Lucas Oil Series notebook
Notes: Lucas Oil fines Madden for illegal tire
Chris Madden
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series stripped Chris Madden of his March 6 runner-up finish and fined him $6,800 for using a chemically-altered tire in a heat race at Volunteer Speedway's Spring Thaw in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Madden, of Gray Court, S.C., is the the first driver on the series penalized this season.
Madden's penalties included losing 300 points, a $1,500 fine and $300 costs of laboratory testing fees for the tire. He also loses the $5,000 earnings and the points accrued for his second-place finish.
Tires from four other drivers on the March 6-7 weekend at Volunteer and Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C. — Volunteer winner Ray Cook, Cherokee winner Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens and Chris Wall — were also tested and found legal.
A second offense by Madden would call for a $5,000 fine, five-race suspension and other penalties.
Indiana Icebreaker up next
Four-time Lucas Oil Series champion Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., will go for his third straight series victory at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway at the 13th annual Indiana Icebreaker scheduled for March 27 at the quarter-mile oval in southern Indiana. Pearson captured last year's Icebreaker along with September's Jackson 100 at Brownstown.
The $10,000-to-win event, which has drawn as many as 72 Super Late Models to one of the earliest major Midwest races, includes time trials, heat races, consolation races and a 50-lap main event. Besides Late Models, modifieds, super stocks and bombers will also be in action and general admission tickets are $30.
Defending series champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., winner of three of the eight series events so far in 2010, leads the series with 705 points. Behind him is former Brownstown champion Don O'Neal (600) of Martinsville, Ind., Dale McDowell (590) of Rossville, Ga., Ray Cook (585) of Brasstown, N.C. and Chris Wall (580) of Holden, La.
Previous winners of the Indiana Icebreaker, sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Series since 2006: Tony Izzo Jr. (1998), Don O'Neal (1999, '00, '03), Timmy Yeager ('01), John Gill ('02, '04), Dan Sturgeon ('05), Earl Pearson, Jr. ('06, '09), Billy Moyer ('07) and Terry Casey (2008).
For the first time, the event will be taped by Speed television cameras for later telecast.
Odds and ends
Brownstown Speedway's regular Late Model divisions has run unsanctioned for several years but drivers can earn UMP DIRTcar points for 2010 while sticking with the track's rules. ... Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., topped 30 entries in Brownstown's Late Model opener on March 20, Schlenk's first-ever Brownstown victory. ... The Lucas Oil Series Sunoco Race Fuels Road to Wheatland pays $700 in winner's circle money to 20 drivers with perfect attendance at each event through Memorial Day. So far, 23 drivers have perfect attendance. ... The tire rule at Brownstown: American Racer SD44, SD48 and MD56 and Hoosier 1300, 1350, 1600, LM20 and LM40 (no Hoosier Crate 55 tires are legal).
