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Eldora
celebrates 2016 season and crowns champions
Honored drivers note family and passion as their messages
New Weston, OHIO (Jan. 21) – Championship honors bestowed upon Jon
Henry (DIRTcar Late Model), Jeff Koz (DIRTcar UMP Modified) and Rob
Trent (DIRTcar Stock Car) by track owner Tony Stewart highlighted a
busy Saturday night of awards and celebration. The affair, which filled
the Eldora Ballroom, brought official closure to the 2016 racing
season. Joining the Eldora trio of champions on stage was Rusty Schlenk
as he accepted the Sunoco American Late Model Series (ALMS) title.
For Henry, a native of Ada, Ohio, it was his third Eldora title. In
2010, he captured the DIRTcar UMP Modified title at the famed one-half
mile clay oval, and followed that up in 2011 with a move to the Late
Model division when he was named co-champion with Clark Lake,
Michigan’s Brian Ruhlman as the duo were deadlocked in points at the
close of the season.
There was no denying a full championship for Henry and his family-owned
team in 2016 as he finished comfortably ahead of Kent Robinson, the
Bloomington, Indiana neighbor of the legendary Steve Kinser, Richmond,
Indiana’s Steve Casebolt, Nick Latham from Winchester, Ohio and Duane
Chamberlain, another Richmond, Indiana-native in the final tally.
After several years competing in the Eldora Stock division, Koz, a
Lima, Ohio-veteran teamed with Jared Bennett in 2014 to tackle the
Modified division at Eldora. The team captured Rookie of the Year
honors that season and after a strong 2015 campaign came back even
stronger in 2016 to snare the hard-fought title over Canadian driver
Joel Dick, Pennsylvania’s Evan Taylor, Brian Post from Spencerville,
Ohio and Jonathan Taylor who joins his brother in making the long tow
from Western Pennsylvania for Eldora’s Modified events.
With a defense of his 2015 Stock Car title, Trent, who also hails from
Lima, Ohio, upped his Eldora career championship total to four. It
wasn’t until the final night of racing that Trent powered to the top of
the list. A dramatic feature win on the Friday night of the Four Crown
Nationals weekend scored enough points to topple Frank Paladino, Paul
Pardo, Earnie Woodard and Jordan Conover.
In addition to the hardware and point fund distribution to the top 15
drivers in each division, numerous specialty awards were dispersed.
Considered the most prestigious non-point award of the night, the Chick
Hale Sportsman of the Year award was presented to Frank Paladino by
Hale’s daughter – Diana Killen.
Gathering Rookie of the Year honors were Kody Evans (Late Model), Mike
Learman (Modified) and Gary Rahe, Jr. (Stock Car), while Most Improved
Driver awards were captured by Dustin Nobbe (Late Model), Joel Dick
(Modified) and Jordan Conover (Stock Car).
Voted as Best Appearing Cars were Nick Latham (Late Model), Andy Bibler
(Modified) and Ed Hounshell (Stock Car). Being recognized as Hard Luck
Award recipients were Duane Chamberlain (Late Model), Scott Orr
(Modified) and Shaun Smith (Stock Car).
Earlier in the night Bill McGrath was named Eldora’s Fan of the Year.
Mike Barr earned the Car Owner of the Year hardware while Bob Williams
was named the Mechanic of the Year recipient and Dea Richardson netted
Woman of the Year honors.
Mike Unger, the father of fallen driver Shane Unger – who is also
Eldora’s longtime track welder, opened the evening’s events by
expressing his family’s appreciation for the love and support of the
Eldora community. The standing ovation offered by the crowd was
followed by Roger Slack, Eldora’s General Manager, detailing safety
initiatives planned for 2017 which require all competitors, regardless
of division, to use an SFI-approved head and neck restraint,
containment seats, restricts wheel covers to the right side of all
divisions with three steel bolts or five steel dzus fasteners,
recommended on-board fire systems, and foam-filled fuel cells. Eldora
owner Tony Stewart committed to a third full fire and rescue truck and
expanded participant accident insurance coverage from $50,000 to as
much as $1.5-million for DIRTcar members and Competitor Advantage
Program participants.
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