Bristol Motor Speedway
Notebook: Hess wins $12,000 from Alltel
From track and staff reports
Dave Hess Jr. (DirtonDirt.com)
Fierce voting down the stretch turned the inaugural Alltel All-Star contest into a virtual photo finish between UMP modified competitor Dave Hess Jr. and sprint car driver Wayne Johnson vying for the $12,000 top prize. The online poll closed March 16 with Hess, of Waterford, Pa., edging Johnson, of Mustang, Okla., by less than 1 percent of the overall votes.
Of the thousands of votes cast for the 18 different drivers who earned victories in the 37th Annual Alltel DirtCar Nationals in February at Volusia Speedway Park, Hess earned 25.5 percent of the total votes, a shade more than the 24.6 Johnson received.
“I just want to thank everybody,” said the 23-year-old Hess, who also pilots a Dirt Late Model. “Every morning we were checking the AlltelAllStar.com Web site. That $12,000 is going to help. I’m going to put it back in the car to help our program and put on a show for all of the fans that supported me. I want to thank Alltel for putting this together. I’ll show them as much support as I can for them supporting this program. I can’t thank them enough.
“I’m not even sure what we’ll do with the money first. We’re going to be ordering parts real soon, and I’m sure it’ll cover some of the money we spent down in Florida.”
The contest featured a strong showing by other UMP modified drivers, as Jared Landers, of Batesville, Ark., was third with a big push following Mark Martin’s pledge of support on national television. Dave Groves, of Morgantown, W.Va.; Jesse Stovall, of Branson, Mo.; and Scott Drake, of Webb City, Mo., rounded out the top six positions. Three-time Volusia Dirt Late Model winner Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., was seventh. — Chris Dolack
THUNDER VALLEY FOUNDER DIES: Willie Will, the founder and owner of Thunder Valley Raceway in Central City, Pa., died March 12 at his Central City home. Will, who was 71, in 1997 opener Thunder Valley, a half-mile track that has regularly run Late Models and hosted special events. He’s survived by his wife Deanna and two children. — Johnstown (Pa.) Tribune Democrat
ECKERT WINS ANOTHER AT HAGERSTOWN: Rain down South kept Rick Eckert of York, Pa., in his home region, and he made the most of it with his second consecutive $2,000 victory March 15 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. The eighth-starting Eckert overtook fellow World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular Josh Richards at the halfway mark and went on to victory. “I caught Josh there and he changed his line there after that restart and I just got in there and got stuck enough to roll by him,” said Eckert, who finished ahead of Roy Deese Jr. and Richards. “I guess Roy was coming there at the end. I was out there in the middle of the race track messing around and they told me he was getting closer.” — Bob Vores
BEDFORD ADDS NEW CLAY FOR BIG SEASON: With an ambitious schedule on tap for 2008, Bedford (Pa.) Speedway is prepared with improvements to the track surface on the half-mile oval. More than 600 loads of red clay were added last fall and track workers are adding height to the walls in turns three and four and parts of the frontstretch to make adjustments. It’s the first time the track has been completely resurfaced in nearly 20 years. The regular season opens April 11 with the biggest specials included an April 25 visit by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and an Aug. 29 visit by the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. “When we first took over the promoting duties at Bedford in 2002, we decided that we needed to walk before we run,” said co-promoter J.R. Keifer. “Well, with this year's schedule, we're definitely running." — Dave Harclerode
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA SPEEDWAY’S PLANS: New Central Pennsylvania Speedway owner Tim Bainey plans to make some announcements about the Clearfield, Pa., track soon. “We’ve been very busy the last few weeks,” said Bainey, a former dirt racer and current team owner on the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. “We’ve been talking with a lot of great people about everything from racing series and events, all the way to what color the new signs will be ... and everything in between. We have finalized a few things that will be announced soon, and are still looking over others … but overall, it’s shaping up to look pretty nice.” Bainey, who said he had considered buying the track the previous 10 years, announced his purchase Feb. 18. — From track reports
ALLEGANY COUPLES WITH NEARBY TRACKS: Allegany County Speedway in Cumberland, Md., is offering six $1,000-to-win specials for its Limited Late Model division in a pair of programs with other tracks in the region. Allegany County’s drivers will face off with Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway’s Late Model Sportsman drivers on April 25, May 16, and Aug. 15 (Hagerstown’s events are the following day). Allegany County’s drivers will battle Hesston (Pa.) Speedway’s Late Models on April 18, June 13 and Aug. 1 (with Hesston’s dates to be announced). — From track reports
