Barberville, FL — Building on the opening night of action at the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, Round 2 proved to be even more exciting on Wednesday night at Volusia Speedway Park.
Feature events were whittled from more the 80 UMP DIRTcar Modifieds and more than 50 410-Sprint Cars, with every driver attempting to add their name to the ballot to become an Alltel All-Star.
NASCAR star Kenny Schrader did his best to run down Scott Drake in UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, but with Jared Larson in the mix running side-by-side with Schrader, Drake was able to maintain his lead and roll to the checkered flag on the half-mile, high-speed oval near Daytona Beach, Fla. Drake, who hails from the Joplin, Mo., suburb of Webb City, was smooth for the entire feature event, never making a mistake to allow either Schrader of Larson a shot at the lead once he was in front.
Wayne Johnson even surprised himself with a run that carried him to the checkered flag in 410-Sprint Car action. Danny Lasoski jumped out to an early lead before Sam Hafertepe Jr. ran him down. The two swapped the top spot when all of a sudden Johnson, who is originally from Oklahoma City but now resides in Knoxville , Iowa , surged past both of them on the bottom in Turn 1 and never looked back.
With their victories, Drake and Johnson join opening night winners Jesse Stovall and Donny Schatz as the first four of a potential 24 different drivers vying to become the Alltel All-Star during the 12 nights action at the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. It’s up to the fans to decide what driver will win a $12,000 cash prize from Alltel Wireless for being crowned the inaugural Alltel All-Star.
Fans can to go to AlltelAllStar.com and choose their favorite Alltel All-Star, or text #52191 plus his letter code (available at alltelallstar.com). Voting opened at 9 a.m. on Feb.6, and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. The winning driver will be named in a special ceremony shortly thereafter.
“If I ever needed my friends, I need them now,” Drake said. “Vote for me.”
Johnson already has a plan for the money so his fans need to start clicking away in support.
“It means a lot,” Johnson said. “That much money will probably pay our tire bill for about half the year. That sums it up pretty simple. $12,000 goes a long way with this team. I’ll tell you what, my fans probably are already voting.”
The 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals runs through Feb. 16 and features the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series™, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series™, the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™, UMP DIRTcar Racing™ Late Models and Open Wheel Modifieds, and the All Star Circuit of Champions over 12 consecutive nights from Feb. 5 through Feb. 16. Each night includes two feature races so by the end of the event, there is the potential for 24 different drivers to be eligible for the online poll.
Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.
