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Inside Line Promotions – BRANDON, S.D. (July 2, 2013) – Jack Dover is the first to admit that last week was one of the most challenging weeks he has ever had.

“Last week was probably my worst week of screw-ups on my part,” he said. “Hopefully I got them all out of the way last week.”

It started on Wednesday during the Spring Sprint Car Nationals at Jackson Speedway in Jackson, Minn., where Dover advanced from fifth to fourth place in his heat race.

“Wednesday night the top four were supposed to weigh and I forgot to weigh,” he said. “That was totally my screw-up. I take total responsibility for that.”

Dover was disqualified and forced to start last in the B Main. He charged to place fifth – one spot out of transferring to the $7,500-to-win feature.

The team had a change of plans and headed to the 2nd annual Open Wheel Nationals on Friday and Saturday at St. Croix Valley Raceway in St. Croix Falls, Wis. It was Dover’s first time at the track and the furthest North he has ever competed, he said.

The two-day event centering on points kicked off with Dover maneuvered from sixth to second in his heat race. That started him ninth in a challenge race, which ended on the opening lap.

“A guy in the second row spun out and took about seven of us cars out,” Dover said after finishing 12th. “That’s when my chassis got bent. We don’t have a backup car. We started building it so we could start the A Main and get our start money. An official came over and said tonight is our lucky night because they had a curfew and we were going to run the next day. That gave us time to get the chassis welded.”

With Friday’s main event being postponed until Saturday, Dover was able to have his chassis put back together to continue the event. While he raced in the remainder of the Open Wheel Nationals, his car wasn’t quite right.

“We were fighting the car from the middle of the corner,” he said. “It didn’t have any forward bite. That’s where we’d get beat. We’d make it all up on straightaways and entering the corners. I drove a lot harder.”

Having been bitten by a 1,550-pound weight rule earlier this season, Dover weighed the car that afternoon to make sure it would clear the scales for the special weight rule during the Open Wheel Nationals.

“We weighed ourselves early in the day and that was without all of my gear and we were exactly 100 pounds heavy,” he said. “I was 1,650. That was about halfway full of fuel.”

Dover rallied from 14th to third in the postponed feature, which would have locked him into the dash and the first three rows of the $5,000-to-win main event on Saturday night. However, he was 15 pounds light at the scales and was disqualifying, relegating him to a 20th-place finish.

“I knew I was running out of fuel in the final couple of laps and it’d be close of weight,” he said. “I was light by 15 pounds – a difference of two and a half gallons (of fuel). That really put us behind because this whole weekend was based off points.”

Dover started Saturday’s program by winning his heat race and charging from eighth to second during the last chance race, transferring him to the feature. He started 14th, but quickly worked toward the top five.

“We got up to seventh in the first two laps,” he said. “I think we had a pretty good car, but it wasn’t the best. I got myself up to second and on the restart with five to go I had a great restart. I actually bumped the leader and when I bumped him I think I made him mad. I’m not sure if he got on the brakes or let off the gas, but he slowed down big time. I didn’t have time to react.

“I was going to follow him close in and then I was going to slide him in (turns) three and four, but all that happened going into turn one.”

The top four drivers checked up and contact nearly spun each of those cars during that restart, which dropped Dover to a fourth-place finish. It marked his 10th top five of the season.

He capped the weekend on Sunday at Huset’s Speedway by driving for Denny Wasmund, a family friend. Dover won his heat race from outside the front row and then advanced from ninth to sixth in a wild feature.

“I ran fourth or fifth the whole time,” he said. “We spun out in the middle of turns one and two, and I lost one spot but got it back with two laps to go. The car was working great. The race just went by so fast. We didn’t really get into lapped traffic. On the last corner Robby Wolfgang got in some oil and spun out, and I stopped to avoid crashing into him.”

Dover has another busy weekend scheduled, starting on Friday at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa. He will compete with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour at I-90 Speedway in Hartford, S.D., on Saturday before returning to Wasmund’s car on Sunday at Huset’s Speedway. Dover will also race on Monday at Boone County Fair at Albion Speedway in Albion, Neb., with the Nebraska 360 Sprints.

QUICK RESULTS –

June 26 – Jackson Speedway in Jackson, Minn. – Heat race: 9 (5); B Main: 5 (16).

June 28 – St. Croix Valley Raceway in St. Croix Falls, Wis. – Heat race: 2 (6); Challenge Race: 12 (9); Feature: 20 (14).

June 29 – St. Croix Valley Raceway in St. Croix Falls, Wis. – Heat race: 1 (2); Last Chance Race: 2 (8); Feature: 4 (14).

June 30 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 6 (9).

SEASON STATS –

19 races, 6 wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s, 14 top 15s, 16 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa; Saturday at I-90 Speedway in Hartford, S.D., with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour; Sunday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.; and Monday at Boone County Fair at Albion Speedway in Albion, Neb., with the Nebraska 360 Sprints

VIDEO –

Here is in-car video of Jack winning the 5th annual Steve King Memorial at The Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan., on May 25: http://youtu.be/jmbnDjFA3YQ

Here is in-car video of Jack claiming his heat race with the Nebraska 360 Sprints at Butler County Speedway in Rising City, Neb., on May 18: http://youtu.be/3yWrbbW2Qxk

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.JackDoverRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackDoverRacing

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackdoverracing?fref=ts

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Roush Yates Racing Engines

Located in Mooresville, N.C., Roush Yates Racing Engines is a premier racing engine built with the expertise of veterans Jack Roush, Doug Yates and Robert Yates. For more information, visit http://www.RoushYates.com.

“Roush Yates Racing Engines gives me the best horsepower out there that anybody could have,” Dover said. “The reliability of the engines is unbelievable and the support you get is phenomenal.”

Dover would also like to thank Certified Transmission, Home Pride Companies, Inc., Eagle Motorsports, Thorpe’s Body Shop, Trail Performance Coatings, Inc., The Oil Medics, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Keizer Wheels, Schoenfeld Headers, Shaver Racing Engines, Langfeldt Overhead Doors, Speedway Graphics, K&N Filters, FK Rod Ends, DMI, Speedway Motors and Vortex Wings for their continued support.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES –

Jack Dover Racing is close to being able to compete across the country by returning to the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour, where Dover has finished in the top 10 both seasons he has raced full time with the premier 360 sprint car series. He is also ready to compete with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series en route to his dream of racing in NASCAR. The only variable missing is a reliable truck and trailer. For more information on partnership opportunities, e-mail teamdover@gmail.com.

JACK’S SHOUTOUT –

Jack wants to give a special notice to Stan Cisar with Speedway Graphics.

“I want to thank Stan for all of the help and support he’s given me in my racing car,” Jack said. “He has taken care of me and given me the best looking cars out there.”

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors’ return on investment.

To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.