CONCORD, NC – May 18, 2012 – Dewayne Kiefer of St. Genevieve, Mo., took over the top spot in the DIRTcar UMP Late Model national points standings while Devin Gilpin of Columbus, Ind., remained the UMP Modified national points leader after the completion of Week 16 action on the circuit.
Kiefer, 38, supplanted Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., to assume command of the Late Model points battle. The Show-Me State racer turned an eight-point deficit into a 12-point (938-926) lead over his 19-year-old rival.
Seeking his first-ever DIRTcar UMP Late Model national title, Kiefer’s performance record last weekend showed back-to-back second-place finishes on May 11 at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., and May 12 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo. He has started the month of May with four runner-up outings in a row.
Sheppard, meanwhile, finished second on May 11 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway and sixth on May 13 at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway.
Both Kiefer and Sheppard have 16 counted starts toward their 2012 DIRTcar UMP points totals, which are determined in the Late Model division using drivers’ best 35 finishes/points nights.
Gilpin, meanwhile, continued to set the pace in the UMP Modified national battle, but his edge over Nick Allen of Wheatfield, Ind., slipped from 61 to 46 points (1,196-1,150).
Gilpin, who has made 20 counted starts toward a UMP Modified points race that is determined using drivers’ best 25 finishes/points nights, recorded a fourth-place finish on May 11 at Moler Raceway Park in Williamsburg, Ohio, but slipped to 17th on May 12 at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind.
Allen, who has 17 sanctioned starts under his belt, emerged victorious on May 11 at Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway but managed only a 20th -place finish the following night at Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville, Ind.
Other divisional national points leaders through Week 16 are Evan Taylor of Woodlawn, Tenn. (Pro Late Models); Troy Clark of North Vernon, Ind. (Sportsman); Rob Lee of Sorento, Ill. (Limited Modifieds); A.J. Wright of Danville, Ill. (Stock Cars); Dennis Bringedahl of Twin Lake, Mich. (Factory Stocks); and Blayne Ellis of Evansville, Ind. (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.
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 May 13, 2012):
Late Models (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Dewayne Kiefer 16 938
2. Brandon Sheppard 16 926
3. Jim Moon 18 876
4. Kevin Weaver 14 852
5. Scott Schmitt 17 829
6. Bobby Pierce 15 822
7. Ryan Unzicker 14 780
8. Michael Kloos 11 745
9. Jason McBride 13 671
10. Chris Shelton 15 622
11. Frankie Martin 11 608
12. Mike Hammerle 14 596
13. Caleb Ashby 12 583
14. Chad Zobrist 10 582
15. Jon Henry 8 559
16. Mike Spatola III 11 552
17. Rusty Schlenk 10 545
18. Scott Bull 10 543
19. Terry English 10 534
20. Eric Spangler 10 523
UMP Modifieds (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Devin Gilpin 20 1196
2. Nick Allen 17 1150
3. Trent Young 21 1104
4. Jamie Lomax 17 972
5. Tyler Nicely 19 966
6. JR Mason 18 905
7. Collin Thirlby 18 856
8. Gary Cook Jr. 16 848
9. Ray Bollinger 17 842
10. Mike Harrison 15 825
11. Aaron Kleine 12 822
12. Jeff Leka 14 809
13. Kyle Bronson 12 808
14. Clint Demoss 17 803
15. Bradley Sterrett 13 765
16. Richie Lex 13 749
17. Dave Wietholder 13 744
18. Chad Evans 16 723
19. Kelby Simmons 14 722
20. Chad Kinder 12 708
Pro Late Models (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Evan Taylor 16 900
2. Clayton Miller 13 846
3. Mark Oller 12 703
4. Credence Mott 15 683
5. Michael Zimmerman 13 668
6. Aaron Heck 13 552
7. Cameron Brown 10 528
8. Bobby Martintoni 9 511
9. Evan Fink 9 490
10. Nick Bauman 7 446
Sportsman (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Troy Clark 12 755
2. Chad Jeseo 9 567
3. Kenny Carmichael Sr. 11 497
4. AJ Clark 11 438
5. Kenny Carmichael Jr. 11 418
5. Jon Ripperda 6 418
7. William Mcroberts 9 395
8. Shawn Diggs 6 390
9. Jay Corbin 6 367
10. Roy Bruce Jr. 7 362
Limited Modifieds (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Rob Lee 7 415
2. Haley Westerfield 10 406
3. Corey Kellems 9 367
4. Tracy Denby Jr. 5 365
5. Brett Page 8 355
6. Curt Loddeke 8 352
7. Tyler Deibert 5 320
8. Rick Johnson 5 311
9. John Wyble 5 286
10. Todd Bates 6 280
Stock Cars (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. AJ Wright 19 997
2. Darrel Dick 13 750
3. Dustin Rollins 11 685
4. Mike McKinney 10 657
5. Mike Hodges 11 640
6. Kassidi Gibbs 13 620
7. Frank Wright 15 596
8. John Farris 9 532
9. Brandon Kessinger 9 502
10. Jerrad Krick 8 498
10. Jeff Semmens 9 498
Factory Stocks (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Dennis Bringedahl 10 654
2. Stephen Fohne 11 648
3. Jake Hewitt 9 624
4. Dustin Mcclintock 12 603
5. Josh Sternberg 10 557
6. Mike Epplett 10 540
7. Dave Redman 10 532
8. Austin Isaak 10 520
8. Spike Grega 9 520
10. Josh Grabe 10 505
Sport Compacts (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Blayne Ellis 15 895
2. Jeremy Callahan 12 885
3. Vince Shehorn 13 811
4. Zach Bollinger 13 808
5. Jacob Rexing 12 803
6. Tyler Benson 12 753
7. Christian Lee 11 721
8. Lynn Lash 13 703
9. Michael Rittenberry 13 641
10. Evan Gaultney 12 609