Eldora Speedway
May 30, 2011
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VANWORMER READY TO GRADUATE TO MAJOR VICTOR STATUS AT ELDORA

ROSSBURG, OH (May 30) – With the month of June synonymous with graduations, Jeep VanWormer is hoping to collect on his wish of graduating to major event victor status at Eldora Speedway with a $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream win on June 11.

At 36 years of age, VanWormer ranks as one of the most popular drivers in Late Model racing at Eldora, where he has concentrated much of his racing education.

After a brief stint with motocross racing, the Pinconning, Michigan charger then focused on finishing his college studies while also entering the world of auto racing. Two years of stock car racing in his native state preceded his venture to ‘learn’.

He chose the notorious Rossburg, Ohio clay one-half mile oval for his studies and came upon the scene in 1998 with a UMP (United Midwestern Promoters) Modified, where he failed to turn any heads. Undaunted, VanWormer became focused on mastering Eldora and turned that into a reality with a Modified victory in 1999.

With the college degree earned (marketing and business administration), VanWormer upped the ante and moved into the world of Late Model racing.

Getting comfortable with Eldora, VanWormer made his name known when he captured the $10,000 top prize in 2003’s season finale – the UMP Nationals. The lucrative win came on the heels of his first-ever Eldora Late Model win during a Sunoco American Late Model Series (ALMS) event in August of that same year.

It marked the first of five ALMS wins.

Still, VanWormer considers the Dirt Late Model Dream as the event that will fulfill his education process and finally graduate him to “big time status”. He is no stranger to major events at Eldora, where two of the Nation’s premier events for the division are staged on an annual basis – June’s Dirt Late Model Dream and the World 100 in September.

Since his first successful entry into the Dirt Late Model Dream starting line-up in 2002, where he finished a respectable 14th, VanWormer has missed the line-up only twice. His best finish of those seven starts came last year when he crossed the line 9th. He has fared better in the World 100, where in his five starts to date, he has finished third twice to gain respect from his fraternity.

That same determination that has driven him through his formal education is prevailing today as he travels around Late Model tracks in true outlaw style, yet remains focused on Eldora and that to-date elusive major win.

His aggressive and nomadic driving style excites the fans. More often than not, VanWormer’s feature runs are from deep in the pack after missing the preliminary cut in the heat races and having to rely on B-Main transfers. With that, the show begins.

Says VanWormer, “hey, we’re in the show business and that’s what I come out to do, put on a show for the fans”. And that he does.

VanWormer’s graduation challenge will be no easy task, as the best of the class will again gather at Eldora Speedway for this year’s 17th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream over the weekend of June 10 and 11. His homework is complete and he’s ready for the test.

Complete event information may be found on the track’s website www.eldoraspeedway.com