Next Stop for United Late Model Association (ULMA) Drivers is the Missouri State Fair Speedway Historic Half Mile on Thursday, August 14th! By Sam Stoecklin ULMA Media Relations Warrensburg, MO August 11, 2008 For the second and final time this year, ULMA drivers will compete on the historic half-mile track at Sedalia’s State Fair Speedway. This time the event takes place this Thursday, August 14th as part of a special added night of racing during the ongoing Missouri State Fair. Joining ULMA Late Models on the bill are Modifieds and Street Stocks. With fair admission $2 the day of the event and general admission for the grandstands at just $8, fans will see three exciting divisions competing in qualifying heat races and feature events for only ten bucks! Earlier this year at the half mile, current ULMA point’s leader Jason Bodenhamer claimed the victory during the Bob Ramey Memorial and he is just one of the drivers expected to compete this Thursday. Other drivers may include defending ULMA champion Brett Rollert, five-time ULMA winner Jon Binning, two-time ULMA winner James Rutledge, current ULMA Rookie of the Year leader Mike Ryun, and 2007 Rookie of the Year, Brett Wood. Additional drivers to watch for are Bryon Allison, Chad Clark, Randy McGraw, Kevin Kaiser, Jake Williams, Walter Imhoff, Jeff Schlup, Steve Clancy, and David Barker. Mention of driver name does not guarantee appearance. All competing late model drivers must be ULMA members and there is a $50 entry fee per car, pit passes and ULMA membership sold separately at the track. ULMA tech inspection rules apply and all cars are required to pass pre-race inspection prior to the hot-lap session. The association wishes to thank promoter Clint Brown for including ULMA for this special race. This event does count towards the ULMA point’s championship and will pay $750 to the winner and $150 to start. Grandstand gates open at 5:00 pm; hot laps begin at 6:30, with racing getting underway at 7:00. Pit gates open at 3:00 pm with a mandatory drivers’ meeting taking place at 6:15. For detailed information, visit the track’s Web site at www.sedaliastatefairspeedway.com. Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri was the only ULMA track to race last week and for the second time this year Steve Clancy came away with the win. The race featured a fierce battle between Clancy and Mike Ryun during the final laps as fans in the stands roared their approval as the leaders swapped the lead. Fourteen late models signed in to compete on a rare cool August night with Ryun and David Barker capturing the two qualifying heat races, which secured their front row starting spots for the twenty-lap feature. Ryun quickly shot out to an early lead before fourth-starting Clancy was able to close the gap after passing Bob King and David Barker for second place. Shad Badder brought out his new car for the first time and recorded a strong run inside the top five. It did not take Clancy long to track down the race leader and make a move on the low side to grab the top spot from Ryun who utilized the high line until Clancy got by him. The two veterans raced hard lap-after-lap and cleanly swapped lines before Clancy ultimately secured the position and went on to record his second ULMA win of the year. Ryun finished second followed by Barker, Badder, King, Rutledge, Binning, Wood, Rollert, and Randy Ainsworth inside the top ten. ULMA Late Models will not be part of the action this Friday, August 15th but will return the following week on August 22nd as well as August 29th, September 5th, and September 12th; meaning there are four race nights remaining at Valley Speedway for ULMA drivers to earn points from towards this year’s championship. For a complete look at the Valley Speedway schedule and for track information check out www.valleyspeedway.com. ULMA Late Models had a week off last week at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri but will return to action this Saturday night August 16th. Remaining race nights at Lucas Oil Speedway for drivers to earn points from this year are August 16th, August 30th, and September 6th. For complete schedule and track information log on to the speedway’s official Web site at www.lucasoilspeedway.com. Warrensburg’s Central Missouri Speedway (CMS) was unable to hold their program last Saturday and will try again this weekend, Saturday, August 16th for another exciting night of racing action along with the track’s annual kid’s night at the speedway. Remaining ULMA points-earning nights at CMS include August 16th, August 23rd, August 30th, and September 6th. The track’s Web site is located at www.centralmissourispeedway.net or you may call the speedway’s Track Report line at (660) 747-2166 for further information. All total between the three affiliated tracks there are twelve more events scheduled for drivers to earn points from for the 2008 championship season. Binning and Rutledge have both cut into Bodenhamer’s lead over the last few weeks and as more and more drivers begin discarding finishes it will be interesting to see how it all plays out as the weeks of competition wind down for 2008. Mike Ryun has been one of the hottest drivers lately and continues to reel in the leaders making it a four-car battle. Wood, Williams and Allison are also securely in the hunt and with a late-year surge could also wind up in the mix as well. Unfortunately, the event at LA Raceway scheduled for Saturday, September 13th has been cancelled and removed from the schedule. The association will present its awards for 2008 at the October 4th special ULMA event at Lucas Oil Speedway during the intermission-time break. Look for more details to be released concerning this event in the coming weeks. There will not be a ULMA banquet this year. ULMA board members are currently in negotiations for some additional races at the end of the season and as soon as anything is finalized will release information to the drivers, fans, and media. If your business is looking for a way to get involved with dirt-track racing, we ask that you contact us at a suitable time to discuss special race sponsorship for these pending events. The association prides itself on taking care of its sponsors and is continually looking for ways to improve business partner relations. We are confident that our PR outlets will keep any prospective sponsors pleased with the association. For detailed information about the United Late Model Association log on to www.ulmaracing.com, where you will find a complete schedule of events at all three affiliated tracks, special event information, point standings, rules, and business information. E-mail ULMA at unitedlatemodelassociation@hotmail.com. When visiting our great sponsors please thank them for supporting local dirt-track racing! Title Sponsor: Advantage Metals Recycling LLC (Formerly Galamba Group), visit www.galambagroup.com, e-mail Advantage Metals Recycling at info@advantagerecycling.com or get the ‘Advantage’ by calling 1-866-527-4733. Official Sponsors: King’s Small Engine Repair LLC, Imhoff Construction. Contingency Sponsors: RacingJunk.com, IMPACT Racing, FastShafts, Wineland Enterprises, Mike Crump Racing & Supply, J&T Racing Supply, Monroe’s Signs & Graphics, Bodee’s Race Bodies, and Rod End Supply. Affiliate Sponsors: Graphics by Shelly Payne, Nevels Sign Graphics, and Ken Dake Attorney at Law. Remaining ULMA Schedule at a Glance August 14: Thursday-Missouri State Fair Speedway (State Fair Race) $750 to win, $150 to start THIS IS A ULMA POINTS-EARNING EVENT! August 15: Friday-No racing at Valley Speedway for this week August 16: Saturday-Lucas Oil Speedway (weekly race) - Central Missouri Speedway (weekly race) August 22: Friday-Valley Speedway (weekly race) August 23: Saturday-Central Missouri Speedway (weekly race) - No Racing at Lucas Due to Special Event August 29: Friday-Valley Speedway (weekly race) August 30: Saturday-Lucas Oil Speedway (weekly race) - Central Missouri Speedway (weekly race) September 5: Friday-Valley Speedway (weekly race) September 6: Saturday-Lucas Oil Speedway (weekly race) - Central Missouri Speedway (weekly race) Note: the Lucas and CMS events on Saturday, September 6th are the final weekly events at both tracks. September 12: Friday-Valley Speedway (final weekly race at Valley / ULMA points end) October 4: Saturday-Second-Annual Mid-Missouri ULMA Late Model Championships with awards presented during intermission and an after-race celebration at the conclusion of the night’s racing. Watch for more details about this event soon! Complete point standings at www.ulmaracing.com ULMA Standings After 9 Aug 08 POS CAR # NAME POINTS Starts 1st 1X Jason Bodenhamer 1474 19 2nd 65 Jon Binning 1430 20 3rd 1 James Rutledge 1418 21 4th 51M Mike Ryun (R) 1414 18 5th 7 Brett Wood 1374 24 6th 1A Bryon Allison 1308 14 7th 72W Jake Williams (R) 1296 16 8th 57A Randy Ainsworth (R) 1266 16 9th 12C Steve Clancy 1182 13 10th 27 David Angell 1114 13 11th 88B David Barker 1048 13 12th 25P Javan Payne 890 10 13th 18 Rylan Long 866 9 14th 93R Brett A. Rollert 847 10 15th 40 Kevin Kaiser 824 9 16th 5 Tommy Cordray 775 10 17th 3P Allen Perryman 766 9 18th 22 Kevin Coyne 720 10 19th 3 Jamie Wineland 711 10 20th 21 Jeff Schlup 688 8 Rookie of the Year Standings POS CAR # NAME Starts POINTS 1st 51M Mike Ryun (R) 18 1414 2nd 72W Jake Williams (R) 16 1296 3rd 57A Randy Ainsworth (R) 16 1266 4th 0X Jason Sivils (R) 9 642 5th 65D Dan Eckhoff (R) 8 549