Division I points 2005-05-17

SELLERS KEEPS NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES DIVISION I POINTS LEAD

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 17, 2005) -- Count Peyton Sellers among the supporters of NASCAR's new point system for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. Sellers, of Danville, Va., has extended his lead in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Division I championship standings, after recording his sixth Late Model Stock Car victory at South Boston (Va.) Speedway.

NASCAR's championship format awards each race winner 50 points -- but adds 10 bonus points for drivers competing against fields of 15-20 cars. The system is designed to reward those drivers who race at the most competitive tracks (i.e. those with the most number of race cars) and Sellers collected 60 points for his May 6 win. His lead over Frank Deiny Jr., who competes at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford Va., is now 134 points.

Travis Swaim, who competes at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., has also benefited from NASCAR's point system by adding 68 points to his total this week. NASCAR's format awards 20 bonus points to drivers racing field fields of more than 20 cars and Swaim, of High Point, N.C., picked up the 20-point bonus by finishing second among a field of 21 Late Model Stock Car drivers at Caraway May 14.

The biggest mover of the week was Big Diamond Raceway's Duane Howard, who improved three positions, to fourth in the Division I standings this week. Despite not winning any races so far this season, Howard, of Oley, Pa., has finished consistently in the top 10 at Big Diamond, a 3/8-mile dirt track in Minersville, Pa. In a system where bonus points count -- Big Diamond's weekly turnout of 25+ Dirt Modified cars has its drivers on the fast track.

<pre> This Week's Division I Leaders ...

Pos     Driver                  Home Track                      Points
1.      Peyton Sellers          South Boston Speedway           658
2.      Frank Deiny Jr.         Motor Mile Speedway             524
3.      Travis Swaim            Caraway Speedway                370
4.      Duane Howard            Big Diamond Raceway             314
5.      Kenneth Headen          Greenville-Pickens Speedway     312
6.      Clay Dale               Lanier National Speedway        288
7.      Tom Charles             Lakeside Speedway               270
8.      Tommy Cherry            Langley Speedway                250
9.      Gaylon Stewart          Evergreen Speedway              246
10.     Ricky Bilderback        Rockford Speedway               238
11.     Tim Brown               Bowman Gray Stadium             230
12.     Steve Whitener          JAX Raceways                    200
13.     Lynn Hardy              Rocky Mountain Raceways         132
14.     Bill Rodgers            Beech Ridge Motor Speedway      110
15.     Todd Massey             Ace Speedway                    100

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