WAYCROSS, GA (October 15, 2012) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series wraps up the 2012 season this weekend at Portsmouth Raceway Park with the running of the 32nd Annual RED BUCK Dirt Track World Championship – Featuring “Borrowed Blue”. The Newport Nightmare, Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN and his supporting cast will be celebrating their second consecutive LOLMDS National Championship. Owens heads into the weekend without any points pressure, although he’s working hard to take the 50K back to Newport and add to his list of accomplishments in dirt late model racing. Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA will enter this weekend’s event with the Quarter Master Rookie of the Year title in hand. The Clint Boyer Racing team, sponsored by Georgia Boot, will be celebrating a great season and marching through the competition, trying to get their hands on the 50K first place prize.
In the previous 31 events there have been 22 different drivers to capture the event. Dating back to the inaugural running in 1981, there have been five drivers to win the prestigious event more than once. Hall of Famer – Freddy Smith of Seymour, TN leads the way with five wins, followed by the late Jack Boggs of Grayson, KY, who won the race three times. The other three drivers with more than one win in the event are each two-time DTWC winners, including: Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR: Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN; and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, IL. Babb is the latest repeat winner, dating all the way back to 1998.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series star Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN will have two things on his mind when the 32nd Annual RED BUCK Dirt Track World Championship – Featuring “Borrowed Blue” takes place this weekend at Portsmouth (OH) Raceway Park. O’Neal is trying to become the first driver in the history of the event to win in back-to-back years. He is also trying to secure second place in the LOLMDS Championship Points Standings. In winning last year’s $50,000 event, O’Neal added another crown-jewel victory to what has become a Hall-of-Fame career. O’Neal comes into the season finale for the LOLMDS just 30 points ahead of Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN in the battle for second place in this year’s final points standings. O’Neal has finished second twice in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points and leads the series with 11 wins this year. While O’Neal is trying to make history this weekend at Portsmouth, three other LOLMDS series regulars are hoping to join the two-time winners club including; Bloomquist, Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL; and Steve Francis of Ashland, KY.
Activity for the 32nd Annual Red Buck Dirt Track World Championship – Featuring “Borrowed Blue” will get underway on Thursday, October 18th with Modified Qualifying, Heat Races and B-Main Events. On Friday, October 19th, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will take to the track for Red Buck Time Trials and Heat Races. Then on Saturday, October 20th, the schedule will have the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series B-Mains up first, followed by the $3,000 to win Modified Feature, the $50,000 to win/$2,000 to start RED BUCK DTWC – Featuring “Borrowed Blue” main event and the $3,000 to win CV Products Jim Dunn Memorial Non-Qualifiers race.
Drivers are reminded that they don’t have to pre-enter the race and that you can enter the event on the day that your division will qualify.
Included at this year’s mega event will be a free concert. Anyone purchasing a race ticket will get to see one of the nations top rising bands in the country. Kentucky’s own, country-rock band “Borrowed Blue” will perform a free concert for fans on Saturday, in front of the main grandstands at 5PM. “Borrowed Blue” is an up and coming band sponsored by Red Buck Entertainment, who just released their debut single entitled “Porch People” as a formal introduction to radio and its listeners on September 18, 2012.
To keep up with all the latest news and to learn more about the RED BUCK Dirt Track World Championship featuring “Borrowed Blue” visit the event website at www.dirttrackworldchampionship.net or visit the track website atwww.portsraceway.com.
To learn more about the band “Borrowed Blue” visit their official website at www.borrowedbluemusic.com. Also follow the band on Facebook as they travel to several venues leading up to the Red Buck Dirt Track World Championship featuring” Borrowed Blue” athttps://www.facebook.com/borrowedbluemusic.
To learn more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series visit the official website at www.lucasdirt.com.
To keep up with all the action “Live” as it happens, click on Roush Yates Performance Parts live timing and scoring page at www.lucasdirt.com/live.
Be sure to visit the series on our social media outlets as well at: http://www.facebook.com/lucasdirt and http://twitter.com/#!/lucasdirt.
Previous Dirt Track World Championship Winners
1981 – Jim Dunn
1982 – Charlie Swartz
1983 – Freddy Smith
1984 – Jack Boggs
1985 – Freddy Smith
1986 – Billy Moyer
1987 – Larry Moore
1988 – Donnie Moran
1989 – John Mason
1990 – Jack Boggs
1991 – Freddy Smith
1992 – Ronnie Johnson
1993 – Freddy Smith
1994 – Ronnie Johnson
1995 – Jack Boggs
1996 – Billy Moyer
1997 – Marshall Green
1998 – Freddy Smith
1999 – Steve Francis
2000 – Wendell Wallace
2001 – Bart Hartman
2002 – Shannon Babb
2003 – Darrell Lanigan
2004 – Rick Eckert
2005 – Scott Bloomquist
2006 – Shannon Babb
2007 – Chub Frank
2008 – Brian Birkhofer
2009 – Jimmy Mars
2010 – Earl Pearson Jr.
2011 – Don O’Neal
Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings
Jimmy Owens (Newport, TN) – 7850
Don O’Neal (Martinsville, IN) – 7420
Scott Bloomquist (Mooresburg, TN) – 7390
Steve Francis (Ashland, KY) – 7235
John Blankenship (Williamson, WV) – 6880
Earl Pearson Jr. (Jacksonville, FL) – 6855
Jonathan Davenport (Blairsville, GA) – 6485
Tyler Reddick (Corning, CA) – 6305
Jared Landers (Batesville, AR) – 6170
Eric Wells (Hazard, KY) – 6125
Current Portsmouth Raceway Park Late Model Points Standings
R. J. Conley (Wheelersburg, OH) – 1310
Jackie Boggs (Grayson, KY) – 1060
Nick Bocook (Wheelersburg, OH) – 1005
Delmas Conley )Wheelersburg, OH) – 885
Mark Frazier (Chillicothe, OH) – 850
Josh McGuire (Grayson, KY) – 770
Josh Bocook (Wheelersburg, OH) – 755
Billy Gullion (Waverly, OH) – 710
Rod Conley (Wheelersburg, OH) – 705
Lee Logan (Catlettsburg, KY) – 696