Source: Westcar Media Relations/sb
Date: 09/24/2007

UKIAH, California - Despite not finishing the event due to a hard crash, rookie Jarred Beddow or Roseville, CA claimed the 2007 Eldorado Westcar Late Model Series Tour of Champions championship Saturday night at Ukiah Speedway.

Upperlake, CA's Mike Doss scored the rich $1500 victory, making him two-for-two in Westcar competition at Ukiah.

After a rookie performance that wowed race fans throughout the series' seven-round campaign, Beddow finished with six top-fives and seven top-tens.

“It’s not real yet,” Beddow said. “When I started doing well in the beginning of the year, I thought it was just luck. It was tough being just a normal guy out here trying to do this every race.”

“Call me lucky, call me skilled, whatever you want to call it,” Beddow said. “I’m sure there are some guys out here that are better than me.”

Paul Hansen of Richmond, CA led the opening nine laps of the 75 lap contest. Meanwhile, 2005 Rookie of the Year and 2007 series runner-up Bobby Butler worked through the field from his sixth starting position.

The Sacramento teenager beat Hansen in a race back to the line on lap nine, when the caution flag flew. John Dalerio of Ukiah made contact with Doss and slid off the race track in turn one to draw the yellow.

Butler drove away from Hansen on the restart. Beddow moved past Hansen on lap 12 and began to chip away at Butler’s lead.

Doss, who was the fastest in qualifying, was up to fourth place by lap 16 after starting tenth.

On lap 33, Beddow found his way to Butler’s back bumper, setting up a thrilling 13 lap duel. The top-two drivers in Westcar competition battled closely, with Butler fighting a loose race car.

Butler stumbled exiting turn four on lap 45, and Beddow pounced on the opening on the inside. After some contact between the two, Beddow took the lead into turn one.

Heading off of turn two, they suddenly made contact. Beddow spun off the embankment and into the dirt wall outside the backstretch, causing major damage to the left-front of the car. His night was over.

“We had the car to beat,” Beddow explained while he iced an injured foot. “I was sitting back, saving the tires, waiting for him to make a mistake and he did.”

“I just wish he would have drove me clean.”

“We got together in turns one and two and I got loose coming off,” Butler said. “It was a racing deal and I feel bad about it. We made an adjustment after practice and made the car too loose.”

While still under caution, Hansen suddenly exited to the pits with mechanical problems, which handed the lead to Doss.

Doss cruised over the final 30 laps to a commanding five second win, with Carson City, NV Rookie Kris Keller coming home a career-best second. Butler was able to manage his loose Pontiac to third place. Brian Koski of San Ramon, CA and teenager Bobby Hodges of Carson City, NV rounded out the top-five.

“Beddow & Butler were definitely faster today,” Doss said. “We had a third-place car, especially after the contact earlier in the race. I’m not going to lie; we didn’t have a fast car tonight.”

Keller was excited for the great finish, his first top-five in Westcar.

“There was huge pressure and it was absolutely amazing to get second,” Keller said. “We were loose all weekend and it was weird; the car just worked (in the feature).”

Beddow finished a wild year that saw the 26 year-old win a dash in just his first night out, a mid-season team change from Gary Glenn’s to Mike Doss’, and the adversity of competing in as a rookie in a touring Late Model series.

“I learned so much from the Glenn’s and Mike Doss,” Beddow said. “I really wish Gary was here tonight.”

Beddow relied on support from his family and the racing community to adjust to the mid-season team change.

“My whole family gave me money and we just barely made it,” Beddow said.

The 2004 Bomber rookie turned Late Model rookie, turned into a Late Model champion in an amazing run.

Beddow will celebrate his 2007 Eldorado Hotel Casino Westcar Late Model Series title on January 5th, 2008 at the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno, NV. More details to come.

The Eldorado Westcar Series is online at www. westcarseries. com

Westcar is supported by: Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno, Performance Electric, California Door and Frame, Competition Carburetion, John L. Sullivan, Jim Courage Pools, Circle Track Steering, Five Star Bodies, Sierra Racing Products, Fensler Racing, DPI, F.R.E., JME, Cust-Tee-Mized Printing, and Perry Racing. About Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno: The award winning Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno, NV is proud to support grassroots motorsports. The Eldorado was named ‘Best Reno Rooms and Suites’ by Casino Player Magazine. Visit www.eldoradoreno.com or call 1-800-879-8879.

About Westcar: The Westcar Series was started in late 2004 in Northern California by Phil Perry of Perry Race Cars and Jeff Macey of JME, who looked to create a solid touring series for weekly-type Western Late Models. This series became the Eldorado Westcar Late Model Series, which concluded its third season in 2007.

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