LEXINGTON, KY -- The checkered flag has waved on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts for 2005. After the series' final event last Saturday at Florence, Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate stand atop the points standings as the two veteran drivers will be crowned Co-Champions for the 2005 season.
Heading into the Saturday night season finale at Florence Speedway, Tim Tungate held a slim 75-point advantage over Whitney McQueary and a narrow 80-point lead over Mike Jewell. Motor problems during qualifying left Tungate with no choice but to pull out the backup car and start from the rear of his heat. Meanwhile, McQueary took advantage of Tungate's misfortune and won his heat race, earning him a top six starting spot for the 50-lap A-Main. Jewell finished fourth in his heat, and had to transfer to the feature via a runner-up finish in his B-Main. Tungate's night of hard luck continued when he was caught up in a lap one accident of his B-Main, forcing his crew to work frantically to get the car ready in time for the feature, in which Tungate had to use a provisional to start.
With the A-Main on the track, McQueary rolled off from the 3rd starting position while Jewell would have to come from 21st and Tungate from 23rd. McQueary stayed in the top five until getting shuffled back on a lap 9 restart. Meanwhile, both Jewell and Tungate were methodically picking their way through the field. With McQueary falling back, and Jewell and Tungate moving up, the trio entertained fans on laps 13 and 14 running nose-to-tail in the 14th, 15th, and 16th positions on the track. Shortly thereafter, Tungate began to slip back as the Campbellsville, KY native pulled his ride into the infield and retired from the event with more mechanical problems.
After inching past McQueary, Jewell quietly worked his way into the top ten by lap 20. As McQueary held his own just outside the top ten, Jewell moved into 8th on lap 28 and scooted into 7th on lap 33. Needing to gain just one more position to claim the title outright, the Scottsburg, IN veteran danced door-to-door with Brad Neat for 6th with just ten laps to go. Falling back in line behind Neat, Jewell would stay there until the finish.
When the checkered flag waved on the 50-lap A-Main, Jewell was crossed the stripe in 7th, McQueary 12th, and Tungate's DNF garnered him a 21st on the final rundown.
In the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series, drivers are given two "throw-aways" in which the series tosses out the drivers two worst finishes. When the final points were tallied, a storied, record-breaking season saw Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate tied atop the standings with 3495 points each with McQueary just 60 points back in third. Using wins as a tie breaker, Jewell and Tungate were even again, as each driver cashed in one first-place paycheck during the course of the season. Therefore, Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate have been declared the 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Co-Champions.
The hottest driver on the tour at the close of the year, Scottsburg, IN veteran Mike Jewell finished the season with five straight finishes of seventh or better. "The Scottsburg Express" had one O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series win on the season which came on June 18th at the Richmond Raceway. The MPC Motorsports #9 is a Bullock powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo sponsored by Southern Indiana Drilling, Morgan Foods, Stephens Oil, K.P. Radio Sales & Service, Shelton Angus Farms, Scott Co Tire, Remax, Pruett's Auto Repair, Advanced Racing Suspensions, and PBM Performance Products.
Campbellsville, KY native Tim Tungate's consistent finishes help him nab a share of 2005 Championship. After a win on July 23rd at Richmond Raceway's Butterball Wooldridge Memorial, a 7th place nod on August 6th at Soggy Bottom, and a runner-up finish on September 2nd at Mountain Motor, Tungate was able to pull ahead of Whitney McQueary into the lead of the season-long points battle. Tungate held on to the top spot after a pair of top five finishes at 201 and Bluegrass in the month of September. "Stone Cold", as he's dubbed, drives the Guardian Mortgage/Ancil Reynolds RV/J&L Title/ABC Child Care/Cox Properties/Children's Palace/MDW Transport/Price's Grocery/White Construction/Shelly's Hot Styles/Mulch Madness/James Medical Equipment/Phillips Lanes & Restaurant sponsored, AMS powered, CJ Rayburn Monte Carlo for J&L Motorsports.
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
Heading into the Saturday night season finale at Florence Speedway, Tim Tungate held a slim 75-point advantage over Whitney McQueary and a narrow 80-point lead over Mike Jewell. Motor problems during qualifying left Tungate with no choice but to pull out the backup car and start from the rear of his heat. Meanwhile, McQueary took advantage of Tungate's misfortune and won his heat race, earning him a top six starting spot for the 50-lap A-Main. Jewell finished fourth in his heat, and had to transfer to the feature via a runner-up finish in his B-Main. Tungate's night of hard luck continued when he was caught up in a lap one accident of his B-Main, forcing his crew to work frantically to get the car ready in time for the feature, in which Tungate had to use a provisional to start.
With the A-Main on the track, McQueary rolled off from the 3rd starting position while Jewell would have to come from 21st and Tungate from 23rd. McQueary stayed in the top five until getting shuffled back on a lap 9 restart. Meanwhile, both Jewell and Tungate were methodically picking their way through the field. With McQueary falling back, and Jewell and Tungate moving up, the trio entertained fans on laps 13 and 14 running nose-to-tail in the 14th, 15th, and 16th positions on the track. Shortly thereafter, Tungate began to slip back as the Campbellsville, KY native pulled his ride into the infield and retired from the event with more mechanical problems.
After inching past McQueary, Jewell quietly worked his way into the top ten by lap 20. As McQueary held his own just outside the top ten, Jewell moved into 8th on lap 28 and scooted into 7th on lap 33. Needing to gain just one more position to claim the title outright, the Scottsburg, IN veteran danced door-to-door with Brad Neat for 6th with just ten laps to go. Falling back in line behind Neat, Jewell would stay there until the finish.
When the checkered flag waved on the 50-lap A-Main, Jewell was crossed the stripe in 7th, McQueary 12th, and Tungate's DNF garnered him a 21st on the final rundown.
In the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series, drivers are given two "throw-aways" in which the series tosses out the drivers two worst finishes. When the final points were tallied, a storied, record-breaking season saw Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate tied atop the standings with 3495 points each with McQueary just 60 points back in third. Using wins as a tie breaker, Jewell and Tungate were even again, as each driver cashed in one first-place paycheck during the course of the season. Therefore, Mike Jewell and Tim Tungate have been declared the 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Co-Champions.
The hottest driver on the tour at the close of the year, Scottsburg, IN veteran Mike Jewell finished the season with five straight finishes of seventh or better. "The Scottsburg Express" had one O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series win on the season which came on June 18th at the Richmond Raceway. The MPC Motorsports #9 is a Bullock powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo sponsored by Southern Indiana Drilling, Morgan Foods, Stephens Oil, K.P. Radio Sales & Service, Shelton Angus Farms, Scott Co Tire, Remax, Pruett's Auto Repair, Advanced Racing Suspensions, and PBM Performance Products.
Campbellsville, KY native Tim Tungate's consistent finishes help him nab a share of 2005 Championship. After a win on July 23rd at Richmond Raceway's Butterball Wooldridge Memorial, a 7th place nod on August 6th at Soggy Bottom, and a runner-up finish on September 2nd at Mountain Motor, Tungate was able to pull ahead of Whitney McQueary into the lead of the season-long points battle. Tungate held on to the top spot after a pair of top five finishes at 201 and Bluegrass in the month of September. "Stone Cold", as he's dubbed, drives the Guardian Mortgage/Ancil Reynolds RV/J&L Title/ABC Child Care/Cox Properties/Children's Palace/MDW Transport/Price's Grocery/White Construction/Shelly's Hot Styles/Mulch Madness/James Medical Equipment/Phillips Lanes & Restaurant sponsored, AMS powered, CJ Rayburn Monte Carlo for J&L Motorsports.
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
