FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2011
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DIRTcar UMP Weekly Points Update: Unzicker Regains National Late Model Lead, Harrison Steadies Modified Edge

by Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (September 15) – A nearly perfect weekend got Ryan Unzicker back on track – and back on top of the DIRTcar UMP Late Model national points standings.

With a second-place finish on Sept. 9 at Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway and back-to-back victories on Sept. 10 at LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway and Sept. 11 at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., El Paso, Ill.’s Unzicker vaulted forward from third place to reclaim a points lead he had relinquished two weeks earlier. He ended Week 33 of the circuit’s season with a scant five-point edge (2,458-2,453) over defending national champion Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich.

Unzicker, 28, led the national standings from the spring until late August, when Schlenk’s sure-and-steady climb in the rankings finally reached the top spot. A rough Labor Day weekend for Unzicker – he didn’t score a top-10 finish in three starts, so he failed to gain any points in a battle that’s determined using drivers’ best 35 finishes/points nights – dropped him to third in the standings.

But the young driver roared back last weekend, adding points with all three of his starts. His pair of triumphs pushed his 2011 win total to 14.

The 25-year-old Schlenk, meanwhile, made two UMP-sanctioned starts last weekend but only earned points in one of them – a third-place finish on Sept. 9 at Cherry Raceway in Fife Lake, Mich. He placed 16th on Sept. 10 at Thunderbird Raceway in Muskegon, Mich.

Jon Henry of Ada, Ohio, fell from second to third in the national points standings. But while his deficit to the leader expanded from 29 to 52 points after he was unable to finish well enough in his single start to add points to his total, he nonetheless was happy with his weekend performance – he qualified for the prestigious World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, finishing 28th.

With three weekends of weekly points racing plus the season-ending DIRTcar UMP Nationals on Oct. 7-8 at Eldora remaining, the chase for the $20,000 Late Model national title figures to heat up this weekend. Unzicker plans to compete at Kankakee (Sept. 16), LaSalle (Sept. 17) and Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway (Prairie Dirt Classic on Sept. 18), while Schlenk’s tentative schedule includes visits to Kankakee, Macon (Ill.) Speedway (Sept. 17) and Fairbury. Henry had not yet posted his plans as of Thursday night.

Mike Harrison of Highland, Ill., added three points to his lead in the UMP Modified national standings, ending Week 33 with a 20-point advantage (1,922-1,902) over Michael Long of Quincy, Ill.

Harrison’s weekend included a win (Sept. 9) and a second (Sept. 10) at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind., and a fifth-place finish on Sept. 11 at Tri-City, but only his 23rd victory of 2011 earned him points. The UMP Modified standings are determined using drivers’ 25 best finishes/points nights.

Long was victorious in both of his starts last weekend – Sept. 9 at Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Mo., and Sept. 10 at his hometown’s Quincy Raceways – but only added points to his total with his first triumph.

Other divisional national points leaders through Week 32 are Dustin Griffin of Camp Point, Ill., who scored back-to-back wins last weekend at Spoon River Speedway in Canton, Ill., and Tri-City Speedway to maintain his edge in the Pro Late Model standings; Jeremy Hines of Seymour, Ind., who overtook Troy Clark of North Vernon, Ind., for the top spot in the Sportsman standings; Mark Anderson of Canton, Ill. (Limited Modifieds); Nate Zimmer of Mattoon, Ill. (Stock Cars); Dennis Bringedahl of Twin Lake, Mich. (Factory Stocks); and Kenny Butterfield of Glassford, Ill. (Sport Compacts).

Weekly DIRTcar UMP points end following the weekend of Sept. 30-Oct. 2, but the Late Model and UMP Modified points races culminate with the running of the DIRTcar UMP Nationals on Oct. 8-9 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Log on to www.DirtCar.com for more information on DIRTcar Racing’s UMP circuit and to view complete points standings for all divisions, including the current State points rankings.

New for 2011, the weekly DIRTcar UMP points update is powered by www.MotorStats.com. DIRTcar’s affiliation with the Durham, N.C.-based Web site is providing fans and competitors a more timely and detailed look at the points standings. National and State points standings for all divisions are typically updated by Thursday each week, and new features allow visitors to click on each driver’s name to see a complete race-by-race review of their finishes to date.

DIRTcar Racing UMP National Points Standings (as of Sept. 11, 2011):

Late Models (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Ryan Unzicker 35 2458
2. Rusty Schlenk 35 2453
3. Jon Henry 35 2406
4. Shannon Babb 35 2313
5. Brandon Thirlby 35 2279
6. Brandon Sheppard 35 2277
7. Jason Feger 35 2245
8. Eric Spangler 35 2190
9. Randy Korte 35 2150
10. Bobby Pierce 35 2131
11. Mike Provenzano 35 2111
12. Mike Spatola III 35 2071
13. Eric Smith 34 2000
14. Mark Voigt 35 1966
15. Brian Ruhlman 35 1956
16. Scott Schmitt 35 1926
17. Dennis Erb Jr. 35 1924
18. Steve Lance Jr. 33 1896
19. Dillan White 35 1858
20. Mike Hammerle 35 1822

UMP Modifieds (rank/driver/races/points):
1. Mike Harrison 25 1922
2. Michael Long 25 1902
3. Todd Sherman 25 1862
4. Nick Allen 25 1849
5. Ray Bollinger 25 1839
6. Jacob Poel 25 1823
7. Jamie Lomax 25 1817
8. Danny Crane 25 1810
9. Clayton Miller 25 1809
10. Scott Weber 25 1807
11. Tim Hancock 25 1786
12. Doug Adkins 25 1776
13. Mark Anderson 25 1751
14. Jeff Leka 25 1746
15. Brian Lynn 25 1739
16. Dean Hoffman 25 1736
17. Ken Schrader 24 1731
18. Randle Sweeney 25 1727
19. John DeMoss 25 1724
20. Clint Demoss 25 1712