Junction City, KY-August 1, 2008- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions made its third visit of the 2008 season to Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY on Friday evening and Robbie Blair of Titusville, PA would score his first-ever series victory in his first trip to “The Pond” in the event co-sanctioned with the Independent Racing Series. The victory was worth $5,000 in the 6th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial event for the driver better known as the “Titusville Terror”.
The win by Blair made him the 7th different series winner for 2008, while making him the 52nd different winner in series history. The win by Blair would come behind the wheel of his Bossard’s Auto Parts/Speciality Products/Maloney Mold and Tool/Armstrong Lumber sponsored #won11 Rocket Chassis, Draime Race Engines powered machine.
Victor Lee of Stanford, KY would take runner-up honors in the event in the Kentucky’s Best/ADO’s Auto Parts sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car, while Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN would claim a third place finish in his Jones Core/Group Metal Recycling sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car. Michael England of Glasgow, KY would take fourth place honors in his Young Oil Corportation/Belterra Casino and Resort sponsored Bloomquist Race Car, with Dustin Linville of Lancaster, KY completing the top five in the Barnes Family Dentistry/Heritage Closing Agency sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car.
The remainder of the top ten at the finish would be Jerry Rice, Jason Feger, Jason Keltner, Shon Flanery, and Tyrel Todd. The event would be slowed by five caution flags and take 41 minutes and 12 seconds to complete.
Robbie Blair would take the lead at the start of the 50 lap main event, with Dustin Linville, Victor Lee, Jordan Bland, and Jerry Rice giving chase. Lap 2 would see Johnny Wheeler go to fifth. Blair would begin to open his lead a bit by lap five, while Linville and Lee waged an entertaining battle for second. Bland and Wheeler would begin to mix it up for fourth on lap 7, while Blair continued to stretch his lead. The first caution of the event would fly on lap 11 when Ricky Arms would slow on the backstretch with body and suspension damage on his mount, ending his evening.
The Delaware double-file restart would see Blair continue to hold the lead, while Lee would work pass Linville on the outside of turn two for second, with Michael England grabbing fifth from Wheeler. Wheeler would slidejob his way back to fourth on lap 12, after Bland slipped and lost a couple of positions. But England would return the favor with a slider of his own take fourth back from Wheeler on lap 13. As Blair again opened his lead, Lee and Linville would rekindle their battle for second, with Lee holding off Linville for the time being, as the caution would appear again on lap 21 when Mike Jewell would roll his unit to stop on the backchute, exiting turn two. The attempted restart would have the caution flying again as Tyrel Todd and Buzz Williams looped their mount as the green flag would being displayed to the field.
With action again back underway, Linville would retake second and Don O’Neal would slidejob his way to fifth, only to see the caution wave again one circuit later for a slowed David Webb on the frontchute. This restart would have Blair still out front, while Lee would drive back around Linville for second, with O’Neal firing past Linville as well to take third on the same trip, with Mike Marlar going to fifth past England as well. England would return a slidejob in turn four on lap 24 to reclaim the fifth position, as Blair continued his steady run at the point.
The front five would remain the same as race leader Blair would begin to work slower traffic on lap 33, with Lee closing up on Blair’s rear bumper on lap 34. Bland began to flex his muscle again and would challenge England for fifth on lap 35, as the leaders would in heavy traffic on lap 36. With the front pair of Blair and Lee clear of traffic by lap 38, Bland would slidejob past Linville for fourth and set his sights on third place O’Neal.
While Blair continued his stellar performance at the point, Bland would turn up the wick on O’Neal, with the duo trading slidejobs on lap 40, but O’Neal would win this battle after Bland would roll to the infield with mechanical problems on lap 45. The final caution would wave on lap 48 when sixth running Mike Marlar would stop in turn one with right front suspension damage on his mount. The restart would be single (less than five laps remaining) and Blair would motor away, with Lee in second and O’Neal third. England would slide by Linville as the field took the white flag and would hang on for fourth, while Linville would finish in the fifth spot.
In preliminary action, Jordan Bland was the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 34 entries with a lap of 14.091 seconds. Heat race checkered flags went to Jason Keltner in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Johnny Wheeler in K&N Performance Engineering heat two, Michael England in Graphic Impressions heat three, and Rob Blair in Real Racing Wheels heat four. Ricky Arms and Chris Combs would win the B-Main events, while Linville would claim the Pole Dash. Tim Tungate and Mike Jewell earned series provisional starts, while Aaron Hatton was the track provisional.
The next event for the Super Late Model division of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will be on Saturday August 2 at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY for the 6th Annual My Old Kentucky Home Shootout. The event will pay $5,000 to win and will be co-sanctioned with the Findlay, OH based Independent Racing Series group.
The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series sanctions regional Super Late Model events at tracks in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee. For more information about America’s most competitive regional racing series, visit the series webpage on the world wide web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 762-1606 or (502) 931-5068.
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Division
Ponderosa Speedway-Junction City, Kentucky-August 1, 2008
Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Jordan Bland 14.091
Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1(Top 4 Advance)- Jason Keltner, Jason Feger, Jordan Bland, Jerry Rice, Zach Carney, Tyrel Todd, Aaron Hatton, Brad Hall, Mike Jewell
K&N Peformance Engineering Heat #2 (Top 4 Advance)- Johnny Wheeler, Victor Lee, Eric Wells, Michael Chilton, Ricky Arms, D.J. Wells, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Larry Gray (DNS-Arnie Fields)
Graphic Impressions Heat #3 (Top 4 Advance)- Michael England, Don O’Neal, Brad Neat, Dustin Linville, Buzz Williams, David Webb, Jake Henry, Royce McGowan
Real Racing Wheels Heat #4 (Top 4 Advance)- Robbie Blair, Shon Flanery, Rick Aukland, Mike Marlar, Chris Combs, Duane Chamberlain, Tim Tungate, Anthony Ferguson
B-Main #1 (Top 3 Advance)- Ricky Arms, Tyrel Todd, Zach Carney, Aaron Hatton, D.J. Wells, Larry Gray, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Mike Jewell, Brad Hall (DNS-Arnie Fields)
Pole Dash- Dustin Linville, Robbie Blair, Victor Lee, Jerry Rice, Jordan Bland
B-Main #2 (Top 3 Advance)- Chris Combs, Buzz Williams, David Webb, Royce McGowan, Duane Chamberlain, Anthony Ferguson, Jake Henry, Tim Tungate
Series Provisionals- Tim Tungate, Mike Jewell
Track Provisional- Aaron Hatton
6th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial O’Reilly A-Main- Robbie Blair, Victor Lee, Don O’Neal, Michael England, Dustin Linville, Jerry Rice, Jason Feger, Jason Keltner, Shon Flanery, Tyrel Todd, Aaron Hatton, Johnny Wheeler, Brad Neat, Chris Combs, David Webb, Buzz Williams, Eric Wells, Zach Carney, Tim Tungate, Rick Aukland, Mike Marlar, Jordan Bland, Mike Jewell, Ricky Arms, Michael Chilton
Total Entries- 34
Lap Leaders- 1 (Blair 1-50)
Cautions- 5 (Laps 11, 21, 21 restart, 22, 48)
Red Flags- None
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Aaron Hatton (Started 25th-Finished 11th-Advanced 14 positions)
Drive Smart Kentucky Move of the Race- Jordan Bland (slidejob pass of Mike Marlar on lap 28)
Time of Race- 41 minutes, 12 seconds
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Point Standings (after August 1, 2008)
1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY)- 3,367
2. Tyrel Todd (Science Hill, KY)- 2,736
3. David Webb (Nicholasville, KY)- 2,574
4. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY- 2,568
5. Eric Wells (Hazard, KY)- 2,426 ®
6. Zach Carney (Mooresville, IN)- 2,340 ®
7. Larry Gray (Lexington, KY)- 2,254 ®
8. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)- 1,966
9. Chris Combs (Isom, KY)- 1,944
10. Royce McGowan (Faubush, KY)- 1,867 ®
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule of Events:
August 2- Bluegrass Speedway (Bardstown, KY)- 6th Annual My Old Kentucky Home Shootout- $5,000 to win (co-sanctioned with Independent Racing Series)
August 16- Brownstown Speedway (Brownstown, IN)- 4th Annual Hall of Fame Classic- $4,000 to win
August 29- Mountain Motor Speedway (Isom, KY)- $3,000 to win
August 30- 201 Speedway (Sitka, KY)- $5,000 to win
September 19- Ponderosa Speedway (Junction City, KY)- $5,000 to win (Outdoor Channel Television Race)
2008 O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors:
O'Reilly Auto Parts - Title Sponsor and "Official Auto Parts Retailer” of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Max Brake- “Official Trailer Brakes” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
CarbonX- “Official Flame Shielding Fabric” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Health PMO- “Official Health Care Company” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Graphic Impressions- Presenting Sponsor and “Official Souvenir and Merchandise Vendor” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Bob Hook Chevrolet of Louisville- “Official Auto Dealership” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Total Lubricants- “Official Oil and Lubricant” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Other O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series 2008 Series Supporters Include: American Race Tires, C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Curtis Signs, Cruise With The Champions, Double H Race Fabrication, Drive Smart Kentucky, DT52 Photos, Honda of Prestonsburg, Hoosier Race Tires, Kentucky’s Best Racing, K&N Performance Engineering, PPM Racing Products, Racing Optics, Real Racing Wheels, Trailer Parts and Service, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply
The win by Blair made him the 7th different series winner for 2008, while making him the 52nd different winner in series history. The win by Blair would come behind the wheel of his Bossard’s Auto Parts/Speciality Products/Maloney Mold and Tool/Armstrong Lumber sponsored #won11 Rocket Chassis, Draime Race Engines powered machine.
Victor Lee of Stanford, KY would take runner-up honors in the event in the Kentucky’s Best/ADO’s Auto Parts sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car, while Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN would claim a third place finish in his Jones Core/Group Metal Recycling sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car. Michael England of Glasgow, KY would take fourth place honors in his Young Oil Corportation/Belterra Casino and Resort sponsored Bloomquist Race Car, with Dustin Linville of Lancaster, KY completing the top five in the Barnes Family Dentistry/Heritage Closing Agency sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car.
The remainder of the top ten at the finish would be Jerry Rice, Jason Feger, Jason Keltner, Shon Flanery, and Tyrel Todd. The event would be slowed by five caution flags and take 41 minutes and 12 seconds to complete.
Robbie Blair would take the lead at the start of the 50 lap main event, with Dustin Linville, Victor Lee, Jordan Bland, and Jerry Rice giving chase. Lap 2 would see Johnny Wheeler go to fifth. Blair would begin to open his lead a bit by lap five, while Linville and Lee waged an entertaining battle for second. Bland and Wheeler would begin to mix it up for fourth on lap 7, while Blair continued to stretch his lead. The first caution of the event would fly on lap 11 when Ricky Arms would slow on the backstretch with body and suspension damage on his mount, ending his evening.
The Delaware double-file restart would see Blair continue to hold the lead, while Lee would work pass Linville on the outside of turn two for second, with Michael England grabbing fifth from Wheeler. Wheeler would slidejob his way back to fourth on lap 12, after Bland slipped and lost a couple of positions. But England would return the favor with a slider of his own take fourth back from Wheeler on lap 13. As Blair again opened his lead, Lee and Linville would rekindle their battle for second, with Lee holding off Linville for the time being, as the caution would appear again on lap 21 when Mike Jewell would roll his unit to stop on the backchute, exiting turn two. The attempted restart would have the caution flying again as Tyrel Todd and Buzz Williams looped their mount as the green flag would being displayed to the field.
With action again back underway, Linville would retake second and Don O’Neal would slidejob his way to fifth, only to see the caution wave again one circuit later for a slowed David Webb on the frontchute. This restart would have Blair still out front, while Lee would drive back around Linville for second, with O’Neal firing past Linville as well to take third on the same trip, with Mike Marlar going to fifth past England as well. England would return a slidejob in turn four on lap 24 to reclaim the fifth position, as Blair continued his steady run at the point.
The front five would remain the same as race leader Blair would begin to work slower traffic on lap 33, with Lee closing up on Blair’s rear bumper on lap 34. Bland began to flex his muscle again and would challenge England for fifth on lap 35, as the leaders would in heavy traffic on lap 36. With the front pair of Blair and Lee clear of traffic by lap 38, Bland would slidejob past Linville for fourth and set his sights on third place O’Neal.
While Blair continued his stellar performance at the point, Bland would turn up the wick on O’Neal, with the duo trading slidejobs on lap 40, but O’Neal would win this battle after Bland would roll to the infield with mechanical problems on lap 45. The final caution would wave on lap 48 when sixth running Mike Marlar would stop in turn one with right front suspension damage on his mount. The restart would be single (less than five laps remaining) and Blair would motor away, with Lee in second and O’Neal third. England would slide by Linville as the field took the white flag and would hang on for fourth, while Linville would finish in the fifth spot.
In preliminary action, Jordan Bland was the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 34 entries with a lap of 14.091 seconds. Heat race checkered flags went to Jason Keltner in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Johnny Wheeler in K&N Performance Engineering heat two, Michael England in Graphic Impressions heat three, and Rob Blair in Real Racing Wheels heat four. Ricky Arms and Chris Combs would win the B-Main events, while Linville would claim the Pole Dash. Tim Tungate and Mike Jewell earned series provisional starts, while Aaron Hatton was the track provisional.
The next event for the Super Late Model division of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will be on Saturday August 2 at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY for the 6th Annual My Old Kentucky Home Shootout. The event will pay $5,000 to win and will be co-sanctioned with the Findlay, OH based Independent Racing Series group.
The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series sanctions regional Super Late Model events at tracks in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee. For more information about America’s most competitive regional racing series, visit the series webpage on the world wide web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 762-1606 or (502) 931-5068.
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Division
Ponderosa Speedway-Junction City, Kentucky-August 1, 2008
Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Jordan Bland 14.091
Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1(Top 4 Advance)- Jason Keltner, Jason Feger, Jordan Bland, Jerry Rice, Zach Carney, Tyrel Todd, Aaron Hatton, Brad Hall, Mike Jewell
K&N Peformance Engineering Heat #2 (Top 4 Advance)- Johnny Wheeler, Victor Lee, Eric Wells, Michael Chilton, Ricky Arms, D.J. Wells, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Larry Gray (DNS-Arnie Fields)
Graphic Impressions Heat #3 (Top 4 Advance)- Michael England, Don O’Neal, Brad Neat, Dustin Linville, Buzz Williams, David Webb, Jake Henry, Royce McGowan
Real Racing Wheels Heat #4 (Top 4 Advance)- Robbie Blair, Shon Flanery, Rick Aukland, Mike Marlar, Chris Combs, Duane Chamberlain, Tim Tungate, Anthony Ferguson
B-Main #1 (Top 3 Advance)- Ricky Arms, Tyrel Todd, Zach Carney, Aaron Hatton, D.J. Wells, Larry Gray, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Mike Jewell, Brad Hall (DNS-Arnie Fields)
Pole Dash- Dustin Linville, Robbie Blair, Victor Lee, Jerry Rice, Jordan Bland
B-Main #2 (Top 3 Advance)- Chris Combs, Buzz Williams, David Webb, Royce McGowan, Duane Chamberlain, Anthony Ferguson, Jake Henry, Tim Tungate
Series Provisionals- Tim Tungate, Mike Jewell
Track Provisional- Aaron Hatton
6th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial O’Reilly A-Main- Robbie Blair, Victor Lee, Don O’Neal, Michael England, Dustin Linville, Jerry Rice, Jason Feger, Jason Keltner, Shon Flanery, Tyrel Todd, Aaron Hatton, Johnny Wheeler, Brad Neat, Chris Combs, David Webb, Buzz Williams, Eric Wells, Zach Carney, Tim Tungate, Rick Aukland, Mike Marlar, Jordan Bland, Mike Jewell, Ricky Arms, Michael Chilton
Total Entries- 34
Lap Leaders- 1 (Blair 1-50)
Cautions- 5 (Laps 11, 21, 21 restart, 22, 48)
Red Flags- None
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Aaron Hatton (Started 25th-Finished 11th-Advanced 14 positions)
Drive Smart Kentucky Move of the Race- Jordan Bland (slidejob pass of Mike Marlar on lap 28)
Time of Race- 41 minutes, 12 seconds
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Point Standings (after August 1, 2008)
1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY)- 3,367
2. Tyrel Todd (Science Hill, KY)- 2,736
3. David Webb (Nicholasville, KY)- 2,574
4. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY- 2,568
5. Eric Wells (Hazard, KY)- 2,426 ®
6. Zach Carney (Mooresville, IN)- 2,340 ®
7. Larry Gray (Lexington, KY)- 2,254 ®
8. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)- 1,966
9. Chris Combs (Isom, KY)- 1,944
10. Royce McGowan (Faubush, KY)- 1,867 ®
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule of Events:
August 2- Bluegrass Speedway (Bardstown, KY)- 6th Annual My Old Kentucky Home Shootout- $5,000 to win (co-sanctioned with Independent Racing Series)
August 16- Brownstown Speedway (Brownstown, IN)- 4th Annual Hall of Fame Classic- $4,000 to win
August 29- Mountain Motor Speedway (Isom, KY)- $3,000 to win
August 30- 201 Speedway (Sitka, KY)- $5,000 to win
September 19- Ponderosa Speedway (Junction City, KY)- $5,000 to win (Outdoor Channel Television Race)
2008 O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors:
O'Reilly Auto Parts - Title Sponsor and "Official Auto Parts Retailer” of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Max Brake- “Official Trailer Brakes” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
CarbonX- “Official Flame Shielding Fabric” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Health PMO- “Official Health Care Company” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Graphic Impressions- Presenting Sponsor and “Official Souvenir and Merchandise Vendor” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Bob Hook Chevrolet of Louisville- “Official Auto Dealership” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Total Lubricants- “Official Oil and Lubricant” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Other O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series 2008 Series Supporters Include: American Race Tires, C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Curtis Signs, Cruise With The Champions, Double H Race Fabrication, Drive Smart Kentucky, DT52 Photos, Honda of Prestonsburg, Hoosier Race Tires, Kentucky’s Best Racing, K&N Performance Engineering, PPM Racing Products, Racing Optics, Real Racing Wheels, Trailer Parts and Service, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply
