WORLD DIRT RACING LEAGUE CELEBRATES 100TH SERIES EVENT
July 22nd ceremony at Mid-Nebraska Speedway commemorates success of fifth-year series
By Tom Lathen
WORLD Dirt Racing League

DONIPHAN, NEB (July 30, 2006) - The WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series celebrated it's 100th series event Saturday night, July 22, at the annual Pump and Pantry Late Model Nationals here at Mid-Nebraska Speedway.

A celebration ceremony was held during intermission to honor series founder and president Jim Wilson and his wife Nancy plus series competitor Kyle Berck, who was honored for competing in his 100th series feature event.

"It is hard to believe we've already run 100 races," commented Wilson in front of the capacity crowd at Mid-Nebraska Speedway. "When we started this thing, we weren't sure what we were getting into, but the PolyDome Late Model Series just continues to grow, and now we can look forward to the next 100 races.

"I certainly don’t want to take all of the credit for what's happened," he added. "My wife Nancy has been my right arm through all of this, and we have a great group of officials, some outstanding drivers and a great base of fans."

Wilson surprised the racing world in late 2001 when he announced the formation of the WORLD Dirt Racing League, ending a more than 20-year career with NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). Wilson had served as a regional director for NASCAR's Weekly Racing Series and also was the founder and director of the NASCAR All-Star Series, the organization's only dirt track touring series at the time, which ended in the fall of 2001.

The first event staged by the fledgling WDRL was held on March 31, 2002, at Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa. Since that time, series events have taken place at 37 speed plants in 10 different states.

During the WDRL's inaugural season in 2002, a total of 13 feature events were held. But the series has seen explosive growth over the past three years and now sanctions nearly 30 events each summer throughout a multi-state region of the Midwest.

Some of the top dirt Late Model drivers in the nation participate in WDRL PolyDome Late Model Series events, and the series now offers a point fund of more than $65,000 in cash and contingency awards at it's annual Champion's Banquet.

Last season, 303 drivers participated in WDRL events, and the series average of 41.4 cars per event was among the highest of any touring series in the country.

Berck, who won the final NASCAR All-Star Series title in 2001, is a two-time WDRL champion and is the only driver to have participated in all 100 series events. The Marquette, Neb., driver has scored a series-high 17 feature race wins in the four-and-a-half year existence of the series and has finished in the top five on 47 other occasions.

"It has been fun to be a part of the growth of the WDRL," noted Berck. "That first year we didn't even know if there was going to be a point fund, but we had confidence that Jim (Wilson) knew what he was doing."

Added Berck: "With the way the thing has grown, and the quality of the race teams the series has been able to attract, it has made it much more difficult to win consistently. But when you do get a win, you know you've accomplished something."

Series officials presented a large cake and a framed commemorative certificate to Wilson and his wife during the ceremonies at Mid-Nebraska Speedway. Berck also received a framed certificate commemorating his 100th consecutive WDRL feature race start.

For more information on WDRL or the latest PolyDome Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com .