The Southeast Motorsports Dirt Racing Series opened the inaugural Dirt Late Model Tour 2000 with a 50 lap $5,000 to win Super LateM odel program Sunday at JAX Raceways in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, Wisconsin driving the Performance Roofing Systems/ Pro Power / Rayburn / Monte Carlo, led the 50 Lap feature wire to wire to claim his first victory for the 2000 racing season and his first since returning from severe neck injuries suffered last season in a non-racing related accident..

On the initial green flag, the fireworks started early as Schlieper and pole sitter Shannon Babb charged into the first turn side by side. The two touched, setting off a chain reaction that had cars spinning high and low to avoid one another. The incident resulted in a red flag being displayed stopping the field on the front stretch while safety crews cleared the track.

Babb, of Decatur, IL, suffered critical damage putting the #18 / G&C Enterprises / Pro Power / Rayburn Monte Carlo on the sidelines for the night. Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA, driving the Russell Baker powered GRT /Monte Carlo, also suffered extensive damage after contact with the white #66/ C&C Powerline / Monte Carlo, driven by Chuck Chitty of Jacksonville, FL. Birkhofer's car was sent sailing to the outside of turn one, coming to rest after slamming into a parked safety vehicle. Birkhofer was unable to rejoin the event.

A complete restart of the event placed Batesville, AR driver Wendell Wallace in the Monday Trucking / GRT / Monte Carlo, on the inside of the front row. At the drop of the green, Schlieper got the jump and beat Wallace to the corner taking the lead out of turn two. Schlieper then began his charge to the checkers as he led every lap around the ½ mile oiled dirt facility. As the race continued Wallace took up the second spot holding of challenges from Earl Pearson, Jr. in the Dunn-Benson / Ford Mustang. Following Pearson in the early going was Terry English in fourth and Billy Moyer in the fifth spot.

The light stayed green for the next 17 laps with extensive battles throughout the field. The top five continued to swap positions all trying to find the fast line to the front. Moyer moved his #21 / Petroff Towing / GRT / Monte Carlo past English for the fourth spot.

Making it look easy, Moyer got by Pearson and then Wallace to take over the second position and then began his charge with sights set on the leader. Closing fast, Moyer had to back off the charge as the second caution of the night was displayed as the engine expired on the #380 piloted Gary Timothy Winter.

At this point the field had followed Schlieper without giving him much of a challenge but with the caution the gap was now closed and the heat was on. The field went back green and Schlieper slightly stretch out his lead again with Moyer in tow.

Battling for the third and fourth positions, Wallace and Pearson diced it back and fourth with Pearson pointing the nose of the Dunn-Benson Ford under the Monday Trucking #6m machine out of turn two overtaking Wallace down the back stretch. The two swapped positions again as the race entered the half waypoint.

Up front, Schlieper and Moyer were going at it with Moyer closing with each and every lap. Moyer finally got the chance he was looking for and got a good bite out of four to slip past Schlieper only to have the caution come out erasing the position change. The flag waived for an incident that saw Wendell Wallace and Earl Pearson over take lap traffic at a fierce pace that required Wallace to check up in turn one as Pearson tried to move to the outside of Wallace. Wallace attempted to hold the spot moving up slightly to get around the lapped traffic. Wallace made hard contact with Pearson who was then committed to making his move on Wallace. The result put the Dunn-Benson Mustang spinning off of turn two. The damage put Pearson out for the night.

With the event just past half way, Schlieper was still at the point followed by Billy Moyer and Wendell Wallace. As they took the green once again, Schlieper put the hammer down and never looked back. Moyer began to develop a handling problem, which allowed Wallace to slip past him placing Moyer to third.

At the checkered flag Schlieper had extended his lead to almost a full straightaway as Wallace never could get quite close enough to mount a challenge settling in for a second place finish. Billy Moyer came across the line in third with Terry English fourth, Pete Parker fifth. Sixth through tenth consisted of Gary Webb, Chuck Chitty, Jimmy Murphy, Michael Murrer andDan Leatherman.

The next event on the Southeast Motorsports Dirt Late Model Tour 2000 is scheduled for February 26, 2000 at Waycross Motor Speedway in Waycross, Georgia. The event will be a 75-lap program paying $5,000 to win. It also carries a $2,500 bonus if Dan Schlieper can maintain his strength and pull ofthe back to back victory.

Southeast Motorsports Dirt Racing Series
Event #1 - February 6, 2000 - JAX Raceways - Jacksonville, FL

Official Finishing Order

1. s9 Dan Schlieper
2. 6m Wendell Wallace
3. 21 Billy Moyer
4. 96 Terry English
5. 10 Pete Parker
6. 56 Gary Webb
7. 66 Chuck Chitty
8. 68 Jimmy Murphy
9. 99 Michael Murrer
10. 64 Dan Leatherman
11. 9 Frank Ingram
12. 1 Earl Pearson, Jr.
13. 380 Gary Timothy Winter
14. 31 Skip Arp
15. P1 Skip Pannell
16. 91x Danny Ahrens
17. 18 Shannon Babb
18. 15 Brian Birkhofer


Bombardier Heat Race Finishing Order

Heat Race #1

1. Shannon Babb; 2. Wendell Wallace; 3. Earl Pearson, Jr.; 4. Brian
Birkhofer; 5. Pete Parker; 6. Dan Leatherman; 7. Jimmy Murphy; 8. Gary
Timothy Winter; 9 Danny Aherns

Heat Race #2

1. Dan Schlieper; 2. Terry English; 3. Billy Moyer; 4. Chuck Chitty; 5. Gary
Webb; 6. Michael Murrer; 7. Frank Ingram; 8. Skip Arp; 9. Skip Pannell


Qualifying Order

1. 6m Wendell Wallace 17.352
2. 96 Terry English 17.685
3.18 Shannon Babb 17.709
4. s9 Dan Schlieper 17.340
5. 1 Earl Pearson, Jr. 17.933
6. 31 Skip Arp 18.014
7. 380 G. T. Winter 18.054
8. 21 Billy Moyer 18.089
9. 15 Brian Birkhofer 18.242
10. 66 Chuck Chitty 18.250
11. 10 Pete Parker 18.367
12. 9 Frank Ingram 18.421
13. 64 Dan Leatherman 18.435
14. 56 Gary Webb 18.560
15. 68 Jimmy Murphy 18.651
16. 99 Michael Murrer 18.961
17. 91x Danny Aherns 19.961
18. P1 Skip Pannell 19.413
19. J-O J.O. Nobles NT

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