DAYTONA BEACH, Florida --After finishing first and fifth in his last two races, Tim Karrick has wrestled the lead away from John Allen in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Division I standings. Karrick, of Basehor, Kan., began his twice-a-week racing schedule with a victory last Friday at Lakeside Speedway, in Kansas City., Kan. On Saturday, Karrick finished fifth in the Dirt Modified event at Linn County Speedway in Pleasanton, Kan., earning enough NASCAR points in the process to unseat Allen, who competes at the same two speedways, from the lead.
Karrick is seeking his first NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship, after several near-misses in the past few seasons. Karrick was the runner-up to 2005 Division I champion Peyton Sellers, who also won last the national championship. In 2004, Karrick also finished second in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship standings, to Wisconsin’s Charlie Menard. And in 1997, Karrick finished second in the standings, to the late Andy Kirby from Nashville.
Meanwhile, Oxford, N.C. driver Jonathan Cash had a big week at three different NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series tracks and vaulted into fifth place in the NDWS Division I standings. Cash began with a sixth-place finish at his home track, South Boston (Va.) Speedway on Monday, July 3. Cash finished second in last Friday night’s Late Model feature at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C. and wrapped up his week with a third-place finish at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C. All three results helped Cash collect a total 812 NASCAR points and a spot on the NDWS Division I leaderboard for the first time this season.
Nick Parker, of Kearns, Utah, won both Modified features in a special twin features program July 4 at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah. Parker, the defending track champion at RMR, finished third in the NDWS Division I standings and is currently ranked 10th.
Mark Wertz, a two-time NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series champion from Virginia Beach, Va., grabbed the 11th position in this week’s NDWS Division I standings, after recording his second consecutive win at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va.
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
Division I Leaders as of July 11 (best 16 points finishes)
Driver, Hometown, Home track, NDWS points
1. Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan., Lakeside Speedway, 1056 points
2. John Allen, Chante, Kan., Linn County Speedway, 1,048
3. Rodney Cook, Reidsville, N.C., Ace Speedway, 888
4. Junior Miller, Pine Hall, N.C., Bowman Gray Stadium, 842
5. Jonathan Cash, Oxford, N.C., South Boston Speedway, 812
6. Randy Benson, Rockingham, N.C., Caraway Speedway, 794
7. Kelly Kingery, Wirtz, Va., Motor Mile Speedway, 720
8. Jamie Stephens Jr., Conyers, Ga., Lanier National Speedway, 710
9. Randy Porter, Easley, S.C., Greenville-Pickens Speedway, 674
10. Nick Parker, Kearns, Utah, Rocky Mountain Raceways, 666
11. Mark Wertz, Virginia Beach, Va., Langley Speedway, 650
12. Sherman Davis Jr., Fayetteville, N.C., Southern National Raceway Park, 562
13. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton, Ill., Rockford Speedway, 500
14. Bill Rodgers, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, 486
15. Randy Smith II, Canton, Ohio, Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, 370
16. Doug Davidson, Monroe, Wash., Evergreen Speedway, 282
New to the top 16:
1. Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan.
5. Jonathan Cash, Oxford, N.C.
11. Mark Wertz, Virginia Beach, Va.
14. Bill Rodgers, Old Orchard Beach, Maine
15. Randy Smith, Canton, Ohio
Dropped out of the top 16:
Kerry Davis, Parksville, Mo.
Jon Denning, Springfield, N.J.
Greg Edwards, Poquoson, Va.
Trevor Sanborn, East Parsonsfield, Maine
Rick Groetsch, North Ridgeville, Ohio
