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PONTOON BEACH, IL (July 15, 2011) – Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA took the lead on lap eight and went on to capture the Inaugural “Battle at the Beach” on Friday Night at Tri-City Speedway. Birkhofer pocketed $20,000 in the richest race in track history and also ended Scott Bloomquist’ three-race win streak on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. At 34 Raceway back in May, Birkhofer ended Bloomquist’s streak of four wins in a row. Bloomquist finished in second followed by 10th-starting, Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR; Brian Shirley of Chatham, IL; and Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN completed the top five.

 

Before one of the biggest crowds in track history, Don O’Neal grabbed the lead at the start of the race and led the first seven circuits, until Birkhofer took over the point. For most of the early action in the main event there were four cars battling for the lead. Bloomquist moved into the runner-up spot on lap 12. The only caution of the race was for Dale McDowell on lap 15.

On the restart Birkhofer maintained his lead as Shirley moved into the second spot around Bloomquist, by using the high side of the race track. Birkhofer started to pick-up the tail of the field by lap 25, allowing both Shirley and Bloomquist to cut into his lead. Bloomquist maneuvered by Shirley in the battle for second, regaining the spot on lap 26. The top three then pulled away from the rest of the pack and with 40 laps down were ahead of the tight race for fourth between Owens and Moyer.

As the race wore on Birkhofer continued to show a good-sized advantage over Bloomquist who had finally shed Shirley with 40 to go. For most of the race Birkhofer had to contend with heavy traffic. Bloomquist finally began to close the gap with ten laps to go. Birkhofer was able to clear a couple of cars that were battling in front of him and distanced himself from Bloomquist as he went on to capture his 13th career LOLMDS victory.

In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the second time this season, the 39-year-old racer was complementary to several people. “It’s been a tough year in some aspects for us, we haven’t run all that much, we were here a few weeks ago and the wheel came off before the start of the race, we’ve tried to patch together a crew here lately, and I have Brian Daugherty of Integra Shocks here tonight helping. It feels good to win here at Kevin’s (Gundaker) track, to beat Scott and Billy, I mean what can you say about either of them that hasn’t already been said, they are two great drivers.”

“O’Neal started off real strong, we ran side-by-side there for a while, until I was finally able to clear him. The traffic was difficult, especially there at the end when it got slick. My car wasn’t getting through the turns like I wanted, but we had enough of a distance apparently there at the end to get the win,” said Birkhofer whose MB Customs Chassis is sponsored by ASi Racewear, Keyser Mfg, Zens Flooring, J&J Steel, Hoosier Tires, VP Racing Fuels, Reed’s Lawn Service and powered by a Pro Power Racing Engine.

With his second place finish, Bloomquist in his Hawkeye Trucking, Roush-Yates, Bloomquist Race Cars Ford took over the series points from Owens. Bloomquist now leads Owens by 20-points. Moyer, who passed Shirley for third with 25 laps remaining was piloting his Banner Valley Hauling, Clements Racing Engines, Moyer Victory Circle Ford. Shirley in his Jayco Construction, Pro Power, Bob Pierce Race Cars Chevrolet edged out Owens for fourth at the stripe.

Completing the top ten were Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN; Steve Francis of Ashland, KY; Tyler Reddick of Corning, CA; Randy Korte of Highland, IL; and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL. The event will be shown at 1 PM Eastern on Saturday August 7th on SPEED.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will continue their weekend of racing with the 5th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO tomorrow night. The event will be taped by Lucas Oil Production Studios to air on SPEED at a later date.

The series will round out the month of July with an East Coast tripleheader. On Wednesday, July 27th the series will make its second appearance at the historic Fonda Speedway in Fonda, NY . On Thursday, July 28th the series heads back to Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, NY and rounds out the month on Saturday, July 30th at “The Capitol of Dirt Track Racing” Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, MD. All three shows will pay $10,000 to win.

For the latest breaking news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log onto www.lucasdirt.com or call the series’ office at (951) 532-2503.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Friday Night, July 15th, 2011
“Battle at the Beach 100″
Tri-City Speedway – Pontoon Beach, IL

Red Buck Cigars Fast Time:
Scott Bloomquist / 16.132 seconds (Group A and Overall)
Tyler Reddick / 16.340 seconds (Group B)

GROUP “A”
POS CAR# DRIVER Q. Time
1 0 Scott Bloomquist 16.132
2 15b Brian Birkhofer 16.235
3 23 John Blankenship 16.275
4 00K Randy Korte 16.584
5 15 Steve Francis 16.609
6 17m Dale McDowell 16.691
7 88 Wendell Wallace 16.752
8 41n Brad Neat 16.753
9 20 Jimmy Owens 16.786
10 9t Tim Isenberg 16.816
11 77m Jason McBride 16.871
12 53 Ray Cook 16.880
13 777 Jared Landers 16.938
14 21b Chris Brown 17.089
15 25f Jason Feger 17.112
16 72 John Mason 17.174
17 82 Billy Laycock 17.240
18 16g Rusty Griffaw 17.255
19 7s Jeffrey Sloan 17.512

GROUP “B”
POS CAR# DRIVER Q. Time
1 11t Tyler Reddick 16.340
2 71 Don O’Neal 16.546
3 44 Earl Pearson, Jr. 16.763
4 32x Chris Simpson 16.782
5 21 Billy Moyer 16.785
6 c9 Steve Casebolt 16.905
7 21JR Billy Moyer, Jr. 16.953
8 18e Eric Wells 16.973
9 78 Chad Zobrist 17.022
10 57J Bub McCool 17.064
11 3s Brian Shirley 17.099
12 99jr Frank Heckenast, Jr. 17.105
13 27 Rodney Melvin 17.228
14 6k Michael Kloos 17.237
15 16H Mike Hammerle 17.273
16 0K Dewayne Kiefer 17.290
17 16S Tommy Seets Jr. 17.540
18 49 Steve Leach 18.157

Wiles Driveshafts First Heat (15 Laps- Top 4 Advance): Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Steve Francis, John Blankenship, Jared Landers, Wendell Wallace, Jason Feger, Jeffrey Sloan, Billy Laycock, Jason McBride-DNS

Wiles Driveshafts Second Heat (15 Laps- Top 4 Advance): Brian Birkhofer, Randy Korte, Dale McDowell, Tim Isenberg, Brad Neat, Ray Cook, Chris Brown, Rusty Griffaw, John Mason

Sweet Manufacturing Third Heat (15 Laps- Top 4 Advance): Earl Pearson Jr., Brian Shirley, Billy Moyer, Tyler Reddick, Chad Zobrist, Billy Moyer Jr., Rodney Melvin, Mike Hammerle, Tommy Seets Jr.
HAWK Brakes Fourth Heat (15 Laps- Top 4 Advance): Don O’Neal, Steve Casebolt, Eric Wells, Chris Simpson, Bub McCool, Michael Kloos, Frank Heckenast Jr., Dewayne Kiefer, Steve Leach

JRi Shocks First B-Main (15 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Ray Cook, Jared Landers, Jason Feger, Brad Neat, Chris Brown, John Mason, Rusty Griffaw, Billy Laycock, Jeffrey Sloan, Wendell Wallace, Jason McBride-DNS

Wrisco Aluminum Second B-Main (15 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Rodney Melvin, Bub McCool, Chad Zobrist, Michael Kloos, Frank Heckenast Jr., Dewayne Kiefer, Mike Hammerle, Steve Leach, Billy Moyer Jr., Tommy Seets Jr.

Feature Finish – 100 Laps
FINISH START CAR # DRIVER NAME HOMETOWN
1 2 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA
2 4 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN
3 10 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR
4 6 3s Brian Shirley Chatham, IL
5 5 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN
6 1 71 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN
7 9 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY
8 14 11t Tyler Reddick Corning, CA
9 7 00K Randy Korte Highland, IL
10 3 44 Earl Pearson, Jr. Jacksonville, FL
11 13 23 John Blankenship Williamson, WV
12 16 32x Chris Simpson Oxford, IA
13 12 18e Eric Wells Hazard, KY
14 20 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS
15 11 17m Dale McDowell Chickamauga, GA
16 27 41n Brad Neat Dunnville, KY
17 17 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC
18 23 99jr Frank Heckenast, Jr. Frankfort, IL
19 22 78 Chad Zobrist Highland, IL
20 25 0K Dewayne Kiefer Ste. Genevieve, MO
21 19 777 Jared Landers Batesville, AR
22 15 9t Tim Isenberg Marshfield, WI
23 21 25f Jason Feger Bloomington, IL
24 24 88 Wendell Wallace Batesville, AR
25 26 82 Billy Laycock Marine, IL
26 8 c9 Steve Casebolt Richmond, IN
27 18 27 Rodney Melvin Benton, IL

Race Statistics
Entrants: 37
Lap Leaders: Don O’Neal (Lap 1 – 7); Brian Birkhofer (Lap 8 – 100)
Caution Flags: Dale McDowell (Lap 15)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisional: Frank Heckenast Jr.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisional: Brad Neat
Fast Time Provisional: Wendell Wallace
Tri-City Speedway Track Provisionals: Dewayne Kiefer, Billy Laycock
PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Billy Moyer (Started 10th; Finished 3rd; Advanced 7 positions)
Allstar Performer of the Race: Scott Bloomquist
K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Brian Birkhofer
Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: Tyler Reddick
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Pro Power Racing Engines
Janowski Insurance Feature Winner: Brian Birkhofer
Outerwears Challenger of the Race: Bub McCool
Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award: Jared Landers
DirtonDirt.com Crew Chief of the Race: Aaron Faugust (Brian Shirley)
Time of Race: 34 minutes 27 seconds

Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

POS CAR # DRIVER NAME HOMETOWN POINTS
1 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN 3420
2 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN 3400
3 71 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN 3130
4 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY 2855
5 44 Earl Pearson, Jr. Jacksonville, FL 2770
6 777 Jared Landers Batesville, AR 2665
7 41n Brad Neat Dunnville, KY 2620
8 17m Dale McDowell Chickamauga, GA 2570
8 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC 2570
10 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS 2510
11 11t Tyler Reddick Corning, CA 2470
11 23 John Blankenship Williamson, WV 2470
13 1G Mike Marlar Winfield, TN 2415
14 18e Eric Wells Hazard, KY 2230
15 c9 Steve Casebolt Richmond, IN 2165
16 99jr Frank Heckenast, Jr. Frankfort, IL 2100

NETWORK AIR DATE AIR TIME VENUE EVENT NAME LOCATION EVENT DATE

SPEED 7/31/11 1:00 PM Magnolia Motor Speedway Clash at the Mag Columbus, MS 7/9/11
SPEED 8/7/11 1:00 PM Tri-City Speedway Budweiser Battle at the Beach Pontoon Beach, IL 7/15/11
VERSUS 8/27/11 2:30 PM Batesville Motor Speedway Bad Boy 98 Batesville, AR 5/21/11
SPEED 9/4/11 11:00 AM Florence Speedway 29th Annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil Florence, KY 8/13/11
MavTV 9/8/11 9:00PM Batesville Motor Speedway Bad Boy 98 Batesville, AR 5/21/11
SPEED 9/17/11 2:00 PM Lawrenceburg Speedway Lawrenceburg, IN 8/26/11
SPEED 10/2/11 1:00 PM Portsmouth Raceway Park River Days Rumble Portsmouth, OH 9/3/11
SPEED 10/9/11 1:00 PM Virginia Motor Speedway ASi Racewear USA 100 Saluda, VA 9/17/11
SPEED 10/23/11 6:00 PM Brownstown Speedway 32nd Annual Jackson 100 Brownstown, IN 9/24/11
SPEED 10/30/11 3:00 PM Dixie Speedway Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout Woodstock, GA 10/8/11
VERSUS 12/18/11 6:00 PM Florence Speedway 29th Annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil Florence, KY 8/13/11
MavTV 12/29/11 9:00PM Florence Speedway 29th Annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil Florence, KY 8/13/11
SPEED TBA TBA Lucas Oil Speedway Diamond Nationals Wheatland, MO 7/16/11
SPEED TBA TBA Knoxville Raceway 8th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals Knoxville, IA 10/1/11
MavTV TBA TBA Dixie Speedway Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout Woodstock, GA 10/8/11
VERSUS TBA TBA Dixie Speedway Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout Woodstock, GA 10/8/11

2011 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Sponsors

ASI Racewear – “The Official Merchandise Vendor” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Canidae Pet Foods – “The Official Pet Foods” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

DART Machinery – “The Official Engine Components” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

E3 Spark Plugs – “The Official Spark Plug” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Geico Power Sports – “The Official Insurance” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

General Tire – “The Official Tire” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Hoosier Tire – “The Official Race Tire” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

K&N Filters – “The Official Filter” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Lucas Oil Products – “The Official Oil” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Magnaflow Exhaust – “The Official Exhaust” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

MavTV – “The Official Men’s Network” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

R&L Carrier – “The Official Carrier” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Rockstar Energy Drink – “The Official Drink” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Speedco – “The Official Truck Lube and Tire Center” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Sunoco Race Fuels – “The Official Fuel” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

2011 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Supporters Include:

Allstar Performance, American Racer, Banshee Graphics, Bloomquist Race Cars, COMP Cams, Cornett Racing Engines, Cruise with the Champions, CV Products, DirtonDirt.com, Dominator Race Products, Dyers Top Rods, ECR Race Engines, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Gaerte Engines, GRT Race Cars, Hawk Performance, Hypercoil, Janowski Insurance, Jay Dickens Racing Engines, JE Pistons, JRi Shocks, Keyser MFG, Longhorn Chassis, MasterSbilt Chassis, Öhlins, Outerwears, PBM/Erson Cams, Performance Bodies, Pierce Racecars, Pro Power Racing, Quarter Master, Race Engine Design, Red Buck Cigars, Rhyne Race Engines, Rick Schwallie Photography, Ringers Gloves, Rocket Chassis, Roush Yates Engines, Roush Yates Performance, Safety Solutions, Sweet Manufactuing, Vic Hill Race Engines, Warrior Race Cars, Weld Racing Wheels, Wiles Drive Shafts, Wrisco, 5150 Race Trailers.

James Essex, Public Relations Coordinator, jessex@lucasdirt.com