LEXINGTON, KY -- The most talked about racing season in the four-year history of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts is in the books. Odds are, fans, drivers, and media members will be talking about the 2005 season for many years to come.
The season started with a bang at Florence Speedway's "Spring 50 Tune-Up" as Rick Combs bested a field of 50 cars in nabbing his biggest career win on March 25th. The following night, the "29th Annual Spring 50" boasted a whopping 69 entries as Wisconsin native Dan Schlieper cashed the $5,000 first-place paycheck. Car counts of 48, 51, and 38 at the next three events at Paducah, Bluegrass, and 201 respectively helped bring the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series to the national spotlight with Scott James, Shannon Babb, and Whitney McQueary victorious in those races.
The series first stop of the 2005 season to the Soggy Bottom Speedway on May 14th found Dennis Erb in winner's circle while 2004 Series Champion Aaron Hatton notched his first gold medal of the season on June 2nd at the Richmond Raceway. The following night at Ponderosa, Bryan Barber claimed his biggest career win giving the series 8 different winners in the first 8 races.
Mike Jewell would make it 9 winners in 9 races on June 18th at Richmond and Steve Barnett helped make it 10-for-10 one week later besting a 40-car field in Brownstown's "7th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial". Then on June 2nd, Whitney McQueary would break the streak, as he picked up his second win of the season at the 201 Speedway, giving him the distinction of being the only repeat winner thus far in 2005.
A new streak soon began with different winners and competitive racing keeping the series in the national spotlight. 2003 Series Champion Mike Marlar's win at Bluegrass was his first of the season as Jimmy Owens picked up his first ever BoB win at Scenic on July 22nd. The following night, Richmond Raceway's Paul "Butterball" Wooldridge Memorial saw Tim Tungate get his only series victory of 2005 making him the 13th different winner in 14 races.
In a return trip to Soggy Bottom, Randle Sweeney pulled off the double, nabbing wins in both the Late Model and Modified features for the Battle of the Bluegrass Series. Inaugural series Champion Eddie Carrier Jr. collected his first win of the season on September 2nd at the Mountain Motor Speedway with Paul Harris making it 16 winners in 17 races the following night at 201.
Eddie Carrier Jr. became just second driver all year to visit winner's circle more than once as he was the winner of the "John Bradshaw Memorial" on September 16th at Ponderosa. The following night, John Gill galloped his horse to victory lane in Bluegrass Speedway's "7th Annual Bluegrass 50" as "The Modern Day Cowboy" bested a stout field of 50 cars. Florence Speedway's season-ending showdown for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series saw 59 drivers sign into the pits with Darrell Lanigan notching the win, making him the 18th different winner in the 20 races held during the 2005 racing season.
Overall, 230 different drivers competed with the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shorts in 2005. The 18 different winners in 20 races is a record that will not soon be forgotten. The highest car count of the season was 65 at Florence Speedway's "Spring 50" held on March 26th. The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series averaged 39 cars per event in 2005.
If the storied, record-breaking season wasn't enough, the icing on the cake would be the battle for the points championship which saw Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate finish the season at a deadlock atop the series standings with 3495 points each. With each driving recording one win, Jewell and Tungate have been named Co-Champions of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series for 2005. Isom, KY's Chris Combs has been crowned the 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Rookie of the Year.
Final 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 3495 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)
1. 3495 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY)
3. 3435 Whitney McQueary (Dunnville, KY)
4. 3200 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY)
5. 3150 Chris Combs (Isom, KY)
6. 3110 Tyrel Todd (Eubank, KY)
7. 3035 Michael England (Glasgow, KY)
8. 2905 Wayne Chinn (Tipp City, OH)
9. 2620 Frankie Coomer (Austin, IN)
10. 2545 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, IN)
11. 2405 Blake Chinn (Tipp City, OH)
12. 2325 Mike Luna (Sparta, TN)
13. 2290 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY)
14. 2005 John Gill (Mitchell, IN)
15. 1975 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY)
16. 1630 Johnny Wheeler (Campbellsville, KY)
17. 1560 Eddie Carrier Jr. (Salt Rock, WV)
18. 1530 Chuckie May (Allen, KY)
19. 1335 Timmy Yeager (Harrodsburg, KY)
20. 1330 Mike Marlar (Winfield, TN)
For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts -- including info regarding the final 2005 points standings, the upcoming banquet, and rules & scheduling info for 2006 -- continue to visit our website during the off-season at www.naradirtcar.com.
2005 O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors
O’Reilly Auto Parts – Title Sponsor and “Official Auto Parts Store of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
Arizona Sport Shirts – Presenting Sponsor and “Official Apparel Supplier of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
Lucas Oil- “Official Oil Products of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
VP Racing Fuels- “Official Race Fuel of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
2005 O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors include: O’Reilly Auto Parts, Lucas Oil Products, Arizona Sports Shirts, VP Racing Fuels, Oval Craft, Hoosier Racing Tires, PPM, BERT, Rayburn Chassis, Ratliff Motors, American Race Tire, Real Wheels, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, Trailer Parts & Sales, Bullock Racing Engines, DJ Designs, Racing Optics, Smith Automotive and Machine, Cruise With The Champions and All-Star Performance
The season started with a bang at Florence Speedway's "Spring 50 Tune-Up" as Rick Combs bested a field of 50 cars in nabbing his biggest career win on March 25th. The following night, the "29th Annual Spring 50" boasted a whopping 69 entries as Wisconsin native Dan Schlieper cashed the $5,000 first-place paycheck. Car counts of 48, 51, and 38 at the next three events at Paducah, Bluegrass, and 201 respectively helped bring the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series to the national spotlight with Scott James, Shannon Babb, and Whitney McQueary victorious in those races.
The series first stop of the 2005 season to the Soggy Bottom Speedway on May 14th found Dennis Erb in winner's circle while 2004 Series Champion Aaron Hatton notched his first gold medal of the season on June 2nd at the Richmond Raceway. The following night at Ponderosa, Bryan Barber claimed his biggest career win giving the series 8 different winners in the first 8 races.
Mike Jewell would make it 9 winners in 9 races on June 18th at Richmond and Steve Barnett helped make it 10-for-10 one week later besting a 40-car field in Brownstown's "7th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial". Then on June 2nd, Whitney McQueary would break the streak, as he picked up his second win of the season at the 201 Speedway, giving him the distinction of being the only repeat winner thus far in 2005.
A new streak soon began with different winners and competitive racing keeping the series in the national spotlight. 2003 Series Champion Mike Marlar's win at Bluegrass was his first of the season as Jimmy Owens picked up his first ever BoB win at Scenic on July 22nd. The following night, Richmond Raceway's Paul "Butterball" Wooldridge Memorial saw Tim Tungate get his only series victory of 2005 making him the 13th different winner in 14 races.
In a return trip to Soggy Bottom, Randle Sweeney pulled off the double, nabbing wins in both the Late Model and Modified features for the Battle of the Bluegrass Series. Inaugural series Champion Eddie Carrier Jr. collected his first win of the season on September 2nd at the Mountain Motor Speedway with Paul Harris making it 16 winners in 17 races the following night at 201.
Eddie Carrier Jr. became just second driver all year to visit winner's circle more than once as he was the winner of the "John Bradshaw Memorial" on September 16th at Ponderosa. The following night, John Gill galloped his horse to victory lane in Bluegrass Speedway's "7th Annual Bluegrass 50" as "The Modern Day Cowboy" bested a stout field of 50 cars. Florence Speedway's season-ending showdown for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series saw 59 drivers sign into the pits with Darrell Lanigan notching the win, making him the 18th different winner in the 20 races held during the 2005 racing season.
Overall, 230 different drivers competed with the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shorts in 2005. The 18 different winners in 20 races is a record that will not soon be forgotten. The highest car count of the season was 65 at Florence Speedway's "Spring 50" held on March 26th. The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series averaged 39 cars per event in 2005.
If the storied, record-breaking season wasn't enough, the icing on the cake would be the battle for the points championship which saw Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate finish the season at a deadlock atop the series standings with 3495 points each. With each driving recording one win, Jewell and Tungate have been named Co-Champions of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series for 2005. Isom, KY's Chris Combs has been crowned the 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Rookie of the Year.
Final 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 3495 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)
1. 3495 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY)
3. 3435 Whitney McQueary (Dunnville, KY)
4. 3200 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY)
5. 3150 Chris Combs (Isom, KY)
6. 3110 Tyrel Todd (Eubank, KY)
7. 3035 Michael England (Glasgow, KY)
8. 2905 Wayne Chinn (Tipp City, OH)
9. 2620 Frankie Coomer (Austin, IN)
10. 2545 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, IN)
11. 2405 Blake Chinn (Tipp City, OH)
12. 2325 Mike Luna (Sparta, TN)
13. 2290 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY)
14. 2005 John Gill (Mitchell, IN)
15. 1975 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY)
16. 1630 Johnny Wheeler (Campbellsville, KY)
17. 1560 Eddie Carrier Jr. (Salt Rock, WV)
18. 1530 Chuckie May (Allen, KY)
19. 1335 Timmy Yeager (Harrodsburg, KY)
20. 1330 Mike Marlar (Winfield, TN)
For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts -- including info regarding the final 2005 points standings, the upcoming banquet, and rules & scheduling info for 2006 -- continue to visit our website during the off-season at www.naradirtcar.com.
2005 O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors
O’Reilly Auto Parts – Title Sponsor and “Official Auto Parts Store of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
Arizona Sport Shirts – Presenting Sponsor and “Official Apparel Supplier of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
Lucas Oil- “Official Oil Products of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
VP Racing Fuels- “Official Race Fuel of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series”
2005 O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors include: O’Reilly Auto Parts, Lucas Oil Products, Arizona Sports Shirts, VP Racing Fuels, Oval Craft, Hoosier Racing Tires, PPM, BERT, Rayburn Chassis, Ratliff Motors, American Race Tire, Real Wheels, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, Trailer Parts & Sales, Bullock Racing Engines, DJ Designs, Racing Optics, Smith Automotive and Machine, Cruise With The Champions and All-Star Performance
