North Vernon, Indiana
by: Terry Young
The 2006 edition of the UMP Summer Nationals got underway this evening at the TWIN CITIES Raceway in North Vernon, Indiana with 41 cars in attendance. Kicking off the grueling grind that has become a favorite of the Midwestern dirt track fans, there were plenty of cars and stars on hand.
Missing from the event was a racing surface which was conducive to side by side racing with plenty of passing which followers of the grueling summer tour have come to expect.
Baking under the fierce sun, the surface was hampered by the daylight savings starting time with the Central Indiana race track being an hour ahead on Big Ben!
The evening was highlighted by the new format for this years rendition of the brainchild of the late Bob Memmer which will now highlight group qualifying, with the front runners drawing a starting position for a dash to determine the front starting poistions of the 40 lap A-Main event.
By virtue of winning the dash Carpentersville, Illinois favorite son Dennis Erb would jump from his pole starting position to the lead at the green and was never headed in his quest for the $6,000.00 winners geld. Racing in lapped traffic for most of the second half of the event, Wendell Wallace was able to close in on Erb's rear bumper, with Shannon Babb all over Wallace, but nobody was able to capitalize and pass Erb due to the virtually one lane racing surface which enabled lapped traffic to race right with the leaders.
Erb would takle the checkers ahead of Wallace, Babb, Randy Korte, Jeep Van Wormer, Rodney Melvin, Shannon Reid, Ryan Dauber and Shawn Negangard to put his name in the records as the opening night winner in the grueling grind across the Midwest.
Erb was driving a C.J. Rayburn chassis sponsored by Reaber Transport, Petroff Towing, Hoosier Racing Tire and Thommason Transportation.
Jeep Van Wormer started the night recording the fastest lap in qualifying with a lap of 15.305 as the first car to hit the track against the clock.
Heat races were won by Van Wormer over Erb and Dauber, Randy Korte over Hegangard and Melvin, Wallace over Reid and Steve Hillard and Babb over Moyer and Weaver.
The dash was won by Erb over Reid, Wallace, Korte, Babb, Moyer, Van Wormer and Negangard.
Tomorrow night the UMP contingent rolls on to the Kankakee Speedway for night number 2 as they chase yet another $6,000.00 payoff for the winners efforts.
Fast Time: Jeep Van Wormer 15.305
Heat 1: Vanwormer, Erb, Dauber, Steidinger, Rick Aukland, Greg Johnson, Marty O'Neal, Jason Feger, Billy Drake, Jason Jamison
Heat 2: Korte, Hegangard, R. Melvin, Mike Marlar, Mark Frazier, Dick Potts, Greg Ault, Rick Sowder, Christian Raybrun
Heat 3: Wallace, Reid, Hillard, Steve Sheppard, Frank Heckenast, Jr., Mike Jewell, Joe Ramey, Mike Petersak, Devon Sebree
Heat 4: Babb, Moyer, Weaver,. Brian Shirley, Duane Chamberlain, Bobby Melvin, Brian Barnhart, Jordan Bland
Consi 1: Marlar, Aukland, Potts, Frazier, Mike Mataragas
Consi 2: Shirley, Sheppard, Chamberlain, B. Melvin, Tim Prince
Feature: Finish Position / Starting Position in Parenthesis
1. (1) Dennis Erb
2. (3) Wendell Wallace
3. (5) Shannon Babb
4. (4) Randy Korte
5. (6) Billy Moyer
6. (7) Jeep Van Wormer
7. (10) Rodney Melvin
8. (2) Shannon Reid
9. (9) Ryan Dauber
10. (8) Shawn Negangard
11. (14) Brian Shirley
12. (12) Kevin Weaver
13. (13) Mike Marlar
14. (11) Steve Hillard
15. (15) Rick Aukland
16. (21) (P) Jason Feger
17. (18) Duane Chamberlain
18. (16) Steve Sheppard, Jr.
19. (17) Dick Potts
20. (19) (P) Billy Drake
21. (20) (P) Wes Steidinger
(P) denotes Provisional Starting Position
by: Terry Young
The 2006 edition of the UMP Summer Nationals got underway this evening at the TWIN CITIES Raceway in North Vernon, Indiana with 41 cars in attendance. Kicking off the grueling grind that has become a favorite of the Midwestern dirt track fans, there were plenty of cars and stars on hand.
Missing from the event was a racing surface which was conducive to side by side racing with plenty of passing which followers of the grueling summer tour have come to expect.
Baking under the fierce sun, the surface was hampered by the daylight savings starting time with the Central Indiana race track being an hour ahead on Big Ben!
The evening was highlighted by the new format for this years rendition of the brainchild of the late Bob Memmer which will now highlight group qualifying, with the front runners drawing a starting position for a dash to determine the front starting poistions of the 40 lap A-Main event.
By virtue of winning the dash Carpentersville, Illinois favorite son Dennis Erb would jump from his pole starting position to the lead at the green and was never headed in his quest for the $6,000.00 winners geld. Racing in lapped traffic for most of the second half of the event, Wendell Wallace was able to close in on Erb's rear bumper, with Shannon Babb all over Wallace, but nobody was able to capitalize and pass Erb due to the virtually one lane racing surface which enabled lapped traffic to race right with the leaders.
Erb would takle the checkers ahead of Wallace, Babb, Randy Korte, Jeep Van Wormer, Rodney Melvin, Shannon Reid, Ryan Dauber and Shawn Negangard to put his name in the records as the opening night winner in the grueling grind across the Midwest.
Erb was driving a C.J. Rayburn chassis sponsored by Reaber Transport, Petroff Towing, Hoosier Racing Tire and Thommason Transportation.
Jeep Van Wormer started the night recording the fastest lap in qualifying with a lap of 15.305 as the first car to hit the track against the clock.
Heat races were won by Van Wormer over Erb and Dauber, Randy Korte over Hegangard and Melvin, Wallace over Reid and Steve Hillard and Babb over Moyer and Weaver.
The dash was won by Erb over Reid, Wallace, Korte, Babb, Moyer, Van Wormer and Negangard.
Tomorrow night the UMP contingent rolls on to the Kankakee Speedway for night number 2 as they chase yet another $6,000.00 payoff for the winners efforts.
Fast Time: Jeep Van Wormer 15.305
Heat 1: Vanwormer, Erb, Dauber, Steidinger, Rick Aukland, Greg Johnson, Marty O'Neal, Jason Feger, Billy Drake, Jason Jamison
Heat 2: Korte, Hegangard, R. Melvin, Mike Marlar, Mark Frazier, Dick Potts, Greg Ault, Rick Sowder, Christian Raybrun
Heat 3: Wallace, Reid, Hillard, Steve Sheppard, Frank Heckenast, Jr., Mike Jewell, Joe Ramey, Mike Petersak, Devon Sebree
Heat 4: Babb, Moyer, Weaver,. Brian Shirley, Duane Chamberlain, Bobby Melvin, Brian Barnhart, Jordan Bland
Consi 1: Marlar, Aukland, Potts, Frazier, Mike Mataragas
Consi 2: Shirley, Sheppard, Chamberlain, B. Melvin, Tim Prince
Feature: Finish Position / Starting Position in Parenthesis
1. (1) Dennis Erb
2. (3) Wendell Wallace
3. (5) Shannon Babb
4. (4) Randy Korte
5. (6) Billy Moyer
6. (7) Jeep Van Wormer
7. (10) Rodney Melvin
8. (2) Shannon Reid
9. (9) Ryan Dauber
10. (8) Shawn Negangard
11. (14) Brian Shirley
12. (12) Kevin Weaver
13. (13) Mike Marlar
14. (11) Steve Hillard
15. (15) Rick Aukland
16. (21) (P) Jason Feger
17. (18) Duane Chamberlain
18. (16) Steve Sheppard, Jr.
19. (17) Dick Potts
20. (19) (P) Billy Drake
21. (20) (P) Wes Steidinger
(P) denotes Provisional Starting Position
