By Scott Wolfe
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO-Warm October weather and a record, standing-room only crowd greeted 117 of the world's fastest dirt late model stock cars for the 27th running of Carl Short's Dirt Track World Championship sponsored by << Gottarace.com >>. When the final checkered flag fell it was veteran driver Chub Frank of Bear Lake, PA claiming the $50,000 first prize at Jim Nier's K-C Raceway. Over $200,000 of prize money was awarded at this year's record-breaking event.
Zanesville, Ohio's Rick Aukland claimed the 30-lap modified version of the Dirt Track World Championship (see separate story), while Mike Balzano, the "Floodwall Flyer" from Parkersburg, WV claimed the Jim Dunn Memorial.
Oh what an event! Oh what a race! And oh what a victory celebration!
The magic of Pennsboro glittered the K-C high banks for what will go in the history books as one of the raciest DTWC's ever. Once the final engine silenced and Frank became official after making weight at the scales, the celebration began. Frank emerged to a thunder of cheers in victory lane, and gave the Olympic salute atop the roof of his winning machine. Frank stood at the masthead of three Rockets (Rocket Chassis) staged in the checkered victory circle.
Announcer Petie Secret directed the winning Chub Frank toward his 7-foot trophy for which Frank responded, "Heck with the trophy, I want the $50,000. I need the money!" "All I was thinking was just get to the checkered," sighed a relieved, but ecstatic Frank. "I didn't think we had a good car after that hot lap session. But I knew I might have a chance if I could get some heat in the tires. After a few laps the car came on. That was a great race between Josh (Richards) and I. I'd think I had him, and then looked over my shoulder and there he was right back beside me. I just couldn't shake him."
Mike Marlar led the first four laps before Richards blasted by on lap five after an abbreviated battle with the Winfield, Tennessee racer. >From that point on, Richards was literally riding a "Rocket" as "Kid Rocket", the Shinnston, WV hotshoe took charge of the race. A lot of battles took place back in the pack, but on the 37th circuit Frank and Richards jumped into the ring for a 17-lap battle-royal. Frank had dropped back briefly as far as sixth, then started his rebound as his tires took on heat. As the fifty-lap mark approached, Frank flanked Richards, first on the high side, then on the low. Lap after lap the two dueled in full body armor for racing's top prize. Neither took kindly to the thought of going to the mat, not until the final checkered had fallen. Finally, on lap 59 Frank made the winning pass.
Frank had high praise for the rising star Richards, "He used to get the track ready at I-79 when we used to test there. When I was done I'd let him drive my car. Sometimes, like tonight (laughing), I wish I wouldn't have let him have so many laps. He was pretty good then and he is pretty good now."
"It's hard to be so good and then get passed by Chub...and that just ruined everything," joked Richards. "It was a heck of a race. I tried to save my tires early, and at the end they started to come back to me. I just feel fortunate to hang on to finish second. It's been a lot of fun being able to race side-by-side for so many laps and still make it to the podium without a scratch."
Another veteran racer, Steve Francis of Ashland, KY had his say in victory lane after coming home third. "We didn't really need that caution, but that's the way it goes. I found a groove up on the top and had it cleared out, then out comes the yellow. But I'm just glad to get third."
"About midway the car started bouncing and I couldn't run down low with those guys," asserted Francis. "I broke something on the right front. And gee, we had to race someone the whole 100 laps. That made gettin' to the front that much harder. I gotta give the Nier family credit for the track they gave us tonight. It was well-prepared and you could race any groove on the track. Hats off to making this race the deal that it is today."
Many battles made the war. The main battle was the fight for first, but Showtime Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV and Francis wagered one of the fiercest of the night. Laps 24-34 Francis and Shaver tangoed nose-to-nose with Shaver taking fourth on lap 38. Shaver then set his sights on Marlar as that pair lassoed in Frank, who was making his bid for the top spot. Richards squeezed every ounce of sidebite out of his Rocket, pinning Frank to the lowest orbit, where Frank made his pass for the lead.
Richards gave Frank all he could handle for eight more markers, then Shaver bagged Marlar and began to pull rank on Richards for second. Frank opened up a 12 car length lead as Shaver and Richards fought wheel to wheel through lap 66 when Richards closed the door for good. Francis, meanwhile, blasted past Marlar for fourth. Because of the fierce competition, the race was a scoring nightmare as on any given lap, lead-changes left a different trail of numbers scattered across the grid. With cars jockeying back and forth 3-4 positions at any given lap, the fall classic echoed hours of cheers through the Southern Ohio hills.
While the combatants fought it out back in the trenches, Frank started to garner some breathing room up front. A lap 79 caution for Mike England then erased Frank's lead, however. Only two lapped cars stood between Richards and the eventual winner.
All chaos broke loose on the restart as three different packs of three-wide racing chased Frank, who pulled away momentarily only to be reeled back in by Richards as the race came to a close. Francis shuffled Shaver back to fourth, then climbed back into the hunt on Richard's hind quarters. Like a pioneer trailblazer, that duo then tracked down the leader to make it an exciting DTWC finish.
Jackie Boggs and Rod Conley were in the early mix, but tire wear played a factor in their shuffling out of the top ten. Earl Pearson, Jr.
was running tenth by lap 40, but his charge stalled, and a 21st to tenth run resulted in a 12th place finish. Randy Weaver came from 18th to 8th, one of the top passing stints of the night; while Darrell Lanigan leaped from 17th to seventh in an equally impressive run. Former champ Scott Bloomquist, the first B-main winner came from 19th to ninth.
At the finish it was Frank, Richards, Francis, Shaver and Darren Miller. Miller managed a top five finish after starting 13th. Marlar was sixth, followed by Lanigan, Weaver, Bloomquist, and fast timer Brady Smith.
Mike Balzano claimed the legendary Jim Dunn Memorial race after a race-long battle with Donnie Moran. Balzano pulled into victory lane with a choice to make: "Deal or no Deal". Promoter Carl Short came up with another innovative idea when he gave the winner a choice to take the $2,500 first prize or tag the tail of the 100-lap DTWC.
When Balzano climbed from the car in victory lane, trackside announcer James Essex asked Balzano what he had decided. Blazo responded, "It's up to Dad!" Dad Lou said, "It's up to you." After much persuasion from the crowd and a reverberating roar of "race", Balzano said "We're gonna race. That's what the crowd wants, so that is what we'll do. 100 laps is a long way, but it would be nice if we could win this thing." Balzano's decision was a popular one, and his choice placed an exclamation point beside why Balzano will go down as one of the best driver's of his time.
Dan Schlieper won the hard luck award after falling out early in the race. Jordan Bland was the winner of the best looking crew and best appearing car award from Indiana Decal. Brady Short claimed the DirtOnDirt.com Fast Time $1,000 check, setting quick time of 14:730.
Prior to the racing, Bill Holder conducted the announcement of the
2008 class of inductees for the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.
Inductees were Danny Dean of Mount Vernon, Ohio, Paul "Butterball"
Woolridge of Frankfort, Kentucky; Gary Stuhler, Greencastle, Pa; Chuck McWilliams, Union, KY; Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Nebraska; Herman Goddard, Knoxville, TN; Gary Webb, Bluegrass, Iowa; Porter Lanigan and Morgan Chandler, car owner presented by J.T. LeFevers; while the sportsmanship award went to Skip Arp, Georgetown, TN.
Plans for the 28th annual Dirt Track World Championship will be announced soon, so that fans can make plans to attend next year's "Greatest Race on Dirt".
Following is the summary:
Summary DTWC Oct. 18-20
Dirt Track World Championship at K-C Raceway
Late Models
Heat One-Jackie Boggs, Steve Francis, Darren Miller, Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, Brady Smith, Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb, Jr., Freddy Smith, Jared Hawkins, Tim McCreadie, Chris Hackett, Sean Cosgrove, Ryan Markham, Andy Bond, Anthony Huber, Brad Hutson, D.J. Miller, Scott Peltz, Shannon Thornsberry
Heat Two- Rod Conley, Steve Shaver, Scott James, Shannon Babb, Eric Wells, Jeep VanWormer, Donnie Moran, Matt Miller, Mike Benedum, Tyler Boggs, Audie Swartz, George Lee, Dutch Davies, Brian Shirley, Chuck Harper, Jeff Houser, Cody Enlow, Steve Casebolt, Jr., Victor Lee, Paul Wilmoth Jr.
Heat Three- Jimmy Owens, Chris Combs, Michael England, Paul Harris, Brian Ruhlman, Clint Smith, Jimmy Mars, Jason Montgomery, Alex Ferree, Terry Hicks, Doug Drown, Jacob Hawkins, Eric Myers, Bump Hedman, Jerry Bowersock, Mike Wilson, Jason Jamison, Rick Lucas, Daniel Cattine, Larry Smith
Heat Four- Josh Richards, Keith Berner, Dan Schlieper, Wayne Chinn, Anthony Adams, Tim Tungate, Corey Conley, Jared Miley, Tracy Fritter, D.
J. Wells, Russ Frohnapfel, Chad Hina, Chris Shannon, Kenny Spencer, Brandon Thurlby, Michael Howard, Wade Davis, Chris Wilson, Bobby Kitchen
Heat Five- Chub Frank, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Darrell Lanigan, Earl Pearson, Jr., Josh McGuire, Mike Balzano, Rick Eckert, Tim Dohm, Brad Neat, Jason Holton, Josh Tidwell, Randy Boggs, Donnie Stewart, Daniel Williams, Brandon Fouts, Jamie Ferguson, Nick Bocook, Kenny Christy, Rick Aukland.
Heat Six-Mike Marlar, Bart Hartman, Randy Weaver, Ben Adkins, Dave Hess, Jr., Rick Rogers, Jordan Bland, Ricky Arms, John Mason, Jason Smith, Chris Garnes, Joe Ramey, Dee Jay Miller, Josh Bocook, Arnie Fields, Rod Patterson, Greg Buckland, Mike Ratliff
C-Main One- Brian Shirley, Steve Casebolt, Andy Bond, Anthony Huber, Jeff Houser, Brad Hutson, Cody Enlow, D.J. Miller, Scott Peltz, Victor Lee, Shannon Thornsberry, Paul Wilmoth
C-Main Two- Jerry Bowersock, Mike Wilson, Daniel Cattine, Jason Jamison, Larry Smith, Chris Wilson, Rick Lucas, Brandon Thurlby, Wade Davis, Michael Howard, Bobby Kitchen
C-Main Three-Arnie Fields, Nick Bocook, Brandon Fouts, Greg Buckland, Jeff Gress, Mike Ratliff, Jamie Ferguson, Rod Patterson, Kenny Christy, Rick Aukland
B-Main One-Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, Shannon Babb, Donnie Moran, Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb, Jr., Matt Miller, Mike Benedum, George Lee, Brian Shirley, Dutch Davies, Chris Hackett, Ryan Markham, Freddy Smith, Audie Schwartz, Jared Hawkins, Tim McCreadie, Tyler Boggs, Steve Casebolt, Jr., Brady Smith, Eric Wells, Jeep VanWormer, Sean Cosgrove, Chuck Harper
B-Main Two-Wayne Chinn, Tim Tungate, Brian Ruhlman, Alex Ferree, Clint Smith, Corey Conley, Paul Harris, Jason Montgomery, Anthony Adams, Doug Drown, Tracy Fritter, Jared Miley, D. J. Wells, Terry Hicks, Bump Hedman, Eric Myers, Chad Hina, Mike Wilson, Chris Shannon, Russ Frohnapfel, Jerry Bowersock, Kenny Spencer, Jimmy Mars, Jacob Hawkins
B-Main Three-Earl Pearson, Jr., Josh McGuire, Rick Eckert, Mike Balzano, Dave Hess, Jr., Ben Adkins, Ricky Arms, Brad Neat, Tim Dohm, Greg Johnson, Randy Boggs, John Mason, Josh Bocook, Nick Bocook, Jordan Bland, Chris Garnes, Dee Jay Miller, Arnie Fields, Rick Rogers, Josh Tidwell, Donnie Stewart, Jay Helton, Joe Ramey, Daniel Williams
Jim Dunn Memorial-Mike Balzano, Donnie Moran, Rick Eckert, Brian Ruhlman, Jason Montgomery, Shannon Babb, Corey Conley, Alex Ferree, Anthony Adams, Doug Drown, Dennis Erb, Jr., Chris Hackett, George Lee, Greg Buckland, Jared Hawkins, Andy Bond, Tim Dohm, Kenny Spencer, Josh Tidwell, Josh Bocook, Mike Ratliff, Mike Benedum, Daniel Cattine, Jerry Bowersock, Scott Peltz, Paul Harris, Russ Frohnapfel
27th Annual Dirt Track World Championship A-Main:
Chub Frank, Josh Richards, Steve Francis, Steve Shaver, Darren Miller, Mike Marlar, Darrell Lanigan, Randy Weaver, Scott Bloomquist, Brady Smith, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Earl Pearson, Jr., Michael England, Rod Conley, Jackie Boggs, Scott James, Josh McGuire, Keith Berner, Mike Balzano, Wayne Chinn, Bart Hartman, Jimmy Mars, Chris Combs, Tim Tungate, Jimmy Owens, Brian Birkhofer, Dan Schlieper
Qualifying
POS CAR# DRIVER Q.TIME
1 2 Brady Smith 14.730
2 28M Jimmy Mars 14.863
3 40 Dutch Davies 14.940
4 1* Chub Frank 14.960
5 18 Shannon Babb 14.975
6 18w Eric Wells 15.003
7 8 Josh Tidwell 15.041
8 16T Tim Tungate 15.053
9 75 Bart Hartman 15.061
10 4b Jackie Boggs 15.068
11 1 Josh Richards 15.070
12 32d Darren Miller 15.085
13 83 Scott James 15.086
14 15 Steve Francis 15.121
15 0 Scott Bloomquist 15.122
16 15b Brian Birkhofer 15.130
17 39 Tim McCreadie 15.136
18 99 Donnie Moran 15.165
19 47 Chris Combs 15.175
20 10 Paul Harris 15.177
21 S9 Dan Schlieper 15.217
22 41 Josh McGuire 15.250
23 4 Victor Lee 15.263
24 28 Eddie Carrier, Jr. 15.265
25 55 Jeep VanWormer 15.275
26 21L George Lee 15.310
27 16O Don O'Neal 15.323
28 17H Jared Hawkins 15.327
29 25 Mike Benedum 15.328
30 24 Rick Eckert 15.360
31 20 Jimmy Owens 15.370
32 44 Clint Smith 15.393
33 96f Keith Berner 15.405
34 5E Michael England 15.420
35 49 Brian Ruhlman 15.445
36 b7 Ben Adkins 15.445
37 34 Mike Marlar 15.458
38 71r Rod Conley 15.463
39 5m Ryan Markham 15.464
40 30 Steve Shaver 15.470
41 28e Dennis Erb, Jr. 15.476
42 H1 Jared Miley 15.500
43 4 Ricky Arms 15.500
44 62 Andy Bond 15.519
45 0L Larry Smith 15.520
46 17X D.J. Miller 15.527
47 29 Darrell Lanigan 15.527
48 e1 Mike Balzano 15.549
49 19 Brian Shirley 15.565
50 21 Jason Montgomery 15.571
51 1 Audie Swartz 15.572
52 8a Anthony Adams 15.583
53 7 Matt Miller 15.584
54 00H Chuck Harper 15.605
55 44h Dave Hess, Jr. 15.610
56 79 Doug Drown 15.612
57 38 Donnie Stewart 15.617
58 32H Brad Hutson 15.625
59 64 Terry Hicks 15.638
60 33h Chris Hackett 15.642
61 11H Kenny Christy 15.643
62 44 Earl Pearson, Jr. 15.649
63 1 Wayne Chinn 15.652
64 116 Randy Weaver 15.673
65 77 Scott Peltz 15.690
66 1 Nick Bocook 15.710
67 b1 Josh Bocook 15.710
68 20M Eric Myers 15.728
69 B22 Bump Hedman 15.748
70 B3 Randy Boggs 15.750
71 44 Rick Rogers 15.763
72 41 Brad Neat 15.780
73 64 Sean Cosgrove 15.797
74 6t Tim Dohm 15.868
75 18 Chad Hina 15.900
76 3H Jason Holton 15.903
77 4 Alex Ferree 15.910
78 37 Jacob Hawkins 15.935
79 59 Tracy Fritter 15.950
80 07 Mike Wilson 15.958
81 12 Jordan Bland 15.958
82 81 Brandon Fouts 15.982
83 14L Corey Conley 15.999
84 G1 Freddy Smith 16.023
85 72 John Mason 16.035
86 42 Chris Garnes 16.109
87 23 Arnie Fields 16.134
88 17 Chris Wilson 16.137
89 45 Russ Frohnapfel 16.170
90 1 Tyler Boggs 16.207
91 9 Chris Shannon 16.217
92 8 Greg Buckland 16.265
93 12DJ Dee Jay Miller 16.288
94 24H Michael Howard 16.308
95 13 Jamie Ferguson 16.340
96 73 Jason Smith 16.391
97 12L Rick Lucas 16.455
98 X1 Cody Enlow 16.474
99 95j Jerry Bowersock 16.547
100 65 Daniel Cattine 16.556
101 1x Jason Jamison 16.588
102 99h Jeff Houser 16.699
103 20L Anthony Huber 16.716
104 3s Kenny Spencer 16.780
105 77 Mike Ratliff 17.042
106 63 Rod Patterson 17.140
107 M14 Brandon Thurlby 18.000
108 3D Wade Davis 18.232
109 113 Jeff Gress 20.912
110 17t Shannon Thornsberry XX.XXX
111 C9 Steve Casebolt, Jr. XX.XXX
112 8 Paul Wilmoth Jr. XX.XXX
113 we11s D J Wells XX.XXX
114 1* Bobby Kitchen XX.XXX
115 12DJ Daniel Williams XX.XXX
116 12 Rick Aukland XX.XXX
117 77 Joe Ramey XX.XXX*
Dirt Track World Championship Modified results also Friday
prelims for Late Models below
By Scott Wolfe
*CHILLICOTHE, OHIO-Although he was estatic about the monumental feat he had just attained, "Badlands Bandit" Rick Aukland of Zanesville, Ohio proclaimed somewhat jokingly in victory lane, "I just keep winning the wrong race here." Aukland, a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, showed his expertise in the open-wheel modifieds as he raced from a 7th place start to claim the modified portion of the prestigious 27th Annual Dirt Track World Championship by gottarace.com before an enthusiastic standing room only crowd. Twice previously while the race has been run at Jim Nier's K-C Raceway, Aukland, who still races his late model, has won the Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers (late model) race, finishing just short of a slot in racing's "crown jewel" event for Late Model stock cars.
"I had a pretty good race car," noted Aukland, who just last week was crowned the 2007 INDEPENDENT RACING SERIES (IRS) Champion. "Thanks to all those who help me, especially Jerry (owner Jerry Snyder). Without them this would not be possible. I just keep winning the wrong race here. The car was pretty comfortable and this track was just great. I really enjoy racing here at K-C. It is one of my favorite tracks and I have had a lot of success here. I could put this modified about anywhere on the track."
In the modified portion of the program, an all-star field led by Jess Hartman and Mark Dickson shimmied to the enthusiastic wave of Gary Stollar's green flag. Jess Hartman jumped into the early lead and was in control much of the race with a torrid battle taking place in his rear view mirror. Dickson and J.P. Roberts kept the fans on the edge, while directly behind, Aukland locked horns with Dave Hess, Jr., Doug Adkins, and Corey Conley.
Announcer Rick Eshelman joined Bruce Hines in calling Aukland's terror of a charge to the front. Formerly of North Dakota, Aukland, the Badlands Bandit, used a racer-sized shoe horn to slip past that trio of chargers, all in a two lap swing. One lap later, Aukland bagged Roberts with Conley in tow. Dickson began to fade, but held off Aukland for several circuits, then Wellsburg, WV driver Corey Conley and Aukland rubbed doors for several circuits before the central Ohio legend could break free and concentrate on number one.
Hartman blasted well in front of the field over Dickson and J.P. Roberts who were battling for second. Hartman really started to stretch it out early, as two-car duals all the way back to tenth highlighted the action. Aukland and Doug Adkins "The Buzzard" from West Portsmouth were stoking the fires in tow of Roberts and Dickson. Kenny Johnson, lit the afterburners with a great run from 18th to 10th and was on the move, forging his bid for a top ten.
K-C track champion Bob Crace Jr. dropped out on lap seven, while Hartman led the field through lap eight, Dickson and Roberts continued to battle hard. It was then that Aukland and Corey Conley continued up through the pack. Both bagged Adkins on lap 11 with Dave Hess, Jr.
anxiously awaiting to take the bait for another move up the ladder.
Aukland started to close the gap on Hartman. Appearing as though Aukland had landed his catch--hook, line, and sinker--the "High Plains Drifter" reeled in his foe by the lap 15 mark. Hartman went high and Aukland was one groove down engaged in racing's version of virtual combat.
Jess Hartman started to pick it back up a bit, but couldn't shake the hook. Aukland diamond'ed off the track and finally took the lead on lap 20. Louis Krushansky was in line for hard-charger of the night, coming up from 11th to 5th, but one lap later he bowed out with a flat tire.
Before Lucky Louis's demise, Hess nosed under Conley and Krushansky and made it stick as that trio had a race of their own for nearly the entire 30-lap duration.
Once past Hartman, Aukland set the standard high with a surface burning blitz that led him to the win ahead of Hartman, David Hess, Dave Groves, Cory Conley, Kenny Johnson, Mark Dickson, Doug Adkins, Andre Layfield, and Jerry Bowersock. Kenny Johnson and Chris Stotts moved up through the field from 18th and 25th to finish sixth and 11th in great drivers. Had another caution come out, Johnson may well have been in contention for at least a top three. Johnson thrilled the crowd with a gravity defying run against the cushion, a trait that has made him one of the Ohio Valley's favorite sons.
Aukland pulled into victory lane aboard his Poske's Performance
Parts/Quicktime Parts/ Lightening chassis. Dutch Davies was the fastest car not to make the field and won a 55 gallon drum of VP fuel.
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO-Warm October weather and a record, standing-room only crowd greeted 117 of the world's fastest dirt late model stock cars for the 27th running of Carl Short's Dirt Track World Championship sponsored by << Gottarace.com >>. When the final checkered flag fell it was veteran driver Chub Frank of Bear Lake, PA claiming the $50,000 first prize at Jim Nier's K-C Raceway. Over $200,000 of prize money was awarded at this year's record-breaking event.
Zanesville, Ohio's Rick Aukland claimed the 30-lap modified version of the Dirt Track World Championship (see separate story), while Mike Balzano, the "Floodwall Flyer" from Parkersburg, WV claimed the Jim Dunn Memorial.
Oh what an event! Oh what a race! And oh what a victory celebration!
The magic of Pennsboro glittered the K-C high banks for what will go in the history books as one of the raciest DTWC's ever. Once the final engine silenced and Frank became official after making weight at the scales, the celebration began. Frank emerged to a thunder of cheers in victory lane, and gave the Olympic salute atop the roof of his winning machine. Frank stood at the masthead of three Rockets (Rocket Chassis) staged in the checkered victory circle.
Announcer Petie Secret directed the winning Chub Frank toward his 7-foot trophy for which Frank responded, "Heck with the trophy, I want the $50,000. I need the money!" "All I was thinking was just get to the checkered," sighed a relieved, but ecstatic Frank. "I didn't think we had a good car after that hot lap session. But I knew I might have a chance if I could get some heat in the tires. After a few laps the car came on. That was a great race between Josh (Richards) and I. I'd think I had him, and then looked over my shoulder and there he was right back beside me. I just couldn't shake him."
Mike Marlar led the first four laps before Richards blasted by on lap five after an abbreviated battle with the Winfield, Tennessee racer. >From that point on, Richards was literally riding a "Rocket" as "Kid Rocket", the Shinnston, WV hotshoe took charge of the race. A lot of battles took place back in the pack, but on the 37th circuit Frank and Richards jumped into the ring for a 17-lap battle-royal. Frank had dropped back briefly as far as sixth, then started his rebound as his tires took on heat. As the fifty-lap mark approached, Frank flanked Richards, first on the high side, then on the low. Lap after lap the two dueled in full body armor for racing's top prize. Neither took kindly to the thought of going to the mat, not until the final checkered had fallen. Finally, on lap 59 Frank made the winning pass.
Frank had high praise for the rising star Richards, "He used to get the track ready at I-79 when we used to test there. When I was done I'd let him drive my car. Sometimes, like tonight (laughing), I wish I wouldn't have let him have so many laps. He was pretty good then and he is pretty good now."
"It's hard to be so good and then get passed by Chub...and that just ruined everything," joked Richards. "It was a heck of a race. I tried to save my tires early, and at the end they started to come back to me. I just feel fortunate to hang on to finish second. It's been a lot of fun being able to race side-by-side for so many laps and still make it to the podium without a scratch."
Another veteran racer, Steve Francis of Ashland, KY had his say in victory lane after coming home third. "We didn't really need that caution, but that's the way it goes. I found a groove up on the top and had it cleared out, then out comes the yellow. But I'm just glad to get third."
"About midway the car started bouncing and I couldn't run down low with those guys," asserted Francis. "I broke something on the right front. And gee, we had to race someone the whole 100 laps. That made gettin' to the front that much harder. I gotta give the Nier family credit for the track they gave us tonight. It was well-prepared and you could race any groove on the track. Hats off to making this race the deal that it is today."
Many battles made the war. The main battle was the fight for first, but Showtime Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV and Francis wagered one of the fiercest of the night. Laps 24-34 Francis and Shaver tangoed nose-to-nose with Shaver taking fourth on lap 38. Shaver then set his sights on Marlar as that pair lassoed in Frank, who was making his bid for the top spot. Richards squeezed every ounce of sidebite out of his Rocket, pinning Frank to the lowest orbit, where Frank made his pass for the lead.
Richards gave Frank all he could handle for eight more markers, then Shaver bagged Marlar and began to pull rank on Richards for second. Frank opened up a 12 car length lead as Shaver and Richards fought wheel to wheel through lap 66 when Richards closed the door for good. Francis, meanwhile, blasted past Marlar for fourth. Because of the fierce competition, the race was a scoring nightmare as on any given lap, lead-changes left a different trail of numbers scattered across the grid. With cars jockeying back and forth 3-4 positions at any given lap, the fall classic echoed hours of cheers through the Southern Ohio hills.
While the combatants fought it out back in the trenches, Frank started to garner some breathing room up front. A lap 79 caution for Mike England then erased Frank's lead, however. Only two lapped cars stood between Richards and the eventual winner.
All chaos broke loose on the restart as three different packs of three-wide racing chased Frank, who pulled away momentarily only to be reeled back in by Richards as the race came to a close. Francis shuffled Shaver back to fourth, then climbed back into the hunt on Richard's hind quarters. Like a pioneer trailblazer, that duo then tracked down the leader to make it an exciting DTWC finish.
Jackie Boggs and Rod Conley were in the early mix, but tire wear played a factor in their shuffling out of the top ten. Earl Pearson, Jr.
was running tenth by lap 40, but his charge stalled, and a 21st to tenth run resulted in a 12th place finish. Randy Weaver came from 18th to 8th, one of the top passing stints of the night; while Darrell Lanigan leaped from 17th to seventh in an equally impressive run. Former champ Scott Bloomquist, the first B-main winner came from 19th to ninth.
At the finish it was Frank, Richards, Francis, Shaver and Darren Miller. Miller managed a top five finish after starting 13th. Marlar was sixth, followed by Lanigan, Weaver, Bloomquist, and fast timer Brady Smith.
Mike Balzano claimed the legendary Jim Dunn Memorial race after a race-long battle with Donnie Moran. Balzano pulled into victory lane with a choice to make: "Deal or no Deal". Promoter Carl Short came up with another innovative idea when he gave the winner a choice to take the $2,500 first prize or tag the tail of the 100-lap DTWC.
When Balzano climbed from the car in victory lane, trackside announcer James Essex asked Balzano what he had decided. Blazo responded, "It's up to Dad!" Dad Lou said, "It's up to you." After much persuasion from the crowd and a reverberating roar of "race", Balzano said "We're gonna race. That's what the crowd wants, so that is what we'll do. 100 laps is a long way, but it would be nice if we could win this thing." Balzano's decision was a popular one, and his choice placed an exclamation point beside why Balzano will go down as one of the best driver's of his time.
Dan Schlieper won the hard luck award after falling out early in the race. Jordan Bland was the winner of the best looking crew and best appearing car award from Indiana Decal. Brady Short claimed the DirtOnDirt.com Fast Time $1,000 check, setting quick time of 14:730.
Prior to the racing, Bill Holder conducted the announcement of the
2008 class of inductees for the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.
Inductees were Danny Dean of Mount Vernon, Ohio, Paul "Butterball"
Woolridge of Frankfort, Kentucky; Gary Stuhler, Greencastle, Pa; Chuck McWilliams, Union, KY; Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Nebraska; Herman Goddard, Knoxville, TN; Gary Webb, Bluegrass, Iowa; Porter Lanigan and Morgan Chandler, car owner presented by J.T. LeFevers; while the sportsmanship award went to Skip Arp, Georgetown, TN.
Plans for the 28th annual Dirt Track World Championship will be announced soon, so that fans can make plans to attend next year's "Greatest Race on Dirt".
Following is the summary:
Summary DTWC Oct. 18-20
Dirt Track World Championship at K-C Raceway
Late Models
Heat One-Jackie Boggs, Steve Francis, Darren Miller, Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, Brady Smith, Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb, Jr., Freddy Smith, Jared Hawkins, Tim McCreadie, Chris Hackett, Sean Cosgrove, Ryan Markham, Andy Bond, Anthony Huber, Brad Hutson, D.J. Miller, Scott Peltz, Shannon Thornsberry
Heat Two- Rod Conley, Steve Shaver, Scott James, Shannon Babb, Eric Wells, Jeep VanWormer, Donnie Moran, Matt Miller, Mike Benedum, Tyler Boggs, Audie Swartz, George Lee, Dutch Davies, Brian Shirley, Chuck Harper, Jeff Houser, Cody Enlow, Steve Casebolt, Jr., Victor Lee, Paul Wilmoth Jr.
Heat Three- Jimmy Owens, Chris Combs, Michael England, Paul Harris, Brian Ruhlman, Clint Smith, Jimmy Mars, Jason Montgomery, Alex Ferree, Terry Hicks, Doug Drown, Jacob Hawkins, Eric Myers, Bump Hedman, Jerry Bowersock, Mike Wilson, Jason Jamison, Rick Lucas, Daniel Cattine, Larry Smith
Heat Four- Josh Richards, Keith Berner, Dan Schlieper, Wayne Chinn, Anthony Adams, Tim Tungate, Corey Conley, Jared Miley, Tracy Fritter, D.
J. Wells, Russ Frohnapfel, Chad Hina, Chris Shannon, Kenny Spencer, Brandon Thurlby, Michael Howard, Wade Davis, Chris Wilson, Bobby Kitchen
Heat Five- Chub Frank, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Darrell Lanigan, Earl Pearson, Jr., Josh McGuire, Mike Balzano, Rick Eckert, Tim Dohm, Brad Neat, Jason Holton, Josh Tidwell, Randy Boggs, Donnie Stewart, Daniel Williams, Brandon Fouts, Jamie Ferguson, Nick Bocook, Kenny Christy, Rick Aukland.
Heat Six-Mike Marlar, Bart Hartman, Randy Weaver, Ben Adkins, Dave Hess, Jr., Rick Rogers, Jordan Bland, Ricky Arms, John Mason, Jason Smith, Chris Garnes, Joe Ramey, Dee Jay Miller, Josh Bocook, Arnie Fields, Rod Patterson, Greg Buckland, Mike Ratliff
C-Main One- Brian Shirley, Steve Casebolt, Andy Bond, Anthony Huber, Jeff Houser, Brad Hutson, Cody Enlow, D.J. Miller, Scott Peltz, Victor Lee, Shannon Thornsberry, Paul Wilmoth
C-Main Two- Jerry Bowersock, Mike Wilson, Daniel Cattine, Jason Jamison, Larry Smith, Chris Wilson, Rick Lucas, Brandon Thurlby, Wade Davis, Michael Howard, Bobby Kitchen
C-Main Three-Arnie Fields, Nick Bocook, Brandon Fouts, Greg Buckland, Jeff Gress, Mike Ratliff, Jamie Ferguson, Rod Patterson, Kenny Christy, Rick Aukland
B-Main One-Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, Shannon Babb, Donnie Moran, Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb, Jr., Matt Miller, Mike Benedum, George Lee, Brian Shirley, Dutch Davies, Chris Hackett, Ryan Markham, Freddy Smith, Audie Schwartz, Jared Hawkins, Tim McCreadie, Tyler Boggs, Steve Casebolt, Jr., Brady Smith, Eric Wells, Jeep VanWormer, Sean Cosgrove, Chuck Harper
B-Main Two-Wayne Chinn, Tim Tungate, Brian Ruhlman, Alex Ferree, Clint Smith, Corey Conley, Paul Harris, Jason Montgomery, Anthony Adams, Doug Drown, Tracy Fritter, Jared Miley, D. J. Wells, Terry Hicks, Bump Hedman, Eric Myers, Chad Hina, Mike Wilson, Chris Shannon, Russ Frohnapfel, Jerry Bowersock, Kenny Spencer, Jimmy Mars, Jacob Hawkins
B-Main Three-Earl Pearson, Jr., Josh McGuire, Rick Eckert, Mike Balzano, Dave Hess, Jr., Ben Adkins, Ricky Arms, Brad Neat, Tim Dohm, Greg Johnson, Randy Boggs, John Mason, Josh Bocook, Nick Bocook, Jordan Bland, Chris Garnes, Dee Jay Miller, Arnie Fields, Rick Rogers, Josh Tidwell, Donnie Stewart, Jay Helton, Joe Ramey, Daniel Williams
Jim Dunn Memorial-Mike Balzano, Donnie Moran, Rick Eckert, Brian Ruhlman, Jason Montgomery, Shannon Babb, Corey Conley, Alex Ferree, Anthony Adams, Doug Drown, Dennis Erb, Jr., Chris Hackett, George Lee, Greg Buckland, Jared Hawkins, Andy Bond, Tim Dohm, Kenny Spencer, Josh Tidwell, Josh Bocook, Mike Ratliff, Mike Benedum, Daniel Cattine, Jerry Bowersock, Scott Peltz, Paul Harris, Russ Frohnapfel
27th Annual Dirt Track World Championship A-Main:
Chub Frank, Josh Richards, Steve Francis, Steve Shaver, Darren Miller, Mike Marlar, Darrell Lanigan, Randy Weaver, Scott Bloomquist, Brady Smith, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Earl Pearson, Jr., Michael England, Rod Conley, Jackie Boggs, Scott James, Josh McGuire, Keith Berner, Mike Balzano, Wayne Chinn, Bart Hartman, Jimmy Mars, Chris Combs, Tim Tungate, Jimmy Owens, Brian Birkhofer, Dan Schlieper
Qualifying
POS CAR# DRIVER Q.TIME
1 2 Brady Smith 14.730
2 28M Jimmy Mars 14.863
3 40 Dutch Davies 14.940
4 1* Chub Frank 14.960
5 18 Shannon Babb 14.975
6 18w Eric Wells 15.003
7 8 Josh Tidwell 15.041
8 16T Tim Tungate 15.053
9 75 Bart Hartman 15.061
10 4b Jackie Boggs 15.068
11 1 Josh Richards 15.070
12 32d Darren Miller 15.085
13 83 Scott James 15.086
14 15 Steve Francis 15.121
15 0 Scott Bloomquist 15.122
16 15b Brian Birkhofer 15.130
17 39 Tim McCreadie 15.136
18 99 Donnie Moran 15.165
19 47 Chris Combs 15.175
20 10 Paul Harris 15.177
21 S9 Dan Schlieper 15.217
22 41 Josh McGuire 15.250
23 4 Victor Lee 15.263
24 28 Eddie Carrier, Jr. 15.265
25 55 Jeep VanWormer 15.275
26 21L George Lee 15.310
27 16O Don O'Neal 15.323
28 17H Jared Hawkins 15.327
29 25 Mike Benedum 15.328
30 24 Rick Eckert 15.360
31 20 Jimmy Owens 15.370
32 44 Clint Smith 15.393
33 96f Keith Berner 15.405
34 5E Michael England 15.420
35 49 Brian Ruhlman 15.445
36 b7 Ben Adkins 15.445
37 34 Mike Marlar 15.458
38 71r Rod Conley 15.463
39 5m Ryan Markham 15.464
40 30 Steve Shaver 15.470
41 28e Dennis Erb, Jr. 15.476
42 H1 Jared Miley 15.500
43 4 Ricky Arms 15.500
44 62 Andy Bond 15.519
45 0L Larry Smith 15.520
46 17X D.J. Miller 15.527
47 29 Darrell Lanigan 15.527
48 e1 Mike Balzano 15.549
49 19 Brian Shirley 15.565
50 21 Jason Montgomery 15.571
51 1 Audie Swartz 15.572
52 8a Anthony Adams 15.583
53 7 Matt Miller 15.584
54 00H Chuck Harper 15.605
55 44h Dave Hess, Jr. 15.610
56 79 Doug Drown 15.612
57 38 Donnie Stewart 15.617
58 32H Brad Hutson 15.625
59 64 Terry Hicks 15.638
60 33h Chris Hackett 15.642
61 11H Kenny Christy 15.643
62 44 Earl Pearson, Jr. 15.649
63 1 Wayne Chinn 15.652
64 116 Randy Weaver 15.673
65 77 Scott Peltz 15.690
66 1 Nick Bocook 15.710
67 b1 Josh Bocook 15.710
68 20M Eric Myers 15.728
69 B22 Bump Hedman 15.748
70 B3 Randy Boggs 15.750
71 44 Rick Rogers 15.763
72 41 Brad Neat 15.780
73 64 Sean Cosgrove 15.797
74 6t Tim Dohm 15.868
75 18 Chad Hina 15.900
76 3H Jason Holton 15.903
77 4 Alex Ferree 15.910
78 37 Jacob Hawkins 15.935
79 59 Tracy Fritter 15.950
80 07 Mike Wilson 15.958
81 12 Jordan Bland 15.958
82 81 Brandon Fouts 15.982
83 14L Corey Conley 15.999
84 G1 Freddy Smith 16.023
85 72 John Mason 16.035
86 42 Chris Garnes 16.109
87 23 Arnie Fields 16.134
88 17 Chris Wilson 16.137
89 45 Russ Frohnapfel 16.170
90 1 Tyler Boggs 16.207
91 9 Chris Shannon 16.217
92 8 Greg Buckland 16.265
93 12DJ Dee Jay Miller 16.288
94 24H Michael Howard 16.308
95 13 Jamie Ferguson 16.340
96 73 Jason Smith 16.391
97 12L Rick Lucas 16.455
98 X1 Cody Enlow 16.474
99 95j Jerry Bowersock 16.547
100 65 Daniel Cattine 16.556
101 1x Jason Jamison 16.588
102 99h Jeff Houser 16.699
103 20L Anthony Huber 16.716
104 3s Kenny Spencer 16.780
105 77 Mike Ratliff 17.042
106 63 Rod Patterson 17.140
107 M14 Brandon Thurlby 18.000
108 3D Wade Davis 18.232
109 113 Jeff Gress 20.912
110 17t Shannon Thornsberry XX.XXX
111 C9 Steve Casebolt, Jr. XX.XXX
112 8 Paul Wilmoth Jr. XX.XXX
113 we11s D J Wells XX.XXX
114 1* Bobby Kitchen XX.XXX
115 12DJ Daniel Williams XX.XXX
116 12 Rick Aukland XX.XXX
117 77 Joe Ramey XX.XXX*
Dirt Track World Championship Modified results also Friday
prelims for Late Models below
By Scott Wolfe
*CHILLICOTHE, OHIO-Although he was estatic about the monumental feat he had just attained, "Badlands Bandit" Rick Aukland of Zanesville, Ohio proclaimed somewhat jokingly in victory lane, "I just keep winning the wrong race here." Aukland, a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, showed his expertise in the open-wheel modifieds as he raced from a 7th place start to claim the modified portion of the prestigious 27th Annual Dirt Track World Championship by gottarace.com before an enthusiastic standing room only crowd. Twice previously while the race has been run at Jim Nier's K-C Raceway, Aukland, who still races his late model, has won the Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers (late model) race, finishing just short of a slot in racing's "crown jewel" event for Late Model stock cars.
"I had a pretty good race car," noted Aukland, who just last week was crowned the 2007 INDEPENDENT RACING SERIES (IRS) Champion. "Thanks to all those who help me, especially Jerry (owner Jerry Snyder). Without them this would not be possible. I just keep winning the wrong race here. The car was pretty comfortable and this track was just great. I really enjoy racing here at K-C. It is one of my favorite tracks and I have had a lot of success here. I could put this modified about anywhere on the track."
In the modified portion of the program, an all-star field led by Jess Hartman and Mark Dickson shimmied to the enthusiastic wave of Gary Stollar's green flag. Jess Hartman jumped into the early lead and was in control much of the race with a torrid battle taking place in his rear view mirror. Dickson and J.P. Roberts kept the fans on the edge, while directly behind, Aukland locked horns with Dave Hess, Jr., Doug Adkins, and Corey Conley.
Announcer Rick Eshelman joined Bruce Hines in calling Aukland's terror of a charge to the front. Formerly of North Dakota, Aukland, the Badlands Bandit, used a racer-sized shoe horn to slip past that trio of chargers, all in a two lap swing. One lap later, Aukland bagged Roberts with Conley in tow. Dickson began to fade, but held off Aukland for several circuits, then Wellsburg, WV driver Corey Conley and Aukland rubbed doors for several circuits before the central Ohio legend could break free and concentrate on number one.
Hartman blasted well in front of the field over Dickson and J.P. Roberts who were battling for second. Hartman really started to stretch it out early, as two-car duals all the way back to tenth highlighted the action. Aukland and Doug Adkins "The Buzzard" from West Portsmouth were stoking the fires in tow of Roberts and Dickson. Kenny Johnson, lit the afterburners with a great run from 18th to 10th and was on the move, forging his bid for a top ten.
K-C track champion Bob Crace Jr. dropped out on lap seven, while Hartman led the field through lap eight, Dickson and Roberts continued to battle hard. It was then that Aukland and Corey Conley continued up through the pack. Both bagged Adkins on lap 11 with Dave Hess, Jr.
anxiously awaiting to take the bait for another move up the ladder.
Aukland started to close the gap on Hartman. Appearing as though Aukland had landed his catch--hook, line, and sinker--the "High Plains Drifter" reeled in his foe by the lap 15 mark. Hartman went high and Aukland was one groove down engaged in racing's version of virtual combat.
Jess Hartman started to pick it back up a bit, but couldn't shake the hook. Aukland diamond'ed off the track and finally took the lead on lap 20. Louis Krushansky was in line for hard-charger of the night, coming up from 11th to 5th, but one lap later he bowed out with a flat tire.
Before Lucky Louis's demise, Hess nosed under Conley and Krushansky and made it stick as that trio had a race of their own for nearly the entire 30-lap duration.
Once past Hartman, Aukland set the standard high with a surface burning blitz that led him to the win ahead of Hartman, David Hess, Dave Groves, Cory Conley, Kenny Johnson, Mark Dickson, Doug Adkins, Andre Layfield, and Jerry Bowersock. Kenny Johnson and Chris Stotts moved up through the field from 18th and 25th to finish sixth and 11th in great drivers. Had another caution come out, Johnson may well have been in contention for at least a top three. Johnson thrilled the crowd with a gravity defying run against the cushion, a trait that has made him one of the Ohio Valley's favorite sons.
Aukland pulled into victory lane aboard his Poske's Performance
Parts/Quicktime Parts/ Lightening chassis. Dutch Davies was the fastest car not to make the field and won a 55 gallon drum of VP fuel.
