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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.
UDTRA:
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