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Everyone needs change in their life. Various reasons bring about change but it happens on a daily basis. Even in sprint car racing.

Lance Dewease was getting burned out. This year has been one of the most trying years of his life. There are racing reasons, financial reasons and personal reasons. It all begins to take a toll.

Dewease parted ways with car owner Pete Postupack last Thursday afternoon and did not compete in any weekend racing last week.
Like anything in sprint car racing, it sent shockwaves throughout the sprint car community.

But it was coming. Dewease knew it. Fans could see it. It was just a matter of when it happened.

Beginning tonight at Susquehanna Speedway Park, the Fayetteville driver will begin his new job behind the wheel of the Donny Owens owned No. 30C sprint car. It will be the first night of a two-year deal with the Thurmont, Maryland businessman.

“He made me an offer after I came back from Knoxville and it was just time for a change,” said Dewease, who raced for Postupack for three seasons, visiting victory lane 28 times. “It’s been one of my worst years in racing and personally. It’s been a trying year on me physically and mentally and I’ve just been getting burned out. Not to mention the racing in general has been bad. I just felt it was time for a change and this new team will give me the opportunity to maybe go a little different direction with racing.”

Dewease built Postupack’s team up to one of the top teams on the Pennsylvania tour and he is looking forward to making his new team one of the best. He also is looking to return to the top of his game as one of the best sprint car racers in the world.

“This is a deal to take a team to the next level and I enjoy doing that,” he said. “It’s a challenge for me and I will be back teamed with my brother (Kirk) again which is always a challenge. But we have some good ideas on how I want to go and just a change on how I’ve been racing. Hopefully this will get us back on top of our game.”

Dewease said the team, that had Steve Clabaugh piloting the car, will finish out the year at all of the races in the area and a trip to Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the World of Outlaws event in November is also a possibility for the team.

Dewease’s sponsor-Wirtgen-will be on the car for the remainder of the season but talks for 2008 sponsorship are too early.

When 2008 begins, the team will kick off in Florida and then possibly travel with the Outlaws through Mississippi and Texas before heading back home.

Clabaugh will remain on board the Owens team as a crew member.

Dewease’s departure from the Pete’s Motorsports No. 25 sprinter has given Harrisburg’s Chad Layton a new life in racing.

Layton has been driving his father’s sprinter this year but up until mid season, the team lacked the financial backing to race full time. Layton did secure YTI, York Technical Institute a few months ago that has allowed the team to compete more often.

Layton raced the Postupack car last weekend which started with a 14th place finish at Williams Grove the first night out. Layton finished fifth in the first Twin 20 at Lincoln and was leading the second when rain hit.

He then came from 17th to fifth Sunday at Selinsgrove Speedway after driver error forced the team to rebuild a race car and start at the rear of the field.

“It was a good weekend for us,” Layton said about his first week with Postupack. “I really appreciate the faith in me and the opportunity that Pete has given me. I also have to thank the crew, running three nights in this heat takes a lot and I really screwed them up at Selinsgrove and they all busted their butts to get me in the race. I also need to thank Lance Dewease for pitching in to help out the car back together. It was a true act of sportsmanship.”

Layton will finish out the current season with the New Cumberland based sprint car team.


DOLLANSKY SCORES BIG
Craig Dollansky made his third World of Outlaws win of the year pay off in a big way with a $25,000 paycheck Saturday at Skagit Speedway.

Dollansky took the lead on lap 32 after Steve Kinser’s car suffered driveline woes and held off Joey Saldana, Tim Shaffer, Terry McCarl and Jeremy Campbell for the win.

Brooke Tatnell won the Friday night show over Kinser, Jason Solwold, Shaffer and Kerry Madsen.

Shane Stewart scored his first win of the year in WoO competition in the Doyle’s Harley Davidson sprinter Monday at Grays Harbor Raceway. He took the win over Saldana, Dollansky, Shaffer and Jason Meyers.

Saldana has closed to within 41 points of Donny Schatz for the World of Outlaws point championship. Saldana had fallen nearly 125 points out a month or so ago but has climbed back into the chase in Kasey Kahne’s JEI chassis.


WHATS HAPPENING
It’s a big racing weekend here in the local area with racing beginning tonight at Susquehanna Speedway Park and the 410 Sprint York Co. Nationals. SSP will also be in action Saturday with its regular show. Sunday night’s ASCS 360 show has been canceled.

Williams Grove sees action Friday with Twin 20s for 410 Sprints then again on Sunday night with 410 Sprints, 358 Sprints and Super Sportsman.

The late models have a big weekend of racing beginning Friday at Bedford Speedway with the $5, 500 to win Labor Day 55 and then again on Sunday night at Selinsgrove Speedway who hosts the $10,000 to win Paul Long Memorial.

Lincoln Speedway features 410 Sprints, Super Sportsman and 305 Sprints on Saturday night with a new 6 p.m. start time.

Port Royal will kick off the Juniata County Fair racing with its traditional Labor Day Classic at 1p.m. featuring the 410 Sprints.


PIT STOPS
The remaining 15 laps of last Saturday’s rained out Twin 20 feature at Lincoln will be made up this coming Saturday night. Saturday is the final points race so the makeup will be one of the first events on the program…

Lincoln has also increased the point fund payoffs for all three regular divisions for 2007. A total of $7,000 was added to the point fund with nearly $5,000 going into the 410 Sprint fund. The track will still pay $5,000 to the winner but positions three through ten have been increased with 10th place in points receiving a check for $1,000. All spots except the top for both the 358 Sprints and thundercars have also been increased. The track banquet is in November…

Greg Hodnett will return to the Jim and Sandy Kline owned No. 22 sprint car in 2008 despite rumors saying the contrary. The team leads the local area in the win column despite missing nearly two months when Hodnett suffered a broken shoulder at Lincoln Speedway. The team looks to be back on top again in 2008 with the same sponsors and a year under their belt. The team will race locally this weekend and will return to Lincoln on Saturday night after the track handed Hodnett and crew chief Moon Byers fines last week. The team decided to skip Lincoln last week and had a good run at Port but with no other local show to race this week, they will be back on Saturday…

The 358 sprint car race that was rained out twice this year at SSP will not be rescheduled due to time constraints and lack of open dates on the remaining schedule..

Speaking of the All Stars, Stevie Smith is scheduled to be on tour with them this weekend in the RAACE Foundation No. 19 Sprinter…