FOUR-NIGHT WISCONSIN SWING IS UP NEXT FOR WORLD DIRT RACING LEAGUE
Menomonie and Superior stops precede prestigious Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway
By Tom Lathen
WORLD Dirt Racing League

Gilman City, Mo. (June 7, 2006) - Four nights of racing in the state of Wisconsin are up next for the cars and stars of the WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series.

Series drivers will open this year's Wisconsin swing on Wednesday night, June 14, at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie before heading to Superior Speedway the following night for the first of two series stops at the popular northwest Wisconsin speed plant. The four nights of racing will conclude on Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, with the eighth-annual Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond.

"We are looking forward to our first trip into Wisconsin this season," commented series founder and president Jim Wilson. "Last year, our shows at Superior and Cedar Lake attracted large fields of race cars and were run in front of great crowds. And with the addition of Red Cedar Speedway, this year's swing should be even better."

The series stop in Menomonie will be the first WDRL appearance on the one-third mile, semi-banked Dunn County Recreation Park oval since 2003, when Badger State driver Pat Doar held off local favorite Tony Bahr, two-time WDRL champion Kyle Berck, and national traveler Brian Birkhofer in one of the most exciting series events ever.

WDRL races at Superior Speedway have produced four different winners, with 2005 series Rookie-of-the-Year Justin Fegers winning last season's June stop and Birkhofer claiming the top prize when the series returned to the three-eighths mile Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds oval in early August. Other series winners at Superior include Wisconsin drivers Pat Doar in 2002 and Jimmy Mars in 2003. The 2004 WDRL event was cancelled because of rain and wet grounds.

This year's Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway will be co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and will mark the second consecutive year WDRL drivers have participated in the prestigious early summer event. Last year, Don O'Neal walked away with a $10,000 paycheck on Friday night, with Donnie Moran bagging the top prize of $10,000 on Saturday.

Heading up a strong contingent of WDRL drivers expected to participate in the four Wisconsin events is defending champion and current series points leader Denny Eckrich of Tiffin, Iowa. The pilot of "The Flyin' 50" is looking for his first series win of the 2006 campaign after last year's championship season netted the 33-year-old chauffeur four PolyDome Late Model Series victories.

Brian Harris of Davenport, Iowa, is also expected to be in the field throughout the four-day swing along with popular central Nebraska hot shoe Kyle Berck. Harris is a mere 12 markers out of the series point lead after four events, while Berck, who won back-to-back WDRL titles in 2002 and 2003, is only 44 points back.

Among other series regulars expected to participate are Iowa drivers Dave Eckrich of Cosgrove, Chad Simpson of Mount Vernon, Chris Simpson of Marion, Tommy Elston of Keokuk, Steve Boley of West Liberty and Jason Utter of Columbus Junction. Nebraska pilots John Anderson and Bill Koons, both of Omaha; Al Humphrey of Giltner; and John Hampel of Union; current WDRL rookie point leader Trent Follmer of Elk River, Minn.; Pittsville, Wisconsin's Eric Pember; and Solon Springs, Wis., driver Todd Gehl also are likely participants.

Throughout the four nights of racing, a strong group of national travelers is also expected to dot the field of competitors including Muscatine, Iowa's Brian Birkhofer, Darren "The Thriller" Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., Wisconsin drivers Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Brady Smith of Solon Springs, and Dan Schlieper of Sullivan.

Fans can also look for current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points leader Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; last year's Masters victors Don O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., and Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Waterville, Ohio's Matt Miller; and the hard-charging Scott James of Bright, Ind.

A highlight of the Wisconsin swing will be the presence of a bevy of WISSOTA Late Model challengers including ageless Tom Nesbitt of Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada; fellow Thunder Bay front-runner Joel Cryderman; two-time WISSOTA national champion Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis.; current Red Cedar Speedway points leader Ashley Anderson of Eau Claire, Wis.; two-time WISSOTA Challenge Series champion John Kaanta of Elk Mound, Wis.; three-time AMSOIL Series champion Steve Laursen of Cumberland, Wis.; and exciting New London, Wis., pilot Terry Casey.

Wednesday and Thursday’s stops at Menomonie and Superior will feature 50-lap headliners paying $5,000 to the winner with both nights of the annual Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway offering a $10,000 payday to the 50-lap main event winners.

The events at Menomonie, Superior and New Richmond are all part of the FYE Motorsports "Northern Invasion Bonus Program," which will pay a $1,000 stipend to the driver who accumulates the most WDRL points during seven of this year's WISSOTA area series stops. The other three races included in the bonus program are the series' second Superior Speedway event on Aug. 7 and PolyDome Late Model Series showings at Alexandria, Minn., on Aug. 8 and Arcadia, Wis., on Aug. 9.

2006 WORLD Dirt Racing League sponsors include PolyDome Products, AMSOIL, Hoosier Racing Tires, Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation, Lincoln Electric Company, Chase Race Decals, Wyman’s Ford, Gatorade, QA1 Motorsports, The Brake Man, Champ Pans, The Joie of Seating, Performance Bodies, Design 500 Racewear, V-Performance Batteries, Fast Shafts, Hooker Harness, Weld Wheels, Scott Performance Wire, KSE Racing Products, MasterSbilt Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, and Swartz Xtreme Race Cars.

For more information on WDRL or the latest PolyDome Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com .