Monett, MO (May 27, 2012) – Tony Jackson Jr. of Lebanon, MO recorded his second win of the 2012 season at Monett Speedway for winning the 12th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Tony Roper Memorial presented by Andy’s Frozen Custard.
Jackson had his Rocket by Lanigan setup perfectly for the slick surface and drove his way to the $3,000.00 top prize. The race track did rubber up during the feature and no one was more upset about it than track owner and MARS DIRTcar Series Director, Randy Mooneyham. “We watered the track for 2 full days, but the hot temperatures and the 20 – 30 mph winds out of the south just wouldn’t allow the track to hold moisture” stated Mooneyham.
2011 Monett Speedway late model track champion, Justin Wells of Aurora, MO was the pole sitter for the 35 lap feature and raced to a second place finish. Jesse Stovall of Galena, MO; Will Vaught of Crane, MO and Matt Johnson of Archie, MO rounded out the top five.
MARS officials have determined that the post-race actions of Republic, Missouri’s Brad Looney and Will Vaught to be serious enough to warrant disciplinary action. The rules of Overall Conduct as explained in the MARS Official Rules* are clear and will be enforced. Looney and Vaught will both serve a 5 race suspension from MARS sanctioned events for fighting, physical violence and threats of physical violence. In addition, Looney and Vaught are suspended from participating in any races at the Monett Speedway for the remainder of the 2012 season. Both drivers were paid and will receive their points for the race. Due to the fact that MARS is a UMP sanctioned series and the Monett Speedway is a UMP sanctioned track, additional penalties, suspensions and fines may be handed down from UMP in the coming days.
*available on the series website, www.marsracingseries.com under Rules, Section 2.3 General Rules of Competition.
Detailed results can be found at www.marsracingseries.com.
Next up for the MARS series will be the Tri-State Challenge May 31 – June 2 featuring Highland Speedway in Highland, IL, Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY and Federated Auto Parts Raceway in Pevely, MO.
The MARS DIRTcar Series would like to thank their sponsors for the 2012 season. Hoosier Racing Tire, Libscomb Auto Group, Powertrain Industries, VP Race Fuels, Wrisco Aluminum, GRT Race Cars, Hatfield Racing Engines, Race Brothers Farm & Home Supply, Supermoon Graphics, Don Babb Motorsports, Comp Cams, Rod End Suppy and Vicci.