Smithville, OH --- The popular dirt track racing website, DIRT AMERICA, is set to return within the next 10-14 days with a new home and address after the site’s domain name was “hijacked” recently. The site will be incorporated with its sister-site, DIRT-RACERS, and the merger will offer dirt track racing fans a virtual “Super-site” for information, features, news, interviews and columnists. The site will now be at: www.dirt-racers.com.
The website lost its domain address last month when the company the name was purchased through sold the name prior to the official expiration date to a Russian company of questionable repute.
“We thought we had missed the date to renew the site name and address when we found we could no longer get on the site through the name but after investigating the matter more thoroughly and closely we found we were ‘hijacked’ and the name was sold at (presumably) a higher rate, due, we speculate, to the massive hits that Dirt America received,” stated Doc Lehman, editor of DIRT AMERICA. “We contacted my attorney but after looking more into it Stacy (Scheers, website designer) and I felt that trying to deal with a Russian company, plus an unethical company, coupled with the financial drain it would place on us to go after them through the courts, we felt it best to just let it go for the time being and concentrate on getting the site back up and running. My attorney will, however, investigate further as I hold the copyright ownership to the name ‘Dirt America’.”
The combined sites will use the Dirt-Racers.com address but Dirt America and all of its journalistic endeavors will be found on the site.
“Doc and I have talked for quite a while about giving Dirt America a complete new look, redesign and new format so this is as good a time as any,” commented Stacy Scheers, the web designer of both sites and a multitude of others. “Everything that was on Dirt America previously will be found on the new, combined site as well as lots of new material. It will just have a new ‘look’ to it, which is what we planned on doing anyway.”
Regular visitors to Dirt America have come to expect the latest news, exclusive interviews with industry insiders, photo features and some of the sport’s top columnists and that theme will be continued with the newly revamped and combined site.
“We’ll still have interviews with the movers and shakers of the industry, especially the drivers, as well as other special features and surprises,” commented Lehman. “And I’m really excited that nearly all of our columnists will return so fans can read the latest missives from talented writers like Michael O’Connor, Marcus Mackey, Ernie Saxton, Paul Bayne, Toby Hallett, Ozzie Altman, Clifford Dove, Dustin Jarrett, Roby Helm, Rick Rarer, Brent Harms, Deb Delaney, Rev. Pat Evans and others. Actually, we hope to add a couple new columnists soon.”
“And we’ll continue to support and publicize other websites and racing publications.”
“Dirt America just turned two years old and Stacy and I were very happy to see that we had over 245,000 hits this year alone, which proves there is an audience out there and a following to the site. We were also very touched that so many people emailed, called and posted on various forums that they missed the site being updated. It’s nice to know people are checking your work out.”
Scheers and Lehman took a planned six-week break from websites in October. Scheers, who is the talented web designer for over a half-dozen high-profile websites (Rick Eckert, Dale McDowell, Earl Pearson, Jr., Phase II, and many others) assumed a new employment position and relocated with her son. Scheers took some time to acclimate herself in her new employment position and to get settled into her new home as well as spend some time with her 10-year-old son, Mikie. Lehman took time off as he had some health issues to tend to as he is battling heart disease and to work on some projects for various racing publications, the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, and to begin research for a new book on dirt Late Model racing in addition to spending as much time as possible with his 17-month old grandson, Hunter.
“We are hoping everyone who has Dirt America linked to their own websites will make the changes to www.dirt-racers.com as soon as possible,” said Scheers. “The company who took the name is a company of ill-repute and we don’t want anyone to be surprised when they go to our ‘old’ name/address.”
When the site returns there will be new interviews, features, columns and much more to inform and entertain dirt racing fans across the country.
Fans can also access the “old” Dirt America site at: http://216.36.217.95
For additional information contact Lehman at: DocLehman@sssnet.com or Stacy Scheers at Stacy@dirt-racers.com.
The website lost its domain address last month when the company the name was purchased through sold the name prior to the official expiration date to a Russian company of questionable repute.
“We thought we had missed the date to renew the site name and address when we found we could no longer get on the site through the name but after investigating the matter more thoroughly and closely we found we were ‘hijacked’ and the name was sold at (presumably) a higher rate, due, we speculate, to the massive hits that Dirt America received,” stated Doc Lehman, editor of DIRT AMERICA. “We contacted my attorney but after looking more into it Stacy (Scheers, website designer) and I felt that trying to deal with a Russian company, plus an unethical company, coupled with the financial drain it would place on us to go after them through the courts, we felt it best to just let it go for the time being and concentrate on getting the site back up and running. My attorney will, however, investigate further as I hold the copyright ownership to the name ‘Dirt America’.”
The combined sites will use the Dirt-Racers.com address but Dirt America and all of its journalistic endeavors will be found on the site.
“Doc and I have talked for quite a while about giving Dirt America a complete new look, redesign and new format so this is as good a time as any,” commented Stacy Scheers, the web designer of both sites and a multitude of others. “Everything that was on Dirt America previously will be found on the new, combined site as well as lots of new material. It will just have a new ‘look’ to it, which is what we planned on doing anyway.”
Regular visitors to Dirt America have come to expect the latest news, exclusive interviews with industry insiders, photo features and some of the sport’s top columnists and that theme will be continued with the newly revamped and combined site.
“We’ll still have interviews with the movers and shakers of the industry, especially the drivers, as well as other special features and surprises,” commented Lehman. “And I’m really excited that nearly all of our columnists will return so fans can read the latest missives from talented writers like Michael O’Connor, Marcus Mackey, Ernie Saxton, Paul Bayne, Toby Hallett, Ozzie Altman, Clifford Dove, Dustin Jarrett, Roby Helm, Rick Rarer, Brent Harms, Deb Delaney, Rev. Pat Evans and others. Actually, we hope to add a couple new columnists soon.”
“And we’ll continue to support and publicize other websites and racing publications.”
“Dirt America just turned two years old and Stacy and I were very happy to see that we had over 245,000 hits this year alone, which proves there is an audience out there and a following to the site. We were also very touched that so many people emailed, called and posted on various forums that they missed the site being updated. It’s nice to know people are checking your work out.”
Scheers and Lehman took a planned six-week break from websites in October. Scheers, who is the talented web designer for over a half-dozen high-profile websites (Rick Eckert, Dale McDowell, Earl Pearson, Jr., Phase II, and many others) assumed a new employment position and relocated with her son. Scheers took some time to acclimate herself in her new employment position and to get settled into her new home as well as spend some time with her 10-year-old son, Mikie. Lehman took time off as he had some health issues to tend to as he is battling heart disease and to work on some projects for various racing publications, the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, and to begin research for a new book on dirt Late Model racing in addition to spending as much time as possible with his 17-month old grandson, Hunter.
“We are hoping everyone who has Dirt America linked to their own websites will make the changes to www.dirt-racers.com as soon as possible,” said Scheers. “The company who took the name is a company of ill-repute and we don’t want anyone to be surprised when they go to our ‘old’ name/address.”
When the site returns there will be new interviews, features, columns and much more to inform and entertain dirt racing fans across the country.
Fans can also access the “old” Dirt America site at: http://216.36.217.95
For additional information contact Lehman at: DocLehman@sssnet.com or Stacy Scheers at Stacy@dirt-racers.com.
