By Roby Helm
MOORESVILLE, NC - May Madness continues for the Xtreme DirtCar Series with a return visit to Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY this Monday night for a 50-lap $10,000-to-win main event. It will be the first visit for the XDCS to PIR since 1999 when the series was known as the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series.
NASCAR Winston Cup driver Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO has indicated he will be racing with the Xtreme DirtCar Series at Paducah International Raceway on Monday night. The night before, Schrader will run 600 miles at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Having run with the XDCS in the past, Schrader knows the competition is tough.
PIR was a regular stop for the series from 1997 through 1999. The three winners of those events - Skip Arp of Georgetown, TN in 1997, 1999 series champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA in 1998, and 1997 series champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR in 1999 - return to the 3/8-mile after having recent success in XDCS action.
Arp posted a victory on April 26 at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, GA, while McDowell won the most recent XDCS event, his 30th career victory, on May 20 in West Liberty, IA. Moyer has posted a first and a second in his last two XDCS events, with his 30th career win coming on May 17 in Huron, SD. McDowell and Moyer are tied for second on the XDCS all-time win list.
There are many other of the nation's top dirt drivers heading for the far-western corner of Kentucky in an effort to add their names to the list of series winners at PIR. Monday's race will be the 13th event of the 2003 XDCS season, and the seventh of ten races in the month of May for the XDCS.
Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI heads the list as the XDCS point leader. Mars, with one win on the season leads Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL by 124 points. In the first 12 events of the 2003 XDCS season, Mars has not finished outside of the tenth spot.
Pearson, with one win this season, leads the battle for the second spot in the points chase with only 28 points separating the drivers in the second through sixth positions. Steve Francis of Ashland, KY is in the third spot, 12 points behind Pearson.
As an Honorary "Kentucky Colonel," Francis would like nothing better than to pick up his first series win of the season in his home state. Francis is only three points ahead of fourth-place Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA. Birkhofer is one of three multi-time XDCS winners this season with two victories.
The defending and two-time XDCS Champion Rick Eckert of York, PA is fifth in points, but first-place is still in his sights as he shoots for his unprecedented third straight title. Eckert leads the win list this season with three victories. Eckert is nine points behind Birkhofer and four points ahead of four-time series champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN.
Bloomquist, the all-time series win leader with 91 victories, is sixth in points with two wins this season. Bloomquist also leads the all-time series earnings list having pocketed over $1.6-million in prize money and awards since 1995. Other drivers in the XDCS Millionaire's Club are McDowell, Eckert and Wendell Wallace of Batesville, AR.
Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH is locked in a battle for the seventh spot with McDowell. Moran leads McDowell by 10 points. Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI is in the ninth spot in XDCS points with a 26-point lead over Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year point leader Matt Miller of Waterville, OH.
Other top entrants expected for Monday's race include Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV, Shane Tankersley of Morganton, GA, Jeff Smith of Dallas, NC, Randy Korte of Highland, IL, Terry English of Benton, KY, and Don O'Neal of Martinsville, IN.
For race day and ticket information call (270) 898-7469, or visit the Paducah International Raceway web site at www.racingcorner.com/pir/. Directions to PIR are to take I-24 to exit 11, then 0.4 miles south on Husband Rd. (S.R. 1954) , then 1.9 miles east on Lydon Rd. (S.R. 3075), then 1.3 miles south on Oaks (S.R. 450, then 0.9 miles west on Shemwell Lane.
MOORESVILLE, NC - May Madness continues for the Xtreme DirtCar Series with a return visit to Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY this Monday night for a 50-lap $10,000-to-win main event. It will be the first visit for the XDCS to PIR since 1999 when the series was known as the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series.
NASCAR Winston Cup driver Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO has indicated he will be racing with the Xtreme DirtCar Series at Paducah International Raceway on Monday night. The night before, Schrader will run 600 miles at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Having run with the XDCS in the past, Schrader knows the competition is tough.
PIR was a regular stop for the series from 1997 through 1999. The three winners of those events - Skip Arp of Georgetown, TN in 1997, 1999 series champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA in 1998, and 1997 series champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR in 1999 - return to the 3/8-mile after having recent success in XDCS action.
Arp posted a victory on April 26 at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, GA, while McDowell won the most recent XDCS event, his 30th career victory, on May 20 in West Liberty, IA. Moyer has posted a first and a second in his last two XDCS events, with his 30th career win coming on May 17 in Huron, SD. McDowell and Moyer are tied for second on the XDCS all-time win list.
There are many other of the nation's top dirt drivers heading for the far-western corner of Kentucky in an effort to add their names to the list of series winners at PIR. Monday's race will be the 13th event of the 2003 XDCS season, and the seventh of ten races in the month of May for the XDCS.
Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI heads the list as the XDCS point leader. Mars, with one win on the season leads Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL by 124 points. In the first 12 events of the 2003 XDCS season, Mars has not finished outside of the tenth spot.
Pearson, with one win this season, leads the battle for the second spot in the points chase with only 28 points separating the drivers in the second through sixth positions. Steve Francis of Ashland, KY is in the third spot, 12 points behind Pearson.
As an Honorary "Kentucky Colonel," Francis would like nothing better than to pick up his first series win of the season in his home state. Francis is only three points ahead of fourth-place Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA. Birkhofer is one of three multi-time XDCS winners this season with two victories.
The defending and two-time XDCS Champion Rick Eckert of York, PA is fifth in points, but first-place is still in his sights as he shoots for his unprecedented third straight title. Eckert leads the win list this season with three victories. Eckert is nine points behind Birkhofer and four points ahead of four-time series champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN.
Bloomquist, the all-time series win leader with 91 victories, is sixth in points with two wins this season. Bloomquist also leads the all-time series earnings list having pocketed over $1.6-million in prize money and awards since 1995. Other drivers in the XDCS Millionaire's Club are McDowell, Eckert and Wendell Wallace of Batesville, AR.
Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH is locked in a battle for the seventh spot with McDowell. Moran leads McDowell by 10 points. Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI is in the ninth spot in XDCS points with a 26-point lead over Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year point leader Matt Miller of Waterville, OH.
Other top entrants expected for Monday's race include Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV, Shane Tankersley of Morganton, GA, Jeff Smith of Dallas, NC, Randy Korte of Highland, IL, Terry English of Benton, KY, and Don O'Neal of Martinsville, IN.
For race day and ticket information call (270) 898-7469, or visit the Paducah International Raceway web site at www.racingcorner.com/pir/. Directions to PIR are to take I-24 to exit 11, then 0.4 miles south on Husband Rd. (S.R. 1954) , then 1.9 miles east on Lydon Rd. (S.R. 3075), then 1.3 miles south on Oaks (S.R. 450, then 0.9 miles west on Shemwell Lane.
