Super Clean Modified Series Presented by Lucas Oil

Jimmy Dickerson has more than served notice that he intends to become the 2008 points champion for the SuperClean Modified Series. He enhanced that point by winning the Lucas Oil 75 June 14th at the Tucson Raceway Park. It was the current series points leader's third win of the season. In addition to picking another winner's check worth $1,000, Dickerson also picked up an additional $100 for winning the Budweiser Fast Time Award. The El Cajon-California driver toured Tucson Raceway Park's three eighths of a mile oval in 16.45 seconds in his STR-Competitive Metals-Applied Decorative Concrete-Budweiser Modified.

This is not imply that Dickerson had an easy night in Tucson. The 75 lap feature was loaded with competition that featured ten lead changes among four drivers. The race rhythm was slowed five times with yellow flags. Danny Gay led the first 11 circuits before Billy Johanneck took the point. Over the next 25 laps Johanneck, Gay and Dickerson swapped the lead back and forth. The width of TRP's multi banked oval allowed plenty of close quarter, door to door, racing all through the top ten in the field. This really wasn't that surprising for a couple of reasons. First off the level of competition in this series is really that intense. Secondly the qualifying for the Lucas Oil 75 was extremely close with a mere one half second separation between the top 11 drivers.

In the latter stages of the event Dickerson made his race winning move and flew under the checkers. Danny Gay, Andrew Phipps and Tim Morse were right behind him. But the one driver who garnered a lot of attention was Doug Carpenter who completed the top five with a very strong performance in what was termed his "race of the year."

But the one person who was really smiling the most was Eric Brucher who owns the cars driven by Dickerson and Gay. Eric Brucher was delighted to watch his cars finish one-two in the Lucas OIl 75. In a telephone interview following the race he said "it definitely was not a bad deal especially for our first time at Tucson Raceway Park. The series has not visited this track in awhile. Brucher was also delighted with the performance of Dickerson and Gay and called them "two great drivers who are always a threat to win a race on any given Saturday night." Brucher is also very excited about the prospect of Dickerson having a better than great chance of winning the 2008 SuperClean Modified Series championship and said "that's our goal but we know to take things one race at a time. Hopefully it will all turn out good."

Also very delighted with the results of the Lucas Oil 75 was series co-promoter Greg Scheidecker who said "this was absolutely one of the best modified races I've ever seen. It was just phenomenal. There were ten lead changes between Phipps, Johanneck, Gay and Dickerson. The passing on this very clean and wide track was unbelievable with two and three wide racing all throughout the top ten."

The SuperClean Modified Series also pays out $100 bonus awards in addition to the Budweiser Fast Time award. Chris Gerchman won the Poly Dome Plastic Products Trophy Dash. Unfortunately Gerchman suffered engine problems in the feature and had to settle for a 17th place finish. John Daley won the Sencon Concrete Hard Charger bonus for coming from the rear of the field to a very respectable 11th place finish. Andrew Phipps won the Clean Pass Of The Race bonus. The series returns to action on July 12th at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino-California.

In addition to the support of the title sponsor, the SuperClean Modified Series is strongly supported by an outstanding marketing concept known as Team Lucas which includes Lucas Oil Products Inc, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jim Beam, K&N Performance Filters, Blue Water Resort and Casino, General Tire, Dixie Chopper, Sencon Concrete LLC, Fatheadz Sunglasses, Poly Dome Plastic Products, R&L Carriers, E3 Spark Plugs and Budweiser.

BY DAVE GRAYSON