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Thursday, April 30, 2020

All Stars Show Rescheduled to Friday, May 22; Priority Pit Parking available for All Stars and World of Outlaws Pre-Sales



Sarver, PA (April 22, 2020) With the most recent update from Governor Wolf, the Tomson family regretfully announces the cancellation of the May 1 All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint show which has been postponed to the previously announce rain date of Friday, May 22.  On the 22nd, Tony Stewart’s All Star Sprints will be joined on the card by the 305 Winged Sprints of the Allegheny Sprint Tour and the Mother’s Day weekend promotion of free flowers to the first 500 women passing through the gates will continue.

Of course, the rescheduling of the All Star event means the Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger’s program scheduled for May 22 is canceled.  The silver lining, though, is that the $2,000 tabbed for the Pad the Purse bonus program presented by Phil DiLucente and Associates that evening will be funneled into the year end points fund; $500 per division.

With the disappointing news of canceling the May 1 race, we would like to announce some good news in that  the Tomson family, in conjunction with the All Stars and World of Outlaws/World Racing Group have decided to offer FREE priority pit parking for all three marquee sprint car shows on the 2020 schedule. Starting with Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions Sprints on May 22, and including the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XXIX on July 21 and September’s Commonwealth Clash; both featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, fans that purchase advanced ticket packages for the All Star Sprints, Silver Cup and/or Commonwealth Clash will have the option to park in the pits free of charge, (a $10 value), in a designated area below the teams’ haulers.

Accessing the pits on the Butler side of the pit fence, fans that purchased advanced tickets can either show or pick up them up there and sign the waiver to get their free pit pass.  All applicable admission rules apply, including but not limited to the inability to bring their own alcohol into the active pit area or grandstands.

Advanced tickets for all of our marquee events and even our full slate of Fab4 Racing Revved Up with Marburger’s can be purchased on our website www.Lernerville.com or by phone at (724) 353-1511; but please note that the speedway office is currently closed due to government restrictions on non-essential businesses.

Update From Jackson Motorplex Officials



The health and safety of our community, employees, drivers, teams, fans and partners continues to be the top priority for all of us at Jackson Motorplex. While we are all anxious to get back to the track, we are taking the Coronavirus seriously.

We understand, that while a plan for reopening the country and our state is getting closer to happening, the plan may not allow our race track to immediately open. We have spent many hours planning and preparing for a safe way to allow people to stay healthy and enjoy some racing at Jackson Motorplex. We are currently in the process of submitting a plan to the state that outlines strict health and social distancing measures that will be put into place for every race team, spectator and employee when the track reopens.

We are waiting to see what happens in Minnesota after May 4th and look at restructuring our 2020 schedule at that point as needed. We appreciate your patience and support, and will continue to update you as soon as we have new information.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS RETURN TO RACING BEGINS AT KNOXVILLE



Wednesday, April 29, 2020
The World of Outlaws, widely known as “The Greatest Show on Dirt,” announced plans today for its official “Return to Racing” with a pair of “Behind Closed Doors” events, the first being a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race on Friday, May 8 at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA. The very next weekend, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series will make its return Friday, May 15 at “Iowa’s Action Track” Boone Speedway in Boone, IA. Both events will feature Hot Laps at 6:30pm CT (7:30pm ET), followed by qualifying and racing at 7:30pm CT (8:30pm ET) and include Saturday rain dates.

The events will be by invitation-only and all full-time World of Outlaws drivers are expected to be in attendance. Each race will feature a 48-car field, filled out with a mix of local, regional and national stars following a process guided by the World of Outlaws utilizing the Top 18 in each of the following: World of Outlaws point standings (’19 & ’20) along with Knoxville Raceway (’19), DIRTcar Late Model National (’19) and DIRTcar Summer Nationals (’19) point standings. Any eligible driver will be listed on the initial roster and will have 48 hours to contact Series officials to accept their invitation. The field will be rounded out using World of Outlaws Promoter’s Choice, current iRacing DIRTVision standings and current series standings.

The World of Outlaws working together with its series sponsors NOS Energy Drink and Morton Buildings, along with the support of several patrons of the sport, are also pleased to announce that these will be full-purse, $10,000-to-win races, expected to award full points and count towards the 2020 series championship standings.

Although no spectators will be allowed at the events, the entire night will be broadcast live on DIRTVision, the world leader in live streaming. DIRTVision will be offering a 20% discount on any new FAST PASS all-access subscription or single-event pay-per-view purchased at least 3 days prior to each event using Vouchers Codes: RETURNKNOXVILLE and RETURNBOONE. Existing subscription holders will receive a commemorative gift.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Hawkeye 100 at Boone Speedway remains postponed and the series is hopeful to reschedule the event. The upcoming Brownell’s Big Guns Bash in June at Knoxville Raceway featuring World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car remains on the series schedule.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we have been working diligently with partner tracks and City, County, and State government officials across the country to be prepared for our Return to Racing and we will follow a strict set of guidelines that exceed local requirements, including social distancing, utilization of every other pit stall, health screening, hand washing stations and the distribution of masks and bottles of hand sanitizer to everyone in attendance,” explained Brian Carter, Chief Executive Officer for the World of Outlaws.

Complete guidelines can be viewed at the World of Outlaws COVID-19 Resource Center at www.worldofoutlaws.com.

“In conjunction with the management team at Knoxville Raceway we have been working with the Honorable Governor Kim Reynolds in Iowa to determine if and when a Return to Racing would be possible,” said Ben Geisler, Chief Marketing Officer for the World of Outlaws. “Governor Reynolds’ exceptional leadership during this crisis has been crucial during these talks, and her measured approach to opening Iowa back up for business has led us to this point.”

In late April, the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing published a set of Operational Procedures and Guidelines to assist dirt-track operators in better understanding protocols established by the CDC and local Public Health Departments as it relates to returning to business in line with the Federal Government’s three-phase approach to Opening Up America Again.

“The World of Outlaws put together Operational Procedures for this kind of event and approached us about making it happen, their plan gave us and our local officials a lot of confidence and we hope that we can set an example for dirt tracks across the country by setting a good example,” said Robert Lawton, Boone Speedway.

“While racing without fans will be hard for all of us, these events at Knoxville Raceway and Boone Speedway mark an important step in getting the country back on track. Governor Reynolds, along with our City and Marion County officials have been key in making that happen,” said John McCoy, Knoxville Raceway Race Director and Promoter.

While the World of Outlaws will not return to the real track until Friday, May 8 and Friday, May 15, both series make their virtual debut at 8:00pm ET (7pm CT) on Tuesday, April 28 at the “World’s Greatest Dirt Track,” Eldora Speedway, live on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network coverage continues on Tuesday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 12.

BACK IN THE GAME: Bobby Allen eyes World of Outlaws return through iRacing Shark Racing keeping busy with sim racing builds and iRacing events



CONCORD, NC – April 29, 2020 – At 76 years old, Bobby Allen has the urge to drive a Sprint Car again after stepping out of the car more than 20 years ago.

However, the car he’ll be driving is a little different than the one he was used to. It’s not real.

Allen plans to eventually join his grandson Logan Schuchart and son Jacob Allen in competing in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Invitationals. It allows him to feel the thrill of racing with no consequences and please the fans that want to see him do it. Although, he’s not expecting to return to his winning ways right away.

“I think it’s funny everybody says, ‘Hey, Bobby, you should run that,’” Allen said. “They miss [me] racing. They want to see [me] back there racing. I always called it like being a prize fighter who’s been out for 30 years. Alright, I’ll come back and get in that fight. You know what’s going to happen? You’re going to get the shit beat out of you. So, I look at the iRacing the same because I haven’t done it. These kids have done it. I’m going to get one and try to get some practice.”

In traditional Allen fashion of always building his own racing equipment, he’s constructing his own custom sim rig to compete. He and other members of the Shark Racing team are trying to build a cheap simulator setup out of aluminum for not only him to use, but to also potentially replicate and sell.

Schuchart and Jacob Allen also have their own custom sim rigs. Schuchart cut up the chassis of his Drydene #1s Ironman 55 winning car and turned it into a rig with three monitors directly in front of the cockpit and sim racing pedals and steering inside. He’s already earned two fourth-place finishes in a row with it. And while it wasn’t in his custom rig, Schuchart won the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car eDirt Racing Shootout at Eldora Speedway on CBS Sports Network.

Allen debuted his custom rig, which is almost identical to Schuchart’s, during the April 17 Invitational race at Eldora Speedway. His Shark Racing crew member Tyler Garber helped him build it during the team’s down time.

“There’s not a whole lot going on at the shop and he’s been wanting to learn how to weld and things like that, so I kind of let him do his own thing with it and build it up the way he wanted to,” Allen said. “I’ve just been focusing on exercising and eating healthy and just kind of preparing myself for whenever they give us the green light to go racing and jumping on that simulator so I can get laps and still have that feeling of racing in some sort of sense.”

To him, and Schuchart, iRacing has become another method for them to stay sharp. They’ve become the new race day for the Shark Racing team. It’s keeping the team busy and keeping Bobby Allen busy. Instead of thinking about tires and engines, Allen is now focused on what computers and monitors will best help his drivers’ efforts.

“He’s pretty into it,” Jacob Allen said. “I’m excited for him to do it. He’s been keeping pretty busy and has been pretty focused on finding the best computers and things like that. I’m glad that he’s staying busy that way and it’s something to entertain him.”

Bobby Allen is looking forward to getting to race against his son and grandson but wouldn’t say just yet that he’d beat them. He joked that the three of them will go to a go-kart track and Allen, a world champion go-kart racer, said he’ll think he’s putting down good laps, but then Allen and Schuchart will drive by him 2mph faster in the corner.

“I said, ‘Bobby, you might want to forget about it. You’re a little bit old now,” he said with a chuckle.

In his first time trying a simulator, Allen said he was about a second off of Schuchart’s time. Although, he acknowledged Schuchart has been using iRacing for a while. The experience gave him a new level of respect for the drivers that are good at the simulator. To him, it would probably be easier to get back into a real race car.

“What’s funny about that, because I haven’t raced a race car in 20 years, it’s actually pretty stressful to try and keep them things straight and not be all over the place,” Allen said about iRacing. “You can throw them against the wall as hard as you want because you’re not going to get hurt crashing them, but you still don’t want to hit the wall anyway. I don’t see how them guys do it. I ran the laps with nobody else on the racetrack and the only place I could run was high. Everywhere else I was zig zagging. That’s why when they showed Bubba Wallace (on national TV) sweating, that’s how it is. It’s real stressful to try and keep the car right and go fast. It’s definitely the closest thing to real racing.”

While it can be stressful, iRacing gives the 30-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series winner the same thrill he felt when driving his real #1a Sprint Car. At 76 years old, Allen is ready to have fun racing again.

“It’s fun doing it for the boys,” he said. “It’s fun doing it for me.”

Next Tuesday, the World of Outlaws: eDirt Racing Shootout goes to virtual Volusia Speedway Park in Florida, better known as the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Sunday and Monday World of Outlaws iRacing Invitationals will take place on DIRTVision, while the eDirt Racing Shootout returns to CBS Sports Network.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Lucas Oil ASCS At Creek County and Lakeside Speedway Cancelled Due To Continuing COVID-19 Restrictions


Bryan Hulbert – TULSA, Okla. (April 28, 2020) Unfortunately, officials at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla. and Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. have had to cancel their events with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network during the month of May.

Scheduled for Thursday, May 28 (Lakeside) and Saturday, May 30 (Creek County) the current timeline of events being able to operate in Kansas and Oklahoma with fans and teams in place has prohibited the events from going forward. As of now, the two events will not be rescheduled.

“The states are starting to reopen and we are hoping things progress faster than planned, but after talking with our local and state officials, the uncertainty of when we can actually operate at a capacity that allows us to have fans in the stands and teams in the pits is still unknown,” stated Creek County Speedway owner, Emmett Hahn.

Event updates will be posted to http://www.ascsracing.com as well as our Social Media Outlets on Facebook and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS). We will also issue emails to our E-News Letter, which anyone can sign up for at https://bit.ly/3cTRbCq.

Patriot Sprint Tour Postpones Events In The Month Of May




By Paul Harkenrider (Sodus, NY) | Due to the regulation set forth by the New York State government amid the Coronavirus, the start to the Patriot Sprint Tour 2020 season will once again be delayed. In addition to the Outlaw Speedway Spring Nationals being postponed in April, events at Land of Legends (May 2), Woodhull Raceway (May 9), Limaland Motorsports Park (May 22), Waynesfield Raceway Park (May 23), and Eldora Speedway (May 24) have also been suspended for the time being.

It has been announced recently that Land of Legends will be holding a closed practice that limits to 50 drivers on May 2. You must register with Land of Legends Management and abide by the restrictions that they have been presented.

Patriot Sprint Tour president, Mike Emhof will be working with track officials to find new dates that works for both parties in 2020.

Fans and drivers are strongly encouraged to check Patriot Sprint Tour Social Media as well as patriotsprinttour.com for continued updates regarding 2020.



FIRST 'WON': Schuchart, Cornell Score First eDirt Racing Shootout Wins in CBS debut World of Outlaws aces outduel elite racers from NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA



CONCORD, NC – April 28, 2020 – Eldora Speedway never disappoints, and that clearly holds true for virtual racing, too. While fans wait for the real dirt to fly, Big E provided a rush of adrenaline during the World of Outlaws: eDirt Racing Shootout debut Tuesday night on CBS Sports Network.
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car star Logan Schuchart brought the virtual crowd and those watching at home to their feet, trading slide jobs with Kevin Swindell for the final five laps and edging him at the finish line to win his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Feature … using the DIRTVision studio simulator no less. But before all that excitement, 19-year-old Kaeden Cornell picked up his first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing win in a barn burner race, kicking off the doubleheader.

The two drivers beat star-studded fields that included a host of dirt aces taking on high-profile invaders like Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Juan Pablo Montoya, William Byron, Ron Capps, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier and Cruz Pedregon.

The start of the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car eDirt Racing Shootout Feature saw NASCAR Xfinity Series standout Briscoe pulled away from the field as drivers behind him went three and four wide, arguing over positions second through fifth.

Swindell became the benefactor of the battle, splitting the gap between Brad Sweet, Max McLaughlin and Robbie Kendall to launch his #39 Swindell Speedlab car into second. The two-time World of Outlaws iRacing Invitational winner was then on the hunt for Briscoe.

Twelve laps into the 35-lap Feature, Briscoe pounced off the wall off Turn 2 and slid down into Swindell, who was underneath him going for the lead. The two cars locked and slid sideways going into Turn 3, stacking up the field and bringing out the caution.

Swindell and Briscoe held their positions up front, but Swindell now had the lead. He, like Briscoe before him, pulled away from the field while the top-five traded positions amongst themselves every lap.

With 15 laps to go, as Briscoe, Sweet and Balog slowed each other’s momentum while battling for second, Schuchart held the throttle to the floor and fired his Drydene #1a car into the runner-up spot.

Schuchart, a two-time World of Outlaws winner in real life at Eldora, knew exactly what to do to catch Swindell.

“I just kind of used the same line that I used in real life last year at the Kings Royal,” said Schuchart, who powered from 12th to second in the 2019 Kings Royal at Eldora. “It seems to work on this thing.”

He ran the top, putting his right rear tire on the cushion, inches from the wall. That helped him run down Swindell in seconds. Once he caught him, he tried a slide job on Swindell in the first corner, but Swindell charged back by him the next turn.

A couple of cautions got in the way of their battle, but on a restart with five laps to go, the two drivers put on a Sprint Car racing clinic, virtual or not. Schuchart would launch his car ahead of Swindell one corner and Swindell would slide back by him the next. They crossed the finish line separated by thousandths of a second each lap.

With two laps to go, Swindell bounced off the cushion just enough to give Schuchart the advantage to clear him off Turn 4. However, Swindell wasn’t finished. “The Bulldog” stayed close to Schuchart and looked underneath him coming to the checkered flag.

Schuchart had the better momentum off Turn 4 and edged Swindell at the line by 0.25 seconds.

As fast as everyone’s heart was beating by watching the spectacular finish, Schuchart’s adrenaline was up just as high.

“My heart is going, I feel like I just got out of a real car,” said an out of breath Schuchart. “That was a great race with Kevin. That was really cool. We were able to race each other real clean. It was a lot of run. It’s real cool to win one of these things.”

After the race Swindell took to Twitter to say, “Cushion: 1, Me: 0.”

For Cornell, his victory came one night after coming so close in an Invitational race at Eldora. On Tuesday night, he took advantage of a mistake by the late-race leaders and swiped the top spot away with just a pair of laps remaining to collect his long-awaited first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing victory.

Cornell, known to the Outlaws iRacing circuit for his always-happy attitude and gleeful post-race interviews, was immediately overjoyed with the big victory.

When asked about the winning move by CBS Sports host Dave Rieff in the post-race interview, Cornell excitedly replied, “I have no clue! I don’t know what it looked like, but it was chaos from my screen.”

In fact, the on-track action was rather chaotic throughout the entire 35-lap contest. Right from the drop of the green, the yellow flags flew, and Cornell was caught right in the middle of it.

After spending most of the first 10 laps under caution for two multi-car wrecks on the backstretch, Cornell got an excellent run off the top side of Turn 2 on a Lap 10 restart and thread the needle between then-leader Matt Cosner and Ashton Winger down the backstretch for the lead. But, some contact between the three was made in the process and Cornell was left almost completely sideways, heading for the outside wall as the field raced into Turn 3.

But Cornell was able to gather it back in without bringing out the yellow or losing wholesale positions, and immediately put it back on the top side and began his charge to the front. At his lowest point, Cornell sat as deep as 13th in the running order. But as the laps clicked off, Cornell began to pass more and more cars.

By the final restart with four laps to go, Cornell had come all the way back up to fourth. He stuck his DirtDraft #50 on the top side for one final dash to the finish and made the most of it, passing Mike McKinney for third with three-to-go, then taking advantage of wrecking leaders Winger and Nick Stroupe one lap later for the lead, and the eventual win.

With the epic comeback complete, Cornell was only beginning to soak-in what had happened on-track as he explained to Rieff and fellow announcers Kenny Wallace and Johnny Gibson in the post-race interview what was actually happening outside his house.

“I’m in Willard, Missouri, and we just went through a tornado warning! I was just praying the lights didn’t come off my dang house,” Cornell again said with excitement. “This is awesome! What a deal! I’m pumped!”

Thankful the strong storm didn’t damage his house, Cornell had only a brief, yet energetic explanation to Gibson of what was going through his mind on the final restart.

“Just full send, just gotta go,” he said. “I got wrecked earlier but I think it was just a racing deal, no one’s fault, really. But you just gotta get after it here, I love it. Up on the wheel, it was awesome!”

Coming from 12th to seventh in his first iRacing Late Model Feature start, eventual Sprint Car winner Schuchart said he really had a blast in the full-fendered cars.

“You gotta get through the carnage first, but hey, I’ll take it for my first time in a Late Model, it was fun. Definitely gotta stay away from the crashes,” Schuchart said.

Logano also had a blast for his first time with the Outlaws in the iRacing Late Model, and even gave a shot to his other NASCAR buddies in a post-race reaction video he posted on his Twitter account.

“Here’s the main thing I took away from this – Austin Dillon finished 16th. So, of the NASCAR guys, not that bad,” Logano added with a lighthearted smirk into the camera after besting Dillon by one spot.

Next Tuesday, the World of Outlaws: eDirt Racing Shootout goes to virtual Volusia Speedway Park in Florida, better known as the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Sunday and Monday World of Outlaws iRacing Invitationals will take place on DIRTVision, while the eDirt Racing Shootout returns to CBS Sports Network.

World of Outlaws: eDirt Racing Shootout; April 28, 2020; Virtual Eldora Speedway

World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Feature (35 laps) — 1. 50-Kaeden Cornell [6] [$1,000]; 2. 96-Mike McKinney [3]; 3. 12-Ashton Winger [7]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce [22]; 5. 45-Nick Stroupe [9]; 6. 11-Tyler Reddick [14]; 7. 1-Logan Schuchart [12]; 8. 66-Matt Cosner [1]; 9. 29-Ethan Toedter [11]; 10. 7-Justin Allgaier [13]; 11. 1-Brandon Sheppard [23]; 12. 2-Nick Hoffman [17]; 13. 88-Trent Ivey [5]; 14. 9-Devin Moran [10]; 15. 22-Joey Logano [19]; 16. 3-Austin Dillon [2]; 17. 0-Corey Gordon [20]; 18. 99-Matty Watkins [8]; 19. 39-Kevin Swindell [21]; 20. 0-Scott Bloomquist [15]; 21. 1-Logan Seavey [4]; 22. 71-Cruz Pedregon [16]; 23. 5-Chase Briscoe [18]. Lap leaders: Matt Cosner 1-10; Ashton Winger 11-32; Nick Stroupe 33; Kaeden Cornell 34-35. Penske Racing Shocks Hard Charger: Bobby Pierce +18.

World of Outlaws Sprint Car NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 laps) — 1. 1-Logan Schuchart [6] [$1,000]; 2. 39-Kevin Swindell [5]; 3. 170-Bill Balog [1]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4]; 5. 7-Tyler Courtney [14]; 6. 17-Austin McCarl [11]; 7. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [20]; 8. 5-Chase Briscoe [2]; 9. 35-Mike Mahaney [13]; 10. 1-Jacob Allen [15]; 11. 17-Max McLaughlin [7]; 12. 2-Wayne Johnson [18]; 13. 41-David Gravel [12]; 14. 5-Brent Marks [10]; 15. 25-William Byron [21]; 16. 28-Ron Capps [19]; 17. 18-Ian Madsen [16]; 18. 21-Brian Brown [9]; 19. 2-Carson Macedo [8]; 20. 55-Robbie Kendall [3]; 21. 2-Kerry Madsen [17]. Lap leaders: Chase Briscoe 1-11; Kevin Swindell 12-33; Logan Schuchart 34-35. KSE Hard Charger: Juan Pablo Montoya +13.

World of Outlaws Return to Racing Begins at Knoxville, Boone ‘Behind Closed Door’ events for Sprint Cars & Late Models will air on DIRTVision



CONCORD, NC — April 28, 2020 — The World of Outlaws, widely known as “The Greatest Show on Dirt,” announced plans today for its official “Return to Racing” with a pair of “Behind Closed Doors” events, the first being a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race on Friday, May 8 at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA. The very next weekend, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series will make its return Friday, May 15 at “Iowa’s Action Track” Boone Speedway in Boone, IA. Both events will feature Hot Laps at 6:30pm CT (7:30pm ET), followed by qualifying and racing at 7:30pm CT (8:30pm ET) and include Saturday rain dates.

The events will be by invitation-only and all full-time World of Outlaws drivers are expected to be in attendance. Each race will feature a 48-car field, filled out with a mix of local, regional and national stars following a process guided by the World of Outlaws utilizing the Top 18 in each of the following: World of Outlaws point standings (’19 & ’20) along with Knoxville Raceway (’19), DIRTcar Late Model National (’19) and DIRTcar Summer Nationals (’19) point standings.  Any eligible driver will be listed on the initial roster and will have 48 hours to contact Series officials to accept their invitation. The field will be rounded out using World of Outlaws Promoter’s Choice, current iRacing DIRTVision standings and current series standings.

The World of Outlaws working together with its series sponsors NOS Energy Drink and Morton Buildings, along with the support of several patrons of the sport, are also pleased to announce that these will be full-purse, $10,000-to-win races, expected to award full points and count towards the 2020 series championship standings.

Although no spectators will be allowed at the events, the entire night will be broadcast live on DIRTVision, the world leader in live streaming. DIRTVision will be offering a 20% discount on any new FAST PASS all-access subscription or single-event pay-per-view purchased at least 3 days prior to each event using Vouchers Codes: RETURNKNOXVILLE and RETURNBOONE. Existing subscription holders will receive a commemorative gift.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Hawkeye 100 at Boone Speedway remains postponed and the series is hopeful to reschedule the event. The upcoming Brownell’s Big Guns Bash in June at Knoxville Raceway featuring World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car remains on the series schedule.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we have been working diligently with partner tracks and City, County, and State government officials across the country to be prepared for our Return to Racing and we will follow a strict set of guidelines that exceed local requirements, including social distancing, utilization of every other pit stall, health screening, hand washing stations and the distribution of masks and bottles of hand sanitizer to everyone in attendance,” explained Brian Carter, Chief Executive Officer for the World of Outlaws.

Complete guidelines can be viewed at the World of Outlaws COVID-19 Resource Center at www.worldofoutlaws.com.

“In conjunction with the management team at Knoxville Raceway we have been working with the Honorable Governor Kim Reynolds in Iowa to determine if and when a Return to Racing would be possible,” said Ben Geisler, Chief Marketing Officer for the World of Outlaws. “Governor Reynolds’ exceptional leadership during this crisis has been crucial during these talks, and her measured approach to opening Iowa back up for business has led us to this point.”

In late April, the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing published a set of Operational Procedures and Guidelines to assist dirt-track operators in better understanding protocols established by the CDC and local Public Health Departments as it relates to returning to business in line with the Federal Government’s three-phase approach to Opening Up America Again.

 “The World of Outlaws put together Operational Procedures for this kind of event and approached us about making it happen, their plan gave us and our local officials a lot of confidence and we hope that we can set an example for dirt tracks across the country by setting a good example,” said Robert Lawton, Boone Speedway.

“While racing without fans will be hard for all of us, these events at Knoxville Raceway and Boone Speedway mark an important step in getting the country back on track. Governor Reynolds, along with our City and Marion County officials have been key in making that happen,” said John McCoy, Knoxville Raceway Race Director and Promoter.

While the World of Outlaws will not return to the real track until Friday, May 8 and Friday, May 15, both series make their virtual debut at 8:00pm ET (7pm CT) on Tuesday, April 28 at the “World’s Greatest Dirt Track,” Eldora Speedway, live on CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network coverage continues on Tuesday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 12.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP Automotive Racing Products, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, DART, and KSE Racing Products ; manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, and TNT Rescue.

RISING SON: Pierce’s Success Builds with Legendary Father’s Guidance DIRTcar Late Model champ battles racing’s elite tonight on CBS Sports Network




(Today is Part 2 of a look at young DIRTcar Late Model superstar Bobby Pierce and how he’s achieving success in the top echelon of the sport. Click here for Part 1.)

The giant numbers Bobby Pierce has put up in a Dirt Late Model at the young age of just 23 is simply staggering, often drawing comparisons to some of the already-established legends of the sport like Bloomquist, Moyer and Purvis.

Often times, the children and grandchildren of auto-racing legends are compared to those who came before them, and the father-son combination in the Pierce family is no exception.

Bob Pierce was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2003 after years of domination around the bullrings of Illinois. Launching his career over 40 years ago, Bob won numerous marquee races at several different tracks around the country, including the Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway (’94, ’95, ’99, ’00, ’01), North-South 100 at Florence Speedway (1999) and the Herald & Review 100 at Macon Speedway (’83, ’85, ’94, ’01).

(RELATED: See Pierce take on some of racing’s biggest stars, including Team Penske’s Joey Logano, tonight at 8 PM in the eDirt Racing Shootout, a doubleheader with World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprintcar and World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models.)

The Smooth Operator has had plentiful success already, and he’s destined for more in the future. But none of that would be possible without the great support of his sponsors and tutelage he’s received from his father.

“Who knows what I might be doing if he didn’t push me in the right direction,” Pierce said. “I’m glad he did, because here we are. And so far, we’ve made it work pretty well, but it’s taken a lot of help to get me here. All the sponsors through the years, all the fans buying t-shirts, all that helps to be able to keep going and make it to the next race.”

Moyer. Moran. McCreadie. Each of those names carry decades of success in motorsports, spread throughout two different generations. As is present in the conversations of their fans nationwide, the ever-popular debate of “who is/was better” remains a popular topic of discussion. The name Pierce is often one thrown into that same conversation. Bobby’s well aware of it, but has never seriously been distracted by it.

“When I was starting out, I was pretty young, and you don’t really have a whole lot of expectations to do well. By the time I was old enough to where it probably would have bothered me, I already started winning races. So, I never really got the full effect of that,” Pierce said. “Even he gives me the benefit of the doubt a lot, and when someone asks, he’s like ‘oh he’s already better than me.’ So that makes me feel like there’s not really any pressure there.”

Bob has been the crew chief on every dirt track ride Bobby’s ever driven. During the race, Bob can usually be found holding up the brightly colored “signal sticks,” giving visual directions to his son as the track and traffic ahead (or behind) changes. And at the end of every race, win or lose, he’s always celebrating in Victory Lane or back at the hauler helping to load up. The father-son bond the two share is not something that can be taught; rather, it’s something buried within their competitive nature and desire to win that makes them one of the most effective duos in the pit area.

“No matter what wins I got or what losses I got, they kinda count the same for him, too,” Bobby said. “He wants to see me win just as bad as he wanted to win races when he was racing. If not, worse.”

Back home in Oakwood, IL, the two help keep a family business running. Pierce Platinum Race Cars has been producing a unique brand of Dirt Late Model and DIRTcar UMP Modified chassis for many years. Most commonly found around the local dirt tracks of the Midwest, the Pierce Platinum brand has been awarded the DIRTcar UMP Modified “Chassis of the Year” award an astounding 10 times since its inception.

With his very crowded driving schedule each year, Bobby has not found the opportunity to acquire the fabrication skills necessary to assist with the production of the physical Platinum frames just yet. He does, however, dabble in the body work department for customers, producing the outer shells of the cars from raw sheet metal.

Bob plays more of a utility role around the shop, answering the phone and helping to put cars together, in addition to several parts. Pierce Platinum hosts an entire spare parts inventory for customers to purchase separately, which are fabricated in-house as well.

In recent years, the Pierce race shop also became an authorized Rocket Chassis dealer, serving as a Midwestern connection for those looking to get service and parts or give the tried-and-true chassis style a try. The #32 team decided to give brand co-owner Mark Richards’ popular creation a go themselves for the 2018 season and bought two brand-new Rocket XR1s to see how they would fare with Pierce behind the wheel. By the end of the year, he ended up getting all the Rocket-power he could handle and then some.

After veteran driver Earl Pearson Jr. made the decision to vacate the seat of the Dunn-Benson Motorsports #1 car following the 2017 season, Pierce received an opportunity from team co-owner Kemp Lamm to pilot the car for the 2018 season, which he gladly accepted. This put Pierce on a national tour schedule for the first time in his career, driving the new-to-him Rocket Chassis with an entirely new team.

“When they called me and wanted me to drive for them, I was like, ‘Well, we’ll give it a shot!’” Pierce recalled. “It was pretty different. A lot of positives and some negatives about it, but I was glad I did it.”

Pierce collected just six victories that season, tied for his career-low in Super Late Models, but was victorious in two $20,000-to-win events, adding to the long list of marquee trophies in his cabinet. According to Pierce, part of his struggles that year, which ultimately led to the end of his role at Dunn-Benson at the conclusion of the 2018 regular season, was the unfamiliarity of some of the tracks they visited and his lack of wrench-turning on his chariot.

“I’m so used to always working on the cars, and I was only there [at the Dunn-Benson shop] like half the time, which made it feel a little strange,” Pierce said. “There was a lot of new tracks I went to. All-in-all, it was a pretty good year. We picked up a few wins. I was basically working for somebody, so that was different too.”

However, his time spent in Dunn, NC, isn’t the only foreign race shop he’s raced out of during his career. Having raced his Dirt Late Model at the facility a few times by the summer of 2015, Pierce received an opportunity from Foristell, Missouri-based MB Motorsports to drive their NASCAR Truck at Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Derby. At 18 years old, this would be his first-ever venture into one of the world’s highest echelons of motorsports.

For his first go-around in a NASCAR Truck on dirt, not too shabby. To start things off, he joined an exclusive club of drivers to qualify on the pole for their first Truck Series start – members include only Bobby Hamilton, Kerry Earnhardt, Alex Tagliani and Ron Hornaday Jr. That weekend, Pierce held his own, leading a solid number of laps and finishing the race behind only winner Christopher Bell.

“I got a lot of publicity over that race. A lot of people who were NASCAR fans but weren’t really Dirt Late Model fans and had never heard of me were pretty interested about that. Like, some kid being able to run second to all of those guys,” Pierce said.

“We turned a lot of heads towards our sport too, so that was good. I was glad to have the opportunity to do that.”

Pierce went on to make seven more starts in the MBM truck over the next three years but was never able to replicate what he accomplished in the 2015 Derby, despite two more Derby starts. He did, however, learn a lot about those 358 C.I. machines on asphalt as well, making intermittent appearances at Martinsville, Phoenix, Kansas, Charlotte, Miami and Dover over the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

“One thing I realized, there’s a lot of G’s [forces] at those tracks,” Pierce said. “You get that for sure in Late Models, but you’re going just a little faster [in the trucks]. I think 165 [mph] was the fastest I went. That felt pretty quick, but it was a different feel than on a dirt track,” Pierce said.

“I think it made me a little bit better on dirt, just because it threw something else at me that was a different challenge. So, when I got back in the dirt stuff, it felt more like home.”

Although he may not have had the results he was after in each of his NASCAR starts, Pierce will more remember the lessons he learned on the pavement and was glad he got the opportunity to do something special and branch out.

“Everyone knows what NASCAR is, so I think it’s something cool to have on your resume,” Pierce said. “It would have been cool to get a win, but I can say I got a NASCAR pole, so that’s definitely cool to say.”

Returning to his family-owned Dirt Late Model team for the 2019 season, Pierce wheeled his Rocket XR1 Chassis to 19 wins through the latter portion of the season before switching back to a new Pierce Platinum before the year concluded. Since the 2020 season has been on hold for several months, he’s had the chance to do some thinking about why he, like each of his competitors, truly wants to hit the dirt again.

“There’s so much to be accomplished in Dirt Late Model racing, too,” Pierce said. “I’ve won a lot of big races, but there’s still so many more that I want to win. And aside from that, I want to win the races I’ve won again and again.”

If winning races is his endgame, then innovation and maintenance through this extended break is the route he’ll take to get there. You can bet he and his father will be keeping up in that department.

“Hopefully, we can keep progressing too,” Pierce said. “This sport’s definitely always changing, someone always seems to be getting a little faster and figuring something out. Gotta stay on top of it.”

And while Pierce says a return to NASCAR may someday be in his future, his heart’s in dirt racing right now. His goals, while easy to say and more difficult by the year to achieve, will likely stay the same. True to the sport’s heritage, his family’s legacy, and for the entertainment of thousands of grassroots racing fans across the globe.

“Just keep doing what I’m doing, trying to make the most of things. Probably the same goals, trying to win as many races and championships as possible. Just dominate.”

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

ELECTRIC FINISH: Ivey Stuns World of Outlaws for Eldora iRacing Win Last-lap pass sparks rivalry headed into Tuesday’s CBS eDIRT Shootout

Chris Owens photo

ROSSBURG, OH – April 27, 2020 – When it comes to racing at the high speeds of legendary Eldora Speedway — even in the virtual world like Monday night — one mistake can make or break a driver’s race. Especially in green-white-checkered situations.

As the field took the green with just two laps remaining, leader Corey Gordon appeared to have the race in-hand, bound to collect his second World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing Invitational Feature win. He led the 24-car field back to the white flag without any issues, until a slip-up into the Turn 2 wall slowed his top-side momentum just enough for Trent Ivey to sneak by on the bottom, scrape the Turn 3-4 wall and diamond-off the corner to steal his second virtual Morton Buildings Feature win over Gordon and Kaeden Cornell.

(RELATED: See Ivey, Gordon, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Scott Bloomquist and all the dirt racing specialists take on NASCAR champion Joey Logano, IndyCar champion Juan Montoya, NHRA champions Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon and more in a World of Outlaws Sprint Car/Late Model doubleheader at 8 pm Tuesday exclusively on CBS Sports Network.)

While the action was simulated, the intensity and excitement was very real as a very ecstatic Ivey joined DIRTVision’s Chase Raudman and Rick Eshelman in the Morton Buildings post-race interviews and immediately exclaimed “Let’s go, baby!”

“Corey, he doesn’t mess up,” said Ivey, of Union, SC. “He messed up one time and I was just fortunate to be there.”

Gordon viewed Ivey’s final lap wall-scrapes as the catalyst to his fierce run down the backstretch in the effort to steal the lead, but he was still content with his runner-up finish and is ready to improve one more spot in Tuesday night’s World of Outlaws eDirt Shootout at 8 pm ET on CBS Sports Network.

“Honestly I thought I threw that one away a little bit,” Gordon said. “I went back and watched the replay and saw a little bit of wall-riding there, but it’s all good. I still had a lot of fun.”

“Tomorrow’s a new day. We’ll go get ’em tomorrow.”

While the fireworks at the finish line ended the show, it was all smooth sailing at the head of the field for the first half of the race. Polesitter Cornell grabbed control of the Morton Buildings Feature at the drop of the green, leading the first 15 laps of the 30-lap contest.

Gordon and Ivey were biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. A caution flag was brought out just before the halfway mark, and the two rivals were done waiting. On the ensuing restart, they gassed it up on the high side and, with a push from Ivey behind him, Gordon shot to Cornell’s inside to challenge for the lead for the first time.

The first attempt was unsuccessful as Cornell held his ground on the top and defended his spot as the field raced back into Turn 1. Gordon attempted another side job from down low and stuck it; Ivey diamonded-off the corner and got a great run to the low side as they raced three-wide into Turn 3. Ivey threw a big slide job of his own in a bid for the lead but made contact with Cornell and the outside wall, which opened the door for Gordon down low as he shot to the lead on lap 17.

“On that restart, I guess you could say I got bullied, I don’t know. I kinda got a dirty slider thrown on me there,” Cornell said of the view from his virtual cockpit on the restart.

From there, Flash held onto the lead through the next restart, showing terrific speed and car control on the top side of The Big E. Ivey gave chase to Gordon as the laps clicked off, and Cornell was able to recover from his earlier brush with Ivey and the wall to reclaim third. The leaders stayed idle in their track position as Gordon rounded Turn 4 to get the white flag, when it was suddenly replaced with a yellow.

Gordon nailed the first lap of the ensuing green-white-checkered finish, staying smooth on the very top side of the track to keep his speed up. But right behind him was a hungry Ivey, who hadn’t seen World of Outlaws Invitational Victory Lane since April 1. He scraped the entire length of Eldora’s Turn 4 wall as they crossed the line to collect the white flag and was right on Gordon’s bumper through Turns 1 and 2.

Gordon pushed way up the track and into the wall out of Turn 2 as Ivey flew by underneath, making contact and rebounding Gordon off the wall as they dove into Turn 3 for the final time. Gordon, now on the low side, threw a big slide job in a last-ditch effort for the win, but was unsuccessful. Ivey bounced his #88 off the Turn 3 wall and turned back down underneath Gordon to cross the finish line first — a tremendous finish by the real-life Super Late Model pilots.

“I’ve been to Eldora once in my life, once in a Super [Late Model], so I don’t have much experience here in the game or in real-life,” Ivey said after the race. “But it was crazy running around the top here. You see it all the time, you see Bobby [Pierce], you see [Jonathan] Davenport, all of them running around the top. I just knew that was the only place I was going to be able to do it. I stayed with it, stayed on it, and thankful Corey made one little slip-up.”

Cornell arguably had the best view of the finish out of anyone as he crossed the stripe just a few car-lengths behind the leaders. This now gives him a total of five top-three finishes without a single victory to show for it, but the young Missourian was content after yet another third-place run.

“Story of my whole World of Outlaws iRacing career, I guess,” Cornell lightheartedly said in the Morton Buildings post-race interview. “I can’t seem to win one for some reason.”

Pierce, a three-time DIRTcar National Late Model champion from Illinois with an impeccable record at Eldora, finished fourth, showcasing his steady rise in virtual racing, too.

“That was the best I’ve done on iRacing and this was probably the track I’ve practiced the least on,” said Pierce, who won the prestigious World 100 in 2016 at Eldora. “It was a lot of fun racing all those guys. I didn’t expect a top-five, for sure. … I don’t really consider myself an iRacer yet, but if we could somehow pull off a ‘W’ Tuesday night on CBS that would probably take a lot of luck.”

World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing Invitational; April 27, 2020; Virtual Eldora Speedway

Morton Buildings Feature (34 laps) — 1. 88-Trent Ivey [3] [$1,000]; 2. 000-Corey Gordon [2]; 3. 50-Kaeden Cornell [1]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce [5]; 5. 01-Logan Seavey [9]; 6. 06-Nick Stroupe [13]; 7. 96-Mike McKinney [6]; 8. 99-Matty Watkins [11]; 9. 018-Anthony Perrego [23]; 10. 43-Garrett Alberson [17]; 11. 999-Kyle Hardy [10]; 12. 039-Austin Yarbrough [19]; 13. 001-Matthew Logan [18]; 14. 29-Ethan Toedter [16]; 15. 089-Mike Spatola [7]; 16. 28-Sam Mars [24]; 17. 121-Michael Hensley [12]; 18. 2-Carson Macedo [22]; 19. 011-Gordy Gundaker [15]; 20. 12-Ashton Winger [8]; 21. 14-Tyler Clem [14]; 22. 95-Robbie Kendall [4]; 23. 55-Chris Hile [21]; 24. 015-Matt Shannon [20]. Lap leaders: Kaeden Cornell 1-17; Corey Gordon 18-33; Trent Ivey 34. Penske Racing Shocks Hard Charger: Anthony Perrego +14.

Racing Electronics Qualifying — 1. 50-Kaeden Cornell [16.445]; 2. 000-Corey Gordon [16.592]; 3. 88-Trent Ivey [16.594]; 4. 01-Logan Seavey [16.610]; 5. 999-Kyle Hardy [16.630]; 6. 96-Mike McKinney [16.648]; 7. 089-Mike Spatola [16.695]; 8. 12-Ashton Winger [16.701]; 9. 66-Matt Cosner [16.707]; 10. 011-Gordy Gundaker [16.798]; 11. 99-Matty Watkins [16.813]; 12. 47-Eric Riggins [16.823]; 13. 015-Matt Shannon [16.828]; 14. 39-Kevin Swindell [16.829]; 15. 118-David Seibers [16.840]; 16. 001-Matthew Logan [16.844]; 17. 43-Garrett Alberson [16.862]; 18. 06-Nick Stroupe [16.870]; 19. 14-Tyler Clem [16.877]; 20. 32-Bobby Pierce [16.881]; 21. 29-Ethan Toedter [16.890]; 22. 005-Chase Briscoe [16.891]; 23. 012-Jeff Curl [16.893]; 24. 95-Robbie Kendall [16.905]; 25. 018-Anthony Perrego [16.957]; 26. 07-Drake Troutman [16.966]; 27. 2-Carson Macedo [16.976]; 28. 71-Cruz Pedregon [16.982]; 29. 08-Timothy Culp [17.002]; 30. 1-Brandon Sheppard [17.011]; 31. 10-Matt Dooley [17.070]; 32. 121-Michael Hensley [17.087]; 33. 55-Chris Hile [17.092]; 34. 555-Adam Logan [17.094]; 35. 010-Dalton Polston [17.185]; 36. 7-Justin Allgaier [17.203]; 37. 18-Eric Wells [17.211]; 38. 76-Andrew Haus [17.213]; 39. 35-Mike Mahaney [17.266]; 40. 099-Larry Wight [17.288]; 41. 055-Benji Hicks [17.364]; 42. 111-Demetrios Drellos [17.385]; 43. 039-Austin Yarbrough [17.393]; 44. 49-Jake Timm [17.553]; 45. 6-Parker Martin [17.626]; 46. 28-Sam Mars [NT]; 47. 0-Scott Bloomquist [NT]; 48. 9-Devin Moran [NT].

Drydene Heat #1 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 50-Kaeden Cornell [1]; 2. 96-Mike McKinney [2]; 3. 99-Matty Watkins [3]; 4. 29-Ethan Toedter [5]; 5. 001-Matthew Logan [4]; 6. 07-Drake Troutman [6]; 7. 10-Matt Dooley [7]; 8. 28-Sam Mars [10]; 9. 7-Justin Allgaier [8]; 10. 055-Benji Hicks [9].

EZ-GO Heat #2 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 000-Corey Gordon [1]; 2. 089-Mike Spatola [2]; 3. 121-Michael Hensley [7]; 4. 43-Garrett Alberson [4]; 5. 2-Carson Macedo [6]; 6. 005-Chase Briscoe [5]; 7. 0-Scott Bloomquist [10]; 8. 18-Eric Wells [8]; 9. 111-Demetrios Drellos [9]; 10. 47-Eric Riggins [3].

COMP Cams Heat #3 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 88-Trent Ivey [1]; 2. 12-Ashton Winger [2]; 3. 06-Nick Stroupe [4]; 4. 55-Chris Hile [7]; 5. 015-Matt Shannon [3]; 6. 039-Austin Yarbrough [9]; 7. 9-Devin Moran [10]; 8. 76-Andrew Haus [8]; 9. 71-Cruz Pedregon [6]; 10. 012-Jeff Curl [5].

Hoosier Racing Tire Heat #4 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 95-Robbie Kendall [5]; 2. 01-Logan Seavey [1]; 3. 14-Tyler Clem [4]; 4. 66-Matt Cosner [2]; 5. 49-Jake Timm [9]; 6. 35-Mike Mahaney [8]; 7. 08-Timothy Culp [6]; 8. 39-Kevin Swindell [3]; 9. 555-Adam Logan [7].

ARP Fasteners Heat #5 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 32-Bobby Pierce [4]; 2. 999-Kyle Hardy [1]; 3. 011-Gordy Gundaker [2]; 4. 018-Anthony Perrego [5]; 5. 118-David Seibers [3]; 6. 010-Dalton Polston [7]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard [6]; 8. 6-Parker Martin [9]; 9. 099-Larry Wight [8].

FVP Batteries Last Chance Showdown #1 (12 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 29-Ethan Toedter [1]; 2. 039-Austin Yarbrough [5]; 3. 2-Carson Macedo [3]; 4. 66-Matt Cosner [2]; 5. 118-David Seibers [4]; 6. 08-Timothy Culp [7]; 7. 18-Eric Wells [8]; 8. 10-Matt Dooley [6]; 9. 71-Cruz Pedregon [10]; 10. 6-Parker Martin [9]; 11. 055-Benji Hicks [11].

VP Racing Fuels Last Chance Showdown #2 (12 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 43-Garrett Alberson [1]; 2. 015-Matt Shannon [3]; 3. 018-Anthony Perrego [2]; 4. 35-Mike Mahaney [5]; 5. 47-Eric Riggins [11]; 6. 1-Brandon Sheppard [7]; 7. 07-Drake Troutman [4]; 8. 7-Justin Allgaier [9]; 9. 0-Scott Bloomquist [6]; 10. 76-Andrew Haus [8]; 11. 555-Adam Logan [10].

Wrisco Last Chance Showdown #3 (12 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 001-Matthew Logan [2]; 2. 55-Chris Hile [1]; 3. 28-Sam Mars [7]; 4. 39-Kevin Swindell [8]; 5. 005-Chase Briscoe [4]; 6. 010-Dalton Polston [5]; 7. 9-Devin Moran [6]; 8. 012-Jeff Curl [11]; 9. 111-Demetrios Drellos [9]; 10. 49-Jake Timm [3]; 11. 099-Larry Wight [10]

A PIERCING DRIVE: Bobby Pierce’s Accomplishments Belie His Age Three-time DIRTcar Late Model champ takes on iRacing this week

Pierce in Oakshade Raceway Victory Lane after clinching his third consecutive DIRTcar Summer Nationals championship. (Jim DenHamer Photo)
If you didn’t know better, Bobby Pierce’s credentials and record would make you think he’s been racing at the highest levels of the Dirt Late Model racing for decades, but those who know are fans of a millennial generation superstar with a long career ahead.

Ask any driver in the country and they’ll tell you Pierce provides some of the stiffest competition seen all year, night-in and night-out. Whether it’s a track around his home state of Illinois or over 1,600 miles away in the heat of Arizona, there’s no question Pierce has already earned his place at the table that seats only the most elite wheelmen in the country. And he’s just 23 years old.

Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, is a three-time DIRTcar Late Model national points champion (2014, 2015, 2016); a three-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion (2015, 2016, 2017); the 2016 World 100 and North/South 100 winner, a two-time Gateway Dirt Nationals winner … the list goes on. He’s made multiple starts in NASCAR, and even pilots a chassis brand with his last name on it.

But nobody attains that level of success overnight. Ever since he won a handful of Quarter Midget races before he even turned 10 years old, Pierce has been seeking more.

(RELATED: See Pierce compete at 7 PM ET Monday in the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing Invitational on DIRTVision, then see him take on some of racing’s biggest stars, including Team Penske’s Joey Logano, at 8 PM Tuesday in the eDirt Racing Shootout, a doubleheader with World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models.)

His passion for dirt racing has always been there, starting with his days in Quarter Midgets on the tiny dirt tracks of Illinois and Indiana. His father Bob, a National Dirt Late Model Hall-of-Famer himself, has always the head wrench-turner on every dirt ride he’s ever been in. Through his countless Quarter Midget, Kids UMP Modified and Pro (Crate) Late Model Feature wins and track championships as a teenager, he was able to develop the skills necessary to compete with the 20, 30+ year veterans of the sport. Some of which, more than twice his own age.

It wasn’t until 2011 that Pierce jumped into the seat of a perennial Super Late Model full-time, and immediately began having success, picking up six Feature wins at various local shows around Illinois. Fast forward to 2020, and the now-ten-year veteran has collected over 100 Feature wins in Super Late Model competition at the local, regional and national level.

Pierce agrees, his early ventures behind the wheel were a direct catalyst to his future success.

“The start that I had was really good,” he said. “I think that starting young is something that helps a lot. I feel like if I started racing asphalt cars when I started racing dirt, which I was about eight, then maybe I would have a lot of success in that.”

One of the most memorable and career-defining victories on that list was his epic climb from 22nd to win the 2016 World 100 at Eldora Speedway. At just 19 years old, Pierce dethroned Hall-of-Famer Jeff Purvis as the youngest driver ever to win Dirt Late Model racing’s most prestigious event and became the first driver from the state of Illinois to accomplish the feat.

Looking back on that weekend in Western Ohio, Pierce echoes the prestige of the event that he earned and is reminded of why he truly enjoys his full-time job as a racecar driver.

“There’s nothing like being able to go to one of the biggest dirt races, whether it’s the World 100 of the Dirt Late Model Dream, or any of those crown jewels, and being able to win those,” he said.

“It’s all humbling. Heck, you can win it one year, and the next year, you can get lapped or something. That’s just how it goes.”

In the seasons since then, Pierce has experienced a bit more pressure to go back to The Big E and replicate that big result. Most drivers that make the trip out to Rossburg often do so twice a year, for the Dirt Late Model Dream in June and the World 100 in September. Pierce has not visited Eldora Victory Lane in either event since the fall of 2016, but that’s only made him hungrier for his next big Eldora crown jewel win.

“I think, at first, the next year there was a little bit [more pressure] because there’s no improving that unless you get another win,” Pierce said. “We went back with another Joker-themed wrap, and everything that happened the first year [that he won] just magically went right, even with me having to start at the back.”

“Now that I’ve got a World win, I want to win the Dream. But I still want to win the World again just as much as I wanted the first time.”

When talking about the World 100 and the Dirt Late Model Dream, it’s impossible not to mention the only man to have a staggering total of 12 big trophies from the venue – Scott Bloomquist. An eight-time Dream winner and the proud owner of four World 100 globe trophies, only Billy Moyer comes anywhere close to the crown jewel win Bloomquist has at Eldora with eight. Pierce has only one, but that’s one more than a lot of other drivers across Late Model racing history have.

For his successes, Pierce at his young age has sometimes been compared to the likes of Bloomquist. Their relentless drive to win, raw talent behind the wheel, loaded racing schedules (despite the 33-year age gap), enormous fan bases, even their incredibly marketable car designs and personalities draw immediate similarities. Pierce admits he may not fit the “bad boy” persona that Bloomquist sometimes emits, but he appreciates being a part of the same conversation with the Hall-of-Famer.

“I don’t think I can quite match Scott’s ‘dark side’… someone else can probably have that,” Pierce said. “But if we’re talking about the wins, for sure.”

And while talking about success at Eldora is valuable, Pierce knows Bloomquist’s place in history at other big events across the country as well. Bloomquist is a five-time winner of the prestigious USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway. Pierce has never won, despite having five top-five finishes since his first start in 2012. Likewise, Bloomquist is a six-time champion of the historic Show-Me 100, held in Wheatland, MO, while Pierce claimed his lone victory in 2017.

It’s the big races like these where Pierce knows he has ground to make up on the Team Zero leader to truly make headway into the same category. And that’s what makes him even more motivated to keep winning.

“If I could win all the races he has, that’d be pretty cool,” Pierce said. “I know he has a huge following, the biggest fan base anyone’s had in Late Model racing, I think. He’s a hell of a personality, for sure.”

One marquee race in particular that Pierce does technically have a leg up on the 2004 World of Outlaws champ is Fairbury Speedway’s Prairie Dirt Classic. Father Bob is a five-time winner, but son Bobby has never tasted victory in the event, albeit coming close multiple times. After an exciting battle with winner Shannon Babb and runner-up Dale McDowell in the closing stages of the 2013 edition, Pierce did not have another top-five in the event until just last year, where he led from Lap 26 to 99 before a heartbreaking turn of events in the final corners.

Brandon Sheppard stalked Pierce throughout the second half of the race, just waiting for the perfect moment to make his move. That moment came on the final lap heading into Turn 3, where Sheppard threw it hard into the corner and slid up the high banking, right in front of Pierce to take the lead. The two made contact off of Turn 4, Pierce in the wall, and Sheppard driving off the corner to collect his second victory in the event. Pierce crossed the line third, and despite the heavy contact between the two, Pierce walked into Victory Lane before Sheppard emerged from his car to shake his hand and offer his congratulations – a great showing of sportsmanship between the two Illinois young guns.

The finish became one of the most highly debated events of the entire season, whether or not Sheppard’s slide job was “dirty” or not. In the eyes of the man on the receiving end of it, the maneuver was just fine.

“He had to go for it, and it wasn’t a dirty slider,” Pierce said. “A lot of times, whenever there’s contact, people have to blame somebody. But it was just one of those racing deals. It wasn’t like he just came across and drove over my radiator.

“That’s one thing I wanted to make clear. Slide jobs aren’t bad, and that wasn’t a bad one. Even though I came out on the losing side of it.”

Tough losses like those have helped to fuel Pierce’s hunger for victories and push him further down the path to future success at a multitude of levels. More specifically, in the upper echelons of motorsports.

(In Tuesday’s Part 2, Pierce recalls his time spent in NASCAR and shoots on the role father Bob has played in his career.)

Monday, April 27, 2020

Brock Zearfoss’ South Dakota road trip rewards $6,000

Bill McIntyre photo

By Fully Injected Motorsports:

JONESTOWN, Pa. (April 26, 2020) – It was a long haul to the Mount Rushmore State for Brock Zearfoss and Brock Zearfoss Racing, but the long haul was worth the miles logged, as the ‘Jonestown Jet’ earned his first sprint car victory of the season on Saturday night, out dueling some of the best in the business to do so.

Zearfoss, driver of the familiar Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill/Heavy Equipment, Loaders & Parts Inc./C&D Rigging Inc./BAPS Auto Paints & Supply/Meckley’s Limestone Products/Berkebile Oil Company/Klick Lewis Cars/J.P. Adamsky Trucking/X-1 Race Cars/No. 3Z sprint car, earned his triumph during a first-ever visit to Park Jefferson International Speedway in North Sioux City, South Dakota. The Open Wheel Nationals program, the first sprint car event for Zearfoss in over a month due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, concluded with just as much excitement as the event drew attention, as Zearfoss was able to climb from third to first after a restart with just five circuits remaining, eventually driving by Kerry Madsen and a stumbling Aaron Reutzel.

Zearfoss started third on the main event grid.

“At first, we didn’t have plans to make the trip, but I’m glad we did. It couldn’t have worked out any better,” Brock Zearfoss explained, who will compete with the All Star Circuit of Champions full-time once competition resumes. “Man, this is awesome. To everyone who made this happen, thanks so much, especially my team. Our schedule stopped, but the work didn’t. Shane and Tye busted their butts and our X-1 Race Car couldn’t have been any better. To roll out of the box like that and be competitive, after that much time off, says so much about what these guys can do.”

Brock Zearfoss kicked-off his evening in South Dakota with an impressive jump from sixth to second during heat race competition. The Jonestown, Pennsylvania-native was the fourth-fastest qualifier out of the 31 entries to take time.

Although the team hopes to return to normalcy, an upcoming agenda is still uncertain.

“Things are a little unclear right now as far as when and where we’ll be racing next, but we’ll be ready to go,” Zearfoss continued. “We’re pretty pumped up.”

SPECIAL THANKS:
Brock Zearfoss would like to thank all of his marketing partners including: Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill, Heavy Equipment, Loaders & Parts Inc., C&D Rigging Inc., BAPS Auto Paints & Supply, Meckley’s Limestone Products, Berkebile Oil Company, Klick Lewis Cars, J.P. Adamsky Trucking, X-1 Race Cars, Simpson Racing Products, KX3 Racewear, BK Titanium, Blud Lubricants, AL Driveline, and Bell Helmets.

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fans can keep up with Brock Zearfoss during his entire campaign right here at www.fullyinjected.com, or at www.brockzearfoss.com. Be sure to “follow” the “Jonestown Jet” on all of the available social media networks including Twitter: https://twitter.com/brock_zearfoss and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brockzearfossracing.

STATS:
2016 Wins: 2 (Williams Grove Speedway & Port Royal Speedway)

2017 Wins: 7 (Port Royal Speedway x5 including Open Wheel Madness)(Williams Grove Speedway – World of Outlaws; Billy Kimmel Memorial). 2017 Port Royal Speedway Track Champion.

2018 Wins: 2 (Williams Grove Speedway, Port Royal Speedway)

2019 Wins: 4 (Outlaw Speedway [ASCoC]: 6/7/2019) (Lebanon Valley Speedway [ASCoC]: 7/14/2019) (Attica Raceway Park [ASCoC]: 8/31/2019 – $10,000) (Port Royal Speedway [URC/360]: 10/19/2019)

2020 Brock Zearfoss Racing Statistics:
Wins: 1
Top-5s: 5
Top-10s: 8

2020 Highlights: Earned back-to-back top-ten finishes against All Star Circuit of Champions at East Bay Raceway Park. Earned back-to-back top-five finishes during King of the 360’s action at East Bay Raceway Park; finished fourth during $10,000-to-win finale. Rallied from 13th to finish fourth at Lincoln Speedway on Sunday, March 1. Finished fifth at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, March 7. Finished sixth at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, March 14. Earned Open Wheel Nationals win at Park Jefferson International Speedway on Saturday, April 25, worth $6,000.

JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry extends partnership with JW Motorsports

Bill McIntyre photo

By Fully Injected Motorsports:

VINCENTOWN, N.J. (April 24, 2020) – Justin Whittall and JW Motorsports are working hard to make 2020 a breakout season for the Vincentown, New Jersey-based sprint car team, and JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry will be pushing their progress every lap of the way.

Based in Medford, New Jersey, JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry has been in service for nearly 25 years, offering exquisite jewelry and exceptional customer service to clientele from all corners of the Garden State. JG Kronenberger’s entire inventory is carefully selected by experienced buyers which provides customers with the best selection and a popular variety. In addition to an attractive storefront, JG Kronenberger gives customers the opportunity to peruse and purchase its inventory online.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with our friends from JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry. They pride themselves in offering their customers top-notch quality and selection, and their experience backs them up. We’re proud to be associated with a company like JG Kronenberger,” Justin Whittall explained, who earned multiple podium finishes at Port Royal Speedway in 2019. “I’m confident that JG Kronenberger’s support will help take this team to the next level and we’ll do our part to deliver.”

At this time, Justin Whittall’s return to sprint car competition is uncertain, as concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are still high.

“Hopefully we are racing soon,” Whittall continued. “We hope everyone is staying safe during these troubling times. We’ll be back at the track before we know it.”

Those seeking additional information pertaining to JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry, such as store hours, location, services, and selection, please visit the company online at www.jgkronenberger.com. Fans can also follow JG Kronenberger on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KronenbergerJewelers, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jgkronenberger/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/JGKJewelers.

ABOUT JG KRONENBERGER FINE JEWELRY: JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry has been serving the customers of NJ for over 23 years. Created with you in mind, our store combines exquisite jewelry with exceptional customer service. Our entire inventory is carefully selected by our experienced buyer to provide customers with the best selection and quality. Our NJ store carries a vast selection of GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Certified Diamonds, Bridal Jewelry from designers such as Fana and Levy Creations. We also carry an extensive assortment of Sterling Silver, Gemstone and Diamond Jewelry from designers such as POP Diamond Jewelry, Philip Gavriel and DA Gold, as well as our own custom collection.​

SPECIAL THANKS: Justin Whittall and JW Motorsports would like to thank all of their marketing partners including: Brotherton Brewing Company, Pioneer Auto Body, Mid-Atlantic Transport, Worldwide Bearings, FK Rod Ends, Stilo Helmets, JG Kronenberger Fine Jewelry, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Enterprise, Ground Blind Boys, Ryan Taylor Graphics.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Be sure to follow Justin Whittall and JW Motorsports on all of the available social media networks including Facebook: www.facebook.com/justinwhittallmotorsports and Twitter: www.twitter.com/justinwhittall. Fans should keep up with Justin Whittall on the Web at www.fullyinjected.com, as well as at the official online home of JW Motorsports: www.justinwhittallmotorsports.com.

STATS: 2019 Highlights: Kicked off 2019 season with 18th and 14th place finishes at Lincoln Speedway and Williams Grove Speedway, respectively. Finished tenth at BAPS Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 7, the result of a charge from 17th. Scored top-ten (ninth) during action at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, May 11. Qualified for WoO main event at Bridgeport Speedway on May 21. Finished 14th during Bob Weikert Memorial finale at Port Royal Speedway on May 26. Finished second at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, June 15. Climbed from 22nd to 11th at Port Royal Speedway on June 22. Finished eighth at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, July 20. Finished tenth at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, August 10. Finished third at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, August 24

MAKE IT THREE: Logan Seavey wins third World of Outlaws Sprint Car iRacing Invitational California star becomes third different winner in past three NOS Energy Drink Features



CONCORD, NC – April 26, 2020 – The virtual Eldora Speedway trophy was already having Logan Seavey’s name etched into the plate with three laps to go in Sunday night’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Invitational.

Seavey had been the dominate force of the night. Untouchable. However, he almost let a mistake cost him a win for the second race in a row.

He missed his marks enough times to allow Pennsylvania’s Brett Michalski to catch him in the closing laps. Michalski fired a slide job at Seavey in Turn 1 and took the lead with two laps to go.

However, his moment of glory was for a brief second. Seavey charged back underneath him and reclaimed the lead by the next corner. He couldn’t pull away, though. Michalski rushed back underneath Seavey into Turn 1; the two cars close enough for the drivers to grab each other’s shoulders.

Both cars charged off the corner, with Seavey having the advantage. Focused and intent on winning, the Sutter, CA driver pulled ahead of Michalski and claimed the win at the virtual Eldora Speedway – his third Sprint Car Invitational win. He also became the third different winner in three races.

(RELATED: The World of Outlaws is bringing its fan-favorite style of live virtual racing to CBS Sports Network starting 8 PM ET Tuesday when the dirt track specialists of “The Greatest Show on Dirt” take on some of the world’s greatest racers in a series of one-hour doubleheader eDirt Racing Shootouts.)

“Brett was incredibly good there at the very, very end,” Seavey said. “I felt like I was a little too good early. I was driving away from the field there and I knew that my car was really good. I didn’t know if it would stay good. We just kept having cautions which puts you in a bad spot and lets everyone attack real hard on restarts. Luckily, I was able to get some good jumps. At the end I seen Brett there behind me and I made a few mistakes and almost gave one away there.”

Seavey was on track to potentially pick up the win last Tuesday at the virtual Williams Grove Speedway. But by focusing on where drivers where running in his rear-view mirror – an iRacing feature – he misjudged where the best line was and allowed Robbie Kendall to charge by him for the victory.

At Eldora, Seavey was prepared to leave with the $1,000 winnings. He set Cometic Gaskets Quick Time in Radio Electronics Qualifying and went on to win Drydene Heat Race #1. That put him on the pole for the 30-lap NOS Energy Drink Feature.

He was the class of the field the entire race, pulling away to about a three second lead at times. Behind him was an epic duel for second between Troy Wagaman Jr., Tony Gualda and Carson Macedo. Logan Schuchart and NASCAR star William Byron, who ran the NASCAR iRacing event at Talladega early in the day, also poked their nose into the battle at times. Michalski, who started fourth, fell back early on, but eventually worked his way back up through the field.

Three cautions flew throughout the night. Seavey was able to pull away from the 24-car field each time. On the final restart, with about five laps to go, Michalski made quick work of Macedo and Wagaman to take the runner up spot and hunt down Seavey.

Michalski was then on a mission to give the PA Posse two wins in a row as he dueled with Seavey for the lead. His final shot at Seavey was on the last lap, going into Turn 1 when he dove underneath him and the two raced inches apart. When they exited Turn 2, Seavey knew he had the race won.

“I knew when we got off of Turn 2 and I was in the moisture and he wasn’t I figured I had a pretty good enough run to be able to just protect and not give up much time,” Seavey said. “I think the race was kind of over going down the backstretch once he didn’t clear me through one and two. That was really big. He got a huge run and I was able to block just enough to where we weren’t able to crash, and he couldn’t clear me either. That was a heck of a finish.”

While Seavey crowded Michalski’s #73 car a little going into Turn 1, Michalski said it was good, clean, hard racing.

“We were rolling tonight,” Michalski said. “I gave him (Seavey) something. Let him know I was there. He did everything right. Zero mistakes. When I did get by him, he drove back by and slid me and ran nice and clean. Hats off to him for the win there. We definitely, hopefully, put on a good show for everyone and see you at the next one.”

After the 30-lap duel in the top-five for position, Tony Gualda rounded out the podium with Logan Schuchart finishing fourth for the second race in-a-row and Wagaman ended up fifth.

While real racing continues to be on hold for now, the iRacing Invitationals are allowing drivers a chance to stay fresh, have fun and earn some money. Between his Sprint Car and Late Model iRacing Invitational wins, Seavey has collected $4,000 dollars in the past month.

“Definitely when you win a thousand bucks it’s not a bad deal,” he said. “We’ve got a couple more this week to try and win. I just can’t thank the Outlaws for putting these things on. It’s just fun to come race and have something to do.”

Seavey will compete in the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing Invitational Monday, April 27, at 7 p.m. (ET) on DIRTVision.

The World of Outlaws iRacing Invitationals will then make its debut on CBS Sports Network Tuesday, April 28, at 8 p.m. (ET). The hour-long program will feature the World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late Model iRacing Invitationals. World of Outlaws drivers like Logan Schuchart and David Gravel will take on the likes of William Byron and Juan Pablo Montoya in the Sprint Car event, while dirt racing aces like Scott Bloomquist and Logan Seavey will battle stars that include Team Penske driver and NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano in the Late Model event.

World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Invitational Results; April 26, 2020; Eldora Speedway

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps) — 1. 19-Logan Seavey [1] [$1,000]; 2. 73-Brett Michalski [4]; 3. 99-Tony Gualda [3]; 4. 1-Logan Schuchart [8]; 5. 19-Troy Wagaman Jr. [2]; 6. 117-Mike McKinney [7]; 7. 5-Chase Briscoe [9]; 8. 37-Mitchell Faccinto [15]; 9. 39-Kevin Swindell [19]; 10. 23-Cole Macedo [18]; 11. 2-Carson Macedo [6]; 12. 41-David Gravel [14]; 13. 7-Justyn Cox [23]; 14. 5-Brent Marks [12]; 15. 91-Cale Thomas [16]; 16. 11-Zeb Wise [21]; 17. 25-William Byron [5]; 18. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [20]; 19. 17-Austin McCarl [10]; 20. 21-Brian Brown [24]; 21. 43-Seth Bergman [17]; 22. 17-Max McLaughlin [13]; 23. 55-Robbie Kendall [11]; 24. 46-Michael Bauer [22]. Lap leaders: Logan Seavey 1-30. KSE Hard Charger: Kevin Swindell +10.

Racing Electronics Qualifying — 1. 19-Logan Seavey [13.843]; 2. 1-Logan Schuchart [13.946]; 3. 99-Tony Gualda [13.946]; 4. 73-Brett Michalski [13.948]; 5. 25-William Byron [14.014]; 6. 2-Carson Macedo [14.041]; 7. 17-Max McLaughlin [14.056]; 8. 19-Troy Wagaman Jr. [14.062]; 9. 37-Mitchell Faccinto [14.123]; 10. 17-Austin McCarl [14.127]; 11. 55-Robbie Kendall [14.128]; 12. 5-Brent Marks [14.137]; 13. 117-Mike McKinney [14.148]; 14. 41-David Gravel [14.153]; 15. 35-Mike Mahaney [14.183]; 16. 1-Robert Allen [14.188]; 17. 69-Brady Bacon [14.224]; 18. 50-Max Stambaugh [14.238]; 19. 39-Kevin Swindell [14.239]; 20. 47-Eric Riggins [14.258]; 21. 7-Justyn Cox [14.274]; 22. 91-Cale Thomas [14.275]; 23. 43-Seth Bergman [14.281]; 24. 21-Brian Brown [14.289]; 25. 11-Zeb Wise [14.301]; 26. 46-Michael Bauer [14.316]; 27. 5-Chase Briscoe [14.334]; 28. 7-Justin Allgaier [14.417]; 29. 4-Justin Grant [14.420]; 30. 23-Cole Macedo [14.505]; 31. 55-Trey Starks [14.549]; 32. 69-Lance Dewease [14.561]; 33. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [14.593]; 34. 3-Cale Conley [14.618]; 35. 27-Brad Lamberson [14.662]; 36. 27-Carson McCarl [14.668]; 37. 10-Joe Kata [14.695]; 38. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [14.723]; 39. 87-Ryan Bernal [14.767]; 40. 66-Matt Cosner [14.773]; 41. 555-Dylan Cisney [14.795]; 42. 48-Danny Dietrich [14.814]; 43. 44-Stewart Friesen [14.898]; 44. 99-Larry Wight [14.951]; 45. 210-Thomas Kennedy [15.071]; 46. 28-Ron Capps [15.089]; 47. 2-Wayne Johnson [15.111]; 48. 84-Tom Harris [15.134]; 49. 71-Cruz Pedregon [15.174]; 50. 5-Jamie Ball [NT]; 51. 18-Ian Madsen [NT].

Drydene Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 19-Logan Seavey [1]; 2. 117-Mike McKinney [3]; 3. 17-Max McLaughlin [2]; 4. 39-Kevin Swindell [4]; 5. 11-Zeb Wise [5]; 6. 55-Trey Starks [6]; 7. 10-Joe Kata [7]; 8. 44-Stewart Friesen [8]; 9. 71-Cruz Pedregon [9].

DART Machinery Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 19-Troy Wagaman Jr. [2]; 2. 1-Logan Schuchart [1]; 3. 41-David Gravel [3]; 4. 46-Michael Bauer [5]; 5. 47-Eric Riggins [4]; 6. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [7]; 7. 99-Larry Wight [8]; 8. 69-Lance Dewease [6]; 9. 5-Jamie Ball [9].

COMP Cams Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 99-Tony Gualda [1]; 2. 5-Chase Briscoe [5]; 3. 37-Mitchell Faccinto [2]; 4. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [6]; 5. 7-Justyn Cox [4]; 6. 18-Ian Madsen [9]; 7. 210-Thomas Kennedy [8]; 8. 35-Mike Mahaney [3]; 9. 87-Ryan Bernal [7].

Hoosier Racing Tire Heat 4 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 73-Brett Michalski [1]; 2. 17-Austin McCarl [2]; 3. 91-Cale Thomas [4]; 4. 7-Justin Allgaier [5]; 5. 3-Cale Conley [6]; 6. 66-Matt Cosner [7]; 7. 28-Ron Capps [8]; 8. 1-Robert Allen [3].

ARP Fasteners Heat 5 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 25-William Byron [1]; 2. 55-Robbie Kendall [2]; 3. 43-Seth Bergman [4]; 4. 2-Wayne Johnson [8]; 5. 27-Brad Lamberson [6]; 6. 69-Brady Bacon [3]; 7. 4-Justin Grant [5]; 8. 555-Dylan Cisney [7].

EZ-GO Heat 6 (10 laps) — Top 3 Transfer — 1. 2-Carson Macedo [1]; 2. 5-Brent Marks [2]; 3. 23-Cole Macedo [5]; 4. 21-Brian Brown [4]; 5. 27-Carson McCarl [6]; 6. 84-Tom Harris [8]; 7. 50-Max Stambaugh [3]; 8. 48-Danny Dietrich [7].

FVP Batteries D-Main (8 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 4-Justin Grant [3]; 2. 50-Max Stambaugh [4]; 3. 1-Robert Allen [8]; 4. 35-Mike Mahaney [7]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich [10]; 6. 87-Ryan Bernal [13]; 7. 28-Ron Capps [2]; 8. 555-Dylan Cisney [9]; 9. 71-Cruz Pedregon [11]; 10. 5-Jamie Ball [12]; 11. 44-Stewart Friesen [5]; 12. 210-Thomas Kennedy [1]; 13. 69-Lance Dewease [6].

VP Racing Fuels C-Main (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 27-Brad Lamberson [1]; 2. 27-Carson McCarl [2]; 3. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [4]; 4. 50-Max Stambaugh [12]; 5. 55-Trey Starks [3]; 6. 35-Mike Mahaney [14]; 7. 84-Tom Harris [8]; 8. 99-Larry Wight [10]; 9. 10-Joe Kata [9]; 10. 18-Ian Madsen [5]; 11. 4-Justin Grant [11]; 12. 69-Brady Bacon [7]; 13. 66-Matt Cosner [6]; 14. 1-Robert Allen [13].

Morton Buildings Last Chance Showdown (12 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 39-Kevin Swindell [1]; 2. 6-Juan Pablo Montoya [3]; 3. 11-Zeb Wise [7]; 4. 46-Michael Bauer [2]; 5. 7-Justyn Cox [9]; 6. 21-Brian Brown [6]; 7. 27-Brad Lamberson [11]; 8. 47-Eric Riggins [8]; 9. 7-Justin Allgaier [4]; 10. 3-Cale Conley [10]; 11. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [13]; 12. 2-Wayne Johnson [5]; 13. 50-Max Stambaugh [14]; 14. 27-Carson McCarl [12].

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Brock Zearfoss Makes Trip From PA Pay Off with $6,000 Triumph at Park Jefferson!

Brock Zearfoss at Lincoln Speedway.
Bill McIntyre photo

(Bill W) Jefferson, SD (April 25, 2020) – Brock Zearfoss of Jonestown, Pennsylvania, outlasted a talented field in a much anticipated event Saturday night at the Park Jefferson International Speedway near Jefferson, South Dakota. The first sprint car action in nearly two months saw no fans in the stands, but plenty watching at home on SpeedShiftTV. The event, limited to 32 cars, was indeed surreal, as was the scene of those on hand wearing masks and keeping their distance, officials and competitors alike.

The track was blazing fast. Aaron Reutzel trimmed over seven-tenths of a second off Danny Lasoski’s five year old track record (13.396) on the 3/8-mile oval in time trials with a circuit of 12.692 seconds, despite drawing the last pill. In fact, eighteen of the 30 drivers who registered a time were under Lasoski’s old mark.

The feature took a while to get underway. Californian Kyle Offill spun on the first try, collecting Cody Ledger and Wade Nygaard. As the second attempt got underway, rain started falling. A twenty minute delay saw an open red.

The third start was the charm, and Kerry Madsen led Parker Price-Miller and Zearfoss early. Five laps in, Blake Hahn stopped on the backstretch and retired. Price-Miller was all over Madsen on the restart, and passed him for the point two laps later. Meanwhile, Reutzel looked to be shot out of a cannon as well, and took over third from Zearfoss.

Brendan Mullen got over the turn three berm, bringing another caution eight laps in. Reutzel shot by Madsen on the restart, and the leaders were in lapped traffic just four circuits later. With nine laps to go, Hunter Schuerenberg tipped over in turn four while running seventh. Cory Eliason, who was eighth at the time retired. The incident was costly for Reutzel, who had passed Price-Miller for the lead in turn two in heavy lapped traffic with a three-wide move.

Price-Miller led the exciting event back to green, with Reutzel, Madsen and Zearfoss in tow. Schuerenberg’s wing mounts would give on the restart, negating a move to third from Zearfoss. With just five laps to go, Price-Miller would slow the Phil Dietz owned #14P, with Reutzel assuming the point.

It was Zearfoss’s turn to make a move on this restart. He shot to the high side of turn three, circling both Madsen and Reutzel, who would slow and pull in the infield late. Zearfoss would jet to the checkers ahead of Madsen, Austin McCarl, Ian Madsen and Channin Tankersley. Anthony Macri, Kyle Offill, hard-charger Jake Blackhurst, Jody Rosenboom and Chad Boespflug rounded out the top ten.

Blackhurst won the B main, and his hard charge from 21st to eighth earned him a $750 bonus ($500 from Brandon Black and $250 from Capital Renegade). Colin Smith was the first Non-Qualifier for the feature and received $150 from OpenWheel101.com. Hahn, Offill, Scotty Thiel and Mullen won the four heat races. Carson McCarl tangled with Kerry Madsen in the second heat and scratched for the night. No injuries were reported on the evening.

The eclectic field of cars will most certainly never be seen in one place again. The 31 drivers represented 14 states and Australia.

Results

Time Trials (Qualifying Order) 2 laps: 1. 87, Aaron Reutzel, Clute, TX (31) 12.692; 2. 2, Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (22) 12.771; 3. 14P, Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN (11) 12.840; 4. Brock Zearfoss, Jonestown, PA (16) 12.909; 5. 18, Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (4) 12.962; 6. 27, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (15) 12.986; 7. 26, Cory Eliason, Visalia, CA (7) 13.025; 8. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (1) 13.058; 9. 39, Anthony Macri, Dillsburg, PA (3) 13.087; 10. 17G, Channin Tankersley, Arlington, TX (27) 13.120; 11. 2KS, Chad Boespflug, Hanford, CA (30) 13.280; 12. 55, Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO (28) 13.292; 13. 14, Jody Rosenboom, Rock Rapids, IA (23) 13.323; 14. 9N, Wade Nygaard, Grand Forks, ND (10) 13.326; 15. 91, Anthony Fiore, Manheim, PA (6) 13.350; 16. 52, Blake Hahn, Sapulpa, OK (14) 13.359; 17. 73, Jake Blackhurst, Hanna City, IL (17) 13.359; 18. 88, Kyle Offill, Tracy, CA (13) 13.362; 19. 64, Scotty Thile, Sheboygan, WI (21) 13.401; 20. 44N, Dylan Norris, Hanover, PA (19) 13.470; 21. 47, Brandt O’Banion, Sioux Falls, SD (16) 13.500; 22. 21, Carson Short, Marion, IL (2) 13.512; 23. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (18) 13.528; 24. 11m, Brendan Mullen, Grand Forks, ND (29) 13.630; 25. 8, Jack Croaker, East Grand Forks, MN (24) 13.719; 26. 21K, Kameron Key, Warrensburg, MO (20) 13.761; 27. o5, Colin Smith, Sheldon, IA (5) 13.819; 28. 14R, Sean Rayhall, Woodstock, GA (25) 13.885; 29. 35L, Cody Ledger, Omaha, NE (12) 13.941; 30. 51A, Elliot Amdahl, Flandreau, SD (8) 14.618; 31. 35, Skylar Prochaska, Lakefield, MN (9) NT.

Heat one (started), 8 laps: 1. Blake Hahn (2) 2. Anthony Macri (4) 3. Brandt O’Banion (1) 4. Aaron Reutzel (6) 5. Ian Madsen (5) 6. Jody Rosenboom (3) 7. Jack Croaker (7) 8. Cody Ledger (8)

Heat two (started), 8 laps: 1. Kyle Offill (2) 2. Carson Short (1) 3. Channin Tankersley (4) 4. Kameron Key (7) 5. Wade Nygaard (3) 6. Kerry Madsen (6) 7. Elliot Amdahl (8) 8. Carson McCarl (5)

Heat three (started), 8 laps: 1. Scotty Thiel (2) 2. Chris Martin (1) 3. Chad Boespflug (4) 4. Cory Eliason (5) 5. Parker Price-Miller (6) 6. Anthony Fiore (3) 7. Colin Smith (7) DNS – Skylar Prochaska

Heat four (started), 8 laps: 1. Brendan Mullen (1) 2. Brock Zearfoss (6) 3. Hunter Schuerenberg (4) 4. Austin McCarl (5) 5. Jake Blackhurst (3) 6. Dylan Norris (2) 7. Sean Rayhall (7)

B main (started), 12 laps: 1. Jake Blackhurst (2) 2. Cody Ledger (8) 3. Anthony Fiore (1) 4. Dylan Norris (3) 5. Kameron Key (5) / 6. Colin Smith (6) 7. Jack Croaker (4) 8. Elliot Amdahl (9) 9. Sean Rayhall (7) DNS – Skylar Prochaska

A main (started), 25 laps: 1. Brock Zearfoss (3) 2. Kerry Madsen (1) 3. Austin McCarl (8) 4. Ian Madsen (6) 5. Channin Tankersley (9) 6. Anthony Macri (5) 7. Kyle Offill (11) 8. Jack Blackhurst (21) 9. Jody Rosenboom (18) 10. Chad Boespflug (10) 11. Cody Ledger (20) 12. Chris Martin (16) 13. Dylan Norris (22) 14. Scotty Thiel (14) 15. Aaron Reutzel (4) 16. Parker Price-Miller (2) 17. Kameron Key (24) 18. Hunter Schuerenberg (12) 19. Cory Eliason (7) 20. Brandt O’Banion (19) 21. Anthony Fiore (23) 22. Brendan Mullen (15) 23. Blake Hahn (11) 24. Wade Nygaard (17) DNS – Carson McCarl, Carson Short. Lap Leaders: K. Madsen 1-6, Price-Miller 7-20, Zearfoss 21-25.