Inside Line Promotions
– ELDON, Mo. (Sept. 5) – It was a rare moment followed by what is becoming a routine result.
Jack Dover and his sprint car were a backdrop for a wedding on Sunday at the 9th annual LOS 360 Nationals at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo.
“After hot laps I pulled my car up to Victory Lane and they had a ceremony before the heat races,” Dover said. “It was the first time I’d been asked to do something like that. One of the workers at the track wanted to have his wedding there during a race and he is a fan of mine, so I was more than happy to help out.”
Later that night the 21-year-old Springfield, Neb., native returned to the same spot after leading all 30 laps to claim his third victory in the last four races at the ASCS Warrior Region event.
“We started the night and ended the night there,” he said. “Maybe the wedding was good luck.”
Dover was on the gas from the first drop of the green flag, charging from sixth to finish a close second in his eight-lap heat race on the slick track. He earned enough points to be one of two drivers to join Saturday’s top-four finishers in the redraw, which determined the first three rows for the 30-lap feature.
“I pulled the No. 3, which started us on the inside of the second row,” Dover said. “That was a great pick and I took advantage.”
He capitalized on the start and passed the top two on the bottom as the trio exited turn four of the opening lap. Dover pulled away and then survived a trio of cautions, including a pair of red flags in the final 20 laps to earn his ninth win of the season.
“The track was pretty slick all the way up to the wall, which is where I was running,” he said. “Being in front all race I wasn’t sure who was behind me or if anyone was really fast. Racing so close to the wall, I just focused on hitting my marks every corner.”
Dover nearly locked himself into Sunday’s feature redraw during the preliminary night on Saturday when he finished one spot out of the lock-in positions.
After winning the heat race – his third consecutive heat victory – Dover had the 10th-most points heading into the feature. He lined up on the outside of the fifth row and battled around eighth place for most of the race. With about a dozen laps remaining, Dover began picking his way forward.
Dover and Tyler Blank traded slide jobs during the final handful of laps in a battle for fifth place. Zach Chappell caught the duo on the final lap and Dover held off both in a three-way drag race off turn four for fifth place.
It was his 24th top five in 34 features heading into Sunday.
Dover has a tripleheader scheduled this weekend, beginning with a race at a track he’s never been to. He heads to Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., on Friday with the ASCS Warrior Region.
Dover will then race on Saturday at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., and at the $5,000-to-win Nebraska Cup on Sunday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. Both are events with the ASCS Midwest Region, which Dover leads by 452 points with four races remaining.
For live updates of Dover and the rest of the competition this weekend, visit www.insidelinepromotions.com.
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 3 – Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo. – Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 5 (10).
Sept. 4 – Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo. – Heat race: 2 (6); Feature: 1 (3).
SEASON STATS –
39 races, 35 features, 9 wins, 25 top fives, 30 top 10s, 31 top 15s, 32 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo., with the ASCS Warrior Region, Saturday at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., and Sunday at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. – both with the ASCS Midwest Region
FAVORITE NUMBER –
3: Dover has accumulated three feature wins and three heat race victories in the past four races.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JackDoverRacing
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/jackdoverracing
ON THE AIR –
Dover was a featured guest on the ASCS Show with Racinboys on Aug. 30. His segment starts approximately four minutes into the show.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=20614
He was also on the ASCS Show with Racinboys on June 14 after his win at the Eagle Nationals. His interview begins around 18:40.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=19427
Dover’s first interview of the season on the ASCS Show with Racinboys was on June 7. Check out the link below for his interview, which begins around the 6:50 mark.
http://www.meridix.com/mbp/general/index.php?liveid=Racinboys&recordid=19351
Here’s a link to some on-board video of Dover winning his heat race at Knoxville Raceway on June 4:
Check out this video of Dover’s feature win and heat race victory at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo., on Aug. 26:
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Eagle Motorsports
Eagle Motorsports, formerly known as Eagle Chassis, has fabricated sprint car chassis since 1998. Eagle chassis have been a part of winning four Knoxville Nationals. For more information, visit www.eaglechassis.com.
“Eagle chassis are one of the easiest to drive and one of the easiest to work on,” Dover said. “And they’ve been great with custom, reliable chassis because of my height.”
Dover would also like to thank Thorpe’s Body Shop, Trail Performance Coatings, Inc., Home Pride Companies, Inc., Certified Transmission, Shaver Engines, The Oil Medics and ButlerBuilt for their continued support.