Lance Dewease

Lance Dewease and Mike Heffner teamed up a year ago and captured the All Star Circuit of Champions Eastern point championship. The duo is still waiting to be paid in full by the traveling series. (Christine Baker | cbaker@pennlive.com)

(Christine Baker | cbaker@pennlive.com)

Mike Heffner, owner of the Sprint Car driven by Greg Hodnett, is in racing to have fun, but lately it has been tedious.

According to Heffner, he is embroiled in what has become a constant battle to get paid point money that he is owed by the traveling All Star Circuit of Champions and series head honcho Guy Webb.

“I've been waiting since January, and the fact of the matter is, this is supposed to be enjoyable, supposed to be fun,” Heffner said. “I'm not supposed to be chasing after my money.

“Bottom line, when someone owes me money, whether it's business or racing, I expect to be treated with respect. I have not been treated with that respect, and I'm fed up with it.”

Heffner would probably be more understanding if not for past dealings that have been unsatisfactory.

Daryn Pittman drove for Heffner in 2012 and captured the Eastern All Star title . It took until October 2013 for the group to pay the $20,000 that Heffner, who paid Pittman his $10,000 cut out of his pocket, was owed.

According to Webb, different side agreements were made with the team in that time to pay off the debt. Heffner refuted that statement.

Undeterred, Heffner continued to run the Eastern All Star series with Lance Dewease at the wheel in 2013. The team captured the title for a second straight year and, in turn, earned an additional $20,000, half of which goes to Dewease.

Some teams that participated in the series last season received payment. Included in that list is Danny Dietrich, who received a check for $5,000 in February. But Heffner is still waiting to be paid in full.

“What's bad is that it is two years in a row,” Dewease said. “Here is Mike Heffner, who has supported Guy's shows, and he has to fight for his money.

“From the year I ran with the All Stars full time, the way [Guy] acts, the way things go, it doesn't surprise me one bit. I think the All Stars, as an organization, could be very, very good if someone was running it that really cares.”

According to Heffner and Webb, an agreement was made on a set amount of $2,000 per week until the $20,000 from the 2013 point fund was paid off. Where the two sides differ is when that agreement was supposed to kick in.

Heffner indicated that it was supposed to start two weeks before the Bob Weikert Memorial. He didn't receive a check and when the race rolled around, he told Webb he wanted $4,000 at the track to make up for the miss payments. He received $2,000.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Webb said he's current with Heffner per the two parties agreement.

“It was not supposed to start until the Bob Weikert Memorial,” Webb said. “Sometimes in the framework of a conversation, it gets confusing, but I didn't tell him that.

“We didn't get what we thought [from sponsors], but it's not like we aren't trying to pay him. Sponsors pay the point fund, but it's not like I'm behind on a mortgage payment.”

Continued Webb, “He called me and threatened me and made comments. I'm not going to stand for that and play the silly game of getting phone calls every week. We made an agreement and plan to follow that with him.”

It should be noted that Heffner has not received a payment since the Bob Weikert Memorial, which took place April 26.

Webb indicated that the All Star Circuit of Champions is working off 65 percent of its sponsorship dollars.

According to Webb, the group didn't adjust its point structure after losing the Goodyear deal and others. There are also some associate sponsors that have fallen on tough times and are on a payment plan.

“Our point funds are sponsorship driven,” Webb said. “Some of our sponsors have fallen on tough times, and we are working with them.

“We are in a situation and reacting to it. They are good people that have been with us for 12 to 15 years. There were six to seven that we didn't know weren't coming back.

“I'm sorry Mike is unhappy, but I didn't marry into something for a weekly thing. If I have a bad week, what am I supposed to do?”

There are a number of other teams that have not been paid. Webb has said that agreements are in place with these teams.

As for Heffner, he is still waiting, a common theme when dealing with Webb the last two seasons. The count is at $18,000 plus interest that was agreed upon by both parties.

“Basically, it's been tale after tale,” Heffner said. “It's next week, next month, next month. I'm not going to speak for others, but I know I'm not alone and this is supposed to be a professional organization.

“Either the organization itself does not have the money, in which case they should never have advertised the point fund. Or, we the owners and drivers that are owed the money, are being hung out to dry, meaning the money is there and we aren't getting paid. It's a bad deal for everyone”

People are going to question Heffner about continuing to run All Star events. If there is a problem, why support the series?

For Heffner, it came down to simple mathematics.

“The purses are really good,” Heffner said. “That is the bright spot, and the point fund is very good. But what good is a point fund that pays a lot of money if it doesn't get paid on time?

“Don't live beyond your means. It's very simple math. I will look at the legal process, but I don't want to divulge too much. But I'm going to go through the right channels and get paid.”