Hav-A-Tampa

August 7, 1999

BLOOMQUIST SWEEPS USA NATIONALS AFTER ECKERT SPINS IN TRAFFIC


 NEW RICHMOND, WI - Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN drove his Miller
Brothers Coal Warrior/Mustang to a clean sweep Saturday night by winning the United Dirt Track Racing Association Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series USA
Nationals 100 at Cedar Lake Speedway.

The defending and three-time HAT Champion took the lead after a lap 81
caution flag for early race leader Rick Eckert of York, PA who spun his
Parker Store/Raye Vest Rocket/Grand Prix after making contact with Russ
Scheffler of Waukesha, WI, a car that Eckert was trying to lap.

In addition to the $40,000 top prize, Bloomquist also pocketed $1,000 for
taking fast time honors among the 59 entries with a lap around the 1/3-mile
clay oval in 14.297 seconds.  With the top 24 qualifiers being inverted for
Friday night's 20-lap Borla Muffler Heat Races, Bloomquist started fourth in
his heat, and he won that to start the USA Nationals from the sixth spot.

Skip Arp of Georgetown, TN came from the fourth starting spot to finish
second in the Curtis Equipment GRT/Monte Carlo.  Bill Frye of Greenbrier, AR
finished third in the UniFirst Uniforms Warrior/Grand Prix after starting
eighth.  Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL took the fourth spot in the 10-10-220
Rayburn/Monte Carlo.

Hav-A-Tampa point leader Wendell Wallace of Batesville, AR rounded out the
top five in the Monday Trucking GRT/Grand Prix to increase his point lead
over Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA to 25 points.  McDowell finished seventh
in the Dover Cylinder Heads GRT/Monte Carlo.

The sixth spot went to 1996 HAT Champion Freddy Smith of Knoxville, TN in
the Christenberry Trucking and Farms GRT/Monte Carlo.  1997 HAT Champion
Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR finished eighth in the Petroff Towing
GRT/Grand Prix.

Steve Francis of Ashland, KY finished ninth in the Action Auto Mart
Rocket/Monte Carlo, and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA rounded out the top ten in the Birkhofer Racing GRT/Monte Carlo.

Eckert grabbed the lead on the first lap after starting on the outside of
the front row, by beating polesitter Tony Izzo Jr. of Bridgeview, IL off the
second turn.  Arp ran behind Izzo, followed by Babb and Bloomquist.

Drivers had to jockey for positions early and often during the opening laps
of the race because the dry slick track was beginning to take rubber by lap
ten.  Rick Aukland of Fargo, ND made the biggest move early in the race by
coming from 22nd to 15th by lap 15 in his 10-10-220 Mastersbilt/Grand Prix,
while Arp and Bloomquist moved by Izzo for second and third respectively.

Aukland's charge was spoiled by a flat tire, which brought out the caution
flag on lap 23.  On the restart, the track locked down with a black rubber
groove, as everyone went to the bottom of the track, and dared not get out
of it.  Eckert was the engine of the high-speed bullet train followed by
Arp, Bloomquist, Frye, and Babb.

Bloomquist worked under Arp for second after the restart, and was able to
catch Eckert during a lap 33 caution period for the stalled car of 1993 HAT
Champion Clint Smith of Griffin, GA.

Eckert was so hooked up on the locked down track after the restart; he would torque the left-rear corner of his car and carry the left-front wheel high in the air.  By the halfway point in the race, Eckert caught Scheffler, the last car on the lead lap.

Scheffler, despite receiving the move-over flag repeatedly, would not move
out of the rubbered-down inside groove to give way to Eckert and the rest of the leaders.  Eckert dared not wander out of the groove into the area of
less traction either because to do so would cost him several positions.

Bloomquist and the rest of the cars behind the leader knew the same thing,
so the pace slowed with the almost lapped Scheffler leading the pack.  By
lap 80, Scheffler caught Lance Mathees of Winona, MN.  This led to a battle
for position at the tail of the lead lap.

Going into the third turn on lap 81, Scheffler got into Mathees in front of
Eckert.  Eckert had no where to go and spun to a stop in the infield of turn
three to bring out the caution flag.

Eckert had to go to the back of the pack for the restart because the UDTRA
rulebook states on page 36 that "after an on-track incident, the car, or
cars that come to a stop on the race track, that were involved in the
incident will be those that are sent to the rear before the restart."
Eckert knew the rule and went to the back of the field for the restart
without argument.

An even more notable display of professionalism and sportsmanship by Eckert
took place after the restart.  Eckert passed Scheffler, a driver that had
just cost him $40,000, for the 18th position - cleanly and without incident.

Bloomquist went the final 20 laps of the race without a challenge from Arp
to record his fifth HAT win of the season, and the 67th of his HAT career.

"It's unusual for this track to lock down, so all I could do was sit behind
Eckert and take care of my tires," Bloomquist said.  "I would have like to
have raced Eckert for the win because even before we got into the traffic, I
could see him smoking his tires off the corner."

In preliminary action, Johnny Johnson of West Burlington, IA drove his J&J
Steel Barry Wright/Mustang to victory in the Pace American Trailers 1st
25-lap Consolation Race.  Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI in the Performance
Roofing Systems Rayburn/Monte Carlo won the 25-lap Polaris ATVs 2nd
Consolation Race.

The next event for the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series will be the
$15,000-to-win Jackson 100 at Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN on
August 13-14.

For the latest news, information, event schedule, television schedule,
points, statistics, track and driver information, visit the Official Web
Site for the UDTRA Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series at
www.havatamparacing.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE USA NATIONALS 100:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER  HOMETOWN  CAR LAPS $ WON
1. 6 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN  Ford 100 $41,250
2. 4 31 Skip Arp  Georgetown, TN  Chev. 100 $15,000
3. 8 66 Bill Frye  Greenbrier, AR  Pont. 100 $10,000
4. 3 18 Shannon Babb  Decatur, IL  Chev. 100 $8,000
5. 7 6m Wendell Wallace Batesville, AR  Chev. 100 $6,000
6. 10 00 Freddy Smith  Knoxville, TN  Chev. 100 $5,000
7. 13 17m Dale McDowell  Rossville, GA  Chev. 100 $4,500
8. 9 21 Billy Moyer  Batesville, AR  Pont. 100 $4,000
9. 18 15 Steve Francis  Ashland, KY  Chev. 100 $3,500
10. 12 15b Brian Birkhofer  Muscatine, IA  Chev. 100 $3,000
11. 16 75 Terry Phillips  Springfield, MO  Chev. 100 $2,800
12. 1 16 Tony Izzo  Bridgeview, IL  Chev. 100 $2,600
13. 17 53 Ray Cook  Brasstown, NC  Ford 100 $2,500
14. 14 89 Marshall Green  Dalton, GA  Chev. 100 $2,400
15. 24 75h Bart Hartman  Zanesville, OH  Pont. 100 $2,300
16. 23 32 Brandon Ball (R) West Plains, MO Pont. 100 $2,200
17. 15 90 Lance Mathees  Winona, MN  Chev. 100 $2,100
18. 2 24 Rick Eckert  York, PA  Pont. 100 $2,000
19. 11 74 Russ Scheffler  Waukesha, WI  Chev. 100 $2,000
20. 21 B12 Kevin Weaver  Gibson City, IL  Pont. 71 $2,000
21. 5 11 Clint Smith  Griffin, GA  Chev. 30 $2,000
22. 26 00j Mitch Johnson  Hickson, ND  Chev. 30 $2,000
23. 25 11d Pat Doar  New Richmond, WI Chev. 28 $2,000
24. 22 99c Rick Aukland  Fargo, ND  Pont. 25 $2,000
25. 19 99j Johnny Johnson  West Burlington, IA Ford 21 $2,000
26. 20 s9 Dan Schlieper  Pewaukee, WI  Chev. 2 $2,150

ENTRIES:  59
LAP LEADERS:  Eckert, 1-80; Bloomquist, 81-100
LAPS LED:  Eckert 80, Bloomquist 20
CAUTIONS:  3
HAT PROVISIONALS:  Ball (3) and Hartman
PROMOTER'S CHOICES:  Doar and M. Johnson
HAV-A-TAMPA SHOOTOUT INVITEES:  Mathees, Scheffler, M. Johnson, Doar, and
Jon Kurshinsky - Promoter's Choice TBA

CONSOLATION RACE RESULTS (25 Laps - Top Two Finishers Transfer To Main
Event):

 PACE AMERICAN TRAILERS 1ST CONSY:  1. J. Johnson, 2. Weaver, 3. Jon
Kurshinsky, 4. Tony Bahr, 5. Mike Goodremote, 6. Jerry Redetzke, 7. Earl
Pearson Jr., 8. Brent Laursen, 9. Rob Halstead, 10. Jerry Leagett, 11. Larry
Stockwell, 12. Eric Pember, 13. Jim Watson, 14. Rich Headrick, 15. Steve
Ihm, 16. Jim Bruggemen, 17. Joel Bennett, 18. Kerry Hansen, 19. Paul
Mueller, 20. Jeff Wildung.

 POLARIS ATVs 2ND CONSY:  1. Schlieper, 2. Aukland, 3. Mike Nutzman, 4.
Hartman, 5. John Gill, 6. Ashley Anderson, 7. M. Johnson, 8. Doar, 9. Rick
Egersdorf, 10. Ball, 11. Jim Curry, 12. Craig Scott, 13. Gary Webb, 14.
Clayton Christenberry, 15. George Scheffler, 16. Dennis Erb Jr. (R), 17.
Porky Brust, 18. Al Atkinson, 19. Brad Waits.