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Eldora
champions to be honored Jan. 24
ROSSBURG, OH (November 17) – An intense points chase at Eldora Speedway
that culminated with first-time champions Matt Westfall (DIRTcar
Modified) and Frank Paladino (Eldora Stock Car); along with Matt
Miller’s defense of his DIRTcar Late Model title, will be honored
Saturday evening January 24, 2015 with the annual Awards
Celebration.
To be held in the adjacent Eldora Ballroom, the doors will swing open
at 5 p.m., with opening remarks at 6:30 followed by the distribution of
awards and $30,000 in point fund monies. Each of the three
divisions competes for a $10,000 point fund annually at the legendary
half-mile oval.
As has become tradition in recent years, the Sunoco-sponsored American
Late Model Series (ALMS) will join the ceremony with the presentation
of their championship awards and point fund as well. Brandon
Thirlby will return to the stage as the ALMS champion.
Even with an impressive run of eleven A-Feature finishes among the top
five, including five victories, Westfall needed a stellar run during
the division’s final event of the season, the DIRTcar UMP Fall
Nationals by Allstar Performance, to keep Jerry Bowersock from winning
back-to-back championships.
Westfall rose to the occasion with wins on each of the preliminary
nights of the three-night program, but a consistent finishing Bowersock
remained within reach going into the lucrative 25-lap battle on the
half-mile oval that featured a collection of the nation’s top running
Modified chauffeurs. Both drivers had issues throughout the
chase, but Westfall’s 15th place finish over Bowersock’s 29th ‘sealed
the deal’ and secured Ludlow Falls, OH driver Westfall his first Eldora
title.
Paladino’s ride to a championship was even more nail-biting.
Going into the final Stock Car point event of the season, the Lima,
Ohio charger found himself sitting in third position behind Jeff Koz
and Paul Pardo. When mechanical issues relegated Koz and
Pardo to 21st and 20th place finishing positions respectively, Paladino
rallied to a third place finish which earned him enough tallies to
claim the title by a mere two points.
Miller repeated the strength he exhibited to previous year to garner
back-to-back championships. The Whitehouse, Ohio driver
captured the Johnny Appleseed Classic by Miller Lite in May along with
a convincing victory in the Friday night portion of the World 100
weekend. A consistent season in the Rick DeLong-owned
machine resulted in eight finishes among the top-five for Miller.
In addition to the hardware and point fund distribution, numerous
specialty awards will be distributed , including: Rookie of the Year;
Most Improved Driver; Hard Luck Award; Best Appearing Car and the
coveted Chick Hale Sportsman of the Year trophy.
Pricing for the lively affair remain at the 2005 price of $23 per
person and will go on sale December 15, 2014 by contacting the Eldora
office at (937) 338-3815 during normal business hours online at
www.EldoraSpeedway.com. The deadline for ordering tickets
is January 16, 2015.
Additional information regarding Eldora Speedway and its 62nd season,
including ticket and campsite purchases is also available on the
track’s website.
Race fans can keep up-to-date with the plans going into the 2015 season
by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at
Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at
YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc. Mobile device users can access the
Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android which are
available for download via iTunes and Google Play.
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