Focus Finale Shifts to Gas City

Jordan Noblitt and Tate Martz will shift their focus from Ohio to Indiana to settle their battle for the 2006 USAC Midwest Ford Focus Dirt Championship following today's announcement of a change in venue for the series finale.

Gas City I-69 Speedway in Gas City, Ind. will host the Sept. 29 finale, which was originally slated at the Lakeville (Ohio) Speedway. The Lakeville race organizer released the date, opening the option for race organizer Jiggs Thomason to turn his exciting quarter-mile into the showcase for the title chase.

Noblitt, of Columbus, Ind., won the series opener in June and leads Martz, of Rushville, Ind., by six points going into the final race. Tony Main of Farmland, Ind. also remains in the title hunt as a result of two August victories in Michigan, while Chett Gehrke of Broken Arrow, Okla. and Ronnie Wuerdeman of Cincinnati, Ohio also harbor mathematical title aspirations. Main is 44 points in arrears, while Gehrke and Wuerdeman are 48 and 50 points back.

The United States Auto Club is delighted that Mr. Thomason has created this opportunity to conclude this series at a venue which has produced some spectacular racing in the past," says USAC Ford Focus Coordinator Eric Bunn. "We look forward to the Sept. 29 race and the crowning of this year's Midwest Dirt champion."