CONCORD, NC – July 1, 2011 – Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill. (Late Models) and Nick Allen of Wheatfield, Ind. (UMP Modifieds) sit atop the DIRTcar UMP national points standings through Week 22 of the circuit’s 2011 season.
The 28-year-old Unzicker, who is in the midst of his most grueling stretch of the 2011 season as he follows the month-long DIRTcar Summer Nationals, holds a hefty 263-point lead (1,753-1,490) over defending national champion Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., following races completed as of June 26.
Unzicker’s four counted finishes in Week 22 weren’t spectacular – his only top 10 was an eighth-place run in the Summer Nationals event on June 22 at Highland (Ill.) Speedway – but he continued to pile up points. He had made 29 DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned starts through June 26, putting him on the verge of reaching the 35-race threshold upon which Late Model drivers begin replacing their worst finishes/points nights.
Schlenk, meanwhile, continued his steady rise in the national standings. Following a busy five-race week between June 20-26 – his best runs were a pair of top-fives, in the Summer Nationals show on June 23 at Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Ill., and a weekly event on June 24 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway – he reached his highest position in the points battle this season.
Allen, meanwhile, has surged to the lead in the DIRTcar UMP Modified national points standings. He holds a 53-point advantage (1,559-1,506) over Tim Hancock of Mt. Olive, Ill., who spent several weeks at the top of the rankings.
A four-time feature and five-time runner-up in 24 starts to date, Allen’s Week 22 performance record showed a top finish of fourth on June 24 at Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway. Hancock recorded three top-five runs – two coming in DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals events on June 22 at Highland and June 24 at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill. – among his four Week starts and also reached the 25-race plateau for 2011, allowing him to begin replacing his worst finishes/points nights.
Other national points leaders after Week 22 in UMP-sanctioned divisions included Credence Mott of Vienna, Ill. (Pro Late Models), Troy Clark of North Vernon, Ind. (Sportsman); Kentucky’s Jeff Lawson (Limited Modifieds); Nate Zimmer of Mattoon, Ill. (Stock Cars); Jake Hewitt of Troy, Ill. (Factory Stocks); and Kenny Butterfield of Glassford, Ill. (Sport Compacts).
Log on to www.DirtCar.com for more information on DIRTcar Racing’s UMP circuit and to view complete points standings for all divisions, including the current State points rankings.
New for 2011, the weekly DIRTcar UMP points update is powered by www.MotorStats.com. DIRTcar’s affiliation with the Durham, N.C.-based Web site is providing fans and competitors a more timely and detailed look at the points standings. National and State points standings for all divisions are typically updated by Thursday each week, and new features allow visitors to click on each driver’s name to see a complete race-by-race review of their finishes to date.
DIRTcar Racing UMP National Points Standings (as of June 26, 2011):
Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Ryan Unzicker 29 1753
2. Rusty Schlenk 24 1490
3. Brandon Thirlby 28 1445
4. Jason Feger 24 1419
5. Brandon Sheppard 26 1396
6. Dewayne Kiefer 29 1347
7. Michael Kloos 25 1270
8. Mike Spatola III 21 1186
9. Mike Hammerle 25 1185
10. Scott Schmitt 24 1159
11. Jeff Walston 23 1114
12. Jon Henry 19 1108
13. Bobby Pierce 23 1077
14. Mark Voigt 19 1066
15. Dillan White 23 1045
16. Curtis Roberts 19 1014
16. Mike Schulte 21 1014
18. Randy Korte 20 956
19. Donny Walden 20 908
20. Eric Smith 16 907
UMP Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Nick Allen 24 1559
2. Tim Hancock 25 1506
3. Jamie Lomax 25 1458
4. Brian Lynn 24 1433
5. Randle Sweeney 23 1394
6. Jay Ledford 25 1344
6. Scott Weber 24 1344
8. Mike Harrison 21 1336
9. Dave Wietholder 25 1308
10. McKay Wenger 25 1288
11. Clayton Miller 21 1282
12. Dean Hoffman 21 1265
13. Steve Lach 22 1248
14. Jeff Leka 20 1247
14. Brett Korves 25 1247
16. Kelby Simmons 25 1226
17. Steven Brooks 25 1211
18. Michael Long 18 1203
19. Dustin Isom 19 1195
20. Jeff Curl 22 1189
Pro Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Credence Mott 19 1103
2. Clayton Miller 18 1082
3. Evan Fink 18 1076
4. Nick Bauman 17 1055
5. Mark Oller 18 959
6. Randy Myers 17 929
7. Dustin Griffin 15 915
8. Daniel Heck 20 893
9. Jerry Lierly 14 865
10. Bobby Martintoni 18 846
Sportsman (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Troy Clark 19 1181
2. Dan Flessner 16 992
3. Nick Macklin 15 985
4. Dave Crawley Jr. 15 965
5. Jeremy Hines 13 821
6. Dustin Mounce 16 794
7. Robbie Eilers 15 769
8. Chris Hillman 13 716
9. Jeff Herzog 11 695
10. Rich Rich 15 669
Limited Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Jeff Lawson 19 911
2. Haley Westerfield 17 794
3. John Wyble 13 756
4. Todd Bates 12 703
5. Johnny Holden 13 690
6. Clay Settles 13 652
7. Christopher Geary 14 636
8. Mark Anderson 10 590
9. Howard Willis 8 565
10. Billy Hawes 10 497
Stock Cars (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Nate Zimmer 20 1369
2. Mike Hodges 17 1160
3. Chuck Barnes Jr. 17 1116
4. Joeseph Hamm 18 1020
5. Darrel Dick 17 994
6. John Farris 15 955
7. Fred Perry Jr. 16 954
8. Andrew Funk 17 942
9. Derek Poland 14 922
10. Don Hilleary 17 906
Factory Stocks (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Jake Hewitt 18 1066
2. Rob Sternberg 15 989
3. Mike Epplett 17 912
4. Tom Hughes 12 815
5. Bobby McQueen 14 809
6. Dennis Bringedahl 14 790
7. Jeff Buss 14 771
8. Mark Farber 13 702
9. Brian Crawford 16 699
10. Alan Peacock 10 685
Sport Compacts (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Kenny Butterfield 20 1250
2. Jacob Rexing 20 1217
3. Trevor Isaak 20 1209
4. Bradley McGhee 19 1186
5. Jordan Suhre 20 1124
6. Michael Rittenberry 17 1071
7. Blayne Ellis 20 1054
8. Jeremy Reed 20 991
9. Matt Maier 16 989
10. Rob Shaw 15 944
