Bristol Motor Speedway
State Your Case: Iowa, Illinois face off in finals
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writerReady for a Midwestern showdown? That's exactly what has developed on DirtonDirt.com's exclusive State Your Case bracket-style tournament to determine the best state for Dirt Late Model racing. Third-seeded Illinois and fourth-seeded Iowa pulled off upsets in the semifinals to reach the championship. | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | Second round | First round
The final voting, among the 24 panelists who wrote capsules in support of each of the 24 states entered in the tournament, will be revealed Tuesday and along with it, the champion and bragging rights as the Dirt Late Model's top state.
Upsets were few and far between in the tournament's early rounds, but the Final Four proved to be a thriller with tight voting in both matchups. Iowa edged top-seeded Ohio by a single vote, the same margin that Illinois beat second-seeded Tennessee. Tennessee had rolled through its first two matchups, winning by no fewer than 11 votes, but Illinois — was it the recent Farmer City race? — bested the Volunteer State.
Who will the champion be? Iowa or Illinois. Check DirtonDirt.com tomorrow to find out.
State Your Case Tournament
Eliminated in first round: New York, Alabama, Louisiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Virginiia
Eliminated in second round: Missouri, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia
Eliminated in quarterfinals: Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia
Eliminated in semifinals: Ohio, Tennessee