The 2009 race season is in the final swing and drivers are beginning to assert themselves in the overall United Late Model Association (ULMA) standings after 46 points-earning events. Last weekend, both Evan Hubert of Cross Timbers, Missouri and Jon Binning of Warrensburg, Missouri raced their way into ULMA victory lane for the third time this year. Hubert’s win came at Lucas Oil Speedway on Saturday with Binning’s latest victory being registered at Central Missouri Speedway. There are a total of 19 possible points-earning events remaining in the hunt for the third ULMA championship. The season has officially been extended by one week due to a makeup event at Lucas Oil Speedway on Saturday, September 19th, which will be the final night for ULMA points.
Prior to winning on the next night at Lucas Oil Speedway, Evan Hubert registered the best finish by a ULMA member at Butler Motor Speedway (BMS) in Butler, Missouri last Friday evening. Three member drivers were present among 11 total late models competing. Evan’s brother, J.D., also ran strong in the top five and came away in fourth position while Lockwood, Missouri driver Dwight Niehoff continued a string of impressive runs with a sixth-place finish. The track will host its drivers and fans for another weekly event this Friday, August 14th.
An unfortunate circumstance overshadowed an otherwise competitive night of racing at Fulton, Missouri’s Callaway Raceway last Friday evening. Three ULMA member drivers were disqualified by ULMA officials for tire infractions after a post-race inspection revealed the drivers were competing with tires not permitted for ULMA competition. Drivers were reminded last week prior to the race weekend that tires would be checked by ULMA technical inspectors and that the Hoosier WRS-2 D55 tire is the ONLY legal tire for all ULMA-sanctioned competition. The ULMA disqualification only deals with ULMA point standings and the drivers’ track finishes were not affected. Sixteen drivers raced their way into the feature event and in the end it was over all ULMA point leader Kevin Kaiser who came away with the best finish among seven member drivers present. Kaiser raced his way to a second-place finish, Danny Lorton in sixth also posted a top-ten finish. The track will hold its weekly program this Friday, August 14th, if weather is an issue the races will run on Sunday, August 16th.
Thirteen late models competed at Lucas Oil Speedway with eleven ULMA-member drivers among the total car count. Evan Hubert nailed down his third win of the year at the track and led four other ULMA drivers in a sweep of the top five positions. The Hubert brothers have combined for a total of seven wins at the track this season. Kaiser continued his string of runner-up finishes by recording his second weekend runner-up finish. Matt Menzie, Andy Kennedy, and John Fellers finished third through fifth. Harlen Kennedy, J.D. Hubert, and Tommy Cordray also posted finishes inside the top ten. The track is set for another one of its “Countdown to the Crown” weekly events in all divisions again this Saturday.
Since becoming the first driver of the year to claim a repeat win last week, Jon Binning kept his string of winning performances going last Saturday at Warrensburg’s Central Missouri Speedway. Binning’s win, his third at the track this year, did not come easy as 18 drivers were on hand, 16 of which were ULMA members. Steve Clancy ran close behind Binning and came away with a solid second-place performance. Walt Imhoff of Jamestown, Missouri had an outstanding run to third, his best this year at the high-banked facility while two long-distance travelers, Randy Ainsworth of Excelsior Springs, Missouri and Shawn Rayfield of O’Fallon, Missouri completed the top five. Dwight Niehoff, Bob King, Kevin Coyne, Danny Monroe and Danny Lorton rounded out the top ten in the final rundown. Another weekly racing event is scheduled at the track for this Saturday August 15th in all divisions. The track will hold a $1,500-to-win special event for ULMA late models on Friday, September 4th. This is a track special and not a special put on by ULMA; however, ULMA points will be awarded accordingly. Advanced discounted entries for drivers go on sale this Saturday at the track.
Kevin Kaiser leads Robbie Test in second by 46 points in the overall association standings. Jeff Schlup remains third with Randy Ainsworth and Kevin Coyne fourth and fifth. In the coming weeks, both Jon Binning and Allen Perryman are staged to hit the fifteen starts plateau, after which they will begin discarding lower finishes from previous weeks. ULMA is always looking for more support for their drivers, if you are a business looking to get involved in motorsports contact us at your convenience via our Web site. We are grateful for those businesses that support our form of late model racing!
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