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09/18/06

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Set for Ponderosa and Bluegrass This Weekend

LEXINGTON, KY -- The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts will make stops #10 and #11 on the 2006 tour Friday and Saturday with a Central Kentucky weekend double-header at the Ponderosa Speedway and the Bluegrass Speedway. Defending Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN currently sits atop the points standings.

On Friday night, June 16, the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will headline the racing card at the Larry Yantz-promoted Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY. A complete program is planned with Hot Laps, Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin’/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 40 lap, $3,000 to win O’Reilly A-Main 3rd Annual Spring 40, paying $3,000 to win for Late Models. Greg Johnson is the defending Spring 40 champion, while Johnny Wheeler leads the Series in career wins at "The Pond" with three.

Activities for the June 16 racing program will see pit gates open at 4:00 p.m., with main gates set to open at 5:00 p.m. Drivers meetings will be at 6:45, while hot laps will get underway around 7:00 p.m., with time trials set for around 7:30 p.m., and racing taking the green flag around 8:00 p.m. Adult general admission will be $15, children age 6 to 12 are $10, children under age 6 are free, with a pit pass being $30.

Ponderosa Speedway is a 3/8-mile D-shaped oval located on Phillips Lane, just outside of Junction City, KY. For more information on Ponderosa Speedway, visit them on the web at www.ponderosaspeedway.net or call the track office at (859) 854-6808.

On Friday night, June 17 the nation's most competitive regional racing series will visit the David and Anita Ferrell-promoted Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY. Another full program will be on tap with Hot Laps, Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin’/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 30 lap, $3,000 to win O'Reilly A-Main 5th Annual June Jam. The June Jam has been rained out the past two seasons, as Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY won the last contested June Jam event back in 2003. Lanigan, Don O'Neal, and Mike Jewell lead the series in career wins at Bluegrass Speedway with two apiece.

Activities for the June 17 racing program will see pit gates open at 4:00 p.m., with main gates opening at 5:00 p.m. The driver's meeting will go at 6:00 p.m., with hot laps set to begin around 6:30 p.m. Time trials will go around 7:00 p.m., with racing action set to take the green flag at or before 8:00 p.m. Adult general admission will be $15, children ages 6 to 12 are $8, children under age 6 are free, and a pit pass is $30. Those with rainchecks in the form of a general admission ticket or pit pass from the May 30 and May 31 rainouts can use those at this June 17 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series event.

Bluegrass Speedway is a 1/2-mile clay oval located at Exit 21 along the Bluegrass Parkway, just south of Bardstown, KY. For more information on Bluegrass Speedway, please visit their website at www.bluegrass-speedway.com or call the track office at (502)349-1241.

Currently, Scottsburg, IN's Mike Jewell leads an exciting points battle with just 100 points separating the top three drivers. Defending Series Rookie of the Year Chris Combs of Isom, KY is 90 points behind Jewell in second while defending Series Co-Champion Tim Tungate of Campbellsville, KY is third, just 10 points behind Combs. Buffalo, KY native Bryan Barber sits in fourth spot while 2006 Rookie of the Year candidate Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY rounds out the top five. Nearly 170 different drivers have competed with the Battle of the Bluegrass Series in 2006.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit us on the web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859)433-5707.

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell - 1760
2. 47 Chris Combs - 1670
3. 18 Tim Tungate - 1660
4. 10 Bryan Barber - 1590
5. 16 Justin Rattliff - 1545 ®
6. 33 Aaron Hatton - 1430
7. 11 Bobby Wolter, Jr. - 1255
8. 41 Brad Neat - 1160
9. D2 Dan Deaton - 1135 ®
10. 83 Scott James- 1100
11. 97 Michael Chilton - 1095
12. 19 Greg Johnson - 910
13. 17 Shannon Thornsberry - 885
14. 157 Mike Marlar - 845
15. 14 Tyrel Todd - 795

Lightning Strikes Again as Don Adams Takes NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Event at 201 Speedway

Kentucky’s premier Open Wheel Modified Series made their 1st trip to the longest operating dirt track in Eastern Kentucky, as the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified series ran their 5th event of the season Saturday night at the 201 Speedway in Sitka.

2004 Series Champion Kelly Warren and Lightning Chassis fabricator and designer Don Adams of London, KY started on the front row of the A-Main Warren took an early advantage by the flag stand as they headed for the first set of turns, but Adams would take control of the point off the second corner in front of a side by side battle between Warren and veteran driver Randy Boggs.

On the fourth circuit, former 201 Speedway track champion Clint Shutts would make it three wide for the bridesmaid position. With Warren on the outside, Boggs in the middle, and Shutts holding his car right down against the inside rail, a three-way dance entertained the fans behind race-leader Adams. The battle for second ended when a seventh lap spin by Boggs sent the Grayson, KY racer to the rear of the field.

When racing resumed, it was still the Adams on the point, now challenged by Shutts and Warren. After several green flag laps, Adams and Shutts separated themselves from Warren, who now faced an inside challenge from defending Series Champion Joey Kramer. By the halfway point, Adams opened up some breathing room with a slight three-car advantage over Shutts. The advantage would be short-lived, however, as Shutts quickly closed back to the rear deck lid of the race leader. Meanwhile, Kramer would work to the inside of Warren, in a fierce battle for third.

With just ten laps remaining, Shutts would take his mount to the inside looking for an open door and potential pass on Adams. As the closing laps ticked away, Shutts threw everything he had at race-leader Adams, but to no avail. When the checkered flag waved, “Lightning” would strike for the second week in a row as 43-year-old Donnie Adams claimed his second straight win with the Series in his Lincoln County Auto Parts, Ford powered, Lightning Chassis.

Clint Shutts of Prestonsburg, KY crossed the stripe in second with Hanover, IN’s Joey Kramer third. Glasgow, KY’s Jimmy Payne would finish fourth while Darren Muncy rounded out the top five.

Race Summary
201 Speedway
NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series
1st Open Wheel Heat: #51 Randy Boggs. #77 Joey Kramer. #6 Jimmy Payne. #10 Miguel Coffey. #15 Brandon Mason. #CJ1 Charlie Jude. #11 Pete Castle. #33 Corey McKenzie. #28M Kevin Mayabb. #11 B.J. Osborne. #34 Michael S. Osborne.
2nd Open Wheel Heat: #1 Don Adams. #98 Shon Flanary. #7 Mike Osborne. #84 Walt Mayabb. #82 Randy Fouts. #J7 Greg Gibson. #22 Bobby Tackett. #8 Tim Moore. #11 Tommy Bailey. #25 Chris Bowlin.
3rd Open Wheel Heat: #0 Kelly Warren. #135 Clint Shutts. #55 Darren Muncy. #3 Arlie Daniels. #14 Kevin Graham. #911 Jason Hall. #TT7 Troy Teegarden. #J11 Jared May. #38 Marey Meade.
Open Wheel Consi: Top Three transferred to A Main. #33 Corey McKenzie. #CJ1 Charlie Jude. #8 Tim Moore. #11 Tommy Bailey. #11 Pete Castle. #28M Kevin Mayabb. #J11 Jared May. #34 Michael S. Osborne. #11 B.J. Osborne. #22 Bobby Tackett. #TT7 Troy Teegarden. #D8 Dustin Linville.
201 Track Provisionals - #28M Kevin Mayabb. #J11 Jared May.
NARA Open Wheel Provisionals - #D8 Dustin Linville. #11 Tommy Bailey

NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified A-Main
1)#1 Donnie Adams. 2)#135 Clint Shutts. 3)#77 Joey Kramer. 4)#6 Jimmy Payne. 5)#55 Darren Muncy. 6)#11 Tommy Bailey, Started 19th. 7)#0 Kelly Warren. 8)#7 Mike Osborne. 9)#33 Corey McKenzie. 10) #10 Miguel Coffey. 11)#51 Randy Boggs. 12)#98 Shon Flanary. 13)#3 Arlie Daniels. 14)#8 Tim Moore. 15)#CJ1 Charlie Jude. 16)#D8 Dustin Linville. 17)#82 Randy Fouts. 18)#84 Walt Mayabb. 19)#15 Brandon Mason. 20) #J11 Jared May. 21)#14 Kevin Graham.

Current NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Points Standings
Pos Car # Name Points
1 11 Tommy Bailey 920
2 6 Jimmy Payne 880
3 1 Don Adams 850
4 77 Joey Kramer 840
5 0 Kelly Warren 800
6 10 Cale Coffey 645
6 d8 Dustin Linville 645
8 8 Tim Moore 560
8 50 Adam Gootee 560
10 98 Shon Flanary 510

Greg Johnson Crowned Kentucky Speedweek Champion

LEXINGTON, KY - Following a thrilling Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at the Florence Speedway, Bedford, IN's Greg Johnson was crowned the Champion of the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek. Johnson won the championship by a mere 55 points over Scott James, thus earning himself a guaranteed starting spot in the prestigious 24th Annual North-South 100 on August 11th and 12th at Florence Speedway.

Greg Johnson started the week off with a dominating win at the Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway over Terry English and Brad Neat. Then, following back-to-back rain outs at the Bluegrass Speedway, Johnson brought home a fourth place finish at the Richmond Raceway. Heading into the final event at the Florence Speedway, Johnson's lead was just 30 points over Mike Jewell and 45 points over Scott James. A wild night of racing at Florence saw Johnson win his Heat and bring home a 10th place finish in the 20th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial. The finish was good enough to net the Bedford, IN native the Kentucky Speedweek Championship Trophy and Check as well as the guaranteed starting spot in the $50,000 to win/$1500 to start North-South 100 at Florence Speedway on August 11th and 12th.

"This team worked hard all week," Johnson said after being crowned the Kentucky Speedweek Champion. "I have to thank my car owner, John Hall, for giving me this opportunity, as well as my sponsors Intimidator Race Cars, Pro Power Engines, Hall's Angus Farms, and J&H Construction."

Finishing second in the final Kentucky Speedweek points standings was defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Rookie of the Year Scott James of Greendale, IN. Third place honors went to defending O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN. The other defending O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Co-Champion, Tim Tungate, of Campbellsville, KY, would be fourth in the final points rundown. Rounding out the top five was Greenbrier, AR native Jack Sullivan and Campbellsville, KY youngster Justin Rattliff, each with 450 points.

Reviewing the weeklong festivities, Mother Nature was victor three times during the week. Rain washed out the program at the Bluegrass Speedway on two separate occasions as well as the Friday night show at the Ponderosa Speedway. The Kentucky Speedweek began with Greg Johnson's dominating win at the Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway on Monday, May 29th. Following Johnson to the stripe in that event was Terry English, Brad Neat, Don O’Neal, and Tim Brown. After the back-to-back rainouts at Bluegrass, the Kentucky Speedweek rolled into the Richmond Raceway where Mike Jewell picked up a hard-fought win over Tim Tungate, Scott James, Greg Johnson, and Mike Marlar. With Friday night's program at the Ponderosa Speedway washed out, the Speedweek came to a thrilling close at the Florence Speedway with Scott Bloomquist's last lap pass of Darrell Lanigan with Dan Schlieper, Wendell Wallace, and 19th-starting Earl Pearson Jr. completing the top five. Over 100 different drivers competed in the Kentucky Speedweek events.

For more information on the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek, visit the official website at www.kyspeedweek.com.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.

Final 2006 Kentucky Speedweek Points Standings
1. Greg Johnson (Bedford, IN)-640
2. Scott James (Greendale, IN)-585
3. Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN)-555
4. Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY)-510
5. Jack Sullivan (Greenbrier, AR)-450
5. Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY)-450
7. Chris Combs (Isom, KY)-415
8. Don O'Neal (Martinsville, IN)-400
9. Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY)-340
10. Mike Marlar (Winfield, TN)-335

KENTUCKY LAKE (5/29/06): Greg Johnson, Terry English, Brad Neat, Don O’Neal, Tim Brown, Freddy Smith, Scott James, Jimmy Owens, John Tindal, Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate, Justin Rattliff, Damon Eller, Chris Combs, Michael Chilton, Michael England, Aaron Hatton, Bryan Barber, Kevin Cole, Randle Sweeney, Jack Sullivan, Dylan Thompson, Bobby Wolter Jr., Earl Pearson Jr.
BLUEGRASS (5/30/06): Rained Out
RICHMOND (6/1/06): Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate, Scott James, Greg Johnson, Mike Marlar, Victor Lee, Aaron Hatton, Johnny Wheeler, Jack Sullivan, Chris Combs, Justin Rattliff, Bobby Carrier Jr., Scotty Earl, Larry Gray Jr., Doug Horton, Scott Douglas, Marty Stepp, Bobby Wolter Jr., Dan Deaton, Jason Barrett, Bryan Barber, Tim Damron, Jeff Watson, Dennis Roberson
PONDEROSA (6/2/06): Rained Out
FLORENCE (6/3/06): Scott Bloomquist, Darrell Lanigan, Dan Schlieper, Wendell Wallace, Earl Pearson, Jr., Shane Clanton, Jerry Rice, Don O'Neal, Jesse James Lay, Greg Johnson, Matt Miller, Scott James, Rod Conley, Steve Hillard, Robby Hensley, Dan Hoard, Donnie Moran, Jack Sullivan, Bill Blair, Jr., Mike Marlar, Steve Landrum, Rick Eckert, Dale McDowell, Mike Jewell, Rick Corbin

KY Speedweek O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Ponderosa 50 at Ponderosa Speedway Rained Out

Junction City, KY-June 2- Afternoon rain showers moved over the 3/8 mile D-shaped Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY and have forced track promoter Larry Yantz and O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series officials to cancel the evening’s racing activities.

The Ponderosa 50 event will now take place on Friday night, August 24, and now will be called the Ponderosa 50/John Bradshaw Memorial. The O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will hold the sanctioning rights for this event, with the Late Model stars of America’s top regional touring series racing 50 laps for $5,000 to win on the August 24 reschedule date. The Modified, Bomber, and Chevette divisions will also be on hand for the racing action that evening as well.

The next racing program on the 2006 schedule at Ponderosa Speedway will be a Bomber special on Friday night, June 9. On June 9, the Bomber division will race for $500 to win their feature event, along with a regular weekly racing series program for all other divisions, with Late Models racing for $1,200 to win, Modifieds for $600 to win, and Chevettes for $150 to win.

Ponderosa Speedway is located on Phillips Lane, just outside of Junction City, KY. Larry Yantz is the track promoter and dirt track sports entertainment is presented on Friday nights from April through September. For more information about events at Ponderosa Speedway, browse the internet at www.ponderosaspeedway.net. 

Mike Jewell Takes 2006 Kentucky Speedweek Event at Richmond Raceway

RICHMOND, KY--Mike Jewell took advantage of Bryan Barber's misfortune as he captured the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts event on Thursday Night at the Richmond Raceway. Jewell's second series win of '06 added to his all-time series win total with nine victories in the record books as the 47 year old Scottsburg, IN native took home $3,000 for the win. Jewell inherited the lead on lap 28 when Barber, who was leading the race, saw his night end with a water pump problem. Jewell then led the rest of the race taking the win in the Don Powell crew-chiefed, Southern Indiana Rock Drilling/Morgan Foods/MPC Motorsports/Jewell TV Service/PBM Performance Products/Scott Co. Tire/Shelton Angus Farms/ KP Radio Sales and Service/Sunoco Race Fuels/Bazell Oil Company/Hoosier Tires/Wilwood/Braswell/Bullock Race Engines powered/MasterSbilt Grand Prix. Finishing second was last year's Series co-Champion, Tim Tungate of Campbellsville, KY in the J&L Motorsports/Guardian Mortgage/Bullock Engines/C.J. Rayburn Grand Prix. Taking third was Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN in the Powell Motorsports/Jay Dickens Racing Engines/Rocket GTO and completing the top five was Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN in the John Hall/J&H Construction/Intimidator Grand Prix and Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN in the PBM Performance Products/Pro Power Engines/C.J. Rayburn Monte Carlo. A total of 30 cars were on hand for the second completed event of the '06 Kentucky Speedweek.

After an initial start which saw a caution flag before a lap was scored the race would restart with Tungate grabbing the point heading into turn one with Bryan Barber, Jewell, Marlar and Johnson in the top five. They stayed that way in the running order until lap three when Barber overhauled Tungate for the top spot. On lap four Jewell would race his way past Tungate to take over the second slot. Scott James would make his way into the top five on the fifth circuit passing Johnson. Barber would start to pick up the tail end of the field by lap nine. A more cluttered pack of cars would await the leaders by lap 13 as Jewell had closed on Barber on heavy traffic.

Jewell would make a run on Barber for the lead heading into the turns, but Barber would power off the corners pulling away from Jewell just when it looked like Jewell was going to make the pass for the lead. A yellow on lap 19 would slow the race for the lead and clear lapped traffic in front of Barber and Jewell. On the restart Barber would sprint out to a five car length advantage over Jewell with a clear track in front of him. Another caution on lap 22 would again bunch the field up for a Delaware double file restart behind race leader Barber. Another terrific restart by Barber would see him stretch his lead to a seven car length lead over Jewell by lap 26.

With 27 laps scored the complexion of the race would change dramatically for Barber as his fan blade would break and knock off the water pump which allowed water to go underneath the car and onto his right rear tire forcing him into the turn four guardrail. Jewell who was some six lengths behind Barber at this point also brushed the guardrail, which caused minimal damage to his car. But unfortunately for Barber his night was done and after a strong run his car was parked for the night.

After Barber's car was cleared from the track Jewell would now be the man up front with Tungate, James, Johnson and Marlar the top five runners. Without any more caution flags Jewell would extend his lead over Tungate to a comfortable margin which he would take to the checkers. Even though Jewell had picked up a few cars on the tail end of the field he was able to finish off the 40 lap race in an unchallenged ending. Tungate would take second with James barely edging out Johnson for fourth as Marlar would cross the finish line in fifth.

"I hate to win them like that" said Jewell afterwards. "I feel bad for Bryan, he had a strong car and I don't think I was going to able to pass him for the lead, I was content the way it looked there for a while to run second, but that's racing sometimes and tonight we were on the fortunate end of things."

Completing the top ten were Victor Lee, Aaron Hatton, Johnny Wheeler, Jack Sullivan and Chris Combs.

In preliminary action Bryan Barber was the Racing Optics Fast Qualifier for the 30 entries on hand with a lap of 15.339 seconds. The winners of the Mason Racin' Heat Races were Tim Tungate and Mike Marlar and Mike Jewell won the Arizona Sport Shirts Heat Race. The Design 500 B-Main was taken by Tim Damron.

Coming up on Friday Night, June 2 will be race number three for the 2006 edition of the Kentucky Speedweek as a visit to Larry Yantz' Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY is on tap with a $5,000 to win payoff awaiting the winner. For updated information on the Kentucky Speedweek you can log onto www.kyspeedweek.com.

Race Summary
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Thursday Night, June 1, 2006
Richmond Raceway-Richmond, KY
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Bryan Barber 15.339
Mason Racin' First Heat: (10 Laps-Top 5 Advance): Tim Tungate, Bryan Barber, Doug Horton, Jack Sullivan, Larry Gray Jr., Brett Wyatt, Tim Damron, Jeff Watson, Dan Deaton, Jamie Ferguson
Mason Racin' Second Heat: (10 Laps-Top 5 Advance): Mike Marlar, Scott James, Victor Lee, Bobby Carrier Jr., Chris Combs, Scotty Earl, Johnny Wheeler, Anthony Ferguson, Marty Stepp, John Jackson
Arizona Sport Shirts Third Heat: (10 Laps-Top 5 Advance): Mike Jewell, Greg Johnson, Justin Rattliff, Aaron Hatton, Scott Douglas, Dennis Roberson, Bobby Wolter Jr., Jason Barrett, Daryl Rucker, (DNS) Michael Chilton
Design 500 B-Main: (12 Laps-Top 5 Advance): Tim Damron, Johnny Wheeler, Scotty Earl, Jeff Watson, Jason Barrett, Anthony Ferguson, Brett Wyatt, Dan Deaton, Jamie Ferguson, Bobby Wolter Jr., Dennis Roberson

O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: (40 Laps): Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate, Scott James, Greg Johnson, Mike Marlar, Victor Lee, Aaron Hatton, Johnny Wheeler, Jack Sullivan, Chris Combs, Justin Rattliff, Bobby Carrier Jr., Scotty Earl, Larry Gray Jr., Doug Horton, Scott Douglas, Marty Stepp, Bobby Wolter Jr., Dan Deaton, Jason Barrett, Bryan Barber, Tim Damron, Jeff Watson, Dennis Roberson

Race Statistics:
Entries: 30
Caution Flags: 4
Red Flags: 0
Lap Leaders: Tim Tungate 1-2, Bryan Barber 3-27, Mike Jewell 28-40
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Johnny Wheeler (Started 17th and finished 8th-advanced 9 positions)
Cruise with the Champions Rookie of the Race: Justin Rattliff
Series Provisionals: Bobby Wolter Jr. and Dan Deaton
Track Provisionals: Dennis Roberson and Marty Stepp

2006 Kentucky Speedweek Points Standings (After June 1 event)
1. Greg Johnson-460
2. Mike Jewell-430
3. Scott James-415
4. Tim Tungate-405
5. Justin Rattliff-345
6. Aaron Hatton-340
6. Chris Combs-340
8. Jack Sullivan-310
9. Bobby Wolter Jr-265
9. Bryan Barber-265

2006 Kentucky Speedweek Schedule
May 29--Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway-Calvert City, KY Winner-Greg Johnson
May 30-31-Bluegrass Speedway-Bardstown, KY Rained Out
June 1--Richmond Raceway-Richmond, KY Winner-Mike Jewell
June 2--Ponderosa Speedway-Junction City, KY $5,000 to win
June 3--Florence Speedway-Union, KY $10,000 to win

Kentucky Speedweek Event at Bluegrass Speedway Rained Out

BARDSTOWN, KY -- The second stop on the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts was rained out on Wednesday Night, May 30 after two Mason Racin' Heat Races were in the books. With no other raindates in the Kentucky Speedweek schedule, the event will not be made up. Rainchecks will be honored for the next three weeks at the Bluegrass Speedway.

Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN won the opening event for the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek on Monday Night, May 29 at the Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, KY. Richmond (KY) Raceway is next on the Kentucky Speedweek schedule with a $3,000 to win event on Thursday Night, June 1 followed by a $5,000 to win event at the Ponderosa (KY) Speedway on Friday Night, June 2 with the finale on Saturday Night, 3 with the 20th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial Race at the Florence (KY) Speedway paying $10,000 to win. The Thursday and Friday Speedweek events are both sanctioned by the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series and Saturday's race at Florence is sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and will also have the cameras of SPEED Channel on hand to tape Saturday Nights event.

Officials of the both the Series and Florence Speedway recently announced the Inaugural Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion will receive a guaranteed starting birth in the prestigious North-South 100 on August 11 and 12, 2006. The Points Champion will receive $1000 in cash for his efforts for the weeklong pilgrimage across the Bluegrass state and then be guaranteed $1500 starting money for the North-South 100 with the possibility of cashing in on the huge $50,000 paycheck the winner of the 100 lap receives. With this added bonus, the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion is guaranteed $2500 with a possibility of making the week long reward $51,000! Second place in the Speedweek points will receive $1200, while third place takes home $700. Fourth place in the Speedweek points will receive $600 and fifth place is $500. Points for the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek will be tallied using the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series/Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points system.

For more information on the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek you can visit the website for the week at www.kypspeedweek.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Heads to 201 Speedway This Saturday, June 3rd

LEXINGTON, KY -- The NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series will make their first appearance of the year at the 201 Speedway this Saturday, 3rd. It will be the fourth event of the season for Kentucky's premier Open Wheel Modified series as Tommy Bailey currently sits atop the points standings.

A complete show for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series will be on tap at the Mike Osborne-promoted facility. Hot Laps will be immediately followed by Racing Optics Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and the A-Main paying $1,500 to win and $125 to start. The purse for this event is as follows:

1. $1,500
2. 700
3. 500
4. 400
5. 350
6. 300
7. 275
8. 250
9. 225
10. 200
11. 180
12. 160
13. 150
14. 140
15. 130
16. 125
17. 125
18. 125
19. 125
20. 125
21. 125
22. 125

In the first three NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series events held in 2006 Tommy Bailey has two victories, notching wins in the first two events of the season at Lake Cumberland and Richmond. Last weekend at Bluegrass, Don Adams rolled into victory lane for the first time this season. Over 75 different drivers have competed with the Series already in 2006 with Tommy Bailey leading the championship standings with Jimmy Payne in second. A logjam for third finds defending Series Champion Joey Kramer holding off Kelly Warren and Don Adams.

201 Speedway is 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located 5.5 miles north of US 23 on SR 201, just north of Sitka, KY. The track phone number on race day is (606) 265-3201.

For more information on the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series you can log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859) 433-5707.

Kentucky Speedweek Event at Bluegrass Speedway Rescheduled for Wednesday Night

The second stop on the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts was rained out on Tuesday Night, May 30. Promoters David and Anita Ferrell have re-scheduled the event for this Wednesday Night, May 31. Since no on track preliminaries took place on Tuesday evening there will be a complete new show for Wednesday with Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin' and Arizona Sport Shirts Heat Races, Design 500 B-Mains and the 30 Lap 9th Annual "Spring Sizzler" Paying $3,000 to win. New entries will be accepted for Wednesday's show.

Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN won the opening event for the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek on Monday Night, May 29 at the Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, KY. With the Bardstown's race now on Wednesday, May 31 the rest of the schedule will remain the same with Richmond (KY) Raceway running a $3,000 to win event on Thursday Night, June 1 followed by a $5,000 to win event at the Ponderosa (KY) Speedway on Friday Night, June 2 with the finale on Saturday Night, 3 with the 20th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial Race at the Florence (KY) Speedway paying $10,000 to win. The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Speedweek events are all sanctioned by the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series and Saturday's race at Florence is sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and will also have the cameras of SPEED Channel on hand to tape Saturday Nights event.

The second 2006 Kentucky Speedweek event at the Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY will see the pit gates open at 4 pm with main gates opening at 5 pm. The drivers meeting will take place at 6 pm with hot laps starting at 6:30 pm with time trials to follow at 7 pm. General admission is $15 for adults with children 6-12 ages tickets priced at $8. Children under six are admitted for free and pit admission is $30. For more information on Bluegrass Speedway you can call the track at (502) 349-1241 or visit their website for directions at www.bluegrass-speedway.com.

Officials of the both the Series and Florence Speedway recently announced the Inaugural Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion will receive a guaranteed starting birth in the prestigious North-South 100 on August 11th and 12th, 2006. The Points Champion will receive $1000 in cash for his efforts for the weeklong pilgrimage across the Bluegrass state and then be guaranteed $1500 Start Money for the North-South 100 with the possibility of cashing in on the huge $50,000 the 100 lap event in August pays to the winner of the event. With this added bonus, the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion is guaranteed $2500 with a possibility of making the week long reward $51,000!

Second place in the Speedweek points will receive $1200, while third place takes home $700. Fourth place in the Speedweek points will receive $600 and fifth place is $500. Points for the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek will be tallied using the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series/Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points system and are based on 4 of the 5 scheduled events being completed. Series Officials anticipate additional announcements this week in regards to other bonuses for drivers competing in the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek.

For more information on the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek you can visit the website for the week at www.kypspeedweek.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

Greg Johnson Nabs Kentucky Speedweek Opener at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway

CALVERT CITY, KY – The inaugural Kentucky Speedweek kicked off in thrilling fashion as Bedford, IN’s Greg Johnson claimed the Memorial Day win in the first ever O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series event held at the Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. The win was Johnson’s third with the Series in 2006.

Local favorites Terry English and Tim Brown brought the strong field of cars to the green with Brown inching ahead of English and Johnson to lead the first circuit. A multi-car accident in turns one and two blocked the race track and brought the field under the red flag. When racing resumed, Johnson stormed ahead of Brown to take command of the field as a caution for Chris Combs fell one lap later.

On the restart, Johnson watched an entertaining battle for second in his rearview mirror as Brown was busy fending off the challenges of English. Behind them, Freddy Smith held the fourth spot with Don O’Neal, Brad Neat, and Scott James all jockeying for position. On lap 5, 15th-starting Jimmy Owens cracked the top ten and soon joined the fierce, three-way dance for seventh.

The long run of green flag action provided great racing behind Johnson as Brown and English continuously raced side-by-side for the bridesmaid honors. Meanwhile, Smith, O’Neal, and Neat were in an absolute dogfight for fourth with each driver sticking a nose under the others in the corners.

Despite closing in on the back of the field at the halfway point, Johnson’s torrid pace could not be slowed. Slicing and dicing through the backmarkers, Johnson made a power move on lap 15 putting three lapped cars between himself and the side-by-side battle for second between Brown and English. On lap 18, the final caution of the night would fly when Aaron Hatton slowed in turns three and four.

The restart saw Brown dive to the bottom of the race track in a bid for the top spot. When Johnson motored back ahead of Brown off the second corner, the door was open for English to make his move. English again pulled alongside Brown in a race for second as, simultaneously, Smith, O’Neal, and Neat went three-wide for fourth. With five laps to go, English completed his pass for second and Neat catapulted himself from sixth to fourth.

Over the final five laps, English tried his best to chase down race-leader Johnson, but to no avail. Behind them, Neat charged into third with just three laps to go, but he too couldn’t track down Johnson. When the checkered flag waved, Bedford, IN’s Greg Johnson was the first to cross the stripe in the John Hall owned, J&H Construction/Hall’s Angus Farms/Outlaw Graphics sponsored, Pro Power/Intimidator Grand Prix.

Second place went to Benton, KY’s Terry English driving the AAA Fence Inc./Larry Seay Chevy/Runion/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Dunnville, KY native Brad Neat took home third in his Cornett powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo sponsored by Neat’s Service Center and NWN Distributing. Don O’Neal’s last lap pass netted the Martinsville, IN driver a fourth place finish in the Independence Lumber/Foxfire Realty/Jay Dickens/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo. Rounding out the top five was Benton, KY’s Tim Brown in a Custom powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo sponsored by Parkway Chrysler and Ultra Custom Wheels.

Tonight, the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will be in action at the Bluegrass Speedway just south of Bardstown, KY for Night #2 of the Kentucky Speedweek. For more information on the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit our new website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com. For more information on the Kentucky Speedweek, visit the official Speedweek website at www.kyspeedweek.com.

Results Summary
Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway – Calvert City, KY
May 29, 2006
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series

Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Jeremy Williams/14.840
Mason Racin’ Heat #1: Freddy Smith, Randle Sweeney, Jack Sullivan, Jeremy Williams, Michael Steele, Bryan Barber, Mike Jewell, Charles LaPlant, Chris Shelton
Mason Racin’ Heat #2: Tim Brown, Brad Neat, John Tindal, Earl Pearson Jr., Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, Aaron Hatton, Justin Rattliff, Dan Deaton, Michael England
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3: Terry English, Scott James, Don O’Neal, Jimmy Owens, Tim Tungate, William Simmons, Wendell Wallace, Scott Dedwylder
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #4: Greg Johnson, Chris Combs, Kevin Cole, Dylan Thompson, Damon Eller, Michael Chilton, Jordan Bland, Bobby Wolter Jr.
Design 500 B-Main #1: Michael England, Mike Jewell, Aaron Hatton, Justin Rattliff, Charles LaPlant, Bryan Barber, Michael Steele, Chris Shelton, Dan Deaton
Design 500 B-Main #2: Tim Tungate, Damon Eller, Bobby Wolter Jr., Michael Chilton, Jordan Bland, William Simmons (DNS – Wendell Wallace, Scott Dedwylder)
O’Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: Greg Johnson, Terry English, Brad Neat, Don O’Neal, Tim Brown, Freddy Smith, Scott James, Jimmy Owens, John Tindal, Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate, Justin Rattliff, Damon Eller, Chris Combs, Michael Chilton, Michael England, Aaron Hatton, Bryan Barber, Kevin Cole, Randle Sweeney, Jack Sullivan, Dylan Thompson, Bobby Wolter Jr., Earl Pearson Jr.

Race Statistics
Lap Leaders: Tim Brown 1, Greg Johnson 2-25
Cautions: 2
Red Flags: 1
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger: Justin Rattliff (started 24th, finished 12th)
Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race: Justin Rattliff
Series Provisionals: Bryan Barber, Justin Rattliff
Entries: 36

Don Adams Claims NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series 6th Annual Mod Squad Bash at Bluegrass Speedway

Bardstown, KY-May 27, 2006- The NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series visited Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY for the 6th Annual Mod Squad Bash and veteran Modified chassis builder Don Adams of London, KY led 24 of the 25 laps to claim the win in his Lightning Chassis #1 entry.

The drop of the green flag to start the A-main event would see Leonard Pierce take the race lead, with Don Adams in second, with third through fifth going to Benji Lee, Jimmy Payne, and Brandon Green. The first of four caution flags would fly on lap 2 as fifth place Green would spin in turn 3 and collect the Greg Payne driven entry in the process. On the restart, race leader Pierce would experience mechanical woes and pull his mount to the infield area, handing the lead over to Adams. Joey Kramer would squeeze between cars and roll into fourth and bring Robbie Gullion along in fifth.

The second caution would wave on lap 4 as Greg Payne would loop his mount in turn four. Back under green, Tommy Bailey would slide by Gullion for fifth, as Kramer would now be third. Bailey would take fourth from Lee on the next circuit, as the front trio of Adams, Payne, and Kramer would begin to pull away from the rest of the field. The front five would remain the same until Gullion would work by Lee for fifth on lap 12, as the third caution would wave on lap 13 as fast qualifier Elliott Despain rolled to a stop in turn two with a broken bolt in the rear-end yoke.

Adams would continue to hold the race lead back under green, with Jimmy Payne still in second, while Kramer and Bailey would begin to dice it up for the three spot. This pair would join Payne in a three-wide dance for second, that would see Kramer go the runner-up slot on lap 15. With Payne now third and Bailey fourth, Gullion would mount a charge and pressure Bailey for fourth on lap 18 and take the spot one lap later.

The final caution of the race would appear on lap 22 as fourth place Gullion would spin his entry in turn four. On the final restart Payne pull alongside Kramer in turns one and two, with the pair side by side off of turn two. The pair would make a bit of contact, with Kramer tagging the outside guardrail and go flying off of the track, out of harms way with a broken right front tie-rod. Kelly Warren's quiet charge to the front from his 15th starting position would see him drive by Bailey on lap 23. Adams would survive a pair of charges from Payne but hold on to see the checkered flag first, with Payne second, followed by Warren, Bailey, and Dustin Linville. Lee, Sam Murphy, Sr., Adam Gootee, Gullion, and Shon Flanery would complete the top ten.

A total of 49 entries were signed in for the event, with Elliott Despain setting quick time in time trials with a lap of 17.146 seconds. The heat race victories would fall to Jimmy Payne, Benji Lee, Don Adams, Brandon Green, and Leonard Pierce. The B-main wins were scored by Shon Flanery and Dustin Linville. Series provisionals would go to Miguel Coffey and Troy Teegarden, while track provisional starting spots fell to Josh Lucas and Raffo Elmore.

The next event for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series comes up this Saturday night, June 3, at 201 Speedway in Sitka, KY.

RACE SUMMARY
NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series
Bluegrass Speedway
Bardstown, KY-May 27, 2006
6th Annual Mod Squad Bash

Racing Optics Fast Qualifier- Elliott Despain 17.146
1st Heat- Jimmy Payne, Greg Payne, Adam Gootee, Elliott Despain, Tim Moore, Shawn Simpson, Joey Jones, Brian Shewmaker, Mark Bell, Rodney Bruce
2nd Heat- Benji Lee, Robbie Gullion, Jeff Johnson, Raffo Elmore, Matt Smallwood, Josh Lucas, Russ Gabbert, J.T. Ayers, Joe Turner (DNS-Jason Riney)
3rd Heat- Don Adams, Joey Kramer, Freddy Garmon, Shon Flanery, Butch Shay, Thomas Brooks, Joe Mattingly, Miguel Coffey (DNS-Troy Teegarden, Keith Trimble)
4th Heat- Brandon Green, Dion Benningfield, Sam Murphy, Sr., Dustin Linville, Todd Coffman, Robbie Bennett, Jason Wheatley, Allen Matthews, Bobby Neal (DNS- Gary Isaacs)
5th Heat- Leonard Pierce, Tommy Bailey, Kelly Warren, Randy Turpin, Mark Walters, Clint Shutts, Randall Basham, Rocky Wilson (DNS-Brian Marksbury)
B-Main #1- Shon Flanery, Elliott Despain, Todd Coffman, Rodney Bruce, Thomas Brooks, Matt Smallwood, Randy Turpin, Miguel Coffey, Rocky Wilson, Russ Gabbert, Shawn Simpson
B-Main #2- Dustin Linville, Butch Shay, Joey Jones, Robbie Bennett, Mark Bell, Randall Basham, Mark Walters, Troy Teegarden, Raffo Elmore, Tim Moore

A-Main (6th Annual Mod Squad Bash)- Don Adams, Jimmy Payne, Kelly Warren, Tommy Bailey, Dustin Linville, Benji Lee, Sam Murphy, Sr., Adam Gootee, Robbie Gullion, Shon Flanery, Dion Benningfield, Joey Kramer, Raffo Elmore, Butch Shay, Jeff Johnson, Brandon Green, Elliott Despain, Josh Lucas, Troy Teegarden, Freddy Garmon, Joey Jones, Todd Coffman, Greg Payne, Leonard Pierce, Miguel Coffey

RACE STATISTICS
Total Entries- 49
Hard Charger- Kelly Warren (started 15th, finished 3rd; advanced 12 positions)
Series Provisionals- Troy Teegarden, Miguel Coffey
Track Provisionals- Josh Lucas, Raffo Elmore
Cautions- 4 (Laps 2, 4, 13, 22)
Red Flags- None
Race Leaders- 2 (Leonard Pierce 1, Don Adams 2-25)

NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series Points as of May 27, 2006 (Top 10)
1. Tommy Bailey- 720
2. Jimmy Payne- 670
3. Joey Kramer- 610
4. Kelly Warren- 605
5. Don Adams- 600
6. Adam Gootee- 560
7. Dustin Linville- 495
8. Cale Coffey- 465
9. Russ Gabbert- 420
10. Greg Payne- 410

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Unveils New Website

LEXINGTON, KY - The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts has given their website a sleek, stylish overhaul. The website's new look can be seen at www.battleofthebluegrass.com.

Devin Jones of DJ Designs and O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Event Coordinator Rick Schwallie have worked collectively on the new website the past several weeks. The new, eye-appealing look makes what was an already easy-to-navigate-through website even easier. The Battle of the Bluegrass website contains all of the latest information on the Series including race results, press releases, scheduling info, updated points standings, and more.

The next stop for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series, the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek, is now just a few days away. The nation's most competitive regional racing series will venture to KY Lake Motor Speedway on Mon, May 29th and then to Bluegrass Speedway on Tuesday, May 30th. After a night off, the series heads to Richmond Raceway on Thursday, June 1st and Ponderosa Speedway on Friday, June 2nd. The final leg of the Kentucky Speedweek is a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event on Saturday, June 3rd at the Florence Speedway.

Earlier this week, officials from the both the Series and Florence Speedway announced theat the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion would receive a guaranteed starting spot in the prestigious North-South 100 on August 11th and 12th, 2006. The Points Champion will receive $1000 in cash for his efforts for the weeklong pilgrimage across the Bluegrass state and then be guaranteed $1500 start money for the North-South 100 with the possibility of cashing in on the huge $50,000 paycheck the winner of 100 lap event receives. With this added bonus, the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion is guaranteed a minimum $2500 with a possibility of making the week long reward over $50,000!

Second place in the Speedweek points will receive $1200, while third place takes home $700. Fourth place in the Speedweek points will receive $600 and fifth place is $500. Points for the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek will be tallied using the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series/Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points system and payouts are based on 4 of the 5 scheduled events being completed.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please log on to the all new website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

State of Kentucky's "Drive Smart" Program is Newest O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Partner

LEXINGTON, KY -- O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series officials would like to welcome the State of Kentucky's "Drive Smart" program as the newest partner to sign on with the nation's most competitive regional racing series. The Drive Smart Kentucky program was adopted in an effort to increase awareness about highway safety, not just in the Bluegrass State, but all over the country.

Across the nation in 2004, over 31,000 people will be killed in their vehicle. Astonishingly, 55% of those killed were not wearing their safety belts. Furthermore, of all fatalities that occurred among pickup truck drivers, 68% of those were not wearing a seat belt. The State of Kentucky reports that the odds of surviving a rollover crush in a light weight truck (pickup truck) increase by nearly 80% just by buckling up.

Through Drive Smart, the State of Kentucky has been able to place signs, and in some areas portable speed radar trailers, throughout each of the state's twelve corridors as well as the entrance and exit of all weigh stations, rest areas, welcome centers, and state parks. In addition, traffic safety checkpoints are coordinated with local and state law enforcement agencies to enforce all traffic safety laws and identify vehicle equipment violations.

"The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's 'Drive Smart Kentucky Team' is proud to partner with the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series and Dirt Racing Fans everywhere to encourage everyone to Buckle Up when they leave the track," said Dan Barnett, Director of Drive Smart Kentucky. "We know that seat belts save lives, and helps reduce the severity of injuries WHEN you are in a crash. And for the majority of drivers, it's not a matter of IF you will be involved in a crash.... but WHEN. So, please Always Buckle up and Drive Smart."

Drive Smart Kentucky and O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Officials have several events planned throughout the season to increase driver safety and awareness to race fans and race teams. Drive Smart Kentucky also coordinates programs in schools throughout Kentucky to educate students on making correct choices in life and facing the consequences of driving while impaired. Furthermore, Drive Smart helps to educate drivers on safely traveling with commercial vehicles by bringing an actual tractor trailer to schools, fairs, and other special events.

Next on the schedule for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series is the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek. The nation's most competitive regional racing series will venture to KY Lake Motor Speedway on Mon, May 29th and then to Bluegrass Speedway on Tuesday, May 30th. After a night off, the series heads to Richmond Raceway on Thursday, June 1st and Ponderosa Speedway on Friday, June 2nd. The final leg of the Kentucky Speedweek is a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event on Saturday, June 3rd at the Florence Speedway.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Visits Bluegrass Speedway This Saturday, May 27th

LEXINGTON, KY -- The NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series returns to action this Saturday Night, May 27th at the Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY for the 6th Annual "Mod Squad Bash". It will be the third event of the season for Kentucky's premier Open Wheel Modified series as Tommy Bailey has been victorious in the first two BoB Modified races in 2006.

A complete show for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series will be on tap at the Charles Hamilton-owned, David and Anita Ferrell-promoted 1/2-mile oval. Hot Laps will be immediately followed by Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and the A-Main paying $1,500 to win and $125 to start. Past winners of the "Mod Squad Bash" include Joe Mattingly, Benji Lee, Josh Lucas, Kelly Warren, and Ted Nobbe. The purse for this event is as follows:

1. $1,500 2. 700 3. 500 4. 400 5. 350 6. 300 7. 275 8. 250 9. 225 10. 200 11. 180 12. 160 13. 150 14. 140 15. 130 16. 125 17. 125 18. 125 19. 125 20. 125  21. 125 22. 125

In the first two NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series events held in 2006 Tommy Bailey has been the man to beat, notching wins at Lake Cumberland and Richmond. Jimmy Payne and defending Series Champion Joey Kramer are tied for second with 2004 Series Champion Kelly Warren fourth, and Adam Gootee fifth.

For more information on Bluegrass Speedway please visit their website at www.bluegrass-speedway.com or call the track phone on race day at (502) 349-1241.

For more information on the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series you can log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859) 433-5707.

Highly Anticipated Kentucky Speedweek Takes Center Stage Next Week; Speedweek Champion Gets Automatic Starting Berth in 2006 North South 100

LEXINGTON, KY - The long-awaited and highly anticipated Kentucky Speedweek takes center stage in the dirt track racing world next week as the inaugural event boasts five races in six days. The first four events will be sanctioned by the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts while the final race will be a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned show with the cameras of Speed Channel on hand to tape that race.

Officials of the both the Series and Florence Speedway are please to announce the Inaugural Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion will receive a guaranteed starting birth in the prestigious North-South 100 on August 11th and 12th, 2006. The Points Champion will receive $1000 in cash for his efforts for the weeklong pilgrimage across the Bluegrass state and then be guaranteed $1500 Start Money for the North-South 100 with the possibility of cashing in on the huge $50,000 the 100 lap event in August pays to the winner of the event. With this added bonus, the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek Points Champion is guaranteed a minimum $2500 with a possibility of making the week long reward $51,000!

Second place in the Speedweek points will receive $1200, while third place takes home $700. Fourth place in the Speedweek points will receive $600 and fifth place is $500. Points for the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek will be tallied using the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series/Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points system and payouts are based on 4 of the 5 scheduled events being completed. Series Officials anticipate additional announcements this week in regards to other bonuses for drivers competing in the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek.

The first ever Kentucky Speedweek kicks off with a $3000 to win show on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29th, as the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts makes their first ever visit to the Sherri Heckenast-promoted Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway located in Calvert City, KY. In addition, fans attending this race will also get to see the B-Mains and the feature from the rained out "99".

Night Two of the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek will go down at the David and Anita Ferrell-promoted Bluegrass Speedway on Tuesday, May 30th. Located just south of historic Bardstown, KY, Bluegrass Speedway is a 1/2-mile high-banked clay oval. On tap will be the 9th Annual Spring Sizzler for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series paying $3000 to win.

After taking Wednesday night off, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts will venture to the action track known as Richmond Raceway on Thursday, June 1st for another $3000 to win event. Never short on excitement, Richmond Raceway is a 3/10 semi-banked oval that is home to the Butterball Wooldridge Memorial among other special events. Greg Johnson picked up the win in the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series win at Richmond back on April 28th.

Friday, June 2nd, the Ponderosa Speedway will host Night Four of the Kentucky Speedweek with the first ever running of the Ponderosa 50. This show will pay $5000 to the winner of the 50-lap O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series race on the 3/8-mile Junction City oval. In one O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series event held at "The Pond" this season, Joey Daniel notched a thrilling win over Chris Combs.

The inaugural Kentucky Speedweek comes to a close in front of the Speed Channel Cameras on Saturday, June 3rd at the King Family's Florence Speedway with the $10,000 to win 20th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial which will be sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The Ralph Latham Memorial always draws a stellar field of cars to the 1/2-mile high-banked clay oval and this year's event is expected to be no different. Don O'Neal won last year's event in thrilling fashion, passing Earl Pearson Jr. with just three laps to go.

Currently, there are tight points battles atop both the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Champions standings. A mere 80 points separates the top four in the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series standing with Mike Jewell leading Chris Combs, Bryan Barber, Tim Tungate, and Justin Rattliff. In the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, defending Series Champion Earl Pearson Jr. has a slim 20 point lead over Don O'Neal with Donnie Moran, Matt Miller, and Scott James completing the top five.

For more information and to keep up with all current updates on the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek, visit the official website at www.kyspeedweek.com.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.

2006 Kentucky Speedweek Schedule
Monday, May 29 - KY Lake Motor Speedway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $3000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, 350, 325, 325, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
Tuesday, May 30 - Bluegrass Speedway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $3000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, 350, 325, 325, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
Wednesday, May 31 - Off
Thursday, June 1 - Richmond Raceway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $3000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, 350, 325, 325, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
Friday, June 2 - Ponderosa Speedway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $5000, 3000, 2000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 450, 400, 400, 350, 350, 300, 300, 300, 300
Saturday, June 3rd - Florence Speedway - Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
PURSE: $10000, 5000, 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500, 1400, 1300, 1200, 1100, 1000, 950, 900, 875, 850, 825, 800, 775, 750, 725, 700, 700, 700, 700

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 1360
2. 47 Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 1340
3. 10 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY) - 1305
4. 18 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 1280
5. 16 Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 1210
6. 33 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY) - 1085
7. 41 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 1010
8. 11 Bobby Wolter Jr. (Lexington, KY) - 970
9. 97 Michael Chilton (Salvisa, KY) - 895
10. 17 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, KY) - 885

Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points
1. Earl Pearson, Jr. (Jacksonville, FL) - 2055
2. Don O'Neal (Martinsville, IN) - 2035
3. Donnie Moran (Dresden, OH) - 1935
4. Matt Miller (Waterville, OH) - 1730
5. Scott James (Lawrenceburg, IN) - 1660
6. Tim Dohm (Cross Lanes, WV) - 1590
7. Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN) - 1560
8. Freddy Smith (Seymour, TN) - 1395
9. Brady Smith (Solon Springs, WI) - 1370
10. Rick Eckert (York, PA) - 1325

Tommy Bailey Rolls to NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series Win at Richmond Raceway

Richmond, KY-May 20- Tommy Bailey of Corbin, KY survived a rash of caution flags and attrition to score his second win in as many Series events so far in 2006 as Bailey would win the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series event at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY on Saturday night. Bailey's win came aboard the Advance Auto Parts of Corbin/M and T Signs/ Pulaski Steel/Hovis Race Engines sponsored #11 Lightning Chassis entry. A total of 38 entries were on hand for the event at the 3/10 mile Brandon Witt and Shayne Puckett promoted facility.

Front row starter Dustin Linville would take the lead at the drop of the green flag in the 30 lap, $1,500 to win A-main event, only to have the first of eleven caution flags slow the pace on lap 2 for a tangle between Clint Shutts and Don Adams. Linville would resume his charge up front, only to be slowed again for J.D. Roberts and David Adams wreck in turn three that saw Adams back his mount hard into the outside retaining wall.

After a failed restart attempt for a tangle by Matt Boknecht and Don Adams, the next restart would only see one more green flag lap completed when disaster struck for race leader Linville, who would slow on the track and pull off the track with suspension damage on his entry. This would hand the lead over to defending series champion Joey Kramer, who would in turn bring out the next caution on lap 9 when he suffered a flat left rear tire and would pull to the "hot pit" area and change the tire and return to action.

The restart would now have Tommy Bailey with the race lead, with Brandon Green giving chase. In between two more caution periods, Jimmy Payne was mounting a charge to the front, as was previous race leader Kramer, who had restarted at the rear of the field after his flat tire was changed. Lap 20 would see Payne finally win the duel with Green for the runner-up slot, with Payne now setting his sights on race leader Bailey. Lap 22 would see the yellow wave again as Anthony Reams made contact with the outside wall in turn four after having a three-wide battle with Mike Harris and Joe Turner, with Reams pulling to a stop in turn one.

After one final caution flag on lap 23, the dash to the finish was on as Payne would lose the runner-up slot to Green and then lose third to Kramer, but laps would run out for that duo and Bailey would take the checkered flag and a $1,500 payday. Green would take second, with Kramer taking third after restarting at the rear on lap 9. Payne and Clint Shutts would complete the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Leonard Pierce, Arnold Adams, Kelly Warren, Delane Browning, and Adam Gootee.

Matt Boknecht was top qualifier among the 38 entries with a qualifying lap of 16.290 seconds. Heat winners were Walt Neal, Russ Gabbert, Dustin Linville, and Brandon Green. The B-mains were won by Leonard Pierce and Arnold Adams. Series provisionals went to Joe Turner and Anthony Reams, while Richmond Raceway track provisionals going to Aaron Coffey and Boknecht.

The next event on the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series schedule is set for this Saturday night, May 27, at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY, as the "BoB Mod Squad" invades the ½ mile Nelson County oval for the 6th Annual Mod Squad Bash. Ted Nobbe of Batesville, IN is the defending champion of this upcoming event.

SUMMARY-Richmond Raceway-Richmond, Kentucky-May 20, 2006
NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series (38 entries)
Top Qualifier- Matt Boknecht 16.290
1st Heat- Walt Neal, Cale Coffey, Delane Browning, Leonard Pierce, Matt Boknecht, Matt Bex, Brent Harris, David Fields, Brian Marksbury
2nd Heat- Russ Gabbert, Tommy Bailey, Joey Kramer, Tim Moore, David Adams, Jason Wheatley, Joe Turner, Aaron Coffey, Thomas Brooks (DNS-Troy Teegarden)
3rd Heat- Dustin Linville, Clint Shutts, Don Adams, Greg Payne, Arnold Adams, Mike Harris, Steven Gibson, Jeff Johnson, Chad Barrett
4th Heat- Brandon Green, Jimmy Payne, Kelly Warren, Adam Gootee, Michael Ward, Anthony Reams, Al Kiernan, Frank Richards, Victor Lee
B-Main #1- Leonard Pierce, J.D. Roberts, David Adams, Matt Boknecht, Jason Wheatley, Aaron Coffey, Joe Turner, Matt Bex, David Fields, Brian Marksbury, Tim Moore, Thomas Brooks, Brent Harris, Troy Teegarden
B-Main #2- Arnold Adams, Adam Gootee, Mike Harris, Greg Payne, Anthony Reams, Michael Ward, Steven Gibson, Frank Richards, Chad Barrett, Jeff Johnson, Al Kiernan, (DNS-Victor Lee)
Series Provisionals- Joe Turner, Anthony Reams
Track Provisionals- Aaron Coffey, Matt Boknecht

A-Main- Tommy Bailey, Brandon Green, Joey Kramer, Jimmy Payne, Clint Shutts, Leonard Pierce, Arnold Adams, Kelly Warren, Delane Browning, Adam Gootee, Russ Gabbert, Mike Harris, Joe Turner, Cale Coffey, Aaron Coffey, Anthony Reams, Walt Neal, Dustin Linville, Matt Boknecht, Don Adams, J.D. Roberts, David Adams

Current NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series Points (Top 10 as of 5/20/06)
1. Tommy Bailey- 510
2. Joey Kramer- 440
Jimmy Payne- 440
4. Kelly Warren- 385
5. Adam Gootee- 370
6. Cale Coffey- 340
Don Adams- 340
8. Russ Gabbert- 325
9. Delane Browning- 315
10. Joe Turner- 300
Tim Moore- 300

Johnny Wheeler Wins Dramatic O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Show at Lake Cumberland

BURNSIDE, KY - Although he led all 40 laps of the Coca-Cola 40, Campbellsville, KY veteran Johnny Wheeler's win Saturday night at the Lake Cumberland Speedway was anything but easy. Wheeler fended off several late-race challenges by Chris Combs to nab his first Series victory in nearly two years. After his thrilling win, Wheeler becomes the 5th different victor in 7 races for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts in 2006.

Tyrel Todd and Fast Qualifier Bobby Wolter Jr. brought the field around to the green with Chris Combs and Johnny Wheeler behind in row two. In a drag race into turns one and two, Wheeler boldly shot to the outside of the track and was three-wide with Todd and Wolter coming off the second corner. After several laps of jockeying back and forth, Wheeler commanded a tight field with Bryan Barber, Todd, Combs, and Aaron Hatton in hot pursuit. Wolter slowed on the track on lap 6 to bring out the first caution of the night.

On the restart, Todd, Hatton, and Combs staged a three-way dance for third with Hatton eventually grabbing the spot with Combs in tow. Behind them, positions six through ten were changing every lap as Justin Rattliff, Mike Marlar, 13th-starting Michael Chilton, Mike Jewell, and 16th-starting Tim Tungate raced side-by-side and often times three-wide. A lap 12 yellow spoiled the action, but kept the field tight with Wheeler holding off Barber, Combs, Hatton, and Todd.

When racing resumed, Todd got shuffled back, allowing Rattliff and a hard-charging Chilton to get by. Up front, Barber stuck a nose under Wheeler in a bid for the lead, only to have Wheeler motor back ahead. The racing from sixth on back didn't miss a beat as Marlar, Jewell, Tungate, and Steve Hillard put on a show for the fans, trading positions lap after lap. Shortly before the crossed flags were displayed to the field, Wheeler had his biggest lead of the night at a mere six car lengths over Barber and Combs, who grabbed the fans attention with their own side-by-side duel for the bridesmaid position. Meanwhile, Chilton continued to be the man on the move, as he slipped past Rattliff to crack the top five on lap 18.

Wheeler's advantage would be short lived as the Campbellsville, KY driver caught the back of the field on lap 23. Just one circuit later, Combs would finally complete a pass on Barber to move the 2005 Rookie of the Year into the second position. As the lead trio diced in and out of lapped traffic, Chilton continued to impress by working his way around Hatton for fourth. A lap 28 caution slowed the field and, on the restart, a multi-car accident involving David Webb, Tim York, Steve Hillard, and Greg Lucas among others brought the red flag out to clear the blocked race track.

The final caution of the night waved just a few circuits later when York looped his mount in turns one and two. An eight-lap dash to the finish would see Wheeler leading Combs, Barber, Chilton, and Hatton. When the green flag waved, Combs immediately shot to the inside of Wheeler in a bid for the lead. The move brought the standing-room-only crowd to its feet as Wheeler and Combs raced side-by-side for the lead. Wheeler inched ahead ever so slightly on the straight-aways, but Combs was able to get a better run into the corners and pull along the race-long leader in the turns.

When the "two to go" signal was given to the field, the crowd was still on its feet as Wheeler and Combs were doorhandle-to-doorhandle for the lead. Wheeler would nose ahead and, as the white flag was displayed, Chilton pulled alongside Barber in a bid for third. Into turns three and four for the final time, Combs made one last ditch effort to get a run on Wheeler, but it wasn't enough. Johnny Wheeler would be victorious in Coca-Cola 40, driving the Robert Earl Motorsports/Certified Construction & Asphalt/All-Star Trucking/E.T. Sharp/United Check Cashing/Hicks Equipment/CVR Performance Bodies sponsored, Cropper powered, Rocket GTO. Wheeler becomes the 5th different winner in 7 races for the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts in 2006.

For the second race in a row, Isom, KY's Chris Combs settled for a close 2nd in the D&D Dairy/R&P Industrial Chimney/Cropper/Swartz GTO. Buffalo, KY's Bryan Barber held on for 3rd in the Revel Motorsports/PBM Performance sponsored, Bullock-Christopher powered, Rayburn GTO. Hard Charger Michael Chilton of Salvisa, KY took 4th in the Chilton's Garden Center/Bus Station Restaurant/AMS/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Completing the top five was Mt. Sterling, KY's Aaron Hatton in his Draime powered Rayburn Monte Carlo sponsored by Checkered Flag Auto Sales and Russell Hatton Mobile Home Center. 6th spot went to Mike Marlar with Tyrel Todd, Justin Rattliff, Mike Jewell, and Tim Tungate rounding out the top ten.

Bobby Wolter Jr. was the fast qualifier during Racing Optics Time Trials with a quick lap 14.192, just .002 faster than Just Rattliff. Mason Racin' Heat #1 went to Wolter while Chris Combs won Mason Racin' Heat #2 and Tyrel Todd won Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3. Tim Tungate nabbed the win in the Design 500 B-Main.

Next up for the nation's most competitive regional racing series will be the first ever Kentucky Speedweek. Monday, May 29th, the series heads west to KY Lake Motor Speedway for a $3000 to win event. Tuesday, May 30th, the series will visit Bluegrass Speedway for the 9th Annual Spring Sizzler, also paying $3000 to win. After and off night Wednesday, the series rolls into the Richmond Raceway on Thursday, June 1st for another $3000 to win show. Then on Friday, June 2nd, Ponderosa Speedway will host a $5000 to win race for the series. The inaugural Kentucky Speedweek wraps up on Saturday, June 3rd with Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned Ralph Latham Memorial at the Florence Speedway. For more information on the Kentucky Speedweek, log on to www.kyspeedweek.com.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859)433-5707.

Results Summary
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Lake Cumberland Speedway
May 20, 2006
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Bobby Wolter Jr./14.192
Mason Racin' Heat #1: Bobby Wolter Jr., Johnny Wheeler, Aaron Hatton, Larry Gray Jr., Michael Chilton, Brandon Hardgrove, Tim York, Shannon Thornsberry, Joe Patrick, Jay Mobley
Mason Racin' Heat #2: Chris Combs, Bryan Barber, Justin Rattliff, Mike Marlar, Greg Lucas, David Webb, Russell Brinson, Greg Hansford, Jerry Fuson
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3: Tyrel Todd, Sidney Sprague, Mike Jewell, Scotty Earl, Steve Hillard, Tim Tungate, John Jackson, Chris Ruble, Dan Deaton
Design 500 B-Main: Tim Tungate, David Webb, Shannon Thornsberry, Tim York, Brandon Hardgrove, John Jackson, Dan Deaton, Joe Patrick, Jerry Fuson, Russell Brinson, Chris Ruble, Greg Hansford
O'Reilly Auto Parts/Coca-Cola 40: Johnny Wheeler, Chris Combs, Bryan Barber, Michael Chilton, Aaron Hatton, Mike Marlar, Tyrel Todd, Justin Rattliff, Mike Jewell, Tim Tungate, Scotty Earl, Steve Hillard, David Webb, Greg Lucas, Shannon Thornsberry, Brandon Hardgrove, Bobby Wolter Jr., Tim York, John Jackson, Larry Gray Jr., Sidney Sprague

Race Statistics
Lap Leaders: Johnny Wheeler 1-40
Cautions: 4
Red Flags: 1
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger: Michael Chilton (started 13th, finished 4th)
Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race: Justin Rattliff
Track Provisional: John Jackson
Entries: 29

Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Schedule
May 29 - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 30 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 31 - Off
June 1 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
June 2 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
June 16 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3000 to win (Rescheduled 3rd Annual Spring 40)
June 17 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win (5th Annual June Jam)
June 24 - Brownstown Speedway, Brownstown, IN - $3000 to win (8th Annual Lee Fleetwood Memorial)

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 1360
2. 47 Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 1340
3. 10 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY) - 1305
4. 18 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 1280
5. 16 Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 1210

Excitement Builds as Kentucky Speedweek Now Just Two Weeks Away

LEXINGTON, KY - The first ever Kentucky Speedweek is now less than two weeks away. The O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction the events which are being held the week of May 29th to June 3rd throughout the Bluegrass State and offering near $120,000 in prize money over the six day stretch. The best Late Model wheelmen from in around the state of Kentucky are expected to participate in the week-long event.

The highly-anticipated Kentucky Speedweek will kickoff on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29th, as the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts makes their first ever visit to the Sherri Heckenast-promoted Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. In addition, fans attending this race will also get to see the B-Mains and the feature from the rained out "99". The Calvert City, KY track is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval and is the home of several prestigious events such as The Early Bird Classic and The Commonwealth Cup. Kentucky Lake's wide racing surface and state-of-the-art facilities are sure to be the perfect combination to host this historic event.

On Tuesday, May 30th, the nation's most competitive regional racing series will start making its way back east with a stop at Bardstown, KY's Bluegrass Speedway. On tap at the Charles Hamilton-owned, David & Anita Ferrell-promoted track will be the 9th Annual Spring Sizzler. Past winners of this event include Mike Hawley, Terry English, Rick Corbin, Don O'Neal, and Shannon Babb. Bluegrass Speedway first opened in 1995 and has hosted the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series every year since the series was founded in 2002. Over that time span, Mike Jewell, Darrell Lanigan, and Don O'Neal each have two Series wins at the 1/2-mile speedplant.

After taking Wednesday night off, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts will venture to the action track known as Richmond Raceway on Thursday, June 1st. Never short on excitement, Richmond Raceway is a 3/10 semi-banked oval that is home to the Butterball Wooldridge Memorial among other special events. Owned by James Stinnett and Bobby Reed, the track is now promoted by Shayne Puckett and Brandon Witt. Another track that has hosted the BoB Series every year since its inauguration, 2003 BoB Champion Mike Marlar leads the pack in Series wins at Richmond with three, followed by Mike Hawley, 2005 Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell, and Greg Johnson with two each.

The fourth leg of the Kentucky Speedweek will be a $5000 to win show on Friday, June 2nd as the Series slips over to Ponderosa Speedway for the first ever running of the Ponderosa 50. "The Pond" is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval promoted by 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Promoter of the Year Larry Yantz. The home of races such as the Hugh "Junebug" Rowland Memorial and the Annual Fall Classic, the track is a favorite among fans and drivers alike. Johnny Wheeler leads all drivers with three Series wins at the Junction City, KY facility.

The inaugural Kentucky Speedweek comes to a close in front of the Speed Channel Cameras on Saturday, June 3rd at the King Family's Florence Speedway with the $10,000 to win 20th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial which will be sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The Ralph Latham Memorial always draws a stellar field of cars to the 1/2-mile high-banked clay oval and this year's event is expected to be no different. The 2006 edition of the Ralph Latham Memorial will be taped by Speed Channel for broadcast at a time to be announced later. Past winners of the race include Don O'Neal, Mike Jewell, Scott James, Steve Francis, Donnie Moran, Billy Moyer, Bart Hartman, Darrell Lanigan, Jack Boggs, and Scott Bloomquist among several others. O'Neal won last year's event in thrilling fashion, passing Earl Pearson Jr. with just three laps to go.

The Kentucky Speedweek points fund will be announced next week which will reward drivers for their efforts during this competitive week of racing. For more information and to keep up with all current updates on the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek, visit the official website at www.kyspeedweek.com. 

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.

2006 Kentucky Speedweek Schedule
Monday, May 29 – KY Lake Motor Speedway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $3000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, 350, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
Tuesday, May 30 – Bluegrass Speedway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $3000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, 350, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
Wednesday, May 31 – Off
Thursday, June 1 – Richmond Raceway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $3000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 400, 350, 350, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300, 300
Friday, June 2 – Ponderosa Speedway - O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass
PURSE: $5000, 3000, 2000, 1500, 1000, 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, 550, 500, 450, 450, 400, 400, 350, 350, 300, 300, 300, 300
Saturday, June 3rd - Florence Speedway - Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
PURSE: $10000, 5000, 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500, 1400, 1300, 1200, 1100, 1000, 950, 900, 875, 850, 825, 800, 775, 750, 725, 700, 700, 700, 700

Lake Cumberland Speedway Hosts O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series This Saturday, May 20th

LEXINGTON, KY -- This Saturday, May 20th, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will make their first visit to the Lake Cumberland Speedway since 2003. Heading into the event, a tight points battle finds defending Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell at the front of the pack.

Saturday, May 20th, the Lake Cumberland Speedway will play host to Kentucky's premier Late Model series when the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts visits town. A complete night of racing is planned with Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and 4th Annual Coca-Cola 40 presented by McClane Motorsports. The 40-lap A-Main will the winner a cool $3000. Past BoB winners at Lake Cumberland include Jesse Lay, Darrell Lanigan, Timmy Yeager, and John Gill. In addition to Kentucky's premier Late Model Series, Lake Cumberland will also feature Open Wheel Modifieds, Super Dirt Stocks, and Chevettes. Gates for this event are slated to open at 2pm with Hot Laps hitting the track at approximately 6pm.

PURSE: 1)3000, 2)1500, 3)1000, 4)800, 5)750, 6)700, 7)650, 8)600, 9)550, 10)500, 11)450, 12)400, 13)350, 14)350, 15)300, 16)300, 17)300, 18)300, 19)300, 20)300, 21)300, 22)300

Lake Cumberland Speedway is a 3/8-mile clay oval located just south of Burnside, KY on the east side of US 27 on Racetrack Road (1/2-mile south of Burnside Island State Park). Since the start of the racing season, Lake Cumberland has received nothing but praise for the make-over the track surface received during the off-season, and two and three-wide racing has been the norm this season. For more information on Lake Cumberland, please visit their website at www.lcspeedway.net or call the track (606) 561-8994.

Thus far, over 130 different drivers have competed with the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series in 2006. Heading into this weekend's event, a tight points battle finds defending Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN holding a slim advantage over last season's Rookie of the Year Chris Combs, defending Series Co-Champion Tim Tungate, Buffalo, KY's Bryan Barber, and 2006 Rookie of the Year candidate Justin Rattliff. The logjam for second place in the points standings sees just 100 points separating 2nd through 6th.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859) 433-5707.

Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Schedule
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)
May 29 - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 30 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 31 - Off
June 1 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
June 2 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 1175
2. 47 Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 1110
3. 18 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 1100
4. 10 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY) - 1085
5. 16 Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 1020
6. 41 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 1010
7. 33 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY) - 880
8. 11 Bobby Wolter Jr. (Lexington, KY) - 810
9. 83 Scott James (Greendale, IN) - 730
9. 17 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, KY) - 730
9. D2 Dan Deaton (Georgetown, KY) - 730

NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Rolls Into Richmond May 20th

LEXINGTON, KY -- The NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series is ready to roll into their next event, Saturday, May 20th at the Richmond Raceway. One race into the 2006 season, Tommy Bailey is the current series points leader.

A complete racing program will be on tap at the Richmond "Action Track" on Saturday, May 20th, with Racing Optics Time Trials, Heats, B-Mains, and the A-Main. The Brandon Witt and Shayne Puckett-promoted facility is a 3/10-mile, semi-banked, clay oval located off Highway 52 off Greens Crossing Road just east of Richmond, KY. For more information on Richmond Raceway, please visit their website at www.richmond-raceway.com or call the track office at (859)624-0286.

In an effort to better accommodate the drivers, the track, and the series, the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series event originally scheduled for Friday, May 19th at Ponderosa Speedway has been moved to Friday, August 11th.

Corbin, KY native Tommy Bailey currently leads the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series points standings with Jimmy Payne second, defending Series Champion Joey Kramer third, Don Adams fourth, and Victor Lee fifth. In addition to the prize money and contingencies offered to the 2006 Series Champion, the winner will also "Cruise with the Champions" in January 2007. Cruise With The Champions is a unique experience in which the Champions from various racing series throughout the country journey on a seven-day cruise from January 7th to January 14th. In addition, race fans from across the country have the opportunity to travel on the cruise, while meeting their favorite drivers on a relaxing winter vacation. The 2007 Cruise With The Champions trip will leave from Miami, FL and visit the popular vacation islands of San Juan, St. Maartan, and St. Thomas. The popularity of Cruise with the Champions has exploded within the last several years, and 2007 will mark the 13th voyage of the annual trip. For more information on Cruise With The Champions, visit their website at www.cruisewiththechampions.com or contact Cindy Knowles at 1-888-456-1336.

For more information on the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series, visit our website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859)433-5707.

2006 NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Points
1. 11 Tommy Bailey - 250
2. 6 Jimmy Payne - 230
3. 77 Joey Kramer - 220
4. 1 Don Adams - 210
5. 4 Victor Lee - 205
6. 69 Tim Moore - 200
7. 0 Kelly Warren - 195
8. 50 Adam Gootee - 190
9. 00 Stanley Donahoo - 185
10. 10 Cale Coffey - 180

2006 NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Schedule
May 20 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
May 27 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY ($1500 to win - 6th Annual Mod Squad Bash)
June 3 - 201 Speedway, Sitka, KY ($1500 to win)
July 1 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 5 - 201 Speedway Sitka, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 11 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 12 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY ($1500 to win - 6th Annual Bluegrass Rumble)
Aug 19 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
Sept 16 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
Sept 23 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar SeriesPoints Standings after May 13, 2006

Pos Car # Name Points
1 9 Mike Jewell 1175
2 47 Chris Combs 1110
3 18 Tim Tungate 1100
4 10 Bryan Barber 1085
5 16 Justin Rattliff 1020
6 41 Brad Neat 1010
7 33 Aaron Hatton 880
8 11 Bobby Wolter, Jr. 810
9 D2 Dan Deaton 730
9 17 Shannon Thornsberry 730
9 83 Scott James 730
12 97 Michael Chilton 685
13 4 Greg Johnson 550
14 33 Jesse Lay 535
15 r25 Timmy Yeager 510
16 1 Wayne Chinn 505
17 71 Don O'Neal 500
17 14 Tyrel Todd 500
19 9 Dan Schlieper 450
20 15b Brian Birkhofer 415

Joey Daniel Dashes to First Ever O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Win at Ponderosa Speedway

LEXINGTON, KY – In the highly entertaining 7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial at Ponderosa Speedway, Joey Daniel bested Mother Nature as well as a stout field of cars to win his first ever O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series event. Daniel becomes the 38th different winner in the five-year history of the series.

After an aborted start, Eddie Carrier Jr. got the jump on outside pole sitter Brad Neat to take early command of the race with Neat, Michael Chilton, and Joey Daniel in hot pursuit. When a lap five caution for Brent Londeree slowed the pace, Lady Luck dealt race leader Carrier Jr. a bad hand as the 2002 Series Champion retired from the event with a flat right rear tire.

On the restart, the excitement at the front of the field continued as Neat had a rear view mirror full of Michael Chilton. For several laps, the lead duo raced side-by-side through the corners with Neat powering back ahead on the straight-aways. Behind them, the racing was intense from fourth on back as Bobby Carrier Jr. was busy fending off the challenges of Chris Combs, Aaron Hatton, Wayne Chinn, and Justin Rattliff.

Up front, the leaders were putting on a show with Chilton still ducking underneath Neat in every corner, trying to find a clean pass. 14 laps into the event, Neat, Chilton, and Daniel caught the back of the field as Chilton made slight contact with a slower car enabling Daniel to close upon his rear decklid. Just three circuits later, a caution for Aaron Jenkins would tighten the field back up. When racing resumed, Combs shot by Bobby Carrier Jr. to move into fourth with Wayne Chinn following suit and cracking the top five.

The complexion of the race changed drastically on lap 23 with two cautions and a red flag. The first caution fell when race leader Brad Neat slowed coming down the front stretch with a flat right rear tire. With Joey Daniel inheriting the point, the already stellar battle for second grew even more intense as the restart saw Combs and Chilton come together, but continue racing, going into turn three as both drivers were challenging for the same piece of real estate. Fourth running Wayne Chinn grabbed the outside wall when the duo in front of him made contact, thus bringing out the yellow. The restart saw a multi-car accident on the front stretch involving Bobby Carrier Jr., Dustin Neat, Bryan Barber, Brad Neat, and Tim Tungate among others. With the track being blocked, the red flag was displayed to clean up the damage.

When racing resumed, it was Joey Daniel on the point followed by Michael Chilton, Chris Combs, 13th-starting Justin Rattliff, and Aaron Hatton. Chilton would scrape the wall shortly after the restart catapulting Combs into the runner-up spot and Rattliff to third. Combs immediately began applying pressure to Daniel sticking a nose under the Liberty, KY veteran in every corner. The race’s final caution would fall on lap 29 when Shannon Thornsberry grabbed the wall in turns one and two.

On the Delaware double-file restart, fans rose to their feet as Combs made a bold move crossing over from his outside lane and darting down to the inside of Daniel in a bid for the top spot. Daniel maintained the advantage momentarily as Combs would repeat the same move throughout the final stages of the event. As the lead duo put a couple car lengths between themselves and the rest of the field, Tungate and Mike Jewell went door-to-door for the fifth spot.

With just five laps to go, Combs was still glued to the back bumper of Daniel, trying to build enough steam to power a run off the corner. Daniel remained on the cushion, holding the preferred line, and fought off a valiant effort by Combs to nab his first-ever O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series victory in the Louis and Phyllis Brady owned #77. The AMS powered Rayburn Grand Prix carries sponsorship from Mountain View Golf Course, Anthony's Auto Sales, Sam's Restaurant, Hometown Auto Value, Higdon's Food Town, Gregory Graphics, S & T Market, Ed Buis Appliance & Furniture, Cundiff Steel, and Lewis’ Grocery.

2005 O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Rookie of the Year Chris Combs of Isom, KY finished 2nd in the Bub’s Trucking/Tim Short Automotive sponsored Cropper/Swartz GTO. 2006 Rookie of the Year candidate Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY finished 3rd, in the Rattliff Motors/Gowen’s Auto Glass/ProPower/Rayburn Monte Carlo, thus earning him the PPM Racing Products Hard Charger Award. 4th spot went to Mt. Sterling, KY native Aaron Hatton in the Russell Hatton Mobile Home Center/Speedseeker Performance sponsored Draime/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Campbellsville, KY’s Tim Tungate completed the top five in the Mulch Madness/Guardian Mortgage/Bullock/Rayburn Monte Carlo. They were followed across the line by Mike Jewell, Michael Chilton, Brad Neat, Marty O’Neal, and Bobby Carrier Jr. rounding out the top ten.

Justin Rattliff was the fast qualifier during Racing Optics Time Trials with a fast lap of 13.121, just .08 off the track record. Brad Neat was the winner of Mason Racin’ Heat #1 with Eddie Carrier Jr. winning Mason Racin’ Heat #2 and Michael Chilton winning Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3.

This Saturday, May 20th, the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts visits the Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, KY for the Coca-Cola 40 paying $3000
to win. Then, on Monday May 29th, the series heads west to the KY Lake Motor Speedway for the first leg of the inaugural Kentucky Speedweek.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859)433-5707.

Race Summary
Ponderosa Speedway
May 13, 2006
O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Racing Optics Fast Time: Justin Rattliff/13.121
Mason Racin’ Heat #1: Brad Neat, Joey Daniel, Shannon Thornsberry, Aaron Hatton, Justin Rattliff, Dan Deaton, Bobby Wolter, Jr.
Mason Racin’ Heat #2: Eddie Carrier, Jr., Chris Combs, Mike Jewell, Dustin Neat, Brent Londeree, Jason Hinkle, Aaron Jenkins
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3: Michael Chilton, Bobby Carrier, Jr., Wayne Chinn, Tim Tungate, Marty O’Neal, Blake Chinn, Bryan Barber
O’Reilly A-Main 7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial: Joey Daniel, Chris Combs, Justin Rattliff, Aaron Hatton, Tim Tungate, Mike Jewell, Michael Chilton, Brad Neat, Marty O’Neal, Bobby Carrier, Jr.,
Dan Deaton, Shannon Thornsberry, Wayne Chinn, Dustin Neat, Bryan Barber, Blake Chinn, Aaron Jenkins, Jason Hinkle, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Brent Londeree (DNS-Bobby Wolter, Jr.)

Race Statistics
Lap Leaders: Eddie Carrier Jr. 1-4, Brad Neat 5-22, Joey Daniel 23-40
Cautions: 6
Red Flags: 1
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger: Justin Rattliff (started 13th, finished 3rd)
Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race: Justin Rattliff
Entries: 21

Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Schedule
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)
May 29 - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 30 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 31 - Off
June 1 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
June 2 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 1175
2. 47 Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 1110
3. 18 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 1100
4. 10 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY) - 1085
5. 16 Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 1020
6. 41 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 1010
7. 33 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY) - 880
8. 11 Bobby Wolter Jr. (Lexington, KY) - 810
9. 83 Scott James (Greendale, IN) - 730
9. 17 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, KY) - 730
9. D2 Dan Deaton (Georgetown, KY) - 730

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series' Spring 40 at Ponderosa Speedway Rained Out

JUNCTION CITY, KY - For the third time this season, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series' Spring 40 at Ponderosa Speedway has been rained out. Heavy rains all day Wednesday and Thursday left officials with no choice but to cancel the event. The race has been rescheduled for Friday, June 16th.

The 7th Annual Hugh "Junebug" Rowland" Memorial, slated for Saturday May 13th, is still on. The $3000 to win show, sanctioned by the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will feature a full night of racing with Hot Laps, Racing Optics Time Trials, Arizona Sport Shirts and Mason Racin' Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 40 lap, $3,000 to win Hugh "Junebug" Rowland Memorial. This event is held in memory of the late Hugh Rowland, better known as "Junebug", who was a resident of Danville, KY and a long supporter of many racers in the Central Kentucky area, selling racing supplies and also owning several winning race cars. Former winners of the "Junebug" Memorial include Don O'Neal, Jay Mobley, Dustin Neat, Mike Marlar (two-time winner), and defending champion Bryan Barber.

Activities for the Saturday, May 13th racing program will see pit gates open at 4:00 p.m., with main gates set to open at 5:00 p.m. Drivers meetings will be at 6:45, while hot laps will get underway around 7:00 p.m., with time trials set for 7:30 p.m., and racing taking the green flag around 8:00 p.m. Admission prices each evening will be $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 to 12, children under age 6 are free, with a pit pass being $30.

Ponderosa Speedway is a 3/8-mile D-shaped oval located on Phillips Lane, just outside of Junction City, KY. Larry Yantz, the 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Promoter of the Year, is at the helm of "The Pond" once again in 2006. For more information on Ponderosa Speedway, visit them on the web at www.ponderosaspeedway.net or call the track at (859) 854-6808.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit us on the web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859)433-5707.

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Doubles Up at Ponderosa Speedway on May 12th and May 13th

LEXINGTON, KY - After a thrilling show at 201 Speedway Saturday night, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts heads to Ponderosa Speedway this Friday, May 12th and Saturday, May 13th for two complete racing programs. Scottsburg, IN's Mike Jewell currently sits on top of the Series points standings.

On Friday May 12th, the Series ventures to Junction City, KY's Ponderosa Speedway for the 3rd Annual Spring 40. A complete racing program is on tap with Hot Laps, Racing Optics Time Trials, Arizona Sport Shirts and Mason Racin' Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 40 lap, $3,000 to win Spring 40. Previous Spring 40 winners at Ponderosa Speedway are Johnny Wheeler and Greg Johnson.

On Saturday May 13th, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series will battle it out in the 7th Annual Hugh "Junebug" Rowland Memorial. Another full night of racing is planned with Hot Laps, Racing Optics Time Trials, Arizona Sport Shirts and Mason Racin' Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 40 lap, $3,000 to win Hugh "Junebug" Rowland Memorial. This event is held in memory of the late Hugh Rowland, better known as "Junebug", who was a resident of Danville, KY and a long supporter of many racers in the Central Kentucky area, selling racing supplies and also owning several winning race cars. Former winners of the "Junebug" Memorial include Don O'Neal, Jay Mobley, Dustin Neat, Mike Marlar (two-time winner), and defending champion Bryan Barber.

Activities for the May 12th and May 13th racing programs will see pit gates open at 4:00 p.m., with main gates set to open at 5:00 p.m. Drivers meetings will be at 6:45, while hot laps will get underway around 7:00 p.m., with time trials set for 7:30 p.m., and racing taking the green flag around 8:00 p.m. Admission prices each evening will be $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 to 12, children under age 6 are free, with a pit pass being $30.

Ponderosa Speedway is a 3/8-mile D-shaped oval located on Phillips Lane, just outside of Junction City, KY. Larry Yantz, the 2005 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Promoter of the Year, is at the helm of "The Pond" once again in 2006. For more information on Ponderosa Speedway, visit them on the web at www.ponderosaspeedway.net or call the track at (859) 854-6808.

After his win Saturday night at the 201 Speedway, defending 2005 Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell sit at the top of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series points standings with Bryan Barber in second, defending Series Co-Champion Tim Tungate third, Chris Combs 4th, and Brad Neat 5th as nearly 130 different drivers have competed with the Series in 2006. Just Rattliff currently leads the Cruise with the Champions Rookie of the Year standings.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit us on the web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859)433-5707.

Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Schedule
May 12 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (3rd Annual Spring 40)
May 13 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial)
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)
May 29 - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 30 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 31 - Off
June 1 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
June 2 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 975
2. 10 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY) - 930
3. 18 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 895
4. 47 Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 880
5. 41 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 820
6. 16 Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 790
7. 11 Bobby Wolter Jr. (Lexington, KY) - 760
8. 83 Scott James (Greendale, IN) - 730
9. 33 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY) - 670
10. 17 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, KY) - 560

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar SeriesPoints Standings after May 6, 2006

Pos Car # Name Points
1 9 Mike Jewell 975
2 10 Bryan Barber 930
3 18 Tim Tungate 895
4 47 Chris Combs 880
5 41 Brad Neat 820
6 16 Justin Rattliff ® 790
7 16x Bobby Wolter, Jr. 760
8 83 Scott James 730
9 33 Aaron Hatton 670
10 17 Shannon Thornsberry 560
11 D2 Dan Deaton ® 555
12 4 Greg Johnson 550
13 33 Jesse Lay 535
14 r25 Timmy Yeager 510
15 71 Don O'Neal 500
15 14 Tyrel Todd 500
17 97 Michael Chilton 490
18 9 Dan Schlieper 450
19 15b Brian Birkhofer 415
20 22 Greg Lucas ® 390

Mike Jewell Wins Thrilling O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Event at 201 Speedway

SITKA, KY - In a thrilling finish at 201 Speedway, defending Series Co-Champion Mike Jewell narrowly edged out Jackie Boggs to nab his first O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series win of 2006. The Scottsburg, IN native battled Boggs, Tim Tungate and Aaron Hatton as well as lapped traffic over the final ten laps on his way to winning the 40-lap A-Main and moving to the top of the Series points standings.

After three ill-fated attempts to start the feature, Mike Jewell led the field single-file into turns one and two with Jackie Boggs, 2004 Series Champion Aaron Hatton, fast qualifier Justin Rattliff, and former World 100 Champion Randy Boggs trailing. Cautions on laps 2 and 3 kept Jewell within reach as 8th-starting Tim Tungate was already looking to crack the top five.

When racing resumed, both J. Boggs and Hatton immediately stuck their noses under Jewell in a bid for the lead heading into turns one and two. Jewell managed to shut the door coming off two, but Boggs and Hatton remained tucked under the rear decklid of the defending Series Co-Champion. Behind them, the other defending Series Co-Champion, Tungate, had slipped into the fifth spot on lap 6 and darted past Rattliff and into fourth on lap 10. Just one circuit later, the already intense battle for the lead became even hotter as the lead trio began slicing their way through the back of the field allowing Tungate to close in and make it a four-way dance. Tungate worked by Hatton on lap 13 as the top four cars could have been covered with a blanket. Just two laps later, an accident in turns one and two slowed the pace.

The restart saw Jewell leading J. Boggs, Tungate, and Hatton. While all eyes were fixated on the tight racing at the front of the field, 16th-starting Anthony Adams was up to 9th and quietly picking his way through the field. With most cars preferring to stay close to bottom of the track, Adams wasted no time jetting to the very top of the surface. He immediately worked his way around David Powers and Whitney McQueary to jump into the 7th spot and began chasing Rattliff and Randy Boggs for 5th soon thereafter.

At the race's midway point, the front four cars had separated themselves ever so slightly from the battle for fifth as lapped traffic once again became a factor. Tungate began applying more pressure to Boggs in the race for second as the duo continuously swapped positions lap after lap. A pair of cautions on laps 24 and 26 spoiled the second place dogfight, but allowed Adams to crack the top five as he shot by R. Boggs on the ensuing restart. In what was already a phenomenal fight for the lead, a high-flying Adams made it an even better battle as he roared alongside Hatton in a bid for fourth. Meanwhile, J. Boggs moved to the middle of the race track and pulled even with race leader Jewell in the corners, only to have Jewell motor back ahead on the straightaways. The final caution of the night fell on lap 30, setting the stage for a wild 10-lap dash to the finish with Jewell, J. Boggs, Tungate, Hatton, and Adams all fighting for the win.

On the restart, Jewell remained glued to the bottom while Boggs wasted no time moving back to his middle groove and Adams darted back up to the top side. In just one lap, Boggs pulled even with Jewell staging a side-by-side race for lead. The duo remained locked together until they received the five-to-go signal when Boggs inched ahead. Jewell, however, would not give up without a fight as he along with Tungate and Hatton remained tucked to bottom. Jewell and company were able to mount a run on Boggs and, with three laps to go, Jewell nosed back ahead. With two laps remaining, Tungate pulled even with Boggs as the leaders came upon lapped traffic.

When the white flag waved, "The Scottsburg Express" had the back markers side-by-side in front of him with Tungate and Boggs side-by-side behind of him. In a bold move on the final circuit, Jewell launched under the lapped traffic in a three-wide move in turns one and two with Tungate following suit. Almost simultaneously, Boggs split the very same lapped cars coming off the corner as the fans rose to their feet. Heading into turns three and four, Tungate grabbed the inside wall, ending his hopes for the win as Boggs shot to the outside of the race leader. Side-by-side around turns three and four and in a drag race to the line Jewell narrowly edged out Boggs for a thrilling win.

It was the first Series win of the season for Jewell's Bullock powered MasterSbilt Monte Carlo which is sponsored by MPC Motorsports, Southern Indiana Rock Drilling, Morgan Foods, Remax, Shelton Angus Farms, K.P. Radios Sales & Service, Pruetts Auto Repair, Scott County Tire, Jewell TV Service, Bazell Oil and Sunoco Race Fuels.

Grayson, KY veteran Jackie Boggs finished second in his Miller Brothers Coal/McDonald's sponsored Cropper/Swartz Monte Carlo. New University of Kentucky graduate Aaron Hatton was third driving the Checkered Flag Auto Sales/Jerry Hatton Used Cars sponsored Draime/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Fourth spot went to Grayson, KY's Randy Boggs in the Rager Motorsports/Martel Auctions Rayburn Monte Carlo. Completing the top five was Dunnville, KY's Whitney McQueary in an Estes powered Rocket GTO sponsored by Bigg Dawg Performance Parts and Kelco Metals. Anthony Adams crossed in 6th with Justin Rattliff, 24th-starting Brandon Kinzer, David Powers, and Chuckie May rounding out the top 10.

In preliminary action, Justin Rattliff set fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a quick lap of 13.926. Jackie Boggs took the win in Mason Racin' Heat #1 with a last lap pass as Mike Jewell won Mason Racin' Heat #2 and Aaron Hatton won Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3. The Design 500 B-Main saw Anthony Adams pick up the win.

Up next for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts are back-to-back shows at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY. Two complete programs are scheduled at "The Pond" for this Friday, May 12th and this Saturday, May 13th, with each event paying $3000 to win.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859)433-5707.

Results Summary
201 Speedway
May 6, 2006
Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Justin Rattliff - 13.926
Mason Racin' Heat #1: Jackie Boggs, Justin Rattliff, Randy Boggs, Bobby Wolter Jr., Shannon Thornsberry, Anthony Adams, Eric Wells, Al Maddin, Brandon Kinzer, Ronnie Whitt
Mason Racin' Heat #2: Mike Jewell, Chris Combs, Tim Tungate, Whitney McQueary, David Powers, Chuckie May, Jamie Ferguson, David Webb, Dan Deaton, Lee McKenzie
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3: Aaron Hatton, Scott Hall, DJ Wells, Michael Chilton, Jim LeMaster, Terry Hicks, David Smith, Bryan Barber, Greg Lucas
Design 500 B-Main: Anthony Adams, Chuckie May, Eric Wells, David Webb, Terry Hicks, Jamie Ferguson, Bryan Barber, Dan Deaton, Brandon Kinzer, Ronnie Whitt, Al Maddin, Lee McKenzie, Greg Lucas
O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main: Mike Jewell, Jackie Boggs, Aaron Hatton, Randy Boggs, Whitney McQueary, Anthony Adams, Justin Rattliff, Brandon Kinzer, David Powers, Chuckie May, David Webb, Shannon Thornsberry, Bryan Barber, Bobby Wolter Jr., Chris Combs, Tim Tungate, Dan Deaton, DJ Wells, Jamie Ferguson, Jim LeMaster, Eric Wells, Michael Chilton, Scott Hall

Race Statistics
Lap Leaders: Mike Jewell 1-34, Jackie Boggs 35-36, Mike Jewell 37-40
Cautions: 9
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger: Brandon Kinzer (started 24th, finished 8th)
Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race: Justin Rattliff
Series Provisionals: Bryan Barber, Dan Deaton
Track Provisionals: Jamie Ferguson, Brandon Kinzer
Entries: 29

Upcoming O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Schedule
May 12 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (3rd Annual Spring 40)
May 13 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial)
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)
May 29 - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 30 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
May 31 - Off
June 1 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)
June 2 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win (KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK)

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 9 Mike Jewell (Scottsburg, IN) - 975
2. 10 Bryan Barber (Buffalo, KY) - 930
3. 18 Tim Tungate (Campbellsville, KY) - 895
4. 47 Chris Combs (Isom, KY) - 880
5. 41 Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) - 820
6. 16 Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) - 790
7. 11 Bobby Wolter Jr. (Lexington, KY) - 760
8. 83 Scott James (Greendale, IN) - 730
9. 33 Aaron Hatton (Mt. Sterling, KY) - 670
10. 17 Shannon Thornsberry (Martin, KY) - 560

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar SeriesPoints Standings after April 29, 2006

Pos Car # Name Points
1 41 Brad Neat 830
2 10 Bryan Barber 765
3 18 Tim Tungate 745
4 83 Scott James 730
5 47 Chris Combs 725
5 9 Mike Jewell 725
7 11 Bobby Wolter, Jr. 600
8 16 Justin Rattliff 585
9 4 Greg Johnson 550
10 33 Jesse Lay 535
11 r25 Timmy Yeager 510
12 14 Tyrel Todd 500
12 71 Don O'Neal 500
14 33 Aaron Hatton 450
14 9 Dan Schlieper 450
16 15b Brian Birkhofer 415
17 D2 Dan Deaton 410
18 17 Shannon Thornsberry 390
19 c9 Steve Casebolt, Jr. 380
20 97 Michael Chilton 365
21 12 Roger Williams 345
22 1 Wayne Chinn 340
22 157 Mike Marlar 340
24 57 Brad Barrow 325
25 1 Christian Rayburn 295
25 57 Joey Tackett 295
27 9 Rick Corbin 290
27 18 Steve Landrum 290
29 22 Greg Lucas 285
30 71c RJ Conley 280

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Rained Out at Bluegrass Speedway; 201 Speedway Up Next

LEXINGTON, KY -- Mother Natured claimed her fourth Series win of the season Saturday night at the Bluegrass Speedway as a slow, steady rainfall forced the cancellation of the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series' 9th Annual Spring Sizzler at Bluegrass Speedway.

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series points leader Brad Neat set fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a quick lap of 15.014. Although qualifications were in the books, according to Series Procedures the program will start over when it is made up on Tuesday night, May 30th, as part of the Kentucky Speedweek.

This Saturday, May 6th, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts heads east to 201 Speedway. On tap will be a complete program for the nation's most competitive regional racing series with Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main paying $3000 to win. Past O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series winners at 201 Speedway include inaugural Series Champion Eddie Carrier Jr. (twice), Paul Harris (twice), Whitney McQueary (twice), 2004 Series Champion Aaron Hatton, and Tyrel Todd.

201 Speedway is 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located 5.5 miles north of US 23 on SR 201, just north of Sitka, KY. The track phone number on race day is (606) 265-3201.

Dunnville, KY's Brad Neat leads the current Series point standings holding a 65-point advantage over Buffalo, KY native Bryan Barber. Defending Series Co-Champion Tim Tungate of Campbellsville, KY sits third while Greendale, IN's Scott James holds fourth. Defending series Rookie of the Year Chris Combs and defending series Co-Champion Mike Jewell are tied for fifth.

Thus far in 2006, four events have been run while four events have been rained out. Martinsville, IN veteran Don O'Neal captured the first two races of the season going back-to-back at Florence Speedway on April 14th and 15th. Bedford, IN's Greg Johnson led all 40 laps en route to winning the 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway on April 22nd and followed that up with a win last Friday night at the Richmond Raceway.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859)433-5707.

2006 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule
May 6 - 201 Speedway, Sitka, KY - $3000 to Win
May 12 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (3rd Annual Spring 40)
May 13 – Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial)
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)
May 29 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win
May 30 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK – Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win
May 31 – Off
June 1 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK – Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win
June 2 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK – Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win

2006 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Points
1. 41 Brad Neat - 830
2. 10 Brian Barber - 765
3. 18 Tim Tungate - 745
4. 83 Scott James - 730
5. 47 Chris Combs - 725
5. 9 Mike Jewell - 725
7. 11 Bobby Wolter Jr. - 600
8. 16 Justin Rattliff - 585
9. 4 Greg Johnson - 550
10. 33 Jesse Lay - 535

Greg Johnson Takes Second Straight O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Victory

RICHMOND, KY--Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN continued his recent O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts hot streak by winning his second consecutive series event on Friday Night at the Richmond (KY) Raceway leading all 40 laps for the $3,000 win. Johnson driving the John Hall owned/J&H Construction/Hall's Angus Farms/Hoosier Racing Tires/Outlaw Graphics/Tim Hartley Racing Engines/Intimidator Pontiac Grand Prix picked up his fifth career series win all-time has he bested a strong field of cars. Bryan Barber of Buffalo, KY finished second in the Frank Revel/PBM Performance Products/C.J. Rayburn GTO with Aaron Hatton of Mt. Sterling, KY coming home in third in the Hatton Racing/Jerry Hatton Used Cars/C.J. Rayburn Grand Prix. Completing the top five were Tyrel Todd of Eubank, KY in the Todd Family Motorsports/Todd Truss Company/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo and Bobby Carrier, Jr. of Harrodsburg, KY in the Carrier Racing/R&P Industrial Chimney/C.J. Rayburn Monte Carlo. A total of 34 cars were on hand for the series' first visit of the 2006 season to Richmond.

The 40 lap main event would roll off with Greg Johnson on the pole alongside former series "Rookie of the Year" Bobby Wolter, Jr. Johnson would sprint to the early lead at the start of the race with Wolter, Bryan Barber, Mike Jewell and Scott James on tow. The first caution of the race came out for Rookie of the Year contender, Justin Rattliff who came to a halt in turn number four after three laps were scored. On the restart a multi car accident coming off of turn four would see the red flag come out to stop the action. Several cars would have to pit for repairs and rejoin the field on the tail. When the race went green again Johnson was still holding the point followed now by Barber who had went by Wolter for second place.

James was another car on the move coming from fifth to third on lap six to close behind Barber. Johnson would build his lead up over Barber and James and by the 14th circuit would start to encounter lapped traffic. With 15 laps in the books it was still Johnson, Barber, James, Jewell and Bobby Carrier, Jr. running in the top five. On lap 19 Jewell, who was fourth at the time would spin in turn two bringing out the caution. Then as the cars took the green on the restart coming off of turn number two another multi car accident took place involving third place running Scott James and others who piled into James' car. All drivers were o.k., but James was done for the night. When the resumed it was still Johnson showing the way with Carrier, the seven-time Richmond Raceway Late Model Track Champion now up to second as he got a good restart on Barber to grab second. Carrier held the second slot for two circuits until Barber repassed him to take back the position.

Aaron Hatton had broken into the top five running order at the halfway mark of the race as he now was fourth in the running order. With 15 laps to go Johnson was cruising right along with Barber in second followed by Carrier, Hatton and Wolter. With 31 laps in the books Johnson was again starting to run up on some heavy traffic in front of him and that would allow Barber to close the gap on the leader. With five laps remaining Hatton would wrestle the third spot away from Carrier with 11th starting Tyrel Todd now in the thick of things running in fifth. The three cars of Hatton, Carrier and Todd would put on quite a show running hard and clean for third spot as they would duel side by side for the last part of the race.

With now less than five laps remaining Barber began to close the lead on Johnson. With traffic becoming an issue, Johnson was being cautious and patient, but in doing so Barber was really starting to close on him with just two laps remaining. As the two drivers took the white flag Barber was just two car lengths behind Johnson and heading off of turn two down the back straight it appeared as if Barber would be able to get a run on Johnson and surprise him in the final two turns. But Johnson held his line perfectly and never backed down as he would fend off Barber's last lap challenge and cross the finish line first to win his second straight O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar series event. The previous week at Brownstown (IN) Speedway Johnson had led all 40 laps in winning the "Hoosier Dirt Classic" and this time at Richmond he would led all 40 laps again to keep his winning streak alive. Barber finished a close second followed by Hatton, Todd and Carrier.

Completing the top ten were Chris Combs, Wolter, Scotty Earl, 21st starting Jesse James Lay and Timmy Yeager. In preliminary action the Racing Optics Fast Timer for the 34 entrants was Scott James with a lap of 15.599 seconds. The Mason Racin' and Arizona Sport Shirts Heat Races went to Bobby Wolter, Jr., Mike Jewell, Greg Johnson and Bryan Barber. The Design 500 B-Mains were taken by Tim Tungate and Brad Neat.

The next O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series event will be on Saturday Night, May 6 at the 201 Speedway in Sitka, KY. For more information you can log on to the series website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or contact the Series Office at (859)433-5707.

Race Summary
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series
Friday Night, April 28, 2006
Richmond Raceway-Richmond, KY

Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Scott James 15.599 seconds

Mason Racin' First Heat: (10 Laps-Top 4 advance): Bobby Wolter, Jr., Scott James, Johnny Wheeler, Timmy Yeager, Scott Douglas, Mike Hawley, Shannon Thornsberry, Dan Deaton, Jesse James Lay

Mason Racin' Second Heat: (10 Laps-Top 4 advance): Mike Jewell, Bobby Carrier, Jr., Anthony Adams, Justin Rattliff, Tim Tungate, Jeff Napper, Jordan Bland, Ronnie Smith

Arizona Sport Shirts Third Heat: (10 Laps-Top 4 advance): Greg Johnson, Aaron Hatton, Tyrel Todd, Steve Cornelius, Brad Neat, Brad Barrow, Jason Barrett, Joey Tackett

Arizona Sport Shirts Fourth Heat: (10 Laps-Top 4 advance): Bryan Barber, Chris Combs, Michael Chilton, Scotty Earl, Anthony Ferguson, Victor Lee, Jeff Rawlings, Christian Rayburn

Design 500 First B-Main: (12 Laps-Top 2 advance): Tim Tungate, Scott Douglas, Shannon Thornsberry, Jesse James Lay, Jeff Napper, Ronnie Smith, Dan Deaton, Jordan Bland, Mike Hawley

Design 500 Second B-Main (12 Laps-Top 2 advance): Brad Neat, Victor Lee, Brad Barrow, Jason Barrett, Christian Rayburn, Joey Tackett, Jeff Rawlings, Anthony Ferguson

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series A-Main (40 Laps): Greg Johnson, Bryan Barber, Aaron Hatton, Tyrel Todd, Bobby Carrier, Jr., Chris Combs, Bobby Wolter, Jr., Scotty Earl, Jesse James Lay, Timmy Yeager, Tim Tungate, Johnny Wheeler, Anthony Adams, Shannon Thornsberry, Michael Chilton, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Victor Lee, Scott Douglas, Mike Hawley, Justin Rattliff, Jason Barrett, Scott James, Steve Cornelius

Race Statistics
Entries: 34
Caution Flags: 2
Red Flags: 1
Lap Leaders: Greg Johnson 1-40
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Jesse James Lay (Started 21st and finished 9th) advanced 12 positions
Cruise with the Champions Rookie of the Race: Justin Rattliff
Series Provisionals: Jesse James Lay and Shannon Thornsberry
Track Provisionals: Mike Hawley and Jason Barrett

O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Set for Richmond and Bluegrass

LEXINGTON, KY -- After a weekend that saw the third rain-out of the young 2006 Season at Ponderosa Speedway and Greg Johnson of Bedford, IN pick up the win in the 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts ventures back to Central Kentucky with stop #4 of the 2006 Season this Friday, April 28th, at the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY and stop #5 this Saturday, April 29th, at the Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY.

On Friday Night, April 29th, Richmond Raceway will host a special Friday night event for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series with a $3000 paycheck awaiting the winner of the Spring Shootout. It will be a complete program for the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series with Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats Races, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 40-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main.

On Saturday, April 29th, the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series travels down Martha Layne Collins/Bluegrass Parkway to Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY for the 9th Annual Spring Sizzler paying $3000 to win. Past winners of the Spring Sizzler include Don O'Neal, Mike Hawley, Terry English, Rick Corbin, and Shannon Babb. Again, a full night of racing is planned with Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heats, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 30-lap O'Reilly Auto Parts A-Main.

Richmond Raceway is a 3/10-mile clay oval located off Highway 52 on Greens Crossing Road in Richmond, KY. For more information on Richmond Raceway, please visit their website at www.richmond-raceway.com or call the track office at (859)624-0286.

Bluegrass Speedway is a 1/2-mile clay oval located at Exit 21 along the Bluegrass Parkway just outside south of Bardstown, KY. For more information on Bluegrass Speedway, please visit their website at www.bluegrass-speedway.com or call the track office at (502)349-1241.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts please log on to www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the series office at (859)433-5707.

2006 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Dirt Car Series Points
1. Brad Neat - 620
2. Scott James - 595
3. Mike Jewell – 530
4. Tim Tungate - 520
5. Don O’Neal - 500
6. Bryan Barber - 485
7. Chris Combs - 475
8. Dan Schlieper – 450
9. Brian Birkhofer – 415
10. Justin Rattliff – 410

2006 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule
April 28 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3,000 to Win (Spring Shootout)
April 29 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3,000 to Win (9th Annual Spring Sizzler)
May 6 - 201 Speedway, Sitka, KY - $3000 to Win
May 12- Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (3rd Annual Spring 40)
May 13 – Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial)
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)
May 29 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK - KY Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, KY - $3000 to win
May 30 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK – Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3000 to win
May 31 – OFF
June 1 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK – Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3000 to win
June 2 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWEEK – Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $5000 to win

Current NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel ModifiedSeries Points Standings after April 22, 2006

Pos Car # Name Points
1 11 Tommy Bailey 250
2 6 Jimmy Payne 230
3 77 Joey Kramer 220
4 1 Don Adams 210
5 4 Victor Lee 205
6 69 Tim Moore 200
7 0 Kelly Warren 195
8 50 Adam Gootee 190
9 00 Stanley Donahoo 185
10 10 Cale Coffey 180
11 13 Mark Walters 175
12 72 J.J. Patterson 170
13 11m Greg Payne 165
14 98 Shon Flanary 160
15 38 Jay Mobley 155
16 11 Russ Gabbert 150
16 d8 Dustin Linville 150
18 7 Jason Wheatley 145
19 44 Joe Turner 135
20 b1 Delane Browning 130
21 11 Jeff Johnson 120
22 L8 Dustin Lynch 115
23 11p David Fields 110
24 117 Dustin Isom 105
25 93 Jack Price 100
26 35 Dennis Barton 50
26 7j Josh Coffey 50
26 20 Luke Bland 50
26 83 Jimmy Owens 50
26 21mt Mark Thomas 50
26 21m Larry Moreland 50
26 tt7 Troy Teegarden 50

Current O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar SeriesPoint Standings after April 22, 2006

Pos Car # Name Points
1 41 Brad Neat 620
2 83 Scott James 595
3 9 Mike Jewell 530
4 18 Tim Tungate 520
5 71 Don O'Neal 500
6 10 Bryan Barber 485
7 47 Chris Combs 475
8 9 Dan Schlieper 450
9 15b Brian Birkhofer 415
10 16 Justin Rattliff 410
11 c9 Steve Casebolt, Jr. 380
12 11 Bobby Wolter, Jr. 355
13 33 Jesse Lay 350
14 12 Roger Williams 345
15 1 Wayne Chinn 340
15 157 Mike Marlar 340
17 r25 Timmy Yeager 330
18 9 Rick Corbin 290
18 18 Steve Landrum 290
20 71c RJ Conley 280
21 c7 Kenny Christy 270
22 4 Greg Johnson 250
22 D2 Dan Deaton 250
22 9n Ted Nobbe 250
25 14 Tyrel Todd 240
26 22 Greg Lucas 235
26 10 Audie McWilliams 235
28 71r Rod Conley 230
28 17 Bob Lanter 230
28 49 Josh Williams 230

Tommy Bailey Bags Lake Cumberland Speedway NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series Season Opener

Burnside, KY- Tommy Bailey of Corbin, KY parked his #11 Lightning Chassis mount in victory lane at the conclusion of the Vault 30 at Lake Cumberland Speedway in the opening event of the 2006 season for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series.

Don Adams and Jimmy Payne would bring the 20 car starting field to the green flag, with Adams taking the lead, with Payne in hot pursuit. The first of six cautions would fly on lap 4 as Jason Wheatley would slow in turn four. The restart would still have Adams at the point, with Payne and Tommy Bailey now in the chase.

Caution would fly again on lap 9 as Mark Walters would stall his entry in turn two. After two more green flag circuits, the largest tangle of the evening would take place on the front chute as Delane Browing, J.J. Patterson, and Joe Turner would wreck, with Turner and Browning being finished for the night.

The attempted restart would be voided after Dustin Linville made contact with Joey Kramer and Linville rolling slowly to a stop in turn four and going pitside. The next attempted restart would also be called back after Wheatley would bring out his second caution of the evening after stopping and retiring his mount for the night. The restart would see Payne turn the heat up on Adams and take the lead on lap 13, with Bailey joining the Payne and Adams duel.

The final caution of the race would fly on lap 16 for a stalled Jay Mobley in turn four. This final restart would see Bailey grab the lead on lap 17, only to lose the lead back to Payne on the next circuit. Payne and Bailey would then settle into a fast side-by-side battle for the lead, while defending series champion Kramer would pressure Adams for third. Bailey would make his winning pass for the lead on Payne on lap 28 and hold on the final two laps to take his first NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series victory.

Trailing Bailey at the finish would be Payne, Kramer, Adams, and Victor Lee. The remainder of the top ten would be Tim Moore, Kelly Warren, Adam Gootee, Stanley Donahoo, and Cale Coffey.

The first event of the 2006 season for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series would draw 31 entries representing five states. Dustin Linville would top Racing Optics time trials with a 14.794 second lap. Heat race checkered flags would go Linville, Don Adams, and Jimmy Payne. The B-main would fall to Stanley Donahoo, with series provisional starting spots going to Russ Gabbert and Greg Payne.

The next race for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series will take place on Saturday night, May 20, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Kentucky.

Race Summary
NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Modified Series
Lake Cumberland Speedway-Burnside, Kentucky
April 22, 2006

Racing Optics Fast Time- Dustin Linville 14.794
1st Heat- Dustin Linville, Tommy Bailey, Joey Kramer, Jason Wheatley, Kelly Warren, Stanley Donahoo, Greg Payne, David Fields, Jeff Johnson
2nd Heat- Don Adams, Victor Lee, Tim Moore, Cale Coffey, Jay Mobley, Delane Browning, Jack Price, Dustin Lynch, Dustin Isom
3rd Heat- Jimmy Payne, Adam Gootee, Joe Turner, J.J. Patterson, Shon Flanery, Mark Walters, Russ Gabbert, Dennis Barton, Larry Moreland, Jimmy Owens
B-Main- Stanley Donahoo, Delane Browning, Mark Walters, Greg Payne, Jeff Johnson, Dustin Lynch, David Fields, Dustin Isom, Jack Price

Vault 30 A-Main- Tommy Bailey, Jimmy Payne, Joey Kramer, Don Adams, Victor Lee, Tim Moore, Kelly Warren, Adam Gootee, Stanley Donahoo, Cale Coffey, Mark Walters, J.J. Patterson, Greg Payne, Shon Flanery, Jay Mobley, Russ Gabbert, Jason Wheatley, Dustin Linville, Joe Turner, Delane Browning

Series Provisionals- Russ Gabbert and Greg Payne

Greg Johnson Takes O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series' 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown

BROWNSTOWN, IN – In a caution-free 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway Saturday night, Bedford, IN’s Greg Johnson led wire-to-wire to nab his first ever win in the prestigious event. Johnson becomes the second different winner in the first three races for the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series in 2006.

Tim Tungate and Greg Johnson brought the field down to the green flag with Johnson immediately darting ahead while Tungate, Scott James, Justin Rattliff, Brad Neat, and Bryan Barber battled for positions two through six. Tungate and James separated themselves from the others and swapped the bridesmaid position back and forth several times throughout the early laps of the race with James finally gaining control of 2nd by lap 8. Behind them, Brad Neat had sole possession of 4th and was reeling in Tungate looking for third.

Meanwhile, Johnson had managed to stretch his advantage to nearly a full straightaway. As he began slicing his way through the back of the field on lap 12, James and 3rd-running Neat slowly closed the gap between themselves the race leader. On back in the field, 9th-starting Mike Jewell found the high side of the track to his liking and was slowly gaining ground on everyone. Jewell moved into 7th at the race’s midway point on lap 20 and nabbed 6th from Rattliff just a few ticks later.

With half the fans watching Jewell work the rim, the other half was watching James and Neat continue to close in on Johnson. Although working through lapped traffic to near perfection, Johnson’s lead had dwindled down to mere car lengths as the leaders received the ten-to-go signal. The nail in the coffin was a swift move with 8 laps to go as Johnson methodically put three backmarkers between himself and James/Neat duo. As Neat applied heavy pressure to James in a bid for that runner-up spot, a now 4th-running Jewell was closing the gap quickly and looking to make it a three-way battle for second.

With no cautions to aid them, everyone seemingly ran out of time and, when the checkered flag flew, Bedford, IN’s Greg Johnson crossed the stripe first as he was crowned the winner of the 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic. The John Hall owned, Tim Hartley powered, Intimidator Grand Prix carries sponsorship from J&H Construction and Hall’s Angus Farms.

“We knew we were pretty good when we unloaded,” Johnson said in victory lane. “This track was in great shape tonight and I have to thank John Hall and everyone with this race team as they gave me a great car tonight.”

Greendale, IN hotshoe Scott James held on for 2nd in his Jay Dickens powered Rocket GTO. 3rd spot was Dunnville, KY’s Brad Neat in a Cornett/Rayburn Monte Carlo. Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN was 4th in his MasterSbilt Grand Prix powered by Bullock. Franklin, IN’s Steve Barnett crossed in 5th in his Clements Rayburn GTO.

Brad Neat set fast time during Racing Optics Time Trials with a quick lap of 14.722. Mason Racin’ Heat Race winners were Tim Tungate and Justin Rattliff while Greg Johnson and Scott James grabbed the wins in the Arizona Sport Shirt Heats. Brad Barrow and Steve Godsey were winners of the Design 500 B-Mains.

This week the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts visits the Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY on Friday, April 28th and the Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY on Saturday, April 29th.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit us on the web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859) 433-5707.

Results Summary
O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts
Brownstown Speedway
Brownstown, IN
April 22, 2006

Racing Optics Fast Qualifier: Brad Neat/14.722
Mason Racin’ Heat #1: Tim Tungate, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Chris Combs, CJ Rayburn, Christian Rayburn, Brent Londeree, Mike Bowersox, Shannon Reed, Doug Ault
Mason Racin’ Heat #2: Justin Ratliff, Aaron Hatton, Mark Barber, Rohn Moon, Brad Barrow, Gary Hardin, Greg Ault, Daniel Bohall, Randy Riggle, Paul Crockett
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #3: Greg Johnson, Steve Barnett, Bobby Wolter Jr, Marty O’Neal, Steve Godsey, Mike Bechelli, Mark Bechelli, Rickey Riggle, Jeremy Masters
Arizona Sport Shirts Heat #4: Scott James, Bryan Barber, Steve Hillard, Justin Blackwell, Tim Prince, Dan Deaton, Brian Wilhite, Mike Ruble, Rick Burton
Design 500 B-Main #1: Brad Barrow, Christian Rayburn, Brent Londeree, Greg Ault, Daniel Bohall, Gary Hardin, Randy Riggle, CJ Rayburn, Shannon Reed, Paul Crockett, Doug Ault
Design 500 B-Main #2: Steve Godsey, Tim Prince, Mark Bechelli, Mike Bechelli, Rickey Riggle, Jeremy Masters, Dan Deaton, Brian Wilhite, Mike Ruble, Rick Burton
23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic: Greg Johnson, Scott James, Brad Neat, Mike Jewell, Steve Barnett, Bryan Barber, Steve Hillard, Justin Ratliff, Tim Tungate, Aaron Hatton, Mark Barber, Steve Godsey, Chris Combs, Rohn Moon, Brad Barrow, Tim Prince, Bobby Wolter Jr, Marty O’Neal, Justin Blackwell, Christian Rayburn, Dan Deaton
Race Statistics:
Entries: 38
Cautions: 0
Lap Leaders: Greg Johnson 1-40
PPM Racing Products Hard Charger of the Race: Steve Godsey
Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the race: Justin Rattliff
Series Provisionals: Dan Deaton

O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Spring 40 at Ponderosa Speedway Postponed Again

JUNCTION CITY, KY -- Heavy rains on Thursday and Thursday night and with more forecasted for Friday and the grounds already saturated with moisture, track promoter Larry Yantz and O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series officials have postponed the Spring 40 for now a third time.

Originally scheduled for April 7 and then April 8, the Spring 40 event will now be the first part of a newly scheduled O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts doubleheader weekend at Ponderosa Speedway on May 12 and May 13. The 3rd Annual Spring 40 will now be contested on Friday evening, May 12, and pay $3,000 to win for the Late Model stars of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series. The series will then return the following evening on Saturday night, May 13, with the 7th Annual Hugh “Junebug” Rowland Memorial event, with that race also paying $3,000 to win for the Late Models of the O’Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series. The 1st Annual Ponderosa 50 will now go on Friday evening, June 2, and pay $5,000 to win for the final event of the 2006 Kentucky Speedweek events.

Tomorrow night's 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic at Brownstown Speedway is still on and, with warm weather and sunny skies in the forecast, is sure to draw a stout field of cars. A complete night of racing is planned with Racing Optics Time Trials, Mason Racin'/Arizona Sport Shirts Heat Races, Design 500 B-Mains, and the 23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic paying $3000 to win. Gates are slated to open at 2PM with Hot Laps hitting the track around 5:30PM. General Admission for this race is $20 with Pit Admission being an extra $10 (total of $30).

Brownstown Speedway is a 1/4-mile oval located on State Road 250, a half-mile southeast of Brownstown, IN at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. Tim Keithley is the new promoter at the historic and famed track in 2006. For more information on Brownstown Speedway, visit them on the web at www.brownstownspeedway.com. For more information on race day, call the track at (812) 358-5332.

For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, visit us on the web at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859)433-5707.

2006 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Dirt Car Series Points
1. 500 Don O'Neal
2. 450 Dan Schlieper
3. 415 Brian Birkhofer
4. 390 Brad Neat
5. 380 Steve Casebolt
6. 365 Scott James
7. 350 Jesse Lay
8. 345 Roger Williams
9. 340 Mike Marlar
9. 340 Wayne Chinn

2006 O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Upcoming Schedule
April 22 - Brownstown Speedway, Brownstown, IN - $3,000 to Win (23rd Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic)
April 28 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY - $3,000 to Win (Spring Shootout)
April 29 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY - $3,000 to Win (9th Annual Spring Sizzler)
May 6 - 201 Speedway, Sitka, KY - $3000 to Win
May 12 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (3rd Annual Spring 40)
May 13 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY - $3,000 to Win (7th Annual Junebug Rowland Memorial)
May 20 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY - $3000 to win (Coco-Cola 40)

Hardgrove Adds Money to NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Purse at Lake Cumberland This Saturday

LEXINGTON, KY -- Lake Cumberland Speedway track promoter Harold Hardgrove has announced that he is upping the ante for this Saturday's 2006 season opener for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series. Hardgrove is adding money to the first five non-transfer spots in Saturday night's B-Main for the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified show.

The NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series will begin its 2006 season this Saturday, April 22nd at Burnside, KY's Lake Cumberland Speedway. In the series' only visit to Lake Cumberland in 2005, Joe David Turner won in thrilling fashion, narrowly edging out Jimmy Payne. With the improvements that have been made to the 3/8-mile facility during the off-season, the event is sure to be an exciting show with plenty of side-by-side racing action.

A complete program is planned for the BoB "Mod Squad" with Racing Optic Time Trials, Heats Races, B-Mains, and the Vault 30 A-Main. Gates are slated to open at 2pm with Hot Laps scheduled for 6pm and Racing at 7pm.

Hanover, IN native Joey Kramer is the defending NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Champion while Columbia, KY's Kelly Warren won the inaugural series title in 2004.

Lake Cumberland Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval located just south of Burnside, KY on the east side of US 27. For more information, you can visit their website at www.lcspeedway.net or call the track office at (606) 561-8994.

For more information on the NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series, please visit our website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859) 433-5707.

The purse for the Vault 30 A-Main is as follows:
1. $1,500 2. 700 3. 500 4. 400 5. 350 6. 300 7. 275 8. 250 9. 225 10. 200 11. 180 12. 160 13. 150 14. 140 15. 130 16. 125 17. 125 18. 125 19. 125 20. 125 21. 125 22. 125

NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series 2006 Schedule
April 22 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)
May 19 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY $1500 to win)
May 20 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY $1500 to win)
May 27 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY ($1500 to win) - 6th Annual Mod Squad Bash)
June 3 - 201 Speedway, Sitka, KY ($1500 to win)
July 1 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 5 - 201 Speedway Sitka, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 11 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 12 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY ($1500 to win - 6th Annual Bluegrass Rumble)
Aug 19 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
Sept 16 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
Sept 23 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)

2006 NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Champ Will "Cruise With The Champions"

LEXINGTON, KY -- For the first time in the existence of the series, the 2006 NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Champion will "Cruise with the Champions". The series is happy to announce that, in addition to the first-place paycheck at the season-ending NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series banquet, the Series Champion will set sail on the popular Cruise with the Champions group next January.

Cruise with the Champions is a unique experience in which the Champions from various racing series throughout the country journey on a seven-day cruise from January 7th to January 14th. In addition, race fans from across the country have the opportunity to travel on the cruise, while meeting their favorite drivers on a relaxing winter vacation. The 2007 Cruise with the Champions trip will leave from Miami, FL and visit the popular vacation islands of San Juan, St. Maartan, and St. Thomas. The popularity of Cruise with the Champions has exploded within the last several years, and 2007 will mark the 13th voyage of the annual trip.

The NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series will begin its twelve-race 2006 season this Saturday, April 22nd at the Harold Hardgrove-promoted Lake Cumberland Speedway. In the series' only visit to Lake Cumberland in 2005, Joe David Turner won in thrilling fashion, narrowly edging out Jimmy Payne. With the improvements that have been made to the 3/8-mile facility during the off-season, the April 22nd event is sure to be an exciting show with plenty of side-by-side racing action.

A complete program is planned for the BoB "Mod Squad" with Racing Optics Time Trials, Heats Races, B-Mains, and the Vault 30 A-Main. Gates are slated to open at 2pm with Hot Laps scheduled for 6pm and Racing at 7pm.

Hanover, IN native Joey Kramer is the defending NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Champion while Columbia, KY's Kelly Warren won the inaugural series title in 2004.

For more information on Cruise with the Champions, visit their website at www.cruisewiththechampions.com or contact Cindy Knowles at 1-888-456-1336. For more information on the O'Reilly NARA Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series, visit our website at www.battleofthebluegrass.com or call the Series office at (859) 433-5707.

2006 NARA Battle of the Bluegrass Open Wheel Modified Series Schedule
April 22 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)
May 19 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY $1500 to win)
May 20 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY $1500 to win)
May 27 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY ($1500 to win) - 6th Annual Mod Squad Bash)
June 3 - 201 Speedway, Sitka, KY ($1500 to win)
July 1 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 5 - 201 Speedway Sitka, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 11 - Ponderosa Speedway, Junction City, KY ($1500 to win)
Aug 12 - Bluegrass Speedway, Bardstown, KY ($1500 to win - 6th Annual Bluegrass Rumble)
Aug 19 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
Sept 16 - Richmond Raceway, Richmond, KY ($1500 to win)
Sept 23 - Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, KY ($1500 to win)

Copyright © 1998-2006 by South Jersey Dirt Racing/ToddJ All Rights Reserved.  Born on date April 21, 1998