PEVELY, MO. (July 15) — Ken Schrader visited his race track in Missouri and swept the field in the UMP Late Models, winning his heat, the dash and the feature.
Schrader started second in his heat race and survived a side-by-side dual with Tim Ratajczyk to take the checkered flag. Schrader also started second in the dash, and won after racing side-by-side with Ed Dixon, who broke on the last lap.
Schrader started on the pole in the feature and again raced beside Ratajczyk most of the way. Schrader managed to build a small lead over the last eight laps of the main event. Ratajczyk finished second, edging Jeff Johns by inches at the finish line. The victory paid Schrader $1,200.
Dixon and Dave Jumper also won heat races. Dixon, the track's late model points leader, spun and broke his car on lap 16 of the feature while going three-wide for second place.
Johnny Benson, Schrader's fellow Winston Cup driver and talk-show host, also raced a late model, driving in only his second dirt race in 16 years. Benson started and finished seventh in the heat that Schrader won. In the feature, Benson started 20th and finished 13th.
Jim Shereck was the feature winner in a highly competitive night of UMP Modified racing. The class attracted 40 entries and seven different drivers won in the eight modified races.
Rusty Griffaw was the only repeat winner in the modifieds, finishing first in his heat and the dash. Matt Simpson, Brent Mullins and Casey Pearson also won heats, and the semi-features were won by the top two drivers in track points, Scott Weber and Dean Hoffman.
Mullins and John Seets Sr. were second and third in the feature. Weber bumped the wall and broke a tie-rod, forcing him out of the feature.
Doug Wood, leading the sportsman class points for the first time in his career, held off Paul Belken Jr. to win his third feature of 2000. Scott Haynes was third.
The sportsman heat winners were Wood, Belken, Tory Ernst and Bob Schmidt. Belken won the dash and Dave Blanc was the semi winner.
Troy Conway and Chase Patterson won the heat and feature for the cruiser cars.
Dirt is Nearly-New Experience for Johnny Benson
Benson and Schrader are two of the co-hosts on "Inside Winston Cup Racing," a weekly television program shown on the Speedvision and Fox Sports networks.
"I've been trying to come out for a year and a half to see this place. This is a neat little race track," Benson said. "It's been 16 years since I drove on dirt, and it wasn't in a car like this."
Lindsay Peterson, a 16-year-old from Union, Mo., was the winner of a ride in Schrader's new two-seat sprint car. The five-lap ride was awarded through a raffle that raised $1,023 for the Children's Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis. The car carries a late model-style engine, transmission and starter.
UMP LATE MODELS
HEAT 1:
- 50 Ed Dixon
- F15 Ed Bauman
- 51K Bob Klausner
- 7 Rick Bayer
- 28 Don Klein
HEAT 2:
- 99 Ken Schrader
- 112 Tim Ratajczyk
- 00 Randy Korte
- 67 Mark Oller
- 3D Jim Durbin
HEAT 3:
- 2J Dave Jumper
- 2 Darrell Hoffman
- 95 Jeff Johns
- B1 Bob Brown
- 10 Rodney Pense
DASH:
- 99 Ken Schrader
- 112 Tim Ratajczyk
- 2J Dave Jumper
- F15 Ed Bauman
FEATURE:
- 99 Ken Schrader
- 112 Tim Ratajczyk
- 95 Jeff Johns
- 3D Jim Durbin
- 2J Dave Jumper
- 67 Mark Oller
- F15 Ed Bauman
- 7 Rick Bayer
- 2 Darrell Hoffman
- 87 Ken Rumble
- 28 Don Klein
- B1 Bob Brown
- 35 Johnny Benson
- 51K Bob Klausner
- 44 Dean Motsinger
- 18 John Pitts
- 50 Ed Dixon
- 00 Randy Korte
- 10 Rodney Pense
Other Cars Present:
51 Steve Shive
37 Brian Wolfmeier
UMP MODIFIEDS
HEAT 1:
- 16 Rusty Griffaw
- 17 Jim Shereck
- 360 John Seets
- 11 Brian Collinz
- 18R Shawn Rayfield
HEAT 2:
- 444 Matt Simpson
- 41 Tim Hancock
- 6 Ray Wagner
- 1W Ray Walsh
- 70W Gary Watson
HEAT 3:
- 4M Brent Mullins
- 12 Tom Ratajczyk
- 68 Andy Anderson
- 64 Jim Smith
HEAT 4:
- 377 Casey Pearson
- 45M Eric Mabery
- 16J Danny Haynes
- 14 Leroy Haney
- 28W Chris Woods
DASH:
- 16 Rusty Griffaw
- 17 Jim Shereck
- 377 Casey Pearson
- 4M Brent Mullins
- 444 Matt Simpson
- 41 Tim Hancock
- 12 Tom Ratajczyk
- 45M Eric Mabery
SEMI #1:
- 1D Dean Hoffman
- 9S Tom Seets
- C4 Chris Soutiea
- 81 Mike Barbeau
- 7Z Matt Zimmerly
- 45 Eric Franklin
- 70 Bart Sifford
- 8 Kirk Murphy
- 314 Jeff Masson
- 67 John Seets, Jr.
SEMI #2:
- 4J Scott Weber
- 99 Brian Wolfmeier
- 11 Kyle Steffens
- 21H Dave Henry
- 36 Danny Green
- 34 Kevin Gegg
- 07 Paul Rice
FEATURE:
- 17 Jim Shereck
- 4M Brent Mullins
- 360 John Seets
- 377 Casey Pearson
- 12 Tom Ratajczyk
- 1W Ray Walsh
- 6 Ray Wagner
- 45M Eric Mabery
- 18R Shawn Rayfield
- 99 Brian Wolfmeier
- 16 Rusty Griffaw
- 1D Dean Hoffman
- 11Z Brian Collinz
- 16J Danny Haynes
- 9S Tom Seets
- 68 Andy Anderson
- 28W Chris Woods
- 67 John Seets, Jr.
- 70W Gary Watson
- 14 Leroy Haney
- 64 Jim Smith
- 4J Scott Weber
- 444 Matt Simpson
- 41 Tim Hancock
- 88 Joe Puricelli
Other Cars Present:
37 Chad Evans
21R Dennis Richards
7G Keith Grider
AARA SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1:
- 127E Tory Ernst
- 92Â Jim Abshier
- 23 Mark Schnurbusch
- 61W Mike Whitter
HEAT 2:
- 46 Paul Belken
- 74 Dennis Wernle
- 166 Brian Worley
- 42 Greg Stumbaugh
HEAT 3:
- 9 Doug Wood
- 15 Jim Troutman
- 12 Troy Naeger
- 10 Todd McGraw
HEAT 4:
- 36 Bob Schmidt
- 118 Scott Haynes
- D5 Dave Jenkins
- 00 Scott Stuppy
DASH:
- 46 Paul Belken
- 36 Bob Schmidt
- 9 Doug Wood
- 74 Dennis Wernle
SEMI:
- 91 Dave Blanc
- 18 Daryl Dodge
- 38D Mark Blanke
- 44 Nick Werner
- 500 Dan Dixon
- 42W Nathan Walsh
- 51 John Hoffman
- 75 Rob Imm, Jr.
- 19 Brad Grantham
- 35K Paul King
- 79 Travis Tilley
- 111 Zac Parks
- 97 Gary McKinnon
- 21 Ryan Gegg
FEATURE:
- 9 Doug Wood
- 46 Paul Belken
- 118 Scott Haynes
- 166 Brian Worley
- 15 Jim Troutman
- 74 Dennis Wernle
- 36 Bob Schmidt
- 23 Mark Schnurbusch
- 00 Scott Stuppy
- 10 Todd McGraw
- 38D Mark Blanke
- 92 Jim Abshier
- 28 Sam Worley
- 44 Nick Werner
- 91 Dave Blanc
- 80 Steve Borgetti
- 18 Daryl Dodge
- 8 Buddy Lowry
- D5 Dave Jenkins
- 42 Greg Stumbaugh
- 105 Matt Hancock
- 127E Tory Ernst
- 12 Troy Naeger
- 61W Mike Whitter
Other Cars Present
60 Kraig Rigdon
84 Jim Ott
Cruisers
Heat:
- 77 Troy Conway/Chase Patterson
- 65 Oscar Buchanan/Matt O'Harver
- 26 Paul Bauman/Gary Klein
- 44 Don Eaton/Dwight Bradley
- 22 Billy Klein/Wayne Moll
- 4 Matt Johnson/Lonnie Airsman
- 3 Brian Cox/Keith Skaggs
Feature:
- 77 Troy Conway/Chase Patterson
- 26 Paul Bauman/Gary Klein
- 44 Don Eaton/Dwight Bradley
- 65 Oscar Buchanan/Matt O'Harver
- 22 Billy Klein/Wayne Moll
- 3 Brian Cox/Keith Skaggs
- 4 Matt Johnson/Lonnie Airsman
