On Tap: Renegades Resume in NC; WoO Hotel California Tour Continues; USMTS King of America

Weekend Scoreboard:

Sunday March 29


World of Outlaw Sprints at Antioch Speedway (CA)

1. Daryn Pittman  2. Paul McMahan  3. Kerry Madsen  4. Brad Sweet  5. Bud Kaeding  
6. Joey Saldana  7. Rico Abreu  8. Tanner Thorson  9. Jason Johnson  10. Tim Kaeding
11. Kraig Kinser  12. Shane Stewart  13. Shane Golobic  14. Jason Statler  15. Donny Schatz  16. Colby Copeland  17. Ian Madsen  18. Bryan Clauson  19. Craig Dollansky
20. Jonathan Allard  21. David Gravel  22. Jason Sides  23. Terry McCarl  24. Justyn Cox

Big Block/358 Modifieds at Big Diamond Speedway (PA)

1. Erick Rudolph  2. Billy Pauch Jr  3. Jeff Strunk  4. Frank Cozze  5 Colt Harris
6. Ryan Watt  7. Meme Desantis  8. Danny Bouc  9. Kevin Beach Jr  10. Kyle Borror
11. Shawn Fitzpatrick  12. Jimmy Reppert  13. Ray Swinerhart  14. Rick Laubach  
15. Craig VanDohren  16. Andy Burkhart  17. Justin Grim  18. Jimmy Bobbit Jr
19. Heath Metzger  20. John Willman  21. Stewart Friesen  22. Randy Chrysler
23. Duane Howard  24. Mike Butler  25. Steve Searock IV  26. Paul Moyer

Southern All Star Late Models; March Madness at Cherokee Speedway (SC)

1. Randy Weaver  2. Jonathan Davenport  3. Casey Roberts  4. Dennis Franklin  
5. Jason Hiett  6. Jim Rasey  7. Riley Hickman  8. Anthony Sanders
(27 Cars) Rest of field coming asap

Lincoln Speedway (PA)

1. 21-Brian Montieth; 2. 27-Greg Hodnett; 3. 16-Gerard McIntyre, Jr.; 4. 52-Austin Hogue; 5. 19M-Brent Marks; 6. 51-Freddie Rahmer; 7. 59-Jim Siegel; 8. 92-Niki Young; 9. M1-Mark Smith; 10. 11C-Cory Haas; 11. 14-Lance Dewease; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich; 13. 2w-Glenndon Forsythe; 14. 1-Tim Wagaman; 15. 25-Aaron Ott ; 16. 99M-Kyle Moody ; 17. 88-Brandon Rahmer; 18. 69-Shane Hoff ; 19. 87-Alan Krimes (DNF); 20. 22-Cole Duncan ; 21. 21T-Scott Fisher; 22/ 55K-Robbie Kendall; 23. 5-Tyler Ross 

_________________________________________________________________________
Saturday March 28: 

World of Outlaw Sprints: Mini Gold Cup; Silver Dollar Speedway ; Chico, CA

1. Donny Schatz  2. Tanner Thorson  3. Kerry Madsen  4. Tim Kaeding  5. Daryn Pittman
6. Brad Sweet  7. Andy Forsberg  8. Jason Johnson  9. Shane Golobic  10. David Gravel
11. Shawn Becker  12. Joey Saldana  13. Colby Copeland  14. Shane Stewart 
15. Carson Macedo  16. Kraig Kinser  17. Brian Brown 18. Jonathan Allard  
19. Paul McMahan  20. Justyn Cox  21. Jason Sides  22. Rico Abreu  23. Austen Wheatley
24. DJ Netto  25. Terry McCarl  26. Dominic Scelzi


USMTS Modifieds; King of America: Humboldt Speedway 

1. Jason Hughes  2. Rodney Sanders  3. Dereck Ramirez  4. Brandon Davis  
5. Jeremy Payne  6. Austin Arneson  7. Lucas Schott  8. Zach VanderBeek  9. Chris Brown
10. Stormy Scott  11. Terry Phillips  12. Cade Dillard  13. Tate Davenport  14. Kelly Shryock
15. Dave Cain  16. Joe Adams  17. Justin Rexwinkle  18. Travis Saurer  19. Jake Timm
20. Joe Duvall  21. Josh Everhart  22. Phillip Houston  23. Bob Timm  24. Jacob Gallardo
25. Jordan Graqbousi  26. Thomas Tillison Jr  27. Ryan Gustin  28. Brad Waits


Renegades of Dirt; NC Modified Nationals at Friendship Motor Speedway (NC)

1. David Stremme  2. Kenny Wallace  3. Jacob Hawkins  4. Rich Michael Jr  5. Billy Workman Jr  6. Jared Hawkins  7. Derek Ramey  8. Joe Godsey  9. Ryan Toole  
10. Jason Brookover  11. Ryan Ayres  12. Patrick Lyon  13. John Sluka  14. DJ Cline
15. Kenny Johnson  16. Kyle Strickler  17. Cody Parker  18. Chris Arnold  19. KC Burdette
20. Shon Flanary


Carolina Clash Late Model Series at Fayetteville Motor Speedway (NC)

1. Justin Labonte  2. Donald Bradshear  3. Kyle Pierce  4. GR Smith  5. Scott Shirey
6. Zack Mitchell  7. Shawn Sewell  8. Anthony Sanders  9. Johnny Pursley  10. Kerry King Jr
11. Josh Langley  12. Doug Sanders  13. Mike Parker  14. Ben Watkins  15. Kevin Wilson
16. Jim Rasey  17. Derek Francis  18. Kelly Guy  19. Ross Bailes  20. Jay Sessoms  
21. Russell Erwin  22. Christian Joyner  23. Chris Ferguson  24. Greg Clark

Ultimate Late Model Series at Smoky Mountain Speedway (TN)

1. Randy Weaver  2. Dennis Franklin  3. Mike Marlar  4. Billy Ogle Jr  5. Skip Arp 
 6. Derek Ellis  7. David Crabtree  8. Dustin Mitchell 9. Dusty Carver  10. Chad Ogle  
11. Jeff Smith  12. Sammie Russell 13. Donald McIntosh  14. Eric Wells  15. Ray Cook  
16. Chris Wilson  17. Kenny Collins  18. Stacy Boles  19. Mark Douglas  20. Mack McCarter  21. Mark Vineyard  22. Casey Roberts  23. Tommy Kerr  24. Robby Moses


_________________________________________________________________________

Friday March 27 

Humboldt Speedway King of America/USMTS Modifieds Locked into Sat Feature:

1. 4r Dereck Ramirez ... 182.5
2. 12 Jason Hughes ... 182.0
3. 10 Austin Arneson ... 178.5
4. 49jr Jake Timm ... 177.5
5. K6 Joe Adams ... 176.5
6. 50iii Brandon Davis ... 176.5
7. 21 Chris Brown ... 174.5
8. 71 Philip Houston ... 174.5
9. 75 Terry Phillips ... 169.0
10. 2c Dave Cain ... 169.0
11. 69 Lucas Schott ... 169.0
12. 23 Justin Rexwinkle ... 169.0

Williams Grove Speedway March 27:

410 Sprints:

1. Danny Dietrich, 2. Steve Buckwalter, 3. Brian Montieth, 4. Mark Smith, 5. Greg Hodnett, 6. Lance Dewease, 7. Brent Marks, 8. Freddie Rahmer, 9. Lucas Wolfe, 10. Cory Haas, 11. Rick Lafferty, 12. Brock Zearfoss, 13. Austin Hogue, 14. Glenndon Forsythe, 15. Rodney Westhafer, 16. Wayne Dadetto, 17. Alan Krimes, 18. Ryan Smith, 19. Nicole Bower, 20. Aaron Ott, 21. Pat Cannon, 22. Ryan Wilson, 23. Brandon Rahmer

Super Late Models:

1. Nick Dickson, 2. Gary Stuhler, 3. Jeff Rine, 4. Jerry Bard, 5. Rick Eckert, 6. Jason Covert, 7. Kyle Hardy, 8. Dylan Yoder, 9. Gene Knaub, 10. Ross Robinson, 11. Andy Haus, 12. Coleby Frye, 13. Derrick Casner, 14. Chris Casner, 15. Pancho Lawler, 16. Tim Wilson, 17. Mike Lupfer


_________________________________________________________________________

Are you listening mother nature? We're not really happy with you right about now (like there's a damn thing we could do about it). We need you to work with us, need you to help our tracks dry out, and if it's not too much to ask for, how about an additional ten degrees of warmth as a good faith gesture for all the rain and snow!



The elements managed to claim both the Lucas Oil Late Model and World of Outlaw Late Model weekends, and also pushed back our area opener, the Chiller Thriller at Mercer Raceway Park back another week. And Central PA looks like a hard sell at this point as far as weather goes. But there's still plenty of action out there!  Now then, let's see what's On Tap!


Before we begin. We'd like to take a moment to say goodbye to a legend...

As most of you know, Eldora builder and owner Earl Baltes passed away this week. And the hole in the dirt racing landscape is non patchable. They say nobody is irreplaceable, but whoever "they" were apparently never met Earl. He had a dream, a vision, and made it come to life, but as evidenced by those who knew him best, never once let it change who he was. A down to earth, grateful, and accommodating individual who was selfless in pursuit of his dream. Uncommon in today's day and age.  Godspeed Earl...

Renegades of DIRT Modifieds North Carolina Nationals; Friendship Motor Speedway, Mar 27-28

One of the biggest modified events on the east coast takes place this weekend at Friendship Motor Speedway in North Carolina. A whopping $10,000 will be up for grabs as the Renegades of DIRT take to the track for a two day show.  Friday will feature a pair of $1,000 to win features while the big prize will occur Saturday night. Kyle Strickler aka..the high side tickler, will be looking to defend this title against Nick Hoffman, Derek Ramey, Tyler Nicely and over 60 other hopefuls including one Max McLaughlin fresh off his first open wheel modified win do battle.  

This event keeps growing and will attract a good number of drivers from out of the area as well, and would be well worth the purchase on PPV!

Points Coming Into the Weekend:
1. Derek Ramey
2. Shon Flanary
3. Jacob Hawkins
4. DJ Kline
5. Rich Michael Jr

Ways to follow:

You can catch the action via pay per view from Speed51 by clicking here:

From Nat'l Speed Sport News

World of Outlaws at Silver Dollar Speedway (CA) and Antioch (CA) Mar 28-29

Jonathan Allard returns to the scene of his biggest career victory this coming Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA.  The 2014 Gold Cup Winner will be looking to make it two in a row at the famed 1/4 mile, and in his way, will be the likes of Sweet, McMahan, Pittman, Shane Stewart and a fully loaded California side, and also some guy named Schatz too.

But it's not only the drivers at Chico, it's the track. It's tacky, semi banked and can lend itself to a mid pack driver making a charge to the front simply by avoiding mishaps.

Sunday, the Outlaws take on Antioch where Kerry Madsen scored the closest victory in WoO history, beating out Californian Kyle Hirst by a mere .005 seconds at the line. Rico Abreu will be in action at both tracks this weekend and he'll be looking for his third victory of the season as will Donny Schatz.


Points Coming Into the Weekend

1. Shane Stewart- 1399
2. Donny Schatz- 1381
3. Paul McMahan- 1375
4. Brad Sweet- 1357
5. Joey Saldana- 1339

Ways To Follow:

There's no video this weekend, but both nights are available in live audio. You can listen to the action with the great Johnny Gibson on the call at DirtVision Here

USMTS Modifieds; King of America; Humboldt Speedway; March 26-28

It's not exactly a tour weekend for the USMTS Modifieds, but it's one of those events than can make a season for a prospective driver. The Annual King of America at Humboldt Speedway (KS) takes place this weekend with $10,000 on the line for the winner of the 100 lap feature event on Saturday night.  There are over 60 entries currently with the expectation of a few more. Previous winners include Rodney Sanders, Ryan Gustin, Stormy Scott and Kelly Shryock.

There will be heats on Thursday and Friday and passing points will be taken into account to help set the field.

Ways to Follow:

There will be live PPV coverage from racindirt.com for all three days, check it out here





Also this weekend:

• Southern All Stars Late Models at Cherokee Speedway (SC)  March 29
• Race of Champions Big Block Modifieds at Bridgeport Speedway (NJ)  March 28
• Open Northeast Modifieds at Big Diamond Speedway (PA) March 29
• Carolina Clash Late Models at Fayetteville Motor Speedway (NC) March 28
• Ultimate Super Late Model Series at Smoky Mountain Speedway (TN) March 28
• King of the West "Civil War Series" Sprints at Petaluma (CA) March 28

We'll keep a running scoreboard this weekend, so check back often if you need to catch up!

2015 PRN Great Plains Promoter of the Year Robinson Relishes Role with Lucas Oil Speedway

Lucas Oil Speedway Promoter Dan Robinson in Victory Lane with Jimmy Owens
(Rick Schwallie)

Sometimes when Dan Robinson is able to take a break from his many duties as the General Manager of Lucas Oil Speedway he'll watch some TV.  When he's flipping through the channels and hears the words "Live from Wheatland, Missouri" or "Show Me 100" come through the speakers he knows what he'll be watching.

 It still blows him away to see the facility he works at on his television screen.

"I'll be watching Mav TV or NBC Sports Network and all of the sudden a show will come on I wasn't thinking about," Robinson said. "I'll catch myself in awe watching it."

Those times to relax aren't always aplenty for Robinson, who was voted by his peers as the 2014 RPM Great Plains Region Promoter of the Year. Running the day to day operations at one of the premier dirt racing facilities in the country can provide a hectic schedule, but Robinson embraces it.

"There's very high expectations here at the Lucas facility with the name that's involved," Robinson said. "So the fans expect a lot and we do what we can to deliver for them."

A Southeast Wisconsin native, Robinson attended asphalt and dirt races growing up. His original dream was to become a crewman for a NASCAR team, but was never able to move to Charlotte to pursue that goal.

Instead about 20 years ago he moved to Missouri and took a job lining up cars at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. That's where he met Bill Willard who Robinson says was very influential to him.

Since 2007 Robinson has worked at the Wheatland, Missouri complex that also includes a drag boat lake known as Lake Lucas. He has been the GM since 2009. He's also the Series Director for the Lucas Oil MLRA late models.

Being in both of those roles gives Robinson the opportunity to see different sides of racing. He likes to soak up knowledge while attending events and it's not limited to just dirt track racing. Minor league baseball, Supercross, and monster truck shows were just a few examples he gave of  events that he has learned something from.

The facility puts on several multiple day events such as the famed Show-Me 100. Robinson knows the importance of the entertainment part of the weekend. Being able to add to the experience of the race and keeping the fan engaged is something they strive for.

"We want our shows to be loud, bright, and colorful," Robinson said. "Racing is extremely important, but you can't forget the entertainment part of it."

While the fan is important Robinson knows the drivers that run there on a weekly basis are an asset as well. Giving the racers a good surface to run on is a high priority for the Lucas Oil Speedway staff.

"Drivers have a lot of choices on where to race at now a days," Robinson said. "They want a nice clean place and most importantly they want to be able to race."

"If they get stuck in the back they want to know they have a fighting chance to get to the front."

To be successful a promoter must wear many hats. That includes being a meteorologist. Rain is often the biggest nemesis of the promoter. Lucas Oil Speedway's paved pit area helps thwart the threat of cancellation if a passing thundershower rolls through. Robinson says Mother Nature has to force him to rain out.

"I'm probably better weather man than the local guys on TV," Robinson said with a chuckle. "I've got the weather apps on my phone and multiple radars going every night. I can pretty well predict where the storms are going to go and when we're going to be in trouble just from watching the storms move across this area through the years."

Lucas Oil Speedway will start the 2015 season with the 2nd Annual MLRA Spring Nationals on April 10-11.

On Tap; Lucas Oil Series Resumes; Outlaws Invade Wine Country; USMTS Central Region Kicks Off

We're getting a little closer to being in full swing with each passing week everyone! The Lucas Oil Late Models enter the fray this week, while the World of Outlaws Sprints continue their west coast swing. Also, the USMTS modifieds make three visits in Kansas and Missouri this weekend,  and the regional late model scene ramps up down south.

We'll keep a scoreboard this weekend so everyone can check back right back here in case you missed anything! And in the meantime, if you have the opportunity, go check out some of these races in person...see em for the rest of us that are still waiting for the ground to firm up before the racing season begins!



Scoreboard:

Sunday March 22:

World of Outlaw Sprints at Stockton, CA

1. Rico Abreu  2. Terry McCarl  3. Paul McMahan  4. David Gravel  5. Jason Johnson
6. Tim Kaeding  7. Kerry Madsen  8. Shane Stewart  9. Donny Schatz  10. Kraig Kinser
11. Brad Sweet  12. Ian Madsen  13. Carson Macedo  14. Evan Suggs  15. Brian Brown  
16. Justyn Cox  17. Jason Sides  18. Craig Dollansky  19. Joey Saldana  20. Dominic Scelzi
21. Trey Starks  22. Daryn Pittman  23. Bud Kaeding  24. Logan Schuchart  25. Colby Copeland

USMTS Modifieds at I-35 Speedway

1. Ryan Gustin  2. Keith Foss  3. Cade Dillard  4. Stormy Scott  5. Dereck Ramirez
6. Johnny Scott  7. Austin Siebert  8. Rodney Sanders  9. Dennis Elliot  10. Austin Arneson
11. Alex Engelstad  12. Grant Junghans  13. Ben Kates  14. Casey Arneson  15. Kelly Shryock  16. Bob Timm  17. Cory Wray  18. Brian Green  19. Jesse Sobbing  20. Jesse Willard  21. Jake Timm  22. Joe Duvall  23. Zach Sanders  24. Troy Girolamo  25. Zack VanderBeek  26. Cody Bauman  27. Nick Levins

Saturday March 21:

Lucas Oil Late Models at Brownstown, IN

1. Earl Pearson Jr  2. Scott Bloomquist  3. Devin Moran  4. Jimmy Owens  5. Don O'Neal
6. Chris Simpson  7. Brandon Sheppard  8. Eddie Carrier Jr  9. Steve Casebolt  10. Steve Francis  11. Mike Marlar  12. Jonathan Davenport  13. Josh Richards  14. Tim McCreadie
15. Matt Westfall  16. Dennis Erb Jr  17. Billy Moyer Jr  18. Dustin Linville  19. Duane Chamberlain  20. Jared Landers  21. Mike Benedum  22. Chris Brown  23. Austin Rettig
24. Kent Robinson  25. Bobby Pierce  26. Mason Zeigler  27. Jeremy Hines

World of Outlaw Sprints at Stockton, CA

1. Donny Schatz  2. Shane Stewart  3. Joey Saldana  4. Paul McMahan  5. Daryn PIttman
6. Kerry Madsen  7. Jason Johnson  8. Tim Kaeding  9. Brad Sweet  10. Rico Abreu 
11. David Gravel  12. Carson Macedo  13. Jason Sides  14. Logan Shuchart  15. Cory Eliason  16. Justyn Cox  17. Kraig Kinser  18. Colby Copeland  19. DJ Netto  20. Craig Dollansky  21. Jonathan Allard  22. Evan Suggs  23. Bud Kaeding  24. Trey Starks

USMTS Modifieds at Humboldt Speedway

1. Stormy Scott  2. Dereck Ramirez  3. Ryan Gustin  4. Casey Arneson  5. Kelly Shryock 
 6. Terry Phillips 7. Rodney Sanders  8. Austin Arneson  9. Jason Hughes  10. Keith Foss
11. Cade Dillard  12. Austin Siebert  13. Tad Davis  14. Darron Fuqua  15. Grant Junghans
16. Jeremy Chambers  17. John Allen  18. Darwin Karau  19. Jesse Sobbing  20, Joe Duvall
21. Brian Green  22. Johnny Fennewald  23. Nick Nevins  24. Zack VanderBeek 
25. Brandon Watson  26. Ryan McAnnich

Carolina Clash Super Late Models; Skyler Trull Memorial at Carolina Speedway

1. Chris Ferguson  2. Ben Watkins  3. Chris Madden  4. Ross Bailes  5. Doug Sanders 
6, Josh Langley  7. Travis Brookover  8. Brian Ledbetter  9. Kevin Goodwin  10. Kevin Wilson  11. Joey Coulter  12. Jonathan Edwards  13. Billy Lambert  14. Zack Mitchell 
15. Anthony Sanders  16. Johnny Pursley  17. Timbo Mangum 18.  Kelly Guy  19. GR Smith
20 .Scott Shirey  21. Tim Allen  22. Robbie Bailey

Ultimate Super Late Models; County Line Speedway (NC)

1. Casey Roberts  2. Dennis Franklin  3. Dustin Mitchell  4. Walker Arthur  5. Christian Joyner  6. Dean Bowen  7. Casey Barrow  8. Jeff Smith  9. Roger Lucas  10. Jay Sessoms
11. Derek Francis  12. Spencer Liggon  13. Travis Hair  14. Damon Kotke  15. Daulton Wilson  16. Christian Thomas  17. Kenny Collins  18. Randy Lucas  19. Donald Bradshear
20. John Eller



Friday March 20:

Lucas Oil Late Models at Atomic:
1. Jonathan Davenport  2. Josh Richards  3. Mason Zeigler  4. Chris Brown  5. Jimmy Owens  6. Jimmy Owens  7. Steve Francis  8. Devin Moran  9. Dennis Erb Jr  10. Dustin Linville  11. Eddie Carrier Jr   12. Tim Dohm  13. Earl Pearson Jr  14. Bobby Pierce  15. Jared Landers  16. Matt Westfall 17. Billy Moyer Jr  18. Duane Chamberlain  19. Greg Oliver  20. Kent Robinson  21. Scott Bloomquist  22. Tim McCreadie  23. Freddie Carpenter  24. Steve Casebolt  25. Davey Johnson

Lucas Oil Series at Atomic (OH) and Brownstown (IN):


The Lucas boys re-boot their series this weekend, and they're likely to encounter a rather large car count and some WoO regulars and other regional heavy hitters for that matter .
Earl Pearson Jr leads the standings coming into the weekend following a sensational GA/FL speed weeks. Meanwhile, Scott Bloomquist finds himself outside the top 10.

It's a good bet that both of those facts will change if both races get in. Don O'Neal will be looking to serve up some home cooking at Brownstown and at Atomic, it wouldn't surprise us if a regional heavy or a true outlaw came home with the cash. Expect Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce, Devin Moran, Mason Zeigler and Steve Casebolt plus a few other top non Lucas contenders in action!





Points Coming Into The Weekend:
1. Earl Pearson Jr- 825
2. Jonathan Davenport- 820
3. Jared Landers- 800
4. Jimmy Owens-770
5. Eddie Carrier Jr-755

When:

Atomic: Friday
Brownstown: Saturday

How to Follow:

There's no PPV or live audio here, as is the case with most every Lucas show, but you can still follow on www.Race-monitor.com or follow on twitter @lucasdirt.

World of Outlaw Sprints at Stockton (CA):

 Do you know the way to San Jose?


The greatest show on dirt heads to Stockton this weekend for two shows. The nations newest dirt track, nestled in the northern California wine country, is prepared to host the World of Outlaws On Saturday and Sunday.  In 2014, Kerry Madsen passed Donny Schatz in the last set of turns to take the victory in the FVP Showdown at Stockton, while in 2013, Kyle Larson took the checkers in the first WoO event at the speedway.


Shane Stewart leads the Outlaw side into battle this week, followed closely by Schatz and Brad Sweet.  Expect the California side to feature last week's Tulare night one winner, Tim Kaeding, Carson Macedo, Terry McCarl and Tulare night two winner, Rico Abreu, plus a few other stout names.  Stewart has been the model of consistency this season converting all 7 starts into a top 10 finish with four top 5's and a win in Las Vegas.


Points Coming Into The Weekend:

1. Shane Stewart-1119
2. Donny Schatz- 1098
3. Brad Sweet- 1097
4. Paul McMahan- 1089
5. Daryn Pittman- 1088


How To Follow:

There's no video this weekend, but there is free audio on Dirt Vision. If you're not already signed up...better get on it!

USMTS Modifieds Tripleheader:


After mother nature took a three day weekend away from the USMTS modifieds last weekend, the tour moves on to Wizard of Oz country with dates at Caney Valley Speedway (Kansas); legendary Humboldt Speedway (Kansas) and I-35 Speedway in Winston, Missouri. This three day swing kicks off the Central Region portion of the tour.

Some of the drivers got a sneak peak at Humboldt last weekend during a USRA event. So far in 2015, the leading rookie of the year candidate won the first regional title. Austin Arneson has been nothing short of sensational so far this season. And behind him, Dereck Ramirez has been fairly consistent while Zack VanderBeek is looking to gain some consistency following some momentum earned in his last outing that almost saw his first win of the season.  Rodney Sanders will be in action this weekend and there's a good chance of a Ryan Gustin sighting.

When:
Friday- Caney Valley Speedway *Cancelled
Saturday- Humboldt Speedway
Sunday- I-35 Speedway

How To Follow:

There's no PPV that we can find just yet (we'll let you know asap if that changes), but you can follow the action at www.race-monitor.com  and also follow on twitter @USMTS  or our good friends at @MadnessModified






Also this weekend

• Skyler Trull Memorial at Carolina Speedway (Fri/Sat)
• Lucas ASCS Spring Nationals at Devils Bowl, Mexquite TX (Fri/Sat)
• Ultimate Late Models at County Line Speedway, NC
• Weekly 410 Spint Action at Lincoln & Port Royal (PA) *cancelled

This Week In DIRT: Abreu and Kaeding Survive and Win; Hiett Takes Checkers at Dixie; Central PA Ice is Broken

March madness...it's taking over our tv sets, our social media, radio airwaves and the through process of millions of Americans this time of year.  But not ours! Our brackets will pretty much be demolished by the time the first set of games end, and it's not like we'll have lost any money either, because most of us are saving cash for road trips and tshirts, and other items of interest (beer money). 

So having said that. We're paying attention to DIRT, doing our jobs, and saving you mouse clicks.  Mother nature on the other hand, she's doing her best to keep us away from the track as the USMTS weekend and several other late model shows were cancelled or reset. 

Maybe you were face down in a bowl of potato chip and beef jerky casserole watching basketball all weekend, maybe you were busy looking for some kind of tax loophole that would get your refund to record levels? Maybe you were evading taxes altogether, and that's totally fine...we get it. And we'll help you catch on what you missed...because it's time for This Week In DIRT!

Abreu and Kaeding Survive and Win

The red flags flew and the flip count was on a Chili Bowl size scale this weekend at the Tulare Thunderbowl. And when the cars got upright, and the carnage was cleared, Tim Kaeding and Rico Abreu found themselves winners. 

On Friday, Kaeding not only had to battle the wrecks, but a determined Terry McCarl as the two engaged in a spirited but clean battle to the end that saw Kaeding make the pass for the win on lap 31. It was a surreal evening for Kaeding to climbed back into the Roth Motorsports Ride for the first time in over a year. Donny Schatz, who was involved in an early accident, rocketed from the tail of the field to eighth. 

Friday March 13:

1. Tim Kaeding
2. Shane Stewart
3. Terry McCarl
4. Kerry Madsen
5. Rico Abreu

On Saturday, Abreu had a fast car, won his heat, and placed second in the dash. He started on the front row alongside fellow Californian Brad Sweet and took the lead from the drop of the green flag. Abreu then survived several restarts and held off Shane Stewart, who placed 2nd on both nights, over the course of the remaining laps to collect his second career Outlaw victory at the same track where he won his first. 

Saturday March 14:

1. Rico Abreu
2. Shane Stewart
3. Brad Sweet
4. Donny Schatz
5. Paul McMahan

Points as of March 15:

1. Shane Stewart - 1119
2. Donny Schatz- 1098
3. Brad Sweet- 1097
4. Paul McMahan- 1089
5. Daryn Pittman- 1088

Hiett Takes Checkers at Dixie

Oxford, AL driver Jason Hiett took home a nice $5,000 payday from the legendary Dixie Speedway in Rome, GA on Saturday night. Hiett won the 50 lap feature from the pole and played some fantastic defense in the waning laps against none other than Ray Cook, his closest pursuer.  Donald McIntosh, (learn his name folks, he's going to win a sizeable race sooner rather than later), charged from the 10th starting spot to take home the final podium spot

Also in attendance was current World of Outlaw Late Model points leader Shane Clanton, however his overall winning streak was halted when he succumbed to a flat tire early in the race. There were 31 cars attempting to make the show which also included area heavy hitters such as Will Thomas and former WoO series regular Clint Smith. 


Saturday March 14:

1. Jason Hiett
2. Ray Cook
3. Donald McIntosh
4. Shawn Chastain
5. Jake Knowles
6. William Thomas
7. Clint Smoth
8. Dale Thurman
9. Jordan Nipper
10. Austin Smith

Central PA Ice is Broken

For weeks on end, the citizens of central Pennsylvania had been held hostage in their living rooms as freezing cold temperatures and precipitation had pushed back the annual Icebreaker at Lincoln Speedway.  But on Sunday, the track was good enough to go as the first race of the 2015 season got underway on a cloudy, chilly afternoon. 

31 cars answered the bell on opening day, with most of the heavy hitters from the area in the house. Freddie Rahmer and Chase Dietz led the field to green, and it would be the last such flag anybody saw for quite some time as the first 12 laps were marred by a series of red and yellow flags.  When the action finally settled down, Greg Hodnett was firmly in command and took home $4,000 for the effort.


Sunday March 15

1. Greg Hodnett
2. Kyle Moody
3. Robbie Kendall
4. Brent Marks
5. Cory Haas
6. Alan Krimes
7. Brian Montieth
8. Gerald McIntyre
9. Danny Dietrich
10. Cole Duncan

And that'll do it for this weekend. Have a great week and stay DIRTY everyone!




Want to check out our World of Outlaw Previews?


Click Here for WoO Sprints
Click Here for WoO Late Models


Save the Moody Mile! Here's our two cents and how you can help! Syracuse 200 in Trouble

Outlaws Attack Tulare - Bold Predictions

We gave our 5 Bold Predictions for last week's FVP Outlaw Showdown at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas.

The result? A dismal 1-for-5. So we're set out to redeem ourselves by predicting a few things for the two upcoming races at Tulare.

WoO Sprints - Tulare, CA

1. Paul McMahan will pick up his first victory of the season

2. Non-series drivers will pick up at least 50% of the heat race wins

3. A driver that has never won a WoO feature will garner a runner-up finish

4. Joey Saldana will extend his streak to 8 straight top-10 finishes

5. Kerry Madsen will set QT at least one of the two nights

Greg Martin- The Championship's Only Half the Fun

When the RUSH Sportsman Modified Series came to fruition in 2014, it faced the same questions that many first year racing organizations have.  Where will the drivers come from? Will we be looking at less than five car features some nights? Can a solid foundation be constructed, surrounded by enough stability to encourage growth?  The answers to the last two questions were yes and yes.  But where would the drivers come from? 

The Niagara frontier has supplied the area big block modified racing scene some fairly good drivers to the larger paying shows the last few seasons. Drivers such as Chad Brachmann, Randy and Roger Chrysler have become staples at various BRP Modified tour events. Also Mat Williamson and Rick Richner have both called Lernerville and Sharon Speedways home respectively.  There's some different reasons why they make the 3 hour trek to the Western PA/Eastern OH area to race among them. Some are looking for DIRTcar points, some are looking to take a few bucks back home, some have friends in the area that race. 

But when the area's first ever attempt at crate modified racing took flight, it was hard to envision any of the Niagara region's sportsman drivers would buy the spec components necessary and commit to running a whole season.  Would they have a reason to come?

Enter Ransomville, NY native Greg Martin.  "We love to travel and we're always looking for new tracks we hadn't been to," said the veteran sportsman modified pilot. "Every year we try to do a weekend triple header. Ransomville on Friday, Canandaigua on Saturday and Utica Rome on the Sunday. But this past year, when RUSH sportsman modifieds started up, they did a really nice job of publicizing it and they were great to talk with and all the sudden we were interested."

There wasn't much in the way of financial gain for Martin's appearance given the state of sportsman division purses overall. The winnings barely pay for the gas, but the chance to see new places, to get to meet new people and to have fun racing, that's right, have fun racing no matter what happens, the true aim of crate sportsman racing, is what Martin found alluring. 

"I remember Chad Brachamann talking about the tracks in the area and that he really liked them, so I saw RUSH as an opportunity to run those tracks and we jumped on it. We made the decision to invest in the spec shocks, and most of the other rules were the same, so we went down and had a great time, met some nice people, and learned a lot about PA/OH tracks, and that's what really attracted us."

It was a different atmosphere than the Ransomville sportsman modifed champion normally finds in his neck of the woods where the sportsman modifieds contain a good many drivers just looking to do a little racing, but also some who spend a great deal of resources in a highly competitive division.

"Up here, crate racing has evolved into a level where it's really hard to buy a used modified and buy a crate engine and compete. Everyone has lightweight pulleys and lightweight rear ends. RUSH has a great rules package and it's really a big difference."

The area tracks were something that Martin took a studious approach to, learning a little about each every time he raced and he relished the opportunity to race at the area speedways. 

Gary Heeman Photo

"Lernerville was really interesting," Martin said. "During practice one time, the track had so much grip and then during the feature it was so slick and glassy. We don't really have any red clay here except for Weedsport now, so now we have some knowledge that we can take from Lernerville to help us there.  Sharon's surface was more of a sandy type that we find at the NY/PA border area tracks, and then again at places like Five Mile Point. And PPMS was just smooth as glass and slick, that was a neat track. The line was right around the wall and it was a great experience, I'd love to race on that track with about 35 other cars."


Martin began his career racing go karts and TQ midgets and then gradually moved to sportsman modifieds of the asphalt variety growing up.  He's always had the passion for racing from as early as he can remember.

"I'd get home and get all my chores done on Friday afternoon and it seemed like forever until 6:30 would come and we'd leave for Ransomville. "

"I got to see the greats like Davey Moore, Alan Johnson and Danny Johnson who all drove big blocks back then (Ransomville now runs 358's as their top class),  and Charlie Rudolph too. I made a huge scrapbook of everything Charlie did when I was growing up. He was right in town and you could stop in at his shop and they did all their own engineering. it was just so neat to watch them go all the way from the dirt at Ransomville to Winston Cup. He was my idol growing up."

Martin became a fixture in the inaugural season of the RUSH Modifieds, and after his first dip into the scene he assumed a position at the top of the standings which he would not relinquish the rest of the season. It culminated in a moment which he won't soon forget, the night in October when he clinched the inaugural series championship. 

"I really wanted to make an impression and I hoped I could lead the series the right direction. I wanted to be sure it was seen in a positive light with a lot of positive press because they (RUSH) deserve it. They did a great job of getting it off the ground and getting the support and sponsors. To be able to win the first championship, was awesome and I'm honored,"

So what does Martin see for the future of the series? What will it take for it to grow? And can it play a valuable role in perhaps fostering growth in the area big block/358 modified divisions in the area? 

"I believe it will take off, I think they just need to get an influx of used crate motors down there and once there's more older chassis in circulation you're going to see more guys wanting to and being able to go racing and have fun. And I definitely think it'll be a good thing for modified racing in the area overall. It'll take some time, but at some point there's going to be some RUSH guys that'll naturally want to go big block racing and they'll sell their car to a guy who wants to start up. The more cars that circulate in the area, whether they have a crate or big block or 358, the better."

In the coming year, Martin will be at his usual place on Friday nights, at Ransomville Speedway, but he'll be travelling to the east more which will include some dates with the newly formed "King of DIRT" crate sportsman series at places like Albany-Saratoga and Lebanon Valley. After all, it's never a bad time to go to the places you've never raced before and learn a little. And he'll be at a RUSH series event when he can, but when he does go out east to take on the highly competitive fields with KoD, he'll have some fans checking in, some from this area too. 

Commentary: The Battle For the Moody Mile

Since 1972, Super Dirt Week has been a staple of the North East modified diet. It was unthinkable that it would ever be in jeopardy, the annual festival of speed played out on the legendary "Moody Mile" at the New York State Fairgrounds.  Throughout the week, the area tracks host satellite events, but the bigger part of the action takes place at the "mile". It's a huge week with historical significance. And right now, those of us who love everything there is to love about the sport of dirt racing are hoping we don't have to refer to it in the past tense. 

A local county executive, one Joanie Mahoney, (no, we're not making that up, though it does sound like something a 4 year old would create) announced this week that a plan which would tear down the existing grandstand to make way for an amphitheater and other assorted venues where the track currently sits, has been undertaken.  The plan would basically put an end to SDW as it's currently constructed.

Okay. So surprisingly, we've heard the following from a good deal of fans after the announcement. "The 200 is boring."  "Never did like the Mile, what's with the pit stops." "It's a fuel mileage race, I won't miss it." "It's a race for rich guys."

Every dirt fan takes the risk with every ticket they buy, the risk that the race you're paying to see could be dull, boring, or a caution fest. But, you do drink in the atmosphere, and take in the sensory experience of racing, and normally there's at least a few battles worth watching. 

Every fan is entitled to their opinion of course. We acknowledge that at TDN. But even if you've never been to SDW, even if you're not a huge modified fan, or even if you watch nothing but sprints, it's in your best interest to take note and try to help. To say "let it rot" because you're not a particular fan of it, is senseless. 

Why? Because SDW is about much more than a race, it's a party. It's where friends meet up every year. It's where drivers and fans interact and get to know one another. It's where memories are made. Super Dirt Week is a cherished event, it's important to everybody that makes plans to attend year after year.  Imagine what would happen if your favorite crown jewel, the one race that you look forward to every year, the race you've gone to with your family for years on end...was taken away. 

From Syracuse.com

Not only that, taken away by a politician that's probably never been to a race before, that doesn't understand the culture, and more importantly, would probably happy to put the culture in it's "proper place" which she figures is underneath an amphitheater, hockey rink, and equestrian facility. This isn't just a Sprint, Late Model, or Modified thing, it's a DIRT thing! 

Without getting too preachy, DIRT Nation really needs to become the sum of it's parts here. The battle's begun. And, it might not even make a difference in the end, but it needs our support. You can sign this petition electronically Syracuse Petition

Let them know how we feel as a collection of fans, tell them you're interested in attending, tell them how important it is. We're not saying it'll turn the tide, but if enough people say something, it could be enough to get the right people thinking about alternatives. Even if it doesn't...don't let the Moody Mile go without a fight! 


Gary Heeman- Administrator 

On Tap- WoO Sprints tackle Vegas and Tucson; USMTS Melts Down in New Mexico; SAS Late Models at EAMS

A little more racing action makes it's way onto the scene this weekend as the World of Outlaw Sprints, USMTS Modifieds and the Southern All Star Series Late Models hit the track for some key early March battles. We'd all prefer to be at the track this weekend, but we'll have to stick to the monitors and enjoy keyboard racing for the most part. 

So here's the best of what's out there, and a little of what to expect each week, plus ways you can follow the action. We're here to help you stay on top of it, so we'll be keeping a scoreboard this weekend to keep it all on one page. Here's what's on tap!

Scoreboard:




USMTS Modifieds: Southern New Mexico Speedway: Sunday March 8

1. Ryan Gustin  2. Zack VanderBeek  3. Daniel Hilsabeck  4. Jacob Gallardo  5. Jesse Sobbing  6. Bumper Jones  7. Alex Stanford  8. Tom Georges  9. Terry Phillips  10. Blake Jegtvig  11. Shane Sprinkle  12. Austin Arneson  13. Johnny Scott  14. Casey Areneson
15. Nick DeCarlo  16. Christy Georges  17. Royal Jones  18. Jay Rosales  19. Joe Duvall  20. Grant Junghans  21. Phillip Houston  22. Cade Dillard  23. Ben Kates  24. Neal Flowes
25. Fito Gallardo  26. Rodney Sanders  27. Dereck Ramirez


USMTS Modifieds: Southern New Mexico Speedway: Saturday March 7
 1. Phillip Houston  2. Cade Dillard  3. Austin Arneson  4. Fito Gallardo  5. Toby Herring
6. Daniel Hilsabeck  7. Jesse Sobbing  8. Donovan Flores  9. Neal Flowers  10. Alex Stanford  11. Christy Georges  12. Carlos Ahumada Jr  13. Tom Georges  14. Dusty Riggs
15. Shane Sprinkle  16. Todd Harper  17. Chris Sims  18. Dereck Ramirez  19. Terry Tipton  20. Bumper Jones  21. Jay Rosales  22. Zack VanderBeek  23. Royal Jones  24. Jason Hughes  25. Jake Gallardo  26. Ryan Gustin  27. Grant Junghans


World of Outlaws: USA Raceway (Tucson, AZ); Saturday March 7


1. Brian Brown  2. Shane Stewart  3. Brad Sweet  4. Paul McMahan  5. Danny Lasoski
6. Kerry Madsen  7. David Gravel  8. Joey Saldana   9. Terry McCarl  10. Logan Schuchart
11. Jason Sides  12. Daryn Pittman  13. Logan Forler  14. Kraig Kinser  15. Jacob Allen
16. Rico Abreu  17. Donny Schatz  18. Dusty Zomer  19. Craig Dollansky  20. Jason Johnson  21. Austen Wheatley  22. Ian Madsen  23. Trey Starks  24. Jojo Helberg

USMTS Modifieds: Southern New Mexico Speedway; Friday March 6

1. Rodney Sanders  2. Cade Dillard  3.Terry Phillips  4.Dereck Ramirez  5. Jason Hughes
6. Ryan Gustin  7. Fito Gallardo  8. Casey Arneson  9. Austin Arneson  10. Phillip Houston
11. Grant Junghans  12. Johnny Scott  13. Jacob Gallardo  14. Shane Sprinkle  15. Zack Vanderbeek  16. Daniel Hilsabeck  17. Royal Jones  18. Christy Georges  19. Ben Kates
20. Jesse Sobbing  21. Joe Duvall  22. Austin Theiss  23. Ronnie Gould III  24. Blake Jegtvig  25. Toby Herring  26. Donavon Flores

World of Outlaws; Las Vegas; Thursday March 5:

1. Terry McCarl  2. Joey Saldana  3. Danny Lasoski  4. Donny Schatz  5. Jason Sides
6. Daryn Pittman  7. Ian Madsen  8. Kerry Madsen  9. Shane Stewart  10. David Gravel  
11. Paul McMahan  12. Kraig Kinser  13. Brad Sweet  14. Mark Dobmeier  15. Rico Abreu
16. Logan Schuchart  17. Dusty Zomer  18. Henry Van Dam  19. Trey Starks  20. Austen Wheatley  21. Jason Johnson  22. Craig Dollansky  23. Tayler Malsam  24. Brian Brown

World of Outlaws; Las Vegas; Wednesday March 4:

1. Shane Stewart  2. Brian Brown  3. Joey Saldana  4. Daryn Pittman  5. Paul McMahan
6. Donny Schatz  7. David Gravel  8. Brad Sweet  9. Dominic Scelzi  10. Jason Johnson
11. Carson Macedo  12. Jason Sides  13. Terry McCarl  14. Rico Abreu  15. Kraig Kinser
16. Kerry Madsen  17. Trey Starks  18. Mark Dobmeier  19. Dusty Zomer  20. Justyn Cox
21. Austen Wheatley  22. Ian Madsen  23. Logan Schuchart  24. Danny Lasoski


World of Outlaws at Las Vegas and Tucson: 

woosprint.com

The Dirt Track at Las Vegas and Tuscon International Raceway (USA Raceway) host the greatest show on dirt this weekend as the World of Outlaws take on the best of the west. This weekend kicks off the Outlaws first western swing of the season and will see a possible influx of drivers from the likes of Gold Cup Champion Carson Macedo, Terry McCarl, Mark Dobmeier, Rico Abreu, Tim Kaeding and many others over the course of the next few weeks. "Blackjack" Brian Brown is there too, so there's another great reason to watch! (like you needed one!) 

Last year, Paul McMahan used lapped traffic to his advantage and took home the win on night one in Vegas while on night two, Donny Schatz started on the front row, fell to third, and then put himself in the lead for good on the eighth circuit.  In Tucson in 2014, Brad Sweet took the lead on lap 4 and never looked back for his second win of the season. This year, Sweet has already etched his name onto the win list with a victory at Volusia on the final night of the DIRTCar Nationals. 

Points Coming Into The Weekend:

1. Brad Sweet- 430
2. Donny Schatz- 426
3. Daryn Pittman- 424
4. Joey Saldana- 416
5. Greg Hodnett- (Yes, we know he's not touring, but what a great FLA) 414


When:

Las Vegas: Wednesday and Thursday 
Tucson: Saturday

Pay Per View Information:

Dirt vision's got you covered all weekend for your ppv needs. 39.99 for the FVP Showdown at Vegas and $21.99 for Tucson

Get your ordering information here: 


USMTS Modifieds at SNMS:

Can rookie of the year Austin Arneson stay hot and keep his series point lead through this weekend? We'll see, but for now, he's been a big surprise on the scene, winning two out of three in last weekend's action at El Paso. Rodney Sanders took the final race of the weekend and Dereck Ramirez, Fito and Jake Gallardo all had podium appearances.

This week, the tour finds itself at Southern New Mexico Speedway for the USMTS Winter Meltdown (let's hope there's not one on the track) Here's a glimpse of what that actually looks like courtesy of racindirt.com

Points Coming Into The Weekend: 

1. Austin Arneson- 694
2. Dereck Ramirez- 688
3. Jason Hughes- 663
4. Jesse Sobbing- 627
5. Phillip Houston- 611

When: Friday-Saturday-Sunday

Pay Per View Information:

Speed Shift TV does an awesome job with their USMTS broadcasts (They've got some NSL Sprint stuff later on this year too!) and they'll be all over it this weekend. 

For ordering information, just click here:






Southern All Star Late Models at EAMS:

The postponed "Bama Bash" will kick off the 2015 tour for the Southern All Star Late Model Series this weekend at East Alabama Motor Speedway. They'll be battling for $6,000 to win and $500 to start on Sunday March 8. It's always a guessing game as to whom will swing by, but Chris Madden, Will Thomas, Mike Marlar, Jonathan Davenport, Randy Weaver, and Donald McIntosh are all pretty good guesses. There might even be a Scott Bloomquist sighting, (was on his schedule earlier). 

Whomever shows up to grace the red clay at EAMS, it's sure to be some great racing on the slippery surface. There's no pay per view this weekend, but you can follow the action with blog style updates from DirtonDirt.com on their RACEWIRE Page. (Just click where we typed racewire. It helps to be a DoD subscriber, if you're not, please do so immediately! You'll thank us!)

Anyhow, they'll have blog style updates there to keep you in the know all weekend. And if you're really a diehard (our favorite type of fan) Our friends at Race-monitor.com will have a live timing feed for your iphone, or computer. You can follow the action as it happens on the track by just clicking HERE  Don't do it this second unless you want to be bored into a come, why don't you wait until race time and until then, check out the races up above!


Have a great weekend everyone! Stay DIRTY