CONCORD, NC – Sept. 23, 2011 – Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., remained red-hot on the DIRTcar UMP Late Model circuit last weekend, winning twice to extend his lead in the division’s national points standings.

Unzicker, 28, scored back-to-back victories on Sept. 16 at Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway and Sept. 17 at LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway, pushing his late-season winning streak to four in a row. His surge added 28 points to his edge, putting him 33 points (2,498-2,465) in front of Jackson, Mich.’s Rusty Schlenk after Week 34 of the DIRTcar UMP campaign.

Unzicker has gotten hot at just the right time. After grabbing the points lead early in the spring, he maintained control until Schlenk overtook him in late August. Schlenk’s run at the top lasted only two weeks, however, before Unzicker regained command.

A 16-time feature winner in 2011, Unzicker is seeking his first DIRTcar UMP national title. Schlenk, a 25-year-old whose only points-earning finish last weekend was a third on Sept. 16 at Kankakee, is bidding for a second consecutive national crown.

Jon Henry of Ada, Ohio, sits third in the standings after Week 34, trailing Unzicker by 61 points. He earned points in both his starts last weekend – a fourth at Kankakee and a third at LaSalle.

Unzicker, Schlenk and Henry already began their head-to-head shootout in Week 35 on Thursday night (Sept. 22) at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., where all three drivers traveled to compete in the first of three consecutive nights of Late Model racing as part of the track’s ‘Summit Modified Mania’ event. Unzicker finished seventh, Schlenk was eighth and Henry was 17^th in the opener, which did not alter the points standings.

The DIRTcar UMP points standings are determined using drivers’ best 35 finishes/points nights.

Mike Harrison of Highland, Ill., meanwhile, remained 20 points (1,922-1,902) ahead of Quincy, Ill.’s Michael Long in the DIRTcar UMP Modified national standings after Week 34.

Neither drivers added points to their totals last weekend. Harrison placed 19^th on Sept. 17 at Peoria (Ill.) Raceway, while Long did not log a start.

Both Harrison and Long are in action in Tri-City’s ‘Summit Modified Mania’ event this weekend.

The UMP Modified standings are determined using drivers’ 25 best finishes/points nights.

Other divisional national points leaders through Week 34 are Dustin Griffin of Camp Point, Ill., who was victorious last Saturday night at Spoon River Speedway in Canton, Ill., to maintain his edge in the Pro Late Model standings; Jeremy Hines of Seymour, Ind. (Sportsman); Mark Anderson of Canton, Ill. (Limited Modifieds); Nate Zimmer of Mattoon, Ill. (Stock Cars); Dennis Bringedahl of Twin Lake, Mich. (Factory Stocks); and Jeremy Callahan of Mt. Vernon, Ill. (Sport Compacts).

Weekly DIRTcar UMP points end following the weekend of Sept. 30-Oct. 2, but the Late Model and UMP Modified points races culminate with the running of the DIRTcar UMP Nationals on Oct. 8-9 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Log on to www.DirtCar.com for more information on DIRTcar Racing’s UMP circuit and to view complete points standings for all divisions, including the current State points rankings.

New for 2011, the weekly DIRTcar UMP points update is powered by www.MotorStats.com. DIRTcar’s affiliation with the Durham, N.C.-based Web site is providing fans and competitors a more timely and detailed look at the points standings. National and State points standings for all divisions are typically updated by Thursday each week, and new features allow visitors to click on each driver’s name to see a complete race-by-race review of their finishes to date.

DIRTcar Racing UMP National Points Standings (as of Sept. 18, 2011):

Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Ryan Unzicker 35 2498

2. Rusty Schlenk 35 2465

3. Jon Henry 35 2437

4. Shannon Babb 35 2320

5. Brandon Thirlby 35 2307

6. Brandon Sheppard 35 2277

7. Jason Feger 35 2274

8. Eric Spangler 35 2205

9. Randy Korte 35 2151

10. Mike Provenzano 35 2143

11. Bobby Pierce 35 2131

12. Mike Spatola III 35 2095

13. Mark Voigt 35 2005

14. Eric Smith 34 2000

15. Brian Ruhlman 35 1980

16. Scott Schmitt 35 1962

17. Steve Lance Jr. 34 1931

18. Dennis Erb Jr. 35 1927

19. Dillan White 35 1858

20. Mike Hammerle 35 1849

UMP Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Mike Harrison 25 1922

2. Michael Long 25 1902

3. Nick Allen 25 1867

4. Todd Sherman 25 1862

5. Ray Bollinger 25 1854

6. Jacob Poel 25 1853

7. Jamie Lomax 25 1825

8. Clayton Miller 25 1814

9. Danny Crane 25 1810

10. Scott Weber 25 1807

11. Doug Adkins 25 1801

12. Tim Hancock 25 1791

13. Mark Anderson 25 1759

14. Jeff Leka 25 1746

15. John DeMoss 25 1744

16. Joe Rokos 25 1741

17. Brian Lynn 25 1739

18. Clint Demoss 25 1736

18. Dean Hoffman 25 1736

20. Ken Schrader 24 1731

Pro Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Dustin Griffin 20 1505

2. Nick Bauman 20 1465

3. Mark Oller 20 1405

4. Credence Mott 20 1401

5. Jerry Lierly 20 1392

6. Clayton Miller 20 1383

7. Evan Fink 20 1305

8. Brad Denney 20 1300

9. Bobby Martintoni 20 1299

10. Randy Myers 20 1280

Sportsman (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Jeremy Hines 20 1496

2. Troy Clark 20 1459

3. Dan Flessner 20 1434

4. Joey Ladouceur 20 1387

5. Jeff Herzog 20 1365

6. Dave Crawley Jr. 20 1358

7. Nick Macklin 20 1325

8. Jocelyn Roy 20 1317

9. Jake Simmons 19 1311

10. Kenny Carmichael Sr. 20 1285

Limited Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Mark Anderson 20 1406

2. Todd Bates 20 1373

3. Haley Westerfield 20 1198

4. Jeff Lawson 20 1166

5. John Wyble 20 1096

6. Christopher Geary 20 1065

7. Johnny Holden 20 1038

8. Clay Settles 20 1028

9. Josh Smith 19 1004

10. Billy Hawes 20 1002

Stock Cars (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Nate Zimmer 20 1498

2. Mike Hodges 20 1480

3. John Farris 20 1470

4. Chuck Barnes Jr. 20 1450

5. Dan Dykman 20 1421

6. Derek Poland 20 1413

7. Andrew Funk 20 1395

8. Joel Funk 20 1374

9. Joeseph Hamm 20 1363

10. Darrel Dick 20 1356

Factory Stocks (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Dennis Bringedahl 20 1396

2. Rob Sternberg 20 1371

3. Jake Hewitt 20 1370

4. Dan Wilson 20 1313

5. Mark Farber 20 1309

6. Tom Hughes 19 1194

6. Jeff Buss 20 1194

8. Spike Grega 20 1181

9. Ben Welch 20 1128

10. TJ Eilers 20 1110

Sport Compacts (rank/driver/races/points):

1. Jeremy Callahan 20 1507

2. Kenny Butterfield 20 1506

3. Rob Shaw 20 1494

4. Matt Maier 20 1486

5. Paul Namey 20 1460

6. Earl Pryor 20 1451

7. Trevor Isaak 20 1436

8. Jacob Rexing 20 1425

9. Bradley McGhee 20 1400

10. Evan Gaultney 20 1390