Brian Shirley (3s) & Billy Faust (92b) battle for the lead.

Mike Harrison

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By Michael Rigsby (dirtondirt.com)
GRANITE CITY, Ill. (May 1) — Most drivers are smiling in victory lane, but the look on the face of Billy Faust of Lebanon, Ill., wasn't the look of your typical winner. "I'm not sure what happened there at the end," Faust said after Thursday's UMP DirtCar special at Tri-City Speedway, "but I hate to win em' like this."

On a night when NHRA drag racers driving Crate Late Models was supposed to make headlines at Tri-City, a controversial finish between Faust and Brian Shirley stole the show. Faust inherited the lead from Shirley with two laps to go in the 25-lap feature after track officials ruled Shirley intentionally spun the lapped car of Dewayne Kiefer. Faust reached victory lane while Shirley was sent to the tail.
"I clearly didn't take him out. I ran up beside him, and he just came down on me," Shirley said. "It just fits in with the year we've had. There's just some monkey on my back. … the car was good, and it was definitely good enough to win, and we should have. I'm pleased with the run, just disappointed with this place."

Faust had no problems over the final two laps en route to a $1,200 payday. And while Faust drove a car capable of competing for the win without the controversial decision, he was still thinking about it afterwards in the pits.

"I know Brian was having a hard time getting around lapped cars, and we were looking for the hole to get around him, and I didn't really have a good view of what went on between the two," Faust said. "I like that we won, but if you're going to outrun a guy, you'd just as soon do it on the track, and not have the spot given to you. But we'll take it."

Shirley rocketed to the early lead and appeared to be on his way to an easy win as the driver of the No. 3s tuned up for this weekend's World of Outlaws action in southwest Missouri. But midway through the race, Faust rallied in the top groove, actually overtaking Shirley briefly on the backstretch on lap 16. Shirley again pulled away before Kiefer's slower car of Kiefer became an issue with five laps remaining.

As Shirley attempted to go low to pass him, Kiefer drifted low and the two cars made contact. Kiefer went spinning and Faust ended up getting into the turn-three wall. After five minutes under the caution flag, Tri-City officials ruled that Shirley intentionally took Kiefer out and moved him to the back.

"I was all the way up to his door, and as you can see it didn't hurt my nose at all, but I guess it's just one of them racing deals, and you move on and fight on," Shirley said. "I knew that when the field stopped, they were going to put me to the back. I just threw my hands up and pulled off, and that was the end of it."

Kiefer hated to be in the middle of the controversy. "I don't think they should have put him to the back. … I was in his way," the St. Charles, Mo., driver said. "I have a rear-brake problem with my car, and we were really struggling, and I saw the move-over flag and was trying to get out of the way. He was just trying to come in there and pass me, and made some contact."

Regardless, Faust ended up with his second victory of the season. "It definitely feels good, and we would have even taken second to a guy like (Shirley), because the main thing is that the car is good," he said. "Getting that first place was just a difference in money, cause it's not like you really feel like you won the race."

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A spectactular field of thirty-eight UMP DIRTcar Modifieds were on hand to do battle. Two of the four heat races in the division ended with side-by-side photo finishes at the line. In the feature event, Dean Hoffman took the lead at the start as he battled with Scott Weber, Tommie Seets, Jr. and Tom Seets, Sr. in the early laps. It didn't take long for Mike Harrison, who started ninth, to move in on the leaders and challenge for the lead. On lap nine, Harrison, rim riding against the outside wall, moved past Hoffman and took command of the event. As the laps were winding down, the only caution flew on lap thirteen as Tom Seets, Sr. clipped one of the giant tires on the infield, causing him to spin to a stop in turn four. As the race resumed, Harrison pulled away and went on to win the first modified feature of 2008 at Tri-City Speedway. Tommie Seets, Jr. edged Hoffman at the line for second place with Brent Mullins taking fourth and Bobby Martintoni completed the top five.

Late Models : A-Main 01– 27 Cars
1 92b BILLY FAUST
2 16 RUSTY GRIFFAW*
3 6k MICHAEL KLOOS
4 30 MARK VOIGT*
5 1s RICK SALTER
6 11z BRYAN COLLINS*
7 82 BILLY LAYCOCK
8 78 CHAD ZOBRIST
9 11D BRIAN DIVELEY
10 112 TIM RATAJCZYK *
11 28b JOHN BECK*
12 16H MIKE HAMMERLE
13 50 ED DIXON
14 13 DEWAYNE KIEFER
15 24 DICK TAYLOR*
16 3s BRIAN SHIRLEY
17 15 CHRIS FETTER*
18 13k BRENT KREKE
19 81 CRAIG SMITH
20 4s STEVEN UNTERBRINK
21 33 TIM MANVILLE*
22 0 RODNEY MELVIN

Late Models : B-Main 01
1 50 ED DIXON
2 112 TIM RATAJCZYK *
3 13 DEWAYNE KIEFER
4 28b JOHN BECK*
5 67 MARK OLLER
6 35 CLAUDE WALKER *
7 38L RYAN LITTLE
8 67d DYLAN SHARP
9 11 MIKE BRYANT

Late Models : Heat 01
1 3s BRIAN SHIRLEY
2 81 CRAIG SMITH
3 6k MICHAEL KLOOS
4 11z BRYAN COLLINS*
5 82 BILLY LAYCOCK
6 11D BRIAN DIVELEY
7 50 ED DIXON
8 13 DEWAYNE KIEFER
9 67d DYLAN SHARP

Late Models : Heat 02
1 13k BRENT KREKE
2 16 RUSTY GRIFFAW*
3 24 DICK TAYLOR*
4 30 MARK VOIGT*
5 16H MIKE HAMMERLE
6 15 CHRIS FETTER*
7 11 MIKE BRYANT
8 28b JOHN BECK*
9 35 CLAUDE WALKER *

Late Models : Heat 03
1 78 CHAD ZOBRIST
2 1s RICK SALTER
3 4s STEVEN UNTERBRINK
4 92b BILLY FAUST
5 33 TIM MANVILLE*
6 0 RODNEY MELVIN
7 112 TIM RATAJCZYK *
8 67 MARK OLLER
9 38L RYAN LITTLE

Late Models : Qualifying Dash 01
1 3s BRIAN SHIRLEY
2 13k BRENT KREKE
3 78 CHAD ZOBRIST
4 81 CRAIG SMITH
5 1s RICK SALTER
6 16 RUSTY GRIFFAW*

Modifieds : A-Main 01–38 Mods
1 24 MIKE HARRISON
2 1 TOMMIE SEETS JR
3 1D DEAN HOFFMAN
4 41m BRENT MULLINS
5 48 BOB MARTINTONI *
6 0 TIM HANCOCK
7 4j SCOTT WEBER
8 1w RAY WALSH *
9 22B RYAN BLAKEMAN
10 4uw BOBBY REGOT III
11 45 DEAN VICKERS
12 7z MATT ZIMMERLY
13 3e ROBBIE EILERS
14 1a STEVE MEYER JR
15 8X JAMES REED
16 42 STEVE LACH *
17 11 DANE GUNDAKER*
18 41 LARRY HULL*
19 29 JEFF LEBAUBE
20 t0 TOM SEETS SR.
21 41G MATT GOULDEN
22 59 RICH WHALEY

Modifieds : B-Main 01
1 0 TIM HANCOCK
2 45 DEAN VICKERS
3 1a STEVE MEYER JR
4 23 BRIAN McCORMICK
5 5X CHRIS SMITH
6 1 ANTHONY LACH *
7 10x ROB PENDERGRASS
8 87 DEREK DUBREE
9 77 KEVIN LEE DNS
10 21 KHRIS FOHNE DNS
11 11x DON GRIMM DNS

Modifieds : B-Main 02
1 3e ROBBIE EILERS
2 41 LARRY HULL*
3 42 STEVE LACH *
4 59e CHAD EVANS
5 17m MATT VERBECK
6 87P TONY PATTERSON
7 34 CASEY MORRIS
8 16 TERRY BOLIN
9 7s ETHAN SCHNALL
10 W1LD MARTY KOPP DNS
11 89 BOBBY BITTLE DNS

Modifieds : Heat 01
1 1D DEAN HOFFMAN
2 1 TOMMIE SEETS JR
3 24 MIKE HARRISON
4 8X JAMES REED
5 0 TIM HANCOCK
6 45 DEAN VICKERS
7 1a STEVE MEYER JR
8 10x ROB PENDERGRASS
9 5X CHRIS SMITH
10 87P TONY PATTERSON

Modifieds : Heat 02
1 29 JEFF LEBAUBE
2 t0 TOM SEETS SR.
3 41m BRENT MULLINS
4 59 RICH WHALEY
5 W1LD MARTY KOPP
6 7s ETHAN SCHNALL
7 87 DEREK DUBREE
8 59e CHAD EVANS
9 17m MATT VERBECK
10 89 BOBBY BITTLE

Modifieds : Heat 03
1 7z MATT ZIMMERLY
2 41G MATT GOULDEN
3 4uw BOBBY REGOT III
4 11 DANE GUNDAKER*
5 23 BRIAN McCORMICK
6 1 ANTHONY LACH *
7 77 KEVIN LEE
8 21 KHRIS FOHNE
9 11x DON GRIMM

Modifieds : Heat 04
1 4j SCOTT WEBER
2 48 BOB MARTINTONI *
3 1w RAY WALSH *
4 22B RYAN BLAKEMAN
5 3e ROBBIE EILERS
6 41 LARRY HULL*
7 42 STEVE LACH *
8 34 CASEY MORRIS
9 16 TERRY BOLIN

Modifieds : Qualifying Dash 01
1 1D DEAN HOFFMAN
2 4j SCOTT WEBER
3 t0 TOM SEETS SR.
4 29 JEFF LEBAUBE
5 1 TOMMIE SEETS JR
6 48 BOB MARTINTONI *
7 41G MATT GOULDEN
8 7z MATT ZIMMERLY

NHRA Crates : A-Main 01– 12 Cars
1 11 GARY SCELZI
2 28 MORGAN LUCAS
3 2X ALLEN BRADSHAW
4 8T ANTRON BROWN
5 52R ALLEN JOHNSON
6 74 JOHN STEWART
7 50 DAVE GRUBNIC
8 1 RON CAPPS
9 36 J.R. TODD

NHRA Crates : Heat 01
1 11 GARY SCELZI
2 50 DAVE GRUBNIC
3 92S TIM WILKERSON
4 36 J.R. TODD
5 8T ANTRON BROWN
6 28 MORGAN LUCAS

NHRA Crates : Heat 02
1 74 JOHN STEWART
2 1 RON CAPPS
3 2X ALLEN BRADSHAW
4 52R ALLEN JOHNSON
5 18 TOM DELAGO
6 10F KEN KORETSKY