Jeep Van Wormer Leads Early at Berlin; Incident Relegates Him to Disappointing Finish



PINCONNING, MICH (September 17) - Jeep Van Wormer and his #55 team made the nearly three hour trek west across the state of Michigan on September 12-13 to compete in the 3rd Annual 'Down & Dirty 100' at the dirt-covered Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan.  The World of Outlaws Late Model Series once again presided over the dirt-slinging action at the sprawling 7/16-mile speedplant.  After a rain-out of Friday's $8,000 to win program, the track promoters opted to raise Saturday's single-day showdown to pay a hefty $15,000 to the winner.

Jeep knocked down the third quickest lap in Group A during the qualifying session and later placed second in his heat race.  After redrawing the pole position prior to the start of the 65-lap main event, Jeep officially led laps 1-3 and 6-13 of the headliner before his night turned sour in a blink of an eye on lap 14.  The Pinconning, Michigan standout slipped high in turns three and four while racing hard in lapped traffic and second-place runner Darrell Lanigan clipped the back of his #55 Rocket racecar, which sent him spinning into lapped cars.  Jeep restarted the rugged race at the tail end of the field, but retired after only twenty circuits and was relegated to a disappointing nineteenth place performance.  Full results from the rain-shortened 'Down & Dirty 100' weekend can be accessed online at www.woolms.com.

"I had a really good car and it's a shame that we weren't able to finish the event," quoted Van Wormer earlier this week.  "It was a great race early with Darrell (Lanigan), but then I slipped a little high and got into the fluff.  I was going to save the car from spinning, but Darrell unfortunately finished me off.  It's one of those deals, but I feel like he could have used the brake pedal and that incident wouldn't have taken place.  We'll work hard at the shop this week to get the car back together and hopefully have another strong run at Brownstown."

Next up for Iron Motorsports will be one of the Midwest's most popular Dirt Late Model events, as the team rolls south to the legendary Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, Indiana on September 19-20 for the 35th edition of the 'Jackson 100.'  Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series qualifying will take place at the 1/4-mile, semi-banked venue on Friday evening, while the heat races, consolation events, and the 100-lap 'Jackson 100' are slated to be held on Saturday night.  A $20,000 top prize will be up for grabs at the Jackson County Fairgrounds bullring this weekend, while each feature starter will receive at least $1,200.

Jeep has visited Brownstown once already in 2014, as he claimed a strong seventh place effort in the 'Indiana Icebreaker' back on March 22.  His last 'Jackson 100' start came back in 2010 and Jeep also netted a seventh place showing in that venture to south-central Indiana.  Additional information on the Brownstown biggie can be viewed online by clicking on www.lucasdirt.com.

The Iron Motorsports team thanks the following sponsors for their continued and unwavering support:  Bayline Fire Protection, Knochel Oil Company, Services on Site, Van Wormer Management, Rocket Chassis, Jay D1ckens Racing Engines, ACPT, Allstar Performance, Bell Racing, Beyea Headers, Brinn, Inc., BSB Manufacturing, Bulldog Rear Ends, Delph Communications, Dyer's Top Rods, Eibach Springs, Exide Technologies, Fine Line Window Tinting, Goodridge Hose & Fittings, Hoosier Racing Tire, Howe Racing Enterprises, Integra Race Shocks, J.C. Dubil, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, Joe's Racing Products, K-B Carburetors, Keyser's Port City Racing, KRC Power Steering, Lane Automotive, Oakley, Outerwears, Peterson Fluid Systems, R2C Performance, Ringers Gloves, Scott Performance Wire, Sweet Mfg., VP Racing Fuels, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Weld Wheels, Wilwood Engineering, and Wrisco Industries.

To learn more about the Iron Motorsports team, log onto their home on the web located at www.jeepvanwormer.com.

Media Contact: Ryan Delph - Delph Communications
www.delphcommunications.com