MORGANTOWN, KY -- In an action-packed night of racing at Soggy Bottom Speedway, Carpentersville, IL native Dennis Erb picked up his first career win with the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series making him the sixth different winner in as many events in 2005.
The 40-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main saw polesitter and fast qualifier Whitney McQueary grab the early edge as Scott James was glued to his rear bumper with Tim Tungate, Steve Hillard, and Michael England in tow. The leaders wasted no time getting around the lightning-fast race track as they encountered the tail end of the field by lap 5. While working through the back of the pack, James pulled even with McQueary, splitting the race leader and a backmarker in a three-wide move for the point. James grabbed the top spot on lap six, as a caution flag fell one circuit later to keep the field within striking distance.
On the restart, James motored ahead of McQueary, Tungate, Hillard, and England as 11th-starting Dennis Erb began putting pressure on Frankie Coomer in a battle for sixth. Ahead of the race for sixth, Tungate and Hillard closed the gap on second-running McQueary as a lap 11 caution slowed the pace once again. When racing resumed, a long stretch on green flag laps provided the packed house with the excitement they had come to see. While James darted ahead of the field, seemingly everyone was stacked up nearly two-by-two behind of him. Hillard pulled even with Tungate in the race for third as Coomer, England, and Erb jockeyed for the fifth spot. Coomer worked by England on lap 12 and Erb followed suit one lap later. Meanwhile, Hillard was able to inch ahead of Tungate for third on lap 15 as race-leader James once again closed in on the back of the pack.
As the race neared halfway, Hillard reeled in McQueary and grabbed sole possession of the runner-up slot on lap 19. Erb continued his charge through the field as he pulled even with Tungate on lap 20. Tungate didn't give up without a fight, however, and the veteran drivers swapped the fourth position back and fourth with Erb finally clearing Tungate on lap 23. Just two laps later, Erb cracked the top three as he worked his way around McQueary in heavy lapped traffic. Clearly one of the fastest cars on the track, Erb wasted little time tracking down Hillard. As the Illinois drivers diced it out for the bridesmaid position with ten laps to go, they seemed to be slowly chopping away at the near straightaway lead Scott James had built.
With just eight laps to go, Erb finally cleared Hillard and set his sights on race-leader James, whose lead was now down to half a straightaway. With no more lapped traffic between to front two cars, Erb closed in to the rear deck lid of the "Silver Shark" and, with the crowd on their feet, dove underneath James in a doorhandle-to-doorhandle battle for the lead with just five laps to go. The two remained side-by-side for nearly two laps before James suddenly to a stop with a flat right rear tire.
The restart would be a four lap dash to the finish with Erb leading Hillard, Tungate, McQueary, and 12th-starting Terry English. When the green waved, Hillard immediately looked under Erb going into turn one, but the Carpentersville, IL driver shut the door coming off turn two. Although he remained within a few cars lengths of Erb, Hillard couldn't get a run on the leader as Dennis Erb put his Malcuit powered Rayburn Monte Carlo in victory lane for the first time in O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series action. Erb, driving the Petroff Towing/B&K Sportswear and Vinyl Graphics/Peterson Aluminum Corporation/Afco Racing Products/Hoosier Tire/Reaber Transport sponsored #28 becomes the sixth different winner in six races thus far in 2005 for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts.
Erb, in his first-ever visit to the Morgantown, KY 3/8-mile facility, made the five hour trip to Soggy Bottom after the Lucas oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Tazewell rained out. "I didn't get here in time to qualify," he said in the post-race interview. "We just unloaded the car and put a set-up on it that we thought would work well for us and it did. We made just a couple changes after the heat race and this Rayburn was really dialed in for the feature."
Second spot went to Sedorus, IL's Steve Hillard in the Stephens Trucking/S&B Cattle Company/Estes powered Swartz Monte Carlo. Campbellsville, KY native Tim Tungate finished third in his Children's Palace/Phillips Lane Restaurant/AMS/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Terry English, Benton, KY, took home fourth in his AAA Fence Inc./Larry Seay Chevy/Runion/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Rounding out the top five was Eubank, KY's Tyrel Todd in Pulaski Steel & Supply/Todd Truss sponsored Bullock powered Rayburn Monte Carlo. Whitney McQueary, Frankie Coomer, Wayne Chinn, Scott James, and Shannon Thornsberry rounded out the top 10.
24 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Late Models were on hand with Whitney McQueary setting fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a fast lap of 14.063. VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat Races were won by McQueary, Tim Tungate, Scott James.
The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts will make stop #7 of the 2005 tour on Thursday, June 2nd at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY. The following night, Friday, June 3rd, the series travels to Ponderosa Speedway for the first time this season. For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit our website at www.naradirtcar.com.
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Race Summary
Soggy Bottom Speedway - Morgantown, KY
Saturday, May 14, 2005
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Whitney McQueary/14.063
VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat #1: Whitney McQueary, Michael England, Bryan Barber, Aaron Hatton, Blake Chinn, Troy Gay, Mike Jewell
VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat #2: Tim Tungate, Frankie Coomer, Brian Maynard, Dennis Erb, Shannon Thornsberry, Chuckie May, Jeff Glisson, Bryan Woodcock Jr.
VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat #3: Scott James, Tyrel Todd, Steve Hillard, Terry English, Wayne Chinn, Mike Luna, David Miller
40-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: Dennis Erb, Steve Hillard, Tim Tungate, Terry English, Tyrel Todd, Whitney McQueary, Frankie Coomer, Wayne Chinn, Scott James, Shannon Thornsberry, Chris Combs, Michael England, Mike Luna, Blake Chinn, Bryant Woodcock Jr., Jeff Glisson, Troy Gay, Chuckie May, David Miller, Brian Maynard, Aaron Hatton, Bryan Barber; (DNS - Mike Jewell, Jordan Bland)
Race Statistics:
Entries: 24
Lap Leaders: Whitney McQueary 1-6, Scott James 7-36, Dennis Erb 37-40
Cautions: 5
BoB Rookie of the Race: Frankie Coomer
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Dennis Erb
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Point Standings (after 5/14/05)
1. 5m Whitney McQueary 1100
2. 5e Michael England 1030
3. 47 Chris Combs 1005
4. 18 Tim Tungate 970
5. 9 Mike Jewell 920
6. 83 Scott James 840
7. 33 Aaron Hatton 830
8. 28 Chuckie May 825
9. 49 Frankie Coomer 805
9. 1 Wayne Chinn 805
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”
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, Dart, PPM, BERT, Rayburn Chassis, American Race Tire, Real Wheels, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, Trailer Parts & Sales, DJ Designs, Racing Optics, Smith Automotive and Machine, Cruise With The Champions, Rattliff Motors, Honda of Prestonsburg, and Bullock Racing Engines
The 40-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main saw polesitter and fast qualifier Whitney McQueary grab the early edge as Scott James was glued to his rear bumper with Tim Tungate, Steve Hillard, and Michael England in tow. The leaders wasted no time getting around the lightning-fast race track as they encountered the tail end of the field by lap 5. While working through the back of the pack, James pulled even with McQueary, splitting the race leader and a backmarker in a three-wide move for the point. James grabbed the top spot on lap six, as a caution flag fell one circuit later to keep the field within striking distance.
On the restart, James motored ahead of McQueary, Tungate, Hillard, and England as 11th-starting Dennis Erb began putting pressure on Frankie Coomer in a battle for sixth. Ahead of the race for sixth, Tungate and Hillard closed the gap on second-running McQueary as a lap 11 caution slowed the pace once again. When racing resumed, a long stretch on green flag laps provided the packed house with the excitement they had come to see. While James darted ahead of the field, seemingly everyone was stacked up nearly two-by-two behind of him. Hillard pulled even with Tungate in the race for third as Coomer, England, and Erb jockeyed for the fifth spot. Coomer worked by England on lap 12 and Erb followed suit one lap later. Meanwhile, Hillard was able to inch ahead of Tungate for third on lap 15 as race-leader James once again closed in on the back of the pack.
As the race neared halfway, Hillard reeled in McQueary and grabbed sole possession of the runner-up slot on lap 19. Erb continued his charge through the field as he pulled even with Tungate on lap 20. Tungate didn't give up without a fight, however, and the veteran drivers swapped the fourth position back and fourth with Erb finally clearing Tungate on lap 23. Just two laps later, Erb cracked the top three as he worked his way around McQueary in heavy lapped traffic. Clearly one of the fastest cars on the track, Erb wasted little time tracking down Hillard. As the Illinois drivers diced it out for the bridesmaid position with ten laps to go, they seemed to be slowly chopping away at the near straightaway lead Scott James had built.
With just eight laps to go, Erb finally cleared Hillard and set his sights on race-leader James, whose lead was now down to half a straightaway. With no more lapped traffic between to front two cars, Erb closed in to the rear deck lid of the "Silver Shark" and, with the crowd on their feet, dove underneath James in a doorhandle-to-doorhandle battle for the lead with just five laps to go. The two remained side-by-side for nearly two laps before James suddenly to a stop with a flat right rear tire.
The restart would be a four lap dash to the finish with Erb leading Hillard, Tungate, McQueary, and 12th-starting Terry English. When the green waved, Hillard immediately looked under Erb going into turn one, but the Carpentersville, IL driver shut the door coming off turn two. Although he remained within a few cars lengths of Erb, Hillard couldn't get a run on the leader as Dennis Erb put his Malcuit powered Rayburn Monte Carlo in victory lane for the first time in O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series action. Erb, driving the Petroff Towing/B&K Sportswear and Vinyl Graphics/Peterson Aluminum Corporation/Afco Racing Products/Hoosier Tire/Reaber Transport sponsored #28 becomes the sixth different winner in six races thus far in 2005 for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts.
Erb, in his first-ever visit to the Morgantown, KY 3/8-mile facility, made the five hour trip to Soggy Bottom after the Lucas oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Tazewell rained out. "I didn't get here in time to qualify," he said in the post-race interview. "We just unloaded the car and put a set-up on it that we thought would work well for us and it did. We made just a couple changes after the heat race and this Rayburn was really dialed in for the feature."
Second spot went to Sedorus, IL's Steve Hillard in the Stephens Trucking/S&B Cattle Company/Estes powered Swartz Monte Carlo. Campbellsville, KY native Tim Tungate finished third in his Children's Palace/Phillips Lane Restaurant/AMS/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Terry English, Benton, KY, took home fourth in his AAA Fence Inc./Larry Seay Chevy/Runion/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Rounding out the top five was Eubank, KY's Tyrel Todd in Pulaski Steel & Supply/Todd Truss sponsored Bullock powered Rayburn Monte Carlo. Whitney McQueary, Frankie Coomer, Wayne Chinn, Scott James, and Shannon Thornsberry rounded out the top 10.
24 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Late Models were on hand with Whitney McQueary setting fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a fast lap of 14.063. VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat Races were won by McQueary, Tim Tungate, Scott James.
The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts will make stop #7 of the 2005 tour on Thursday, June 2nd at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY. The following night, Friday, June 3rd, the series travels to Ponderosa Speedway for the first time this season. For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit our website at www.naradirtcar.com.
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Race Summary
Soggy Bottom Speedway - Morgantown, KY
Saturday, May 14, 2005
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Whitney McQueary/14.063
VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat #1: Whitney McQueary, Michael England, Bryan Barber, Aaron Hatton, Blake Chinn, Troy Gay, Mike Jewell
VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat #2: Tim Tungate, Frankie Coomer, Brian Maynard, Dennis Erb, Shannon Thornsberry, Chuckie May, Jeff Glisson, Bryan Woodcock Jr.
VP Fuels Makin' Power Heat #3: Scott James, Tyrel Todd, Steve Hillard, Terry English, Wayne Chinn, Mike Luna, David Miller
40-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: Dennis Erb, Steve Hillard, Tim Tungate, Terry English, Tyrel Todd, Whitney McQueary, Frankie Coomer, Wayne Chinn, Scott James, Shannon Thornsberry, Chris Combs, Michael England, Mike Luna, Blake Chinn, Bryant Woodcock Jr., Jeff Glisson, Troy Gay, Chuckie May, David Miller, Brian Maynard, Aaron Hatton, Bryan Barber; (DNS - Mike Jewell, Jordan Bland)
Race Statistics:
Entries: 24
Lap Leaders: Whitney McQueary 1-6, Scott James 7-36, Dennis Erb 37-40
Cautions: 5
BoB Rookie of the Race: Frankie Coomer
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Dennis Erb
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Point Standings (after 5/14/05)
1. 5m Whitney McQueary 1100
2. 5e Michael England 1030
3. 47 Chris Combs 1005
4. 18 Tim Tungate 970
5. 9 Mike Jewell 920
6. 83 Scott James 840
7. 33 Aaron Hatton 830
8. 28 Chuckie May 825
9. 49 Frankie Coomer 805
9. 1 Wayne Chinn 805
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”
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, Dart, PPM, BERT, Rayburn Chassis, American Race Tire, Real Wheels, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, Trailer Parts & Sales, DJ Designs, Racing Optics, Smith Automotive and Machine, Cruise With The Champions, Rattliff Motors, Honda of Prestonsburg, and Bullock Racing Engines
