FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Shelton (901) 335-3037
September 12th, 2009

Jamie Dacus Conquers The Cushion in O’Reilly MSRA Championship Event

West Memphis, Arkansas (9/12/09) – Local favorite, Jamie Dacus from Lakeland, Tennessee blasted through the cushion for 40 laps to win the 3rd Annual Bartlett Hardwood Floor Service Midsouth Dirt Track Championship Presented By Advanced Maintenance & Sheet Metal, which was sanctioned by the O’Reilly MSRA Super Late Model Series on Saturday night, September 12th at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas.

After passing four cars in his heat race, Jamie Elam from Senatobia, Mississippi earned the JFR Graphics Pole Award for the $3,000 to win feature event at the ¼ mile, gumbo oval. Jamie Dacus earned the outside front row starting spot. As the green flag waved on the feature, Dacus used the outside line to shoot to the top spot with Elam, Gary Christian, and Billy Moyer Jr. in tow. Lap 2 would see Moyer Jr. battle past Christian for the third spot as two and some three wide racing reigned supreme through the field.

The chaos would temporarily be halted just as the leaders began to approach lap traffic on the fourth circuit as Terry Henson rolled to a stop with a flat tire. Henson would head pitside for fresh rubber and would rejoin the pack. At the time of the caution Dacus, Elam, Moyer Jr., Christian, and Nathan Brown made up the top five running order.

On the ensuing restart, Dacus once again headed to the cushion as he maintained a two car length advantage over Elam for the lead as Jon Mitchell raced past Nathan Brown for the fifth position. Once again, the action would be slowed on lap nine as Robert Lovette was spun to the infield causing the caution flag to wave. During the caution period, Dewaine Hottinger and Jon Mitchell both headed to the pits before rejoining the pack prior to green flag conditions returning.

On the restart, Dacus jumped out to a comfortable lead again and would maintain as much as a five car length advantage before he began to enter heavy lapped traffic on the 12th lap. The traffic would allow the top five runners to close in on Dacus as things began to heat up at the front of the pack. By lap 16, Elam was on Dacus’ bumper when the caution flag flew as Austin Rettig spun after contact with third running Billy Moyer Jr.

At the time of the caution flag the top five running order consisted of Jamie Dacus, Jamie Elam, Billy Moyer Jr., Jeff Floyd, and Clay Fisher. On the ensuing restart, the leaders began to dice it up as cars from deep in the field started to make some noise with 16th starting Jon Kirby up to the seventh position, and Terry Henson, who went pitside early in the event up to the ninth position.

The next several lap would go caution free, and by lap 25 the leaders were once again in lapped traffic, and on the twenty-sixth circuit Jamie Elam pulled even with Jamie Dacus as the crowd came to their feet to cheer on their favorite. The pair would battle side-by-side for the next two laps before disaster struck for Elam on lap 27 when he looped his mount in turn one as he attempted to seal the pass on Dacus.

With Elam tailback, the top five running order consisted of Dacus, Moyer Jr., Floyd, Kirby, and Fisher. As the race went green for the final time, Dacus and Moyer Jr. began battling for the lead with Dacus on the cushion and Moyer Jr. on the hub. The pair would battle for the next several laps with Dacus slowly inching away from the field. Lap 32 would see Terry Henson overtake Jon Kirby for the fourth position.

Dacus would stretch his lead to three car lengths over the closing laps and looked to be on his way to a comfortable win. However, exiting turn four on the final lap, Dacus jumped the cushion and Moyer Jr. pulled even with him as they drag raced to the checkered flag. Dacus would manage to beat Moyer Jr. to the checkered flag by half a car length as the crowd went crazy!

Following Dacus and Moyer Jr. across the finish line were Jeff Floyd (started 11th), Terry Henson (started 17th), and Jon Kirby (started 16th).
Dacus received over $3,500 in cash and contingencies, which included $250 product certificates from COMP Cams and Quartermaster, for his win.

Kyle Beard was the Quartermaster/O.H. Hendricks Sheet Metal Hard Luck Award recipient as a broken axle sidelined him early in the feature.

Terry Henson received the Larry Shaw Race Cars/O.H. Hendricks Sheet Metal Hard Charger Award after advancing from his 17th starting position to a solid 4th place finish.

Jamie Dacus was the recipient of the COMP Cams Top Performer Award.

Jamie Elam received the $250 Goodridge/R.E. Technologies Product Certificate for his eighth place run.

Nathan Brown was the recipient of the Ray’s Auto Collision 10th place bonus and also received the Tennison Brothers Sheet Metal Award for the highest finishing Crate Late Model in the feature.

Ritchie Kirkman received the A-1 Racing Fuels $100 15th place bonus.
Heat races for the twenty-eight car field were won by Jamie Dacus, Billy Moyer Jr., Gary Christian, and Jon Mitchell.

The twin b-mains were won by Michael Murphree and Jon Kirby.
Austin Rettig and Jeff Wells Jr. utilized provisions to start the feature event.

Mike Carr from Lake Cormorant, Mississippi made hard contact with the turn two wall in his heat race when the throttle hung on his #74 GRT. He was transported to the hospital for observation and was later released with no serious injuries.

The O’Reilly MSRA Super Late Model tour will wrap up their 2009 campaign next weekend as they travel to Missouri for a pair of challenge races with the O’Reilly MARS Super Late Models. On Saturday, September 19th the two tours will go head-to-head at Springfield Raceway in Springfield, Missouri before heading to Monett Speedway in Monett, Missouri on Sunday, September 20th for the series’ finale.

The O'Reilly MSRA is sponsored by and would like to thank primary sponsor O'Reilly Auto Parts, their Associate Sponsors- GRT Race Cars, Hoosier Racing Tires, COMP Cams, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Quarter Master, Kuntz & Company, Mark Martin Auto Group, JFR Graphics, RiceTec, ASI Racewear, ROCKHARD Powdercoat, Inc., Boomland, NEA Supergas, and MSR Mafia.com Marketing Services; and their contingency sponsors - Suspension Spring Specialists, BSB Manufacturing, Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar Pizza, Five Star Bodies, Joe Gibbs Racing Oil, Schaeffer Oil, & FSR Products.

For the latest information on the O'Reilly MSRA Super Late Model Series, please visit www.MSRADirt.com

O’Reilly MSRA Super Late Models – September 12th, 2009
Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, AR)

Feature Results
1. Jamie Dacus (Lakeland, TN)
2. Billy Moyer Jr. (Batesville, AR)
3. Jeff Floyd (Walnut Ridge, AR)
4. Terry Henson (North Little Rock, AR)
5. Jon Kirby (Russellville, AR)
6. Michael Murphree (Little Rock, AR)
7. Clay Fisher (Dewitt, AR)
8. Jamie Elam (Senatobia,MS)
9. Gary Christian (Broken Bow, Oklahoma)
10. Nathan Brown (Marion, AR)
11. Jon Mitchell (Texarkana, TX)
12. Mike Bilbro (Southhaven, MS)
13. Dewaine Hottinger (Russellville, AR)
14. Austin Rettig (Sikeston, MO)
15. Ritchie Kirkman (Southaven, MS)
16. Wesley Crutchfield (Prattsville, AR)
17. Ray Moore (Shreveport, LA)
18. Kyle Beard (Trumann, AR)
19. Jeff Wells Jr. (Trumann, AR)
20. Robert Lovette (Drummonds, TN)

DNS: Dean Carpenter, Michael Leal, Justin Asplin, Greg Alexander, Mike Carr, Jerome Roberson, Jason Hood, Ricky Vandergriff

Entries: 28 (Representing Five States)
Heat Winners: Jamie Dacus, Billy Moyer Jr., Gary Christian, Jon Mitchell
JFR Graphics Pole Sitter: Jamie Elam
Quarter Master Hard Luck Award: Kyle Beard
MSRA Provisionals: Jeff Wells Jr., Austin Rettig
Larry Shaw Race Cars Hard Charger: Terry Henson (17th-4th)
COMP Cams Top Performer: Jamie Dacus
Cautions: 4
Red Flag: 0
Leaders: Jamie Dacus (1-40)