Concord, NC — March 14, 2008 — By Chris Dolack, VP Public Relations
This is it, the final weekend for the Alltel All-Star contest is here. Voting at AlltelAllStar.com concludes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night and it’s a virtual photo finish in the making between UMP DIRTcar Open-Wheel Modified driver Dave Hess Jr. and Sprint Car racer Wayne Johnson.
The votes have been pouring in down the stretch, nearly doubling the first few weeks of the competition as the realization that one of the 18 different winners from the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park will drive away with $12,000 as voted on by the fans at AlltelAllStar.com.
Hess, of Waterford, Pa., has a slight edge entering the weekend with 22.8 percent of the overall votes while Johnson, a native of Mustang, Okla., is within striking distance at 22.6 percent of the total votes.
Five of the Top 10 drivers in the vote totals going into this weekend drove a UMP DIRTcar Open-Wheel Modified to the Alltel Wireless Victory Lane during the two-week Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia while three Sprint Car drivers, a Dirt Late Model competitor and a Big Block Modified driver make up the rest of the Top 10.
Drivers from 13 different states, representing both coasts as well as the heart of the Midwest, celebrated a win in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals and are eligible for the contest:
Sprint Cars — Wayne Johnson, Mustang, Okla.; Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minn.; Jason Meyers, Clovis, Calif.; Danny Lasoski, Dover, Mo.; and Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D., a two-time winner during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.
UMP DIRTcar Open-Wheel Modifieds — Jesse Stovall, Branson, Mo.; Scott Drake, Webb City, Mo.; Dave Hess Jr., Waterford, Pa.; Tim Hancock, Mount Olive, Ill.; Dave Groves, Morgantown, W.Va.; and two-time Alltel DIRTcar Nationals winner Jared Landers, Batesville, Ark.
Dirt Late Models — Two-time winner Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.; Josh Richards, Shinnston, W.Va.; and Clint Smith, Senoia, Ga.
Advance Auto Parts Big Block Modifieds — Billy Pauch, Frenchtown, N.J.; Brett Hearn, Sussex, N.J.; Dale Planck, Cortland, N.Y.; and Jimmy Horton, Neshanic Station, N.J.
The drivers did their best to convince the fans to vote for them through their victories during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, now it’s up to the fans to decide who will win the title by voting at AlltelAllStar.com.
Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.