Story By: KING OF DIRT – FAIR HAVEN, VT – Jimmy Davis, Mark Mortensen, and Jamy Begor all earned something they needed; official Fastline Performance King Of Dirt Racing presented by Swagger Factory Apparel wins, while Beau Ballard now holds the top spot in the standings all to his own.
It’s time for another look at the weekly point shakeup at KOD.
Seven different KOD registered drivers scored victories at their home tracks this past weekend, while Cornwall Motor Speedway and Mohawk International Raceway were silent due to mother nature. Drivers are racing their way towards 12 finishes that may earn them a ticket to title town. Until then the weekly points shakeup is as real as pumpkin spice in the fall.
Each week we feature three drivers who earned solid finishes or big wins. Let’s start with Devil’s Bowl Speedway competitor Jimmy Davis. He’s a championship caliber driver, but 2022 hasn’t been kind to the Amsterdam, NY driver. A win certainly helps change all that, which Jimmy picked up his first of the season driving the Larry Gallipo owned East Coast Rubbish Removal – Interstate Batteries Bicknell number 24.
Mark Mortensen is a former Fonda Speedway track champion who has been consistently in the top 10 in 2022, with a trio of top five finishes. It was only a matter of time before he visited victory lane, which happened Saturday night. Mighty Mort rolled to his first win of the year driving his Jumpin’ Jacks Drive In – Benjamin Moore Paints number 1M DKM Cyclone.
Our third and final highlight this week goes to Airborne Speedway competitor Jamy Begor. He was able to outpace a tough field in Plattsburgh, NY to earn his first win of the season also. Begor had been top five multiple times this season, making a win a sure thing. He picked up the win driving his Gioiosa’s Wine & Spirits – First Choice Restoration number 19 Bicknell.
OVERALL KOD NOTES: Beau Ballard is the talk of his peers this week, as a representative of not only his home tracks but the Pro Stock division. Ballard earned his fourth win of the season Friday night at Utica Rome, which helped him climb to the top spot on the overall leaderboard driving his Pizza Plus – Kimble Mechanical number 15 Manimal chassis.
Ballard’s fellow Utica Rome alum Payton Talbot also earned his fourth win of the season at the home of heroes Friday night. He’s red hot this season and sits just one point behind Ballard for the overall KOD championship. Fans will most likely see Talbot park his Precision Hydraulic & Oil – Ted’s Body Shop number 14T HigFab chassis in victory lane again in 2022.
Gary Smith has been quietly making a splash in 2022. He has wins at both Afton and Five Mile Point where he won for the second time Saturday night. He has climbed into the top 10 in overall standings driving his Matco Tools – Interstate Homes number 7UP Teo Pro Car.
Last note, but certainly not least is that of Tim Hartman Jr who picked up his second win of the season at Lebanon Valley Speedway Saturday night. Hartman has finished in the top five in five of the six races held so far for the Sportsman at Lebanon Valley. He does his work behind the wheel of the MRP Companies – Bemiss Trucking number 22 DKM Cyclone chassis.
It’s important to note some tracks suffered rain outs and others haven’t had the minimum number of races showing towards driver standings on the leaderboard. We stress that drivers registered from these tracks fear not, as there is plenty of time to reach your best 12. Trust the system, it will balance out. For now, keep doing an excellent job each week at your home track.
CURRENT TOP 10 KING OF DIRT RACING OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP POINT DRIVERS
Points Driver Car# Track
497 Beau Ballard**** 15 URS
496 Payton Talbot**** 14T URS
494 Chad Edwards*** 10% FON
493 Cody Mcpherson*** 7 MTV
493 Chris Mackey*** 3 FUL
492 Alan Fink*** 28 TMS
489 Gary Smith** 7UP FMP
488 Tim Hartman Jr.** 22 LVS
488 Matt Janczuk* 33X URS
487 Joe Toth** 9 NES
Mike Parodi Earns Big Limited Sportsman Payday At Malta; Smith, Dingman, Nier, and Ames Also Grab Victories Over The Weekend
Until this week Mike Parodi was the only driver top 10 in Elmo’s Speed Supply King Of Dirt Racing Limited Sportsman point standings without a win. He picked one up Friday night at Albany-Saratoga in fine fashion worth one grand leading five different registered KOD drivers during weekend action.
Points continue to twist and turn every week for drivers looking to be king. Some drivers climbed up the standings, and others fell down, however all KOD Limited Sportsman drivers are showing their abilities and why one day they’ll be competing at the next level. Each week we feature three drivers who turned heads. Let’s get that tire gripping.
Mike Parodi likes money. Who doesn’t? This Limited Sportsman driver from Albany-Saratoga Speedway has made a habit of winning extra paying events. He kept scratching that itch picking up a $1,000 payday Friday night driving his Billington Plumbing & Heating – Counter Concepts number 30 Bicknell chassis.
Another driver picking up their first win of the season was Lebanon Valley Limited Sportsman racer Kevin Ames. He’s been rather consistent in the top five in four of the five events run this season on the high banks. He earned top billing Saturday night driving his Saviano & Sons Seasonal Service – Zia’s Pizza number 43 Teo Pro Car.
Our final featured Limited Sportsman racer comes from Can-Am Speedway. Owen Nier has two wins, as do some of his peers, but he’s done so in only four races. That means the young Carthage, NY driver has won 50% of his scheduled races. Pretty impressive driving his Pick-A-Pallett – Roggie Auto Transportation number 17 Bicknell chassis.
KOD LIMITED SPORTSMAN NOTES: Danielle Smith continues to dominate the Limited Sportsman competition at Five Mile Point Speedway, as this past Saturday night she scored her fourth win of the season behind the wheel of her Matco Tools – Interstate Homes number 7UPjr Teo Pro Car.
Kyle Dingman scored his second win of the season at Fonda Speedway Saturday night. Not only is he contending for the track championship at the track of champions, but he’s currently top five in KOD Limited Sportsman point standings. He puts in work driving his Dixie Saloon – Upstate RC & Hobbies number 1D Bicknell chassis.
Final note is more of a shout out to the red-hot consistency of Devil’s Bowl Speedway Limited Sportsman racer Evan Roberts. His worst finish of the season is third and he has two wins to his credit. And that’s why he sits all alone atop the point standings with his Friend Construction – DuPont Auto & Body number 50X Bicknell chassis.
TOP 10 KING OF DIRT LIMITED SPORTSMAN POINT STANDINGS AS OF WEEK ENDING 6/5/22
Points Driver Car# Track
490 Evan Roberts** 50X DBS
488 Zach Dufel** 1H FON
484 Josh Kane* 8 FON
482 Kyle Dingman** 1D FON
482 Michael Arnold* 76 ALB
481 Mike Parodi* 30 ALB
480 Chris Crane Jr.* 711 ALB
480 Kevin Ames* 43 LVS
468 Bubba McPhee* 22J DBS
462 Ron Delease Jr. 116 ALB