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LUCKY SEVENS: Cardwell Capitalizes on Late Restart to win DIRTcar eSports at Kokomo

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KOKOMO, IN – Even in the virtual world, there’s a reason they call it Indiana’s Baddest Bullring.

A perfectly timed slide job right after the race’s only restart was all it took for recent World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing World Championship winner Hayden Cardwell to score his first-ever victory in the Hoosier Racing Tire DIRTcar eSports 360 Sprint Car Showdown at Kokomo Speedway, besting his teammates David Heileman and Dylan Houser in a final seven-lap shootout for the $300 top prize.

“Luckily, we still got the 1-2-3… David [Heileman] almost got me there at the end, but it was a wild, wild deal,” Cardwell said. “This is my second start [in DIRTcar eSports]; I hope to be back more. It was a blast.”

And wild it was. Swindell SpeedLab eSports driver Kendal Tucker had taken the lead from polesitter Tyler Schell early on and was swiftly navigating through lapped traffic on the slicked-off quarter mile when a lapped car got loose and spun right in front of him. Tucker instantly piled right into him, sending his #00 flipping through Turns 1-2 and surrendering the lead on lap 25.

The yellow flag was thrown, and Tucker was able to salvage his now-bruised ride, lining up fifth for the restart. But despite his best efforts to reach the head of the field again, Tucker dropped back even further, setting for a 14th-place finish.

Out front for the restart was Heileman, who inherited the lead after a solid run inside the top-five throughout the race. He and the rest of the field hit the gas on the restart, gunning for the win in a seven-lap dash to the finish.

Cardwell lined up to Heileman’s outside and got a great run around the top before diving to the bottom in Turns 3-4 to set up a big slide job to take the lead in the next two corners. Heileman came back with a slider of his own on the next lap, but Cardwell’s top side momentum was just too strong. He stole the lead back and held off his hard-charging teammates in the final corners to secure the victory.

The three-car jingle that sent Tucker flipping in Turn 1 (Joe Grabianowski Photo)

“I had a lot of luck come my way in that race. It helps when you have two of the best in the game and two of your teammates right there in lapped traffic. It helped me see the wreck with Tucker,” Cardwell said.

In the final three laps, Cardwell, Heileman and Houser were parked right on the cushion the entire way around the track with nearly zero margin for error. Cardwell’s #7 scrubbed the outside wall a few times in the closing laps and opened the door for Heileman to try and make a last-ditch effort run down low in the final corner, but he was unsuccessful.

“I actually got a lot more grip off the bottom than I thought in that last corner, and I mashed the throttle,” Heileman said of his last-lap move to the bottom. “I didn’t really think I was gonna be that close. Even if I kinda worked up the throttle right, [Cardwell] still might have nicked me at the line.”

“I was waiting for it, but [Heileman] never threw it. I probably could have protected, but I have a good history of hitting yuke tires, so I wanted to stay away from them as best I could,” Cardwell said.

The DIRTcar eSports action continues in two weeks’ time – Wednesday, July 15. The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will take to The (virtual) Dirt Track at Charlotte for a $350 top prize, broadcasted LIVE on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

DIRTcar eSPORTS SHOWDOWN; 360 Sprints at Virtual Kokomo Speedway; July 1, 2020 RESULTS

CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (35 laps) — 1. 7-Hayden Cardwell [4] [$300]; 2. 49-David Heileman [8] [$200]; 3. 2-Dylan Houser [5] [$100]; 4. 18-Austen Semmelmann [11] [$75]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [1] [$50]; 6. 5-Rusty Kruger [6] [$45]; 7. 12-Alex Bergeron [2] [$40]; 8. 79-Billy Rowlee [12] [$35]; 9. 8-Matthew Howard [13] [$30]; 10. 71-Keven Hebert [18] [$25]; 11. 11-David Kalb [7] [$20]; 12. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [21] [$20]; 13. 14-Austin Wagner [16] [$20]; 14. 00-Kendal Tucker [3] [$20]; 15. 27-Dalton Wicker [15] [$20]; 16. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [10] [$20]; 17. 17-Cory Austin [19] [$20]; 18. 0-Billy Brickley [14] [$20]; 19. 125-John Lakata [22] [$20]; 20. 190-Seth Smyser [23] [$20]; 21. 86-Chase Swafford [9] [$20]; 22. 119-Miles Schwarz [20] [$20]; 23. 55-Matthew Erdman [24] [$20]; 24. 51-Clayton Tilley [17] [$20]. Lap leaders: Tyler Schell 1-4; Kendal Tucker 5-24; David Heileman 25-28; Hayden Cardwell 29-35. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Jeremy St. Louis +9.

 RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 85-Tyler Schell [11.806] [$25/Cometic Gasket]; 2. 12-Hebert Alex Bergeron [11.821]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [11.845]; 4. 7-Hayden Cardwell [11.861]; 5. 49-David Heileman [11.911]; 6. 86-Chase Swafford [11.968]; 7. 11-David Kalb [12.006]; 8. 18-Austen Semmelmann [12.057]; 9. 8-Matthew Howard [12.084]; 10. 51-Clayton Tilley [12.086]; 11. 2-Dylan Houser [12.095]; 12. 5-Rusty Kruger [12.124]; 13. 77-Will Salisbury [12.149]; 14. 71-Keven Hebert [12.156]; 15. 92-Caleb Kill [12.209]; 16. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [12.223]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [12.239]; 18. 17-Cory Austin [12.272]; 19. 32-Bradley Bauer [12.295]; 20. 0-Billy Brickley [12.325]; 21. 66-Shilo Boyce [12.369]; 22. 15-Brett Punkari [12.381]; 23. 55-Matthew Erdman [12.391]; 24. 79-Billy Rowlee [12.403]; 25. 119-Miles Schwarz [12.419]; 26. 31-Matthew Ogden [12.42]; 27. 14-Austin Wagner [12.499]; 28. 190-Seth Smyser [12.569]; 29. 27-Dalton Wicker [12.778]; 30. 125-John Lakata [12.834]; 31. 69-Brian Smith [12.958]; 32. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [13.085]; 33. 19-Chris Dolack [13.344]; 34. 22-Cody Weli [13.494]; 35. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [NA]; 36. 9-Matthew Schelk [NA].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 85-Tyler Schell [1] [$25]; 2. 7-Hayden Cardwell [2]; 3. 11-David Kalb [3]; 4. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [6]; 5. 190-Seth Smyser [10]; 6. 77-Will Salisbury [5]; 7. 32-Bradley Bauer [7]; 8. 15-Brett Punkari [8]; 9. 51-Clayton Tilley [4]; 10. 119-Miles Schwarz [9]; 11. 69-Brian Smith [11]; 12. 22-Cody Weli [12].

COMP CAMS Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$25]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [4]; 3. 49-David Heileman [2]; 4. 18-Austen Semmelmann [3]; 5. 0-Billy Brickley [7]; 6. 27-Dalton Wicker [10]; 7. 71-Keven Hebert [5]; 8. 31-Matthew Ogden [9]; 9. 55-Matthew Erdman [8]; 10. 46-Jonathan Nause [6]; 11. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [11]; 12. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [12].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1] [$25]; 2. 5-Rusty Kruger [4]; 3. 86-Chase Swafford [2]; 4. 79-Billy Rowlee [8]; 5. 17-Cory Austin [6]; 6. 14-Austin Wagner [9]; 7. 66-Shilo Boyce [7]; 8. 125-John Lakata [10]; 9. 8-Matthew Howard [3]; 10. 92-Caleb Kill [5]; 11. 19-Chris Dolack [11]; 12. 9-Matthew Schelk [12].

WRISCO Last Chance Showdown #1 (14 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 8-Matthew Howard [8] [$25]; 2. 27-Dalton Wicker [3]; 3. 51-Clayton Tilley [7]; 4. 17-Cory Austin [2]; 5. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [12]; 6. 190-Seth Smyser [1]; 7. 32-Bradley Bauer [4]; 8. 66-Shilo Boyce [5]; 9. 31-Matthew Ogden [6]; 10. 69-Brian Smith [10]; 11. 19-Chris Dolack [11]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [9].

VP RACING FUELS Last Chance Showdown #2 (14 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 0-Billy Brickley [1] [$25]; 2. 14-Austin Wagner [3]; 3. 71-Keven Hebert [4]; 4. 119-Miles Schwarz [8]; 5. 125-John Lakata [6]; 6. 55-Matthew Erdman [7]; 7. 9-Matthew Schelk [12]; 8. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [10]; 9. 92-Caleb Kill [9]; 10. 77-Will Salisbury [2]; 11. 15-Brett Punkari [5]; 12. 22-Cody Weli [11].

7/1/20 – 360 Sprint Cars at Kokomo Speedway

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CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (35 laps) — 1. 7-Hayden Cardwell [4] [$300]; 2. 49-David Heileman [8] [$200]; 3. 2-Dylan Houser [5] [$100]; 4. 18-Austen Semmelmann [11] [$75]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [1] [$50]; 6. 5-Rusty Kruger [6] [$45]; 7. 12-Alex Bergeron [2] [$40]; 8. 79-Billy Rowlee [12] [$35]; 9. 8-Matthew Howard [13] [$30]; 10. 71-Keven Hebert [18] [$25]; 11. 11-David Kalb [7] [$20]; 12. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [21] [$20]; 13. 14-Austin Wagner [16] [$20]; 14. 00-Kendal Tucker [3] [$20]; 15. 27-Dalton Wicker [15] [$20]; 16. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [10] [$20]; 17. 17-Cory Austin [19] [$20]; 18. 0-Billy Brickley [14] [$20]; 19. 125-John Lakata [22] [$20]; 20. 190-Seth Smyser [23] [$20]; 21. 86-Chase Swafford [9] [$20]; 22. 119-Miles Schwarz [20] [$20]; 23. 55-Matthew Erdman [24] [$20]; 24. 51-Clayton Tilley [17] [$20]. Lap leaders: Tyler Schell 1-4; Kendal Tucker 5-24; David Heileman 25-28; Hayden Cardwell 29-35. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Jeremy St. Louis +9.

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 85-Tyler Schell [11.806] [$25/Cometic Gasket]; 2. 12-Hebert Alex Bergeron [11.821]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [11.845]; 4. 7-Hayden Cardwell [11.861]; 5. 49-David Heileman [11.911]; 6. 86-Chase Swafford [11.968]; 7. 11-David Kalb [12.006]; 8. 18-Austen Semmelmann [12.057]; 9. 8-Matthew Howard [12.084]; 10. 51-Clayton Tilley [12.086]; 11. 2-Dylan Houser [12.095]; 12. 5-Rusty Kruger [12.124]; 13. 77-Will Salisbury [12.149]; 14. 71-Keven Hebert [12.156]; 15. 92-Caleb Kill [12.209]; 16. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [12.223]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [12.239]; 18. 17-Cory Austin [12.272]; 19. 32-Bradley Bauer [12.295]; 20. 0-Billy Brickley [12.325]; 21. 66-Shilo Boyce [12.369]; 22. 15-Brett Punkari [12.381]; 23. 55-Matthew Erdman [12.391]; 24. 79-Billy Rowlee [12.403]; 25. 119-Miles Schwarz [12.419]; 26. 31-Matthew Ogden [12.42]; 27. 14-Austin Wagner [12.499]; 28. 190-Seth Smyser [12.569]; 29. 27-Dalton Wicker [12.778]; 30. 125-John Lakata [12.834]; 31. 69-Brian Smith [12.958]; 32. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [13.085]; 33. 19-Chris Dolack [13.344]; 34. 22-Cody Weli [13.494]; 35. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [NA]; 36. 9-Matthew Schelk [NA].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 85-Tyler Schell [1] [$25]; 2. 7-Hayden Cardwell [2]; 3. 11-David Kalb [3]; 4. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [6]; 5. 190-Seth Smyser [10]; 6. 77-Will Salisbury [5]; 7. 32-Bradley Bauer [7]; 8. 15-Brett Punkari [8]; 9. 51-Clayton Tilley [4]; 10. 119-Miles Schwarz [9]; 11. 69-Brian Smith [11]; 12. 22-Cody Weli [12].

COMP CAMS Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$25]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [4]; 3. 49-David Heileman [2]; 4. 18-Austen Semmelmann [3]; 5. 0-Billy Brickley [7]; 6. 27-Dalton Wicker [10]; 7. 71-Keven Hebert [5]; 8. 31-Matthew Ogden [9]; 9. 55-Matthew Erdman [8]; 10. 46-Jonathan Nause [6]; 11. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [11]; 12. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [12].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1] [$25]; 2. 5-Rusty Kruger [4]; 3. 86-Chase Swafford [2]; 4. 79-Billy Rowlee [8]; 5. 17-Cory Austin [6]; 6. 14-Austin Wagner [9]; 7. 66-Shilo Boyce [7]; 8. 125-John Lakata [10]; 9. 8-Matthew Howard [3]; 10. 92-Caleb Kill [5]; 11. 19-Chris Dolack [11]; 12. 9-Matthew Schelk [12].

WRISCO Last Chance Showdown #1 (14 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 8-Matthew Howard [8] [$25]; 2. 27-Dalton Wicker [3]; 3. 51-Clayton Tilley [7]; 4. 17-Cory Austin [2]; 5. 1-Jeremy St. Louis [12]; 6. 190-Seth Smyser [1]; 7. 32-Bradley Bauer [4]; 8. 66-Shilo Boyce [5]; 9. 31-Matthew Ogden [6]; 10. 69-Brian Smith [10]; 11. 19-Chris Dolack [11]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [9].

VP RACING FUELS Last Chance Showdown #2 (14 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 0-Billy Brickley [1] [$25]; 2. 14-Austin Wagner [3]; 3. 71-Keven Hebert [4]; 4. 119-Miles Schwarz [8]; 5. 125-John Lakata [6]; 6. 55-Matthew Erdman [7]; 7. 9-Matthew Schelk [12]; 8. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [10]; 9. 92-Caleb Kill [9]; 10. 77-Will Salisbury [2]; 11. 15-Brett Punkari [5]; 12. 22-Cody Weli [11].

DOUBLE-ZERO HERO: Tucker Breaks Bridesmaid Streak, Wins DIRTcar eSports at Eldora

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Tucker bests iRacing Champ Bergeron in VP Racing Fuels Pro Late Model action

ROSSBURG, OH – Finally. After three-straight runner-up finishes, twice behind one of his biggest rivals, Kendal Tucker is a DIRTcar eSports winner.

The Swindell SpeedLab eSports star finished second to fellow iRacing Pro driver Alex Bergeron in two of the last three races and found himself in a similar spot Wednesday night at the virtual Eldora Speedway, staring down the rear spoiler of Bergeron, who had led the first 19 laps of the 50-lap contest.

And after getting beat by Bergeron almost six weeks ago in the DIRTcar Pro Late Model division, Tucker wasn’t about to let it happen again. He made a terrific move to the outside of Bergeron’s ABR #12 on a Lap 20 restart, beat him back to the line and led the rest of the way to collect a big $300 check in the VP Racing Fuels Pro Late Model Showdown.

“We’ve been trying the last three or four times they’ve put these races on to win one, and we’ve been in contention to win them all, just had some bad luck and three second-place finishes to show for it,” Tucker told DIRTcar eSports announcer Hannah Newhouse in the DIRTVision post-race interview. “I’m just glad to finally get one of these wins.”

Coming from fifth on the starting grid, Tucker spent only a short time in the low groove before putting his #00 right on the top side and carefully began picking off spots in the opening laps. A big slide job thrown on Cometic Gasket Quick Time Award winner Evan Seay on Lap 10 moved him into second, about 10 car-lengths behind Bergeron, and Tucker’s pursuit of the lead began.

Tucker (00) making the pass on Evan Seay (35) for second (Joe Grabianowski Photo)

The race’s first caution was thrown on Lap 17, which re-stacked the field and put Tucker to Bergeron’s outside. Tucker got a great restart and carried his top-side momentum down the backstretch, taking the lead away from Bergeron as the field rounded Turn 4 and passed under the flag stand as another caution was quickly displayed, setting Tucker as the race leader.

This time, Tucker was the one to choose the inside lane for the restart and made the most of it, slamming the door shut on Bergeron’s attempt to drive down even lower as the field barreled into Turn 1. The two traded some paint before the exchange was over, but Tucker made it stick on the top side.

Now just past halfway, Tucker took the lead and ran with it. Making slight work of lapped traffic on the top side with Bergeron right on his tail the entire time, Tucker never once broke his concentration, leading the field all the way back to the finish and fending off Bergeron’s surge in the closing laps.

“He closed in on me with about 10 to go, and I started hitting my marks, being a little smoother and I started pulling away,” Tucker said. “I really didn’t want to give that one away when I saw him closing in on me like that. He was going to have to do everything to get by me.”

Tucker in hot pursuit of the lead (Joe Grabianowski Photo)

Once they were clear of lapped traffic, Tucker and Bergeron were able to break away from the rest of the pack using a very creative line, dive-bombing into the corners then pushing way up to the outside wall on corner exit. In the end, Tucker said it was his smoothness in this line that carried him to victory.

“I was trying to position the car to where it needed to be to catch the moisture off the cushion on both ends because the curb up there was really big and really fast,” Tucker said.

One spot further back found a stumped Alex Bergeron, who ran a great race overall and provided some relentless pressure on Tucker throughout, but was unable to come up with the kryptonite for the leader’s strength in the end.

“The right side of the spoiler was bent and that costs a lot of speed in these cars,” Bergeron said. “It’s tough to get in the race when someone jumps the start like that, so there’s nothing we could have done there. This track was just one-laned, nothing we could have done.”

Alex Bergeron (12) and Evan Seay bring the field to the green flag at Eldora (Joe Grabianowski Photo)

Kevin Dedmon, the DIRTcar eSports Street Stock Showdown winner at Lanier, picked up the DIRTVision Hard Charger award in the VP Racing Fuels Feature after a solid run to complete the podium from eighth on the starting grid. He preferred the bottom lane at the start, and said it began to work for him as the race progressed.

“I was able to make it work a little bit, though, and get up to third by the end of the race, but it was just too little, too late,” Dedmon said. “I would have loved to have seen a caution there with 5 or 10 to go and seen if I could have found some magic at the end.”

The DIRTcar eSports action continues in two weeks when the DIRTcar 360 Sprint Cars tackle virtual Kokomo Speedway on DIRTVision! Drivers can register for this and all future events at DIRTcar.com/eSports.

VP RACING FUELS Feature (50 laps) — 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [5] [$300]; 2.12-Alex Bergeron [2] [$200]; 3. 0-Kevin Dedmon [8] [$100]; 4. 74-Blake Brown [4] [$75]; 5. 35-Evan Seay [1] [$50]; 6. 8-Tyler Jackson [3] [$45]; 7. 3-Barrett Bishop [9] [$40]; 8. 99-Mike McKinney[6] [$35]; 9. 39-Ian Blanchard [12] [$30]; 10. 9-Chad Combs [7] [$25];11. 69-Hank Silver [13] [$20]; 12. 15-Brett Punkari [14] [$20]; 13.32-Bradley Bauer [16] [$20]; 14. 76-Broc Lawrence [11] [$20]; 15.7-Aaron Sparks [10] [$20]; 16. 46-Jonathan Nause [15] [$20]; 17.19-Chris Dolack [17] [$20]. Lap leaders: Alex Bergeron 1-18, Kendal Tucker 19-50. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Kevin Dedmon +5.

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 35-Evan Seay [16.375] [$25/CometicGaskets]; 2. 12-Alex Bergeron [16.387]; 3. 8-Tyler Jackson [16.398];4. 74-Blake Brown [16.419]; 5. 9-Chad Combs [16.419]; 6. 99-Mike McKinney [16.483]; 7. 00-Kendal Tucker [16.492]; 8. 0-Kevin Dedmon[16.51]; 9. 3-Barrett Bishop [16.544]; 10. 39-Ian Blanchard [16.549]; 11. 76-Broc Lawrence [16.622]; 12. 7-Aaron Sparks [16.64]; 13.46-Jonathan Nause [16.688]; 14. 15-Brett Punkari [16.755]; 15. 69-Hank Silver [16.756]; 16. 32-Bradley Bauer [16.816]; 17. 19-Chris Dolack [17.973].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — 1. 35-Evan Seay [1] [$25]; 2. 8-Tyler Jackson [2]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [4]; 4. 9-Chad Combs [3]; 5. 3-Barrett Bishop [5]; 6. 76-Broc Lawrence [6]; 7. 69-Hank Silver [8];8. 46-Jonathan Nause [7]; 9. 19-Chris Dolack [9].

COMP CAMS Heat 2 (10 laps) — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 74 -Blake Brown [2]; 3. 99-Mike McKinney [3]; 4. 0-Kevin Dedmon [4]; 5. 7-Aaron Sparks [6]; 6. 39-Ian Blanchard [5]; 7. 15-Brett Punkari [7]; 8.32-Bradley Bauer [8].

6/17/20 – Pro Late Models at Eldora Speedway

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VP RACING FUELS Feature (50 laps) — 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [5] [$300]; 2.12-Alex Bergeron [2] [$200]; 3. 0-Kevin Dedmon [8] [$100]; 4. 74-Blake Brown [4] [$75]; 5. 35-Evan Seay [1] [$50]; 6. 8-Tyler Jackson [3] [$45]; 7. 3-Barrett Bishop [9] [$40]; 8. 99-Mike McKinney[6] [$35]; 9. 39-Ian Blanchard [12] [$30]; 10. 9-Chad Combs [7] [$25];11. 69-Hank Silver [13] [$20]; 12. 15-Brett Punkari [14] [$20]; 13.32-Bradley Bauer [16] [$20]; 14. 76-Broc Lawrence [11] [$20]; 15.7-Aaron Sparks [10] [$20]; 16. 46-Jonathan Nause [15] [$20]; 17.19-Chris Dolack [17] [$20]. Lap leaders: Alex Bergeron 1-18, Kendal Tucker 19-50. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Kevin Dedmon +5.

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 35-Evan Seay [16.375] [$25/CometicGaskets]; 2. 12-Alex Bergeron [16.387]; 3. 8-Tyler Jackson [16.398];4. 74-Blake Brown [16.419]; 5. 9-Chad Combs [16.419]; 6. 99-Mike McKinney [16.483]; 7. 00-Kendal Tucker [16.492]; 8. 0-Kevin Dedmon[16.51]; 9. 3-Barrett Bishop [16.544]; 10. 39-Ian Blanchard [16.549]; 11. 76-Broc Lawrence [16.622]; 12. 7-Aaron Sparks [16.64]; 13.46-Jonathan Nause [16.688]; 14. 15-Brett Punkari [16.755]; 15. 69-Hank Silver [16.756]; 16. 32-Bradley Bauer [16.816]; 17. 19-Chris Dolack [17.973].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — 1. 35-Evan Seay [1] [$25]; 2. 8-Tyler Jackson [2]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [4]; 4. 9-Chad Combs [3]; 5. 3-Barrett Bishop [5]; 6. 76-Broc Lawrence [6]; 7. 69-Hank Silver [8];8. 46-Jonathan Nause [7]; 9. 19-Chris Dolack [9].

COMP CAMS Heat 2 (10 laps) — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 74 -Blake Brown [2]; 3. 99-Mike McKinney [3]; 4. 0-Kevin Dedmon [4]; 5. 7-Aaron Sparks [6]; 6. 39-Ian Blanchard [5]; 7. 15-Brett Punkari [7]; 8.32-Bradley Bauer [8].

CHAMP REIGNS SUPREME: Bergeron Scores Thriller DIRTcar eSports 305 Sprint Win at Lernerville

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SARVER, PA – In one of the most incredible battles seen in virtual racing action on DIRTVision presented by Drydene all year, Alex Bergeron became the first repeat winner in DIRTcar eSports competition Wednesday night at virtual Lernerville Speedway.

Bergeron and fellow iRacing pro license driver Kendal Tucker took center stage in the final six laps of the 30-lap DIRTcar 305 Sprint Car contest and engaged in a heated game of cat-and-mouse that ended with big contact between the two, sending Tucker almost completely around as Bergeron drove away for the $300 check and his first DIRTcar eSports victory since his win in the Pro Late Models at virtual Volusia Speedway Park on May 9.

“Tucker got into me a little bit on the front straightaway there, we were very close there. It was a close race, close battle, especially the start with Bryce [Bailey]. Sliders on sliders. But to be able to come out here and win another DIRTcar eSports race is awesome,” Bergeron told DIRTVision host Chase Raudman in the post-race interview.

Every story has two sides, and Tucker saw the contact between the two quite a bit differently than Bergeron.

“I think we had that one won, but I don’t know. I went to cross over under [Bergeron’s] slider, and I don’t know if the world champ can’t hold a line or what, but I was holding my line down below him and he just came right down into me,” Tucker said.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

Tucker had led the race since wrestling the top spot away from Bergeron and third-place Bryce Bailey in a seven-lap side job fest that saw a new leader every other corner. Back-and-forth the three wheelmen traded slide jobs, inside-and-outside, putting on a fantastic show out front. Until Tucker made a superb door-slamming maneuver in Turns 1-2 on Lap 8 to cut Bergeron and Bailey off from any further bids for the lead.

“That was a fun race, for sure,” Bailey said, reflecting back on the ultimate duel for the lead in the early going. “The first 10 laps were just crazy. Whatever happened, happened. But the first 10 laps, that’s what we race for. It was just a blast.”

Tucker’s lead held up until just under 10 laps to go, when Bergeron finally wound-up enough momentum behind the Swindell SpeedLab #00 and threw a big slide job into Turn 3 to take the lead, only to have Tucker cross back underneath to steal it back as they crossed the flag stand. Bergeron tried it again two laps later and this time was successful, but not without some controversial nerf bar banging.

Tucker crossed back underneath Bergeron’s slide job coming out of Turn 4, and space between the two just plain ran out. They bounced off one another, Bergeron off the outside wall, but both kept it rolling into Turns 1-2 where even further contact was made.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

“He went to slide me down there. On the straightaway, instead of keeping his car straight, he just decided to hook a hard left into me. I got my car all squirrely. I went down into Turn 1 the next lap and got into his tail tank and it about spun me out,” Tucker said of his view inside the cockpit.

“I came off of Turn 4 and the car got loose a little bit,” Bergeron said of the incident. “I was able to stay straight, but then [Tucker] came up a little bit. So, it was kind of a racing incident, pretty much. He came up, I came down, and we tangled up. I didn’t expect to stay in the wall like that on the front straightaway, I almost flipped my car there.”

Now with the lead and several lapped cars in between he and Tucker, Bergeron put his ABR #12 machine on cruise control and led the field back around to the checkered flag unchallenged for yet another virtual Sprint Car victory for the two-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing World Champion.

Shortly after the big three-car battle out front for the lead ended, Bailey broke his stride and slipped over the banking in Turns 1-2, losing several spots of track position in the process. But he was able to recover, using the lone caution flag and some smart passing to climb his way back up to a podium finish.

“I just made a mistake on the cushion. I just overdrove it. When those guys found the bottom, I’m not a very good bottom feeder, I just kinda jumped it,” Bailey said.

The DIRTcar eSports action continues in just two weeks’ time – DIRTcar Pro Late Models at virtual Eldora Speedway. Catch all the action on DIRTVision presented by Drydene – the broadcast home of DIRTcar eSports!

DIRTcar eSPORTS HOOSIER RACING TIRE 305 SPRINT CAR SHOWDOWN RESULTS; June 3, 2020 at Lernerville Speedway

CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (30 laps) — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$300]; 2. 0-Kendal Tucker [3] [$200]; 3. 2-Bryce Bailey [2] [$100]; 4. 79-Billy Rowlee [6] [$75]; 5. 0-Kevin Dedmon [8] [$50]; 6. 5-Kyle Stoltz [7] [$45]; 7. 17-John Bragman [5] [$40]; 8. 39-Ian Blanchard [17] [$35]; 9. 8-Aidan Skraha [12] [$30]; 10. 51-Matthew Ogden [21] [$25]; 11. 32-Bradley Bauer [22] [$20]; 12. 25-Richie Preston [4] [$20]; 13. 76-Broc Lawrence [24] [$20]; 14. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [11] [$20]; 15. 97-Rocky Battenfield [15] [$20]; 16. 35-Adam Ross [18] [$20]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [20] [$20]; 18. 15-Brett Punkari [19] [$20]; 19. 24-William Richardson [23] [$20]; 20. 87-Reed Whitney [9] [$20]; 21. 1-Frankie Caprara [10] [$20]; 22. 111-Clay Atwood [14] [$20]; 23. 44-Austin Taborski [16] [$20]; 24. 190-Seth Smyser [13] [$20]. Lap leaders: Alex Bergeron 1, 25-30; Kendal Tucker 2-24. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Matthew Ogden +11.

Racing Electronics Qualifying — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [14.611] [$25/Cometic Gasket]; 2. 2-Bryce Bailey [14.738]; 3. 0-Kendal Tucker [14.781]; 4. 25-Richie Preston [14.852]; 5. 17-John Bragman [14.853]; 6. 79-Billy Rowlee [14.853]; 7. 5-Kyle Stoltz [14.866]; 8. 0-Kevin Dedmon [14.871]; 9. 190-Seth Smyser [14.871]; 10. 1-Frankie Caprara [14.876]; 11. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [14.895]; 12. 8-Aidan Skraha [14.905]; 13. 87-Reed Whitney [14.916]; 14. 111-Clay Atwood [14.930]; 15. 97-Rocky Battenfield [14.953]; 16. 44-Austin Taborski [14.975]; 17. 39-Ian Blanchard [15.011]; 18. 42-Jake Porterfield [15.082]; 19. 15-Brett Punkari [15.201]; 20. 76-Broc Lawrence [15.236]; 21. 66-Shilo Boyce [15.250]; 22. 20-Jason Schroen [15.251]; 23. 6-Tyler Totman [15.258]; 24. 46-Jonathan Nause [15.268]; 25. 24-William Richardson [15.286]; 26. 35-Adam Ross [15.298]; 27. 32-Bradley Bauer [15.313]; 28. 27-Nick Sterna [15.333]; 29. 11-Mitchell Schlater [15.348]; 30. 51-Matthew Ogden [15.364]; 31. 13-Chris Papa [15.382]; 32. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [15.422]; 33. 31-Kevin Clark [15.537]; 34. 19-Chris Dolack [15.631]; 35. 23-Joseph Reyell [15.690]; 36. 29-Robert Mortier [15.834]; 37. 22-Jayton Parish [16.648].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$25]; 2. 17-John Bragman [2]; 3. 87-Reed Whitney [4]; 4. 190-Seth Smyser [3]; 5. 39-Ian Blanchard [5]; 6. 24-William Richardson [7]; 7. 66-Shilo Boyce [6]; 8. 22-Jayton Parish [10]; 9. 31-Kevin Clark [9]; 10. 11-Mitchell Schlater [8].

DART Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 2-Bryce Bailey [1] [$25]; 2. 79-Billy Rowlee [2]; 3. 1-Frankie Caprara [3]; 4. 111-Clay Atwood [4]; 5. 35-Adam Ross [7]; 6. 51-Matthew Ogden [8]; 7. 20-Jason Schroen [6]; 8. 19-Chris Dolack [9]; 9. 42-Jake Porterfield [5].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 0-Kendal Tucker [1] [$25]; 2. 5-Kyle Stoltz [2]; 3. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [3]; 4. 97-Rocky Battenfield [4]; 5. 15-Brett Punkari [5]; 6. 32-Bradley Bauer [7]; 7. 13-Chris Papa [8]; 8. 23-Joseph Reyell [9]; 9. 6-Tyler Totman [6].

ARIZONA SPORT SHIRTS Heat 4 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 25-Richie Preston [1] [$25]; 2. 0-Kevin Dedmon [2]; 3. 8-Aidan Skraha [3]; 4. 44-Austin Taborski [4]; 5. 46-Jonathan Nause [6]; 6. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [8]; 7. 27-Nick Sterna [7]; 8. 29-Robert Mortier [9]; 9. 76-Broc Lawrence [5].

VP RACING FUELS Last Chance Showdown (14 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 51-Matthew Ogden [2]; 2. 32-Bradley Bauer [3]; 3. 24-William Richardson [1]; 4. 76-Broc Lawrence [16]; 5. 22-Jayton Parish [9]; 6. 29-Robert Mortier [12]; 7. 20-Jason Schroen [6]; 8. 27-Nick Sterna [8]; 9. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [4]; 10. 23-Joseph Reyell [11]; 11. 6-Tyler Totman [15]; 12. 66-Shilo Boyce [5]; 13. 31-Kevin Clark [13]; 14. 19-Chris Dolack [10]; 15. 13-Chris Papa [7]; 16. 42-Jake Porterfield [14]; 17. 11-Mitchell Schlater [17].

6/3/20 – 305 Sprint Cars at Lernerville Speedway

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CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (30 laps) — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$300]; 2. 0-Kendal Tucker [3] [$200]; 3. 2-Bryce Bailey [2] [$100]; 4. 79-Billy Rowlee [6] [$75]; 5. 0-Kevin Dedmon [8] [$50]; 6. 5-Kyle Stoltz [7] [$45]; 7. 17-John Bragman [5] [$40]; 8. 39-Ian Blanchard [17] [$35]; 9. 8-Aidan Skraha [12] [$30]; 10. 51-Matthew Ogden [21] [$25]; 11. 32-Bradley Bauer [22] [$20]; 12. 25-Richie Preston [4] [$20]; 13. 76-Broc Lawrence [24] [$20]; 14. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [11] [$20]; 15. 97-Rocky Battenfield [15] [$20]; 16. 35-Adam Ross [18] [$20]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [20] [$20]; 18. 15-Brett Punkari [19] [$20]; 19. 24-William Richardson [23] [$20]; 20. 87-Reed Whitney [9] [$20]; 21. 1-Frankie Caprara [10] [$20]; 22. 111-Clay Atwood [14] [$20]; 23. 44-Austin Taborski [16] [$20]; 24. 190-Seth Smyser [13] [$20]. Lap leaders: Alex Bergeron 1, 25-30; Kendal Tucker 2-24. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Matthew Ogden +11.

Racing Electronics Qualifying — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [14.611] [$25/Cometic Gasket]; 2. 2-Bryce Bailey [14.738]; 3. 0-Kendal Tucker [14.781]; 4. 25-Richie Preston [14.852]; 5. 17-John Bragman [14.853]; 6. 79-Billy Rowlee [14.853]; 7. 5-Kyle Stoltz [14.866]; 8. 0-Kevin Dedmon [14.871]; 9. 190-Seth Smyser [14.871]; 10. 1-Frankie Caprara [14.876]; 11. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [14.895]; 12. 8-Aidan Skraha [14.905]; 13. 87-Reed Whitney [14.916]; 14. 111-Clay Atwood [14.930]; 15. 97-Rocky Battenfield [14.953]; 16. 44-Austin Taborski [14.975]; 17. 39-Ian Blanchard [15.011]; 18. 42-Jake Porterfield [15.082]; 19. 15-Brett Punkari [15.201]; 20. 76-Broc Lawrence [15.236]; 21. 66-Shilo Boyce [15.250]; 22. 20-Jason Schroen [15.251]; 23. 6-Tyler Totman [15.258]; 24. 46-Jonathan Nause [15.268]; 25. 24-William Richardson [15.286]; 26. 35-Adam Ross [15.298]; 27. 32-Bradley Bauer [15.313]; 28. 27-Nick Sterna [15.333]; 29. 11-Mitchell Schlater [15.348]; 30. 51-Matthew Ogden [15.364]; 31. 13-Chris Papa [15.382]; 32. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [15.422]; 33. 31-Kevin Clark [15.537]; 34. 19-Chris Dolack [15.631]; 35. 23-Joseph Reyell [15.690]; 36. 29-Robert Mortier [15.834]; 37. 22-Jayton Parish [16.648].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$25]; 2. 17-John Bragman [2]; 3. 87-Reed Whitney [4]; 4. 190-Seth Smyser [3]; 5. 39-Ian Blanchard [5]; 6. 24-William Richardson [7]; 7. 66-Shilo Boyce [6]; 8. 22-Jayton Parish [10]; 9. 31-Kevin Clark [9]; 10. 11-Mitchell Schlater [8].

DART Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 2-Bryce Bailey [1] [$25]; 2. 79-Billy Rowlee [2]; 3. 1-Frankie Caprara [3]; 4. 111-Clay Atwood [4]; 5. 35-Adam Ross [7]; 6. 51-Matthew Ogden [8]; 7. 20-Jason Schroen [6]; 8. 19-Chris Dolack [9]; 9. 42-Jake Porterfield [5].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 0-Kendal Tucker [1] [$25]; 2. 5-Kyle Stoltz [2]; 3. 47-Brett Brunkenhoefer [3]; 4. 97-Rocky Battenfield [4]; 5. 15-Brett Punkari [5]; 6. 32-Bradley Bauer [7]; 7. 13-Chris Papa [8]; 8. 23-Joseph Reyell [9]; 9. 6-Tyler Totman [6].

ARIZONA SPORT SHIRTS Heat 4 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 25-Richie Preston [1] [$25]; 2. 0-Kevin Dedmon [2]; 3. 8-Aidan Skraha [3]; 4. 44-Austin Taborski [4]; 5. 46-Jonathan Nause [6]; 6. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [8]; 7. 27-Nick Sterna [7]; 8. 29-Robert Mortier [9]; 9. 76-Broc Lawrence [5].

VP RACING FUELS Last Chance Showdown (14 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 51-Matthew Ogden [2]; 2. 32-Bradley Bauer [3]; 3. 24-William Richardson [1]; 4. 76-Broc Lawrence [16]; 5. 22-Jayton Parish [9]; 6. 29-Robert Mortier [12]; 7. 20-Jason Schroen [6]; 8. 27-Nick Sterna [8]; 9. 126-Jeffrey Eddy [4]; 10. 23-Joseph Reyell [11]; 11. 6-Tyler Totman [15]; 12. 66-Shilo Boyce [5]; 13. 31-Kevin Clark [13]; 14. 19-Chris Dolack [10]; 15. 13-Chris Papa [7]; 16. 42-Jake Porterfield [14]; 17. 11-Mitchell Schlater [17].

Country Singer Tunes in a DIRTcar eSports Street Stock Victory

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Kevin Dedmon holds off iRacing stars to earn first DIRTcar eSports win at virtual Lanier National Speedway

BRASELTON, GA — May 20, 2020 — On any other day of the week, Kevin Dedmon is the lead singer and fiddler of his own country band, but on Wednesday night at virtual Lanier National Speedway, the Dirty Grass Soul frontman laid a serious licking on the DIRTcar Street Stock field to win his first DIRTcar eSports Showdown.

Beating out fellow iRacing pro Kendal Tucker and DIRTcar Street Stock regular DJ Kilanowski, Dedmon took his Team VLR #0 to Victory Lane as the fourth different winner in as many races on the DIRTcar eSports circuit.

“This was my first-ever DIRTcar race,” Dedmon said. “I had a blast, and got to sweep the night, so it was fun.”

Indeed, he did. Dedmon was also the victor in the Hoosier Racing Tire Preliminary Round #1 COMP Cams Feature, which transferred him into the VP Racing Fuels Final Round. With a third-place Racing Electronics Qualifying effort, Dedmon got a great start at the drop of the green and immediately began digging to the inside on leader Tucker.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

For several of the opening laps in the 50-lap Chevy Performance Feature, Dedmon and Tucker rode side-by-side, lap-after-lap until Dedmon pulled a big slide job on Tucker on Lap 12, to swipe the lead away. Tucker came back at him on the next restart, putting the pressure on Dedmon from behind. In their side-by-side battles, a bit of scraping and rubbing was seen, but nothing extreme. Just enough to turn the heat up early on.

“It was awesome, me and Kendal were beatin’ and bangin’ doors there in the first half of the race,” Dedmon told DIRTVision broadcast host Chase Raudman in the post-race interview. “It was all clean racing, in my opinion. He got into me a little bit and I got into him a little bit, but that’s kinda what you gotta do in these. I wasn’t holding anything against him for that.”

“I really would have liked to have gotten a better start and got out front,” Tucker said. “Probably could’ve just used the old mirror and held ’em off, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.”

A few yellows thrown intermittently from that point on broke the competitive tension between Dedmon and Tucker, but Dedmon did seem to have a better line in the long run, which gave him the advantage he needed to stay out front of Tucker and a hard-pressing Kilanowski as the laps clicked off.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

Tucker and Kilanowski chased Dedmon down through the closing laps, where they got their best chance to make a move on the leader. With seven laps left on the board, the leaders caught the rear of a lapped car out of Turn 4. Dedmon just barely tapped the driver-side door of the slower car while passing on the inside, while Tucker made a bit more significant contact, cutting into his momentum just enough to allow Dedmon to open up the gap and drive away with the win.

“I pinched one of the lapped cars off pretty good, and actually got him with my right-rear. I was running that kinda slider-line out of Turns 3-4 and coming in high, so I was like, ‘Man, I gotta go! Can’t be waiting,’” Dedmon said of his lane choice in the closing laps.

“I kept trying that line in Turns 3-4 that [Dedmon] was running,” Tucker said of his view from the cockpit. “Every time I went to that line, he was just yanking me so much harder. I don’t know how much harder I could have drove this thing, it’s only running about 60 miles an hour.”

Joe Grabianowski Photo

This was Tucker’s third venture into the DIRTcar eSports world, and the third time he’s been seen up front without a win. In his mind, though, persistence is key.

“We’ve been up front in all of ‘em, just need some things to go our way. You need a lot of luck on this sim to win. As long as we can keep being up front, we’ll get one eventually,” Tucker said.

“I was kinda sitting back, waiting to see if they’d go two-wide and just pick the dominant lane and hopefully get up to second,” Kilanowski said. “Kendal was keeping the car wide enough that I couldn’t get to another lane to pass him. So, I was happy running third.”

The fifth round of DIRTcar eSports action continues in two weeks’ time; track and car class to be announced in the coming days. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision!

Weekly DIRTcar eSports Showdown RESULTS; May 20, 2020 at Lanier National Speedway

CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (50 laps) — 1. 000-Kevin Dedmon [3] [$250]; 2. 00-Kendal Tucker [1] [$150]; 3. 13-DJ Kilanowski [4] [$100]; 4. 29-Richie Yost [6] [$75]; 5. 61-Josh Peacock [5] [$50]; 6. 140-Braden Johnson [14] [$45]; 7. 39-Ian Blanchard [8] [$40]; 8. 08-Tyler Jackson [10] [$35]; 9. 311-Justin Holt [11] [$30]; 10. 16-Bryar Zimmerman [13] [$25]; 11. 54-Larry Barber Jr [9] [$20]; 12. 51-Jacob Lassiter [2] [$20]; 13. 32-Bradley Bauer [19] [$20]; 14. 72-Karlin Ray [20] [$20]; 15. 4-Nathan Abrahims [23] [$20]; 16. 190-Seth Smyser [18] [$20]; 17. 013-Daniel Worthington [7] [$20]; 18. 9-Dane Loyd [12] [$20]; 19. 98-Will Smith [22] [$20]; 20. 14-John Baker [16] [$20]; 21. 41-Harry Stalnaker [24] [$20]; 22. 4-Brett Hutira [21] [$20]; 23. 20-Jason Schroen [17] [$20]; 24. 93-Zane Yost [15] [$20]. Lap leaders: Kendal Tucker 1-4, 11; Kevin Dedmon 5-10, 12-50. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Braden Johnson +8.

HOOSIER TIRE PRELIMINARY #1

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 33-Evan Seay [17.234] [$25/Cometic Gaskets]; 2. 00-Kendal Tucker [17.236]; 3. 000-Kevin Dedmon [17.254]; 4. 41-Jake Moser [17.306]; 5. 142-Taylor Frost [17.33]; 6. 54-Larry Barber Jr [17.332]; 7. 29-Richie Yost [17.342]; 8. 8-Tyler Jackson [17.357]; 9. 51-Jacob Lassiter [17.39]; 10. 14-Brock Evans [17.43]; 11. 13-Daniel Worthington [17.433]; 12. 42-Tom Morano [17.437]; 13. 15-Nick Sterna [17.445]; 14. 9-Camron Ray [17.446]; 15. 16-Bryar Zimmerman [17.448]; 16. 190-Seth Smyser [17.468]; 17. 546-Randy Axner [17.496]; 18. 28-John Baker [17.503]; 19. 69-Tyler Moore [17.525]; 20. 46-Jonathan Nause [17.551]; 21. 88-Dillon DeBord [17.559]; 22. 55-Joey Durbin [17.623]; 23. 76-Broc Lawrence [17.713]; 24. 98-Will Smith [17.741]; 25. 11-Mitchell Schlater [17.768]; 26. 4-Nathan Abrahims [17.82]; 27. 19-Chris Dolack [17.888]; 28. 22-Tomy Moreau [17.918]; 29. 6-Justin Gray [18.055]; 30. 24-William Richardson [18.382]; 31. 35-Jason Theisen [18.863]; 32. 21-Steve Morano [19.166]; 33. 32-William Pate [NT].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 33-Evan Seay [1] [$20]; 2. 41-Jake Moser [2]; 3. 29-Richie Yost [3]; 4. 14-Brock Evans [4]; 5. 55-Joey Durbin [8]; 6. 190-Seth Smyser [6]; 7. 15-Nick Sterna [5]; 8. 35-Jason Theisen [11]; 9. 69-Tyler Moore [7]; 10. 22-Tomy Moreau [10]; 11. 11-Mitchell Schlater [9].
DART Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1] [$20]; 2. 142-Taylor Frost [2]; 3. 8-Tyler Jackson [3]; 4. 13-Daniel Worthington [4]; 5. 9-Camron Ray [5]; 6. 546-Randy Axner [6]; 7. 76-Broc Lawrence [8]; 8. 46-Jonathan Nause [7]; 9. 4-Nathan Abrahims [9]; 10. 6-Justin Gray [10]; 11. 21-Steve Morano [11].
ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 000-Kevin Dedmon [1] [$20]; 2. 54-Larry Barber Jr [2]; 3. 51-Jacob Lassiter [3]; 4. 16-Bryar Zimmerman [5]; 5. 28-John Baker [6]; 6. 88-Dillon DeBord [7]; 7. 98-Will Smith [8]; 8. 24-William Richardson [10]; 9. 19-Chris Dolack [9]; 10. 42-Tom Morano [4]; 11. 32-William Pate [11].

INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS Last Chance Showdown (14 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 98-Will Smith [3] [$25]; 2. 76-Broc Lawrence [2]; 3. 69-Tyler Moore [7]; 4. 24-William Richardson [6]; 5. 4-Nathan Abrahims [8]; 6. 15-Nick Sterna [1]; 7. 22-Tomy Moreau [10]; 8. 11-Mitchell Schlater [13]; 9. 19-Chris Dolack [9]; 10. 46-Jonathan Nause [5]; 11. 42-Tom Morano [12]; 12. 21-Steve Morano [14]; 13. 35-Jason Theisen [4]; 14. 6-Justin Gray [11]; 15. 32-William Pate [15].

COMP CAMS Feature (32 laps) — Top 12 to Finals — 1. 000-Kevin Dedmon [3] [$25]; 2. 8-Tyler Jackson [8]; 3. 54-Larry Barber Jr [6]; 4. 13-Daniel Worthington [11]; 5. 51-Jacob Lassiter [9]; 6. 29-Richie Yost [7]; 7. 190-Seth Smyser [16]; 8. 00-Kendal Tucker [2]; 9. 4-Nathan Abrahims [23]; 10. 28-John Baker [15]; 11. 16-Bryar Zimmerman [12]; 12. 98-Will Smith [19]; 13. 142-Taylor Frost [5]; 14. 88-Dillon DeBord [18]; 15. 41-Jake Moser [4]; 16. 33-Evan Seay [1]; 17. 55-Joey Durbin [13]; 18. 14-Brock Evans [10]; 19. 76-Broc Lawrence [20]; 20. 24-William Richardson [22]; 21. 69-Tyler Moore [21]; 22. 15-Nick Sterna [24]; 23. 546-Randy Axner [17]; 24. 9-Camron Ray [14]. Lap leaders: Evan Seay 1-14, 27-30; Kendal Tucker 15-26; Kevin Deadmon 31-32. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Nathan Abrahaims +14.

HOOSIER TIRE PRELIMINARY #2

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 61-Josh Peacock [17.199] [$25/Cometic Gaskets]; 2. 13-DJ Kilanowski [17.21]; 3. 39-Ian Blanchard [17.21]; 4. 93-Zane Yost [17.226]; 5. 140-Braden Johnson [17.234]; 6. 410-Michael Fowler [17.307]; 7. 311-Justin Holt [17.31]; 8. 16-Zack Lumly [17.315]; 9. 500-Tyler Berry [17.319]; 10. 17-Preston Oberle [17.341]; 11. 9-Dane Loyd [17.358]; 12. 54-Cory McKay [17.362]; 13. 5-Joshua Abbe [17.38]; 14. 15-Jon Henry [17.419]; 15. 4-Brett Hutira [17.442]; 16. 32-Bradley Bauer [17.443]; 17. 72-Karlin Ray [17.472]; 18. 26-Clifford Bellomy [17.489]; 19. 20-Jason Schroen [17.557]; 20. 10-Brandon Gray [17.645]; 21. 23-Joseph Reyell [17.75]; 22. 51-Malachi Hamilton [17.777]; 23. 49-Zachary Fox [17.882]; 24. 11-Matthew Duvall [17.891]; 25. 27-Garrett Lemmons [17.903]; 26. 33-Jayton Parish [17.931]; 27. 41-Harry Stalnaker [NT].

COMP CAMS Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 61-Josh Peacock [1] [$20]; 2. 93-Zane Yost [2]; 3. 311-Justin Holt [3]; 4. 17-Preston Oberle [4]; 5. 5-Joshua Abbe [5]; 6. 20-Jason Schroen [7]; 7. 51-Malachi Hamilton [8]; 8. 27-Garrett Lemmons [9]; 9. 32-Bradley Bauer [6].
ASI RACEWEAR Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 13-DJ Kilanowski [1] [$20]; 2. 140-Braden Johnson [2]; 3. 16-Zack Lumly [3]; 4. 72-Karlin Ray [6]; 5. 9-Dane Loyd [4]; 6. 10-Brandon Gray [7]; 7. 49-Zachary Fox [8]; 8. 33-Jayton Parish [9]; 9. 15-Jon Henry [5].
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 39-Ian Blanchard [1] [$20]; 2. 410-Michael Fowler [2]; 3. 54-Cory McKay [4]; 4. 500-Tyler Berry [3]; 5. 4-Brett Hutira [5]; 6. 41-Harry Stalnaker [9]; 7. 26-Clifford Bellomy [6]; 8. 11-Matthew Duvall [8]; 9. 23-Joseph Reyell [7].

INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS Last Chance Showdown (14 laps) — Top 6 Transfer — 1. 51-Malachi Hamilton [1] [$25]; 2. 26-Clifford Bellomy [3]; 3. 32-Bradley Bauer [7]; 4. 49-Zachary Fox [2]; 5. 11-Matthew Duvall [6]; 6. 27-Garrett Lemmons [4]; 7. 33-Jayton Parish [5]; 8. 23-Joseph Reyell [9]; 9. 15-Jon Henry [8].

COMP CAMS Feature (30 laps) — Top 12 to Finals — 1. 13-DJ Kilanowski [2] [$25]; 2. 93-Zane Yost [4]; 3. 61-Josh Peacock [1]; 4. 39-Ian Blanchard [3]; 5. 140-Braden Johnson [5]; 6. 4-Brett Hutira [15]; 7. 72-Karlin Ray [11]; 8. 311-Justin Holt [7]; 9. 9-Dane Loyd [14]; 10. 20-Jason Schroen [16]; 11. 41-Harry Stalnaker [18]; 12. 32-Bradley Bauer [21]; 13. 11-Matthew Duvall [23]; 14. 26-Clifford Bellomy [20]; 15. 51-Malachi Hamilton [19]; 16. 410-Michael Fowler [6]; 17. 49-Zachary Fox [22]; 18. 17-Preston Oberle [10]; 19. 54-Cory McKay [9]; 20. 27-Garrett Lemmons [24]; 21. 5-Joshua Abbe [13]; 22. 16-Zack Lumly [8]; 23. 500-Tyler Berry [12]; 24. 10-Brandon Gray [17]. Lap leaders: Josh Peacock 1, 4-13, 23; DJ Kilanowski 2-3, 14-22, 24-30. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Brett Hutira +9.

VP RACING FUELS FINALS

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [16.912]; 2. 51-Jacob Lassiter [16.946]; 3. 000-Kevin Dedmon [16.948]; 4. 13-DJ Kilanowski [16.952]; 5. 61-Josh Peacock [16.96]; 6. 29-Richie Yost [16.984]; 7. 013-Daniel Worthington [16.992]; 8. 39-Ian Blanchard [17.01]; 9. 54-Larry Barber Jr [17.018]; 10. 08-Tyler Jackson [17.033]; 11. 311-Justin Holt [17.064]; 12. 9-Dane Loyd [17.118]; 13. 16-Bryar Zimmerman [17.128]; 14. 140-Braden Johnson [17.145]; 15. 93-Zane Yost [17.167]; 16. 14-John Baker [17.283]; 17. 20-Jason Schroen [17.359]; 18. 190-Seth Smyser [17.373]; 19. 32-Bradley Bauer [17.373]; 20. 72-Karlin Ray [17.381]; 21. 4-Brett Hutira [17.388]; 22. 98-Will Smith [17.428]; 23. 4-Nathan Abrahims [17.556]; 24. 41-Harry Stalnaker [18.364].

CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (50 laps) — 1. 000-Kevin Dedmon [3] [$250]; 2. 00-Kendal Tucker [1] [$150]; 3. 13-DJ Kilanowski [4] [$100]; 4. 29-Richie Yost [6] [$75]; 5. 61-Josh Peacock [5] [$50]; 6. 140-Braden Johnson [14] [$45]; 7. 39-Ian Blanchard [8] [$40]; 8. 08-Tyler Jackson [10] [$35]; 9. 311-Justin Holt [11] [$30]; 10. 16-Bryar Zimmerman [13] [$25]; 11. 54-Larry Barber Jr [9] [$20]; 12. 51-Jacob Lassiter [2] [$20]; 13. 32-Bradley Bauer [19] [$20]; 14. 72-Karlin Ray [20] [$20]; 15. 4-Nathan Abrahims [23] [$20]; 16. 190-Seth Smyser [18] [$20]; 17. 013-Daniel Worthington [7] [$20]; 18. 9-Dane Loyd [12] [$20]; 19. 98-Will Smith [22] [$20]; 20. 14-John Baker [16] [$20]; 21. 41-Harry Stalnaker [24] [$20]; 22. 4-Brett Hutira [21] [$20]; 23. 20-Jason Schroen [17] [$20]; 24. 93-Zane Yost [15] [$20]. Lap leaders: Kendal Tucker 1-4, 11; Kevin Dedmon 5-10, 12-50. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Braden Johnson +8.

HEAVY HITTERS: Bergeron Bullies Top-5 to Win Volusia DIRTcar eSports Showdown

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BARBERVILLE, FL – Alex Bergeron stormed his way to the front of the field Saturday night to win the Weekly DIRTcar eSports Showdown at virtual Volusia Speedway Park. 

A force to be reckoned with, the 2019 iRacing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car World Champion from Drummondville, QUE, managed to find his way around the virtual DIRTcar Pro Late Model well enough to claim the $300 winner’s share at the end of the 35-lap Chevy Performance Feature.

“I was following Mike [McKinney] and Tucker while I was running third, and I decided to take it easy until the final couple laps when I made my move on the outside and I was able to get the run off of turn two,” Bergeron said of his race-winning lap-29 pass on real-world driver Mike McKinney. 

Contact, however, was prevalent throughout the race although rarely was it enough to result in caution flags.  

“It was pretty rough for sure,” Bergeron said.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

Bergeron is notable for his new role as an iRacing mentor to the pros, who are finding themselves in the virtual cockpit more than ever. His experience in simulators allows him to anticipate the changing track conditions, and be able to quickly analyze how to wheel a DIRTcar Pro Late Model around The World’s Fastest Half-Mile:

“The bottom was not really there,” he said. “It was pretty much middle in Turns 1 and 2. Going into Turns 3 and 4, the high side wasn’t there at all and if you got off the line you’d fall back a lot. Going into 1 and 2 you get into the middle and hit the apex, then let the car go up and get the moisture off the back straightaway.”

An obviously disappointed Kendal Tucker finished second to Bergeron, who took advantage of a battle between Tucker and Mike McKinney.

His race day started by grabbing the Cometic Gasket Fast-Time Award in Racing Electronics Qualifying with a lap around the World’s Fastest Half-Mile in 16. 561 seconds. 

Joe Grabianowski Photo

After leading the first 18 laps, pole-sitter Tucker was forced out of the lead by Mike McKinney gave him a few taps before barging his way to the lead. 

After retaking the lead, Tucker was dispatched similarly by Bergeron but not without dishing out some hard-nosed racing of his own in the closing stages. 

“Alex [Bergeron] got to us and instead of trying to pass he hit us four times in one lap and to finish it off he doored us out of the way,” said the fired up Tucker. 

The battle in the top 5 was wild over the course of 2 green/white/checkered flag attempts where the field fanned out going for the lead. 

Evan Seay, a World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models iRacing World Champion, crossed the line in third hoping to make that top-side work on the leaders. Seay fell just short, but knew from Lap 1 the competition at the front would be extremely tight. 

Joe Grabianowski Photo

“This was a good finish tonight,” Seay said. “With Fixed Setups it’s always going to be close. You get into tight battles like that. I was kind of rolling the top there in three and four. It was just as fast as the middle. I stuck with that plan on the last restart and it worked out.”

Notably, Weekly DIRTcar eSports Showdowns feature a Fixed Setup, which means all cars have precisely the same setup including tire pressures, gearing, fuel, suspension and more. This puts everything in the driver’s hands and there’s no room for error at the front.

It also makes for some of the best iRacing eSports competition out there. 

The DIRTvision Hard Charger was Dan Hoekstra, who powered the Taylor Farms No. 52 ahead nine positions to finish 15th. 

Upcoming Weekly DIRTcar eSports Showdown events will be released soon. Check DIRTcar.com, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates. 

Weekly DIRTcar eSports Showdown RESULTS; May 9, 2020 at Volusia Speedway Park

CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (37 laps) — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [2] [$300]; 2. 6-Kendal Tucker [1] [$200]; 3. 33-Evan Seay [5] [$100]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [4] [$75]; 5. 230-Austin Anderson [9] [$50]; 6. 2-Dylan R. Houser [3] [$45]; 7. 96-Mike McKinney [6] [$40]; 8. 32-Bradley Bauer [13] [$35]; 9. 43-Jacob Hall [12] [$30]; 10. 18-Trevor Landrum [15] [$25]; 11. 77-Brandon Planck [8] [$20]; 12. 8-Coty Slawson [19] [$20]; 13. 34-Kyle Behnke [20] [$20]; 14. 27-Daniel Cummings Jr [7] [$20]; 15. 53-Dan Hoekstra [24] [$20]; 16. 151-Anthony Ricketts [21] [$20]; 17. 25-Chase Rhinerson [14] [$20]; 18. 117-Joshua Johnson [16] [$20]; 19. 35-Brett Punkari [17] [$20]; 20. 23-Chase Odom [18] [$20]; 21. 97-Rocky Battenfield [11] [$20]; 22. 23-Bryce Weldon [10] [$20]; 23. 4-Cody Kontny [23] [$20]; 24. 52-David Mikulski [22] [$20]. Lap leaders: Kendal Tucker 1-18, 23-28; Mike McKinney 19-22; Alex Bergeron 29-37. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Dan Hoekstra +9.

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 6-Kendal Tucker [16.561] [$25/Cometic Gasket]; 2. 12-Alex Bergeron [16.586]; 3. 2-Dylan R. Houser [16.588]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [16.606]; 5. 33-Evan Seay [16.660]; 6. 230-Austin Anderson [16.711]; 7. 27-Daniel Cummings Jr [16.724]; 8. 77-Brandon Planck [16.758]; 9. 96-Mike McKinney [16.778]; 10. 23-Bryce Weldon [16.841]; 11. 97-Rocky Battenfield [16.854]; 12. 43-Jacob Hall [16.856]; 13. 32-Bradley Bauer [16.864]; 14. 25-Chase Rhinerson [16.864]; 15. 18-Trevor Landrum [16.867]; 16. 34-Kyle Behnke [16.887]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [16.906]; 18. 85-Andrew Forbes [16.907]; 19. 117-Joshua Johnson [16.923]; 20. 52-David Mikulski [16.935]; 21. 46-Cole Gajdorus [16.950]; 22. 8-Coty Slawson [16.967]; 23. 23-Chase Odom [16.972]; 24. 181-Randy Rockwell [16.985]; 25. 151-Anthony Ricketts [16.992]; 26. 35-Brett Punkari [17.000]; 27. 39-Ian Blanchard [17.025]; 28. 1-Jordon Cox [17.039]; 29. 92-Caleb Kill [17.084]; 30. 27-Trevor Shaw [17.096]; 31. 4-Cody Kontny [17.101]; 32. 53-Dan Hoekstra [17.117]; 33. 410-Michael Fowler [17.304]; 34. 19-Chris Dolack [18.298]; 35. 99-Mitchell Hedstrom [NT]; 36. 8-Mark Senterfitt Jr [NT].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 5 transfer — 1. 6-Kendal Tucker [1] [$20]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [2]; 3. 27-Daniel Cummings Jr [3]; 4. 23-Bryce Weldon [4]; 5. 32-Bradley Bauer [5]; 6. 117-Joshua Johnson [7]; 7. 8-Coty Slawson [8]; 8. 151-Anthony Ricketts [9]; 9. 34-Kyle Behnke [6]; 10. 4-Cody Kontny [11]; 11. 1-Jordon Cox [10]; 12. 19-Chris Dolack [12].

DART Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 5 transfer — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$20]; 2. 33-Evan Seay [2]; 3. 77-Brandon Planck [3]; 4. 97-Rocky Battenfield [4]; 5. 25-Chase Rhinerson [5]; 6. 52-David Mikulski [7]; 7. 35-Brett Punkari [9]; 8. 23-Chase Odom [8]; 9. 53-Dan Hoekstra [11]; 10. 92-Caleb Kill [10]; 11. 46-Jonathan Nause [6]; 12. 99-Mitchell Hedstrom [12].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 5 transfer — 1. 2-Dylan R. Houser [1] [$20]; 2. 96-Mike McKinney [3]; 3. 230-Austin Anderson [2]; 4. 43-Jacob Hall [4]; 5. 18-Trevor Landrum [5]; 6. 85-Andrew Forbes [6]; 7. 181-Randy Rockwell [8]; 8. 410-Michael Fowler [11]; 9. 27-Trevor Shaw [10]; 10. 8-Mark Senterfitt Jr [12]; 11. 46-Cole Gajdorus [7]; 12. 39-Ian Blanchard [9].

FOX RACING SHOX Last Chance Showdown (21 laps) — Top 9 transfer — 1. 117-Joshua Johnson [1] [$25]; 2. 35-Brett Punkari [5]; 3. 23-Chase Odom [8]; 4. 8-Coty Slawson [4]; 5. 34-Kyle Behnke [10]; 6. 151-Anthony Ricketts [7]; 7. 52-David Mikulski [2]; 8. 4-Cody Kontny [13]; 9. 53-Dan Hoekstra [11]; 10. 27-Trevor Shaw [12]; 11. 85-Andrew Forbes [3]; 12. 46-Cole Gajdorus [18]; 13. 181-Randy Rockwell [6]; 14. 1-Jordon Cox [16]; 15. 19-Chris Dolack [19]; 16. 92-Caleb Kill [14]; 17. 39-Ian Blanchard [21]; 18. 410-Michael Fowler [9]; 19. 46-Jonathan Nause [17]; 20. 8-Mark Senterfitt Jr [15]; 21. 99-Mitchell Hedstrom [20].

5/9/20 – Pro Late Models at Volusia Speedway Park

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CHEVY PERFORMANCE Feature (37 laps) — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [2] [$300]; 2. 6-Kendal Tucker [1] [$200]; 3. 33-Evan Seay [5] [$100]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [4] [$75]; 5. 230-Austin Anderson [9] [$50]; 6. 2-Dylan R. Houser [3] [$45]; 7. 96-Mike McKinney [6] [$40]; 8. 32-Bradley Bauer [13] [$35]; 9. 43-Jacob Hall [12] [$30]; 10. 18-Trevor Landrum [15] [$25]; 11. 77-Brandon Planck [8] [$20]; 12. 8-Coty Slawson [19] [$20]; 13. 34-Kyle Behnke [20] [$20]; 14. 27-Daniel Cummings Jr [7] [$20]; 15. 53-Dan Hoekstra [24] [$20]; 16. 151-Anthony Ricketts [21] [$20]; 17. 25-Chase Rhinerson [14] [$20]; 18. 117-Joshua Johnson [16] [$20]; 19. 35-Brett Punkari [17] [$20]; 20. 23-Chase Odom [18] [$20]; 21. 97-Rocky Battenfield [11] [$20]; 22. 23-Bryce Weldon [10] [$20]; 23. 4-Cody Kontny [23] [$20]; 24. 52-David Mikulski [22] [$20]. Lap leaders: Kendal Tucker 1-18, 23-28; Mike McKinney 19-22; Alex Bergeron 29-37. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Dan Hoekstra +9.

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 6-Kendal Tucker [16.561] [$25/Cometic Gasket]; 2. 12-Alex Bergeron [16.586]; 3. 2-Dylan R. Houser [16.588]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [16.606]; 5. 33-Evan Seay [16.660]; 6. 230-Austin Anderson [16.711]; 7. 27-Daniel Cummings Jr [16.724]; 8. 77-Brandon Planck [16.758]; 9. 96-Mike McKinney [16.778]; 10. 23-Bryce Weldon [16.841]; 11. 97-Rocky Battenfield [16.854]; 12. 43-Jacob Hall [16.856]; 13. 32-Bradley Bauer [16.864]; 14. 25-Chase Rhinerson [16.864]; 15. 18-Trevor Landrum [16.867]; 16. 34-Kyle Behnke [16.887]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [16.906]; 18. 85-Andrew Forbes [16.907]; 19. 117-Joshua Johnson [16.923]; 20. 52-David Mikulski [16.935]; 21. 46-Cole Gajdorus [16.950]; 22. 8-Coty Slawson [16.967]; 23. 23-Chase Odom [16.972]; 24. 181-Randy Rockwell [16.985]; 25. 151-Anthony Ricketts [16.992]; 26. 35-Brett Punkari [17.000]; 27. 39-Ian Blanchard [17.025]; 28. 1-Jordon Cox [17.039]; 29. 92-Caleb Kill [17.084]; 30. 27-Trevor Shaw [17.096]; 31. 4-Cody Kontny [17.101]; 32. 53-Dan Hoekstra [17.117]; 33. 410-Michael Fowler [17.304]; 34. 19-Chris Dolack [18.298]; 35. 99-Mitchell Hedstrom [NT]; 36. 8-Mark Senterfitt Jr [NT].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 5 transfer — 1. 6-Kendal Tucker [1] [$20]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [2]; 3. 27-Daniel Cummings Jr [3]; 4. 23-Bryce Weldon [4]; 5. 32-Bradley Bauer [5]; 6. 117-Joshua Johnson [7]; 7. 8-Coty Slawson [8]; 8. 151-Anthony Ricketts [9]; 9. 34-Kyle Behnke [6]; 10. 4-Cody Kontny [11]; 11. 1-Jordon Cox [10]; 12. 19-Chris Dolack [12].

DART Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 5 transfer — 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1] [$20]; 2. 33-Evan Seay [2]; 3. 77-Brandon Planck [3]; 4. 97-Rocky Battenfield [4]; 5. 25-Chase Rhinerson [5]; 6. 52-David Mikulski [7]; 7. 35-Brett Punkari [9]; 8. 23-Chase Odom [8]; 9. 53-Dan Hoekstra [11]; 10. 92-Caleb Kill [10]; 11. 46-Jonathan Nause [6]; 12. 99-Mitchell Hedstrom [12].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 5 transfer — 1. 2-Dylan R. Houser [1] [$20]; 2. 96-Mike McKinney [3]; 3. 230-Austin Anderson [2]; 4. 43-Jacob Hall [4]; 5. 18-Trevor Landrum [5]; 6. 85-Andrew Forbes [6]; 7. 181-Randy Rockwell [8]; 8. 410-Michael Fowler [11]; 9. 27-Trevor Shaw [10]; 10. 8-Mark Senterfitt Jr [12]; 11. 46-Cole Gajdorus [7]; 12. 39-Ian Blanchard [9].

FOX RACING SHOX Last Chance Showdown (21 laps) — Top 9 transfer — 1. 117-Joshua Johnson [1] [$25]; 2. 35-Brett Punkari [5]; 3. 23-Chase Odom [8]; 4. 8-Coty Slawson [4]; 5. 34-Kyle Behnke [10]; 6. 151-Anthony Ricketts [7]; 7. 52-David Mikulski [2]; 8. 4-Cody Kontny [13]; 9. 53-Dan Hoekstra [11]; 10. 27-Trevor Shaw [12]; 11. 85-Andrew Forbes [3]; 12. 46-Cole Gajdorus [18]; 13. 181-Randy Rockwell [6]; 14. 1-Jordon Cox [16]; 15. 19-Chris Dolack [19]; 16. 92-Caleb Kill [14]; 17. 39-Ian Blanchard [21]; 18. 410-Michael Fowler [9]; 19. 46-Jonathan Nause [17]; 20. 8-Mark Senterfitt Jr [15]; 21. 99-Mitchell Hedstrom [20].

PERFECT 10: Matjoulis Masters Limaland in Weekly DIRTcar eSports Shootout

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iRacing champ surges from 10th to victory in DIRTcar UMP Modified

LIMA, OH — Blake Matjoulis is no stranger to iRacing success. After all, he’s the defending champion of the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model iRacing World Championship. He leaned on all that experience Saturday night as he powered a DIRTcar UMP Modified to victory in the Weekly DIRTcar eSports Shootout at virtual Limaland Motorsports Park.

By the time the simulated dust settled on the VP Racing Fuels Final Round, Matjoulis, of Ashville, NY, crossed the line ahead of Dylan Wilson and pole-sitter JD Brown in the Summit Racing Equipment Feature.

In all, 73 virtual UMP Modified drivers attempted to qualify for the final 24-car field. The top 12 from each Hoosier Racing Tire Preliminary Round Feature advanced to the VP Racing Fuels Finals, where they requalified for the final Feature of the night.

In Hoosier Racing Tire Preliminary Round action, the first COMP Cams 35-lap Feature mirrored the finale as Matjoulis finished one spot ahead of Dylan Wilson for the win. In COMP Cams Feature 2, Preston Oberle scored the win with a huge slide job. Unfortunately, he qualified poorly and was mired in the back of the pack in the finale.

With the top 12 drivers from each preliminary event advancing, Racing Electronics Qualifying once again shuffled the field for the final 50-lap race to glory.

Joe Grabianowski Photo

A Mod Lite driver from Bakersfield, CA, JD Brown, had the fast-time of the night and started the finale on the pole. Eventual race-winner Matjoulis didn’t think he had a chance for the win after a slip up in qualifying placing him 10th. 

“When you get into big races with these kinds of guys, qualifying is critical,” Matjoulis said. “It’s nearly everything. It keeps you out of so much trouble and takes a lot of pressure off you.”

Pole-sitter Brown led the first 30 laps, fending off challenges from Wilson throughout, but Matjoulis could not be denied.

From the drop of the green flag, Matjoulis immediately took to the bottom of the speedway. 

“I really didn’t think I’d win honestly, but I figured I could get a couple of spots there,” he said. “I got to the bottom early on and never left the tires there until lap 35 or so. It’s one of the best feelings when you find a line that’s gradually faster and people aren’t mirror driving to block your lines.”

Joe Grabianowski Photo

After dispatching Brown for the lead, Matjoulis began building on his advantage. 

“I was just fortunate enough to make up the ground on the bottom where I was able to take the lead and just run the top from there to hold off Wilson,” said Matjoulis of his $350 winning moves in the second round of weekly DIRTcar eSports action. 

Runner-up for the second week in a row, Wilson drove another fast, clean race at the front of the field. The Bakersfield, CA Hobby Stock driver gave Matjoulis all he had. 

“On most laps, he [Matjoulis] was faster than me. He was pulling,” Wilson said. “Second is about all we had tonight. We have two seconds in this series and we’ll try again next week.”

Brown hung on for a hard-fought third. The Californian was impressive all night and lost the Hoosier Racing Tire Preliminary Feature to a late slider by Preston Oberle. 

Richie Yost took his unsponsored UMP Modified entry through the field from 18th to 7th to earn the DIRTVision Hard Charger award. 

On Saturday, May 9, DIRTcar eSports returns with another round of weekly racing, featuring DIRTcar Pro Late Models at Volusia Speedway Park. Stay tuned to social media and the new DIRTcar eSports website to learn how to register for racing.

Weekly DIRTcar eSports Shootout; May 2, 2020 at Limaland Motorsports Park – RESULTS

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT Feature (50 laps) — 1. 127-Blake Matjoulis [10] [$350]; 2. 80-Dylan Wilson [4] [$250]; 3. 14-JD Brown [1] [$150]; 4. 24-Daniel Cummings Jr. [6] [$100]; 5. 18-Trevor Landrum [15] [$75]; 6. 93-Zane Yost [11] [$50]; 7. 29-Richie Yost [18] [$45]; 8. 18-Kyle Sirratt [3] [$40]; 9. 57-Ryan Diatte [14] [$35]; 10. 10-Kendal Tucker [2] [$30]; 11. 105-Sheldon Oberle [22] [$20]; 12. 777-Jacob Fields [8] [$20]; 13. 38-Zach Sobotka [17] [$20]; 14. 151-Anthony Ricketts [19] [$20]; 15. 43-Jacob Hall [7] [$20]; 16. 113-George Fehrenbacher [12] [$20]; 17. 39-Ian Blanchard [23] [$20]; 18. 66-James Rotruck [13] [$20]; 19. 25-Chase Rhinerson [16] [$20]; 20. 21-Edward Farness [21] [$20]; 21. 7-Drake Troutman [9] [$20]; 22. 11-Cameron Shidler [5] [$20]; 23. 8-Coty Slawson [20] [$20]; 24. 70-Aaron Smith II [24] [$20]. Lap leaders: JD Brown 1-18, 20-32; Kendal Tucker 19; Blake Matjoulis 33-50. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Richie Yost +11.

HOOSIER RACING TIRE Preliminary Show #1

COMETIC GASKETS Qualifying — 1. 777-Jacob Fields [13.47] [$25]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [13.54]; 3. 46-Cole Gajdorus [13.54]; 4. 18-Kyle Sirratt [13.558]; 5. 57-Ryan Diatte [13.595]; 6. 9-Braden Johnson [13.601]; 7. 75-Dustin Beck [13.613]; 8. 25-Chase Rhinerson [13.622]; 9. 16-Joe Burch [13.638]; 10. 29-Richie Yost [13.659]; 11. 24-Daniel Cummings Jr. [13.675]; 12. 17-Preston Oberle [13.687]; 13. 1-Jordon Cox [13.736]; 14. 367-Dalton Conner [13.755]; 15. 151-Anthony Ricketts [13.765]; 16. 61-Jonathan Lampman [13.772]; 17. 2-Kyle VanDorn [13.791]; 18. 24-Michael Harrison [13.827]; 19. 92-Caleb Kill [13.833]; 20. 25-Joseph Schlies [13.836]; 21. 12-Matthew Balthazor [13.88]; 22. 39-Ian Blanchard [13.893]; 23. 66-James Rotruck [13.931]; 24. 199-Toby Hallett [14.021]; 25. 32-Bradley Bauer [14.033]; 26. 51-Bryan Preville [14.047]; 27. 33-Luke Rakoske [14.106]; 28. 85-Andrew Forbes [14.189]; 29. 46-Jonathan Nause [14.309]; 30. 13-Charlie Mefford [14.552]; 31. 80-Dylan Wilson [NT].

DRYDENE Heat 1 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 777-Jacob Fields [1] [$25]; 2. 57-Ryan Diatte [2]; 3. 16-Joe Burch [3]; 4. 46-Jonathan Nause [8]; 5. 1-Jordon Cox [4]; 6. 32-Bradley Bauer [7]; 7. 12-Matthew Balthazor [6]; 8. 2-Kyle VanDorn [5].

DART Heat 2 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 127-Blake Matjoulis [1] [$25]; 2. 9-Braden Johnson [2]; 3. 29-Richie Yost [3]; 4. 367-Dalton Conner [4]; 5. 24-Michael Harrison [5]; 6. 39-Ian Blanchard [6]; 7. 13-Charlie Mefford [8]; 8. 51-Bryan Preville [7].

ARP FASTENERS Heat 3 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 24-Daniel Cummings Jr. [3] [$25]; 2. 75-Dustin Beck [2]; 3. 80-Dylan Wilson [8]; 4. 66-James Rotruck [6]; 5. 151-Anthony Ricketts [4]; 6. 46-Cole Gajdorus [1]; 7. 92-Caleb Kill [5]; 8. 33-Luke Rakoske [7].

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT Heat 4 (10 laps) — Top 5 Transfer — 1. 18-Kyle Sirratt [1] [$25]; 2. 17-Preston Oberle [3]; 3. 25-Chase Rhinerson [2]; 4. 61-Jonathan Lampman [4]; 5. 25-Joseph Schlies [5]; 6. 85-Andrew Forbes [7]; 7. 199-Toby Hallett [6]. 

FOX RACING SHOX Last Chance Showdown (14 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 39-Ian Blanchard [2] [$25]; 2. 32-Bradley Bauer [1]; 3. 46-Cole Gajdorus [3]; 4. 13-Charlie Mefford [6]; 5. 92-Caleb Kill [7]; 6. 51-Bryan Preville [10]; 7. 33-Luke Rakoske [11]; 8. 2-Kyle VanDorn [9]; 9. 85-Andrew Forbes [4]; 10. 12-Matthew Balthazor [5]; 11. 199-Toby Hallett [8].

COMP CAMS Feature (35 laps) — Top 12 to Finals — 1. 127-Blake Matjoulis [2] [$25]; 2. 80-Dylan Wilson [11]; 3. 18-Kyle Sirratt [4]; 4. 57-Ryan Diatte [5]; 5. 777-Jacob Fields [1]; 6. 25-Chase Rhinerson [12]; 7. 29-Richie Yost [10]; 8. 9-Braden Johnson [6]; 9. 66-James Rotruck [15]; 10. 24-Daniel Cummings Jr. [3]; 11. 151-Anthony Ricketts [19]; 12. 39-Ian Blanchard [21]; 13. 17-Preston Oberle [8]; 14. 32-Bradley Bauer [22]; 15. 1-Jordon Cox [17]; 16. 24-Michael Harrison [18]; 17. 46-Cole Gajdorus [23]; 18. 61-Jonathan Lampman [16]; 19. 16-Joe Burch [9]; 20. 25-Joseph Schlies [20]; 21. 46-Jonathan Nause [13]; 22. 13-Charlie Mefford [24]; 23. 75-Dustin Beck [7]; 24. 367-Dalton Conner [14]. Lap leaders: Blake Matjoulis 1-35. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Dylan Wilson +9.

HOOSIER RACING TIRE Preliminary Show #2

COMETIC GASKETS Qualifying — 1. 10-Kendal Tucker [13.342] [$25]; 2. 93-Zane Yost [13.453]; 3. 14-JD Brown [13.519]; 4. 113-George Fehrenbacher [13.539]; 5. 7-Drake Troutman [13.558]; 6. 70-Aaron Smith II [13.59]; 7. 18-Trevor Landrum [13.612]; 8. 52-David Mikulski [13.647]; 9. 19-Seth Smyser [13.719]; 10. 8-Coty Slawson [13.726]; 11. 105-Sheldon Oberle [13.77]; 12. 53-Dan Hoekstra [13.773]; 13. 38-Zach Sobotka [13.787]; 14. 62-Roland Johns [13.812]; 15. 31-Grant Lyde [13.82]; 16. 11-Cameron Shidler [13.837]; 17. 240-Cody Falkner [13.852]; 18. 15-Nick Sterna [13.88]; 19. 21-Edward Farness [13.885]; 20. 44-Russell Morseman III [13.888]; 21. 76-Mario Vietti [13.905]; 22. 13-Douglas Waite [14.002]; 23. 14-Brock Evans [14.047]; 24. 9-Percy Gendreau [14.068]; 25. 51-RJ Otto [14.443]; 26. 34-Ronald Hedrick [14.745]; 27. 70-Joseph Reyell [15.549]; 28. 43-Jacob Hall [NT]; 29. 100-Jason Eskridge [NT]; 30. 110-Landen Miller [NT].

COMP CAMS Heat 1 (10 laps) — 1. 10-Kendal Tucker [1] [$25]; 2. 113-George Fehrenbacher [2]; 3. 18-Trevor Landrum [3]; 4. 8-Coty Slawson [4]; 5. 11-Cameron Shidler [6]; 6. 43-Jacob Hall [10]; 7. 21-Edward Farness [7]; 8. 38-Zach Sobotka [5]; 9. 13-Douglas Waite [8]; 10. 51-RJ Otto [9].

BELL HELMETS Heat 2 (10 laps) — 1. 93-Zane Yost [1] [$25]; 2. 105-Sheldon Oberle [4]; 3. 7-Drake Troutman [2]; 4. 52-David Mikulski [3]; 5. 62-Roland Johns [5]; 6. 100-Jason Eskridge [10]; 7. 240-Cody Falkner [6]; 8. 44-Russell Morseman III [7]; 9. 14-Brock Evans [8]; 10. 34-Ronald Hedrick [9].

CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE Heat 3 (10 laps) — 1. 14-JD Brown [1] [$25]; 2. 70-Aaron Smith II [2]; 3. 19-Seth Smyser [3]; 4. 53-Dan Hoekstra [4]; 5. 31-Grant Lyde [5]; 6. 15-Nick Sterna [6]; 7. 76-Mario Vietti [7]; 8. 70-Joseph Reyell [9]; 9. 110-Landen Miller [10]; 10. 9-Percy Gendreau [8]. 

FOX RACING SHOX Last Chance Showdown (14 laps) — Top 4 Transfer — 1. 43-Jacob Hall [1] [$25]; 2. 110-Landen Miller [12]; 3. 38-Zach Sobotka [7]; 4. 21-Edward Farness [4]; 5. 76-Mario Vietti [6]; 6. 9-Percy Gendreau [15]; 7. 15-Nick Sterna [3]; 8. 13-Douglas Waite [10]; 9. 44-Russell Morseman III [8]; 10. 100-Jason Eskridge [2]; 11. 14-Brock Evans [11]; 12. 70-Joseph Reyell [9]; 13. 51-RJ Otto [13]; 14. 240-Cody Falkner [5]; 15. 34-Ronald Hedrick [14].

COMP CAMS Feature (38 laps) — Top 12 to Finals — 1. 105-Sheldon Oberle [5] [$25]; 2. 14-JD Brown [3]; 3. 93-Zane Yost [2]; 4. 8-Coty Slawson [10]; 5. 7-Drake Troutman [8]; 6. 113-George Fehrenbacher [4]; 7. 43-Jacob Hall [16]; 8. 10-Kendal Tucker [1]; 9. 18-Trevor Landrum [7]; 10. 70-Aaron Smith II [6]; 11. 21-Edward Farness [19]; 12. 38-Zach Sobotka [18]; 13. 53-Dan Hoekstra [12]; 14. 110-Landen Miller [17]; 15. 76-Mario Vietti [20]; 16. 31-Grant Lyde [15]; 17. 19-Seth Smyser [9]; 18. 11-Cameron Shidler [13]; 19. 13-Douglas Waite [23]; 20. 15-Nick Sterna [22]; 21. 44-Russell Morseman III [24]; 22. 9-Percy Gendreau [21]; 23. 62-Roland Johns [14]; 24. 52-David Mikulski [11]. Lap leaders: Kendal Tucker 1-9; JD Brown 10-35; Sheldon Oberle 36-38. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Jacob Hall +9.

VP RACING FUELS Finals

RACING ELECTRONICS Qualifying — 1. 14-JD Brown [13.25] [$25]; 2. 10-Kendal Tucker [13.273]; 3. 18-Kyle Sirratt [13.279]; 4. 80-Dylan Wilson [13.298]; 5. 11-Cameron Shidler [13.32]; 6. 24-Daniel Cummings Jr. [13.321]; 7. 43-Jacob Hall [13.35]; 8. 777-Jacob Fields [13.354]; 9. 7-Drake Troutman [13.374]; 10. 127-Blake Matjoulis [13.379]; 11. 93-Zane Yost [13.38]; 12. 113-George Fehrenbacher [13.382]; 13. 66-James Rotruck [13.397]; 14. 57-Ryan Diatte [13.407]; 15. 18-Trevor Landrum [13.412]; 16. 25-Chase Rhinerson [13.444]; 17. 38-Zach Sobotka [13.499]; 18. 29-Richie Yost [13.522]; 19. 151-Anthony Ricketts [13.553]; 20. 8-Coty Slawson [13.602]; 21. 21-Edward Farness [13.617]; 22. 105-Sheldon Oberle [13.643]; 23. 39-Ian Blanchard [13.668]; 24. 70-Aaron Smith II [NT].

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT Feature (50 laps) — 1. 127-Blake Matjoulis [10] [$350]; 2. 80-Dylan Wilson [4] [$250]; 3. 14-JD Brown [1] [$150]; 4. 24-Daniel Cummings Jr. [6] [$100]; 5. 18-Trevor Landrum [15] [$75]; 6. 93-Zane Yost [11] [$50]; 7. 29-Richie Yost [18] [$45]; 8. 18-Kyle Sirratt [3] [$40]; 9. 57-Ryan Diatte [14] [$35]; 10. 10-Kendal Tucker [2] [$30]; 11. 105-Sheldon Oberle [22] [$20]; 12. 777-Jacob Fields [8] [$20]; 13. 38-Zach Sobotka [17] [$20]; 14. 151-Anthony Ricketts [19] [$20]; 15. 43-Jacob Hall [7] [$20]; 16. 113-George Fehrenbacher [12] [$20]; 17. 39-Ian Blanchard [23] [$20]; 18. 66-James Rotruck [13] [$20]; 19. 25-Chase Rhinerson [16] [$20]; 20. 21-Edward Farness [21] [$20]; 21. 7-Drake Troutman [9] [$20]; 22. 11-Cameron Shidler [5] [$20]; 23. 8-Coty Slawson [20] [$20]; 24. 70-Aaron Smith II [24] [$20]. Lap leaders: JD Brown 1-18, 20-32; Kendal Tucker 19; Blake Matjoulis 33-50. DIRTVision Hard Charger: Richie Yost +11.