11/4/2024
Iron-Man Late Model Series
Rusty Schlenk Scores 2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Late Model Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels Series Championship
SOMERSET, KENTUCKY (November 4, 2024)- The Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels has completed its 2024 racing season and after the completion of nineteen events at thirteen different tracks in four states (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio), veteran racer Rusty Schlenk of McClure, OH claimed the championship title for the tour. It would be Schlenk’s sixth career American Late Model Series championship, which merged with the Iron-Man Late Model Series to make one regional tour in 2024.
The 38-year-old Schlenk from McClure, OH would prove to be a mark of consistency with sixteen top-ten feature finishes, with eleven of those resulting in top-five finishes and would score three series victories (Attica Raceway Park-May 24, Oakshade Raceway May 25, and Butler Motor Speedway August 24). Schlenk would drive the Tyler Borck owned Domination Race Car powered by a Mullins Race Engine to the series championship and his winning effort carried sponsorship from Terry Henrick Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM, Tom Finch Automotive, Tri-State Pole Barns, Buckeye Concrete Coatings, Landrum Performance Springs, Integra Shocks, Domination Race Cars, Dominator Race Products, VP Lubricants, VP Racing Fuels, Willy’s Carb and Dyno Shop, Wilwood, Velocita USA, Be Cool, All Star Performance, ZAMP Racing, KBC Graphix, Vahlco Racing Wheels, XS Power Batteries, MAGA Lifts, Race-Fan.com, C-N-T Services, and Chris Mapes. Schlenk will earn $15,000 for winning the series championship to go along with the $36,400 in prize money he earned with the tour for the season.
Seth Daniels of Jackson, OH would finish as the 2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels championship series runner-up in just his second full season of Dirt Late Model competition. The 25-year-old would tally twelve top-ten feature finishes, with seven of those being top-five finishes and would claim one series victory at Atomic Speedway on September 21, with Daniels finishing second in the final 2024 Atomic Speedway Super Late Model track points as well. Daniels would drive the Jason Wilson owned Rocket Chassis powered by a SPEC Race Engine and have sponsorship from Wilson Excavating, FOX Shocks, Tim Haddle Trucking, A&A Truck Stop, S&D Transport, Montgomery Motorsports, Dole’s Automotive, and Red’s Rollen Garage. Daniels will receive $7,500 in points fund money and Daniels earned $26,100 in addition with the series in 2024.
Veteran racer Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, OH would finish third in 2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels championship points. The 62-year-old would claim a total of twelve top-ten feature finishes, seven of those being top-five finishes. Rod’s best finish would be a second to Seth Daniels at Atomic Speedway on September 21. Conley’s entry is owned by Conley Motorsports and is a Rocket Chassis powered by Draime Race Engine and carried marketing support from Conley Trucking, After Burner Performance, Poske’s Performance Parts, Conley River Terminal, and Shain Custom Decals. Conley’s efforts will garner him $4,000 in points fund money, with the elder Conley brother earning $21,425 with the series this season.
Fourth place in the 2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels points would go to Ryan Missler of Bellevue, OH. The 40-year-old Missler would score ten top-ten feature finishes, with four of those resulting in top-five finishes. Missler’s best finishes would be a pair of second place performances, finishing second to Josh Rice at Mudlick Valley Raceway on June 15 and second to Rusty Schlenk at Butler Motor Speedway on August 24. Missler would pilot the Ryan Missler Racing owned Rocket Chassis powered by a Clements Race Engine and Weekly Electric, Kepling Flooring, Jackson Farms, Handy Graphix, York Fabrication, Missler Sweets, Jimmy Dean Chicks, Keizer Wrecker, Superior Print and Solutions, STAKT Products, and MAGA Lifts would be the supporting partners for their season efforts. Missler will receive $3,000 in point fund money and earned an additional $21,200 in prize money with the tour for the season.
Completing the top five in 2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels series points is Devin Shiels of Britton, MI. Just like fourth place Missler, the 44-year-old Shiels would score ten top-ten feature finishes and also see four of those be top-five finishes. The best series finish for Shiels would be a third-place effort to complete the podium finishers at Butler Motor Speedway on August 24. Shiels would drive the Shiels Corporation owned Rocket Chassis powered by a Performance Machining Race Engine with sponsorship support from Magin Fountain Auto Wash, Salenbien Trucking and Excavation, Rally’s Hamburgers, Dundee Products, Dirt Nerds Podcast, and Banshee Graphics. Shiels will earn $2,500 in points fund money and totaled and additional $15,875 in series earnings during the 2024 season.
Two-time Iron-Man Late Model North Series championship runner-up Austin Lay of Walton, KY would finish sixth in 2024 series points. The 25-year-old third-generation racer would score a pair of top-ten series feature finishes during the season, with his best finish being a seventh place at Butler Motor Speedway on August 24 in his first-ever visit to the track. Lay would split time between his and his father Jesse’s car that are both owned by Outlaw Racing and are MB Custom Race Cars powered by Dargie Race Engines and receive sponsorship from Joe Lay and Son Plumbing, Florence Winnelson, J. Palmer Construction, Webb’s Excavation, Poske’s Performance Parts, Marshall Auto Group, Vertex Pipe Insulation, Delph Communications, Arizona Sport Shirts, Northeastern Fabrication, and Slicker Graphics. Lay will receive $2,000 in points fund money and earned an additional $10,375 with the series in earnings for 2024.
Rob Anderzack of Swanton, OH would finish in the seventh position in the final 2024 series points tally. Like sixth-place finishing Lay, the 37-year-old Anderzack would claim a total of two top-ten series feature finishes for the season, with his best finish being an eighth-place effort at Portsmouth Raceway Park on August 30. Anderzack’s efforts came behind the wheel of the Anderzack Racing owned Longhorn Chassis powered by a Gressham Motorsports Race Engine and carried sponsorship from Ten Mile Creek Excavating, Anderzack-Pitzen Construction, and Dippman Motorsports. Anderzack will receive $1,000 in points fund money, while earning an additional $9,950 in season earnings with the tour in 2024.
R.J. Conley of Wheelersburg, OH would finish eighth in series points for the 2024 season. The younger brother of Rod Conley at 60-years of age, R.J. Conley would tally eleven top-ten feature finishes with the tour, with four of those resulting in top-five finishes. R.J.’s best series finish would be a second-place finish to race winner Nick Hoffman at Atomic Speedway on July 20, with Conley earning 2024 Atomic Speedway Super Late Model track championship honors as well. Conley machine would be owned by Conley Motorsports and would see R.J. pilot a Rocket Chassis and a late-season addition Longhorn Chassis, with both powered by a Draime Race Engine and carrying sponsorship from Conley Trucking, After Burner Performance, Poske’s Performance Parts, Conley River Terminal, and Shain Custom Decals. Conley will receive $1,000 in points fund money to go along with the $15,500 in series earnings he scored during the season.
Billy Green of Walton, KY would lay claim to the ninth position in the final 2024 series points championship count. Green would score two top-ten feature finishes, with one of those being a top-five and be his best finish with the series as he completed the podium with a third-place finish at Oakshade Raceway on May 25. Green would drive for two different teams during the season, splitting time between the Green Family Racing owned Longhorn Chassis powered by a Clements Race Engine with sponsorship from Beef O’Brady’s Veterans Logistics, Joe Lay and Son Plumbing, Complete Towing, Nightowl Design, After Burner Performance, and Michael Hamilton Photography and the Outlaw Racing owned MB Custom Race Car powered by Dargie Race Engines and sponsored by Joe Lay and Son Plumbing, Florence Winnelson, J. Palmer Construction, Webb’s Excavation, Poske’s Performance Parts, Marshall Auto Group, Vertex Pipe Insulation, Delph Communications, Arizona Sport Shirts, Northeastern Fabrication, and Slicker Graphics. Green will receive $1,000 in points fund money in addition to the $9,525 earned with the series for the season.
Completing the top ten in the final 2024 points total is Shane Bailey of Grayson, KY. The 37-year-old Bailey would score a pair of top-ten feature finishes for the season, with one of those being a top-five and his best finish of the season when he finished fifth at Portsmouth Raceway Park on August 30. Bailey’s efforts would come aboard the Shane Bailey Racing owned Swartz Race Car by SBR powered by a Power Tech Race Engine with sponsorship from Whitney Hill Bailey Attorney at Law, Walker Ferguson Refining Services, Matt Fyffe Insurance, Guns, Gold, and Cash Pawn Shop, Slicker Graphics, T and T Outdoors, Octane Race Products, The Ratcliff Family and VP Racing Fuels.
For the 2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels season, a total of 241 different drivers competed with the tour during the season and the average car count per event would be 33.2 entries per event, with the high car count being 65 at Eldora Speedway on September 1 for the track’s 16th Annual Baltes Classic. Fourteen different drivers would claim victories in the nineteen points events, with only three repeat winners (Rusty Schlenk-3, Josh Rice-3, and Nick Hoffman-2). The series is paying out $38,000 to the top ten finishers in tour points for the 2024 season, while a total of $536,694 was paid out in nightly prize money over the course of the 2024 racing season.
The Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels would like to thank all of the race teams, tracks, and race fans for their support for what has been a great season of dirt track racing. The schedule for the 2025 racing season will be released in the near future.
For more information on the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels, phone series promoter Chris Tilley at (828) 361-5981 or by visiting the tour website at www.IMDIRT.net or by following American Late Model Iron-Man Series (@ironmandirt) on Twitter or by liking American Late Model Iron-Man Series on Facebook.
The Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels would like to thank and recognize the following sponsors and marketing partners for their support of the 2024 racing season: Valvoline, VP Racing Fuels, Allgaier Performance, Allgaier Racing Shocks, Brucebilt Performance Parts, Deatherage Racing Opticians, DIRTcar Racing, DirtonDirt.com, Domination Race Cars, Earnhardt Technologies Group, E-Z-GO, FloRacing, Hoosier Racing Tire, Impact Race Gear, Jim and Nancy Viox, Keltner Contracting, Kentucky Clutch, KND Safety, MyRacePass, CNR Racing, Octane Custom Trailers, Racetrack Safety Initiative, SFP Performance Systems, STAKT Products, Swafford Signs, Todd Steel Buildings, XS Power Batteries, and Zerex by Valvoline.
About Valvoline™
Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) is a leading worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, with sales in more than 140 countries. Established in 1866, the company’s heritage spans more than 150 years, during which time it has developed powerful brand recognition across multiple product and service channels. Valvoline ranks as the No. 3 passenger car motor oil brand in the DIY market by volume. It operates and franchises approximately 1,400 quick-lube locations, and it is the No. 2 chain by number of stores in the United States under the Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM brand and the No. 3 chain by number of stores in Canada under the Valvoline Great Canadian Oil Change brand. It also markets Valvoline lubricants and automotive chemicals, including the Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife technology motor oil for engines over 75,000 miles; Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic motor oil; Valvoline Premium Blue™ heavy-duty motor oil; Valvoline Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid; and Zerex™ antifreeze. To learn more, visit www.valvoline.com.
About VP Racing Fuels
From a single location with two employees in San Antonio, Texas, VP Racing Fuels has grown to over 300 employees with five company-owned and operated race fuel distribution points in Texas, Indiana, Delaware, and Tennessee, a regional office in southern California, and an international office in Berlin, Germany. Each of these distribution points maintains an inventory of VP Fuels available for immediate transport within a day’s drive to virtually any major racing event in North America. The result is that racers and sanctioning bodies can count on access to the availability of quality fuel. VP’s distribution network of over two thousand dealers around the world extends to Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. VP Racing Fuels is now recognized by many as the world leader in race fuel technology, with a catalog of more than 80 fuel blends and a growing roster of VP-fueled champions across the entire spectrum of motorsports. The passion and dedication of VP’s development team to staying on the leading edge of technology is legendary. Most of VP’s employees are or have been racers in one form or another and are driven by the competitive will to win. Together, the VP Racing Fuels team intends to solidify its position as the true World Leader in Race Fuel Technology for years to come.
Final 2024 American Late Model Iron-Man Series Points (after 10/12/24) (after final 80%)
- Rusty Schlenk (McClure, OH)-884
- Seth Daniels (Jackson, OH)-832
- Rod Conley (Wheelersburg, OH)-762
- Ryan Missler (Bellevue, OH)-754
- Devin Shiels (Britton, MI)-717
- Austin Lay (Walton, KY)-606
- Rob Anderzack (Swanton, OH)-598
- R.J. Conley (Wheelersburg, OH)-573
- Billy Green (Walton, KY)-461
- Shane Bailey (Grayson, KY)-442
2024 Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels Events:
May 24-Attica Raceway Park-Attica, OH-Rusty Schlenk (McClure, OH)
May 25-Oakshade Raceway-Wauseon, OH-Rusty Schlenk (McClure, OH)
June 1-Atomic Speedway-Waverly, OH-Hudson O’Neal (Martinsville, IN)
June 14-MRP Raceway Park-Williamsburg, OH-Zack Dohm (Cross Lanes, WV)
June 15-Mudlick Valley Raceway-Wallingford, KY-Josh Rice (Crittenden, KY)
July 6-Brownstown Speedway-Brownstown, IN-Devin Gilpin (Columbus, IN)
July 7-Tri-State Speedway-Haubstadt, IN-Tyler Erb (New Waverly, TX)
July 19-MRP Raceway Park-Williamsburg, OH-Nick Hoffman (Mooresville, NC)
July 20-Atomic Speedway-Waverly, OH-Nick Hoffman (Mooresville, NC)
August 10-Wayne County Speedway-Orrville, OH-Kyle Moore (Mansfield, OH)
August 24-Butler Motor Speedway-Butler, MI-Rusty Schlenk (McClure, OH)
August 30-Portsmouth Raceway Park-Portsmouth, OH-Daulton Wilson (Fayetteville, NC)
September 1-Eldora Speedway-Rossburg, OH-Garrett Alberson (Las Cruces, NM)
September 13-MRP Raceway Park-Williamsburg, OH-Josh Rice (Crittenden, KY)
September 14-Lawrenceburg Speedway-Lawrenceburg, IN-Jason Jameson (Lawrenceburg, IN)
September 21-Atomic Speedway-Waverly, OH-Seth Daniels (Jackson, OH)
October 4-Mudlick Valley Raceway-Wallingford, KY-Freddie Carpenter (Parkersburg, WV)
October 5-Mudlick Valley Raceway-Wallingford, KY-Josh Rice (Crittenden, KY)
October 12-Richmond Raceway-Richmond, KY-Cory Hedgecock (Loudon, TN)
