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Racing: The Show Me 100 |
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WEST PLAINS, MO (May 23, 2009) - Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA lapped up to the seventh place finishing car as he dominated the 17th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Show-Me 100 Presented by DART Machinery. He pocketed $40,000 on Saturday Night at West Plains Motor Speedway in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event.
Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, WI used a late race caution to close behind Birkhofer in the waning laps, but Birkhofer was just too strong as he and Mars' MB Custom Chassis scored a one-two finish. Five-time Show-Me 100 winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN finished third followed by Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN and Don O'Neal of Martinsville, IN who completed the top five.
Polesitter Jimmy Owens got a good start on fellow front row starter Scott Bloomquist on the initial start of the race, but a multi-car pileup on the opening lap brought out a red-flag as former race winner Terry Phillips left the race on a hook ending his night. On the restart, Owens won the race heading into turn number one with Bloomquist, Mars, Birkhofer, who started fifth and Jeremy Payne.
Owens quickly opened up a three top four car length lead over Bloomquist in the early going of the race as a battle for third was taking place between Mars and Birkhofer. Those two drivers would race side-by-side for four consecutive laps crossing the start-finish line dead even for position.
Birkhofer's car ran a Dart aluminum block and Dart heads... the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place racers were also running Dart blocks, heads or both!
A caution came out for Brian Shirley with nine laps scored; Owens saw the lead he had built up over Bloomquist now gone. On the restart, there was a three-car pile-up in turn two which once again slowed the racing action. Owens led the field to the restart as both Mars and Birkhofer got by Bloomquist a lap into the restart.
Mars and Birkhofer dueled side-by- side as they closed on Owens who was still out in front, but his lead turned precarious as both Mars and Birkhofer were on the prowl. Birkhofer settled into second by lap 16 and then four laps later he grabbed the lead away from Owens on the 19th circuit.
Birkhofer then stretched out his lead over Owens as he started to pick-up the tail end of the field by lap 25, Mars moved into second passing Owens. Birkhofer was setting a torrid pace and with 30 laps down he held almost a straightaway lead over Mars, Owens, Bloomquist and O'Neal. With no caution flags to clear lapped traffic Birkhofer maneuvered his way around several cars from lap30-40 putting multiple cars in between him and second place running Mars.
As the race approached the half-way mark, Birkhofer had lapped up to the ninth position car as he was totally running away with the race at this point. Birkhofer had built a half-a-lap lead over Mars, who was having trouble negotiating traffic as he could not gain any ground on Birkhofer as "Birky" put two more of the top ten a lap down as there were only seven cars now on the lead lap.
The final caution of the race on lap 71 for a slowing Jeremy Payne was the break that Mars was looking for as with Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series rules all lapped cars would have to restart on the tail end of the field. Birkhofer was left with a clear track, but it also allowed Mars, Bloomquist, Owens, O'Neal, Ray Cook and Earl Pearson Jr. the only cars still on the lead lap to restart behind him in single-file order.
With 29 laps to go after the restart Birkhofer set sail again as he exploded out to a quick three car length lead over Mars and Bloomquist. Birkhofer, with his blistering pace closed quickly on the back of the field one more time with less than 20 laps remaining in the race.
With Birkhofer having to deal with cars directly in front of him, Mars took the opportunity to close the gap on Birkhofer. Mars was able to chase down Birkhofer with less than five laps to go, but passing Birkhofer would be another story as Mars was unable to get close enough to Birkhofer to try a last lap pass. Birkhofer crossed the finish line first to add another crown jewel event win to his impressive resume.
In the Lucas Oil Victory Lane, Birkhofer was overcome with emotion in describing his win. He was starting for the seventh time in his career. "I just can't believe it, I have been wanting to win this race for a long time, the Gibsons' are a great family, they treat everybody so well and they have a great race track here, we just haven't had the luck in the past here, but this car was just a dream to drive," said the 37-year-old driver who earned his ninth career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
"Man it's so great to have Jimmy (Mars) run second, this MB Custom Chassis we put about six laps on it in practice for the Diamond Nationals at Wheatland and this is the first time we have raced it and I can't imagine having a better race car than what we had tonight, the other car we've been running was good, but we thought we would bring this one out for the Show-Me and it turned out to be a very good decision," said Birkhofer.
"It feels great to win one of these crown jewel events like this, I want to thank Jeff Roby, Jimmy and Chris Mars, Bill Schlieper of Pro Power Engines, everyone at Lucas Oil for the series they have, it's an honor to come here and win this race and having Lucas Oil sanction it for the first time, thanks to them for helping the Gibson's promote this race," said the winner who has now won $70,000 in first place prize in the last three weeks racing in the State of Missouri has he earned $30,000 for winning the SuperClean Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway back on May 9th.
Birkhofer's MB Custom Chassis Monte Carlo SS has a Pro Power Engine and is sponsored by J&J Steel, S&S Concrete, Daufeldt Transport, Etchenberger Trucking, Asi Racewear, 34Raceway.com, Integra Racing Shocks, Port City Racing, Hoosier Tires, McDonald's of the Quad Cities, VP Racing Fuels, McFarland Pain Clinic, Muscatine Tire and Wheel and Baileigh Industrial.
Mars crossed the line second in his Deppe Enterprises/Pro Power Engines/MB Custom Malibu with Bloomquist coming third in his Miller Brothers Coal/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Monte Carlo SS. Completing the top five was Owens who led the first 18 laps in the Mike Reece/Reece Monuments/Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion and O'Neal in the Racing United Marketing/Jay Dickens Racing Engines/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo SS.
Rounding out the top ten were Ray Cook, Earl Pearson Jr., Chris Madden, Billy Moyer and Brandon Kinzer.
To find out more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
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