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More Glory At
Volusia: Dave Hess Jr. Emerges As UMP Modified Champion Of DIRTcar
Nationals by UNOH
Feb. 18, 2010 - Dave Hess Sr. was
fairly confident that his son, Dave Hess Jr., would emerge as the
UMP Modified points champion of the 39th annual DIRTcar Nationals by
University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.
The elder Hess was so confident, in fact, that when DIRTcar Racing
officials went to retrieve a DIRTcar Feature Winner sign from Hess
Jr.'s pit after he the opening round of UMP Modified action on Feb.
3, he said with a smile, "You might as well leave it here."
Hess, 25, of Waterford, Pa., lived up
to his father s boasts, going on to win another feature during the
week and putting together a string of strong finishes to secure his
first career DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH points title. He was a model
of consistency throughout the UMP Modified meet, never finishing
outside the top 10 in four A-Main starts with his family-owned No.
44h.
"We had a great week," said Hess, who lost three more opportunities
for checkered flags to rainouts (Feb. 2, 5 and 9). "We ve been
coming down with the Modified for the last five or six years and
this was the most successful trip we ve ever had. We just made a few
spring changes during the week and that s it - the car just worked
great."
An up-and-coming dirt Late Model driver on the competitive circuit
in and around the western Pennsylvania area, Hess has a
Clinger-built UMP Modified at his disposal for selected events and
decided to make the open-wheel car his focus during this year's
DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. He won the week's opening A-Main on Feb.
3 and the first 'Gator Championship' preliminary feature on Feb. 6;
finished third on Feb. 4; and registered a ninth-place finish in the
30-lap 'Gator Championship' headliner on Feb. 8.
After the scheduled multiple-feature UMP Modified finale on Feb. 9
was washed out, Hess was declared the series champion by 11 points
(299-288) over teenager Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., the grandson
of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress and a winner of one feature
during the week.
The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH crown marks the second major triumph
at Volusia for Hess, who in 2008 parlayed a single feature win into
the richest prize of his career. That year's DIRTcar Nationals
featured an Alltel-sponsored fan participation contest - and after
collecting the most votes among all the week s winners, Hess was
named the 'Alltel All-Star' and received a $12,000 check.
"Volusia has been pretty good to us with the Modified," said Hess.
"We d like to run our Late Model (during the DIRTcar Nationals) too,
but the Late Model field is so competitive it s hard to even qualify
(for a feature). We seem to do better with the Modified, so we
decided to just concentrate on that and make the week a fun vacation
for us."
For more information on DIRTcar Racing, visit www.dirtcar.com.
39th annual DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio -
DIRTcar UMP Modified Final Points Standings: 
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