(Peoria, IL) Mike Mullvain can build a mean race engine, but he also proved at Peoria Speedway Saturday night he can wheel a dirt late model. Mullvain, who builds race engines for a living, utilized one of his own power plants to dominate the UMP Late Model feature, leading flag-to-flag for his first win of the season after starting on the pole.

Mullvain jumped to the start over Jeff Maher, and Todd Bennett instantly began to pressure Maher for 2nd. Maher and Bennett ran side by-side through 4 laps and 2 caution periods until Bennett made it stick on lap 5. Steve Lance, Jr., who started 18th, became the first driver to run the top of the track on lap 5, and began passing cars at will in an entertaining charge to the front. Schmitt jumped to the top also, and passed Bennett for 2nd on lap 7.

By lap 8, the rim-riding Lance had passed 12 cars and had charged into 6th. A lap 19 re-start saw Bennett try the high side, as Mullvain and Schmitt ran the bottom. Lance passed Bennett for 3rd on lap 23, but could never track down the lead duo as the high side began to fade. Mullvain survived 7 caution flags and held off Schmitt for his first win of the season. Lance, Bennett and Charley Hess completed the top 5.

“It looked like the bottom was the place to be, so I just wanted to get a good start and try to hold these guys off”, said Mullvain in victory lane. “I just want to thank everybody- my wife, kids, crew, the track, the fans. I even want to thank Mother Nature for allowing us to race. It feels good to get our first win this year.”

Billy Tuckwell and Ray Bollinger made up the front row of the UMP Modified feature and stayed side-by-side over the first 2 laps until a four car pileup in turn 4 slowed the action. On the ensuing restart, Tommy Duncan joined the battle and made it 3 wide on laps 3 and 4. Tuckwell took command on the low side on lap 6 as Bollinger and Duncan battled for 2nd. Bollinger cleared Duncan and was challenging for the lead again on lap 10, utilizing the middle of the track. Tuckwell and Bollinger would run dead-even for 2 laps until Bollinger made the pass down the backstretch on lap 13. Bollinger would survive 3 more cautions for the win. Tuckwell and Duncan ended up in 2nd and 3rd. Mike Chasteen, Jr., who skipped his high school graduation to race, ended up 4th. Mark Johnson, Eric Bruce, Chris Morefield, Floyd Jordan, Jr., Gary Scharp, and Derrick Doerr completed the top 10.

“I just kept looking around the track until my tires warmed up, and then we made our move. I knew Billy would race me clean“, said Bollinger on the winning pass. An emotional Bollinger dedicated the win in victory lane to his father-in-law, who had recently passed away.

Jack Siegel held off a race-long challenge by Jason Weyeneth for his 2nd win of the year in a flag-to-flag performance . “We really had the car set up well tonight”, said Siegel. “I want to thank my wife, who bought me 2 new tires this week”

Paula Harrison used her pole position to take the lead over John Farris in the Pro Street feature at the start. After a lap 2 restart, Farris challenged going into turn 1 and made the pass stick down the back stretch. Farris stopped the 2 race win streak by Chuck Barnes, Jr., who ended up 2nd, for the win. “We had to make a groove there to get by Paula”, Farris said in victory lane. “A huge thanks to my crew, who worked until 6:15 this morning getting this car back together after last night in Lincoln.”

Jeremy Kingsley won his second Hornet feature in a row, fighting Kenny Butterfield over the first 3 laps until making a pass down the back stretch on lap 3. Butterfield, who leads the UMP Northern States points standings, finished 2nd. “We really didn’t have the car set up right, we thought it would be a lot slicker than it was, but we are happy for the win”, Kingsley told the Peoria Speedway crowd.

Action resumes next Saturday night at Peoria Speedway with a full UMP racing program. Next Sunday, May 29 will be the “Spring Fling”, featuring $2,000 to-win UMP Late Models, $2,000 to-win UMP Modifieds, $1,000 to-win Crate Late Models, and $300 to-win Hornets. A concert by the band 2mass denial will be held after the racing program concludes.

OFFICIAL RESULTS, PEORIA SPEEDWAY, May 21, 2011
UMP LATE MODELS (21 cars)
1. 4-Mike Mullvain, Bartonville
2. 10x-Scott Schmitt, Tonica
3. 25-Steve Lance, Jr., Cuba
4. T2-Todd Bennett, Peoria
5. 40-Charley Hess, Bartonville
6. 7t-Steve Thorsten, Woodworth
7. 32J-Jason Jaggers, Wyanet
8. 83-Jim Carmody, Dunlap
9. 7-Jay Sparks, Metamora
10. 22-Jeff Maher, Brimfield
11. 38C- John Gardner, Peoria
12. 74-Russ Adams, Princeville
13. 4g-Bob Gardner, Peoria
14. 50-Tim Faulkenberry, Mapleton
15. 25K-Bill Kettering, Jr., Pekin
16. 16b-Bo Brockway, Peoria
17. 44g-Shane Garrison, Mechanicsburg
18. 65-Gerry Reeder, Jr., Bartonville
19. 93-Kevin Paul, Colchester
20. J1-Tim Lance, Brimfield (DNS)
21. 95-Frank Shickel, Bloomington (DNS)

FAST TIME: Schmitt
HEAT 1: 1. Sparks 2. Maher 3. Adams 4. Hess 5. Garrison 6. Faulkenberry 7. Thorsten
HEAT 2: 1. Schmitt 2. Mullvain 3. B. Gardner 4. Reeder 5. Paul 6. Kettering 7. Shickel
HEAT 3: 1. Bennett 2. Carmody 3. J. Gardner 4. Jaggers 5. Lance, Jr. 6. T. Lance

UMP MODIFIEDS (27 cars)
1. 77-Ray Bollinger, Kewanee
2. 23T-Billy Tuckwell, Metamora
3. 32D-Tommy Duncan, Peoria
4. 40-Mike Chasteen, Jr., East Peoria
5. 26J-Mark Johnson, Glasford
6. 2-Eric Bruce, Norwood
7. C4-Chris Morefield, Edwards
8. 1Jr-Floyd Jordan, Jr., Pekin
9. 8-Gary Scharp, Peoria
10. 26d-Derrick Doerr, Peoria
11. 38-Steve Turner, Princeville
12. 59-Johnny Parlier, Peoria
13. 18-Billy Puckett, Metamora
14. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt, Hanna City
15. M1-Dale Munson, Fairview
16. 7K-Kenny Egan, Peoria
17. 555- Chad Goff, East Galesburg
18. 89-Noah Faw, Hanna City
19. T2-Mark Tullis, Taylorville
20. 32-Donovan Lodge, Moline

HEAT 1: 1. Tuckwell 2. Bollinger 3. Doerr 4. 5. Jordan, Jr. 6 Morefield 7. Bruce 8. Zane Oedewaldt (Hanna City) 9. Bill Gray (Metamora) 10. Muson
HEAT 2: 1. Johnson 2. Tullis 3. Chasteen, Jr. 4. Faw 5. John Winters (Peoria) 6. Dan Turner (Princeville) 7. Zac Oedewaldt 8. Doug Sauder (Princeville) 9. Donovan Lodge (Moline)
HEAT 3: 1. Duncan 2. Egan 3. Turner 4. Goff 5. Scharp 6. Puckett 7. Parlier 9. Cody Spirling (Peoria) 9. Jim Picardi (Mapleton)
SEMI 1: 1. Morefield 2. Scharp 3. Parlier 4. Munson 5. Sauder 6. Zane Oedewaldt 7. Picardi
SEMI 2: 1. Bruce 2. Puckett 3. Zac Oedewaldt 4. Lodge 5. Gray 6. Winters 7. Spirling (DNS)

LIMITED LATE MODELS (16 cars)
1. A2-Jack Siegel, Pekin
2. 00-Jason Weyeneth, Peoria
3. 0-Zac Kuhel, Pekin
4. 30- Rob Bauman Sr., Fairview
5. 30Jr-Robbie Bauman Jr., Fairview
6. 73s-Scott Schoener, Flanagan
7. 22c-Bobby Cowell, Sr., East Peoria
8. F4-Chris Feger, Marquette Heights
9. 01-Jim Sellner, Peoria Heights
10. 45-Dwayne Walters, Metamora
11. 5-John Traver, Peoria
12. 55-C J VanBeveran, East Galesburg
13. 93-Amanda Ellis, Washington
14. 28M-Matt Mills, East Peoria
15. 99-Brian Crebo, Hanna City
16. 7-Rick Erwin, Peoria (DNS)

HEAT 1: 1. Weyeneth 2. Schoener. 3. Bauman Jr. 4. Traver. 5. Mills 6. Sellner 7.Cowell 8. Feger
HEAT 2: 1. Crebo 2. Siegel 3. Kuhel 4. Bauman, Sr. 5. VanBeveran 6. Walters 7. Erwin 8. Ellis

PRO STREET (10 cars)
1. 90-John Farris, Peoria
2. B22-Chuck Barnes, Jr., Peoria
3. 63p-Greg Sauder, Peoria
4. 68-Wally Zander, Groveland
5. 49-Sreve Brandt, Jr., Bartonville
6. 20-Bob Simpson, Peoria
7. 6s-Sequoia Rivers, Peoria
8. 22x-Bob Cowell, Jr., East Peoria
9. 4h-Paula Harrison, Germantown Hills (DQ)
10. 75M-Darrell Matthews, Jr, Roanoke (DNS)

HEAT: 1. Farris 2. Harrison 3. Zander 4. Sauder 5. Simpson
HEAT 2: 1. Barnes, Jr. 2. Brandt, Jr. 3. Cowell 4. Rivers 5. Matthews

UMP HORNETS (17 cars)
1. K2-Jeremy Kingsley, Peoria
2. 24-Kenny Butterfield, Kingston Mines
3. 77-Zac Bollinger, Kewanee
4. 136-Rodney Kerfoot, Creve Couer
5. WFO- Tyler Etherton, Bartonville
6. 18-Tommy Wisher, Peoria
7. C7-Mike Cusack, Jr., Edwards
8. 39-Brent Terry, Peoria
9. B5-Tyler Benson, Creve Coeur
10. 88B-Billy Snider, Elmwood
11. 52-Todd Breithbarth, Washington
12. 57-Fred Lodgson, Bellevue
13. 13-Matt Musgrave, Peoria
14. V8-Jeff Massey, Peoria
15. 18z- Zach Nimrick, Pekin
16. 65B-Don Britton, Creve Coeur
17. 1-Hugh Jordan, Pekin (DQ)

HEAT 1: Butterfield 2. Benson 3. Bollinger 4. Terry 5. Wisher 6. Massey 7.Jordan 8.Nimrick
HEAT 2: 1. Kingsley 2. Kerfoot 3. Cusack 4. Etherton 5.Breithbarth 6. Lodgson 7. Britton