Barberville, FL — Two titans of American motorsports added Alltel DIRTcar Nationals points titles to their already bulging resumes last week at Volusia Speedway Park.
Short-track legend Billy Moyer rolled to a championship in the Super Late Model division, while NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader returned to his roots to capture the UMP DIRTcar Modified crown.
Moyer, 50, of Batesville, Ark., completed an outstanding three-week, season-opening trip to the Southeast by running roughshod on the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. He won three of Volusia’s five Super Late Model A-Mains – UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned shows on Feb. 11 and 13, and a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event on Feb. 16 – and contended for victory in the other races, finishing second in the UMP DIRTcar 50 on Feb. 15 and third in the ’08 WoO LMS lidlifter on Feb. 14.
With the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals title firmly in his grasp entering the week-ending WoO LMS 50 on Feb. 16, Moyer put on a finishing touch by scoring a triumph worth $10,150. He outdistanced 2007 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., in the final points standings by 69 points (460-391).
Moyer, who pocketed over $30,000 for his week of action at the half-mile oval, was proud to win the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals crown with his Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle Chassis.
“This has to rank high up there,” said Moyer, a winner of over 675 career dirt Late Model features who has captured the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals title six times and the WoO LMS championship three times. “The level of competition down here for this deal is just off the charts. Everybody is here, so to be able to win three races and come out on top of this points deal is an accomplishment.”
Schrader, meanwhile, emerged as the 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals UMP DIRTcar Modified champion after the Feb. 12 finale of the division’s scheduled eight-night meet was rained out. That Tuesday-night program was slated to end the UMP DIRTcar Modified series with a 25-lap feature that would have paid an Alltel DIRTcar Nationals record of $4,000 to win.
Though the 52-year-old star from Fenton, Mo., missed one night of UMP DIRTcar Modified competition (Feb. 9) at Volusia due to his NASCAR commitments at nearby Daytona International Speedway, his consistency behind the wheel of his Ken Schrader Racing open-wheel car put him on top. He recorded five top-five finishes (one second, one third, one fourth and two fifths) in his six starts, with an 11th being his worst finish.
The key to Schrader’s championship might have been his strong recovery on Feb. 7. After arriving late to the track from Daytona, he charged from the rear of the B-Main to qualify and then advanced from the 23rd starting spot to finish fifth in the A-Main, earning the Comp Cams Hard Charger Award in the process.
Schrader won the title by 11 points (465-454) over Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., the 17-year-old grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. Dillon didn’t win a feature, but he was the only driver who qualified for all seven UMP DIRTcar Modified events.
Both Moyer and Schrader will be recognized as 2008 UMP DIRTcar champions under the circuit’s ‘State’ points program. The two drivers, as well as the remainder of the top-10 finishers in each of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals divisional points races, are eligible to receive points-fund cash from UMP DIRTcar.
The 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals once again drew large fields in both of the UMP-sanctioned classes. A total of 87 different Super Late Model drivers competed during the week (a 79-car field was the best single-night turnout), while 115 different UMP DIRTcar Modified drivers entered at least one event (a 90-car entry list was the best of the Nationals).
All of the Super Late Model and UMP DIRTcar Modified feature winners during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are eligible to win a $12,000 bonus if they are voted the ‘Alltel All-Star’ in a special fan-participation program.
Fans can log on to www.AlltelAllStar.com to vote for their favorite Alltel DIRTcar Nationals winner. Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on March 16, which is plenty of time to cast votes for any of the 18 different drivers (including the 410 Sprint Car and DIRTcar big-block Modified divisions) who won a feature during the two-week kickoff to the 2008 racing season.
The Super Late Models produced three different winners (Moyer, Richards and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.), while the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds saw six drivers reach Victory Lane (Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., Jesse Stovall, of Brandson, Mo., Scott Drake of Webb City, Mo., Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., Tim Hancock of Mt. Olive, Ill., and Dave Groves of Morgantown, W.Va.).
For more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, visit www.dirtcar.com or www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Final Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Super Late Model Points Standings:
1. Billy Moyer 460
2. Josh Richards 391
3. Steve Francis 389
4. Clint Smith 376
5. Jimmy Owens 351
6. Tim McCreadie 298
7. Darrell Lanigan 294
8. Darren Miller 278
9. Eddie Carrier Jr. 270
10. Dennis Erb Jr. 257
11. Justin Rattliff 241
12. Steve Shaver 239
13. Shannon Babb 238
14. Tim Fuller 236
15. Rick Eckert 234
16. Brady Smith 232
17. Dan Schlieper 230
18. Billy Decker 228
19. Earl Pearson Jr. 214
20. Chub Frank 210
Final Alltel DIRTcar Nationals UMP DIRTcar Modified Points Standings:
1. Ken Schrader 465
2. Austin Dillon 454
3. Tim Hancock 444
4. Jared Landers 424
5. Jason Miller 399
6. Scott Drake 396
7. Dave Hess Jr. 393
8. Kent Robinson 373
9. Tommie Seets Jr. 365
9. Jesse Stovall 365
11. Mike Spatola 354
12. Brian Strand 278
13. Kenny Wallace 276
14. Julie McDermid 270
15. Kenny Gaddis 266
16. Bob Gierke 259
17. Wayne Troseth 255
18. Alan Mondus 254
19. Brad Waits 253
20. Jake Hawkins 248
