For Immediate Release
April 12, 2012
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DIRTcar UMP Weekly Points Update: Sheppard (Late Models) & Gilpin (UMP Modifieds) Enter April Atop Standings

CONCORD, NC – April 12, 2012 – Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill. (Late Models) and Devin Gilpin of Columbus, Ind. (UMP Modifieds) sit atop the DIRTcar UMP national points as the circuit picks up springtime steam.

The 2012 DIRTcar UMP points season is actually in its 11th week overall, but from Jan. 1-March 25 only a driver’s best points night each week was counted. All DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned races can be counted toward drivers’ points totals during the regular weekly-points season, which started on March 30 and stretches through Sept. 30.

Sheppard, 19, has nine counted races to his credit – more than any other driver through April 8 – and leads the DIRTcar Late Model national standings by 41 points (463-424) over Michael Kloos of Trenton, Ill.

A feature winner once this season in DIRTcar UMP action (March 24 at his home state’s Highland Speedway), Sheppard ushered in the month of April with a busy three-race weekend. He finished 11th on April 6 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, ninth on April 7 at LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway and fifth on April 8 at Quincy (Ill.) Raceways.

Kloos has been the hottest DIRTcar Late Model this season, totaling two wins (March 31 and April 7 at Highland), two second- and two third-place finishes in six starts. Last weekend he accented his victory at Highland with a runner-up finish on April 6 at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill.

The young Gilpin holds a solid edge in the UMP Modified national standings, topping Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., by 120 points (615-495). Gilpin has 10 counted races under his belt while Bronson has seven.

Gilpin already owns four victories this season, including back-to-back triumphs on April 6 at Moler Raceway Park in Williamsburg, Ohio, and April 7 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway (a makeup race from March 17). Bronson, meanwhile, leads the open-wheel division with six feature wins, including four at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., and two at North Florida Speedway in Lake City, Fla.

The DIRTcar Late Model standings are determined using drivers’ 35 best finishes/points and the Modified standings use drivers’ 30 best finishes/points nights.

Other divisional national points leaders through Week 11 are Evan Taylor of Woodlawn, Tenn. (Pro Late Models); Troy Clark of North Vernon, Ind. (Sportsman); Illinois driver Rick Johnson (Limited Modifieds); Dustin Rollins of Princeton, Ky. (Stock Cars); Jake Hewitt of Troy, Ill. (Factory Stocks); and Jacob Rexing of Brighton, Ill. (Sport Compacts).

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.

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 April 8, 2012):
Late Models (rank/driver/races counted/points):
1. Brandon Sheppard 9 463
2. Michael Kloos 6 424
3. Caleb Ashby 8 404
4. Jason McBride 8 399
5. Scott Schmitt 7 385
6. Dewayne Kiefer 7 362
7. Mike Hammerle 8 332
8. Jim Moon 7 324
9. Chris Shelton 8 323
10. Kent Robinson 6 311
11. Frankie Martin 6 293
12. Jesse Stovall 4 290
13. Ryan Unzicker 5 281
13. Terry English 6 281
15. Mike Schulte 6 276
15. Kevin Weaver 5 276
17. Mark Voigt 6 270
18. Bobby Pierce 5 261
19. Chad Zobrist 5 259
20. Brian Shirley 5 249