Post by robbiandcoysayles on Jul 12, 2009 21:03:40 GMT -5
La Salle, IL — July 9, 2009 — Just as he’s done throughout the first 20 nights of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Tour, points leader Randy Korte made a crowd-rousing charge to the front of the pack on Thursday night at La Salle Speedway. This time he made it pay off by grabbing the top spot with 12 laps to go and holding off Shannon Babb to capture his third victory of the 2009 Hell Tour.
Fifth-starting Korte, of Highland, Ill., maneuvered his way methodically through the field, passing leader Ryan Unzicker on lap 28 of the 40-lap main event to claim the $6,000 winner’s prize.
“It just didn’t seem like the bottom was very good,” Korte said. “I just moved up to the middle of the race track and the car seemed to come to life.”
Korte stretched his lead in the Hell Tour overall standings to 14 points over two-time and defending champion Dennis Erb Jr., of Carpentersville, Ill. With two races to go Korte, the 2006 UMP DIRTcar Late Model national champion, won’t let that affect his focus.
“We’re just chasing the race tracks, and chasing our race car,” said Korte, who has never won a UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals crown. “However, this turns out it’s been a great UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals for me.”
Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., used a tremendous run from the ninth to finish second, eventually taking a shot at Korte in the closing laps only to fall a few car lengths short. “We might not have been perfect at all but we managed to ride around the first half of the race,” said Babb, a two-time Hell Tour champion. “The middle started to work for Randy. I saw that so I moved up there and it seemed to work for us.”
Erb, who followed Babb from the 10th on the grid, rounded out the podium. “I just waited for everyone to spread out a bit so we had some room to race,” said Erb, of his early strategy. “I had to go up to the top which was a little rough but we got around a bunch of cars there at the end.”
Ryan Unzicker, of El Paso Ill., who lead early in the main event, settled for fourth while polesitter Rodney Melvin, of Logan, Ill., rounded out the top five.
Heat 1
1. 42 Terry Casey
2. 00 Randy Korte
3. 18 Shannon Babb
4. 9x Kenny Schrader
5. 55 Shawn Torzeck
6. 83 Scott Bull
7. 16la Shane Allen
8. 5 Bryant Dickinson
9. 49 Scott Brewer
10. 55 Jeep Van Wormer
11. 25 Jason Feger
Heat 2
1. 24 Ryan Unzicker
2. 7b Mark Burgtorf
3. 28 Dennis Erb
4. 1w Donny Walden
5. 5x Brett Sievert
6. 5s Steve Sheppard
7. m14 Brandon Thirlby
8. 43 Alan Gendusa
9. B5 Brandon Sheppard
10. 11x Steve Dimmick
Heat 3
1. 27 Rodney Melvin
2. b12 Kevin Weaver
3. 10s Scott Schmitt
4. m27 Mike Provenzano
5. 21b Rich Bell
6. 40 Charley Hess
7. 99j Jimmy Dehm
8. K9 Mike Glynn
9. 55l Jim Loomis
10. 11m Rodger Markham
Heat 4
1. 30v Mark Voigt
2. 16c Don O'Neal
3. 23 Ted Loomis
4. 7 John Provenzano
5. 99jr Frank Heckenast jr
6. 77 Jason McBride
7. 35 Derek Chandler
8. 9s Eric Smith
9, 10m Ralph Markham
10. 111 Curt Spalding
C main
1. 9s Eric Smith
2. B5 Brandon Sheppard
3. K9 Mike Glynn
4. 10m Ralph Markham
5. 111 Curt Spalding
6. 49 Scott Brewer
7. 55l Jim Loomis
8. 5 Bryant Dickinson
9. 11x Steve Dimmick
10. 43 Alan Gendusa
B Main
1. 99jr Frank Heckenast jr
2. 95 Aaron Rickett
3. 55 Jim Loomis
4. 77 Jason McBride
5. 83 Scott Bull
6. B5 Brandon Sheppard
7. 21b Rich Bell
8. 40 Charley Hess
9. 35 Derek Chandler
10. 9s Eric Smith
11. 10m Ralph Markham
12. 99j Jimmy Dehm
13. 16la Shane Allen
14. M14 Brandon Thirlby
Feature
1. 00 Randy Korte
2. 18 Shannon Babb
3. 28 Dennis Erb
4. 24 Ryan Unzicker
5. 27 Rodney Melvin
6. B12 Kevin Weaver
7. 7b Mark Burgtorf
8. 99jr Frank Heckenast
9. 23 Ted Loomis
10. m27 Mike Provenzano
11. 10s Scott Schmitt
12. 1w Donny Walden
13. 25 Jason Feger
14. 42 Terry Casey
15. 30v Mark Voigt
16. 9x Kenny Schrader
17. 5s Steve Sheppard
18. 5x Brett Sievert
19. 7 John Provenzano
20. 10m Ralph Markham
21. 16c Don O'Neal
Fifth-starting Korte, of Highland, Ill., maneuvered his way methodically through the field, passing leader Ryan Unzicker on lap 28 of the 40-lap main event to claim the $6,000 winner’s prize.
“It just didn’t seem like the bottom was very good,” Korte said. “I just moved up to the middle of the race track and the car seemed to come to life.”
Korte stretched his lead in the Hell Tour overall standings to 14 points over two-time and defending champion Dennis Erb Jr., of Carpentersville, Ill. With two races to go Korte, the 2006 UMP DIRTcar Late Model national champion, won’t let that affect his focus.
“We’re just chasing the race tracks, and chasing our race car,” said Korte, who has never won a UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals crown. “However, this turns out it’s been a great UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals for me.”
Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., used a tremendous run from the ninth to finish second, eventually taking a shot at Korte in the closing laps only to fall a few car lengths short. “We might not have been perfect at all but we managed to ride around the first half of the race,” said Babb, a two-time Hell Tour champion. “The middle started to work for Randy. I saw that so I moved up there and it seemed to work for us.”
Erb, who followed Babb from the 10th on the grid, rounded out the podium. “I just waited for everyone to spread out a bit so we had some room to race,” said Erb, of his early strategy. “I had to go up to the top which was a little rough but we got around a bunch of cars there at the end.”
Ryan Unzicker, of El Paso Ill., who lead early in the main event, settled for fourth while polesitter Rodney Melvin, of Logan, Ill., rounded out the top five.
Heat 1
1. 42 Terry Casey
2. 00 Randy Korte
3. 18 Shannon Babb
4. 9x Kenny Schrader
5. 55 Shawn Torzeck
6. 83 Scott Bull
7. 16la Shane Allen
8. 5 Bryant Dickinson
9. 49 Scott Brewer
10. 55 Jeep Van Wormer
11. 25 Jason Feger
Heat 2
1. 24 Ryan Unzicker
2. 7b Mark Burgtorf
3. 28 Dennis Erb
4. 1w Donny Walden
5. 5x Brett Sievert
6. 5s Steve Sheppard
7. m14 Brandon Thirlby
8. 43 Alan Gendusa
9. B5 Brandon Sheppard
10. 11x Steve Dimmick
Heat 3
1. 27 Rodney Melvin
2. b12 Kevin Weaver
3. 10s Scott Schmitt
4. m27 Mike Provenzano
5. 21b Rich Bell
6. 40 Charley Hess
7. 99j Jimmy Dehm
8. K9 Mike Glynn
9. 55l Jim Loomis
10. 11m Rodger Markham
Heat 4
1. 30v Mark Voigt
2. 16c Don O'Neal
3. 23 Ted Loomis
4. 7 John Provenzano
5. 99jr Frank Heckenast jr
6. 77 Jason McBride
7. 35 Derek Chandler
8. 9s Eric Smith
9, 10m Ralph Markham
10. 111 Curt Spalding
C main
1. 9s Eric Smith
2. B5 Brandon Sheppard
3. K9 Mike Glynn
4. 10m Ralph Markham
5. 111 Curt Spalding
6. 49 Scott Brewer
7. 55l Jim Loomis
8. 5 Bryant Dickinson
9. 11x Steve Dimmick
10. 43 Alan Gendusa
B Main
1. 99jr Frank Heckenast jr
2. 95 Aaron Rickett
3. 55 Jim Loomis
4. 77 Jason McBride
5. 83 Scott Bull
6. B5 Brandon Sheppard
7. 21b Rich Bell
8. 40 Charley Hess
9. 35 Derek Chandler
10. 9s Eric Smith
11. 10m Ralph Markham
12. 99j Jimmy Dehm
13. 16la Shane Allen
14. M14 Brandon Thirlby
Feature
1. 00 Randy Korte
2. 18 Shannon Babb
3. 28 Dennis Erb
4. 24 Ryan Unzicker
5. 27 Rodney Melvin
6. B12 Kevin Weaver
7. 7b Mark Burgtorf
8. 99jr Frank Heckenast
9. 23 Ted Loomis
10. m27 Mike Provenzano
11. 10s Scott Schmitt
12. 1w Donny Walden
13. 25 Jason Feger
14. 42 Terry Casey
15. 30v Mark Voigt
16. 9x Kenny Schrader
17. 5s Steve Sheppard
18. 5x Brett Sievert
19. 7 John Provenzano
20. 10m Ralph Markham
21. 16c Don O'Neal
