Shirley’s Red-Hot Summer Continues With Triumph In Friday’s MARS/UMP Clash ‘USA World 50’ At Paducah International Raceway
PADUCAH , KY – Sept. 15, 2006 – The most spectacular summer of Brian Shirley’s racing career rolled on Friday night at Paducah International Raceway.
Shirley scored his ninth victory in a two-month span, leading from flag-to-flag to capture the Mid-American Racing Series/United Midwestern Promoters Clash ‘USA World 50.’
The budding 25-year-old star from Chatham , Ill. , earned $6,000 for his performance in the prestigious event, which for decades was a signature race at PIR but has been off the three-eighths-mile oval’s schedule in recent years. Track owners Kenny Schrader, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bob Sargent, who combined to purchase and rebuild the facility in November 2005, decided to bring back the historic 50-lapper this year and run it in memory of well-known regional racing personalities Bob Memmer and Wayne Coakley.
Shirley’s triumph was the second of his career in both MARS competition and at PIR. All those wins have come this year.
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling to get on a roll like this,” said Shirley, who was winless in 2006 until breaking through on July 15 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. “I didn’t think I’d ever get a string of wins going, but it’s happening.”
Steering the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel Rayburn No. 3s owned by longtime St. Louis-area motorsports supporter Ed Petroff, Shirley was flawless from start to finish in the final co-sanctioned MARS/UMP show of the season. He grabbed the lead from his pole starting spot at the initial green flag and never looked back.
Shirley crossed the finish line nearly a half-straightaway ahead of three-time MARS champion Bill Frye of Greenbriar , Ark. , who started on the outside pole and ran in the runner-up spot for the entire distance.
Terry English of Benton , Ky. , started and finished third, a couple car lengths behind Frye. PIR regular Johnny Tindal of Paducah , Ky. , improved one position to place fourth, and Wendell Wallace of Batesville , Ark. , advanced from the 13th starting spot to complete the top five.
Shirley entered the night’s action extremely confident he could continue his hot streak – not a surprise, considering he’s been so stout in his PIR appearances this season. He led the track’s Tri-Track Challenge and UMP Summernationals events earlier this year before absorbing tough defeats, and on Aug. 24 he scored his first-ever win at Paducah in a NASCAR Night dirt Late Model special.
“I felt like if I just went out there and ran my race, I could win the race,” bottom-lined Shirley. “I knew I was gonna have a good car after how we did here last month. We kinda checked out on ‘em that night, and basically based our setup tonight off of that.”
Shirley hit it on the nose again. He simply perched his car in Paducah ’s upper groove and controlled the race, which was slowed by five caution flags.
“I just rolled it in nice and easy around the top,” said Shirley. “The car just drove itself.”
The race’s final caution flag, on lap 45 for a flat left-rear tire on top-10 runner Ryan Dauber’s car, got Shirley’s attention because he had “paid attention to the scoreboard” and knew Frye was still lurking behind him. But he handled the restart with a veteran’s expertise.
“At the end I got a little tense because I knew it was five-to-go, and you always hate to see a restart,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve raced against great drivers like Frye, Shannon Babb and Billy Moyer, so I feel like I’m capable of running with them on any given night.
“You know they’re respectable drivers and they’re gonna run you clean, so you don’t have to worry about them doing anything dirty to you.”
Frye, 45, had no answer for Shirley’s speed.
“He was pretty good,” said Frye, who drove a GRT car. “He was gonna have to get hung up (in lapped traffic) to give me a chance.”
A second-place finish helped Frye extend his MARS points lead to 64 markers over fellow three-time tour champ Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., who salvaged a sixth-place finish despite losing the right-rear window on his car when he clipped DuQuoin, Ill., racer Scott Ford’s spinning machine in turn four on the sixth lap.
Moving closer to another title was good enough for Frye, who didn’t want to risk pushing his car too hard after it sustained some damage early in the race.
“I ran over Joey Mack’s caliper after he lost a wheel (on lap two), and I think it bent my rack because it hit the cross-member,” reported Frye, who was also the runner-up when Shirley recorded his first career MARS win on Aug. 12 at I-55 Raceway. “My front end never felt right after that, so I didn’t have the confidence to run that cushion like (Shirley) did. I think I could’ve been faster up there, but the front end just didn’t feel right, so I decided I’d rather finish than finish in the wall.”
Frye, who also carries sponsorship from Petroff Towing, was impressed by Shirley’s high-side acumen. He saw Shirley’s years as a flat-track motorcycle racer shining through as he forcefully slid around the high-banked speedway.
“I was watching him run that up there,” said Frye, “and I thought to myself, Now I can see how he ran (against) the hay bales on a motorcycle on the mile (dirt tracks).”
Contenders who fell by the wayside during the ‘USA World 50’ included two-time defending UMP Summernationals champion Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who raced as high as sixth before he retired on lap 24 because broken body braces left his car with handling problems; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who was ready to crack the top 10 when a right-rear flat tire put him out on lap 20; and third-place MARS points man Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark., who relinquished fifth place due to terminal engine woes on lap 30.
Forty-five cars entered the event, which was run before a healthy crowd.
With the passing-points system in place to set the top-16 feature starters, heat winners were Ford, Dauber, Kevin Cole of Buckner , Ill. , Tindal and Frye. Dane Dacus of Arlington , Tenn. , and Mars captured the B-Mains.
Two events remain on the 2006 MARS schedule: the Sept. 22-23 Larry Phillips Memorial at Missouri ’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway, and an Oct. 7 date at Bolivar ( Mo. ) Speedway .
MARS/UMP Clash Feature Finish (50 laps): 1. Brian Shirley, 2. Bill Frye, 3. Terry English, 4. Johnny Tindal, 5. Wendell Wallace, 6. Terry Phillips, 7. Randy Korte, 8. Jeff Floyd, 9. Kevin Cole, 10. Billy James, 11. Dane Dacus, 12. Steve Rushin, 13. Todd Hall, 14. Dillon Thompson, 15. Justin Wells, 16. Jordan Jones, 17. Ryan Dauber, 18. Scott Ford, 19. Jeff Taylor, 20. Michael Steele, 21. Rusty Griffaw, 22. Shannon Babb, 23. Jimmy Mars, 24. Joey Mack.
DNQ: Jack Sullivan, Patrick Sheltra, Billy Faust, Donnie Rollins, Royal Jones, Rod Reed, Billy Moyer, Tim Brown, Will Vaught, Randall Sweeney, Rodney Melvin, Joe Morris, Matt Liner, Tim Manville, Jeff Sloan, Jimmy Owens, Brandon McCormick, Michael Kloos, Billy Millikin, Scott Riggs, Kyle Monroe, Phil Walker.
MARS Points Standings (after Sept. 15): 1. Bill Frye 1,702; 2. Terry English 1,638; 3. Jeff Taylor 1,424; 4. Steve Rushin 1,337; 5. Jeff Floyd 1,328; 6. Justin Wells 1,323; 7. Billy James 1,301; 8. Will Vaught 1,287; 9. Dane Dacus 1,107; 10. Joey Mack 1,061; 11. Wendell Wallace 987; 12. Brandon McCormick 976; 13. Jordan Jones 938; 14. Jack Sullivan 736; 15. Leslie Essary 715.
Heat 1
1 1 F16 Scott Ford Duqoin , Il 0
2 2 33S Michael Steele Paduch , Ky 0
3 3 60J Jordan Jones - 0
4 4 18 Jack Sullivan - 0
5 6 23S Patrick Sheltra Indianatown , Fl 0
6 5 10 Justin Wells - 0
7 8 26 Billy Faust Lebanon , Il 0
8 7 14JR Steve Rushin - 0
9 10 5J Royal Jones Cave City, Ar 0
10 9 28DR Donnie Rollins Princton , Ky 0
Heat 2
1 2 64 Ryan Dauber Tonica , Il 0
2 8 96E Terry English Benton , Ky 0
3 3 88 Wendell Wallace - 0
4 4 47 Rod Reed Mayfield , Ky 0
5 1 5JR Billy James - 0
6 5 21 Billy Moyer Batesville , Ar 0
7 9 00K Randy Korte Highland , Il 0
8 7 1V Will Vaught - 0
9 6 T-14 Tim Brown Benton , Ky 0
Heat 3
1 1 81C Kevin Cole Bunker , Il 0
2 4 18B Shannon Babb Moweaqua , Il 0
3 2 75 Terry Phillips - 0
4 5 54 Dane Dacus - 0
5 3 182 Randall Sweeney Cliffy , Ky 0
6 9 35 Matt Liner Calvert City, Ky 0
7 6 16G Rusty Griffaw Festus , Mo 0
8 7 27M Rodney Melvin Logan , Il 0
9 8 83M Joe Morris Galatia , Il 0
Heat 4
1 4 7T Johnny Tindel Fulton , Ky 0
2 9 3BS Brian Shirley Chatham , Il 0
3 1 99 Todd Hall Charleston , Mo 0
4 6 97M Joey Mack - 0
5 8 28M Jimmy Mars Menomie , Wi 0
6 7 42 Brandon Mccormick - 0
7 2 33M Tim Manville Highland , Il 0
8 3 4GH Jeff Sloan West Frankfort, Il 0
9 5 20O Jimmy Owens Frankfort , Ky 0
Heat 5
1 5 66 Bill Frye - 0
2 8 99T Dillion Thompson Paduch , Ky 0
3 9 5T Jeff Taylor - 0
4 1 F1 Jeff Floyd - 0
5 3 12BM Billy Millikin Shawneetown , Il 0
6 4 81 Scott Riggs Harrisburg , Il 0
7 6 78M Kyle Monroe Salem , Il 0
8 7 2W Phil Walker Paduach , Ky 0
9 2 7K Michael Kloos Trenton , Mo 0
Semi #1
1 1 54 Dane Dacus - 0
2 3 F1 Jeff Floyd - 0
3 7 21 Billy Moyer Batesville , Ar 30
4 4 35 Matt Liner Calvert City, Ky 0
5 11 1V Will Vaught - 30
6 2 18 Jack Sullivan - 30
7 9 16G Rusty Griffaw Festus , Mo 0
8 6 42 Brandon Mccormick - 30
9 12 4GH Jeff Sloan West Frankfort, Il 0
10 13 5J Royal Jones Cave City, Ar 0
11 15 7K Michael Kloos Trenton , Mo 30
12 5 182 Randall Sweeney Cliffy , Ky 30
Semi #2
1 1 28M Jimmy Mars Menomie , Wi 0
2 4 5JR Billy James - 0
3 6 10 Justin Wells - 0
4 3 23S Patrick Sheltra Indianatown , Fl 0
5 2 47 Rod Reed Mayfield , Ky 0
6 8 26 Billy Faust Lebanon , Il 30
7 10 14JR Steve Rushin - 0
8 11 27M Rodney Melvin Logan , Il 30
9 9 33M Tim Manville Highland , Il 30
10 13 T-14 Tim Brown Benton , Ky 0
11 15 28DR Donnie Rollins Princton , Ky 0
12 5 12BM Billy Millikin Shawneetown , Il 0
Feature
1) Shirley
2) Frye
3) English
4) Tindal
5) Wallace
6) Phillips
7) Korte
8) Floyd
9) Cole
10) B. James
11) Dacus
12) Rushin
13) Hall
14) Thompson
15) Wells
16) Jones
17) Dauber
18) Ford
19) J. Taylor
20) Steele
21) Griffaw
22) Babb
23) Mars
24) Mack
PADUCAH , KY – Sept. 15, 2006 – The most spectacular summer of Brian Shirley’s racing career rolled on Friday night at Paducah International Raceway.
Shirley scored his ninth victory in a two-month span, leading from flag-to-flag to capture the Mid-American Racing Series/United Midwestern Promoters Clash ‘USA World 50.’
The budding 25-year-old star from Chatham , Ill. , earned $6,000 for his performance in the prestigious event, which for decades was a signature race at PIR but has been off the three-eighths-mile oval’s schedule in recent years. Track owners Kenny Schrader, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bob Sargent, who combined to purchase and rebuild the facility in November 2005, decided to bring back the historic 50-lapper this year and run it in memory of well-known regional racing personalities Bob Memmer and Wayne Coakley.
Shirley’s triumph was the second of his career in both MARS competition and at PIR. All those wins have come this year.
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling to get on a roll like this,” said Shirley, who was winless in 2006 until breaking through on July 15 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. “I didn’t think I’d ever get a string of wins going, but it’s happening.”
Steering the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel Rayburn No. 3s owned by longtime St. Louis-area motorsports supporter Ed Petroff, Shirley was flawless from start to finish in the final co-sanctioned MARS/UMP show of the season. He grabbed the lead from his pole starting spot at the initial green flag and never looked back.
Shirley crossed the finish line nearly a half-straightaway ahead of three-time MARS champion Bill Frye of Greenbriar , Ark. , who started on the outside pole and ran in the runner-up spot for the entire distance.
Terry English of Benton , Ky. , started and finished third, a couple car lengths behind Frye. PIR regular Johnny Tindal of Paducah , Ky. , improved one position to place fourth, and Wendell Wallace of Batesville , Ark. , advanced from the 13th starting spot to complete the top five.
Shirley entered the night’s action extremely confident he could continue his hot streak – not a surprise, considering he’s been so stout in his PIR appearances this season. He led the track’s Tri-Track Challenge and UMP Summernationals events earlier this year before absorbing tough defeats, and on Aug. 24 he scored his first-ever win at Paducah in a NASCAR Night dirt Late Model special.
“I felt like if I just went out there and ran my race, I could win the race,” bottom-lined Shirley. “I knew I was gonna have a good car after how we did here last month. We kinda checked out on ‘em that night, and basically based our setup tonight off of that.”
Shirley hit it on the nose again. He simply perched his car in Paducah ’s upper groove and controlled the race, which was slowed by five caution flags.
“I just rolled it in nice and easy around the top,” said Shirley. “The car just drove itself.”
The race’s final caution flag, on lap 45 for a flat left-rear tire on top-10 runner Ryan Dauber’s car, got Shirley’s attention because he had “paid attention to the scoreboard” and knew Frye was still lurking behind him. But he handled the restart with a veteran’s expertise.
“At the end I got a little tense because I knew it was five-to-go, and you always hate to see a restart,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve raced against great drivers like Frye, Shannon Babb and Billy Moyer, so I feel like I’m capable of running with them on any given night.
“You know they’re respectable drivers and they’re gonna run you clean, so you don’t have to worry about them doing anything dirty to you.”
Frye, 45, had no answer for Shirley’s speed.
“He was pretty good,” said Frye, who drove a GRT car. “He was gonna have to get hung up (in lapped traffic) to give me a chance.”
A second-place finish helped Frye extend his MARS points lead to 64 markers over fellow three-time tour champ Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., who salvaged a sixth-place finish despite losing the right-rear window on his car when he clipped DuQuoin, Ill., racer Scott Ford’s spinning machine in turn four on the sixth lap.
Moving closer to another title was good enough for Frye, who didn’t want to risk pushing his car too hard after it sustained some damage early in the race.
“I ran over Joey Mack’s caliper after he lost a wheel (on lap two), and I think it bent my rack because it hit the cross-member,” reported Frye, who was also the runner-up when Shirley recorded his first career MARS win on Aug. 12 at I-55 Raceway. “My front end never felt right after that, so I didn’t have the confidence to run that cushion like (Shirley) did. I think I could’ve been faster up there, but the front end just didn’t feel right, so I decided I’d rather finish than finish in the wall.”
Frye, who also carries sponsorship from Petroff Towing, was impressed by Shirley’s high-side acumen. He saw Shirley’s years as a flat-track motorcycle racer shining through as he forcefully slid around the high-banked speedway.
“I was watching him run that up there,” said Frye, “and I thought to myself, Now I can see how he ran (against) the hay bales on a motorcycle on the mile (dirt tracks).”
Contenders who fell by the wayside during the ‘USA World 50’ included two-time defending UMP Summernationals champion Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who raced as high as sixth before he retired on lap 24 because broken body braces left his car with handling problems; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who was ready to crack the top 10 when a right-rear flat tire put him out on lap 20; and third-place MARS points man Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark., who relinquished fifth place due to terminal engine woes on lap 30.
Forty-five cars entered the event, which was run before a healthy crowd.
With the passing-points system in place to set the top-16 feature starters, heat winners were Ford, Dauber, Kevin Cole of Buckner , Ill. , Tindal and Frye. Dane Dacus of Arlington , Tenn. , and Mars captured the B-Mains.
Two events remain on the 2006 MARS schedule: the Sept. 22-23 Larry Phillips Memorial at Missouri ’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway, and an Oct. 7 date at Bolivar ( Mo. ) Speedway .
MARS/UMP Clash Feature Finish (50 laps): 1. Brian Shirley, 2. Bill Frye, 3. Terry English, 4. Johnny Tindal, 5. Wendell Wallace, 6. Terry Phillips, 7. Randy Korte, 8. Jeff Floyd, 9. Kevin Cole, 10. Billy James, 11. Dane Dacus, 12. Steve Rushin, 13. Todd Hall, 14. Dillon Thompson, 15. Justin Wells, 16. Jordan Jones, 17. Ryan Dauber, 18. Scott Ford, 19. Jeff Taylor, 20. Michael Steele, 21. Rusty Griffaw, 22. Shannon Babb, 23. Jimmy Mars, 24. Joey Mack.
DNQ: Jack Sullivan, Patrick Sheltra, Billy Faust, Donnie Rollins, Royal Jones, Rod Reed, Billy Moyer, Tim Brown, Will Vaught, Randall Sweeney, Rodney Melvin, Joe Morris, Matt Liner, Tim Manville, Jeff Sloan, Jimmy Owens, Brandon McCormick, Michael Kloos, Billy Millikin, Scott Riggs, Kyle Monroe, Phil Walker.
MARS Points Standings (after Sept. 15): 1. Bill Frye 1,702; 2. Terry English 1,638; 3. Jeff Taylor 1,424; 4. Steve Rushin 1,337; 5. Jeff Floyd 1,328; 6. Justin Wells 1,323; 7. Billy James 1,301; 8. Will Vaught 1,287; 9. Dane Dacus 1,107; 10. Joey Mack 1,061; 11. Wendell Wallace 987; 12. Brandon McCormick 976; 13. Jordan Jones 938; 14. Jack Sullivan 736; 15. Leslie Essary 715.
Heat 1
1 1 F16 Scott Ford Duqoin , Il 0
2 2 33S Michael Steele Paduch , Ky 0
3 3 60J Jordan Jones - 0
4 4 18 Jack Sullivan - 0
5 6 23S Patrick Sheltra Indianatown , Fl 0
6 5 10 Justin Wells - 0
7 8 26 Billy Faust Lebanon , Il 0
8 7 14JR Steve Rushin - 0
9 10 5J Royal Jones Cave City, Ar 0
10 9 28DR Donnie Rollins Princton , Ky 0
Heat 2
1 2 64 Ryan Dauber Tonica , Il 0
2 8 96E Terry English Benton , Ky 0
3 3 88 Wendell Wallace - 0
4 4 47 Rod Reed Mayfield , Ky 0
5 1 5JR Billy James - 0
6 5 21 Billy Moyer Batesville , Ar 0
7 9 00K Randy Korte Highland , Il 0
8 7 1V Will Vaught - 0
9 6 T-14 Tim Brown Benton , Ky 0
Heat 3
1 1 81C Kevin Cole Bunker , Il 0
2 4 18B Shannon Babb Moweaqua , Il 0
3 2 75 Terry Phillips - 0
4 5 54 Dane Dacus - 0
5 3 182 Randall Sweeney Cliffy , Ky 0
6 9 35 Matt Liner Calvert City, Ky 0
7 6 16G Rusty Griffaw Festus , Mo 0
8 7 27M Rodney Melvin Logan , Il 0
9 8 83M Joe Morris Galatia , Il 0
Heat 4
1 4 7T Johnny Tindel Fulton , Ky 0
2 9 3BS Brian Shirley Chatham , Il 0
3 1 99 Todd Hall Charleston , Mo 0
4 6 97M Joey Mack - 0
5 8 28M Jimmy Mars Menomie , Wi 0
6 7 42 Brandon Mccormick - 0
7 2 33M Tim Manville Highland , Il 0
8 3 4GH Jeff Sloan West Frankfort, Il 0
9 5 20O Jimmy Owens Frankfort , Ky 0
Heat 5
1 5 66 Bill Frye - 0
2 8 99T Dillion Thompson Paduch , Ky 0
3 9 5T Jeff Taylor - 0
4 1 F1 Jeff Floyd - 0
5 3 12BM Billy Millikin Shawneetown , Il 0
6 4 81 Scott Riggs Harrisburg , Il 0
7 6 78M Kyle Monroe Salem , Il 0
8 7 2W Phil Walker Paduach , Ky 0
9 2 7K Michael Kloos Trenton , Mo 0
Semi #1
1 1 54 Dane Dacus - 0
2 3 F1 Jeff Floyd - 0
3 7 21 Billy Moyer Batesville , Ar 30
4 4 35 Matt Liner Calvert City, Ky 0
5 11 1V Will Vaught - 30
6 2 18 Jack Sullivan - 30
7 9 16G Rusty Griffaw Festus , Mo 0
8 6 42 Brandon Mccormick - 30
9 12 4GH Jeff Sloan West Frankfort, Il 0
10 13 5J Royal Jones Cave City, Ar 0
11 15 7K Michael Kloos Trenton , Mo 30
12 5 182 Randall Sweeney Cliffy , Ky 30
Semi #2
1 1 28M Jimmy Mars Menomie , Wi 0
2 4 5JR Billy James - 0
3 6 10 Justin Wells - 0
4 3 23S Patrick Sheltra Indianatown , Fl 0
5 2 47 Rod Reed Mayfield , Ky 0
6 8 26 Billy Faust Lebanon , Il 30
7 10 14JR Steve Rushin - 0
8 11 27M Rodney Melvin Logan , Il 30
9 9 33M Tim Manville Highland , Il 30
10 13 T-14 Tim Brown Benton , Ky 0
11 15 28DR Donnie Rollins Princton , Ky 0
12 5 12BM Billy Millikin Shawneetown , Il 0
Feature
1) Shirley
2) Frye
3) English
4) Tindal
5) Wallace
6) Phillips
7) Korte
8) Floyd
9) Cole
10) B. James
11) Dacus
12) Rushin
13) Hall
14) Thompson
15) Wells
16) Jones
17) Dauber
18) Ford
19) J. Taylor
20) Steele
21) Griffaw
22) Babb
23) Mars
24) Mack
