Grayville, IL — A glance at the upcoming Pak-A-Sak UMP DIRTcar Nationals at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and the UMP DIRTcar Roundup: Party in Pevely at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.:
WHAT :
Pak-A-Sak UMP DIRTcar Nationals
UMP DIRTcar Late Model and Modified drivers will converge on the famed Eldora Speedway on Oct. 9-10 for the Pak-A-Sak UMP DIRTcar Nationals – the last official points race for the 2009 UMP DIRTcar season.
Heading to the historic Buckeye State half-mile oval, one of the tightest national points battles in recent UMP DIRTcar history is being waged at the top Super Late Model level between Bloomington, Ill., wheelman Jason Feger and two-time and defending national champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill. Feger currently holds a 27-point advantage over Erb in the race for a title that will make the champion $20,000 richer at the UMP DIRTcar Awards Banquet in January.
UMP DIRTcar Modified national points leader Gary Cook Jr. of Deer Creek, Ill., meanwhile, boasts a 65-point edge over Devin Gilpin of Columbus, Ind., as the UMP DIRTcar Nationals draw closer. Cook, like Feger, is in search of his first-ever UMP DIRTcar Modified national championship.
UMP DIRTcar Roundup: Party in Pevely
For the second year in a row I-55 Raceway will host what is already becoming the biggest event for UMP DIRTcar Racing’s weekly warriors. The UMP DIRTcar Roundup: Party in Pevely is set to bring three days of racing to the one-third-mile oval from Oct. 15-17.
An event built on the ideals of late UMP DIRTcar founder Bob Memmer, the Roundup provides an opportunity for the stars in all of UMP DIRTcar Racing’s eight weekly divisions to show their stuff against rivals from various regions.
Defending champions include Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. (Super Late Models), Bobby Bittle of Belleville, Ill. (Modifieds) Bobby Dauderman of Alhambra, Ill. (Pro Late Models), Troy Naeger of Festus, Mo. (Sportsman), Ken Rumble of Grenade, Mo. (Limited Modifieds), Steve Maisel of House Springs, Mo. (Stock Cars), Danny Ems of Arnold, Mo. (Factory Stocks) and Jason Crump of Festus, Mo. (Sport Compacts)
WHEN:
Pak-A-Sak UMP DIRTcar Nationals
Eldora Speedway’s gates will open at 11 a.m. on Fri., Oct. 9, with hot laps beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by qualifying and then Modified heat racing at 9 p.m. On Sat., Oct. 10, gates will open at 2:30 p.m. with racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
The Super Late Models will run time trials on Friday night, then come back on Saturday night for heat races, B-Mains and the $5,000-to-win 40-lap A-Main. The Modifieds, meanwhile, will contest B-Mains and a 25-lap A-Main paying $3,000 to win.
UMP DIRTcar Roundup: Party in Pevely
The second annual ‘Party in Pevely’ will kick off Thurs., Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. with an open practice. On Fri., Oct. 16, qualifying racing will get the green flag at 7 p.m. with live music in the ‘Roundup Tent’ following the evening’s final checkered flag. The program on Sat., Oct. 17, kicks off early with a charity Wienie Roast at 3 p.m. followed by the start of racing at 6 p.m.
Last-chance races and championship features for all eight UMP DIRTcar divisions will be contested on Saturday night, followed by live music and championship trophy presentations in the ‘Roundup Tent.’
WHERE:
Eldora Speedway is located two-and-a-half miles north of Rossburg, Ohio, on State Road 118 (60 miles northwest of Dayton).
I-55 Raceway is located 30 minutes south of downtown St. Louis, Mo., off Interstate 55 exits 180 and 178.
TICKETS:
Pak-A-Sak UMP DIRTcar Nationals
Tickets can be purchased via Eldora Speedway’s track phone at 937-338-3815 or the day of the event at the ticket office. General Admission for Friday is $5 with youngsters 15-and-under admitted FREE, and Saturday’s tickets are $20 for persons 16-and-above, $12 for ages 12-15, $5 for ages 7-11 and free for kids 6-and-under. Weekend Pit Passes are available for $40, with Saturday-only access for $25. Camping is available on the Eldora Speedway grounds; all camping is FREE for the UMP DIRTcar Nationals weekend and on a first-come, first-served basis.
UMP DIRTcar Roundup: Party in Pevely
Tickets can be purchased by calling I-55 Raceway at 636-479-3219 or the day of the event at the front gate. Thursday’s grandstand access is FREE; Friday’s general admission is $20; and Saturday admission at $25. Pit Access is $15 for Thursday, $30 on Friday and $30 Saturday. Multi-day pit passes are available for $60 (Friday and Saturday only) and $65 (all three days). Reserved camping is available with ‘The Strip’ campsites costing $25 and General Reserved priced at $20. Open Camping is also available.
ABOUT THE TRACKS:
Eldora Speedway is a high-banked, half-mile oval that plays host to UMP DIRTcar Racing crown jewel Super Late Model events (the $100,000 Dream and World 100) and is owned by current NASCAR star Tony Stewart. The current Super Late Model track record is held by Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (15.215 seconds) and Ron Perrine Jr. has the UMP DIRTcar Modified standard of 17.245 seconds.
I-55 Raceway is a high-banked, one-third-mile oval. The track is co-owned by NASCAR star Ken Schrader and Ray Marler. I-55 Raceway’s current Late Model track record stands at 12.081 seconds and is held by Hall of Fame driver Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.
FIND IT ON THE WEB:
UMP DIRTcar Racing is at: http://www.dirtcar.com.
Eldora Speedway is at: http://www.eldoraspeedway.com.
DIRTcar Roundup: Party in Pevely is at: http://www.partyinpevely.com.
I55 Raceway is at: http://www.i55raceway.com.
