by Matt Prieur
BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 6, 2020 — The 49th DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford rolled on at Volusia Speedway Park (FL) as the famed, half-mile, high-banked dirt oval hosted the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds on their third of seven nights of action. Four-Time defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion Nick Hoffman took the lead away from pole-sitter Mike McKinney on lap eight and fought off a late charge from his fellow Prairie State driver to score his first feature win of the 2020 DIRTcar Nationals and 16th of his career.
“The car felt really good tonight, but I was a little worried about where we drew in the redraw (sixth), especially with all the good cars in front of me. But early on I found a good lane of rubber early there and went right to the front,” explained the 27-year-old Belleville, IL driver who now calls Mooresville, NC home. “Mike (McKinney) caught a lapper, and I was able to get the lead. Then I just tried to stay out in front of everything behind me. This feels pretty good heading into the rest of the week,” he added while standing next to his #2 Fox Shox / Elite Chassis machine surrounding by his happy crew.
McKinney and David Stremme brought a stout 32-car field to Chief Starter David Farney’s green flag. and McKinney rocketed out to the early race lead as Hoffman, who started sixth, quickly worked his way to third and trailed the two front row starters. After Hoffman slipped past Stremme on lap six, he set his sights on McKinney, and the battle was on for the race lead.
Hoffman got around the racelong leader and started to pull away from the rest of the field. A series of cautions bunched up the field and this allowed McKinney a second chance to get back by Hoffman. Up to the challenge, Hoffman fought off consistent challenges from McKinney to score the win and complete the “Hat Trick” after winning the Fast Qualifier Award and his Heat Race. As a bonus, he also took over the points lead. Last year, Hoffman picked up his first and only Feature win and took over the points lead on the third night of DIRTcar Nationals as well on his way to his fourth consecutive title.
McKinney settled for second for his best finish of the week, while Brian Ruhlman bagged his best finish of the week to complete the podium. NASCAR Xfinity Series star Justin Allgaier also garnered his best finish of the three races so far with a fourth, as Jason Hughes finished off the top five, also his best finish . Zeke McKenzie continues to impress with a solid sixth place effort, and Kenny Wallace, Michael Altobelli, Taylor Cook and 2008 DIRTcar UMP Modified National Champion Jeff Leka completed the top 10.
Hoffman’s quick time was an 18.194 (98.934mph) over the impressive 81-car field, and he won his Heat. Allgaier, Tyler Nicely, McKinney, Kyle Strickler, Stremme, Will Krup and Ruhlman also grabbed Heat Race checkers, while Terry Phillips, Jason Gross, Brian Shaw and Curt Spalding all collected Last Chance Showdown wins.
One of the most popular nights of the DIRTcar Nationals for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds is on Friday, February 7 and serves as Night 4 of 12 overall and fourth of seven nights for the Mods. It’s the Night of Features; as a Thank You to all the drivers and teams that have supported the DIRTcar Nationals, every DIRTcar UMP Modified team on the property will be divided into features with a maximum of 25 cars and a minimum of 15 in each feature. Each main event will be 15 laps, and the starting fields for each is determined by total points after the first three nights of racing.
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series takes over Sprint Week for the rest of the weekend, starting on Friday, February 7 as the “Greatest Show on Dirt” kick off its 42nd year with the first three shows of the new season. For tickets, visit dirtcarnationals.com, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK, FEB. 6, 2020
Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [6][$1,000]; 2. 96M-Mike McKinney [1][$600]; 3. 49-Brian Ruhlman [5][$400]; 4. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [7][$350]; 5. 12H-Jason Hughes [10][$300]; 6. 24-Zeke McKenzie [16][$275]; 7. 36-Kenny Wallace [18][$250]; 8. 95-Michael Altobelli [14][$225]; 9. 21-Taylor Cook [17][$200]; 10. 3L-Jeff Leka [11][$200]; 11. 7A-Shane Sabraski [30][$175]; 12. 99-Hunt Gossum [22][$140]; 13. 2A-Donnie Moran [21][$130]; 14. 1M-Curt Myers [23][$125]; 15. 67-Garret Stewart [29][$125]; 16. 5-Curt Spalding [28][$125]; 17. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [4][$125]; 18. 88-Matt Crafton [24][$125]; 19. 23-Ryan Cripe [19][$125]; 20. 35-David Stremme [2][$125]; 21. 52-Colin Green [20][$125]; 22. OOD-David Reutimann [13][$125]; 23. 18L-Michael Long [12][$125]; 24. 75-Terry Phillips [25][$125]; 25. 25-Tyler Nicely [3][$125]; 26. K19-Will Krup [8][$100]; 27. 7-Drake Troutman [9][$100]; 28. 11H-Spencer Hughes [15][$100]; 29. 4UW-Bobby Regot [32][$100]; 30. 1S-Brian Shaw [27][$100]; 31. 12-Jason Gross [26][$100]; 32. 45J-Johnny Broking [31][$100]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 7A-Shane Sabraski[+19]
Qualifying Flight-A – 1. 21-Taylor Cook, 18.58; 2. 7JA-Justin Allgaier, 18.689; 3. 7-Drake Troutman, 18.705; 4. 6A-Ryan Ayers, 18.898; 5. 19-Chad Bauer, 18.938; 6. OO-Buzzie Reutimann, 19.256; 7. 75-Terry Phillips, 19.305; 8. 65-Todd Sherman, 19.349; 9. 25P-Robert Poole, 19.418; 10. 9PG-Percy Gendreau, 19.653; 11. 61-Eric Hill, 19.988
Qualifying Flight-B – 1. 12H-Jason Hughes, 18.287; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely, 18.58; 3. 67-Garret Stewart, 18.617; 4. 36-Kenny Wallace, 18.641; 5. 12L-Lucas Lee, 18.802; 6. 32-Chad Roush, 18.981; 7. 99M-Mike Mullen, 19.026; 8. 20-Tyler Hendrix, 19.497; 9. 11N-Gene Nicholas, 19.595; 10. 5F-Jerry Foster, 20.353
Qualifying Flight-C – 1. 96M-Mike McKinney, 18.582; 2. 23-Ryan Cripe, 18.657; 3. 3L-Jeff Leka, 18.737; 4. 12-Jason Gross, 18.829; 5. 1-Brenden Rassel, 19.022; 6. 17-Rob Pitcher, 19.607; 7. 89W-Rick Weitekamp, 19.714; 8. 100-Scott Fritz, 19.753; 9. Z06-Larry Mott, 19.789; 10. 14J-John Baker, 20.026
Qualifying Flight-D – 1. 8KS-Kyle Strickler, 18.409; 2. 8-Steve Stevenson, 18.826; 3. 17TE-Tyler Evans, 18.856; 4. 18L-Michael Long, 18.898; 5. 31G-Stephen Pedulla, 19.032; 6. 7A-Shane Sabraski, 19.154; 7. 52-Colin Green, 19.212; 8. 15-Rick Potter, 21.028; 9. 11JH-Justin Haley, NT; 10. 11-Jesse Rupe, NT
Qualifying Flight-E – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman, 18.194; 2. OOD-David Reutimann, 18.338; 3. 45J-Johnny Broking, 18.624; 4. 2A-Donnie Moran, 18.651; 5. 17T-Michael Tarlton, 18.672; 6. 1S-Brian Shaw, 18.863; 7. 22T-Tony Anderson, 19.024; 8. 9-Sheldon Creed, 19.116; 9. 6-Ryan Fowler, 19.595; 10. 96-Cole Parker, NT
Qualifying Flight-F – 1. 35-David Stremme, 18.405; 2. 95-Michael Altobelli, 18.582; 3. 77-Ray Bollinger, 18.716; 4. 24D-Travis Dickson, 18.838; 5. 8A-Austin Holcombe, 18.878; 6. O5-Dave Wietholder, 19.045; 7. 11M-Mike McGee, 19.051; 8. 99-Hunt Gossum, 19.068; 9. 97-Mitch Thomas, 19.365; 10. O1-Bryce Nichols, 19.763
Qualifying Flight-G – 1. K19-Will Krup, 18.38; 2. 1M-Curt Myers, 18.527; 3. 11H-Spencer Hughes, 18.571; 4. 4UW-Bobby Regot, 18.917; 5. 2J-Troy Johnson, 18.995; 6. A1-Gary Bentley, 19.056; 7. 7F-Bryan Foy, 19.253; 8. 71L-Dennis Lunger, 19.442; 9. O7-Curtis King, 19.588; 10. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt, 20.073
Qualifying Flight-H – 1. 49-Brian Ruhlman, 18.249; 2. 5-Curt Spalding, 18.384; 3. 24-Zeke McKenzie, 18.683; 4. 90-Jason Beaulieu, 18.697; 5. 7CT-Christian Thomas, 19.028; 6. 22-Dale Kelley, 19.215; 7. 88-Matt Crafton, 19.344; 8. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt, 19.494; 9. 40-Shawn Reiss, 21.248; 10. 27-William Cevaal, 21.33
Heat #1 – Flight (A) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [2]; 2. 7-Drake Troutman [3]; 3. 21-Taylor Cook [1]; 4. 75-Terry Phillips [7]; 5. 19-Chad Bauer [5]; 6. 65-Todd Sherman [8]; 7. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [6]; 8. 25P-Robert Poole [9]; 9. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [10]; 10. 61-Eric Hill [11]; 11. 6A-Ryan Ayers [4]
Heat #2 – Flight (B) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 25-Tyler Nicely [2]; 2. 12H-Jason Hughes [1]; 3. 36-Kenny Wallace [4]; 4. 67-Garret Stewart [3]; 5. 99M-Mike Mullen [7]; 6. 12L-Lucas Lee [5]; 7. 11N-Gene Nicholas [9]; 8. 5F-Jerry Foster [10]; 9. 20-Tyler Hendrix [8]; 10. 32-Chad Roush [6]
Heat #3 – Flight (C) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 96M-Mike McKinney [1]; 2. 3L-Jeff Leka [3]; 3. 23-Ryan Cripe [2]; 4. 12-Jason Gross [4]; 5. 1-Brenden Rassel [5]; 6. 17-Rob Pitcher [6]; 7. 100-Scott Fritz [8]; 8. 14J-John Baker [10]; 9. Z06-Larry Mott [9]; 10. 89W-Rick Weitekamp [7]
Heat #4 – Flight (D) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [1]; 2. 18L-Michael Long [4]; 3. 52-Colin Green [7]; 4. 7A-Shane Sabraski [6]; 5. 11-Jesse Rupe [10]; 6. 8-Steve Stevenson [2]; 7. 15-Rick Potter [8]; 8. 17TE-Tyler Evans [3]; 9. 31G-Stephen Pedulla [5]; 10. 11JH-Justin Haley [9]
Heat #5 – Flight (E) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1]; 2. OOD-David Reutimann [2]; 3. 2A-Donnie Moran [4]; 4. 45J-Johnny Broking [3]; 5. 1S-Brian Shaw [6]; 6. 17T-Michael Tarlton [5]; 7. 9-Sheldon Creed [8]; 8. 22T-Tony Anderson [7]; 9. 6-Ryan Fowler [9]; 10. 96-Cole Parker [10]
Heat #6 – Flight (F) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 35-David Stremme [1]; 2. 95-Michael Altobelli [2]; 3. 99-Hunt Gossum [8]; 4. 24D-Travis Dickson [4]; 5. 11M-Mike McGee [7]; 6. O1-Bryce Nichols [10]; 7. 77-Ray Bollinger [3]; 8. 8A-Austin Holcombe [5]; 9. 97-Mitch Thomas [9]; 10. O5-Dave Wietholder [6]
Heat #7 – Flight (G) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. K19-Will Krup [1]; 2. 11H-Spencer Hughes [3]; 3. 1M-Curt Myers [2]; 4. 4UW-Bobby Regot [4]; 5. 2J-Troy Johnson [5]; 6. 7F-Bryan Foy [7]; 7. A1-Gary Bentley [6]; 8. 71L-Dennis Lunger [8]; 9. O7-Curtis King [9]; 10. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt [10]
Heat #8 – Flight (H) (8 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer – 1. 49-Brian Ruhlman [1]; 2. 24-Zeke McKenzie [3]; 3. 88-Matt Crafton [7]; 4. 5-Curt Spalding [2]; 5. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt [8]; 6. 22-Dale Kelley [6]; 7. 90-Jason Beaulieu [4]; 8. 27-William Cevaal [10]; 9. 40-Shawn Reiss [9]; 10. 7CT-Christian Thomas [5]
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) – Top 2 Transfer – 1. 75-Terry Phillips [1][-]; 2. 67-Garret Stewart [2][-]; 3. 19-Chad Bauer [3][-]; 4. 12L-Lucas Lee [6][-]; 5. 65-Todd Sherman [5][$75]; 6. 99M-Mike Mullen [4][$75]; 7. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [7][$75]; 8. 11N-Gene Nicholas [8][$75]; 9. 5F-Jerry Foster [10][$75]; 10. 25P-Robert Poole [9][$75]; 11. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [11][$75]; 12. 32-Chad Roush [14][$75]; 13. 61-Eric Hill [13][$75]; 14. 20-Tyler Hendrix [12][$75]; 15. 6A-Ryan Ayers [15][$75]
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 Laps) – 1. 12-Jason Gross [1][-]; 2. 7A-Shane Sabraski [2][-]; 3. 1-Brenden Rassel [3][-]; 4. 17TE-Tyler Evans [10][-]; 5. 8-Steve Stevenson [6][$75]; 6. 100-Scott Fritz [7][$75]; 7. 17-Rob Pitcher [5][$75]; 8. 14J-John Baker [9][$75]; 9. 89W-Rick Weitekamp [13][$75]; 10. Z06-Larry Mott [11][$75]; 11. 11-Jesse Rupe [4][$75]; 12. 11JH-Justin Haley [14][$75]; 13. 15-Rick Potter [8][$75]; 14. 31G-Stephen Pedulla [12][$75]
Last Chance Showdown 3 (8 Laps) – 1. 1S-Brian Shaw [3][-]; 2. 45J-Johnny Broking [1][-]; 3. 24D-Travis Dickson [2][-]; 4. 11M-Mike McGee [4][-]; 5. 9-Sheldon Creed [7][$75]; 6. 17T-Michael Tarlton [5][$75]; 7. 22T-Tony Anderson [9][$75]; 8. 97-Mitch Thomas [12][$75]; 9. O1-Bryce Nichols [6][$75]; 10. 77-Ray Bollinger [8][$75]; 11. 6-Ryan Fowler [11][$75]; 12. O5-Dave Wietholder [14][$75]; 13. 8A-Austin Holcombe [10][$75]; 14. 96-Cole Parker [13][$75]
Last Chance Showdown 4 (8 Laps) – 1. 5-Curt Spalding [2][-]; 2. 4UW-Bobby Regot [1][-]; 3. 90-Jason Beaulieu [8][-]; 4. 2J-Troy Johnson [3][-]; 5. O7-Curtis King [11][$75]; 6. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt [4][$75]; 7. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt [13][$75]; 8. A1-Gary Bentley [7][$75]; 9. 27-William Cevaal [10][$75]; 10. 22-Dale Kelley [6][$75]; 11. 40-Shawn Reiss [12][$75]; 12. 7CT-Christian Thomas [14][$75]; 13. 7F-Bryan Foy [5][$75]; 14. 71L-Dennis Lunger [9][$75]
