June 15, 2008

Eric Wells Wins O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass Series June Jam at Bluegrass Speedway        

Bardstown, KY-June 14, 2008- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions made its second visit of 2008 to the David and Anita Ferrell promoted Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY for the 7th Annual June Jam and Eric Wells of Hazard, KY would make a turn four, last lap pass to claim the $3,000 payday and score his first career series victory.

Wells would start in the eighth position and pick up the win and become the 50th different winner in the history of the series aboard the David Wells owned Blackstar Resources/B&W Resources/Wells Logging/Expressions Floral and Gifts/Convenient Lube/Virginia Drilling sponsored #18 Rocket Chassis, Custom Race Engines powered machine.  The winner’s entry also receives product support from American Race Tires South, Racing Optics, PPM Racing Products, K&N Performance Engineering, and Cizmar Rivets.   

Jason Keltner of Campbellsville, KY would have his best series effort of the season and score runner-up honors in the Keltner Contracting/Tim Horton’s sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Cars mount, while David Webb of Nicholasville, KY would also turn in his second straight third place effort in series competition and also earn the PPM Racing Products Hard Charger award after starting 15th in the ORS Auto Body/JDB Contracting sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Cars machine.  Tim Tungate of Campbellsville, KY would come home fourth place in the Guardian Mortgage/Darrell Morrison Mechanical sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Cars mount, while Johnny Wheeler of Campbellsville, KY would round out the top five in the finishing order in the PPM Racing Products/Integra Shocks sponsored PPM Chassis unit. 

The remainder of the top ten would be Victor Lee, Mike Jewell, Rocky Hodges, Tyrel Todd, and Aaron Hatton.  The event would be 3 laps in length and would be slowed by two caution flags, taking 20 minutes and 52 seconds to complete.

The 7th Annual June Jam O’Reilly A-Main would see outside polesitter Brad Neat take the race lead, with Tim Tungate, Victor Lee, Johnny Wheeler, and Jason Keltner giving chase.  Lee would take second from Tungate on lap 2, with Keltner pressuring Wheeler for the fourth spot by lap 4.  Neat would stretch his advantage to a half-straightaway advantage by the time he started working slower traffic on lap 9.     

Wells would begin to flex his muscle and would make his way into the top five on lap 14.  As the field saw the halfway lap 15 signal, Neat would encounter heavy traffic and Lee would begin the process of reeling in the race leader.  Wells would go to fourth on lap 16, past Keltner and set his sights on third place Tungate in heavy traffic.  Meanwhile, Neat and Lee would work in and out of traffic, with Lee closing up even more on Neat by lap 18.  As Neat and Lee began to get ready to duel for the lead, Wells would work pass Tungate for third on lap 20, with Kelter taking fourth from Tungate one trip later.  Lee would close on Neat in traffic and take the lead from on lap 23, with the pair racing side-by-side down the backchute, with the pair in a dead heat at the line on lap 24, but disaster would strike as the duo would make contact entering turn one, with both cars spinning and Neat suffering left rear wheel damage and pulling pitside, with Lee having to restart at the rear of the lead lap cars.

The restart would now have Wells out front, with Keltner and Tungate second and third, but Royce McGowan would spin in turn two to bring out the final caution flag of the race.  The final restart would see Webb take the fourth position away from Wheeler, while Keltner mounted a topside charge for the lead from Wells.  Keltner would take the lead from Wells on lap 26, but Wells would battle back and the pair would take the white flag, with Keltner holding a car length lead.  Wells would mount a charge off of turn two on the final lap and pull alongside Keltner in turn three and four and would make the winning pass just before the start/finish line, winning the race by about three feet.  Webb would also make a last pass of Tungate to claim the third spot at the checkered flag, with Wheeler completing the top five.   

In preliminary action, Johnny Wheeler would be the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 34 entries with a lap of 15.783 seconds.  Heat race checkered flags went to Wheeler in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Brad Neat in K&N Performance Engineering heat two, Tim Tungate in Graphic Impressions heat three, and Victor Lee Real Racing Wheels heat four.  The B-mains would be won by Jesse Lay and Larry Gray.  Arnie Fields and Royce McGowan would take series provisional starts, while track provisional starting spots were taken by Dustin Neat and Bryant Woodcock. 

With Clinton County Speedway closing, the next event for the Super Late Model division of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series is Saturday June 28 at Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN.  The event will be the 10th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial, featuring a 40 lap, $3,000 to win event at the Tim Keithley promoted ¼ semi-banked clay oval located at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Brownstown, IN.

The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series sanctions regional Super Late Model events at tracks in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.  For more information about America’s most competitive regional racing series, visit the series webpage on the world wide web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 762-1606 or (502) 931-5068.

O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Division

SUMMARY-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, Kentucky- June 14, 2008

Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Johnny Wheeler 15.783

Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1(Top 4 Advance)- Johnny Wheeler, Mike Jewell, Rob Starkey, Chris Combs, Jesse Lay, Whitney McQueary, Tim Prince, Joey Daniel, Jason Jamison

K&N Performance Engineering Heat #2 (Top 4 Advance)- Brad Neat, Jason Keltner, Aaron Hatton, Scotty Earl, Royce McGowan, Ed Behn, Jacob Webber, Scottie Jones (DNS-Joe Godsey)

Graphic Impressions Heat #3 (Top 4 Advance)- Tim Tungate, Tyrel Todd, Derek Fisher, David Webb, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Arnie Fields, Chad Stapleton, Dustin Neat

Real Racing Wheels Heat #4 (Top 4 Advance)- Victor Lee, Eric Wells, Rocky Hodges, Cody Mahoney, Larry Gray, Zach Carney, Bryant Woodcock (DNS-Brian Wilhite)

B-Main #1 (Top 2 Advance)- Jesse Lay, Whitney McQueary, Ed Behn, Jacob Webber, Jason Jamison, Scottie Jones

B-Main #2 (Top 2 Advance)- Larry Gray, Zach Carney, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Dustin Neat, Chad Stapleton, Arnie Fields, Bryant Woodcock 

Series Provisionals- Arnie Fields, Royce McGowan

Track Provisionals- Dustin Neat, Bryant Woodcock     

7th Annual June Jam O’Reilly A-Main- Eric Wells, Jason Keltner, David Webb, Tim Tungate, Johnny Wheeler, Victor Lee, Mike Jewell, Rocky Hodges, Tyrel Todd, Aaron Hatton, Jesse Lay, Cody Mahoney, Scotty Earl, Zach Carney, Whitney McQueary, Arnie Fields, Larry Gray, Bryant Woodcock, Derek Fisher, Rob Starkey, Royce McGowan, Brad Neat, Dustin Neat, Chris Combs

Total Entries- 34

Lap Leaders- 4 (Neat 1-22; Lee 23; Wells 24-25, 30; Keltner 26-29)

Cautions- 2 (Lap 24, Lap 24 restart)

Red Flags- None

PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- David Webb (Started 15th-Finished 3rd-Advanced 12 positions)

DriveSmart Kentucky Move of the Race- Eric Wells (turn four, last lap pass for the win)      

Time of Race- 20 minutes, 52 seconds

O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Point Standings (after June 14, 2008)

1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY)- 1,923            

2. Tyrel Todd (Science Hill, KY)- 1,625

3. David Webb (Nicholasville, KY)- 1,506

4. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY)- 1,486

5. Zach Carney (Mooresville, IN)- 1,399 ®

6. Eric Wells (Hazard, KY)- 1,376 ®   

7. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)- 1,315

8. Larry Gray (Lexington, KY)- 1,263 ®

9. Arnie Fields (Flemingsburg, KY)- 1,144 ®

10. Chris Combs (Isom, KY)- 1,100         

O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule of Events:

June 28- Brownstown Speedway (Brownstown, IN)- 10th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial-$3,000 to win

July 4- Mountain Motor Speedway (Isom, KY)- $3,000 to win

July 5- 201 Speedway (Sitka, KY)- $5,000 to win

July 11- Ponderosa Speedway (Junction City, KY)- 13th Annual Pete Abell Memorial- $3,000 to win

July 12- Bluegrass Speedway (Bardstown, KY)- 10th Annual Kentuckiana Klash- $5,000 to win

2008 O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Sponsors:

O'Reilly Auto Parts - Title Sponsor and "Official Auto Parts Retailer” of the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Max Brake- “Official Trailer Brakes” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

CarbonX- “Official Flame Shielding Fabric” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Health PMO- “Official Health Care Company” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Graphic Impressions- Presenting Sponsor and “Official Souvenir and Merchandise Vendor” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Bob Hook Chevrolet of Louisville- “Official Auto Dealership” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Total Oil- “Official Oil Company” of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Other O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series 2008 Series Supporters Include: American Race Tires, C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Curtis Signs, Cruise With The Champions, Double H Race Fabrication, Drive Smart Kentucky, DT52 Photos, Honda of Prestonsburg, Hoosier Race Tires, Kentucky’s Best Racing, K&N Performance Engineering, PPM Racing Products, Racing Optics, Real Racing Wheels, Trailer Parts and Service, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply