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Round And Around: DIRTcar Nationals Finale At Volusia Speedway Park by Fay Hendricks 2/14/2010 There were no races on Friday due to extended rain all around the area. That was the day we bid a final farewell to John McKarns, in a heartwarming service that made us all glad we shared his life. Thankfully we didn't have to rush to the races that day, instead having time to visit with friends. Saturday the pace would pick up rapidly, for everything else had to be completed before Sunday's big race at Daytona. We finished up our stay in Florida with a freeze warning, not as sorry to leave the chilly climate as other years. It was ironic that in Canada some of the winter Olympic events had to be cancelled due to melting snow, while Florida's morning temperatures were actually colder. We joined the final World of Outlaws late models and Big Block Modified racers for their 50-lap races that would crown this year's DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. The track held up quite well for the seventeen groups of late models, with Wisconsin's Brady Smith posting the fastest lap in the final group. The heats were going along at a rapid pace until the fourth event when suddenly Iowa's Joe Callahan grazed the front wall and ended up on his roof. Climbing out to the applause of the audience, Callahan was fine, but his week was done. The B mains completed the feature field, then provisional starters completed the 30-car field. Smith and Billy Moyer made up the front row for the finale, Josh Richards and Earl Pearson Jr. behind them. At the initial green flag Moyer led the way, but only three laps were complete before Eddie Carrier Jr. and Steve Francis had problems and departed under caution. The pace picked up again, Moyer threading his way through slower mounts after a dozen circuits were complete. Smith began challenging for the lead as the duo negotiated traffic, then took over the point after twenty tours around the oval. Ten laps later his lead stretched to about one-quarter lap ahead of Moyer, but this was cancelled with another caution for a slowed mount. By this point several were watching the provisional starter, Tim McCreadie, who had come up to fourth place as the yellow banner regrouped the field. Things can go wrong in a hurry on restarts, and we kept our eyes on the front group when the race resumed the final thirteen circuits. Smith was ready at the flag, again stretching out his lead as the others battled for position. The rest of the race was all green, and McCreadie's progress ended during his duel with Pearson when the checkered flag waved. The Badger State's Smith ended his bad luck streak here, earning $10,000 and telling the audience, "We finished last year pretty strong. We wanted to end up in victory lane. We were working on this car all winter to be here. Last year we got tough luck in the heat and didn't even make the show opening night." Florida's Pearson claimed, "We've been really tight. I really appreciate these fans coming out in all this cold." New York's McCreadie gained 25 positions, overcoming his bad start. "I gotta thank these guys," began McCreadie, "We had to pull out the backup car after the heat. We had a heck of a race at the end. I probably roughed a few cars up coming through. I'm sure we'll get it back later on." Richards earned the overall championship for the second year in a row, telling the crowd, "We started off a little rough," adding, "We stayed around the top four." Consistency does pay off. The Big Block Modified field began with 28 cars for their 50-lap finale with Ohio's Rex Smith Jr. and Billy Pauch on the front row. Pauch took charge right away, but the first of six cautions regrouped the field after only three circuits. Two more slowdowns occurred before twenty laps were complete, then the field sped along. Pauch began lapping slower cars after thirty circuits, then a determined Matt Sheppard finally got past eleven laps from the checkered flag. Just as we anticipated a quick end to our chilly night, Rex King's car scraped along the outer wall. Three more laps were scored when another car spun, followed by another car getting sideways the following lap. This set up a frantic finish for the final two laps, but Sheppard hung on for the second win of the week. Behind him Dale Planck managed to get up to second place from the sixth row, and Rich Laubach got past Pauch for third. Sheppard stated, "That was a lot of fun. I think the fans got their money's worth. I think four or five guys could have won this race." When told he was the overall champion this year, Sheppard replied, "That's far ahead of what I thought of," before the team decided to come to Florida. Planck stated of his car, "It's been real good. I can't complain at all. Second, there's only one better spot. I'm glad we came down." Laubach told the crowd, " This is why we come down to Florida. I think my tire was laying down (during the race). We haven't followed a lot of dirt races this year." With temperatures in the thirties, the chilled crowd could still muster smiles as they left the arena for another year. Next time will be new adventures. Our thanks for the memories. We were done at eleven o'clock, and heat was the first thing everyone wanted. The next challenge is to get home safely through several states of storms. |
Home Page  Wisconsin's Brady Smith took home the win at Volusia Speedway Park. [Fay Hendricks Photo]  Earl Pearson Jr. captured the runner up spot at the DIRT car Nationals. [Fay Hendricks Photo]  John McKarns at the 2009 Dixieland 150 at Wisconsin International Raceway. [Fay Hendricks Photo] Recent News From Motorsports News 
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