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Highway to Hell – NASCAR and Dirt Stars come out to play at
La Salle Speedway
By: Betty Glynn
LA SALLE, IL (July 6) - The United Midwest Promoters DIRTCar Summer
Nationals tour is bar none the most grueling tour in motor sports. Twenty
seven races in thirty one days in what has become a summer focal point for
racing fans. The intense schedule combined with top level talent, local
favorites, and big paychecks creates one of the hottest venues in the
Midwest. To top that, two NASCAR stars have put their names in the hat to
compete Thursday night at La Salle Speedway.
NASCAR veterans Kenny Wallace and Kenny Schrader have made the Illinois
Valley speed arena one of their scheduled stops. According to their websites
they will be competing on the ¼ mile high banks for the $6,000 special
event. The NASCAR Sprint Cup race this weekend is at the Chicagoland
Speedway less than sixty miles away from the dirt roots so many still have a
true passion for.
Wallace and Schrader are both originally from Missouri and currently reside
in Concord, North Carolina. The duo came from dirt track racing at an early
age. Even though both have earned their living as NASCAR racers, television
personalities, and team owners, they can wheel a dirt late model with the
best talent in the country. The addition of the two will only heighten the
excitement of what is already expected to be one of the most exciting stops
of the tour.
In 2007, Schrader placed thirteenth in his showing at La Salle but earned
new fans in the process. His light hearted charm and approachable demeanor
scored big with those wanting to rub shoulders with a legend.
The Summer Nationals series is a race enthusiasts dream as the superstars
kick up the dirt through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and
Tennessee in their own version of Survivor. The contenders from across the
nation and crew members are on an island of sorts with a different backdrop
in the dog days of summer. They are forced to build alliances, learn new
ways to survive, use make shift work shops sometimes in parking lots,
challenged beyond normal expectations, and fight to the finish for their
slice of the pie in what might be considered a dirty job.
The 21st running of the Summer Nationals has been dubbed the “Hell Tour”.
After La Salle’s July 9th race, only two races are left with a great deal
still on the line. La Salle’s track design and multi groove racy surface
sets the stage for what might be yet another barn burner. So far in the
tour, the racing has been second to none, the points chase is tight, fans
have followed in person and taken up more bandwidth than racing sites can
handle.
Not surprisingly, tempers have flared leaving drivers to display
frustrations in bad boy fashion creating a buzz and debates of wrong vs.
right. One such incident was captured on video and camera to be shared
repeatedly on the net. Much to the surprise of all involved, SPEED Channel’s
Dave Despain replayed the clip involving a romp by Steve Sheppard Jr. on the
hood of Dennis Erb Jr.’s hood during the opening of a recent episode of Wind
Tunnel.
The over three-quarters of a million dollars in prize money this tour brings
is monumental especially in our current economical state. The tour has seen
some of racings finest battle for the checkers with local hotshoes not only
surviving but winning. Jason Feger, a former regular at La Salle, has been
at the top of his game all season long. Feger scored two wins in the tour
with a current ranking of third in the overall points standings behind
former La Salle track champ and two time defending Summer Nationals champion
Erb. Erb’s back-to-back titles have made him the man to beat but as history
has presented itself he won’t go out without a full throttle battle.
Currently leading the points chase is another Illinois standout, Randy Korte.
The three are in a tight points challenge with an expected earning,
according to sources, of approximately $25,000 to the crowned champion.
Thursday nights win will net the victor $6,000 for the 40-lap main event
promoted by Track Enterprises and La Salle Speedway. The UMP Modified
drivers will compete as well for their $500 feature.
Adult general admission price is $20.00, children 6 – 11 is $5.00. Pit
passes are $35.00.
The pit gates will open at 4:00 pm with grandstands opening at 5:00pm.
Practice starts at 5:30 pm, Time Trials at 6:30 pm, Racing begins at 7:30
pm.
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