(Peoria,IL) Chuck Barnes, Jr. and John Farris are in a battle for the UMP National Championship, and the duo put on a show Saturday night at Peoria Speedway.

Barnes and Farris sit in 2^nd and 3^rd in the battle for theUMP National Street Stock Championship, and the battle raged on-track on a muggy evening. Farris started on the pole with Barnes, Jr. next to him on the front row, and Farris got the jump on the start. Barnes stalked Farris over the first 4 laps until a caution for Squoria Rivers slowed the action. On the re-start, Barnes challenged Farris on the inside of the track and the war began.

Barnes held the inside line and led on lap 5, with Farris taking the lead back on lap 6. Over the next 3 laps, they thrilled the crowd with a lead-swapping, side-by-side race until Barnes finally secured the lead for good on lap 9. Farris ended up 2^nd, followed by Wally Zander, Greg Sauder and Rick Skelton.

“I couldn’t believe he slid up and left the bottom open on that re-start”, said Barnes in victory lane. “That was a terrific race and I think we only touched once on the backstretch. John’s a clean racer and this battle for the title is gonna be fun. The fans had to love that one.”

Steve Lance Jr. won his 5^th straight UMP Late Model victory, but had to fight his brother Tim and Bobby Pierce for the win. Tim Lance got the jump on Pierce using the high-side as Pierce hugged the bottom of the track. Steve Lance followed Tim on the high side over the first 3 laps, and then followed Pierce in an attempt to find the fastest way around the racy quarter-mile. On lap 5, Steve Lance made the winning move with as he ran 3 wide and split the middle, taking over the lead in turn 3.

Steve Lance worked traffic masterfully as the race went caution-free and was never headed for the win. Pierce held on for 2^nd, with Tim Lance, Jason Jaggers and Donny Walden completing the top 5. “I told our guys before the race that, starting 4^th, we would probably have to win this thing in the middle of the track”, said Lance, Jr. “We’ve really got this Rayburn dialed in here.”

Ray Bollinger closed the gap in his quest for the UMP Modified National Championship with a dominating win in a race which began with a scary 7 car pileup on the backstretch. Bollinger was in 2^nd place nationally, chasing Mike Harrison for the National title, and helped his cause with the win in the UMP Modified division. Bollinger survived 4 cautions and a line-switching Erik Bruce for the victory. Dale Munson, Dan Turner and Mike Chasteen, Jr. completed the top 5.

“This is sure going to help catchHarrison”, Bollinger told the crowd. “It sure helped to start on the pole, and it stinks so many guys got caught up in that wreck. I’m glad everyone was OK.”

Steve Shannon led flag-to-flag in a caution-filled and time shortened Limited Late Model feature, followed by Jack Siegel, Brian Crebo, Bobby Cowell and Jerry Carmody. “This is only our 4^th race in this car, and I think we are getting it dialed in”,Shannon said. “I could hear Jack (Siegel) back there, and saw his nose a few times, but I knew if I held my line we would be OK.”

In the UMP Hornet class, the nations’ top 2 in points, Kenny Butterfield and Matt Maier respectively, started on the front row. Butterfield jumped to the lead, and Maier began to run the middle in an attempt to catch the current national points leader, but 5 cautions slowed the action and the race was called due to reaching the track-imposed time limit. The final caution was for a scary accident by Brent Terry, who lost a tire and barrel-rolled 3 times in turns 3 and 4. Remarkably, Terry was OK and described the frightening wreck as “fun”.

“Matt and I are good friends so its’ pretty cool to race with him for the championship”, said Butterfield. “I knew he would try the middle, so I just had to hold my line. He ran pretty well for his first time here.”

In the Illinois Lightning Sprint feature, Chaz Gregory dominated the race until lap 11, when a broken suspension piece ended his race on the front stretch. Brent Burrows inherited the lead, and was never seriously challenged for the win. Austin Archdale, Shane Morgan, Doug Kraft, and Brennan Gregory completed the top 5.

Action resumes next Saturday night at Peoria Speedway with a complete UMP DirtCar racing program featuring UMP Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Limited Late Models,UMP StreetStocks and UMP Hornets.

OFFICIAL RESULTS,PeoriaSpeedway

August 6, 2011

UMP LATE MODELS (15 cars)

1. 25-Steve Lance, Jr,Cuba
2. 32-Bobby Pierce, Oakwood
3. 48-Tim Lance, Brimfield
4. 32J-Jason Jaggers, Wyanet
5. 1w-Donny Walden, Towanda
6. 40-Charley Hess, Bartonville
7. T2-Todd Bennett,Peoria
8. 4G-Bob Gardner,Peoria
9. 74-RussAdams, Princeville
10. 4-Mike Mullvain, Bartonville
11. 38C-John Garnder, Jr., Germantown Hills
12. 65-Gerry Reeder, Jr.,Peoria
13. 95-Frank Shickel,Bloomington
14. 16-Shane Allen,East Peoria
15. 50-Tim Fauklenberry, Mapleton

FAST TIME: Walden 12.455

HEAT WINNERS: Bennett, Pierce

UMP MODIFIEDS (24 cars)

1. 77-Ray Bollinger, Kewanee
2. 2-Erik Bruce,Norwood
3. M1-Dale Munson,Fairview
4. 87-Dan Turner, Princeville
5. 40JR-Mike Chasteen, Jr.,East Peoria
6. 89-Noah Faw,HannaCity
7. 38-Steve Turner, Princeville
8. 7-Cody Spirling,Peoria
9. 26d-Derrick Doerr,Peoria
10. 4-John Winters,Canton
11. 11-Zane Oedewaldt,HannaCity
12. 59-Johnny Parlier,Peoria
13. 56-Joe Cook,SpringBay
14. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt,HannaCity’
15. WFO-Rick Etherton, Bartonville
16. d3-Matt Dillon,West Peoria
17. 5-Dan Glover,Peoria
18. 23t-Billy Tuckwell, Metamora
19. 21p-Mike Mennell,Peoria
20. 26j-Mark Johnson, Glasford

HEAT WINNERS: Bollinger, Zac Oedewaldt, Bruce

SEMI WINNER: Dillon

LIMITED LATE MODELS (20 cars)

1. 15-SteveShannon, Bartonville
2. A2-Jack Siegel,Pekin
3. 99-Brain Crebo,HannaCity
4. 22c-Bobby Cowell, Sr.,East Peoria
5. 83-Jim Carmody, Dunlap
6. 65T-Mike Reeder,Peoria
7. 45-Dwayne Walters, Metamora
8. 7-Rick Erwin,Peoria
9. 72-Noah Faw,HannaCity
10. 18a-Cody Wisher, Bartonville
11. 5-John Traver,Peoria
12. 1r-Jim Hagedorn,East Peoria
13. 01-Jim Sellner,PeoriaHeights
14. 93-AmandaEllis,Washington
15. 00-Jason Weyeneth,Peoria
16. 51-Cameron Guidi,HannaCity
17. 0-Zac Kuhel,Pekin
18. F4-Chris Feger,MarquetteHeights
19. 1-Brad Carrington,Peoria
20. 28m-Matt Mills,East Peoria

HEAT WINNERS: Siegel, Shannon

UMP STREET STOCKS (12 cars)

1. B22-Chuck Barnes, Jr.,Peoria
2. 90-John Farris,Peoria
3. 68-Wally Zander, Groveland
4. 63P-Greg Sauder, Deer Creek
5. 10-Rick Skelton,Peoria
6. 4h-Paula Harrison, Germantown Hills
7. 22x-Bobby Cowell, Jr.,East Peoria
8. 124-Jim Bolen,East Peoria
9. C7-Mike Cusack, Sr., Edwards
10. 258-Virgil Nussel,Peoria
11. 75m- Darrell Matthews, Jr.,Roanoke
12. 6s-SquoriaRivers,East Peoria

HEAT WINERS: Farris, Barnes

UMP HORNETS (15 cars)

1. 24-Kenny Buterfield,Peoria
2. 7-Matt Maier,Champaign
3. 77-Zac Bollinger, Kewanee
4. 1-HughJordan,Pekin
5. c7-Mike Cusack, Jr., Edwards
6. 18w-Tommy Wisher,Peoria
7. 3g-Bryce Garhnart,Peoria
8. 39-Brent Terry,Pekin
9. 52-ToddBreithbarth,Washington
10. 88b-Billy Snider, Elmwood
11. 18z-Zach Nimrick,Pekin
12. 3s-David Sills,Peoria
13. WFOJR-Tyler Etherton, Bartonville
14. 1x-Rick Wagner, Tiskilwa (DNS)
15. 13-Matt Musgrave,Peoria(DNS)

HEAT WINNERS: Maier, Butterfield

ILLINOISLIGHTING SPRINTS (10 cars)

1. 51-Brent Burrows, Lewistown
2. 2-Austin Archdale, Brimfield
3. 15m-Shane Morgan, Creve Coeur
4. 57-Doug Kraft, Princeville
5. 20-Brennan Gregory,Pekin
6. 28-John Springer, Bushnell
7. 6-TJ Bolen,East Peoria
8. 21-Roger Bess, Brimfield
9. 2c-Chaz Gregory,Pekin
10. 7c-Jake Sollenberger,Canton

HEAT WINNER: Archdale