Inside Line Promotions – JETMORE, Kan. (May 28, 2013) – Simply put, Jack Dover is on a roll and his destination toward a career-best 20 wins is edging closer and closer.
Dover claimed the final two events of a four-race weekend, including the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour 5th annual Steve King Memorial at The Great American Dirt Track on Saturday. It marked his second Steve King Memorial win and his sixth consecutive year with at least one Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour feature victory.
“If you want to be one of the best you’ve got to beat the best,” he said. “That just shows we can race with the best.”
Dover, who claimed the inaugural Steve King Memorial in 2009 and the overall title in 2011, maneuvered from third to second in his heat race and earned enough points to advance to the redraw. He pulled the No. 4 to start the 30-lap feature on the outside of the second row.
“Fourth was definitely a helper,” he said. “Starting there made it easier to get to the front. I think if we would have started 10th or so we still would have worked our way to the front. Winning it the first year and going back and winning a prelim night (in 2011), it’s definitely a confidence thing when you pull in that town and you know you’re gonna do good.”
Dover advanced to third on the start and to the runner-up position a couple of laps later. Dover then set his sights on leader Tony Bruce Jr., who struggled to exit turn two as the race went on.
“I just let up off the gas pretty much all the way coming off turn two to keep the tires from spinning,” Dover said. “It was kind of a tricky track. I would run around there wide open in turns three and four because the wind would actually push the car to the right and keep it loaded so you could drive hard into that corner.”
Dover took the lead on Lap 18 and cruised to his first Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour victory of the year in just his fourth start this season. It also marked his second straight night with a win as Dover led all 25 laps to claim Friday’s Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region event at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb.
Dover swept the night by leading all eight laps of his heat race to advance to the redraw, where he earned the pole after drawing the No. 1.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster and it helps,” he said. “Mainly when I drew that one my concern was Brian Brown. I had to stay out in front of him.”
Dover did exactly that to garner his second Speedway Motors ASCS Midwest Region win of the season in only the fourth event. He has a 100-point lead in the region standings.
“I haven’t seen the track that good in probably four years there,” Dover said. “It was wide and racy. You could run on the top and on the bottom. You could race wherever you needed to.”
Dover began the week of four consecutive nights of racing on Wednesday with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., where the u-joint in his car broke during the warm-up lap. It forced Dover to the pits before the green flag.
“It just exploded and I looked down and saw sparks,” said Dover, who was slated to start 15th. “I was trying to get it stopped as fast as I could. I think we were a top-five car. The track started getting rough and I like rough tracks.”
On Thursday, Dover charged from seventh to third in his heat race to earn a spot in the redraw. He pulled the No. 6 to start on the outside of the third row for the main event.
“I watched the B feature and went down and looked at all the B feature cars and it looked like the track was eating tires,” he said. “I figured it would take more rubber so I set up for the rubber and had the car too free. It just screwed me up the whole race.”
Dover finished 12th.
He is scheduled to return to Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour action this weekend with a race on Friday at Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan., and Saturday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., for the Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 22 – Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo. – Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: DNS (15).
May 23 – I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. – Heat Race: 3 (7); Feature: 12 (6).
May 24 – Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. – Heat Race: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (1).
May 25 – The Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan. – Heat Race: 2 (3); Feature: 1 (4).
SEASON STATS –
10 races, 4 wins, 5 top fives, 5 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 9 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan., and Saturday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb., for the Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: www.JackDoverRacing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackDoverRacing
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackdoverracing?fref=ts
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Eagle Motorsports
Eagle Motorsports has fabricated sprint car chassis since 1998. Eagle chassis have been a part of winning four Knoxville Nationals and seven 360 Knoxville Nationals among other prestigious victories. For more information, visit EagleMotorsports.com.
“Eagle Motorsports chassis are one of the easiest to drive and one of the easiest to work on,” Dover said. “And they’ve been great with custom, reliable chassis because of my height.”
Dover would also like to thank Home Pride Companies, Inc., Roush Yates Racing Engines, Certified Transmission, Thorpe’s Body Shop, Trail Performance Coatings, Inc., The Oil Medics, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Keizer Wheels, Schoenfeld Headers, Shaver Racing Engines, Langfeldt Overhead Doors, K&N Filters, FK Rod Ends, DMI, Speedway Motors and Vortex Wings for their continued support.
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES –
Jack Dover Racing is close to being able to compete across the country by returning to the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour, where Dover has finished in the top 10 both seasons he has raced full time with the premier 360 sprint car series. He is also ready to compete with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series en route to his dream of racing in NASCAR. The only variable missing is a reliable truck and trailer. For more information on partnership opportunities, e-mail teamdover@gmail.com.
JACK’S SHOUTOUT –
Jack would like to thank Jeannie and Brian Butler of ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, whose products have helped keep him safe.
“I want to thank Jeannie and Brian for all of her help the last couple of years,” Jack said. “I really appreciate ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems hard work of coming up with better and safer products each year.”
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors’ return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.
- Jack Dover on May 28, 2013
- Article Date: 5/28/2013 by Shawn Miller - Inside Line Promotions