CONCORD, NC – June 17, 2011 – Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill. (Late Models) and Tim Hancock of Mt. Olive, Ill. (UMP Modifieds) maintained their respective DIRTcar UMP national points lead after Week 20 of the circuit’s 2011 season.
Unzicker, 28, was perfect in two starts last weekend, winning DIRTcar Late Model features on June 10 at Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway and June 11 at Macon (Ill.) Speedway. He ran his 2011 victory total to six and further extended his advantage in the national standings, ending Week 20 (UMP-sanctioned races contested through June 12) with a commanding 313-point lead (1,455-1,142) over Michael Kloos of Trenton, Ill.
The weekend sweep sent Unzicker into the heart of the ’11 schedule – the month-long DIRTcar Summer Nationals ‘Hell Tour’ that kicked off last night (June 15) at Kankakee – with plenty of momentum. The rising star plans to follow the entire series, which visits 25 tracks over a 32-day span.
Kloos, meanwhile, reached his highest point this season in the national Late Model standings, vaulting from fifth to second in a single week. His surge came on the strength of a triumph on June 10 at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill.
Another notable upward mover in the latest Late Model rankings was defending national champion Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., who picked up one spot to sit sixth. He scored his fifth win of 2011 on June 11 at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio.
Hancock remained atop the UMP Modified national standings for the second consecutive week. He was victorious on June 11 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., after finishing second the previous evening at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., extending his points lead from 53 to 58 markers (1,287-1,229) over Scott Weber of Festus, Mo.
The top two drivers in the UMP Modified went head-to-head twice last weekend. Weber had the upper hand on June 10 at Tri-City with a feature win, but he finished third in the following night’s feature at I-55.
DIRTcar UMP’s Pro Late Model national points ended up dead-locked after Week 20, with Credence Mott of Vienna, Ill., and Clayton Miller of Elkton, Ky., tied for the lead with 914 points apiece. Mott, who overtook Miller for the lead during Week 19, has made 16 UMP-sanctioned starts to Miller’s 15.
Other national points leaders in UMP-sanctioned divisions included Troy Clark of North Vernon, Ind. (Sportsman); Kentucky’s Jeff Lawson (Limited Modifieds); Nate Zimmer of Mattoon, Ill. (Stock Cars); Jake Hewitt of Troy, Ill. (Factory Stocks); and Bradley McGhee of Hopkinsville, Ky (Sport Compacts).
Log on to www.DirtCar.com for more information on DIRTcar Racing’s UMP circuit and to view complete points standings for all divisions, including the current State points rankings.
New for 2011, the weekly DIRTcar UMP points update is powered by www.MotorStats.com. DIRTcar’s affiliation with the Durham, N.C.-based Web site is providing fans and competitors a more timely and detailed look at the points standings. National and State points standings for all divisions are typically updated by Thursday each week, and new features allow visitors to click on each driver’s name to see a complete race-by-race review of their finishes to date.
DIRTcar Racing UMP National Points Standings (as of June 12, 2011):
Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Ryan Unzicker 23 1455
2. Michael Kloos 21 1142
3. Brandon Sheppard 20 1121
4. Brandon Thirlby 21 1091
5. Jason Feger 17 1082
6. Rusty Schlenk 16 1058
7. Mike Hammerle 22 1048
8. Dewayne Kiefer 22 1041
9. Mike Spatola III 17 977
10. Jeff Walston 20 957
11. Jon Henry 15 938
12. Scott Schmitt 20 933
13. Mike Schulte 18 883
14. Randy Korte 15 865
15. Bobby Pierce 17 861
16. Mark Voigt 13 807
17. Dillan White 17 800
18. Roger Brickler 17 756
19. Caleb Ashby 13 741
20. Frankie Martin 15 739
UMP Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Tim Hancock 21 1287
2. Scott Weber 21 1229
3. Randle Sweeney 20 1213
4. Dave Wietholder 23 1200
4. Jamie Lomax 21 1200
6. Brian Lynn 19 1136
6. Nick Allen 17 1136
8. Brett Korves 23 1133
9. Mike Harrison 18 1121
10. Jeff Mathews 17 1117
11. Dean Hoffman 18 1092
12. McKay Wenger 21 1080
13. Jay Ledford 20 1077
14. Clayton Miller 17 1064
15. Jeff Leka 17 1060
15. Dustin Isom 17 1060
17. Steve Lach 18 1036
18. Kelby Simmons 24 1016
19. Rusty Griffaw 17 1006
20. Gabe Menser 20 998
Pro Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Credence Mott 16 914
1. Clayton Miller 15 914
3. Evan Fink 15 905
4. Mark Oller 17 891
5. Nick Bauman 14 862
6. Randy Myers 15 826
7. Daniel Heck 19 820
8. Bobby Martintoni 16 778
9. Tait Davenport 12 695
10. Jerry Lierly 11 692
Sportsman (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Troy Clark 15 963
2. Nick Macklin 13 855
3. Dave Crawley Jr. 12 777
4. Dan Flessner 12 719
5. Jeremy Hines 11 686
6. Robbie Eilers 12 627
7. Dustin Mounce 12 615
8. Mark Schaefer 10 589
9. Alan Crowder 12 565
10. Blaise Hetznecker 11 556
Limited Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Jeff Lawson 17 843
2. Haley Westerfield 15 748
3. John Wyble 12 701
4. Johnny Holden 12 680
5. Clay Settles 13 652
6. Todd Bates 11 643
7. Christopher Geary 13 590
8. Howard Willis 8 565
9. Mark Anderson 9 534
10. Billy Hawes 9 444
Stock Cars (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Nate Zimmer 18 1102
2. Mike Hodges 14 1009
3. Fred Perry Jr. 14 852
4. Chuck Barnes Jr. 13 846
5. John Farris 13 815
5. Joeseph Hamm 14 815
7. Darrel Dick 13 762
8. Don Hilleary 13 716
9. Phillip Brown 12 680
10. Joe Brown 12 679
Factory Stocks (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Jake Hewitt 15 841
2. Tom Hughes 12 815
3. Rob Sternberg 12 789
4. Mike Epplett 14 766
5. Jeff Buss 13 711
6. Bobby McQueen 12 704
7. Dennis Bringedahl 12 691
8. Alan Peacock 10 685
9. Donnie Birdwell 11 621
10. Drue Bouwman 12 620
Sport Compacts (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Bradley McGhee 17 1088
2. Kenny Butterfield 17 1078
3. Jacob Rexing 16 983
4. Michael Rittenberry 15 957
5. Trevor Isaak 17 955
6. Jordan Suhre 17 922
7. Blayne Ellis 19 901
8. Jeremy Reed 17 854
9. Casey Feaster 14 847
10. Logan Brown 14 846