NASCAR WEEKLY - DIVISION I ROUND UP

NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES

Source — NASCAR Public Relations

Date Posted — July 19, 2005

| More

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- The mathematics of NASCAR’s new points format for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series are catching up to the championship front runners. NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Division I points leader Peyton Sellers, of Danville, Va., competes in the Late Model Stock Car class at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and has also raced at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway and Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.

Sellers has raced 21 times, yet only his best 16 finishes are counted towards the $25,000 NDWS Division I championship. Sellers’ best 16 finishes include: 10 wins, one third-place finish, two fourth-place finishes, a sixth-place finish and two seventh-place finishes. From this point forward, any results worse than seventh will simply not be counted. The pressure is on and Sellers’ rivals are gaining ground each week.

Tim Karrick, of Basehor, Kan., is currently ranked second in the divisional standings and finished third in last Saturday night’s Dirt Modified event at Linn County Speedway in Pleasanton, Kan. With the result, Karrick moved to within 12 points of Sellers’ lead. Karrick has raced 19 times at Linn County and Lakeside Speedway, located in Kansas City, Kan. Like Sellers, his best 16 finishes are all seventh-place or better and he must race in the top-five to substantially improve his ranking in the NDWS Division I points race.

While these two leaders battle it out, other drivers across the nation have an opportunity to gain positions as they add points to their totals.

Tommy Cherry, a resident of South Mills, N.C. who competes at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., is ranked seventh with 826 points – 210 points out of the lead. Cherry, however, has only logged 13 starts to date. Each one of his next three starts will be added to his total and he will see the gap between him and the leaders shrink with each good finish.

Likewise, Jefferson, Ga.’s Clay Dale competes at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Ga. and has 13 starts in the track’s Pro Late Model class. Dale is ranked eighth in the NDWS Division I standings but will only add to his total over the next three events.

Adding to the challenge, just one driver per track is listed in the NDWS divisional standings. This is done in order to ensure that one driver from each track has an opportunity to share in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series prize money at the end of the season. The driver with the highest NASCAR point total at each track is ranked, meaning these championship contenders must stay ahead of the local competition while also keeping a close watch on the national racing scene.

These title contenders will race for the NDWS Division I points championship each week until Sept. 18. Following that date, NASCAR points will be finalized and a divisional champion crowned. In addition, one of the four NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series divisional champions will win the $50,000 national championship bonus. This award goes to the divisional champion with the greatest point total overall – an honor currently held by Sellers.

(Driver, Home Track, (Track Location) Points)

1. Peyton Sellers, South Boston Speedway (South Boston, Va.), 1,036

2. Tim Karrick, Linn County Speedway (Pleasanton, Kan.), 1,024

3. Tom Charles, Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, Kan.), 1,016

4. Frank Deiny Jr., Motor Mile Speedway (Radford, Va.), 998

5. Tim Brown, Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 880

6. Travis Swaim, Caraway Speedway (Asheboro, N.C.), 846

7. Tommy Cherry, Langley Speedway (Hampton, Va.), 826

8. Clay Dale, Lanier National Speedway (Braselton, Ga.), 752

9. Ricky Bilderback, Rockford Speedway (Rockford, Ill.), 680

10. Duane Howard, Big Diamond Raceway (Minersville, Pa.), 634

11. Kenneth Headen, Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, S.C.), 620