandon Sheppard, who started eighth came him in third, followed by 14th starting Devin Moran. Tyler Erb completed the top five to earn the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race after he started 21st on the grid. Thornton started on the outside of the front row and grabbed the lead at the start of the 50-lap main event. He quickly built a sizable lead in the opening laps of the race until Shane Clanton, who started alongside Thornton on the front row was able to close the gap and take over the point with eight laps scored. Clanton would hold the lead until lap 17 when Thornton regained the top spot. At the halfway mark it was Thornton still in front followed by Clanton and Max Blair, who was now up to third. Blair then went to second on lap 27 and two laps later took the lead away from Thornton to become the third different leader of the race. A caution came out with 29 laps complete with Blair out in front. On the restart Thornton swung to the outside as he pressured Blair and completed the pass heading down the backstretch. Thornton then had to withstand two cautions in the waning laps, one with nine laps to go and one with just two circuits remaining, holding off McCreadie both times. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane, the 32-year driver who continues to be the most consistent driver to start the 2023 season said: “I really didn’t know what to do tire wise. I knew Max [Blair] and Kyle [Strickler] were on softer tires. I told Max to go soft and it lasted a while for him. I didn’t know if there was really a line there in one and two. It was kind of a do or die. I was like I really want to win this pretty bad, so I was trying really hard on that restart, and it worked. I kept missing the bottom there in three. It was getting tight. Luckily, we held them off.” McCreadie moved into third in the championship chase with his runner-up finish. “This Paylor Motorsports team just keeps battling. One of these days we’ll be able to start near the front maybe and put some pressure on them early so they have to work a little harder than they are working. That’s the way it goes. We keep passing as many cars as we can. They are not going to slow this team down.” Sheppard, who finished second in last year’s championship standings continues to make strides with his new team. “That was typical All-Tech right there. That was a lot of fun. It was tricky and slippery all over the place. You could chase the brown a little bit. It was a good night. We’ve been needing this for sure. That practice night this week helped us a lot. I learned a lot of stuff on the car.” The winner’s Todd and Vickie Burns, SSI Motorsports-owned, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored Big River Steel, Hoker Trucking, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Dyno One Inc., West Side Tractor Sales, D&E Outside Services, Certified Inspection Service Co. Inc., Murty Farms, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Bilstein Shocks. Completing the top ten were Hudson O’Neal, Max Blair, Shane Clanton, Kyle Bronson, and Spencer Hughes. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Winter NationalsSaturday, February 4, 2023All-Tech Raceway – Lake City, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Spencer Hughes / 18.170 seconds Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. / 17.691 seconds (overall) Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 25C-Shane Clanton[4]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[6]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[7]; 5. 16-Tyler Bruening[5]; 6. 10-Garrett Smith[3]; 7. 31-Tyler Millwood[8]; 8. 66JR-Eddie Carrier Jr[2]; 9. 44D-Dalton Cook[9]; 10. 86-Kyle Beard[10]; 11. 01-Jason Garver[11]; 12. 23-Chad Walter[12] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 8K-Kyle Strickler[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 3. 96V-Tanner English[4]; 4. 19M-Wil Herrington[7]; 5. 89J-Jeff Choquette[6]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[3]; 7. 1T-Tyler Erb[9]; 8. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[8]; 9. 5-Mark Whitener[5]; 10. 99B-Boom Briggs[10]; 11. 14W-Dustin Walker[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 111B-Max Blair[4]; 3. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 4. 99-Devin Moran[8]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[5]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[7]; 7. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 8. C4-Freddie Carpenter[10]; 9. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[9]; 10. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 11. 4S-Danny Snyder[11] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 4. 22*-Payton Freeman[8]; 5. 12-Ashton Winger[7]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport[11]; 7. 3S-Brian Shirley[10]; 8. 1Z-Logan Zarin[9]; 9. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 10. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 11. 89-Logan Roberson[3] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[6]; 4. 5-Mark Whitener[10]; 5. 10-Garrett Smith[3]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[8]; 7. 89J-Jeff Choquette[2]; 8. 31-Tyler Millwood[5]; 9. 66JR-Eddie Carrier Jr[7]; 10. 86-Kyle Beard[11]; 11. 44D-Dalton Cook[9]; 12. 99B-Boom Briggs[12]; 13. 01-Jason Garver[13]; 14. 23-Chad Walter[15]; 15. 14W-Dustin Walker[14] UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 17SS-Brenden Smith[3]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[6]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[11]; 5. 89-Logan Roberson[14]; 6. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[9]; 7. C4-Freddie Carpenter[7]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[10]; 9. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 10. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 11. 4S-Danny Snyder[13]; 12. 1Z-Logan Zarin[8]; 13. (DNS) 12-Ashton Winger; 14. (DNS) 25Z-Mason Zeigler Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 45Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Shane ClantonLap Leaders: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 1-7); Shane Clanton (Laps 8-16); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 17-28); Max Blair (Lap 29); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 30-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.428 secondsStop-Tech Brakes Cautions: Wil Herrington (Lap 29); Earl Pearson, Jr. (Lap 40); Earl Pearson, Jr. (Lap 48); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 48 Restart)Series Provisionals: Garrett Alberson; Ross RobinsonFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Jonathan Davenport; Garrett Smith; Logan RobersonTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tim McCreadie, Brandon SheppardPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Tyler ErbTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Erb (Advanced 16 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Finisher: Max BlairDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Finisher: Dennis Erb, Jr.Earnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (40 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon OvertonO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aEtchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 1 – 19.614 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Jonathan DavenportOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Hudson O’Neal (18.185 seconds)Time of Race: 29 minutes 21 seconds The Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

Florida Speedweeks action resumes Monday, Feb. 6 at Volusia for DIRTcar Nationals

TAMPA, FL – Feb. 4, 2023 – On the heels of a drama-filled past 24 hours, Lucas Lee served his critics a dominating performance in the conclusion to DIRTcar UMP Modified Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park.

Lee led all but the first six laps of the 75-lap Feature Saturday night, passing polesitter Drake Troutman for the top spot on Lap 7 and fending off all challenges from that point forward to bag the $5,000 grand prize for the second time in his career.

From inside the second row, Lee wasted zero time making a break for the head of the field. He had already advanced two spots after the first trip around the 1/3-mile oval, and by Lap 3, had only Tuesday night winner Troutman left in front of him.

Troutman, the 17-year-old Modified sensation from Hyndman, PA, redrew the pole starting spot as high-point man through the first four races of the week. Though he carried speed in the opening laps, Lee was stronger on the bottom, and got a great bite out of Turn 2 and zoomed past Troutman into the lead on Lap 7.

“I was gonna ride, but when you’ve got Drake [Troutman] and Tyler [Nicely] up there, it’s like – how do you ride? You’ve gotta try and get in front of them,” Lee remarked on his early race strategy.

“I knew my shot with Tyler would be to get him on the bottom quick because he could roll that middle pretty good. I kinda figured Troutman wasn’t going to be able to hold that bottom. I got by them before I got to the lapped cars, which I kinda didn’t want to do, but I’m glad it worked out.”

For all 75 laps, Lee hugged the bottom of the racetrack, even in the thickest of traffic – some of which came before the first caution flag was displayed on Lap 31. For the next restart, and each of the numerous ones that followed, Lee kept his speed up on the bottom and middle lanes, more so than any other driver. He reflected on his 2019 victory in the event and recalled similar track conditions to Saturday night, which he said may have played into his favor.

“In 2019, it kinda did the same thing,” Lee said. “It went through a transition and cleaned-up really well. When it cleaned-up, I was in the right place at the right time. It was kind of a similar racetrack.”

Lee’s biggest challenge came from two-time Winternationals winner Rodney Wing in the Jeff Mathews Motorsports #33W. Wing, the racer and track owner/promoter from Meridian, MS, drove from the seventh starting spot to second by Lap 23 and began to work on finding a way around Lee.

He tried looking to Lee’s outside for a shot at the lead on multiple restarts but was unsuccessful on all attempts. Lee was simply too quick on the bottom.

“I was up beside him a couple of times, so really, I just needed to handle a little better through the corner,” Wing said. “I kept having to break traction to get it through the corner. If I had been able to circle the corner a little better, I think I could have got him.”

Though Wing never got close enough to seriously put Lee in danger of losing the lead, Lee did acknowledge his presence. Throughout the race, Lee’s car was finding considerably more traction than any of his fellow competitors through the bottom-middle lane, which aided in his efforts to keep the lead.

“I left the car free,” Lee said. “I knew I had to get [to the bottom lane] pretty quick, and I could circle that bottom when it had traction down there. Luckily, Travis [Norden, crew member] told me [Wing] was out there and I moved up.”

After multiple top-10 and top-15 finishes throughout the week, Wing took home second when all was said and done. Though he hadn’t piloted a Modified in succession like at Winternationals, he was slowly getting more used to the car as the week went on.

“Every night, we’ve been inching up on the setup more and more to my liking,” Wing said. “That’s been the main thing – just got it closer and closer.”

Crossing the stripe in third was Illinois ringer Allen Weisser. The DIRTcar regional champion stayed inside the top-10 the entire race and spent the second half battling his way through the top-five. In the end, he had to settle for third, as Lee and Wing were too far out in front.

Despite the struggles, Weisser is still finding success on the Speedweeks circuit, and takes a strong point total into Volusia Speedway Park next week.

“This is probably the best Speedweeks we’ve ever had,” Weisser said. “These tracks are just so different from what we’re used to running. We’ve just kinda struggled down here, but this car has been really good.”

RESULTS

A Feature 1 (75 Laps): 1. 12-Lucas Lee[5]; 2. 33W-Rodney Wing[7]; 3. 25W-Allen Weisser[10]; 4. 145-Kyle Hammer[18]; 5. 5-Drake Troutman[1]; 6. 14-Mavrick Varnadore[16]; 7. 25-LJ Grimm[8]; 8. 54J-Jason Jack[19]; 9. 25A-Jason Altiers[23]; 10. 1H-Ben Harmon[24]; 11. 205-Travis Varnadore[13]; 12. 69B-Bryan Bernhardt[11]; 13. 21CZ-Benji LaCrosse[20]; 14. 25N-Tyler Nicely[2]; 15. 17-Chris Wilson[12]; 16. 5X-Joe Godsey[17]; 17. 2-Devin Dixon[4]; 18. 40-Kevin Adams[3]; 19. 23B-Scott Bane[25]; 20. 99-Blake Brown[14]; 21. 72-Todd Neiheiser[21]; 22. 2A-Matt Altiers[22]; 23. 24-Zeke McKenzie[9]; 24. 90-Tim Gay[15]; 25. 20-Brian Skaggs[6]