FF: Weekly racing update 2007-05-29

SOUTH CAROLINA, INDIANA, IOWA, ILLINOIS & MASSACHUSETTS ALL HOST FORD FOCUS EVENTS THIS WEEK;
IRWIN, ABOLD. DYER & SAVAGE ALL RECORD VICTORIES

Five states will host USAC Ford Focus Midget racing this week as the 2007 season reaches a fever pitch. Races are scheduled Wednesday at New Castle, Ind. Friday at Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Saturday at Timmonsville, S.C., Morris Ill. and Seekonk, Mass.

Wednesday's race at Plymouth (Ind.) Speedway, part of the "Wednesday Night Thunder" program at the 3/8-mile paved oval, offers points toward both the Midwest and Indiana Series. Friday's race at Hawkeye Downs in Iowa is a Midwest event, while Saturday's races at Florence Motor Speedway in Timmonsville is part of the Carolina Series, the Saturday race at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill. is the opener for the new UMARA/USAC Series and the race at Seekonk Speedway continues the Northeast Series.

Series point leaders entering this week's events are Chett Gehrke (Midwest), Jeff Abold (Northeast), Robby Parish (Indiana), Tanner Swanson (Carolina) and Tim Savage (Utah Developmental).

Feature winners in last week's action included Tom Dyer at Roseville, Calif. Saturday, Tyler Irwin at New Castle, Ind. Thursday, Jeff Abold at Epping, N.H. Saturday and Tim Savage at Salt Lake City, Utah this Monday.

Dyer, of Rancho Cordova, Calif., caught Daniel Adler on lap 16 at All American Speedway in Roseville Saturday, then led the final 16 laps in his K & N Engineering/Maier Racing Beast. Adler finished second in the 35-lap race, ahead of Mike Atkinson, Tim Skoglund and Caitlin Shaw.

Irwin, of Polson, Mont., led all but the first two laps at Mount Lawn Speedway in New Castle Thursday in his Irwin Racing Beast. Chett Gehrke, Robby Parish, Craig Haack, who led the first two laps, and Alison MacLeod trailed.

Jeff Abold of Pennellville, N.Y. was Saturday's Northeast feature winner at Star Speedway in New Hampshire. He passed P.J. Stergios on the 26th lap and led the final five laps in his Pat Abold Motorsports machine to beat Stergios, Jon Seaman, Jesse State and Sean Carman. State led laps 1-9 and Stergios led 10-25.

Savage, of Herriman, Utah, beat Caitlin Shaw, fast qualifier Billy Cox, Bob Brewer and James Powell to the checkered flag Monday night at Rocky Mountain Raceways in the Utah capital. Brewer led the first six laps and Savage led the last nine to win the 15-lap race.

-credit: usac