2020-02-13

Sheppard Dominates to Continue His DIRTcar Nationals Mastery

DIRTcar

Sheppard Dominates to Continue His DIRTcar Nationals Mastery

Posted: 10 Feb 2020 11:10 PM PST

Defending Gator champ dominates Dirt Late Model opener for fifth consecutive Volusia win

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 10, 2020 – Picking up right where he left off in last year's DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford, Brandon Sheppard ran away with Monday night's DIRTcar Late Model Feature for his fifth consecutive victory at Volusia Speedway Park.

The defending Dirt Late Model Big Gator champion stole the lead from polesitter Tim McCreadie at the drop of the green and never looked back, leading all 30 laps en route to his sixth victory at Volusia in the past seven DIRTcar Nationals Late Model Features.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

If anyone thought it was the Rocket1 Racing show during last year's Florida-Georgia Speedweeks, it's looking like an even more concentrated go-around this year, as Sheppard now tallies four Late Model victories in the past seven days.

"It's been an incredible Speedweeks so far, our consistency has been through the roof all week," Sheppard said. "When you're as consistent as we are, the wins are going to come."

Sheppard led comfortably until the race's second caution on lap 14, when Scott Bloomquist Racing's Chris Madden gave him his strongest challenge of the race on the restart. Using the top side momentum to his advantage, Madden got a great run out of Turn 2 and dove into Turn 3 on the bottom. But The Rocket Shepp was just too strong in the middle and began to pull away again at the flagstand.

Another restart with nine laps remaining put Madden on the top side at the drop of the green, but he stumbled on the cushion as Brian Shirley and Dennis Erb Jr. drove by on the bottom. Madden fell back two spots further before the checkered, leaving the 2018 Big Gator champion with a sixth-place result.

Shirley had a great race going on the top side, using the speed to make several passes as he climbed up into the podium. He fended off Erb's fierce challenges on the bottom in the closing laps to secure the runner-up spot with a car he said was very comfortable to drive. To beat the Rocket1 car ahead of him, however, Shirley believes it's going to take more than just being good in the Feature.

Jim DenHamer Photo

"We've just got to make sure we qualify good and start up front," Shirley said. "I just felt like [Sheppard] was just a little bit better than me out there on the track and could do things that I just couldn't do, so we've just got to get a little better. Hopefully, one night, I can get lucky enough to start on the front row and have a shot."

Erb had a very strong car the whole race, rounding out an all-Illinois top-three from his eighth starting spot. He made his way up into the top-five just before halfway and capitalized on Madden's slip-up on the late restart to grab third and eventually challenge for second.

"On that last restart, Chris just went way high there and I just went right through the middle," Erb said. "Once everybody got settled in there, it was awful fast and hard to pass from there on."

Erb stayed around the bottom for the greater portion of the race, chomping at the bit on Shirley in the late stages.

"[Shirley] would go into the corner and slide from bottom to the top, I'd get a run on him and then he'd come back down. To try and get by him that way really wasn't going to work," Erb said.

Jim DenHamer Photo

Sheppard fended off the fellow Illinois drivers' pressure from behind with ease on the following restarts, leading the field back to the checkers for a $7,000 payday.

Overall, Sheppard said his continued success comes down to he and his crew's workflow in the pit area. Each day, they know exactly what it is they need to do to get the job done, and with car owner Mark Richards' years of experience racing at Volusia, it puts Sheppard at ease behind the wheel.

"It just makes my confidence maxed-out all the time. I know I can drive into Turn 1 however I feel I need to and nothing's going to fall off or break or anything like that because my guys just do such a great job. It's a lot easier to have a lot of confidence whenever you've got a great group of guys pumping you up, and you know your car's gonna be good," Sheppard said.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Nationals action continues Tuesday night with the second 30-lap, $7,000-to-win Feature for the Late Models alongside the stars and cars of the Big-Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision; Hot Laps are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET.

OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK, FEB. 10, 2020

Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard [2][]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley [5][]; 3. 28-Dennis Erb, [8][]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie [1][]; 5. 5-Mark Whitener [11][]; 6. 0M-Chris Madden [4][]; 7. 72-Michael Norris [3][]; 8. 29V-Darrell Lanigan [14][]; 9. 7W-Ricky Weiss [6][]; 10. 76B-Brandon Overton [22][]; 11. 97-Cade Dillard [20][]; 12. 20-Jimmy Owens [17][]; 13. 12-Ashton Winger [9][]; 14. 15-Donny Schatz [7][]; 15. 17M-Dale McDowell [10][]; 16. 99B-Boom Briggs [16][]; 17. O-Rick Eckert [18][]; 18. 40B-Kyle Bronson [13][]; 19. 21-Ivedent Lloyd, [15][]; 20. 25Z-Mason Zeigler [23][]; 21. 16B-Tyler Bruening [12][]; 22. 6-Blake Spencer [24][]; 23. OOO-Kyle Lear [19][]; 24. 89-GR Smith [21][]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 76B-Brandon Overton[+12]

Qualifying Flight-A – 1. 72-Michael Norris, 16.575; 2. 12-Ashton Winger, 16.59; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley, 16.656; 4. 23-John Blankenship, 16.719; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens, 16.761; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson, 16.803; 7. 1-Vic Hill, 16.9; 8. 16-Justin Rattliff, 17.095; 9. 4G-Kody Evans, 17.223; 10. 25Z-Mason Zeigler, 17.655; 11. 76-Blair Nothdurft, 18.317

Qualifying Flight-B – 1. 7W-Ricky Weiss, 16.232; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard, 16.265; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell, 16.285; 4. 29V-Darrell Lanigan, 16.287; 5. 18-Chase Junghans, 16.432; 6. O-Rick Eckert, 16.478; 7. 31-Tyler Millwood, 16.499; 8. 7-Drake Troutman, 16.696; 9. 66C-Matt Cosner, 16.801; 10. 89-GR Smith, 16.867; 11. 2-Dan Stone, 17.39

Qualifying Flight-C – 1. 15-Donny Schatz, 16.267; 2. 21-Ivedent Lloyd,, 16.498; 3. 36-Logan Martin, 16.54; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie, 16.645; 5. 6-Blake Spencer, 16.706; 6. 0B-Scott Bloomquist, 16.722; 7. 5-Mark Whitener, 16.751; 8. 22-Gregg Satterlee, 16.839; 9. 33-Jeff Mathews, 16.84; 10. OOO-Kyle Lear, 17.158; 11. 16H-Mike Hammerle, NT

Qualifying Flight-D – 1. 16B-Tyler Bruening, 16.419; 2. 0M-Chris Madden, 16.498; 3. 97-Cade Dillard, 16.604; 4. 28-Dennis Erb,, 16.635; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs, 16.637; 6. 311-Ken Monahan, 16.671; 7. 25-Shane Clanton, 16.716; 8. 76B-Brandon Overton, 16.736; 9. 2W-Pearson Williams, 16.785; 10. 25W-Allen Weisser, 16.823; 11. 25DC-Donnie Chappell, 16.93

Heat #1 – Flight (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer – 1. 72-Michael Norris [1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley [3]; 3. 12-Ashton Winger [2]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson [6]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens [5]; 6. 25Z-Mason Zeigler [10]; 7. 16-Justin Rattliff [8]; 8. 1-Vic Hill [7]; 9. 76-Blair Nothdurft [11]; 10. 4G-Kody Evans [9]; 11. 23-John Blankenship [4]

Heat #2 – Flight (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer – 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard [2]; 2. 7W-Ricky Weiss [1]; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell [3]; 4. 29V-Darrell Lanigan [4]; 5. O-Rick Eckert [6]; 6. 89-GR Smith [10]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans [5]; 8. 2-Dan Stone [11]; 9. 7-Drake Troutman [8]; 10. 66C-Matt Cosner [9]; 11. 31-Tyler Millwood [7]

Heat #3 – Flight (C) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer – 1. 39-Tim McCreadie [4]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener [7]; 4. 21-Ivedent Lloyd, [2]; 5. OOO-Kyle Lear [10]; 6. 6-Blake Spencer [5]; 7. 36-Logan Martin [3]; 8. 22-Gregg Satterlee [8]; 9. 33-Jeff Mathews [9]; 10. 16H-Mike Hammerle [11]; 11. 0B-Scott Bloomquist [6]

Heat #4 – Flight (D) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer – 1. 0M-Chris Madden [2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb, [4]; 3. 16B-Tyler Bruening [1]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs [5]; 5. 97-Cade Dillard [3]; 6. 76B-Brandon Overton [8]; 7. 25W-Allen Weisser [10]; 8. 2W-Pearson Williams [9]; 9. 311-Ken Monahan [6]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton [7]; 11. 25DC-Donnie Chappell [11]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (10 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer – 1. 89-GR Smith [2][]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler [1][]; 3. 18-Chase Junghans [4][]; 4. 2-Dan Stone [6][]; 5. 16-Justin Rattliff [3][]; 6. 1-Vic Hill [5][]; 7. 7-Drake Troutman [8][]; 8. 23-John Blankenship [11][]; 9. 76-Blair Nothdurft [7][]; 10. 4G-Kody Evans [9][]; 11. 66C-Matt Cosner [10][]; 12. 31-Tyler Millwood [12][]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (10 Laps) – 1. 76B-Brandon Overton [2][]; 2. 6-Blake Spencer [1][]; 3. 25W-Allen Weisser [4][]; 4. 2W-Pearson Williams [6][]; 5. 311-Ken Monahan [8][]; 6. 33-Jeff Mathews [7][]; 7. 16H-Mike Hammerle [9][]; 8. 36-Logan Martin [3][]; 9. 22-Gregg Satterlee [5][]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton [10][]; 11. 25DC-Donnie Chappell [12][]; 12. 0B-Scott Bloomquist [11][]

SEE GATOR CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS

19-Year-Old Spencer Hughes Bags $5,000 Payday in Big Gator Championship Upset Victory

Posted: 10 Feb 2020 09:00 PM PST

Nick Hoffman Secures 2020 DIRTcar Nationals Championship for Fifth straight title

by Matt Prieur

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 10, 2020 — The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds concluded their week-long battle at the 49th DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford with the $5,000-to-win Big Gator Championship, before crowning the 2020 DIRTcar Nationals Champion.  A thrilling last-lap pass for the win by Spencer Hughes, scored the 19-year-old his first-ever Big Gator, while Nick Hoffman took home his fifth straight DIRTcar Nationals championship.

In his #11 B&K Racing / Lethal Chassis machine, Spencer traded the lead with Jason Hughes (no relation) over the final three laps before making the winning final lap pass around the outside lane to take home the biggest win of his career and first-ever victory in the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia.

"I thought that last caution might've messed me up. I felt like I had a really good run on him (J. Hughes), and I guess we had just enough. I got by him in lapped traffic and darn near knocked the fence down," the elated Meridian, MS driver stated while talking to DIRTVision host Dave Rieff on the victory stage after his thrilling victory.

"I knew we were fast, but I didn't think we'd have enough time to get him on that last restart. He got a little better start than we did, but we were able to get up beside him. I might've pinched down a little bit, but I'm pretty sure he would've done the same to me," Hughes continued. "We came here a year ago, and we've always wanted a Gator ever since. Now we're going to strap it to the hood of the Peterbilt on the way home," he smiled.

Finishing fifth, Nick Hoffman added an unprecedented fifth DIRTcar Nationals Championship to his already staggering resume. The 27-year-old standout, originally from Belleville, IL, came into the 49th DIRTcar Nationals as the four-time defending Gator Champion and 2019 DIRTcar UMP Modified National Champion, as well as two-time and reigning DIRTcar Summit Modified Nationals Champion. The now Mooresville, NC resident leads the DIRTcar Nationals All-Time Feature Wins for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds with 17.

"We had a really good week. I think I jinxed myself today as we hadn't used our spare nose all week, and then we whipped it out on the last lap of the whole week. It was very eventful tonight though. Definitely not the way we wanted it to go. Starting 10th, I probably had the best car to win the race but wasn't able to show it. Then we bit the front end early running into Kyle (Strickler), and then it wasn't steering like I needed it to, so we just tried to stay out of trouble," the Mooresville NC resident explained in Victory Lane after climbing from his damaged #2 Fox Shox / Elite Chassis entry.

"I can't thank everyone enough — our really strong product sponsors. To not have a mechanical failure all week is a true testament to the crew and everybody on this team," Hoffman continued. "It was my fault 100 percent. The bottom wasn't quite run in, and the car just went straight, and I drove right into him," he explained regarding the incident on lap seven when Tyler Nicely slowed and the field behind him checked up. "The track conditions were tough tonight, but you can't complain about that. It's got to be different every night, and it's usually like that all week. We'll come back again next year and try for six titles," he smiled.

Going into the Big Gator Championship Feature, Hoffman carried a 16-point advantage over Kyle Strickler. So, Hoffman merely needed to finish fourth or better to secure his fifth consecutive DIRTcar Nationals title. The two started side-by-side in the fifth row, with Strickler at Hoffman's left elbow.

J. Hughes and S. Hughes started on the front row of the stellar 32-car field and took the green flag from Chief Starter, Dave Farney to start the 30-lap, $5,000-to-win main event for the Modifieds. J. Hughes beat S. Hughes to the first corner to take the early race lead as the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind the two Hughes . J. Hughes built up his lead while the two DIRTcar Nationals title contenders, Hoffman and Strickler, began working their way towards the front.

The biggest turning point of the race came on lap seven when Tyler Nicely suddenly slowed and Strickler, with nowhere to go, slammed into the back end of Nicely's machine resulting in heavy front-end damage to Strickler's ride. He was also tagged from behind by Hoffman, who suffered damage to his nose but was able to continue. After a quick pit stop for repairs, Strickler restarted at the rear of the field. The green came out again, but soon afterwards, Strickler steered his mount to pit road again, calling it a night, and handing Hoffman his fifth straight DIRTcar Nationals title.

In the meantime, J. Hughes continued to show the way with S. Hughes not letting J. Hughes, the four-time United States Modified Tour Series (USMTS) Champion, stray too far out in front. As the laps continued to click off, S. Hughes inched closer to the back bumper of the elder Hughes, who made the trip from Westville, OK and was in search of his first career DIRTcar Nationals victory.

S. Hughes overtook J. Hughes with just three laps to go only to lose the lead back to J. Hughes a lap later. With the crowd on their feet, the final caution flew, setting up a final shootout for the $5,000 payday. On the final restart, J. Hughes powered out to the lead, but S. Hughes kept pace and drove around the high side to retake the lead and hang on to score the upset victory and first at Volusia of his career.

Hughes settled for a disappointing runner-up showing, tying his best finish of the week, while reigning 2019 Renegades of Dirt Series Champion Michael Altobelli Jr., who started 14th, recorded his best finish of the week in third, completing the podium. Ryan Cripe completed an impressive week with a fourth-place effort as newly crowned five-time DIRTcar Nationals Champion Hoffman rounded out the top five.

Opening night Feature Winner Michael Long started 17th and worked his way up to sixth over David Stremme as Mike McKinney from 12th, NASCAR Xfinity Series star Justin Allgaier and Will Krup, who started 25th, advanced 15 positions to finish off the final top 10. Curt Spalding, Terry Phillips, former NASCAR driver David Reutimann and Colin Green won the Last Chance Showdowns.

The DIRTcar Late Models make their second and final appearance at Volusia Speedway Park on Tuesday, February 11 on Night #8 of the 49th DIRTcar Nationals before the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series take over starting on Wednesday. February 12. The Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified Series move in tomorrow, Tuesday, February 11, and will race through the rest of the week.

OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK, FEB 10, 2020

Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes [2][$5,000]; 2. 12H-Jason Hughes [1][$2,000]; 3. 95-Michael Altobelli [14][$1,250]; 4. 23-Ryan Cripe [8][$1,000]; 5. 2-Nick Hoffman [10][$800]; 6. 18L-Michael Long [17][$700]; 7. 35-David Stremme [5][$600]; 8. 96M-Mike McKinney [12][$575]; 9. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [3][$550]; 10. K19-Will Krup [25][$525]; 11. 77-Ray Bollinger [16][$500]; 12. 36-Kenny Wallace [13][$500]; 13. 5-Curt Spalding [21][$500]; 14. 3L-Jeff Leka [6][$500]; 15. 75-Terry Phillips [22][$450]; 16. OOD-David Reutimann [23][$425]; 17. 7-Drake Troutman [18][$400]; 18. 7CT-Christian Thomas [20][$375]; 19. 99M-Mike Mullen [28][$350]; 20. 99-Hunt Gossum [11][$300]; 21. 67-Garret Stewart [19][$300]; 22. 7A-Shane Sabraski [26][$300]; 23. 52-Colin Green [24][$300]; 24. 90-Jason Beaulieu [29][$300]; 25. 88-Matt Crafton [30][$300]; 26. 12L-Lucas Lee [15][$300]; 27. 22-Dale Kelley [31][$300]; 28. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [9][$300]; 29. 25-Tyler Nicely [4][]; 30. 45J-Johnny Broking [27][]; 31. 49-Brian Ruhlman [7][-]; 32. 65-Todd Sherman [32][-]; KSE Hard Charger Award: K19-Will Krup[+15]

Qualifying Feature 1 – Friday Night (8 Laps) – Top 10 Transfer – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1]; 2. 12H-Jason Hughes [2]; 3. 49-Brian Ruhlman [3]; 4. 3L-Jeff Leka [4]; 5. 11H-Spencer Hughes [5]; 6. 99-Hunt Gossum [6]; 7. 36-Kenny Wallace [7]; 8. 12L-Lucas Lee [8]; 9. 18L-Michael Long [9]; 10. 67-Garret Stewart [10]; 11. 5-Curt Spalding [11]; 12. 11M-Mike McGee [14]; 13. 12-Jason Gross [15]; 14. 22-Dale Kelley [16]; 15. 45J-Johnny Broking [17]; 16. K19-Will Krup [19]; 17. 17TE-Tyler Evans [20]; 18. 1-Brenden Rassel [21]; 19. 17T-Michael Tarlton [22]; 20. 32-Chad Roush [23]; 21. O1-Bryce Nichols [24]; 22. 22T-Tony Anderson [25]; 23. 100-Scott Fritz [26]; 24. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [27]; 25. 19-Chad Bauer [28]; 26. 65-Todd Sherman [30]; 27. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [31]; 28. 11N-Gene Nicholas [33]; 29. 27-William Cevaal [36]; 30. Z06-Larry Mott [38]; 31. 33-TJ Evans [39]

Qualifying Feature 2 – Saturday Night (8 Laps) – Top 10 Transfer – 1. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [1]; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely [2]; 3. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [3]; 4. 23-Ryan Cripe [4]; 5. 35-David Stremme [5]; 6. 96M-Mike McKinney [6]; 7. 95-Michael Altobelli [7]; 8. 77-Ray Bollinger [8]; 9. 7-Drake Troutman [9]; 10. 7CT-Christian Thomas [10]; 11. 7A-Shane Sabraski [11]; 12. 99M-Mike Mullen [12]; 13. 75-Terry Phillips [13]; 14. 52-Colin Green [14]; 15. 24D-Travis Dickson [15]; 16. A1-Gary Bentley [16]; 17. 9-Sheldon Creed [17]; 18. 4UW-Bobby Regot [18]; 19. 5F-Jerry Foster [19]; 20. O7-Curtis King [20]; 21. 97-Mitch Thomas [22]; 22. 8-Steve Stevenson [23]; 23. 90-Jason Beaulieu [29]; 24. 88-Matt Crafton [30]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer – 1. 5-Curt Spalding [1][-]; 2. K19-Will Krup [4][-]; 3. 11M-Mike McGee [2][$75]; 4. 22-Dale Kelley [3][$75]; 5. 22T-Tony Anderson [7][$75]; 6. 1-Brenden Rassel [5][$75]; 7. 32-Chad Roush [6][$75]; 8. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [8][$75]; 9. 11N-Gene Nicholas [9][$75]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 Laps) – 1. 75-Terry Phillips [2][-]; 2. 7A-Shane Sabraski [1][-]; 3. 9-Sheldon Creed [4][$75]; 4. 24D-Travis Dickson [3][$75]; 5. 90-Jason Beaulieu [7][$75]; 6. 5F-Jerry Foster [5][$75]; 7. 19-Chad Bauer [8][$75]; 8. 97-Mitch Thomas [6][$75]

Last Chance Showdown 3 (8 Laps) – 1. OOD-David Reutimann [1][-]; 2. 45J-Johnny Broking [3][-]; 3. 12-Jason Gross [2][$75]; 4. 17TE-Tyler Evans [4][$75]; 5. 17T-Michael Tarlton [5][$75]; 6. O1-Bryce Nichols [6][$75]; 7. 100-Scott Fritz [7][$75]; 8. Z06-Larry Mott [9][$75]; 9. 65-Todd Sherman [8][$75]

Last Chance Showdown 4 (8 Laps) – 1. 52-Colin Green [2][-]; 2. 99M-Mike Mullen [1][-]; 3. 8-Steve Stevenson [6][$75]; 4. 4UW-Bobby Regot [4][$75]; 5. A1-Gary Bentley [3][$75]; 6. O7-Curtis King [5][$75]; 7. 88-Matt Crafton [7][$75]; 8. 33-TJ Evans [9][$75]; 9. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [8][$75]

SEE GATOR CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS


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T-MAC TOPPLES ROCKET: McCreadie Outruns Sheppard for DIRTcar Nationals Win

Posted: 12 Feb 2020 12:17 AM PST

Sheppard's 5-race win streak at Volusia snapped; McCreadie's new team reaping rewards

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 11, 2020 – When a new driver-owner partnership comes about for the beginning of a new season, there's normally a learning curve that each team member goes through before getting settled. In the case of Tim McCreadie, however, he and his new team at Paylor Motorsports made it look like they've been together for years as they scored a dominating victory in Tuesday night's DIRTcar Late Model Feature at Volusia Speedway Park as part of the 49th DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford.

"I owe a lot to [car owners] Gena and Donald Bradsher," McCreadie said. "They didn't have to do this, and we're reaping the benefits of it as a team. We've got a really, really good team, everybody gets along."

The Watertown, NY-native joined the Burlington, NC-based team this past December after more than 15 years behind the wheel of his well-known Sweetners Plus Racing ride. And on Tuesday night, he and the new team never missed a beat, besting the 48-car field by leading all 30 laps of the Feature for the $7,000 top prize.

From the pole, McCreadie jumped to the lead right away and began playing tough defense from a streaking Brandon Sheppard, who had won the previous five Late Model races contested at the DIRTcar Nationals. A late restart gave Sheppard a final chance at McCreadie, but he was ultimately unable to catch the leader and crossed the line in second. Kyle Bronson held off a hungry Dennis Erb Jr. for the final podium spot, and Jonathan Davenport raced his way up to complete the top five from 10th.

Jim DenHamer Photo

From the drop of the green, McCreadie seemed to have the answers to each of Sheppard's challenges. Sheppard tried to get by T-Mac on the low side, pulling up alongside his Mega Plumbing #39 several times, but was ultimately unable to complete the pass. McCreadie just seemed to have a better car right in the middle of the racetrack, and he said it was all about what he learned from watching Sheppard drive to victory on Monday night.

"I watched the night before, I ran the bottom, following Brandon for a little bit and he got away," McCreadie said. "I just saw what he was doing. He started arching really wide and clipping the track in half."

At multiple points during the race, Sheppard was good enough on the bottom to nose his way into the lead, but only for a turn or two. When done correctly, McCreadie would power back around to The Rocket-Shepp's outside, using that momentum in the high-middle groove.

The two battled back-and-forth for multiple laps at a time before getting spread out as they eclipsed the halfway point. Kyle Bronson had made significant efforts on the top side, battling with Erb Jr. for third, and the two soon began to catch the leaders before the race's only caution flag flew with 10 laps remaining.

"The high line was definitely good for me, I'm comfortable up there racing," Bronson said. "But when I moved down in the last couple of laps, I actually felt better on the bottom, really. It's good to know our car is maneuverable."

Jim DenHamer Photo

On the restart, McCreadie said he could feel the pressure to get separation from Sheppard.

"I've been around a long time, and there's like a 'money restart.' And with under 10 [laps to go], it's like, you better do something. Just something that gives you a little bit of room to breathe, and I feel like it happened, because the sticks were fairly wide when I went by."

He indeed get that separation, immediately opening up a few car-lengths lead. Again, using that middle groove, where most other drivers chose not to drive.

"My crew chief Phil, he gave me one signal right after the yellow where Brandon was back beside me. It was a move of like, 'hey, drive that thing right through the middle as hard as possible and roll to the cushion.' And I just did it and I never saw Brandon again," McCreadie said.

Leading the field back to the checkered flag, McCreadie snapped Sheppard's five-race win-streak at Volusia in style, doing something very rarely seen at Volusia, let alone at all – outrunning the Rocket1 Racing car.

Even though he couldn't catch McCreadie in the end, Sheppard said he was pleased with his car, just needed to get out in front early like he did the night before.

"We had a good car, and we put ourselves in the right position early in the night," Sheppard said. "[McCreadie] just got the jump on me at the start and it was pretty much over after that."

Much like some other teams do, Sheppard said he and the Rocket1 crew were testing out a few things to see the car's capability on the final DIRTcar night before the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series shows begin on Wednesday.

"I think our car was really good, and we tried a few things tonight, trying to make the car a little bit better. And that might have been some of it too, kinda got off-track from where we were last night, just trying some stuff before the Outlaws races," Sheppard said.

UP NEXT

The 49th annual DIRTcar Nationals action continues with the arrival of the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models on Wednesday night, as they run alongside the Super DIRTcar Series in the first of four 50-lap, $10,000-to-win shows.

Hot Laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET; catch all the action live on DIRTVision!

RESULTS

DIRTcar Feature (30 Laps) 1. 39-Tim McCreadie [1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard [2]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson [3]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb [4]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport [10]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar [16]; 7. 17M-Dale McDowell [8]; 8. 29v-Darrell Lanigan [12]; 9. 7-Ricky Weiss [9]; 10. 72-Michael Norris [11]; 11. 20-Jimmy Owens [22]; 12. 76-Brandon Overton [5]; 13. 3s-Brian Shirley [6]; 14. 0M-Chris Madden [15]; 15. 97-Cade Dillard [13]; 16. 2s-Stormy Scott [14]; 17. 18-Chase Junghans [26]; 18. 0e-Rick Eckert [18]; 19. 14-Josh Richards [23]; 20. 8-Kyle Strickler [19]; 21. 25-Shane Clanton [20]; 22. 15-Donny Schatz [21]; 23. 31-Tyler Millwood [24]; 24. 36-Logan Martin [7]; 25. 5-Mark Whitener [17]; 26. 25w-Allen Weisser [25] Hard Charger: 20-Jimmy Owens[+11]

Qualifying Flight-A 1. 20-Jimmy Owens, 16.965; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie, 17.216; 3. 36-Logan Martin, 17.305; 4. 66c-Matt Cosner, 17.345; 5. 8-Kyle Strickler, 17.501; 6. 1st-Johnny Scott, 17.51; 7. 16-Justin Rattliff, 17.726; 8. 97-Cade Dillard, 17.741

Qualifying Flight-B 1. 17M-Dale McDowell, 16.755; 2. 76-Brandon Overton, 17.017; 3. 0-Scott Bloomquist, 17.106; 4. 2s-Stormy Scott, 17.167; 5. 76n-Blair Northdurft, 17.208; 6. 99B-Boom Briggs, 17.229; 7. 18-Chase Junghans, 17.519; 8. 22-Gregg Satterlee, 18.06

Qualifying Flight-C 1. 7-Ricky Weiss, 16.889; 2. 3s-Brian Shirley, 16.995; 3. 2w-Pearson Williams, 17.242; 4. 0M-Chris Madden, 17.298; 5. 33-Jeff Mathews, 17.409; 6. 21-Ivedent Lloyd, 17.442; 7. 12-Ashton Winger, 17.596; 8. 311-Ken Monahan, 17.666

Qualifying Flight-D 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport, 16.7; 2. 28-Dennis Erb, 16.837; 3. 157-Mike Marlar, 16.943; 4. 25-Shane Clanton, 16.996; 5. 4G-Kody Evans, 17.049; 6. 6jr-Parker Martin, 17.143; 7. 23-John Blankenship, 17.295; 8. 14-Josh Richards, 17.577

Qualifying Flight-E 1. 72-Michael Norris, 16.826; 2. 31-Tyler Millwood, 16.889; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson, 17.089; 4. 25DC-Donnie Chappell, 17.163; 5. 5-Mark Whitener, 17.347; 6. 89-G.R. Smith, 17.582; 7. 2-Dan Stone, 17.699; DNS. 16H-Mike Hammerle, NT

Qualifying Flight-F 1. 0e-Rick Eckert, 16.823; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 17.014; 3. 15-Donny Schatz, 17.263; 4. 29v-Darrell Lanigan, 17.339; 5. 25w-Allen Weisser, 17.432; 6. OOO-Kyle Lear, 17.488; 7. 6-Blake Spencer, 17.667; 8. B1-Brent Larson, 17.786

Heat #1 – Flight (A) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 39-Tim McCreadie [2]; 2. 36-Logan Martin [3]; 3. 97-Cade Dillard [8]; 4. 8-Kyle Strickler [5]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens [1]; 6. 16-Justin Rattliff [7]; 7. 66c-Matt Cosner [4]; 8. 1st-Johnny Scott [6]

Heat #2 – Flight (B) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 76-Brandon Overton [2]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell [1]; 3. 2s-Stormy Scott [4]; 4. 0-Scott Bloomquist [3]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs [6]; 6. 18-Chase Junghans [7]; 7. 76n-Blair Northdurft [5]; 8. 22-Gregg Satterlee [8]

Heat #3 – Flight (C) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 3s-Brian Shirley [2]; 2. 7-Ricky Weiss [1]; 3. 0M-Chris Madden [4]; 4. 2w-Pearson Williams [3]; 5. 21-Ivedent Lloyd [6]; 6. 12-Ashton Winger [7]; 7. 33-Jeff Mathews [5]; 8. 311-Ken Monahan [8]

Heat #4 – Flight (D) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 28-Dennis Erb [2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport [1]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar [3]; 4. 14-Josh Richards [8]; 5. 25-Shane Clanton [4]; 6. 6jr-Parker Martin [6]; 7. 23-John Blankenship [7]; 8. 4G-Kody Evans [5]

Heat #5 – Flight (E) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson [3]; 2. 72-Michael Norris [1]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener [5]; 4. 89-G.R. Smith [6]; 5. 31-Tyler Millwood [2]; 6. 2-Dan Stone [7]; 7. 25DC-Donnie Chappell [4]; 8. 16H-Mike Hammerle [8]

Heat #6 – Flight (F) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [2]; 2. 29v-Darrell Lanigan [4]; 3. 0e-Rick Eckert [1]; 4. 25w-Allen Weisser [5]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 6. B1-Brent Larson [8]; 7. 6-Blake Spencer [7]; 8. OOO-Kyle Lear [6]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (10 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer 1. 8-Kyle Strickler [1]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens [3]; 3. 18-Chase Junghans [6]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs [4]; 5. 16-Justin Rattliff [5]; 6. 76n-Blair Northdurft [8]; 7. 1st-Johnny Scott [9]; 8. 22-Gregg Satterlee [10]; 9. 66c-Matt Cosner [7]; 10. 0-Scott Bloomquist [2]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (10 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer 1. 25-Shane Clanton [4]; 2. 14-Josh Richards [2]; 3. 2w-Pearson Williams [1]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger [5]; 5. 21-Ivedent Lloyd [3]; 6. 4G-Kody Evans [10]; 7. 23-John Blankenship [8]; 8. 6jr-Parker Martin [6]; 9. 33-Jeff Mathews [7]; 10. 6-Blake Spencer [11]; 11. 311-Ken Monahan [9]

Last Chance Showdown 3 (10 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer 1. 15-Donny Schatz [4]; 2. 31-Tyler Millwood [3]; 3. 89-G.R. Smith [1]; 4. 2-Dan Stone [5]; 5. 25w-Allen Weisser [2]; 6. B1-Brent Larson [6]; 7. 16H-Mike Hammerle [9]; 8. 25DC-Donnie Chappell [7]; 9. OOO-Kyle Lear [8]


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.2.20 0 comments

Tyler Bouillon Heads Into the 2020 Schedule With a Renewed Sense of Confidence

Tyler Bouillon Heads Into the 2020 Schedule With a Renewed Sense of Confidence

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

"I think it'll be a great year and I can't wait to get back to the track."

 

Tyler Bouillon is finding it hard to hide his enthusiasm for Peterborough Speedway's upcoming season. With the Saturday, May 16th arrival of the new season, the 19-year-old racer from Burketon, Ontario will be starting his 4th year in the highly competitive KOD Disposal Super Stock division and after finishing 10th in the final 2019 point standings, he's counting the days until the calendar's initial green flag.

 

"Going to the track every weekend is like a vacation," said the driver who was named the Super Stock division's Most Improved Driver in 2017. "I can't thank my family enough for all their support. My Mom Tracey and my sister Sydney are always great at encouraging me and putting-up with racecar talk almost 24 hours a day around the house. I've made some good friends through every stage of my racing career and without them, I wouldn't be anywhere even close to where I am today."

 

While he has yet to add a stock car racing main event checkered flag to his resume, Tyler Bouillon's career karting statistics indicate he's quite familiar with the process. In Briggs & Stratton Junior ranks, he was 1st at the 2013 Wasaga Grand Prix, won the Mosport championship and netted 2nd and 3rd place during the 2014 Florida Winter Tour. It was the performance of another successful racer that eventually led to the young hard charger's choice of numbers for his own equipment.

 

"When I was younger, my Dad took me to Mosport Speedway every Saturday night to watch our friend Darren Kearnan," said Bouillon, who works as a millwright apprentice. "Darren's Open Wheel Modified always carried #46 and I was his biggest fan. A couple of years later, I started my career in karting and the rest is history."

 

Tyler Bouillon says that without the tireless effort, unwavering support, dedication and commitment of his father fueling his passion for the sport, the young team wouldn't have already scored more than a handful of heat race wins and be in position to contend for an initial feature race checkered flag and the overall season title. Jamey Bouillon and family friend Jeff Fenton put in some long hours behind the scenes and at the track, doing their best to keep the car in the heart of Peterborough Speedway's weekly wars.

 

Sponsorship support comes from Tysyd Lawn Care, Goreski Roofing, Homestead Furniture & Appliances, DSF Services, Evergreen Farm & Garden, Gus Brown Buick GMC - Port Perry, Signworks Graphics – Canada and Carl's Racing Engines. With some tough competition expected in this year's Super Stock field, the #46 crew is looking to add some additional marketing partners to the program.

 

The team is very active


 on social media and invites friends, fans and potential backers to like the www.facebook.com/Tysyd-Motorsports page and catch them in action at Peterborough Speedway throughout the 2020 season. Contact the driver tylerbouillon@gmail.com to explore exciting opportunities with Tysyd Motorsports.

 

Photo attachment: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

Tyler Bouillon (#46) will be looking to turn some heads in the KOD Disposal Super Stock division when the 2020 season gets underway – Saturday, May 16th – at Peterborough Speedway.

 

Prepared by Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.2.20 0 comments

2020-02-11

NASCAR And U.S. Census Bureau Announce Official PartnershipTo Encourage Nation-Wide Participation in 2020 Census

NASCAR And U.S. Census Bureau Announce Official Partnership

To Encourage Nation-Wide Participation in 2020 Census

New Agreement Includes Race Entitlement Rights for NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2020) – NASCAR® and the U.S. Census Bureau announced today, during DAYTONA 500 Media Day, an Official Partnership designed to spread awareness and encourage participation in the once-a-decade national census. The 2020 Census counts every person living in the U.S., across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Beginning in mid-March, most homes will receive an invitation to respond to a short questionnaire – online, by phone, or by mail.

                                                                    

As part of the strategic partnership, the Census Bureau will become the race entitlement partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series™ race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is scheduled to run on Saturday, March 21 and will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

 

"The 2020 Census is here, and we are excited to partner with NASCAR to help spread the word about the importance of the census to shaping the future of communities across the country," said Dr. Steven Dillingham, Director of the Census Bureau. "To ensure a complete and accurate count, we need everyone. NASCAR provides us with an excellent platform to educate the public and encourage them to respond this spring."

 

The 2020 Census, which is mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is conducted by the Census Bureau, the federal government's largest statistical agency. The statistics can be used to inform more than hundreds of billions of dollars to states and communities for services like fire stations, schools, and clinics every year for the next 10 years. It also determines how many seats in Congress each state receives. 

 

"We are honored to partner with the Census Bureau to educate our fans about the importance and benefits of participating in the U.S. Census," said Jill Gregory, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing and content officer. "NASCAR is a highly effective marketing platform that reaches millions of fans residing in communities across the country. We look forward to informing our fans how they will be invited to respond to the 2020 Census online, in addition to by phone or by mail, for the first time in history."

 

In addition to its race entitlement sponsorship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Census Bureau will have at-track activation at Phoenix Raceway, Auto Club Speedway and Richmond Raceway. Additionally, an educational campaign will run across NASCAR's Digital platforms and air across NASCAR programming on MRN.

 

"Partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau for our NASCAR Xfinity Series race gives Homestead-Miami Speedway another tremendous opportunity for our 25th anniversary," said Homestead-Miami Speedway President Al Garcia. "We're honored to serve as a host track for such an important initiative that affects our entire country. We also look forward to our fans experiencing all the amenities our facility has to offer, as well the exciting racing, which will feature Dale Earnhardt Jr."

 

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off with the 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

 

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation's major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat ('NASCAR').

 

Contact:

Chris Tropeano

NASCAR Communications


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 11.2.20 0 comments

Trip Down Memory Lane

BRANDON JONES

Trip Down Memory Lane

 

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Feb. 12, 2020) – As the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series kicks off this weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Brandon Jones will be taking a trip back in time for Saturday's Xfinity Series season-opening NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

 

Jones, driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), will have a familiar scheme and partner on board to honor newly minted NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner Joe Gibbs and former JGR and Interstate Batteries driver Bobby Labonte. Jones will have the honor of sporting the Interstate Batteries scheme Labonte ran during the 1995 season while scoring his first win for the team in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedwaythat season, besting his brother Terry Labonte for the win that day.

 

Jones and his Interstate Batteries team are poised to keep up the Xfinity Series momentum they gained late in the 2019 season. Entering his third season driving for JGR, Jones is coming off a career year with six top-five finishes and, more importantly, his first career Xfinity Series win at Kansas last October.

 

Jones will throw it back to May 1995 when Labonte scored his first ever NASCAR Cup Series win. Labonte had been close to victory before, finishing second earlier in the 1995 season at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham and at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

But in the longest of all NASCAR races, and just like Jeff Gordon had done one year earlier, Labonte was able to capture his first Cup Series victory in one of the biggest races of the season.

 

"That was a 'leading-up to' win," Labonte said. "We had finished second to Jeff Gordon at Atlanta and Rockingham, so we were leading up to being a contender. We got to Charlotte and we qualified well and ran well. I remember following Kenny Schrader with about 50 laps to go and I was on him and catching him and catching him and I thought, 'I don't know, it's going to be tough to pass him here, but we'll give it our best shot.'"

 

"He broke a motor with about 40 laps left and I remember thinking, 'Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?' Because I had been running second in race after race after race and now I'm leading."

 

His crew chief, Jimmy Makar, who is now the senior vice president of racing operations at JGR, knew exactly what to do. Get to the end of the 400-lap, 600-mile marathon race. 

 

"You always know that anything can happen and it's not over until it's over," Makar said. "But, when Schrader blew up, you realized that you're inheriting the lead and other than Schrader, there was no one that was as strong as us at that point in the race. So, I knew that unless something happened to us, and anything can happen and you just never know, but you just knew we had a shot at winning it. And it was an 'oh-my-gosh' moment that was 'Hey, we could win this thing.'"

 

"It was a real knot-in-the stomach moment when we took the lead and knew it was our race to lose. You just started counting laps."

 

And the thought of beating his brother was not lost on Labonte in the closing laps.

 

"It was really cool because Terry ended up finishing second," Labonte said. "We ended up pulling away from Terry and we had a big lead. It was just one of those things – you never forget your first win. I've always said that. It was just such a big event. Everyone was just on cloud nine and was happy to see it happen. We'd finished second a couple of times before that and had come so close. We knew a win was around the corner. We just didn't know it was going to be in a big race like that."

 

The victory came in Labonte's 11th race with Joe Gibbs Racing and Interstate Batteries after he took over for Dale Jarrett at the end of the 1994 season. And the win was huge in validating JGR's decision to hire Labonte when Jarrett left for Robert Yates Racing.

 

"I think it validated everything we did," Makar said. "It was a huge confidence builder. We knew Bobby was a good racecar driver and had the potential to win, but a lot of guys have potential and never win. So for him to close the deal was a huge confidence boost for everybody. You just didn't worry because you went in to races from that point on, knowing you had a chance to win. That was a big deal to all of us that year."

 

For Labonte, it was a chance to give back to Norm Miller, chairman of Interstate Batteries, who had welcomed him with open arms.

 

"Norm was the type of guy – it was never like 'Hey, we had Dale Jarrett, now we have you, you better step up to the plate." Labonte said. "There was none of that. To be honest with you, what I remember was that it was instantly like family. You just had a feel of that with Norm and everybody at Interstate. I was excited to have that kind of feeling." 

 

So as Jones heads back to Daytona to start his fifth full season of Xfinity Series competition, he'll try and channel the Gibbs and Labonte Hall of Fame magic and get them to victory lane some 25 years later.

BRANDON JONES, Driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries NASCAR XFINITY Series Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: 

How does it feel to have your name added to the list of drivers who have driven the Interstate Batteries brand?

 

"We are proud of Coach (Joe Gibbs) for his recent induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Our 19 team is excited to be able to drive the same Interstate Batteries scheme that brought home Coach and Bobby Labonte's first win together in 1995.  It's a real honor.  One of the things you learn quickly at JGR is how important Interstate Batteries is to Coach and all of us at JGR.  I think everyone knows the name Norm Miller and how special he is. Our goal is to put this Interstate Batteries paint scheme back in victory lane for Coach, Norm and everyone who's had a hand in getting JGR to where it is today."

Meet the No. 19 Interstate Batteries/Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Car No.: 19 – Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry  

Road Crew Members:
 

Driver: Brandon Jones

 

Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering

 

Car Chief: Eddie D'Hondt Jr.

 

Spotter: Stevie Reeves

 

Engine Builder: Mark Cronquist

 

Engineers: Chris Minogue

 

Shock Specialist: Scott Meyers

 

Mechanics: Joey Elliott, Matt Petrea

 

Tire Specialist: Lee Herendeen

 

Engine Tuner: Drue Parsons

 

Truck Driver: David Hicks

Pit Crew Members:

 

Front Tire Changer: Mike Hicks

 

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero

 

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen

 

Jackman: T.J. Ford

 

Gas Man: Matt Tyrell

 

Brandon Jones Career Highlights at Daytona International Speedway:

● This is Jones' third full season at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) coming off a 2019 campaign in which he scored his first career Xfinity Series victory in Kansas last October.

● Jones made his first career start at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 20, 2016. He started seventh and finished seventh.

● Jones earned his first Daytona pole for the February 2017 Xfinity Series season opener.

● In eight career starts at Daytona, Jones has earned one top-five finish and three top-10s. His average start is 12.2 and average finish is 17.4.

-TSC-


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 11.2.20 0 comments

2020-02-07

Kyle Hope Looks to Build on His Successful Bone Stock Racing Debut

Kyle Hope Looks to Build on His Successful Bone Stock Racing Debut

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

2019 may have been Kyle Hope's inaugural season in Peterborough Speedway's Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock division, but it was far from the first racing kick at the can for the 32-year-old Oshawa, Ontario speedster.

 

A graduate of the Pure Stock and 6 or Less ranks at Mosport/Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Speedway, Hope spent about 5 years on the sidelines but the return to weekly racing; combined with a switch to the tight, tricky bullring on Mount Pleasant Road obviously agreed with the driver of the #03 Honda Civic as he turned-in some, consistent strong results throughout the season scoring a heat race win, 4th in a feature and finished 10th in last year's point standings.

 

"Peterborough is quite a bit harder to get around than Mosport because there aren't too many places to pass the other cars," admitted the driver. "I think I started to find my rhythm and get more comfortable as the season moved along. It's a fun place to race and hopefully we'll be able to pick up where we left off at the end of last year, get back in the groove and be a contender out of the box."

 

Hope says his team has spent much of their time during the off-season upgrading some safety items on the car, including adding extra bars to the roll cage, swapping-out the stock gas tank and installing a fuel cell. Fixing some damage from a crash late in the year and coming-up with a new paint scheme and graphics package.

 

"Dating back to my racing start in karting, I've been fortunate to have family and friends lend their support for what I do," Kyle Hope said. "My father Ken Hope serves as my crew chief, with Kyla, Greg and Linda Simmons along with Phil Brown and Paul Howard also helping out. Special thanks as well to my sister Karrie and her boyfriend Brandon for making it out to almost every race."

 

Kyle Hope – who earns a paycheque as a flooring installer and part-time service person for a transit company – is still working on putting his 2020 sponsorship package together. Interested backers can request a copy of the team's marketing package at hoperacing@icloud.com.

 

While he's never been one to set long-term goals, he says he'd like to add a couple more heat race wins to his resume and perhaps finish in the top 3 in a feature race and around 7th in the final points.

 

"No matter what happens, we're out there to have fun and I think I accomplish that goal every time I climb in behind the wheel."

 

Fans can follow Kyle Hope in the Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock division throughout the 2020 season – starting Saturday, May 16th – at Peterborough Speedway and at www.facebook.com/HopeRacing03.

 

Photo attachment: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

His rookie Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock season produced some impressive results and Kyle Hope (#03) looks to keep the ball rolling for the 2020 schedule at Peterborough Speedway.

 

Prepared by Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 7.2.20 0 comments

Sean Kennedy is Working Toward a Strong 2020 Season

Sean Kennedy is Working Toward a Strong 2020 Season

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

Its never too early to start working toward a possible short track championship season. After his 3rd straight top 3 finish and 5th consecutive top 5 in Peterborough Speedway's Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock division point standings, Sean Kennedy is ready to take the next step.

 

"I've always been confident in the things this team can achieve," admitted the driver. "We never stop working. At the track and behind the scenes, we're always thinking about changes we can make to the car. All it'll take is a little racing luck and being in the right place at the right time to be able to put it all together."

 

Like so many of today's young racers, Sean Kennedy's rise through the ranks began in go karts – winning numerous season and class championships – before making the transition to stock cars. Combined with the unwavering support of his family and friends, Kennedy's calm, calculated driving style helped introduce the 24-year-old from Courtice, Ontario to a new legion of fans and paid-off with multiple trips to the winner's circle for qualifying event victories and feature race checkered flags.

 

"Even from my early days in the sport, being at the track has always been a lot of fun," said Sean Kennedy. "I've met some incredible people along the way. I'm very thankful to have had so many wonderful opportunities and made some life-long friends throughout the different stages of my career. I've received offers and the chance to do other things, but I can't think of many places I'd rather be or anything I'd prefer to do. Every new race season is like a special Saturday night spent with my extended family."

 

Heading into the first green flag of the 2020 season – Saturday, May 16th – Kennedy and the #9 team have been fine-tuning the ride that took the driver to last year's 3rd place finish in the overall standings. They're also looking to land some additional sponsorship support to join the perennial championship calibre program that during the 2019 campaign included Apex Auto – Oshawa, Sign Works Graphics, Sparta Drilling Group, Central Golf Carts and Clarke Motorsports Communications.

 

With several different levels, plans and partnership packages available, prospective backers can reach the team via e-mail: kennedy.dc@sympatico.ca.

 

Follow Sean Kennedy's Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock results throughout the 2020 Peterborough Speedway season by attending events at the track and liking the team's www.facebook.com/SKRacing page.

 

Photo attachment: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

 

Sean Kennedy (#9) is looking forward to the start of the 2020 Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock season – Saturday, May 16th – at Peterborough Speedway.

 

Prepared by Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media


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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 7.2.20 0 comments

Kyle Strickler Owns Second Night of 49th DIRTcar Nationals

Kyle Strickler Owns Second Night of 49th DIRTcar Nationals

Posted: 05 Feb 2020 09:42 PM PST

Two different winners in two nights highlight the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds at Volusia

by Matt Prieur

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 5, 2020 — The "High Side Tickler" Kyle Strickler powered his UMP Modified into the lead on the second night of the DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford on Wednesday at Volusia Speedway Park, survived several restarts and cut off defending event champion Nick Hoffman in the final corner for a hard-earned victory.

"The car was really balanced on the top or the bottom so I could move around a little bit," said Strickler, 35, of Mooresville, NC. "But clean air is so important here, so we went up to the top like we do sometimes, and we were able to stay out front. The worst thing you want to see here at Volusia is that blue nose (Nick Hoffman) creeping up on you. But we were able to stay out front, stayed up top and here we are."

It was the seventh DIRTcar Nationals victory of Strickler's career, moving him into a tie for fourth all-time in career wins with 2007 champion Steve Arpin.

Opening night winner Michael Long and Strickler brought the stacked 28-car field to the green flag in the 20-lap Feature. Long maintained the momentum on the inside lane to edge out ahead of Strickler. However, Strickler never let Long stray too far out front and on Lap 5 Strickler powered to the lead. He brought David Stremme, who started third, with him and the battle was on between the two rivals.

Strickler stuck his machine on the cushion left behind by the Sprint Car Feature earlier in the evening, and as he has done so often throughout his career, utilized that top lane to his advantage and began pulling away from Stremme and the rest of the field. Four-time and defending champion Hoffman, who started eighth, was able to slip past Stremme and set his sights on Strickler, but Strickler had built up a big enough lead to keep Hoffman and the rest of the pack safely behind him.

Hoffman settled for second as Stremme was third, Long fourth and Jason Hughes in fifth. Zeke McKenzie, for the second night in a row, had to come through a Last Chance Showdown and after starting 25th, worked his way up to an eighth place showing.

Night #3 of the 49th DIRTcar Nationals on Thursday, Feb. 6, also includes the second night of racing for the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars presented by Mobil 1.

For more information about the 49th DIRTcar Nationals and to order tickets, please call: 1 (844) DIRT-TIX or log onto the website located at: dirtcarnationals.com You can also follow the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds portions of the DIRTcar Nationals throughout race week by visiting the DIRTcar Racing Social Media outlets. Just search for "DIRTcar Racing" on both Facebook and Twitter for the very latest updates from Volusia Speedway Park and the 49th DIRTcar Nationals.

OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK, FEB. 5, 2020

Feature (20 Laps) — 1. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [2][$1,000]; 2. 2-Nick Hoffman [8][$600]; 3. 35-David Stremme [3][$400]; 4. 18L-Michael Long [1][$350]; 5. 12H-Jason Hughes [6][$300]; 6. 23-Ryan Cripe [15][$275]; 7. 25-Tyler Nicely [11][$250]; 8. 24-Zeke McKenzie [25][$225]; 9. 17TE-Tyler Evans [12][$200]; 10. K19-Will Krup [21][$200]; 11. 36-Kenny Wallace [10][$175]; 12. 5-Curt Spalding [16][$140]; 13. 49-Brian Ruhlman [4][$130]; 14. 67-Garret Stewart [20][$125]; 15. 6A-Ryan Ayers [13][$125]; 16. 75-Terry Phillips [28][$125]; 17. 95-Michael Altobelli [18][$125]; 18. 11H-Spencer Hughes [7][$125]; 19. 3L-Jeff Leka [24][$125]; 20. 22-Dale Kelley [9][$125]; 21. 65-Todd Sherman [22][$125]; 22. 31G-Stephen Pedulla [14][$125]; 23. 19-Chad Bauer [26][$125]; 24. 99M-Mike Mullen [19][$125]; 25. 96M-Mike McKinney [17][$125]; 26. 21-Taylor Cook [23][$100]; 27. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [27][$100]; 28. 7-Drake Troutman [5][$100]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 24-Zeke McKenzie[+17]

Qualifying Flight-A – 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes, 18.247; 2. 22-Dale Kelley, 18.39; 3. 2A-Donnie Moran, 18.553; 4. 96M-Mike McKinney, 18.556; 5. 11-Jesse Rupe, 18.564; 6. 90-Jason Beaulieu, 18.844; 7. 24-Zeke McKenzie, 19.003; 8. 11JH-Justin Haley, 19.047; 9. 4UW-Bobby Regot, 19.237; 10. 11M-Mike McGee, 19.269

Qualifying Flight-B – 1. 35-David Stremme, 18.254; 2. 36-Kenny Wallace, 18.256; 3. 95-Michael Altobelli, 18.691; 4. 20-Tyler Hendrix, 18.921; 5. O5-Dave Wietholder, 19.059; 6. 17-Rob Pitcher, 19.174; 7. 9PG-Percy Gendreau, 19.376; 8. 6-Ryan Fowler, 19.591; 9. 14J-John Baker, 19.985; 10. 89W-Rick Weitekamp, 20.49

Qualifying Flight-C – 1. 12H-Jason Hughes, 18.424; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely, 18.569; 3. 7CT-Christian Thomas, 18.573; 4. 19-Chad Bauer, 18.683; 5. 99M-Mike Mullen, 18.826; 6. 22T-Tony Anderson, 18.859; 7. 71L-Dennis Lunger, 18.882; 8. 99-Hunt Gossum, 19.223; 9. 11N-Gene Nicholas, 19.399; 10. 61-Eric Hill, 19.493

Qualifying Flight-D – 1. 8KS-Kyle Strickler, 18.185; 2. 45J-Johnny Broking, 18.338; 3. 17TE-Tyler Evans, 18.433; 4. 67-Garret Stewart, 18.441; 5. 1-Brenden Rassel, 18.99; 6. 1M-Curt Myers, 19.017; 7. 100-Scott Fritz, 19.091; 8. 5F-Jerry Foster, 19.101; 9. Z06-Larry Mott, 19.479; 10. 1S-Brian Shaw, NT

Qualifying Flight-E – 1. 18L-Michael Long, 18.14; 2. K19-Will Krup, 18.527; 3. 6A-Ryan Ayers, 18.646; 4. 82-Austin Holcombe, 18.749; 5. 97-Mitch Thomas, 18.799; 6. 7JA-Justin Allgaier, 18.82; 7. 12-Jason Gross, 18.929; 8. 2J-Troy Johnson, 18.967; 9. OO-Buzzie Reutimann, 19.221; 10. 9-Sheldon Creed, 19.652

Qualifying Flight-F – 1. 7-Drake Troutman, 18.454; 2. 31G-Stephen Pedulla, 18.64; 3. 65-Todd Sherman, 18.643; 4. 7F-Bryan Foy, 18.725; 5. 17T-Michael Tarlton, 18.768; 6. 32-Chad Roush, 18.896; 7. 52-Colin Green, 18.918; 8. O1-Bryce Nichols, 19.322; 9. 25P-Robert Poole, 19.428; 10. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt, NT

Qualifying Flight-G – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman, 18.254; 2. 23-Ryan Cripe, 18.268; 3. 21-Taylor Cook, 18.532; 4. 77-Ray Bollinger, 18.591; 5. 88-Matt Crafton, 18.808; 6. A1-Gary Bentley, 18.95; 7. 24D-Travis Dickson, 19.044; 8. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt, 19.599; 9. 15-Rick Potter, 20.606

Qualifying Flight-H – 1. 8-Steve Stevenson, 18.211; 2. 49-Brian Ruhlman, 18.373; 3. 3L-Jeff Leka, 18.421; 4. 5-Curt Spalding, 18.507; 5. 12L-Lucas Lee, 18.568; 6. 7A-Shane Sabraski, 18.765; 7. 96-Cole Parker, 18.869; 8. 75-Terry Phillips, 19.005; 9. O7-Curtis King, 19.58

Heat #1 – Flight (A) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes [1]; 2. 22-Dale Kelley [2]; 3. 96M-Mike McKinney [4]; 4. 24-Zeke McKenzie [7]; 5. 90-Jason Beaulieu [6]; 6. 2A-Donnie Moran [3]; 7. 4UW-Bobby Regot [9]; 8. 11-Jesse Rupe [5]; 9. 11M-Mike McGee [10]; 10. 11JH-Justin Haley [8]

Heat #2 – Flight (B) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 35-David Stremme [1]; 2. 36-Kenny Wallace [2]; 3. 95-Michael Altobelli [3]; 4. O5-Dave Wietholder [5]; 5. 20-Tyler Hendrix [4]; 6. 17-Rob Pitcher [6]; 7. 14J-John Baker [9]; 8. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [7]; 9. 6-Ryan Fowler [8]; 10. 89W-Rick Weitekamp [10]

Heat #3 – Flight (C) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 12H-Jason Hughes [1]; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely [2]; 3. 99M-Mike Mullen [5]; 4. 19-Chad Bauer [4]; 5. 11N-Gene Nicholas [9]; 6. 61-Eric Hill [10]; 7. 7CT-Christian Thomas [3]; 8. 22T-Tony Anderson [6]; 9. 71L-Dennis Lunger [7]; 10. 99-Hunt Gossum [8]

Heat #4 – Flight (D) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [1]; 2. 17TE-Tyler Evans [3]; 3. 67-Garret Stewart [4]; 4. 1M-Curt Myers [6]; 5. 1-Brenden Rassel [5]; 6. 100-Scott Fritz [7]; 7. 5F-Jerry Foster [8]; 8. Z06-Larry Mott [9]; 9. 45J-Johnny Broking [2]; 10. 1S-Brian Shaw [10]

Heat #5 – Flight (E) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 18L-Michael Long [1]; 2. 6A-Ryan Ayers [3]; 3. K19-Will Krup [2]; 4. 82-Austin Holcombe [4]; 5. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [6]; 6. 12-Jason Gross [7]; 7. 97-Mitch Thomas [5]; 8. 9-Sheldon Creed [10]; 9. 2J-Troy Johnson [8]; 10. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [9]

Heat #6 – Flight (F) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 7-Drake Troutman [1]; 2. 31G-Stephen Pedulla [2]; 3. 65-Todd Sherman [3]; 4. 7F-Bryan Foy [4]; 5. 17T-Michael Tarlton [5]; 6. 52-Colin Green [7]; 7. 25P-Robert Poole [9]; 8. 32-Chad Roush [6]; 9. O1-Bryce Nichols [8]; 10. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt [10]

Heat #7 – Flight (G) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1]; 2. 23-Ryan Cripe [2]; 3. 21-Taylor Cook [3]; 4. 88-Matt Crafton [5]; 5. 77-Ray Bollinger [4]; 6. 24D-Travis Dickson [7]; 7. A1-Gary Bentley [6]; 8. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt [8]; 9. 15-Rick Potter [9]

Heat #8 – Flight (H) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 49-Brian Ruhlman [2]; 2. 5-Curt Spalding [4]; 3. 3L-Jeff Leka [3]; 4. 75-Terry Phillips [8]; 5. 8-Steve Stevenson [1]; 6. 7A-Shane Sabraski [6]; 7. 12L-Lucas Lee [5]; 8. O7-Curtis King [9]; 9. 96-Cole Parker [7]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) – Top 1 Transfer – 1. 24-Zeke McKenzie [1][-]; 2. O5-Dave Wietholder [2][-]; 3. 2A-Donnie Moran [5][-]; 4. 90-Jason Beaulieu [3][-]; 5. 11M-Mike McGee [11][$75]; 6. 17-Rob Pitcher [6][$75]; 7. 20-Tyler Hendrix [4][$75]; 8. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [10][$75]; 9. 14J-John Baker [8][$75]; 10. 6-Ryan Fowler [12][$75]; 11. 89W-Rick Weitekamp [14][$75]; 12. 4UW-Bobby Regot [7][$75]; 13. 11-Jesse Rupe [9][$75]; 14. 11JH-Justin Haley [13][$75]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 Laps) – 1. 19-Chad Bauer [1][-]; 2. 1M-Curt Myers [2][-]; 3. 1-Brenden Rassel [4][-]; 4. 11N-Gene Nicholas [3][-]; 5. 71L-Dennis Lunger [11][$75]; 6. 5F-Jerry Foster [8][$75]; 7. Z06-Larry Mott [10][$75]; 8. 22T-Tony Anderson [9][$75]; 9. 100-Scott Fritz [6][$75]; 10. 7CT-Christian Thomas [7][$75]; 11. 61-Eric Hill [5][$75]; 12. 1S-Brian Shaw [14][$75]; 13. 45J-Johnny Broking [12][$75]; 14. 99-Hunt Gossum [13][$75]

Last Chance Showdown 3 (8 Laps) – 1. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [3][-]; 2. 82-Austin Holcombe [1][-]; 3. 12-Jason Gross [5][-]; 4. 97-Mitch Thomas [7][-]; 5. 9-Sheldon Creed [9][$75]; 6. 7F-Bryan Foy [2][$75]; 7. 17T-Michael Tarlton [4][$75]; 8. 2J-Troy Johnson [11][$75]; 9. O1-Bryce Nichols [12][$75]; 10. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [13][$75]; 11. 52-Colin Green [6][$75]; 12. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt [14][$75]; 13. 25P-Robert Poole [8][$75]; 14. 32-Chad Roush [10][$75]

Last Chance Showdown 4 (8 Laps) – 1. 75-Terry Phillips [2][-]; 2. 77-Ray Bollinger [3][-]; 3. 88-Matt Crafton [1][-]; 4. 12L-Lucas Lee [8][-]; 5. 7A-Shane Sabraski [6][$75]; 6. 24D-Travis Dickson [5][$75]; 7. A1-Gary Bentley [7][$75]; 8. 8-Steve Stevenson [4][$75]; 9. O7-Curtis King [10][$75]; 10. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt [9][$75]; 11. 15-Rick Potter [11][$75]; 12. 96-Cole Parker [12][$75]

 

OFFICIAL DIRTCAR NATIONALS, DIRTCAR UMP MODIFIED POINTS, FEB 5, 2020

SPOTCAR #NAME4-Feb5-FebTOTAL
18KSKyle Strickler7580155
218LMichael Long8065145
32Nick Hoffman6575140
423Ryan Cripe7055125
524Zeke McKenzie6051111
635David Stremme3570105
75Curt Spalding554499
849Brian Ruhlman514394
936Kenny Wallace494594
1017TETyler Evans344983
1112HJason Hughes236083
1295Michael Altobelli413980
132ADonnie Moran532679
1499MMike Mullen453277
15K19Will Krup304777
1625Tyler Nicely245377
177Drake Troutman472875
1822Dale Kelley393675
1977Ray Bollinger432770
2090Jason Beaulieu442569
2175Terry Phillips294069
2267Garret Stewart274269
237AShane Sabraski422466
246ARyan Ayers254166
25O5Dave Wietholder372764
2665Todd Sherman283563
272JTroy Johnson382159
287FBryan Foy362359
2919Chad Bauer263359
3031GStephen Pedulla253459
318AAustin Holcombe312758
3211HSpencer Hughes193857
3345JJohnny Broking401656
347JAJustin Allgaier262955
353LJeff Leka173754
3688Matt Crafton272653
371MCurt Myers252752
387CTChristian Thomas321951
3924DTravis Dickson272350
4071LDennis Lunger262450
4197Mitch Thomas242549
4211JHJustin Haley331548
4311MMike McGee242448
441Brenden Rassel222648
4596MMike McKinney173148
4612Jason Gross212647
4712LLucas Lee212546
488Steve Stevenson242145
49A1Gary Bentley232245
509Sheldon Creed212445
5111NGene Nicholas202545
52OOBuzzie Reutimann251944
5317TMichael Tarlton222244
5411Jesse Rupe271643
5596Cole Parker261743
56100Scott Fritz232043
5722TTony Anderson222143
5852Colin Green231841
5920Tyler Hendrix192241
605FJerry Foster182341
6117Rob Pitcher182341
6211ZZane Oedewaldt211940
6314JJohn Baker202040
64O1Bryce Nichols192039
659PGPercy Gendreau182139
6689WRick Weitekamp201838
67O7Curtis King182038
6899Hunt Gossum221537
69Z06Larry Mott152237
706Ryan Fowler171936
7132Chad Roush201535
724UWBobby Regot171734
731SBrian Shaw151732
7415Rick Potter141832
75Z1Zac Oedewaldt141731
7621Taylor Cook3030
7782Gary Dillon1919
7861Eric Hill1818
7925PRobert Poole1616


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