National notebook
Notes: $3,000 bonus is on the line at Lee County
Mark Burgtorf took the Lee County (Iowa) Speedway title. (DirtonDirt.com)
Most events on the IMCA-sanctioned Deery Brothers Summer Series pay $2,000 to the winner, and Lee County Speedway's Sept. 5 event is no different. However, drivers who have raced in at least 90 percent of the events at the Donnellson, Iowa, track this season can earn a $3,000 bonus with a victory in Saturday's race.
Lee County Speedway champion Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., leads a list of 11 drivers who are eligible for the bonus, which would boost the winner's purse to $5,000 in the "Drive for Five" special. Besides Burgtorf, the top series competitors eligible are series points leader Jeff Aikey, Jason Frankel, Tom Darbyshire and Tommy Elston. Other drivers on the list are Justin Reed, Colby Springsteen, Matt Strassheim, Mick Wiele, Jay Chenoweth and Tony Fraise, who won his first-ever IMCA Late Model feature at Lee County on July 24.
Burgtorf is the prohibitive favorite in Lee County's Late Model finale for '09, not just because of his championship. He's won five of the previous 23 Deery Brothers events at Donnellson's 3/8-mile oval.
Lee County kicks off a three-race tripleheader Labor Day weekend for the series. After Lee County, the series moves to Quincy (Ill.) Raceway on Sunday before heading to Boone (Iowa) Speedway on Monday for opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals. — From staff reports
CLASH'S COUNTDOWN TO THE CUP BEGINS: The first event of the six-race Countdown to the Cup begins Friday at Carolina Speedway on the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series. The series has whittled the title chase to 10 drivers led by Jeff Smith (3,065 points) of Dallas, N.C., who leads five-time series champion Ricky Weeks (3,050), Dennis Franklin (3,045), Tim Allen (2,035) and Chris Ferguson (3,020). The other five drivers in contention are Doug Sanders, Dan Breuer, Scott Neighbors, Justin Labonte and Luke Roffers. Smith will be gunning for his series-high fifth victory in Gastonia, N.C. "Right now we are taking it a race at a time and concentrating on each individual race," Smith said. "We are not doing anything any different and we are going out to try to win every race. A win pays the most points, and that is our goal every time we unload.” The remainder of the Countdown to the Cup is Sept. 5 at Friendship (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Sept. 19 at Wythe (Va.) Raceway, Sept. 26 at Lancaster (S.C.) Motor Speedway, Oct. 3 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Oct. 24 at 311 (N.C.) Speedway. An Oct. 10 event at Hartwell (Ga.) Speedway was removed from the schedule. — Correspondent and track reports
ELDORA VOWS RIGOROUS TIRE INSPECTION: Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart has declared a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to tire-cheating at the Sept. 11-12 World 100. "The World 100 maintains a high standard and has become the benchmark of dirt Late Model racing. We’ll be doing everything we can to uphold that tradition and the integrity of the racing," Stewart said in a release. "Basically put, anyone caught cheating should be prepared to deal with severe consequences." Specifics of enforcing the tire rule will be announced at a Sept. 11 pre-qualifying meeting for drivers. The 39th annual World 100 pays $42,000 to the winner. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., won last year's race. — From track reports
LAKE CUMBERLAND QUICKLY REOPENS: Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, Ky., is quickly reopening following last Friday's death of track owner Harold Hardgrove with action scheduled for Sept. 5. Hardgrove's son, Brandon, who is leading the track's Late Model points, has taken over promotership of the 26-year-old track. Except for being closed Sept. 12 for the World 100, the track plans to run Saturdays as long as weather permits. — From staff reports
IRONMAN CLASSIC CONNECTS WITH NASRA: The Ironman Classic, scrubbed last month at Richmond (Ky.) Raceway, will be run Sept. 18-19 at Mountain Motor Speedway in Isom, Ky., under the National All Star Racing Association banner. The opening night on the C.J. Rayburn-backed series will pay $2,000 to the winner of a 30-lap feature while the finale will pay $3,000 to the winner of a 35-lap feature at the 3/8-mile eastern Kentucky oval. For more details, visit the race website at www.ironmanclassic.net. — Chris Tilley
ODDS AND ENDS: Retired driver Mike Duvall of Cowpens, S.C., will be inducted into the Carolina Speedway Hall of Fame on Friday at the track near Gastonia, N.C. Duvall was a seven-time winner of the track's Shrine 100 and 1982 World 100 winner among his more than 1,000 career victories. ... Rocky Top Raceway in Coal Grove, Ohio, the third annual Engines Inc 50 on Sept. 4, a $5,000-to-win event twice postponed by rain. ... The O'Reilly Midwest LateModel Racing Association has moved its next Nevada (Mo.) Speedway event to Oct. 17; the race was originally scheduled for Sept. 12.
