State Your Case: Where is the best dirt racing?

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By; Todd Turner
Dirt on Dirt



Did your favorite college basketball team get knocked out of the NCAA tournament? DirtonDirt.com gives you something else to root for: your home state in a 24-state Dirt Late Model tournament (http://idisk.mac.com/thetoddler-Public/stateyourcase.pdf) that we’ve dubbed State Your Case.

Over the next few weeks, our assembled panel of State Your Case contributors will vote for winners of 23 matchups between states, judging them on their Dirt Late Model prowess according to drivers, tracks, fans and other intangibles that determine the overall quality of racing in each state. By April 7, a champion will be revealed.

This isn’t a half-baked vote with no criteria. Indeed, we tapped two dozen writers to craft a convincing argument for each of the 24 states — stating their case, if you will — to sell readers and voters on why their state deserves kudos in the Dirt Late Model world.

The writers came through, too, bragging about Iowa (“Is this heaven?”), Mississippi (call it “the Comeback Kid”), North Carolina (the Tar Heels mash the gas pedal) and 21 other states.
Here’s how the tournament is set up (this is the part where you get mad at us if your state was on the bubble and didn’t make the 24-state cut).

We arbitrarily selected 24 states based on their Dirt Late Model racing, making efforts to pick the best states as well as represent a variety of regions. After that, we seeded the teams 1-24. This was important because the top eight teams drew all-important byes into the first round, meaning they’ll only have to “win” four matchups to take the championship. Seeds 9-24 must “win” five matchups.

Many thanks goes to the capsule contributors for their hard work in letting their bias shine through. And a special thanks to historian Bob Markos for helping fill the many gaps. Enjoy.


State Your Case Tournament


(Seeds in parentheses)


First-round matchups



• New York (http://dirtondirt.com/National_506.html) (24) vs. Missouri (http://dirtondirt.com/National_507.html) (9)
• Alabama (http://dirtondirt.com/National_508.html) (17) vs. Mississippi (http://dirtondirt.com/National_509.html) (16)
• Louisiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_510.html) (21) vs. Wisconsin (http://dirtondirt.com/National_511.html) (12)
• South Dakota (http://dirtondirt.com/National_512.html) (20) vs. Arkansas (http://dirtondirt.com/National_513.html) (13)
• Michigan (http://dirtondirt.com/National_514.html) (23) vs. West Virginia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_515.html) (10)
• Minnesota (http://dirtondirt.com/National_516.html) (18) vs. South Carolina (http://dirtondirt.com/National_517.html) (15)
• California (http://dirtondirt.com/National_518.html) (22) vs. North Carolina (http://dirtondirt.com/National_519.html) (11)
• Virginia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_520.html) (19) vs . Maryland (http://dirtondirt.com/National_521.html) (14)


Second-round matchups


• Kentucky (http://dirtondirt.com/National_522.html) (8) vs. New York-Missouri winner
• Ohio (http://dirtondirt.com/National_523.html) (1) vs. Alabama-Mississippi winner
• Indiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_524.html) (5) vs. Louisiana-Wisconsin winner
• Iowa (http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html) (4) vs. South Dakota-Arkansas winner
• Pennsylvania (http://dirtondirt.com/National_526.html) (7) vs. Michigan-West Virginia winner
• Tennessee (http://dirtondirt.com/National_527.html) (2) vs. Minnesota-South Carolina winner
• Georgia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_528.html) (6) vs. California-North Carolina winner
• Illinois (http://dirtondirt.com/National_529.html) (3) vs. Virginia-Maryland winner




Capsule contributors


Alabama (http://dirtondirt.com/National_508.html) - Tim O’Brien
Arkansas (http://dirtondirt.com/National_513.html) - Todd Turner
California (http://dirtondirt.com/National_518.html) - K.C. Rooney
Georgia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_528.html) - Bob Appleget
Illinois (http://dirtondirt.com/National_529.html) - Terry Young
Indiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_524.html) - Bob Markos
Iowa (http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html) - Barry Johnson
Kentucky (http://dirtondirt.com/National_522.html) - Mike Sullivan
Louisiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_510.html) - Greg Holmes
Maryland (http://dirtondirt.com/National_521.html) - Matt Felten
Michigan (http://dirtondirt.com/National_514.html) - Dave DeHem and Verwayne Greenhoe
Minnesota (http://dirtondirt.com/National_516.html) - Rich Olson
Mississippi (http://dirtondirt.com/National_509.html) - Tim Lee
Missouri (http://dirtondirt.com/National_507.html) - Jimmy Dearing
New York (http://dirtondirt.com/National_506.html) - Chip Stebbins
North Carolina (http://dirtondirt.com/National_519.html) - Thomas Pope
Ohio (http://dirtondirt.com/National_523.html) - Bill Holder
Pennsylvania (http://dirtondirt.com/National_526.html) - Keith Koval
South Carolina (http://dirtondirt.com/National_517.html) - Gene Murphy
South Dakota (http://dirtondirt.com/National_512.html) - Rob Fogle
Tennessee (http://dirtondirt.com/National_527.html) - Michael Moats
Virginia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_520.html) - Brian Tidball
West Virginia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_515.html) - Ernie Shelton
Wisconsin (http://dirtondirt.com/National_511.html) - Jerry O’Brien


A special thanks to historian Bob Markos for sharing his vast knowledge
Cover art image by Barry Lenhart

Tournament bracket (http://idisk.mac.com/thetoddler-Public/stateyourcase.pdf)

CLICK ON BRACKET

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South on the rise in first round



The South will rise again? Believe it, at least according the first-round results of DirtonDirt.com's exclusive bracket-style tournament that will determine the best state in Dirt Late Model racing. In virtually every first-round matchup, the southernmost state advanced to the second round as eight losing states were sent packing from the 24-state tournament (http://idisk.mac.com/thetoddler-Public/stateyourcase.pdf), which will officially crown its champion on April 7. | First-round story (http://dirtondirt.com/National_505.html)

West Virginia (over Michigan in a trouncing), South Carolina (merely a rout over Minnesota), North Carolina (far and away ahead of California), Missouri (easy victory over New York) and Arkansas (no problems against South Dakota) were among the states advancing to the second round with barely a hiccup.

The southern losers? Virginia (edged by neighbor Maryland by a single vote), Louisiana (whipped by Wisconsin, the lone WISSOTA outpost still in the tournament) and Alabama, which gave a valiant effort before succumbing to its neighbor and fellow southerner Mississippi, a state that pulled away in the final hours of voting by the 24-writer panel that crafted the DirtonDirt.com capsules for each state.

Fans of upsets didn't see a Davidson or Western Kentucky slip into the mix. The tournament, with each of the 24 states seeded, went according to form, although 19th-seeded Virginia gave 14th-seeded Maryland the biggest scare of the first round.

The second-round pairings set up a couple of interesting matchups. On the left side of the bracket, the home of Billy Moyer (13th-seeded Arkansas) will try to upset the birthplace of Moyer (fourth-seeded Iowa). On the right side of the bracket, neighbors West Virginia (10) and Pennsylvania (7) battle in a matchup that could lend credence to complaints from the Pennsylvania capsule writer Keith Koval that his state isn't getting the respect it deserves.

The second-round results are scheduled to be revealed on April 2 with quarterfinal and semifinal winners in the days following. The champion is scheduled to be revealed on April 7.

State Your Case Tournament

(Seeds in parentheses)

Second-round matchups


• Kentucky (http://dirtondirt.com/National_522.html) (8) vs. Missouri (http://dirtondirt.com/National_507.html) (9)
• Ohio (http://dirtondirt.com/National_523.html) (1) vs. Mississippi (http://dirtondirt.com/National_509.html) (16)
• Indiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_524.html) (5) vs. Wisconsin (http://dirtondirt.com/National_511.html) (12)
• Iowa (http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html) (4) vs. Arkansas (http://dirtondirt.com/National_513.html) (13)
• Pennsylvania (http://dirtondirt.com/National_526.html) (7) vs. West Virginia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_515.html) (10)
• Tennessee (http://dirtondirt.com/National_527.html) (2) vs. South Carolina (http://dirtondirt.com/National_517.html) (15)
• Georgia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_528.html) (6) vs. North Carolina (http://dirtondirt.com/National_519.html) (11)
• Illinois (http://dirtondirt.com/National_529.html) (3) vs. Maryland (http://dirtondirt.com/National_521.html) (14)

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Ohio, Tennessee rolling along


The top seeds in the men's NCAA basketball tournament came through, and it's just the same in DirtonDirt.com's exclusive State Your Case bracket-style tournament (http://idisk.mac.com/thetoddler-Public/stateyourcase.pdf) that will determine the best state for Dirt Late Model racing. Top-seeded Ohio and second-seeded Tennessee led the charge into the quarterfinals as a few contenders were found to be pretenders in the second round of the state-vs.-state showdown.
(http://dirtondirt.com/national_541.html)

(http://dirtondirt.com/national_541.html)
Tennessee, a state of high-banked tracks as well as Hall of Famers Jeff Purvis and Scott Bloomquist, had the most impressive performance in reaching the quarterfinals in a tournament where 24 writers — proponents of each state entered in the tournament — vote on the winning matchups.



Tennessee nabbed all but one vote in routing South Carolina, a first-round winner over Minnesota.


Ohio, third-seeded Illinois and fifth-seeded Indiana weren't quite as dominant as Tennessee, but all three cruised into the quarterfinals. Fourth-seeded Iowa topped Arkansas and sixth-seeded Georgia outpointed North Carolina with relative ease, but eighth-seeded Kentucky and seventh-seeded Pennsylvania had their hands full.
Early voting saw the Kentucky-Missouri and Pennsylvania-West Virginia matchups even, but the Bluegrass State and Keystone State pulled away in the final balloting to win by three votes apiece.


The quarterfinal brackets might be even tighter. On the left side of the bracket, top-seeded Ohio faces its southern neighbor Kentucky. In a matchup of Midwest states seeded fourth and fifth, Iowa will try to fend of Indiana.


On the right side of the bracket, Pennsylvania will have its stiffest test yet in Tennessee, while Georgia carries its Southern roots into a matchup with the Prairie State of Illinois.


Quarterfinal voting will be revealed Friday to set the semifinals. Semifinal voting will be pushed back an extra day and revealed on Monday, and the championship will be revealed next Tuesday.
State Your Case Tournament


(Seeds in parentheses)
Quarterfinals

• Kentucky (http://dirtondirt.com/National_522.html) (8) vs. Ohio (http://dirtondirt.com/National_523.html) (1)
• Indiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_524.html) (5) vs. Iowa (http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html) (4)
• Pennsylvania (http://dirtondirt.com/National_526.html) (7) vs. Tennessee (http://dirtondirt.com/National_527.html) (2)
• Georgia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_528.html) (6) vs. Illinois (http://dirtondirt.com/National_529.html) (3)


Semifinals


Championship



Eliminated first round:

New York, Alabama, Louisiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Virginia




Eliminated second round:
Missouri, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia

[KevinF]

Not even close - Pennsylvania by far!

[cambo]

I live in South Carolina and Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney has super racing; however, I'm partial to Georgia racing, especially at the high banked, D-shaped, 5/16 mile Toccoa Motor Speedway in Toccoa, GA.

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Ohio rides wave to Final Four


The Final Four is set. Ohio and its megaevents. Tennessee and its superstar drivers. Iowa and its bevy of racetracks. And Illinois, the UMP stronghold. Who will come out on top? Finalists in DirtonDirt.com's exclusive State Your Case will be revealed on Monday, with the champion revealed on Tuesday.
(http://dirtondirt.com/National_505.html)
The top seeds advanced to the Final Four with quarterfinal victories in matchups voted on by the 24 writers who each contributed capsules "stating their case" for each of the 24 states entered.

Ohio, Iowa and Illinois each faced their toughest matchups of the tournament, but each came out on top. Ohio topped its neighbor Kentucky by five votes, Iowa edged Indiana by three votes and Illinois earned five more votes than Georgia. Tennessee breezed into the semifinals with an 11-vote edge of seventh-seeded Pennsylvania, a state whose sprint car status sometimes overshadows its potent Late Model standing.

The semifinals will see top-seeded Ohio against fourth-seeded Iowa on the left side of the bracket. Ohio carries weight with Eldora Speedway, the World 100 and Dirt Track World Championship, and 15 Hall of Famers led by Donnie Moran and Larry Moore. Iowa counters with its World 100-winning history, strong weekly racing, the up-and-coming Knoxville Nationals and current drivers like Brian Birkhofer and Denny Eckrich.

On the right side of the bracket, second-seeded Tennessee faces third-seeded Illinois. Tennessee is buoyed by the eastern half of the state's impressive array of tracks along with three-time World 100 winners Jeff Purvis and Scott Bloomquist. Illinois boasts dozens of black-dirt tracks, many included in the popular UMP Summernationals, along with drivers Bob Pierce, Dennis Erb Jr. and two-time DTWC champion Shannon Babb.

State Your Case Tournament


(Seeds in parentheses)
Semifinals
• Ohio (1) vs. Iowa (4)
• Tennessee (2) vs. Illinois (3)
Championship

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

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Iowa, Illinois face off in finals



Ready 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.
(http://dirtondirt.com/National_505.html)
The final voting, among the 24 panelists who wrote capsules in support of each of the 24 states entered in the tournament (http://idisk.mac.com/thetoddler-Public/stateyourcase.pdf), 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


(Seeds in parentheses)
Championship


• Illinois (http://dirtondirt.com/National_529.html) (3) vs. Iowa (http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html) (4)


Eliminated in first round: New York, Alabama, Louisiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Virginia




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

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Illinois tops Iowa, captures title


Just like the men's NCAA basketball title game, DirtonDirt.com's State Your Case tournament went down to the bitter end. And when it was all over, Illinois narrowly edged Iowa in the final matchup of the bracket-style tournament to determine the best state for Dirt Late Model racing.
(http://dirtondirt.com/National_505.html)
With both Midwest states receiving equal votes in the final matchup, the deciding factor was the tiebreaker of total votes received throughout the tournament, and Illinois came out on top by a mere three total votes over Iowa. Tournament matchups were voted on by the 24-member DirtonDirt.com panel, each of who wrote capsules advocating each of the 24 states in the tournament.
Here's the final tournament bracket (http://idisk.mac.com/thetoddler-Public/stateyourcase.pdf) along with the capsule that led to victory for Illinois:
Champion: Illinois

State your case: Is there any question which state has the best Dirt Late Model racers From the state that has produced the likes of The Tall Cool One, Shaggy, the Moweaqua Missile, King Kong, the Thriller, the Flatland Flash, and the One-Man Band, the Land of Lincoln has certainly produced it's share of the sports finest. Some of the Illini State's crop have already been inducted into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame and others are on that illustrious path.


Best historical drivers: Bob Pierce immediately pops into your mind. The Tall Cool One, one of the original outlaw barnstormers, notched his place in history by tearing up high banks around the Midwest in notching hundreds of victories, a UMP weekly championship and a memorable North-South 100 victory. Chicagoland star Tony Izzo Sr. is also high on the list (as are his sons, Tony and Joe) along with Dick Taylor, Jim Leka, Roger Long, Jim O’Connor and ageless Don Klein, who has hundreds of victories and 17 track championships.


Best current drivers: Two-time Dirt Track World Champion Shannon Babb has grown from Illinois favorite to national star along with Dennis Erb Jr. (like Babb, a UMP Summernationals champ), Rodney Melvin (four-time UMP weekly champ), Randy Korte (two-time UMP champ), Billy Drake, Steve Sheppard Jr. and Darren Miller. Impressive up-and-comers include Wes Steidinger, Jason Feger and Scott Bull.


Best tracks past and present: Macon Speedway (the tiny speedplant where Babb cut his racing teeth), Tri-City Speedway (where Rusty Wallace, Larry Phillips, C.C. Corbin, Wib Spalding reached victory lane), the legendary mile ovals in Springfield in DuQuoin as well as Farmer City, Fairbury, Spoon River, La Salle, and the now-closed Springfield Speedway and Santa Fe Speedway.


Biggest events: Farmer City’s World of Outlaws event (the richest Dirt Late Model race in Illinois history), Fairbury’s Prairie Dirt Classic and Macon’s Herald & Review 100, the long-time centerpiece of the UMP Summernationals.


Contributors and contributions to the sport: Illinois has been the heart of UMP and its Summernationals year after year.


Illinois fans are best because ...: they know the sport and know how to enjoy it, from the tailgating atmosphere at the Fairbury or Farmer City to the campers and party atmosphere at Macon, Illinois has the best fans!


If all that's not good enough: Those at Macon's Summernationals race in 1997 will never forget a story that's a microcosm of Illinois racing. After Shannon Babb's car broke on the pace lap, also-ran Virgil Bilbrey pulled to the infield to allow Babb to start his car from the tail. Babb rallied to an amazing victory in the borrowed car but lost it at the scales (Bilbrey's substantial belly and 80 extra pounds weren't in the car). Man, I love Illinois racing. (Additional information from Michael Rigsby)


Runner-up: Iowa (http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html)

(http://dirtondirt.com/National_525.html)
Semifinalists: Ohio (http://dirtondirt.com/National_523.html), Tennessee (http://dirtondirt.com/National_527.html)

(http://dirtondirt.com/National_527.html)
Quarterfinalists: Kentucky (http://dirtondirt.com/National_522.html), Indiana (http://dirtondirt.com/National_524.html), Pennsylvania (http://dirtondirt.com/National_526.html) and Georgia (http://dirtondirt.com/National_528.html)