Barberville, FL — Two new drivers gained Alltel All-Star eligibility on Saturday night during the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park when Dave Hess Jr. piloted his UMP DIRTcar Modified to victory and Jason Meyers drove away with an Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win.
Hess and Meyers have done their parts. Now it’s up to their fans to cast as many votes as possible to declare them the Alltel All-Star, a prize worth $12,000. To cast a vote for Meyers, Hess or any of the other winners during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, go to AlltelAllStar.com and select a favorite DIRTcar Nationals winner or send a text message with a driver’s Letter Code to 52191.
Hess, a winner of more than 100 features in his career, is banking on fans in his native Western and Northwestern Pennsylvania to support his cause. A convincing victory broadcast live on DIRTVision.com states his case, but he still needs votes if he’s to become the Alltel All-Star.
Meyers, of Clovis, Calif., is a championship contender on the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series circuit who on Saturday won for the first time in his career at the half-mile Volusia speedplant after twice making passes for the lead.
“Go AlltelAllStar.com and let’s show the world how proud California is of its racers,” Meyers said.
Hess tried to play it cool, but he needs a lot of help from his friends if he’s going to win the contest.
“I’m just a northern boy, we came down from the snow and the weather’s great,” said Hess, who has more than 100 feature wins in his career and also will drive a Dirt Late Model next week as the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals move into Week 2. “Hopefully everybody up north can vote for a local guy and I’ll put on a show.”
Meyers joins fellow Sprint Car winners Wayne Johnson, who was leading the campaign through Friday night with 42 percent of the votes, Craig Dollansky and Donny Schatz, a two-time Alltel DIRTcar Nationals winner this week. Hess is joined by fellow UMP DIRTcar Modified winners Jesse Stovall, Scott Drake and two-time winner this week Jared Landers. The drivers have done everything they can do, now it’s up to the fans to decide who will win the title by voting online or through text messages.
Drivers eligible for the Alltel All-Star contest (and their letter codes) are Jesse Stovall of Branson, Mo. (A); Donny Schatz of Fargo, N.D. (B); Scott Drake of Webb City, Mo. (C); Wayne Johnson, of Mustang, Okla. (D); Jared Landers, of Batesville, Ark. (E); Craig Dollansky, of Elk River, Minn. (F); Dave Hess Jr., of Waterford, Pa. (G); and Jason Meyers, of Clovis, Calif. (H). Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. The winning driver will be named in a special ceremony shortly thereafter.
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. Each night includes two feature races with winners eligible to become Alltel All-Stars.
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.
