February 13, 2001 THE UDTRA SUNBELT TOUR CONTINUES AT VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DAYTONA BEACH, FL - The United Dirt Racing Association Pro DirtCar Series Sunbelt Tour continues this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at Volusia Speedway Park. The ½-mile clay oval will play host to the nation's top dirt late model drivers, as the UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series season points battle takes shape. Steve Francis of Ashland, KY leads the UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series points chase, although he has yet to drive his Valvoline/Mopar Performance Rocket/Stanton Dodge RT into the winner's circle this season. The Kentucky Colonel is the only driver to post top ten finishes in the first four UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series events of the new season. Three of those finishes were a second, a third, and a fifth. Francis holds a 38-point lead over Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV, and a 46-point lead over third place Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR. Shaver picked up the biggest prize of the young season on Saturday night with his second East Bay Winternationals win. Shaver pocketed $27,600 for his night's work driving the Simonton Windows/Poske's Performance Parts Rocket/Malcuit Monte Carlo. Shaver's winnings in the Silver Anniversary of the East Bay event also put him over the $100,000 mark in UDTRA career earnings. Moyer won the Thursday night event at East Bay driving the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel Rayburn/Clements Grand Prix. The 1997 UDTRA Champion and Shaver have two top five finishes, and three top ten finishes. Shaver also has one fast time honor to his credit. Rick Eckert of York, PA has struggled during the early portion of the season in his Raye Vest Rocket/Cornett Mustang, using two provisional starts, but he has one top five finish, two top ten finishes, and leads the UDTRA JE Pistons Hard Charger point standings by a big margin. Another struggling driver is the defending and four-time UDTRA Champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN. Bloomquist has yet to post a top ten finish driving the Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking Warrior/Custom Mustang, but has started all four events. This has placed him fifth in the UDTRA points chase going into Volusia. Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH is sixth in the UDTRA Pro DirtCar point standings with his new Boss Chassied McCullough Motorsports Monte Carlo and has switched to Pro Power engines. Wendell Wallace of Batesville, AR had to use three straight provisionals to make the East Bay events with his JFR Graphics GRT/Russell Baker Grand Prix, but it has kept him seventh in points. Terry English of Benton, KY has one top ten finish in the Car City Co. Rayburn/Dickens Monte Carlo out of the Billy Moyer Sr. Racing stable and is eighth in the point standings. Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI is ninth in the Performance Roofing Systems Rayburn/Pro Power Monte Carlo. UDTRA Pro Dirt Car Series newcomer Steve Boley of West Liberty, IA is tenth in points after a strong third place finish on Thursday night at East Bay driving the Ron Alpen Ford Mastersbilt/Cornett Mustang. The 1996 UDTRA Champion Freddy Smith of Knoxville, TN is 11th after winning the season opener on February 3 in Brunswick, GA. Smith failed to make an East Bay feature race driving the Christenberry Trucking and Farms GRT/Custom Monte Carlo. Other top entries expected for the three events at Volusia Speedway Park include Wednesday night East Bay winner Davey Johnson of Greensburg, PA in the Rocket Chassis house car Monte Carlo with a Draime engine, and 1999 UDTRA Champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA in the Larry Shaw house car Grand Prix with a Hatfield engine. Also expected are the Mastersbilt house car drivers Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI in the Parker Stores Monte Carlo with a Pro Power engine, and Rick Aukland of Zanesville, OH in the Ostrom Painting and Sandblasting Grand Prix with Malcuit power. A couple of East Bay runner up drivers entered are Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL in the Billy Moyer Sr.-owned Car City/Petroff Towing Rayburn/Dickens Monte Carlo, and 1999 UDTRA Rookie of the Year Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, IL in the C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Monte Carlo with a Hatfield engine. The main events on Thursday and Friday nights will be $5,000-to-win 30 lappers on the ½-mile clay oval. The UDTRA Pro DirtCars will conclude the UDTRA Sunbelt Tour with a 50-lap $10,000-to-win main event on Saturday night. The schedule for the UDTRA Volusia Speedway Park events will have the gates opening at 3 p.m., with hot laps set for 5:30 p.m., and racing scheduled for 7 p.m. each night. Volusia Speedway Park is located 15 miles west of Daytona Beach on State Road 40. For ticket and race day information call (904) 985-4402.
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