June 29, 2008

Justin Rattliff Rolls to O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass Lee Fleetwood Memorial Win at Brownstown Speedway        

Brownstown, IN-June 28, 2008- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions made its second visit of 2008 to the Tim Keithley promoted Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN for the 10th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial presented by Bob Poynter Ford and Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY would take the checkered flag first and pick up the $3,000 payday for his efforts.

Rattliff would start third and pick up his second series win of the season and third career series victory behind the wheel of the James Rattliff owned, Rattliff Motor Sales/Medicine Centre/Campbellsville University/Cox Wrecker Service/Wilson Plumbing/Wave Length Hair Salon/Gowens Auto Glass/Kirby Auctions/Williams and Tucker Auto Parts/Grant Lee Farms/B&W Auto Salvage/Mill’s Real Estate and Auction/Reed Brothers Insurance/Freije Auctioneers/JET Pressure Washing sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, Pro Power Race Engines powered machine.  The winner’s mount receives product support from Wiles Driveshafts, Hoosier Tire South, AFCO, K-B Carbs, Bell, Quarter Master, Bert, PPM Racing Products, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, Torco Race Fuel, Peterson Fluid Systems, Butlerbuilt, Dyer’s Top Rods, Delph Communications, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply, SpeeDecals Vinyl Graphics, CycoCustom Race Products, ASI Racewear, Simpson, and Hypercoils.

Victor Lee of Stanford, KY would take runner-up honors and continue to lead the series points in the Kentucky’s Best/Budda Bert Transmission sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car mount, while Steve Barnett of Franklin, IN would claim third at the finish in his J.D. Byrider/Tony Stewart Racing sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car entry.  Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN would score a fourth place effort in the Bimp’s Concrete/Fast Lane Food Mart sponsored MasterSbilt Race Car mount, while Tim Tungate would complete the top five in the Darrell Morrison Mechanical/B&W Auto Recyclers sponsored C.J. Rayburn Race Car unit.   

The remainder of the top ten would be Cody Mahoney, Shannon Reed, Eric Wells, David Webb, and PPM Racing Products Hard Charger Larry Gray.  The event would be slowed by eight caution periods and take 34 minutes and 47 seconds to complete.

The start of the event would see Tim Tungate lead lap 1, followed by Steve Barnett, Greg Johnson, Tyrel Todd, and Victor Lee.  Barnett would take the top spot on lap 2, with Todd going to third on the same lap.  Lee would go from fifth to third on lap 3, with a turn four pass of Todd and Johnson.  Lee would grab second one circuit later from Tungate.  Lap 5 would see Lee close in on Barnett for the lead, while Cody Mahoney made his first appearance in the top five on the same trip.  Lee would scoot past Barnett on lap 6, with Todd taking third, and Justin Rattliff making his way into the top five, by going from sixth to fourth.  Caution fly on lap 8 when third place Todd spun in turn two with a flat tire.  He would pit and return just as the field took the green flag.  But the start would be for naught as Royce McGowan, Jason Smith, and Joe Janowski would tangle in turn three and four.

The restart would see Rattliff go to third, with Johnson going to fourth.  Rattliff would march past Barnett for second on lap 10, but caution would wave on lap 11 for a spin in turn two by Jim Moon.  Back underway, Rattliff would reclaim second, while Mahoney would drive past Johnson for fourth.  Rattliff would continue his stout run on the top side of the racing surface and take the lead from Lee on lap 16.  The front five would remain the same as they approached slower traffic, only to have the fourth caution of the race fly on lap 22 for a slowed Zach Carney on the backchute.  It would take four attempts to get the race restarted as Rohn Moon would bring out a caution for a lap 2 spin, followed by a spin by Mike Jewell coming back for the restart, which would then by followed by a slowed Chad Stapleton at the top side of turn two, and lastly, a complete 360 degree spin by second place Lee and saw him not stop in the track, but Stapleton would again slow in the same place in turn two. 

Series officials would wave off the double-file restarts at this point and go single-file and action would resume, with Rattliff still maintaining the race lead over Lee.  Johnson would slide past Barnett for third with daring move in turn one on lap 24.  Tungate would begin to mount a charge after falling back as far as 11th and would rejoin the top five on lap 25.  Johnson would continue his charge by taking second from Lee on lap 26, while Tungate pressured Barnett for fouth.  Rattliff would roll to the checkered flag on the final lap, with Johnson slipping over the banking in turn two on the final lap, allowing Lee and Barnett would scoot, with Lee taking second, while Barnett would nip Johnson for third, with Tungate taking the final spot in the top five.     

In preliminary action, Cody Mahoney would be the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 34 entries with a lap of 15.355 seconds.  Heat race checkered flags went to Justin Rattliff in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Steve Barnett in K&N Performance Engineering heat two, Greg Johnson in Graphic Impressions heat three, and Tim Tungate in Real Racing Wheels heat four.  The B-mains would be captured by Larry Gray and Zach Carney, while Mike Jewell and Jason Smith earned series provisional starts. 

The next events for the Super Late Model division of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will be an Eastern Kentucky weekend doubleheader at Mountain Motor Speedway in Isom, KY on Friday July 4 for a $3,000 to win event, followed by a $5,000 to win event at 201 Speedway in Sitka, KY on Saturday July 5. 

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-Brownstown Speedway-Brownstown, Indiana-June 28, 2008

Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Cody Mahoney 15.335  

Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1(Top 4 Advance)- Justin Rattliff, Tyrel Todd, Cody Mahoney, Christian Rayburn, Mike Jewell, Larry Gray, Brad Erwin, Arnie Fields (DNS- Derek Ramp)

K&N Performance Engineering Heat #2 (Top 4 Advance)- Steve Barnett, Rohn Moon, Royce McGowan, Chad Stapleton, Jacob Webber, James Huff, Jason Smith, Tyler Allen (DNS-Toby Hallett)

Graphic Impressions Heat #3 (Top 4 Advance)- Greg Johnson, Victor Lee, Eric Wells, David Webb, Joe Janowski, Zach Carney, Scottie Jones, Jason Setser

Real Racing Wheels Heat #4 (Top 4 Advance)- Tim Tungate, Shannon Reed, Jim Moon, Joe Godsey, Lee Devasier, Derek Fisher, Chris Combs, Tim Prince           

B-Main #1 (Top 2 Advance)- Larry Gray, Jacob Webber, James Huff, Jason Smith, Tyler Allen, Derek Ramp, Toby Hallett, Mike Jewell, Brad Erwin, Arnie Fields

B-Main #2 (Top 2 Advance)- Zach Carney, Joe Janowski, Scottie Jones, Lee Devasier (DNS- Derek Fisher, Chris Combs, Jason Setser, Tim Prince)

Series Provisionals- Mike Jewell, Jason Smith  

Track Provisionals- None       

10th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial O’Reilly A-Main- Justin Rattliff, Victor Lee, Steve Barnett, Greg Johnson, Tim Tungate, Cody Mahoney, Shannon Reed, Eric Wells, David Webb, Larry Gray, Royce McGowan, Mike Jewell, Rohn Moon, Jim Moon, Joe Godsey, Christian Rayburn, Zach Carney, Jason Smith, Tyrel Todd, Chad Stapleton, Jacob Webber, Joe Janowski

Total Entries- 34

Lap Leaders- 4 (Tungate 1; Barnett 2-5; Lee 6-15; Rattliff 16-30)

Cautions- 8 (Lap 8, Lap 8 restart, Lap 11, Lap 22, Lap 22 restart-four cautions)

Red Flags- None

PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Larry Gray (Started 17-Finished 10th-Advanced 7 positions)

DriveSmart Kentucky Move of the Race- Greg Johnson (pass for third on lap 24)      

Time of Race- 34 minutes, 47 seconds

O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Point Standings (after June 28, 2008)

1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY)- 2,161            

2. Tyrel Todd (Science Hill, KY)- 1,768

3. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY)- 1,701

4. David Webb (Nicholasville, KY)- 1,695

5. Eric Wells (Hazard, KY)- 1,572 ®

6. Zach Carney (Mooresville, IN)- 1,540 ®

7. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)- 1,487

8. Larry Gray (Lexington, KY)- 1,444 ®

9. Arnie Fields (Flemingsburg, KY)- 1,240 ®

10. Royce McGowan (Faubush, KY)- 1,189 ®

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

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

July 19-Richmond Raceway (Richmond, KY)- 21st Paul “Butterball” Wooldridge Memorial- $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