May 4, 2008

Josh McGuire Makes the Right Moves for O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass Win at Richmond Raceway

Richmond, KY- May 3, 2008- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Graphic Impressions contested their third event of the 2008 campaign at the Mark and Tommy Trimble promoted Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY and Josh McGuire of Grayson, KY would become the third different winner with the series so far in 2008 as the second generation racer scored his second career O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model division victory of his career. 

McGuire would scoot past race leader Bobby Wolter, Jr. on lap 5 and handle lapped traffic masterfully to see the checkered flag first and score a $3,000 payday aboard his D.J.’s Kitchen Corner/D&C Salyers Construction/Baby Cat Trucking/K&E Trucking/Glenny Glass/Long Architectural Sales/Ashland Speciality/Tri State Floor Covering/RW Rental Supply sponsored #41 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars, GCP Race Engines powered machine.  McGuire’s entry receives product support from Dave Poske Performance Parts, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Oil, Performance Rod and Custom, Team Impact Graphics, SHY Racing Suspensions, All Star Performance, Callies, Hoosier Tire, K&N Performance Engineering, Sweet Manufacturing, Budda Bert Transmissions Sales and Service, Ohlins, Dyer’s Top Rods, and WMF Racing Products.

Two-time series champion Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN would claim second in the Southern Indiana Rock Drilling/Morgan Foods MasterSbilt, Cornett powered mount, while The 2002 series champ, Eddie Carrier, Jr. of Salt Rock, WV, would take third place honors in the Engines, Inc./Carl Grover Motorsports #28 Rocket Chassis, Grover powered machine.  Defending series champion Victor Lee of Stanford, KY would score another top five finish with a fourth place effort in the Kentucky’s Best/ADO’s Auto Parts C.J. Rayburn, Jay Dickens powered entry, while also grabbing the PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race award after starting 12th.  Michael Chilton of Salvisa, KY would complete the top five finishers in the A&A Mechanical/Caldwell Body Shop C.J. Rayburn, Butch Smith powered unit. 

The remainder of the top ten would be Tyrel Todd, Whitney McQueary, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Eric Wells, and Tim Tungate in the 40 lap main event, that would be contested caution free and take only 12 minutes, 46 seconds to complete.

The O’Reilly A-Main start would have Bobby Wolter, Jr. jump to the initial race lead, with Josh McGuire, Mike Jewell, Michael Chilton, and Eddie Carrier, Jr. giving chase.  McGuire would immediately begin to pressure Wolter, Jr. for the top spot, while Jewell, Chilton, and Carrier, Jr. would dance three wide for third on lap 4.  McGuire would take the lead from Wolter, Jr. on lap 5, with Carrier, Jr. grabbing fourth from Chilton on the same circuit.  Jewell would set his sights on second and take the position from Wolter, Jr. on lap 7, while Carrier, Jr. would take third Wolter, Jr. two rounds later on lap 9.  As Jewell closed on McGuire for the top spot, Chilton would begin to battle with Wolter, Jr. and grab the four slot on lap 12.

McGuire and Jewell would drive away from the field beginning on lap 13, with the front five the same, as the lead duo began to work slower traffic one lap shy of the halfway signal on lap 19.  Meanwhile, Victor Lee was charging through the field and would make his way into the top five on lap 23.   

By lap 30, McGuire would be in heavy traffic, with Jewell right on his rear bumper, with Carrier, Jr. now harassing Jewell for the runner-up slot.  McGuire would make a dandy move on lap 34 in traffic to give himself some breathing room, while Lee would bring the heat to Chilton in a battle for fourth, that would see Lee grab the position on lap 37.  Lap 38 would see the top three tighten up in heavy traffic, but McGuire would make all the right moves and see the checkered first, with Jewell nipping Carrier, Jr. by one-car length for second, followed by Lee and Chilton. 

In preliminary action, Jason Keltern of Campbellsville would be the Racing Optics Top Qualifier among 31 entries with a lap of 15.765 seconds.  Heat race checkered flags went to Josh McGuire in Wayne Bowen Racing Supply heat one, Mike Jewell in K&N Performance Engineering heat two, Bobby Wolter, Jr. Graphic Impressions heat three, and Whitney McQueary in Real Racing Wheels heat four.  The B-Main checkered flags fell to Chris Combs and Marty Stepp, with series provisionals going to Arnie Fields and Royce McGowan, while track provisionals would be Jason Barrett and Bobby Carrier, Jr.

The next event for the Super Late Model division of the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series is Saturday May 10 at Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN for the rescheduled 25th Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic, which will be 40 laps of O’Reilly A-Main action, paying $3,000 to win.  The race was rained out on its originally scheduled date of April 19.

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-Richmond Raceway-Richmond, KY- May 3, 2008

Racing Optics Top Qualifier- Jason Keltner 15.765

Wayne Bowen Racing Supply Heat #1(Top 4 Advance)- Josh McGuire, Michael Chilton, Tim Tungate, David Webb, Chris Combs, Jason Keltner, Dustin Linville, Chris Ruble
 

K&N Performance Engineering Heat #2 (Top 4 Advance)- Mike Jewell, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Jimmy Crabtree, Larry Gray, Royce McGowan, Anthony Ferguson, Jerry Fuson, Jason Barrett
 

Graphic Impressions Heat #3 (Top 4 Advance)- Bobby Wolter, Jr., Eric Wells, Tyrel Todd, Aaron Hatton, Marty Stepp, Bobby Carrier, Jr., Zach Carney, Arnie Fields

Real Wheels Heat #4 (Top 4 Advance)- Whitney McQueary, Jeff Watson, Victor Lee, Dustin Neat, Jackie Boggs, Doug Smith, Donald Barrett
 

B-Main #1 (Top 2 Advance)- Chris Combs, Jason Keltner, Dustin Linville, Royce McGowan, Jason Barrett, Chris Ruble, Jerry Fuson, Anthony Ferguson

B-Main #2 (Top 2 Advance)- Marty Stepp, Zach Carney, Bobby Carrier, Jr., Jackie Boggs, Donald Barrett, Arnie Fields, Doug Smith 
 

Series Provisionals- Arnie Fields, Royce McGowan
 

Track Provisionals- Jason Barrett, Bobby Carrier, Jr.
 

11th Annual Spring Sizzler O’Reilly A-Main- Josh McGuire, Mike Jewell, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Victor Lee, Michael Chilton, Tyrel Todd, Whitney McQueary, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Eric Wells, Tim Tungate, Jeff Watson, Dustin Neat, Zach Carney, David Webb, Larry Gray, Bobby Carrier, Jr., Chris Combs, Jason Keltner, Jason Barrett, Marty Stepp, Arnie Fields, Royce McGowan, Jimmy Crabtree, Aaron Hatton

Total Entries- 31

Race Leaders- 2 (Wolter, Jr. 1-4, McGuire 5-40)

Cautions- None   

Red Flags- None

PPM Racing Products Hard Charger- Victor Lee (Started 12th-Finished 4th-Advanced 8 Positions)

DriveSmart Kentucky Move of the Race- Eddie Carrier, Jr. (three wide move in lapped traffic on lap 22)

Time of Race- 12 minutes, 46 seconds

O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Model Point Standings (after May 3, 2008)-Unofficial Per Points Upcoming Points Audit

1. Victor Lee (Stanford, KY)- 675              

2. Tyrel Todd (Science Hill, KY)- 598

3. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)- 568

4. Tim Tungate (Cambellsville, KY)- 538

5. Zach Carney (Mooresville, IN)- 534 ®

6. Jason Keltner (Campbellsville, KY)- 510

7. Larry Gray (Lexington, KY)- 477 ®

8. David Webb (Nicholasville, KY)- 469

9. Don O’Neal (Martinville, IN)- 461

10. Eric Wells (Hazard, KY)- 438 ®

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

May 10- Brownstown Speedway (Brownstown, IN)- 25th Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic- $3,000 to win

May 24- Tazewell Speedway (Tazewell, TN)- $5,000 to win

June 7- 201 Speedway (Sitka, KY)- $3,000 to win

June 13- Ponderosa Speedway (Junction City, KY)- 9th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial-$3,000 to win

June 14- Bluegrass Speedway (Bardstown, KY)- 7th Annual June Jam- $3,000 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

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, Hoosier Race Tires, Kentucky’s Best Racing, K&N Performance Engineering, PPM Racing Products, Racing Optics, Real Wheels, Trailer Parts and Service, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply