NORTH VERNON, IN (4/21/07) -- National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member Rick Aukland bested a star-studded field of 49 entries Friday night at the Twin Cities Raceway Park to notch his first ever win with the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. The Zanesville, OH veteran led all 40 laps on his way to cashing the $3000 first-place paycheck.
After six highly contested heat races, it would be Rick Aukland and Steve Barnett leading the field to the green with Aukland getting the early hole shot. Behind Aukland, Mike Marlar would grab second with Barnett falling to third followed by Victor Lee and Patrick Sheltra. Over the first several laps Marlar would pressure Aukland for the lead, ducking his nose under the #12 in the corners. A lap six caution for Ricky Arms would spoil the battle for the point.
On the restart, Aukland still had a rearview mirror full of Marlar as Lee darted ahead of Barnett to move into third. By lap nine, the front trio could have been covered with a blanket as, at times, Aukland, Marlar, and Lee were nearly three-wide for the top spot. Behind the leaders, the race for fifth was heating up with Sheltra fending off the challenges of Marty O'Neal, Bart Hartman, and Justin Rattliff.
A pair of lap 16 cautions would slow the pace and, on the second restart, 12th-starting Don O'Neal began to make his move. O'Neal would use the Delaware double-file restart to jump from 10th to 7th. The Martinsville, IN hotshoe didn't stop there as he would then go door-to-door with Rattliff and Hartman in a three-wide battle for 5th at the halfway point. "The Real Deal" would take the 5th spot and he didn't stop there. On lap 22 he powered past Barnett to grab 4th where he would set his sights on Lee. Just ahead of them, second-runner Mike Marlar would break a rear end, ending his night and bringing out a caution. On the restart, the same fate would befall upon 5th-running Barnett, as the yellow was displayed for the final time.
The 15 lap dash to the finish saw Aukland leading Lee, Don O'Neal, Rattliff, and Hartman back to the green. O'Neal would bolt ahead of Lee to take second and set his sights on race leader Aukland. Behind them, Rattliff and Hartman would dance for fourth with Rattliff eventually settling into the position with just ten laps to go. Over the final ten circuits, Rattliff would hound Lee in an entertaining battle for third.
But this all happened behind race leaders Aukland and O'Neal. With just six laps to go, Aukland put the lapped car of Chris Combs between himself and O'Neal. That buffer as well as Aukland's smooth, mistake-free driving was enough to allow him to go on and take the checkered flag, his very first with the nation's most competitive regional racing series. Aukland's Malcuit powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo carries sponsorship from K&E Trucking, Malcuit Racing Engines, Sweeney Services, and MasterSbilt Race Cars.
"Our weather back home hasn't been all that great so it's nice to actually have a good weekend to race!" Aukland joked in victory lane. "My car was really good all night and track really came around to my liking. When I first started racing, I wasn't very good on this kind of track, but after growing up racing on those tracks back in North Dakota, you learn really quickly how to adapt."
Second spot went to the hard charging Don O'Neal driving his Jay Dickens/Rayburn Monte Carlo sponsored by Jones Core and Hancock Core Supply. Stanford, KY's Victor Lee finished third in the Revel Motorsports, Budda Bert Transmission/Ado's Auto Parts sponsored Jay Dickens/Rayburn Grand Prix. Finishing fourth was Campbellsville, KY native Justin Rattliff in a Pro Power/Rayburn Monte Carlo sponsored by the Medicine Centre and Rattliff Motors. Zanesville, OH's Bart Hartman rounded out the top five in his Urgent Cash/Jarrett's Body Shop sponsored Cornett/Rocket GTO.
Of the 49 entries on hand for the event, Victor Lee set fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a quick lap of 14.44 and drew an "invert one" for the heats. Rick Aukland, Bart Hartman, Steve Barnett, Mike Marlar, David Webb, and Patrick Sheltra won the Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats while Cody Mahoney and Brad Neat won the Design 500 B-Mains.
The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts sanctions regional dirt track Late Model racing in and around the state of Kentucky. For more information on the nation's most competitive regional racing series, please visit our website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call our office at (859)433-5707.
RESULTS SUMMARY
Twin Cities Raceway Park
Vernon, IN
April 20, 2007
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Victor Lee/14.44
Mason Racin' Heat #1: Rick Aukland, Victor Lee, Freddy Smith, Tim Tungate, Shawn Negangard, Barry Doss, Doug Smith, Scott Graham, Mark Barber
Mason Racin' Heat #2: Bart Hartman, Justin Rattliff, Chris Combs, Doug Ault, Michael Chilton, Jason Jameson, Jesse Lay, Tim Prince
Mason Racin' Heat #3: Steve Barnett, Marty O'Neal, Jason Keltner, Cody Mahoney, Dean Moore, Steve Godsey, Tyrel Todd, Joe Janowski
Arizona Shirt Sports Heat #4: Mike Marlar, Jerry Rice, Scott James, Bobby Wolter Jr., Jeff Watson, Ted Nobbe, Dan Deaton, Bryan Barber
Arizona Shirt Sports Heat #5: David Webb, Rohn Moon, Greg Johnson, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Tory Collins, Joe Godsey, Colin Vaughn
Arizona Shirt Sports Heat #6: Patrick Sheltra, Don O'Neal, Ricky Arms, Brandon Kinzer, Shannon Reed, Bill Sheet, Wayne Chinn, Larry Greer
Design 500 B-Main #1: Cody Mahoney, Michael Chilton, Shawn Negangard, Doug Ault, Dean Moore, Barry Doss, Jason Jameson, Tyrel Todd, Tim Prince, Doug Smith, Steve Godsey, Joe Janowski, Jesse Lay, Mark Barber, Tim Tungate
Design 500 B-Main #2: Brad Neat, Brandon Kinzer, Mike Jewell, Bobby Wolter Jr., Wayne Chinn, Shannon Reed, Joe Godsey, Bill Sheets, Tory Collins, Jeff Watson, Ted Nobbe, Colin Vaughn, Dan Deaton, Brian Barber
O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: Rick Aukland, Don O'Neal, Victor Lee, Justin Ratliff, Bart Hartman, Marty O'Neal, Scott James, Patrick Sheltra, Jerry Rice, Jason Keltner, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Rohn Moon, Chris Combs, Steve Barnett, Mike Marlar, Greg Johnson, Tim Tungate, David Webb, Freddy Smith, Cody Mahoney, Ricky Arms
Race Statistics
Entries: 49
Lap Leaders: Aukland 1-40
Cautions: 6
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Don O'Neal (started 12th, finished 2nd)
Cruise With Champions Rookie of the Race: Jason Keltner
Series Provisionals: Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Points after Twin Cities
1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY) - 451
2. Jerry Rice (Verona, KY) - 437
3. Mike Marlar (Winfield, TN) - 378
4. Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 358
5. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 349
6. Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 332
7. Michael Chilton (Salvisa, KY) - 328
8. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 323
9. Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 322
10. Scott James (Bright, IN) - 317
Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Schedule
April 21 - Brownstown Speedway - $4000
April 27 - Ponderosa Speedway - $3000
April 28 - Bluegrass Speedway - $3000
May 12 - Tazewell Speedway - $4000
2nd Annual Kentucky Speedweek
May 27 - Portsmouth Raceway Park - $3000
May 28 - Bluegrass Speedway - $3000
May 29 - Richmond Raceway - $3000
May 30 - Rain Date
May 31 - Lake Cumberland Speedway - $3000
June 1 - Ponderosa Speedway - $3000
June 2 - Florence Speedway - $10,000 (Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series)
2007 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Sponsors
O'Reilly Auto Parts - Title Sponsor and "Official Auto Parts Retailer of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series"
Arizona Sport Shirts - Presenting Sponsor and "Official Souvenir Manufacturer & Vendor of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series"
Sunoco Race Fuels - "Official Race Fuel of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series"
2007 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Supporters Include: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Arizona Sport Shirts, Sunoco Race Fuels, DART Machinery, Drive Smart Kentucky, Lucas Oil Products, Hoosier Race Tires, American Race Tires, PPM Performance Products, Bazell Fuels, Cruise With the Champions, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, Racing Optics, Mason Racin', Design 500, Trailer Parts & Sales, Honda of Prestonsburg, Bullock Race Engines, CJ Rayburn Race Cars, Bert Transmissions, Rick Schwallie Photography, Double H Race Fab, DT52 Photos, and Real Wheels
Dustin Jarrett -- O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series (djarrett@battleofthebluegrass.com)
After six highly contested heat races, it would be Rick Aukland and Steve Barnett leading the field to the green with Aukland getting the early hole shot. Behind Aukland, Mike Marlar would grab second with Barnett falling to third followed by Victor Lee and Patrick Sheltra. Over the first several laps Marlar would pressure Aukland for the lead, ducking his nose under the #12 in the corners. A lap six caution for Ricky Arms would spoil the battle for the point.
On the restart, Aukland still had a rearview mirror full of Marlar as Lee darted ahead of Barnett to move into third. By lap nine, the front trio could have been covered with a blanket as, at times, Aukland, Marlar, and Lee were nearly three-wide for the top spot. Behind the leaders, the race for fifth was heating up with Sheltra fending off the challenges of Marty O'Neal, Bart Hartman, and Justin Rattliff.
A pair of lap 16 cautions would slow the pace and, on the second restart, 12th-starting Don O'Neal began to make his move. O'Neal would use the Delaware double-file restart to jump from 10th to 7th. The Martinsville, IN hotshoe didn't stop there as he would then go door-to-door with Rattliff and Hartman in a three-wide battle for 5th at the halfway point. "The Real Deal" would take the 5th spot and he didn't stop there. On lap 22 he powered past Barnett to grab 4th where he would set his sights on Lee. Just ahead of them, second-runner Mike Marlar would break a rear end, ending his night and bringing out a caution. On the restart, the same fate would befall upon 5th-running Barnett, as the yellow was displayed for the final time.
The 15 lap dash to the finish saw Aukland leading Lee, Don O'Neal, Rattliff, and Hartman back to the green. O'Neal would bolt ahead of Lee to take second and set his sights on race leader Aukland. Behind them, Rattliff and Hartman would dance for fourth with Rattliff eventually settling into the position with just ten laps to go. Over the final ten circuits, Rattliff would hound Lee in an entertaining battle for third.
But this all happened behind race leaders Aukland and O'Neal. With just six laps to go, Aukland put the lapped car of Chris Combs between himself and O'Neal. That buffer as well as Aukland's smooth, mistake-free driving was enough to allow him to go on and take the checkered flag, his very first with the nation's most competitive regional racing series. Aukland's Malcuit powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo carries sponsorship from K&E Trucking, Malcuit Racing Engines, Sweeney Services, and MasterSbilt Race Cars.
"Our weather back home hasn't been all that great so it's nice to actually have a good weekend to race!" Aukland joked in victory lane. "My car was really good all night and track really came around to my liking. When I first started racing, I wasn't very good on this kind of track, but after growing up racing on those tracks back in North Dakota, you learn really quickly how to adapt."
Second spot went to the hard charging Don O'Neal driving his Jay Dickens/Rayburn Monte Carlo sponsored by Jones Core and Hancock Core Supply. Stanford, KY's Victor Lee finished third in the Revel Motorsports, Budda Bert Transmission/Ado's Auto Parts sponsored Jay Dickens/Rayburn Grand Prix. Finishing fourth was Campbellsville, KY native Justin Rattliff in a Pro Power/Rayburn Monte Carlo sponsored by the Medicine Centre and Rattliff Motors. Zanesville, OH's Bart Hartman rounded out the top five in his Urgent Cash/Jarrett's Body Shop sponsored Cornett/Rocket GTO.
Of the 49 entries on hand for the event, Victor Lee set fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a quick lap of 14.44 and drew an "invert one" for the heats. Rick Aukland, Bart Hartman, Steve Barnett, Mike Marlar, David Webb, and Patrick Sheltra won the Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats while Cody Mahoney and Brad Neat won the Design 500 B-Mains.
The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts sanctions regional dirt track Late Model racing in and around the state of Kentucky. For more information on the nation's most competitive regional racing series, please visit our website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call our office at (859)433-5707.
RESULTS SUMMARY
Twin Cities Raceway Park
Vernon, IN
April 20, 2007
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Victor Lee/14.44
Mason Racin' Heat #1: Rick Aukland, Victor Lee, Freddy Smith, Tim Tungate, Shawn Negangard, Barry Doss, Doug Smith, Scott Graham, Mark Barber
Mason Racin' Heat #2: Bart Hartman, Justin Rattliff, Chris Combs, Doug Ault, Michael Chilton, Jason Jameson, Jesse Lay, Tim Prince
Mason Racin' Heat #3: Steve Barnett, Marty O'Neal, Jason Keltner, Cody Mahoney, Dean Moore, Steve Godsey, Tyrel Todd, Joe Janowski
Arizona Shirt Sports Heat #4: Mike Marlar, Jerry Rice, Scott James, Bobby Wolter Jr., Jeff Watson, Ted Nobbe, Dan Deaton, Bryan Barber
Arizona Shirt Sports Heat #5: David Webb, Rohn Moon, Greg Johnson, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Tory Collins, Joe Godsey, Colin Vaughn
Arizona Shirt Sports Heat #6: Patrick Sheltra, Don O'Neal, Ricky Arms, Brandon Kinzer, Shannon Reed, Bill Sheet, Wayne Chinn, Larry Greer
Design 500 B-Main #1: Cody Mahoney, Michael Chilton, Shawn Negangard, Doug Ault, Dean Moore, Barry Doss, Jason Jameson, Tyrel Todd, Tim Prince, Doug Smith, Steve Godsey, Joe Janowski, Jesse Lay, Mark Barber, Tim Tungate
Design 500 B-Main #2: Brad Neat, Brandon Kinzer, Mike Jewell, Bobby Wolter Jr., Wayne Chinn, Shannon Reed, Joe Godsey, Bill Sheets, Tory Collins, Jeff Watson, Ted Nobbe, Colin Vaughn, Dan Deaton, Brian Barber
O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: Rick Aukland, Don O'Neal, Victor Lee, Justin Ratliff, Bart Hartman, Marty O'Neal, Scott James, Patrick Sheltra, Jerry Rice, Jason Keltner, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Rohn Moon, Chris Combs, Steve Barnett, Mike Marlar, Greg Johnson, Tim Tungate, David Webb, Freddy Smith, Cody Mahoney, Ricky Arms
Race Statistics
Entries: 49
Lap Leaders: Aukland 1-40
Cautions: 6
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Don O'Neal (started 12th, finished 2nd)
Cruise With Champions Rookie of the Race: Jason Keltner
Series Provisionals: Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Points after Twin Cities
1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY) - 451
2. Jerry Rice (Verona, KY) - 437
3. Mike Marlar (Winfield, TN) - 378
4. Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 358
5. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 349
6. Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 332
7. Michael Chilton (Salvisa, KY) - 328
8. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 323
9. Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 322
10. Scott James (Bright, IN) - 317
Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Schedule
April 21 - Brownstown Speedway - $4000
April 27 - Ponderosa Speedway - $3000
April 28 - Bluegrass Speedway - $3000
May 12 - Tazewell Speedway - $4000
2nd Annual Kentucky Speedweek
May 27 - Portsmouth Raceway Park - $3000
May 28 - Bluegrass Speedway - $3000
May 29 - Richmond Raceway - $3000
May 30 - Rain Date
May 31 - Lake Cumberland Speedway - $3000
June 1 - Ponderosa Speedway - $3000
June 2 - Florence Speedway - $10,000 (Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series)
2007 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Sponsors
O'Reilly Auto Parts - Title Sponsor and "Official Auto Parts Retailer of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series"
Arizona Sport Shirts - Presenting Sponsor and "Official Souvenir Manufacturer & Vendor of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series"
Sunoco Race Fuels - "Official Race Fuel of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series"
2007 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series Supporters Include: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Arizona Sport Shirts, Sunoco Race Fuels, DART Machinery, Drive Smart Kentucky, Lucas Oil Products, Hoosier Race Tires, American Race Tires, PPM Performance Products, Bazell Fuels, Cruise With the Champions, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, Racing Optics, Mason Racin', Design 500, Trailer Parts & Sales, Honda of Prestonsburg, Bullock Race Engines, CJ Rayburn Race Cars, Bert Transmissions, Rick Schwallie Photography, Double H Race Fab, DT52 Photos, and Real Wheels
Dustin Jarrett -- O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Series (djarrett@battleofthebluegrass.com)
