Wednesday, August 31, 2005

TITLE BATTLE BREWS AMONG MIDWESTERN DRIVERS IN DIVISION II OF NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES

Courtesy Jeremy Davidson, NASCAR Public Relations

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 30, 2005) – A battle continues to brew among several Midwestern drivers as they pursue the $25,000 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Division II championship.

Mike Hansen of Alton, Iowa, moved to second in the point standings this week and closed to within 38 markers of Chris Spieker of Massena, Iowa – with three weeks remaining before the NASCAR season concludes on Sept. 18.

Spieker – who has led the NDWS Division II standings all season – finished fourth at Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa, on Saturday. He leads the division with 1,078 points. Hansen has 1,040 points – after finishing sixth at Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D., on Saturday.

Slipping to third in the standings this week with 1,034 points is Joe Kosiski of Omaha, Neb. Inclement weather left the former national champion and his fellow competitors idle at I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park in Greenwood, Neb., on Sunday.

Retaining fourth in the division this week with 1,010 points is Jeff Strunk of Bethel, Pa. Strunk finished second at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Penn., on Saturday.

Drivers in nearly every position behind him swapped positions this week in the NDWS Division II point standings, meanwhile. Scott Bonney of North Chelmsford, Mass., moved up three spots to fifth – with 854 points. Pete Anderson Jr., of Stockton, Calif., is sixth with 838 points – followed by Eric Richardson of Bakersfield, Calif., with 822. Moving up one position to eighth in the standings is Stacey Gerken of LaGrange, Ohio, with 800 points. Robert Barker of Boerne, Texas, also gained a spot – moving to ninth with 782 points. Travis Sharpe of North, S.C., is 10th in the division with 772 points.

Under NASCAR’s new points format for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, a driver’s best 16 finishes are counted towards the divisional title. If a driver races more than 16 times, their poorer finishes are not counted in the NDWS point standings. Four drivers will win a Division championship, which includes a $25,000 bonus and a chance at the $50,000 national championship bonus. One of the divisional champions – the champion with the highest point total overall – wins the national award.

This Week’s Division II Leaders …
(Driver, Home Track, Points)

1. Chris Spieker, Adams County Speedway, 1,078
2. Mike Hansen, Park Jefferson Speedway, 1,040
3. Joe Kosiski, I-80 Speedway, 1,034
4. Jeff Strunk, Grandview Speedway, 1,010
5. Scott Bonney, Lee USA Speedway, 854
6. Pete Anderson Jr., Stockton 99 Speedway, 838
7. Eric Richardson, Mesa Marin Raceway, 822
8. Stacey Gerken, Lorain Speedway, 800
9. Robert Barker, San Antonio Speedway, 782
10. Travis Sharpe, Concord Motorsport Park, 772
11. Jeremy Lapainis, Edmonton International Raceway, 742
12. Dennis Pelphrey, Watsonville Speedway, 716
13. Gerry Bergeron, Autodrome St. Eustache, 702
14. Scott Lindsay, Delaware Speedway, 688
15. Mark Bliss, Holland International Speedway, 668
16. Greg Hardee, Myrtle Beach Speedway, 658
17. Alan Pyszora, Shasta Raceway Park, 584
18. Bill Hebing Jr., Spencer Speedway, 570

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