|
FAVORITES
GOODYEAR
NEWS
NASCAR
TV
TIMES
VIDEO
| |
TOP
OHIO RACE TRACKS
HOME
K-C Champions announced on
dawn of Dirt Track World Championship
By Scott Wolfe
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO- 10/15/06 - Jim Nier's K-C Raceway has announced its 2006
racing champions on the eve of Dirt Track World Championship week (Oct. 19-21),
where the world's greatest drivers will compete for the $50,000 top prize in the
26th annual running of this crown jewel event.
Claiming the 410 Super Sprint Championship is Vandalia, Ohio's Jimmy Stinson.
Stinson also the 1997 champion, edged veteran Dave Dickson for the sprint car
crown, while Jason Montgomery, Jackson, Ohio, claimed his second straight late
model crown at K-C. Aaron Higgins, a sixteen year-old Waverly, Ohio Tiger,
claimed the Modified championship in his rookie season, over veteran driver Bud
Frazier of Chillicothe. Tommy Mossbarger, Chillicothe, Ohio claimed a close
championship win over Justin Poling. Mossbarger claimed the last race of the
season to second place Poling to secure the championship by just four points 498
to 494.
Securing his second straight championship, Montgomery is hoping for a better run
in this year's Dirt Track World Championship. Last year Montgomery was put at a
deficit when he blew a tire in qualifying, decimating his chances for a strong
DTWC run in front of the hometown crowd and dirt racing's biggest stage. The
stakes are higher this year as the top drivers from all the top sanctions are
pre-entered with hopes of grabbing the $50,000 top prize. Additionally, Nextel
star Tony Stewart has entered-- as undeniably the biggest name on the list--
along with Kenny Jacobs, a sprint car champion crossing ranks to the late
models; and the Australian champion Craig Vosbergen of Perth, Australia. Entries
from over 25 states and Canada could make this year's entry list much larger
than last year's 127.
Montgomery is well prepared for a stronger run in this year's event. But he
knows he will need some better luck. "Last year was a disappointment,"
he said. "But things like that (flat) are out of your control. We think
that if the car stays together, we can be a factor in a run for the
championship."
Young Aaron Higgins is in the same boat, except he will be competing for the
modified crown. Only sixteen, Higgins operates like a veteran. Higgins hopes to
finish strong and if the cards fall in place, bring home a win. He will join Bud
Frazier, Mike Long, Jamie Adams, Bob Crace, Jr. and the rest of the K-C
contingent for a hometown win against the best in the nation. Crace, Jr., a
seven time K-C champion, from Chillicothe won the first-ever modified Dirt Track
World Championship.
The 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
kicks off on Thursday evening October 19 with an open practice session.
Qualifying and heat races will be held on Friday evening October 20 with the
consolation race, a non-qualifiers race and the 100-lap Dirt Track World
Championship to be held on Saturday evening October 21. Sunday October 22 will
serve as the rain date. Gates open at 4 each day. Warm-ups are at 5:30 Thursday,
and 6:00 Friday and Saturday.
The best bargain in racing, tickets are only $55 for all three days.
Following is a top ten list of K-C Raceway's track champions and season points:
410 Sprint Cars Late Models
Jimmy Stinson Jason Montgomery
Dave Dickson Kenny Christy
Nick Naber Delmas Conley
Mark Imler Greg Oliver
Butch Schroeder Mark Frazier
Todd Kane Rod Conley
Keith Baxter Tony Throckmorton
Ron Blair Craig Gibson
Adam Strausser Bart Hartman
Eddie Slone Ben Adkins
Modifieds Hobby Stocks
Aaron Higgins Tommy Mossbarger
Bud Frazier Justin Poling
Mike Long Joe Williams
Jamie Adams Nathan Preston
Bob Crace, Jr. Steve Leist
Bob Mapes Richard Trego
Tim Brown Dan Reno
Jeff Houser Jeff McGarvey
Damon Taylor Jamey Adams
Doug Betts Joe Hunley
TOP
OHIO RACE TRACKS
HOME
DUNN AND DIRT TRACK WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP LEGEND
Dunn wins Cinderella first DTWC
10/15/06 - At the very first Dirt Track World Championship two ‘legends’
were born that day in the form of a race, the aforementioned ‘DTWC’, and a
driver who has gone into the history books and the National Dirt Late Model Hall
of Fame with now legendary status.
Jim Dunn was your typical weekend warrior. A man who loved to race, loved the
competition and everything associated with the sport. And like quite a few
racers, he was long on talent and short on cash.When Jim Dunn showed up for the
very first Dirt Track World Championship in October 1981 he had seriously
considered hanging up his helmet after the conclusion of the 1981 season. His
racing funds had been depleted and he had a debt.
Still, Jim Dunn decided to travel down to Pennsboro, WV one fateful October
weekend. And it started out bad. Not good at all.After sustaining some serious
damage in his heat race, Dunn decided to pack it in and head for home. When his
hauler wouldn’t start he decided to put the crew to work readying the car for
the B Main, which he had made by finishing in the last transfer spot in his heat
to qualify for the B Main.
He went out and his luck began to change. He won the B Main and made the
feature! He was starting in the 23rd position, but at least he could count on
start money.But what happened next is the stuff of which legends are made…. He
won!
Jim Dunn had entered racing folklore and West Virginia’s Pennsboro Speedway
history by methodically picking off one driver after another, all the while
working his way to the front of the pack against the toughest dirt Late Model
racing had to offer.
By the mid-point of the race Dunn was in seventh and the car kept getting
faster. He kept passing cars until he had race leader Rodney Combs in his
sights. With 12 laps to go, Dunn made a bold move on the outside, blasting
around Combs. Dunn had made history. From weekend warrior to national star ...
all within the space of 100 laps around the grand ‘ol dame known as Pennsboro
Speedway.
And he also won the highest paying dirt Late Model race up to that point anted
up by promoter Carl Short, who, through ultra-successful and innovative
promotional efforts, turned the first Dirt Track World Championship into an
instant success and a established tradition. Short also, in one weekend, turned
the race into one of the crown jewels of dirt car racing, a position it still
enjoys today.
Dunn got started racing one night when he was 21 years old and saw his first
stock car race.The very next weekend Dunn had bought a stock car and entered it
in the Hobby Stock division. It was 1972. In 1974 the Roseville, Ohio resident
moved up to the Late Model class.
During the early years Dunn raced for fun. But by the late 1970’s he began
taking his racing more seriously. He won regularly at his home track, St.
Clairsville (Ohio) Speedway, and began running more and more at other tracks
away form home. He often competed at tracks like Wayne County, Coshocton,
Hilltop, Zanesville and many others.
In 1980 his father’s business, Dunn Trucking, began sponsoring him and he
purchased a new WRC Race Car from Rodney Combs and equipped it with a Horn
Racing Engine. With crew members Bill Bonifant and Rocky Carr, Dunn began
traveling with the Bert Emick and Bill Moore’s newly formed All Star Circuit
of Champions Late Model series.
In 1980 Dunn won the ASCoC’s points championship by virtue of one feature win
and many top five finishes. In 1981 Dunn finished second in points, but the year
took its toll on the team’s finances.
By the end of the year Dunn’s racing account was bare, and he headed for
Pennsboro for what he thought might very well be his last race.
After wining the DTWC, Dunn’s car builder and fellow competitor, Rodney Combs,
who he had taken the lead from and the then unheard of $30,000 to win payoff,
said, “If I couldn’t win, there is no one I’d rather see win it than Dunn.”
Dunn’s win was more than promoter Carl Short could ask for. Word quickly
spread that this big dollar race was won a by a then relatively low budget
racer, so maybe, just maybe, anyone had a chance to win.
The DTWC and Dunn’s win had gone into the history books after that day, a
favorite chapter, and the mystique, uniqueness and prestige of the DTWC was born
that weekend.
The $30,000 first place money Short handed to Dunn in the form of three, $10,000
checks, saved Dunn’s racing team and career. He paid off bills and bought
another car. For the next 18 months wherever Dunn would travel to race, race
fans everywhere knew who he was. The win had made Dunn a national star and
people spoke his name in the same breath as Combs, Moore, Swartz, Smith and
Simmons.
Jim Dunn was a college graduate who had held a degree in education. After
teaching high school seniors history and government, he began working for his
father’s business, which enabled him to take more time off to concentrate on
racing.
When the 1983 racing season began in Florida, Dunn made the trip and scored a
ASCPoC win at East Bay Raceway.It seemed like the start of a great year.
Later that year, on Friday May 6, 1983, Dunn pulled into his home track at St.
Clairsville for a weekly race. He had a large following there and he didn’t
disappoint his fans as he won the feature in front of an excited hometown crowd.
Two nights later, on Sunday May 8, Dunn was racing at Paducah Speedway in
Kentucky in a NDRA sanctioned event. During the race, which was held amid
terrible track conditions, a freak racing accident occurred involving several
cars which resulted in Dunn losing his life and Jack Boggs sustaining serious
injuries, including several broken bones.
A legend, a great racer and a fan favorite, was gone.
Two weeks after his last race, St. Clairsville Speedway held the ASCoC
sanctioned Jim Dunn Memorial, which was won by Donnie Moran and held in front of
a SRO crowd.
And every year since then a Jim Dunn Memorial race has been held, first at St.
Clairsville, and then picked up by Muskingum County Speedway, where it is still
held. The Midway (OH) Speedway in Crooksville, OH also holds a Jim Dunn Memorial
annually.
To this day people still talk about that incredible first DTWC and about Dunn’s
ride from the rear to the front, giving hope to all weekend warriors that they
could take on the big boys and win. That, more than anything, at the time, was
the most valuable marketing tool Carl Short had to establish the race in the
minds of racing fans and drivers.
And it reverberates even today.
The 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shorts
will be held from October 19-21 at Jim Nier's KC Raceway south of Chillicothe,
OH near Waverly, OH and is being promoted by Carl Short and Dean Nardi.
Tickets prices will be $50 for adult general admission, $15 children general
admission ages 6-11 with children under age six admitted free for general
admission. Three-day pit passes will be $60.
The 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
kicks off on Thursday evening October 19 with an open practice session.
Qualifying and heat races will be held on Friday evening October 20 with the
consolation race, a non-qualifiers race and the 100-lap Dirt Track World
Championship to be held on Saturday evening October 21. Sunday October 22 will
serve as the rain date.
TOP
OHIO RACE TRACKS
HOME
Tony Stewart Latest DTWC Entry
Chillicothe, OH -10/12/06 - Famed NASCAR Nextel Cup star and Eldora Speedway
owner Tony Stewart is the latest driver to enter the upcoming 26th Annual Dirt
Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. The crown jewel race
will be held October 19-21 at Jim Nier’s KC Raceway in Chillicothe, OH and
will pay the winner $50,000 to win. Stewart is no stranger to racing dirt Late
Models and recently finished second at the recent Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model
Nationals in Knoxville, IA.
Stewart indicated his recent success at Knoxville, his desire to compete, and
the prestige of the DTWC were all factors in his entry. Plus, he says "the
opportunity came....and I jumped at the chance to come to K-C."
“It's always a treat for dirt racing fans to be able to see a NASCAR driver at
the track, but having Tony Stewart come to race is something special,”
commented Dean Nardi, who along with DTWC founder Carl Short is promoting the
event. “Stewart will surely give a top notch effort as he showed with a strong
2nd place finish at the recent Knoxville Late Model Nationals. The surprise
winner of that race was Brian Shirley, who also will be appearing at the DTWC.”
“We urge the fans to come out early to K-C Raceway. Advance ticket sales
were very strong, running well ahead of last year's pace, and with the addition
of Stewart to the field interest is running even higher than normal in the 26th
annual DTWC.”
Stewart will be competing in his Mark Richards prepared Rocket Chassis
sponsored by the Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats and teamed with Josh ‘Kid
Rocket’ Richards.
The 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport
Shorts will be held from October 19-21 at Jim Nier's KC Raceway south of
Chillicothe, OH near Waverly, OH and is being promoted by Carl Short and Dean
Nardi.
Tickets prices will be $50 for adult general admission, $15 children general
admission ages 6-11 with children under age six admitted free for general
admission. Three-day pit passes will be $60.
Special reserved seating is also being made available for the 26th Annual Dirt
Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. The top five rows of
the grandstands, including the main grandstands and the new grandstands in turn
four, will be mandated reserved seating. Pre-sale tickets for reserved seating
are $45 per ticket. After October 9th reserved seating will be $55. Reserved
seating ticket prices for children age 11 and under will be $15 per ticket
pre-sale and $20 per ticket after October 9th. A seating chart is available on
the KC Raceway website (www.kc-raceway.com) and race fans may pick their
preferred seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
The 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport
Shirts kicks off on Thursday evening October 19 with an open practice session.
Qualifying and heat races will be held on Friday evening October 20 with the
consolation race, a non-qualifiers race and the 100-lap Dirt Track World
Championship to be held on Saturday evening October 21. Sunday October 22 will
serve as the rain date.
Driver entry fee will be $100 if pre-entered by October 9th, 2006. After October
9th the driver entry fee will be $200.
For further information visit the K-C Raceway website <<
www.kc-raceway.com >>> or call 289-4114.
TOP
OHIO RACE TRACKS
HOME
K-C Prepares for Late Models's crown
jewel
By Scott Wolfe
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO - 10/1/06 - Jim Nier's K-C Raceway has sat idle for nearly a
month, but many hours of long work continue at the Southern Ohio Speedplant,
where the nation's finest race drivers will assemble for the 26th running of the
Dirt Track World Championship over the October 19-21 weekend. The first class
promotion team of Dean Nardi, Carl Short, and Jim Nier have brought one of
racing's crown jewels back to a first class facility for the $50,000 to win
affair. The support card offers $2500 to the winner of the modified main.
Racing on the K-C high banks with fast speeds, close action, and the competitive
nature a short track cultures makes Jim Nier’s place the perfect stage for
America’s original mega-buck event.
Pre-sale tickets still remain on a limited basis as well as primitive camping
space both on-site and adjacent to the speedway. The 26th annual DTWC has
snowballed with momentum this year as an increased interest both from fans and
drivers hope to make the 2006 event even more successful than last year's.
Three-wide racing and warm weather made the 25th annual silver anniversary event
one of the best in DTWC history. One of the nation's most notable names, Scott
Bloomquist of Tennessee brought home the win.
The 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
kicks off on Thursday evening October 19 with an open practice session for late
models with qualifying and preliminaries for the Modifieds. Qualifying and heat
races for late models will be held on Friday evening October 20 with the
consolation race, a non-qualifiers race and the 100-lap Dirt Track World
Championship to be held on Saturday evening October 21. Sunday October 22 will
serve as the rain date.
Tickets remain on pre-sale until Oct. 9. To place your credit card orders
telephone the DTWC office toll free: 800.536.5277.Tickets are also available via
mail order by sending a money order or cashier's check to: DTWC, P.O. Box 349,
Powell, TN 37849.Race fans will also be able to order pre-sale tickets from the
Dirt Track World Championship presented by Arizona Sport Shirts website designed
by Lynn Appleget of Appleget Associates at: www.dtwc.net For additional
information about the 26th Annual Dirt Track World Championship contact: P. O.
Box 349 - Powell, TN 37849. Telephone: 865-947-0500.
K-C Raceway is 12 miles south of Chillicothe on SR 23, two miles out Blain
Highway at Alma. For further information, please call 740-663-4141. For race
information, visit the K-C website at <<www.kc-raceway.com>> or call
740-289-4114, Monday - Friday 8AM to 6PM.
TOP
OHIO RACE TRACKS
HOME
|
