GLENCOE, AL - Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI picked up his third United Dirt Track Racing Association Pro DirtCar Series win of the season Friday night in the 40-lap main event at Green Valley Speedway driving the ParkerStore/MasterSbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo. Mars led all 40 laps to claim the $7,000 top prize.

Mars beat polesitter Rick Eckert of York, PA into the first turn at the drop of the green flag to take the lead off the second turn, and was never challenged for the point.
"I started on the outside of the front row for both my heat race and the feature which was the key to getting the lead in both races," Mars said. "We've had some bad luck in the past few weeks, so this win feels pretty good. My car was great all night, and I owe that to my crew because all I had to do was get in and drive it."

Eckert finished second in the Raye Vest Rocket/Cornett Mustang and increased his UDTRA Pro Dirt Series point lead over Steve Francis of Ashland, KY to 40 points with four events left in the season. The 1997 UDTRA champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR was third in the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel Rayburn/Clements Taurus.

After battling side-by-side with Moyer for most of the race, 1999 UDTRA Champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA settled for fourth in the Larry Shaw Race Cars Rocket/Hatfield Grand Prix. Francis finished fifth in the Valvoline/Mopar Performance Rocket/Stanton Intrepid. Dan Schlieper finished sixth in the Performance Roofing Systems Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo.

The 1996 UDTRA Champion Freddy Smith of Knoxville, TN finished seventh in the Christenberry Trucking and Farms GRT/Custom Monte Carlo, and Randy Korte of Highland, IL took the eighth spot in the Mid-Continental Fuel Larry Shaw/Pro Power Monte Carlo.

The defending and four-time UDTRA Champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN was ninth in the Miller Brother Coal Warrior/Custom Mustang, and remains third in points, but fell back to 155 points behind Eckert. Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL rounded out the top ten in the Car City Co./Petroff Towing Rayburn/Dickens Monte Carlo.

At the start of the race, Eckert and Mars battled side-by-side into the first turn, but it was Mars getting the better bite off the second turn to take the lead over Eckert, followed by Moyer, McDowell, and Smith. The man on the move early in the race was Jason Smith of Laurel, MS, who used the inside groove of the track to blast from the 17th starting spot to ninth by lap 10.

By lap 16, McDowell found the bottom groove to his liking, as he pulled along side Moyer, and they swapped the third spot back-and-forth several times.

The first caution flag came out on lap 17 when Bill Reed of Knoxville, TN cut down a right-rear tire on his UPS/Die Cast Digest Magazine GRT/Clements Monte Carlo. On the restart, Jason Smith hit the cone on the front straightaway with his Boots Smith GRT/Cornett Mustang, bringing out the caution flag again. Smith was penalized to the pack of the pack for the restart.

Mars led Eckert, Moyer, McDowell, and Francis down for the restart, and the race would go caution-free the rest of the way. By lap 25, Mars held a six car-length lead over Eckert, while Moyer began to pull away from McDowell.

On lap 30, Mars got into heavy lapped traffic, which enabled Eckert, Moyer, McDowell, and Francis to close the gap. With five laps to, the leaders cleared the traffic, and Mars pulled away for the win.

Patrick Duggan of Lenoir City, TN was the JE Pistons Hard Charger of the Race after starting 24th and finishing 19th in the D&R Construction Stinger/B&B Grand Prix.

Eckert set a new track record during time trials with a lap in 14.480 seconds around the 3/8-mile clay oval for an average speed of 93.232 miles per hour. Seven different drivers were able to eclipse the old track record of 14.901 seconds set in 1996 by Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN.

Moyer was the first to break Johnson's record with a 14.892 second lap, then Johnson took to the track immediately following Moyer's run to reclaim the record at 14.813. A few cars later, Eckert took to the track with his quick lap. Francis, Schlieper, McDowell, and Mars were also under the old mark.

Eckert won the first 10-lap Borla Performance Heat Race to earn the pole position, and Mars picked up the JE Pistons $100 Bonus Award with a win in the second heat race. Moyer won the third heat race, and Freddy Smith won the Scott Performance Wire $50 Bonus Award with a fourth heat race victory.

Jason Smith came from the tenth starting spot to win the Renegade Transporters 1st 15-lap Consolation Race using the inside groove. Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA won the Polaris ATVs 2nd 15-lap Consolation Race in the Seubert Calf Ranches Mastersbilt/Pro Power Grand Prix.

The UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series returns to action at Green Valley Speedway on Saturday night with a 50-lap $10,000-to-win main event. The pit gate opens at 1 p.m., the grandstand gate opens at 4 p.m., and hot laps are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Along with the UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series, the GVS Sportsman and Bomber Divisions will also be in action on the 3/8-mile clay oval.

For ticket and race day information call (256) 492-8550. Green Valley Speedway is located 4.5 miles south of U.S. Highway 278 on U.S. Highway 431, then 4 miles southwest on Green Valley Road.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1. 2 28m Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Chev. 40 $7,100
2. 1 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Ford 40 $4,000
3. 3 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Ford 40 $2,750
4. 5 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Pont. 40 $2,000
5. 6 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Dodge 40 $1,750
6. 7 s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Chev. 40 $1,500
7. 4 00 Freddy Smith Knoxville, TN Chev. 40 $1,350
8. 10 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL Chev. 40 $1,200
9. 11 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Ford 40 $1,000
10. 12 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Chev. 40 $900
11. 14 114 Randle Chupp Mooresville, NC Chev. 40 $800
12. 9 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC Ford 40 $700
13. 13 6m Wendell Wallace Batesville, AR Pont. 40 $600
14. 8 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Pont. 40 $550
15. 16 89 Marshall Green Dalton, GA Chev. 40 $525
16. 19 11 Greg Skinner Oxford, AL Chev. 39 $500
17. 20 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA Pont. 39 $500
18. 22 31 Skip Arp Georgetown, TN Ford 39 $500
19. 24 15d Patrick Duggan Lenoir City, TN Pont. 39 $500
20. 18 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Pont. 37 $500
21. 23 28 Bill Reed Knoxville, TN Chev. 23 $500
22. 15 25 Jody Summerville Rome, GA Chev. 21 $500
23. 17 12 Jason Smith Laurel, MS Ford 17 $500
24. 21 8 Keith Hayes Morris, AL Chev. 16 $500

ENTRIES: 57
PROVISIONAL: Reed (4)
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Mars, 1-40
JE PISTONS HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Duggan (started 24th and finished 19th)
CAUTIONS: 2
TIME OF THE RACE: 16 Minutes and 41.120 Seconds
UDTRA SHOOTOUT INVITEES: Skinner, Rainey, J. Smith, Hayes, Rex Richey, and Kelly Hanbey (Promoter's Choice)