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Kevin Kovac
BARBERVILLE, Fla. (February 11) - Billy Moyer brought his Sunshine State Super Late Model show to Volusia Speedway Park on Monday night, winning the opening UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model event of the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.
The legendary 50-year-old driver from Batesville, Ark., earned $7,000 for his victory in the 30-lap A-Main, which gave him four wins in his last five starts in Florida.
Moyer entered the six-night Super Late Model meet at Volusia coming off three victories - including two in a row - in the Dirt Late Model Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa, and he just got stronger. He won his heat race and dominated virtually the entire feature.
After swapping the lead once with Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., Moyer assumed command with an inside sweep on lap four and never looked back.
"I think one year we won five (races) in Florida (during Speedweeks), but that was way back in the late '80s or early '90s," said Moyer, who started from the outside pole. "The races pay a lot more money now, so we're enjoying this."
Moyer's triumph came behind the wheel of a Victory Circle Chassis, a car he built in collaboration with the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Victory Circle shop. He began testing a Victory Circle mount late last summer and debuted a brand-new version of the chassis last month at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga.
"These guys (at Victory Circle) are just great people to work with," said Moyer. "They're the ones who build these cars. I just talk with them and give them some of the ideas I've wanted to try.
"I guess 30 years of doing this is paying off."
Moyer had a half-straightaway edge wiped out by a lap-26 caution flag for Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, Ky., who relinquished fifth place when he stopped in turn two. But he drove away from the pack following the restart and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of Jacksonville, Fla.'s Earl Pearson Jr., who started seventh and reached second place on lap 28.
Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., started 19th after a heat-race spin relegated him to the B-Main, but he charged through the field in Dale Beitler's Rocket No. 19 to finish third, hot in Pearson's tire tracks at the checkered flag.
Owens, who started from the pole position and led laps 2-3, slipped to fourth at the finish, and ninth-starter Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., grabbed fifth place after Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., faded dramatically on the final lap with a flat right-rear tire.
PIT NOTES: Seventy-nine Super Late Models were entered in the show…
Heat winners were Ratliff, Owens, Moyer, Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. The B-Mains were captured by Francis, defending UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va…
Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ont., rode out a wild, cartwheeling series of flips on the backstretch during the first heat. His car sustained heavy rearend damage, but he escaped the wreck without injury…
Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., started fourth in the third heat, but he didn't even complete a lap after a tap from behind sent him into the turn-one wall…
WoO LMS regular Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., was knocked from the third transfer spot in the fifth heat when Terry Casey of New London, Wis., slid up the track in turn two and made contact with Frank's car. A cut left-rear tire sent Frank spinning - and before limping to the pit area he showed his displeasure with Casey, who went on to finish third…
With Daytona International Speedway dark on Monday, NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer used his off day to not only join his new Super Late Model team's chauffeur, Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., at Volusia, but also drive his own Jack Daniel's No. 07 machine.
A dirt-track racer in his native Kansas before hitting the NASCAR scene, Bowyer finished fifth in the fourth heat and fell four spots short of transferring in a B-Main…
UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model action continues during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals on Tuesday (Feb. 12), Wednesday (Feb. 13) and Friday (Feb. 15). The WoO LMS takes center stage at Volusia on Thursday (Feb. 14) and Saturday (Feb. 16).
For more information on the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, visit www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com or www.dirtcar.com.
UMP DIRTcar Late Model A-Main Finish (30 laps):
1. Billy Moyer
2. Earl Pearson Jr.
3. Steve Francis
4. Jimmy Owens
5. Eddie Carrier Jr.
6. Steve Shaver
7. Scott James
8. Brady Smith
9. Clint Smith
10. Darren Miller
11. Billy Decker
12. Don O'Neal
13. Ivedent Lloyd
14. Shannon Babb
15. Dennis Erb Jr.
16. Josh Richards
17. Brandon Kinzer
18. Vic Coffey
19. Tim McCreadie
20. Justin Rattliff
21. Darrell Lanigan
22. Terry Casey
23. Tim Fuller
24. Wendell Wallace
DNQ: Matt Miller, Jason McBride, John Blankenship, Danny Johnson, D.J. Miller, Audi Swartz, Patrick Sheltra, Andrew Reaume, Jake Redetzke, Dan Stone, Ricky Elliott, Dave Hess Jr., Dave Tyrchniewicz, Chuck Julien, Jackie Boggs, G.R. Smith, Rick Eckert, Jeff Alsip, Brian Shirley, Michael Kloos, Dan Schlieper, Lance Mathees, Dillon Wood, Duke Whiseant, Mike Knight, Jeep VanWormer, Joe Isabell, Luke Roffers, Chris Madden, Stacy Boles, Clint Bowyer, Rodney Melvin, Frank Heckenast Jr., Brian Barber, Andrew McKay, John Melvin, Brian Diveley, John Garvin, Jared Hawkins, Jason Fitzgerald, J.R. Hotovy, C.J. Rayburn, Don Gordon, Chub Frank, Joe Morris, Rick Briggs, Wayne Chinn, Jeff Isabell, Billy Faust, Chris Hackett, Tyler Ivey, Reid Millard, George Scheffler, Mike Hammerle, Peter Mantha
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