Alltel DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH: Thursday Night Notebook

All photos by Todd Ridgeway

FLORIDA TOUR 2009 PIT NOTES

Thursday - February 12
*Alltel All-Star Status Growing For Ward…Show number 10 of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH at Volusia is now in the record book and Advance Series DIRTcar Big-Block racer Pat Ward has given fans twice the incentive to vote for the Genoa, New York pilot as he contends for the lucrative $10,000 top prize awarded to just one winning driver. “I’m broke all winter long and that money would sure come in handy as we’ve got a lot of bills to pay. I enjoy coming down here and putting on a show for the fans, giving 110% every time out,” said Ward about why fans should choose him as the Alltel All-Star. The Alltel All-Star candidates and their text message Letter Codes include: Big-Block Modifieds – Pat Ward (i); Sprint Cars – Donny Schatz (b); Stevie Smith (d); Joey Saldana (f); UMP DIRTcar Modifieds – Jared Landers (a), Austin Dillon (c), Randy Hall (e); UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models – Darren Miller (g), Earl Pearson Jr. (h), Dan Schlieper (j); World of Outlaws Late Models – Josh Richards (k). Fans can vote by visiting www.AlltelAllStar.com or texting their drivers code to 247253.

*Rasey Back Racing…Family matters matter most for Big-Block racer Jim Rasey and the Southington, Ohio veteran almost skipped this year’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals after his 12 year-old son Jacob suffered a serious leg injury in seventh grade gym class. Missing out only last year after competing at Volusia every February in the new millennium, Rasey’s youngest sibling stopped fast and tore the knee cap tendon from his shin and pins were inserted during surgery that was performed on February 5. Jim still has two healthy sons, Jimmy (16) and Justin (14), with each finding a preference closer to home like competing in the state power-lifting championship. Jimmy won the Ohio title in 2008 and is also a star running back on the high school football team. The only running that driver Jim does is with his mighty DIRTcar Modified. So far in Florida, he cracked the top-15 after starting 24th on Wednesday night before losing a lap at the halfway point and crossing the line 22nd, one lap down. He improved to 8th on Thursday following a 10th-place start.

*Down But Not Out…Following motor problems in practice on Tuesday, Ray Swinehart was back in action on Thursday, this time with his no. 33 J&L Speed Supplies-Scrap USA/Bicknell ride housing a Precision powerplant in place of the Malcuit motor that was shelved after a burned piston was diagnosed. Ray’s son, Stan Swinehart, made the 15-1/2 hour haul from Bechtelsville, Pa. ---which was lengthened following a flat tire and being pulled over for excessive speeds--- and arrived at 10:30am Thursday morning. “This is the first year I kept a spare motor at home and this kinda thing happens,” said Swinehart, who qualifed for his 30th feature since the Big-Blocks returned to Volusia in 1998 and ran a very respectable 9th under that final checkered flag. With the return of Swinehart to the Big-Block field, fellow Pennsylvanian Colin Jackson was scratched from the remainder of the tour as motor problems on Wednesday curtailed the efforts of his own no. 923 Ashford Cottages Bed & Breakfast/Bicknell entry and sent the Orange County Fair (NY) Speedway regular packing.

*Canadian Exchange…Frenchmen Mario Clair and Michel Chicoine suffered through opening night misfortune, with Chicoine placing 20th in his Big-Block debut while 2007 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Champion Clair was scored 26th as he completed just 10 laps in the 30-lap lid-lifter. Citing a lack of help in the pits, Choicoine pinpointed a faulty wheel spacer that crimped his initial effort with wife Kathy one of the few members of his crew. “It’s much easier during the season up north with a full team and crew chief working with you, we’ll just have to have some fun now with what we have,” spoke Chicoine in fragmented French before failing to qualify on Thursday. Clair wasn’t short of manpower, yet a flat right-rear tire and broken water pump were too much to overcome in the mechanical department on day one, doing slightly better Thursday in 17th.

*Delaware Driving Experience…Veteran Jamie Mills has emerged as a solid runner in Florida Tour competition while Matt Jester is a rookie contender in 2009, yet only two positions separated the duo from Delaware on the final scoresheet Wednesday as the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals took center stage at Volusia Speedway Park. Mills charged from 20th to 6th while Jester finished 8th after starting 19th, coincidentally right alongside his fellow statesman to fill out row number 10. Mills crashed out in the feature on Thursday with Jester going all the way to place 13th in the 15-mile main. “I think we started on 7-cylinders (Wed.) and ended up on six,” lamented Mills, 38, a two-time Florida Tour race winner who came within just two markers of topping Brett Hearn for the 2000 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals points crown. “The motor just laid down on us and we put another one in for Thursday. It’s a decent (DDE block) piece from ’99, but around here you need all the power you can find, its been a heavy track so far this week.” Jester has little to compare in first effort in gator land. Although 2009 is his 4th season aboard a Big-Block Modified, the Lincoln, Del. driver just began his 15th campaign in motorsports, a year ago finishing fifth in points at Charlie Cathell’s Delaware Int’l Speedway where he scored three feature wins. “I’m pretty content with the Big-Block, it’s the division I expect to be in for some time,” figured Jester, a land surveyor during the work week, who turned 24 in January. “I’m looking at traveling up north to run some of those slick tracks, they’re a lot different than what I’m used to at Georgetown and Delaware (7 career wins). The Syracuse Mile is definitely something to consider down the line, we’ll keep busy until then.”

*Chryslers, Not Fords Or Chevrolets Race Here…The Chrysler Bros. have been a solid fixture in Florida over the past half-dozen years, with younger brother Randy (44) finding more success than Roger (47) in the Sunshine State during the newest millennium. Both are indoor box lacrosse coaches closer to home in the Tuscarora Nation, Lewiston, New York, so February is the perfect time to vacation and vent as a new season for ball & stick sports and car racing approaches further north. “Whatever we do, family and church come first, then we see what’s open for racing on the weekends,” remarked Randy, who captured the overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship in 2002, then debuted at Volusia the next winter and came away with his personal tour best placing of eighth. His son Randy jr. owns the no. 88K Signal Cigarettes-Randy's Smoke Shop-Jacobs Tobacco Co./Bicknell entry that he finished 13th in on Wednesday yet wasn’t as quick the following night. “This year the biggest goal is to improve our shock program. We’ve been using $120 shocks instead of the $300 ones that full-timers run, but with our switch to Bilsteins hopefully we’ll find something in the middle that works for us.” While Randy outlined a more random short-track schedule in 2009, Roger has locked up Friday trips to Ransomville (NY) Speedway for DIRTcar 358-Modified competition, saving his #T21 Iroquois Water/Bicknell Big-Block ride for specials on both sides of the border at places like Canandaigua (NY) Speedway and Merrittville (Ont.) Speedway.

*Horton Almost Smoked Out…The sight of smoke pouring from the yellow no. 5 Troyer machine on Wednesday night was an all to familiar one for car owner Dieter Schmidt and his driver Jimmy Horton; a recurring sign of engine trouble that plagued the Lincoln Auto Body entry throughout last year’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. A JPM powerplant was plopped in for the 50-lap finale last February and Horton sped on to capture the improbable victory to bring the curtain down with a big $5,000 payday. As soon as the ‘Sensational One’ cracked the top-five on Wednesday, smoke once again began to seep out from under the hood and Schmidt wasted little time unloading the same car/motor that carried Horton to victory lane at Volusia one year ago. Horton followed up his 25th-place tally on Wednesday with a more respectable 11th on Thursday.

Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company's web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.

The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and VP Racing Fuels. Promotional partners include Rite Aid Corporation, Dig Safely New York and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks, Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Ferris Industries, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.