Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Eager To Run Tour’s First-Ever Event At
Attica Raceway Park This Friday Night (May 16)
ATTICA, OH – May 11, 2008 – Most of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series stars
got their first glimpse of Attica Raceway Park last year.
But their first chance to race on the popular one-third-mile clay oval will come
this Friday night (May 16) when the barnstorming national tour makes its
inaugural visit to the Buckeye State facility for a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000
to win.
Mother Nature prevented the first attempt by Attica’s management to run a WoO
LMS event, washing out last July’s scheduled mid-week date. All of the Outlaws
travelers were already parked at the track when the cancellation was made,
though – and to a man they were disappointed to miss an opportunity to tackle a
speedway they not only had heard so many good things about, but also appeared to
be so inviting.
“The first time I ever saw the place was last year in the rain,” said defending
WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who enters the Attica program
tied for second in the trail points standings and still relishing a $50,000
victory in last month’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor
Speedway in Concord, N.C. “It looked like it could be a real racy track, so I’m
looking forward to getting back there.”
Yes, Friday’s stop is one of the most eagerly anticipated shows on this year’s
WoO LMS. Attica Raceway Park possesses a well-deserved reputation for producing
action-packed competition, and the country’s best dirt Late Model drivers want
to experience it for themselves.
Traditionally a home for open-wheel racing, the high-banked oval will continue
to build the full-fender side of its program with the visit by the WoO LMS.
“We’re really excited about the World of Outlaws race,” said Rex LeJeune, the
operations manager of Attica Raceway Park. “We’re working to bring up our weekly
Late Model program and having the World of Outlaws come in here will really get
the division some attention.”
Attica has hosted the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Sunoco American Late Model Series
several times per season for the past decade and is back on the tour’s schedule
again in 2008. The speedway has also sanctioned its weekly dirt Late Model
competition under the UMP DIRTcar Racing banner for the first time this season,
helping attract such young Midwestern talents as Tyler Boggs of Warsaw, Ind.,
and Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., to early-season events.
Boggs and Schlenk are among the regional standouts expected to challenge the
invading WoO LMS stars at Attica, which has not hosted a touring dirt Late Model
series event other than the Sunoco ALMS since a 2004 Northern Xtreme DirtCar
Series (formerly Renegade/STARS DIRTcar Series) show won by Donnie Moran of
Dresden, Ohio.
The 40-year-old Francis leads the traveling WoO LMS contingent, which features a
2008 driver roster that is arguably the most talented ever to follow the tour.
He’s in the early stages of a points battle for the $100,000 tour championship
that has the makings of a thriller, with the top-seven drivers separated by a
mere 38 points through nine events.
Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., sits atop the
tour’s current points standings, with four victories already to his credit.
Francis and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., will tow to Attica tied for second (10
points behind Moyer), followed by Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (-24), Chub
Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (-34) and the dead-locked Shannon Babb of Moweaqua,
Ill., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (both -38).
A bit further back in the standings are WoO LMS regulars Clint Smith of Senoia,
Ga., Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of
Watertown, N.Y., Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., and John Blankenship of
Williamson, W.Va.
Friday’s field is also expected to include 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year
contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe
Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.
Joining Boggs and Schlenk on the list of regional standouts planning to enter
Friday’s action are 2007 WoO LMS A-Main winner Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning,
Mich., who captured two Sunoco ALMS features at Attica in 2006; defending Sunoco
ALMS champion Brian Ruhlman of Clarklake, Mich.; and 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the
Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.
Friday night’s program will certainly be “a dirt-track race fans dream,” said
LeJeune. That’s because Attica’s regular 410 Sprint Car division will run a
complete show on the WoO LMS undercard.
Adult general admission for the rare WoO LMS/410 Sprint Car doubleheader is $30
for adults, $15 for students 11-15 and free for kids 10 and under. Pit passes
will cost $35.
Pit gates will open on Fri., May 16, at 3:30 p.m., with grandstands gates
unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing action heating up at 8 p.m.
The WoO LMS 50-lapper continues the ‘Month of Mayhem’ at Attica Raceway Park,
which concludes on Fri., May 30, when the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws
Sprint Car Series visits the track for the 40-lap Kistler Engines Classic.
For more information log onto
www.atticaracewaypark.com or call the track office at 419-680-5606.
Additional info on the WoO LMS can be obtained by visiting
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
Francis Flawless In Flag-To-Flag Circle K Colossal 100 Victory At The Dirt Track
@ Lowe’s Motor Speedway
CONCORD, NC – April 19, 2008 – There was simply no stopping Steve Francis in
Saturday night’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor
Speedway.
With a flawless performance behind the wheel of Dale Beitler’s Reliable
Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19, Francis dominated the entire distance to score
his first career win in the $200,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event.
“The car was just absolutely phenomenal tonight,” said Francis, who earned
$50,000 for breaking Scott Bloomquist’s two-year ownership of Victory Lane in
the blockbuster race. “We never even had to run a lap hard. We had a lot left if
we needed to go.
“That’s just unbelievable to get a car that good against this level of
competition.”
Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., picked the pole position in the pre-race draw
among heat qualifiers and used it to his advantage, leading from flag-to-flag
virtually without a challenge. He pulled away at will from such pursuers as
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Chris Madden
of Gaffney, S.C., holding firm control of a marathon race that was slowed by 16
caution flags and one red flag.
“I was so impressed when I drove my car in the corner the first lap, I just
thought, ‘Well, if we can just keep from breaking something, we can win this,’”
said Francis, who beat Madden to the finish line by a comfortable 3.007 secoonds.
“Actually, it’s probably the best car I’ve ever had in a 100-lap race. It just
never changed a characteristic the whole race.
“I could run right around the bottom, I could go around the top, and we got to
running the best when I’d just run through the middle, let the car kinda float
up and not bind it up any.
“The only time I’d run into (turn) one as hard as I could was on a restart,”
added Francis, “By the time I got to (turn) three I’d just start letting it
float in.
“When you get a car that good, it just makes your job a lot easier.”
Madden, 32, settled for a $20,000 runner-up finish in the Colossal 100 for the
second straight year in his Bloomquist ‘Team Zero’ car. He started 25th and
finally gained possession of second place on lap 90, when Lanigan, who started
third and never ran worse than fifth, relinquished the spot because his Rocket
machine’s fuel tank ran dry thanks to the excessive number of caution circuits.
Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., marched forward from the 13th starting spot
to finish third in his father Mark’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1. It was a
career-best finish in the Colossal 100 for Richards, who was sixth when the race
restarted for the final time on lap 82.
Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., ended an up-and-down run with a fourth-place
finish in the Reece Monuments Bloomquist car. He climbed up to fourth from the
16th starting spot early in the race, fell out of the top 10 and then rallied
late to register his second consecutive top-five in the event.
Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., completed the top five, finishing in the same
position that he started after a steady drive in the Hamrick Racing Bloomquist
Chassis No. 97.
The only anxious moments for Francis came as the race neared its conclusion.
With the event’s seemingly endless series of caution periods creating dozens of
extra laps around the four-tenths-mile oval, he became very concerned about his
car’s fuel situation.
“It was the race that didn’t want to end,” said Francis, who scored his first
career win at The Dirt Track. “I’ve led a lot of these (caution-plagued) things
and usually something happens to me right at the end, so when I seen Darrell
(Lanigan) coasting down through there I figured he was out of fuel and I was
worried I might be next.”
Francis had his car’s fuel-pressure light blinking on down the straightaways
with the checkered flag in sight.
“The last five laps were probably the scariest of the race for me because I was
watching the fuel-pressure gauge rather than what I should’ve been watching at
that point,” said Francis, who nearly got into some scrapes with lapped traffic
during the A-Main’s longest stretch of consecutive green-flag action (laps
82-100). “The motor was running lean at the end of the straightaway. It would
start to slow down, so as soon as I felt that I’d let off the gas and let it
coast into the corner.”
How much gas did Francis think was left in his car’s cell? Not a whole lot.
“It would surprise me if it makes it back over to the truck (in the pits),”
Francis said with a smile after donning the Colossal 100’s traditional Medieval
knight's helmet and waving a 50-inch Macleod Medieval sword during the Victory
Lane ceremonies.
The defending WoO LMS champion recorded his first win of 2008 on the tour and
the 15th of his career, tying him for second on the tour’s modern-era
(2004-present) win list with Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who dropped out while
running fourth on lap 84 due to a broken oil line.
“We have probably five marquee (dirt Late Model) events a year and this is one
of them,” said Francis, who used American Racer tires on his Cornett-powered
machine. “There’s about three more (races) that are a little below these, and in
order to have a very successful season, you gotta win at least one of these
races, a combination of ‘em, or the Outlaw championship that pays $100,000.
“We got one, and it’s just an awesome feeling. As a driver, you just want to
keep winning these big ones.”
Francis’s triumph topped a program that had its start delayed more than two
hours by rain that swept across the Charlotte area early in the evening. The
precipitation caused the track surface to remain wet around the inside and stack
up a thick cushion, which contributed to the outbreak of caution flags for flat
tires and damaged race cars.
“A lot of the cautions,” analyzed Francis, “came from guys hitting the slime
(along the inside), sliding across into someone and knocking the guy’s tire off,
or from guys sliding up across the cushion and knocking their own left-rear tire
off.
“If they had the time to run in that last six foot of (wet inside lane) before
the race, we would’ve probably had a third of the cautions we had.
“You gotta give Roger (Slack, who oversees The Dirt Track) and Randy (Grove, who
directs surface prep) a lot of credit,” added Francis. “It did build a cushion
out high that was a little hairy, but it wasn’t rough and the middle of the
racetrack was still shiny.
“Had we not got that rain today, the cushion would’ve blown out more and they
would’ve had more time to work with things.”
Finishing in positions 6-10 were Babb, who grabbed second from Lanigan on the
lap-82 restart but then slid high in turn two the following circuit to begin a
late-race fall out of the top five; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who made
several pit stops with Steve Francis’s Valvoline No. 15; John Blankenship of
Williamson, W.Va., the last driver on the lead lap at the finish; outside
polesitter Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who went to the rear of the
field after executing a 360-degree spin in turn four on the first lap; and Ricky
Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C.
Bloomquist’s status as the only Colossal 100 winner in history ended quietly.
After nearly being knocked out of action in the first-lap scramble caused by
Carrier’s spin, the race’s 17th starter failed to crack the top 10 before
pitting on lap 38 to fix right-front damage on his No. 0. He pitted several more
times before his hopes ended for good when he was involved in a lap-82 tangle
off turn four with Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., Ray Cook of Brasstown,
N.C., and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.
Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who entered the event with four wins in his
last five WoO LMS starts, finally had his luck run out. He was running sixth on
lap 64 when he stopped on the track to draw a caution flag because his car’s
hood began to flap up.
The 50-year-old Moyer did not continue, but he retained the WoO LMS points lead
because the event, which was not run using the regular tour format, offered only
show-up points towards the championship.
The event’s most serious crash, on lap 45, involved WoO LMS star Chub Frank of
Bear Lake, Pa. He was running in 11th place when he slid into turns three and
four too hard and bicycled onto his car’s right side, sending him into a wild,
gyrating series of flips that he escaped without injury.
Two B-Mains kicked off the night’s program, with Brady Smith of Solon Springs,
Wis., and Eckert taking wins.
The WoO LMS is idle until visiting the Midwest the first weekend in May for
events at Lebanon I-44 Speedway (Sat., May 3) and Monett Speedway (Sun., May 4).
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Circle K Colossal 100’ (Finishing
Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (1) Steve Francis/100 $50,000
2. (25) Chris Madden/100 $20,000
3. (13) Josh Richards/100 $10,000
4. (16) Jimmy Owens/100 $7,500
5. (5) Dale McDowell/100 $6,000
6. (11) Shannon Babb/100 $5,000
7. (19) Tim McCreadie/100 $4,500
8. (29) John Blankenship/100 $4,000
9. (2) Eddie Carrier Jr./99 $3,750
10. (7) Ricky Weeks/98 $3,500
11. (9) Jeep VanWormer/97 $3,250
12. (14) Bob Gordon/95 $3,000
13. (3) Darrell Lanigan/90 $2,850
14. (28) Rick Eckert/84 $2,800
15. (31) Doug Horton/82 $2,750
16. (17) Scott Bloomquist/82 $2,700
17. (23) Earl Pearson Jr./82 $2,650
18. (6) Ray Cook/82 $2,600
19. (27) Brady Smith/79 $2,550
20. (33) Dennis Franklin/71 $2,500
21. (12) Billy Moyer/63 $2,450
22. (32) Vic Coffey/55 $2,400
23. (30) Mike Marlar/53 $2,350
24. (26) Donnie Moran/51 $2,225
25. (10) Jackie Boggs/50 $2,125
26. (24) Randel Chupp/47 $2,100
27. (18) Jeremy Miller/45 $2,090
28. (21) Chub Frank/45 $2,080
29. (34) Jeff Smith/36 $2,070
30. (15) Dan Schlieper/28 $2,060
31. (36) Clint Smith/17 $2,050
32. (22) Jimmy Mars/15 $2,040
33. (20) John Gill/15 $2,030
34. (4) Steve Shaver/13 $2,020
35. (8) Brian Birkhofer/4 $2,010
36. (35) G.R. Smith/4 $2,000
Time of Race: 1 hour, 23 Mins., 27 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 3.700 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 16 (Laps 3, 5, 6, 14, 23, 30, 36, 38, 40, 42, 49, 54, 58, 64, 80,
82)
Red Flags: 1 (Lap 45)
Lap Leaders: Francis (1-100)
Provisional Starters: Donnie Moran (Fast Time); G.R. Smith (early-entry); Clint
Smith (WoO)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Francis (half-off tire warmers)
Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ ($100): Kevin Miller (Steve Francis)
B-Main No. 1 (25 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Brady Smith; 2. John Blankenship; 3.
Doug Horton; 4. Dennis Franklin; 5. Steve Lucas ($500); 6. Dean Bowen ($500); 7.
Al Shawver Jr. ($500); 8. Brent Robinson ($500); 9. Stacy Holmes ($500); 10.
Norman Short Jr. ($500); 11. Luke Roffers ($500); 12. Tim Fuller ($400); 13.
April Farmer ($400); 14. Clint Smith; 15. Cody Sommer ($400); 16. Ricky Elliott
($350); 17. Shane Clanton ($350); 18. Shannnon Babb; 19. Chuck Harper ($350)
B-Main No. 2 (25 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Rick Eckert; 2. Mike Marlar; 3. Vic
Coffey; 4. Jeff Smith; 5. B.J. McCammon ($500); 6. Damon Eller ($500); 7. Jordan
Bland ($500); 8. Mark Pettyjohn ($500); 9. Shanon Buckingham ($500); 10. Chris
Knight ($500); 11. Rob McLaughlin ($500); 12. Ed Gibbons ($400); 13. Jill George
($400); 14. Jonathan Davenport ($400); 15. Tim Allen ($400); 16. G.R. Smith
($350); 17. Eric Jacobsen ($350); 18. Brian Shirley ($350); 19. Donnie Moran
Did Not Start A B-Main: Sean Beardsley, Danny Johnson, Brad Neat, Joe Isabell,
Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, Jason Dupont, Mike Duvall
LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the World of Outlaws Late
Model Series, they can experience the excitement of the nation’s premier tour
live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to
www.dirtvision.com and click on
the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio
Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail
customerservice@dirtvision.com.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by
several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto
parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken
Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra
Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
Moyer Continues Hot Streak With New Track Record & Heat Win On Opening Night Of
Circle K Colossal 100 At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway
CONCORD, NC – April 18, 2008 – Billy Moyer is ready to extend his early-season
hot streak for the ages to ‘colossal’ proportions.
The 50-year-old racing legend from Batesville, Ark., continued to roll on Friday
night, setting a new track record and winning a heat race to kick off the third
annual Circle K Colossal 100 weekend at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
A winner of four World of Outlaws Late Model Series events in six starts
entering the weekend’s action, Moyer began his pursuit of the tour’s richest
first-place prize with a flawless performance. His lap of 14.672 seconds in the
69-car time-trial session erased Steve Shaver’s 2007 standard of 14.905 seconds,
and he built up one of the night’s biggest victory margins in winning the first
of eight 10-lap qualifying heats.
Driving his vaunted Victory Circle M1 Chassis for the first time at The Dirt
Track, Moyer served notice that he’s a major threat to end his longtime rival
Scott Bloomquist’s stranglehold on Victory Lane in the $50,000-to-win Colossal
100, which is set for Saturday night. Mooresburg, Tenn.’s Bloomquist, who won
the event in both 2006 and 2007, was the last driver to arrive at the track on
Friday and finished second to Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., in the
hotly-contested sixth heat.
Moyer’s track-record qualifying lap marked the second time in three weeks that
he’s established a new speed standard at a major WoO LMS event. He also set a
NTR record on April 4 during time trials for the ‘Illini 100’ at Farmer City
(Ill.) Raceway – and then went on to win the inaugural event in dramatic
fashion.
Joining Moyer and Frank as heat winners were Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis.;
Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.; Vienna, W.Va.’s Shaver, who passed Ray Cook
of Brasstown, W.Va., for the lead on the final lap of the fourth prelim;
20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.,
who held on to win despite racing with a broken left-front shock and deflating
right-rear tire; and John Gill of Mitchell, Ind.
The night’s most memorable battle was waged between Frank and Bloomquist. The
dirt Late Model veterans raced side-by-side for the lead in the closing laps of
the sixth heat, with Frank powering off the outside of turn four to nip
Bloomquist at the finish line by less than a half car length.
The second heat saw 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.,
drive the Valvoline No. 15 of reigning tour titlist Steve Francis to a
second-place finish – just ahead of Ashland, Ky.’s Francis, who earned the final
transfer spot in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting No. 19.
It was a tough evening for WoO LMS regulars Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and
Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who both dropped out of the sixth heat, and
Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who retired from the
seventh qualifier after his Sweeteners Plus car suffered damage in a scramble.
Friday night’s 24 heat-race qualifiers will redraw on Saturday night for
starting positions 1-10 and 12-25 in the Circle K Colossal 100. The 11th
starting spot is reserved for Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who finished
fourth in the fifth heat but moved on to the 100 because he was guaranteed the
11th position by virtue of being the highest-finishing driver in last October’s
Jani-King Southern Showdown at The Dirt Track who entered the Colossal 100 by
Feb. 23.
Action continues on Saturday night (April 19) at The Dirt Track with last-chance
B-Mains and the running of the Circle K Colossal 100. Racing begins at 7
o’clock.
A special autograph session in the grandstand area with all drivers entered in
the event kicks off Saturday’s activities at 4:30 p.m. Fans must have tickets
and an empty Full Throttle can from Circle K to gain entry to the affair.
For more information, visit
www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 14.672 (NTR)
2. 9s-Dan Schlieper/Sullivan, WI 14.727
3. 99-Donnie Moran/Dresden, OH 14.758
4. 2R-Dennis Franklin/Gaffney, SC 14.822
5. 44M-Chris Madden/Gaffney, SC 14.945
6. 44s-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.033
7. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 15.040
8. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 15.089
9. 34-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 15.124
10. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.129
11. 28M-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 15.147
12. 30-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 15.170
13. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.179
14. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 15.180
15. 25th-Ricky Weeks/Rutherfordton, NC 15.213
16. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 15.220
17. 6-Steve Lucas/Cross Lanes, WV 15.244
18. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.252
19. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 15.287
20. 97-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 15.312
21. i4-Damon Eller/Crumpler, NC 15.321
22. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 15.326
23. 5-Eric Jacobsen/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 15.348
24. 00H-Chuck Harper/Beverly, WV 15.349
25. 4B-Jackie Boggs/Grayson, KY 15.350
26. 15-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 15.358
27. 07G-Ed Gibbons/Manning, SC 15.379
28. 53-Ray Cook/Brasstown, NC 15.394
29. 22*-G.R. Smith/Huntersville, NC 15.407
30. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.411
31. 39-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 15.432
32. 1G-John Gill/Mitchell, IN 15.441
33. 44P-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 15.443
34. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 15.444
35. H2-Stacy Hholmes/Munford, AL 15.463
36. 92-B.J. McCammon/Danville, IL 15.478
37. 46-Doug Horton/Bruceton Mills, WV 15.479
38. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 15.493
39. 17-Tim Allen/Kannapolis, NC 15.499
40. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.507
41. 75-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 15.527
42. 70-Jeff Smith/Gastonia, NC 15.527
43. 31-Bob Gordon/Keyser, WV 15.534
44. 50-Shanon Buckingham/Morristown, TN 15.536
45. 12-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 15.538
46. 2b-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 15.552
47. 27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY 15.626
48. 8-Norman Short Jr./Georgetown, DE 15.671
49. 21R-Luke Roffers/Concord, NC 15.692
50. 45-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 15.704
51. 49-Mark Pettyjohn/Milton, DE 15.711
52. 56-Rob McLaughlin/Stanley, NC 15.741
53. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 15.767
54. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 15.806
55. 41-Brad Neat/Dunnville, KY 15.845
56. 15D-Dean Bowen/Whiteville, NC 15.917
57. F1-Mike Duvall/Cowpens, SC 15.925
58. 7J-Joe Isabell/Pennellville, NY 15.944
59. C4-Cody Sommer/Mooresville, NC 15.972
60. 14-April Farmer/Livingston, TN 16.113
61. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 16.150
62. 215-Al Shawver Jr./Hampstead, MD 16.221
63. 22B-Randall Chupp/Troutman, NC 16.243
64. NO7-Jason Dupont/Cyclone, PA 16.272
65. 18$-Sean Beardsley/Central Square, NY 16.281
66. 10-Chris Knight/Lawsonville, NC 16.308
67. 8H-Ronny Lee Hollingsworth/Northport, AL N/T
68. 3R-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA N/T
69. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA N/T
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moyer, Boggs, Pearson, Lucas, Marlar,
Davenport, Beardsley, Duvall, Roffers
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Schlieper, McCreadie, Francis, Eckert,
Blankenship, Elliott, J. Smith, Isabell, Knight
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): VanWormer, Mars, Gordon, Sommer, Gibbons,
Moran, Holmes, Pettyjohn (DNS) Hollingsworth
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shaver, Cook, McDowell, Buckingham,
Franklin, McCammon, McLaughlin, Farmer (DNS) Robinson
Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Madden, Lanigan, Babb, Eller,
Horton, Clanton, Bland, G.R. Smith
Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Bloomquist, Carrier, B. Smith,
Shawver, George, Shirley, C. Smith
Heat No. 7 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Owens, Weeks, Chupp, Jacobsen, Allen, D.
Johnson, Neat, Coffey
Heat No. 8 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Gill, J. Miller, Birkhofer, Fuller,
Harper, Short, Dupont, Bowen
LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can
experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series live on
DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to
www.dirtvision.com and click on
the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio
Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail
customerservice@dirtvision.com.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by
several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto
parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken
Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra
Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Eye Big Money In This Weekend’s Circle
K Colossal 100 At Lowe’s Motor Speedway
CONCORD, NC – April 16, 2008 – The Circle K Colossal 100 is only in its third
year of existence at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but it already
stands as one of the most coveted races on a dirt Late Model driver’s to-do
list.
A $50,000 top prize, $200,000 total purse and big-time atmosphere certainly make
the event larger-than-life – not to mention the richest show on the 2008 World
of Outlaws Late Model Series.
Grabbing that cash would provide a nice boost into the busy touring schedule
ahead for the stars of the WoO LMS, a group of top dirt Late Model talents who
are geared up for Circle K Colossal 100 action this weekend. Time trials and
heat races are scheduled for Friday night (April 18), and last-chance events and
the 100-lapper are set for Saturday night (April 19)
Perhaps the WoO LMS regular most likely to break 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott
Bloomquist’s two-year stranglehold on the Colossal 100 Victory Lane ceremonies
is defending tour titlist Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who has enjoyed as much
success in the event as anyone not named Bloomquist.
Francis, 40, is one of two ’08 WoO LMS regulars with a top-10 finish in both
previous Colossal 100s. He started from the pole position and placed third in
the 2006 inaugural after losing the runner-up spot to Donnie Moran with just
three laps remaining, and last year he steered Tim Logan’s No. 11 to a
sixth-place finish after starting 20th.
This weekend Francis returns to The Dirt Track behind the wheel of Dale
Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19. He’s third in the WoO LMS
points standings but still looking for his first tour win of the season driving
for Beitler.
“Hopefully they’ll have the track (surface) the same way they had it for the
last night of the ‘World Finals’ last (November),” said Francis, who finished a
close second in that 50-lap WoO LMS event. “The track was absolutely the best
I’ve ever seen it that night and we were really good.”
Francis won’t just be busy with Beitler’s equipment this weekend. He’ll also
make his debut as a car owner, bringing out his familiar Valvoline Rocket No. 15
for the first time since moving to Beitler’s team and putting 2006 WoO LMS champ
Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., in the seat for the weekend.
And Francis will also have an opportunity to hang out with his famous friend
Ryan Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner who enters selected dirt Late Model
events in a car prepared by Francis. With a weekend off from NASCAR Sprint Cup
action, Newman is planning to return from a vacation in time to attend
Saturday’s program.
Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., is the other ’08 WoO LMS traveler with a pair of
Colossal 100 top 10s – sixth in 2006, fifth in 2007. He was a contender both
years driving a Billy Moyer Sr.-owned car; in ’06 he set fast time, won a heat
and led until being overtaken by Bloomquist on lap 51, and last year he moved
from 14th to second in just 25 laps but then clipped an inside marker tire while
challenging Bloomquist for the lead, damaging his car’s left-front corner enough
to end his hopes for victory but not a decent finish.
Babb, 34, will try again this weekend driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint
Bowyer, who has formed a new dirt Late Model team for the 2008 season.
“I’m excited about it,” said Babb, who plans to run his Rayburn car at The Dirt
Track. “We’ve run good there in the Colossal in the past and last year we won
the October race (at Lowe’s), so we feel like we’ll have a good shot at it.
“Racing close to our shop (in the Richard Childress Racing complex in Welcome,
N.C.) will be fun. It’ll be neat for the (RCR) team to come out and see us
race.”
A little luck might be all it takes to propel 20-year-old Josh Richards of
Shinnston, W.Va., to the promised land in the Colossal 100. After failing to
qualify for the inaugural event, he was running a strong second last year when
power-steering woes forced him to retire on lap 25.
“We’ve always had a fast car there, even though the track’s been different just
about every time,” said Richards, who also looked like a potential winner in
last October’s WoO LMS show at The Dirt Track before his Rocket Chassis house
car sustained suspension damage when he slammed the track’s cushion. “We just
haven’t been able to finish up front.
“I’d really like to win a big show,” he added. “We’ve been close in some of
these big races, so it would be nice to finish one off and win one.”
The Colossal 100 has been a source of frustration for Shane Clanton of Locust
Grove, Ga., who has finishes of 36th in 2006 (he lasted just four laps) and 15th
in 2007 (after using a provisional to start the A-Main).
But the 32-year-old nearly broke through and won the second event of last year’s
‘World Finals,’ blasting into the lead at mid-race before a scrape caused him to
fall back several spots. He hopes the conditions he took a liking to in November
are rekindled this weekend.
“If they make (the surface) like the ‘World Finals,’ we can race all over,” said
Clanton, who covets a Colossal 100 victory so he can “have my picture up (on a
huge billboard) on the back of the grandstand next year.”
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will go to the post with plenty of Cornett
Thunder under the hood of his Rocket No. 29 in hopes of bettering his 10th-place
finish in last year’s Colossal 100. He didn’t qualify for the first event in
2006.
“We got a new motor we’re gonna take down there,” said the 37-year-old Lanigan,
who is coming off a strong fifth-place finish in the second event of last
November’s ‘World Finals’ at The Dirt Track. “And we’re gonna take our four-link
car. A lot of guys run their swing-arm stuff (at Lowe’s), but we’re sticking
with our four-link.”
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., would like his 2008 Colossal 100 outing to last quite
a bit longer than his run a year ago.
The 42-year-old driver known as ‘Scrub’ lasted a mere three laps in the race’s
’07 edition. When he slowed for a caution flag, a shove from behind sent him
into the backstretch wall, damaging his car’s right-front suspension and even
slightly bending its frame.
Eckert is ready for his visit to The Dirt Track.
“You always want to go there because it’s such a nice place, such a nice
facility,” said Eckert, who plans to enter his Raye Vest-owned Rayburn car. “The
racetrack has struggled in the past to get the surface right, but maybe they’ve
got a handle on it now. The track we had for the ‘World Finals’ last year was
the condition everybody was hoping for.”
Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., would like to be around at the finish of this year’s
Colossal 100 – a feat he hasn’t accomplished in the race’s two previous runnings.
In ’06 Smith, 42, won a heat race but finished 33rd after retiring seven laps
into the A-Main, and last year he completed 60 laps and finished 20th.
Smith has his Colossal artillery ready to go.
“We’ll proably run our swing-arm (GRT) stuff again,” said Smith. “We’re a little
bit smarter with it now than I was the first time I went there with it. I feel
like we learned even more about (swing-arm setups) when we tested at (sponsor)
Don Cliburn’s track (in Jackson, Miss., on March 31); we worked about 10 hours
on stuff.
“You better come with some heat (to Lowe’s), so I’ll have my biggest cubic-inch
(RaceTek) piece in for that race,” he added.
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., finished fifth in the inaugural Colossal 100, but
last year he was forced out after just three laps when his car’s engine lost oil
pressure.
‘Chubzilla’ is counting on a smooth racetrack for this weekend’s program similar
to last November’s ‘World Finals’ conditions. He said with a smile that he’s
also “looking forward to seeing Roger Slack (who oversees The Dirt Track’s
operation).”
Frank and Slack have developed an ongoing back-and-forth, throwing out little
verbal one-liners to jokingly bust on each other. They last engaged in some
barb-dishing during the WoO LMS awards banquet in December.
Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., will take to the track this weekend with a bit
more confidence than he did in his first Colossal 100 attempt last year. The
2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year was still learning the ropes as a dirt Late
Model driver back then and didn’t qualify.
The 40-year-old driver, who has won an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series
big-block Modified event at The Dirt Track, proved he can get around the
four-tenths-mile oval in a dirt Late Model on the last night of the 2007 ‘World
Finals’ when he came from deep in the field to finish third. He returns to
Charlotte with his Gypsum Express team’s gun blazing.
“We’re putting a freshened Enders motor in for the Colossal,” said Fuller. “You
need everything you got (in the engine department) and then some. You’re stuck
down there hard, wide-open.”
The 2007 Colossal 100 marked the first-ever start at The Dirt Track for Brian
Shirley of Chatham, Ill. – and it was eventful. Driving NASCAR veteran Ken
Schrader’s familiar No. 99 in a one-shot deal, he experienced a flat tire in
time trials and brake problems in his heat, but he still advanced through the C-
and B-Mains and completed 75 laps of the headliner to finish 19th.
“I’m looking forward to going back with my own stuff,” said Shirley, who returns
with his usual Petroff Towing mount that he had in contention during The Dirt
Track’s October and November WoO LMS events last year. “I’ll be just a little
more comfortable.
“We get to go there and be in a Rayburn car, which is more familiar to me. The
Rocket cars are still a learning process for me. I’m having my ups and downs
with them. We ran the same car (Rayburn) for five years and won races, but then
you change your agenda a little (add a Rocket to the team) to get better in
certain areas and there’s more decisions to make.”
Shirley has already won a major dirt Late Model event – the 2006 Knoxville Late
Model Nationals – but he doesn’t want to stop there.
“You don’t want to go without winning another big one in your career,” he said.
“That’s kinda how you mark your territory, so people know you can do it again.”
John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who has plans to follow the WoO LMS this
season, started from the outside pole in last year’s Colossal 100 but finished
18th. A non-qualifier for the inaugural event, the 26-year-old heads to
Charlotte this year knowing that he’ll be behind the wheel of a proven ‘Team
Zero’ car built by Scott Bloomquist, whose mounts swept the top-three finishing
positions in last year’s Colossal 100.
And then there’s three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.,
who has won four of six tour events this season and leads the points standings
but hasn’t committed to following the entire schedule.
No driver in the country is hotter right now than the 50-year-old Moyer, so
everyone is looking at him as a favorite to unseat Bloomquist.
“We’ve been rivals for a long time,” Moyer said of Bloomquist. “He’s got a head
start on me there (at the Dirt Track), because I’m taking this kind of car (a
Victory Circle Chassis he helped design rather than a swing-arm Rayburn) I’ve
never run there before.
“I have no notes to go by…but sometimes I might work better with no notes
because it keeps my head thinking.”
*****
The Circle K Colossal 100 will be run over two days (April 18-19) at the
four-tenths-mile Dirt Track @ Lowe’s.
The Friday-night (April 18) portion of the weekend features group time trials
and heat races. The top-two finishers in each heat will secure a spot in the
100-lap finale and a draw will determine the starting lineup.
Saturday night's program begins with a driver autograph session and the on-track
action includes at least four additional qualifying races prior to the main
event. The race is part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, but The Dirt
Track's traditional format, including the extremely popular Delaware-style
restarts, will be utilized.
If purchased in advance, reserved tickets for both Friday and Saturday nights
are just $39 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under. Two-day pit
passes are $60 in advance.
Tickets and pit passes for the April 18-19 Circle K Colossal 100 can be
purchased online at
www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.
The Fleetwood RV Camping Resort is located adjacent to The Dirt Track and
full-service camping spots can be reserved by calling (704) 455-4445.
The Circle K Colossal 100 is the first of four WoO LMS events at The Dirt Track
this season. The tour returns on Oct. 8 for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage
Showdown presented by Ferris Mowers and Oct. 30-Nov. 1 for the second running of
the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ that also includes the Advance Auto Parts World of
Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The ‘Showdown in
Sarvertown’ At Lernerville Speedway
SARVER, PA – April 16, 2008 –
WILL HE DO IT?: Billy Moyer did not make a pre-season commitment to follow the
entire World of Outlaws Late Model Series this year, but his red-hot start (four
wins in six events and the points lead) has fueled growing speculation about
whether he just might decide to chase a fourth career tour title.
After winning Tuesday night’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ at Lernerville Speedway,
Moyer didn’t summarily rule out pursuing the $100,000 championship prize during
a post-race gathering with the media.
“It’s still early in the year to think championship if I was running for it,”
said Moyer, who has led 227 of a possible 400 WoO LMS A-Main laps this season.
“I didn’t have intentions of running for it from the beginning (of the
campaign), but I’m gonna leave it up to my guys who work for me. They’re a big
part of my program, and if them guys don’t want to do it (go for the points
title), I’m probably not. If they do, I’ll have to think about it.”
Of course, Moyer noted that his BMR team members are feeling energized and ready
to race every night of the week thanks to his sizzling start.
“The attitude’s better with the whole crew when we’re winning like this,” smiled
Moyer, who is currently receiving WoO LMS touring-driver benefits that are
available to two drivers outside the 10 who made pre-season commitments to
follow the series. “I can even tell that at home with my wife and son, when
we’re running better, everything goes better for some reason. I don’t know why
it affects them, but it hurts them worse than it does me sometimes.
“We’ve had two or three years where we’ve been off and only won five or six
races all year long, and everybody kinda drags down because of it. When we do
what we’re doing now, everybody’s happy and everything goes so much better.”
HANGING ON: Rick Eckert didn’t say that he might have been able to prevent his
frustrating WoO LMS winless streak from reaching 63 races at Lernerville, but he
does know that a late-race mechanical problem in his Raye Vest-owned GRT car
cost him some positions in the final finishing order.
The York, Pa., star salvaged a fifth-place finish despite racing the final 16
laps without the fifth-coil in his No. 24. He said the coil spring fell onto the
track and was removed by the safety crew during the final caution period, on lap
34.
“With the fifth-coil gone, it takes all the traction out of the car,” said
Eckert. “I know that even without it we were challenging them guys (in the top
five), so I would have liked to see what we could’ve done if we didn’t have that
problem.”
GOOD NIGHT GONE BAD: A solid top-10 run transformed into another agonizing DNF
for Tim Fuller in a matter of minutes on Tuesday night.
As Fuller was rolling along in eighth place on lap 33 of the 50-lap A-Main, he
suddenly spun in turn four. He said he “caught the inside lip of the track and
just went right around.”
Fuller restarted at the rear of the field after no one collected him, but when
the green flag returned his race came crashing to an end. He ran into the
rearend of Dave Hess Jr.’s slowing car on the backstretch, thoroughly crunching
the nosepiece of his Gypsum Express No. 19 and necessitating a trip back to the
pits behind a wrecker.
“I was a full-song when I saw (Hess) turn right like he was going into the
pits,” said Fuller. “I hit him good.”
Fuller and his Gypsum Express teammate Billy Decker ran on Tuesday night in
front of car owner John Wight, who flew in to catch the event. Wight was
accompanied by his 15-year-old son Larry, a rising racer coming off a $5,000
DIRTcar Sportsman-Modified win in upstate New York on April 5. ‘Lightning’ Larry
plans to run DIRTcar big-block Modifieds in 2008 but is expected to make his
dirt Late Model debut later this season.
ABOUT TIME: Brian Shirley probably never felt as good about an eighth-place
finish as he did at Lernerville.
“Man, we really needed this,” said Shirley, the 27-year-old WoO LMS regular from
Chatham, Ill. “We had three last-place finishes in a row.”
Actually, Shirley wrapped last-place (24th) finishes at Mississippi’s Pike
County Speedway and Virginia Motor Speedway around a 19th-place DNF at Farmer
City, Ill., but what’s the difference? ‘Squirrel’ wasn’t around at the end of
three straight races, and that doesn’t cut it.
“I was telling (car owner Ed) Petroff today, ‘We gotta finish races,’” said
Shirley, whose recent starts had been hampered by a buster radiator (Pike
County), a broken shock (Farmer City) and a broken power-steering pump/brake
issues (Virginia Motor). “That’s the key. We’re not getting better if we’re
always in the pits.”
ODDS & ENDS…
Darrell Lanigan’s hauler was the last to arrive for Tuesday’s action, but after
scrambling to get unloaded and ready for action he ended up with his fifth
top-10 finish in six events this season.
Lanigan climbed as high as third before settling for a sixth-place run – and his
mechanic, Chris Burton, received the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award.
* Shannon Babb never threatened to duplicate his April 2007 WoO LMS victory at
Lernerville. His Clint Bowyer-owned Rayburn mount was simply not up to its usual
standards as he languished to a 16th-place finish.
* Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey looked strong in winning a heat race,
but he faded from the outside-pole starting spot in the A-Main to finish a quiet
11th in one of his teammate Tim McCreadie’s Sweeteners Plus No. 39 cars.
* It was another rough night for Rookie of the Yea aspirant Jeff Isabell of
Pennellville, N.Y., who got upside down for the second time in the last four WoO
LMS programs.
The 17-year-old’s Lernerville crash wasn’t nearly as wild as his barrel-rolls
last month at Pike County, but the rollover on the inside of turn three during
the second heat still exacted a heavy price on his JIR Motorsports Rayburn. The
car, which his team purchased from an Illinois driver two weeks ago to replace
the mount that was destroyed in Mississippi, was left with a bent rollcage.
Isabell, however, escaped the wreck uninjured.
* Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., went from the bright lights of Victory Lane
after capturing his first-ever WoO LMS win at Virginia Motor to a dejected
non-qualifier at Lernerville. He dropped out of the second B-Main.
* Up-and-coming Mike Knight, a 21-year-old from Ripley, N.Y., who won the 2007
Super Late Model title at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., in his second full
year racing in the division, got some help from WoO LMS regular Chub Frank on
Tuesday night.
After qualifying through a B-Main despite being hampered by carburetor woes,
Frank, who was parked alongside Knight, gave the youngster a carb to bolt on his
Rocket car for the feature. Knight installed Frank’s carburetor and went on to
finish 14th in the A-Main – even after bringing out a caution flag on lap three
and then pitting to tighten a loose throttle linkage.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
Moyer Resumes World of Outlaws Late Model Series Winning Ways In Lernerville
Speedway’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’
SARVER, PA – April 15, 2008 – Billy Moyer didn’t take long to get back on track.
After seeing his three-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series win streak
snapped four days earlier, the short-track legend from Batesville, Ark., roared
back into the tour’s limelight with a convincing victory in Tuesday night’s
50-lap ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ at Lernerville Speedway.
The 50-year-old Moyer, who started third, overtook polesitter Shane Clanton of
Locust Grove, Ga., for the lead on lap four and never looked back. He raced
virtually unchallenged to his fourth win in six WoO LMS events this season,
erasing memories of his rare loss on April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway.
“We all know that you can’t win them all,” said Moyer, thinking back to his
17th-place VMS run that was dulled by a blown left-rear tire as he battled for
the lead. “We had a tire problem (at Virginia Motor), but I don’t know if I’d
have beat (eventual winner Jeremy Miller) anyway because he did a heckuva job.
“We just chalked it up as one of those nights, then went back to work and
tweaked on the car a little more before coming here. We just keep making some
small changes, playing with the whole chassis part of it, and keep getting it a
little bit better.
“I think for the condition here tonight,” he added, “it felt pretty good.”
There’s no doubt that Moyer’s Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle M1
Chassis looked good on the four-tenths-mile oval, which opened its 2008 season
with the mid-week WoO LMS event. He pulled away following restarts on laps 21,
33 and 34 and handled late-race lapped traffic with ease en route to a victory
margin of 1.663 seconds over Clanton, whose runner-up finish in the RSD
Enterprises Rocket was his season-best on the WoO LMS.
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., marched forward from the 10th starting spot to
place a close third in his Lester Buildings Rocket. Defending WoO LMS champion
Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., started and finished fourth in Dale Beitler’s
Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket, and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from
the seventh starting position to complete the top five in Raye Vest’s GRT.
Once in command, Moyer seemed to have his car, which he famously helped develop
in collaboration with the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Victory Circle shop, set on
cruise control.
“It’s a big tire game, a tire war going on out there, so I was trying to make
sure I had (some tires) left if I really had to get after it,” said Moyer, who
used Hoosier rubber on his Clements-powered car. “The car was good enough that I
could run around there at 70, 80 percent and have something left if somebody got
to pressuring me with 10, 15 laps to go.
“I didn’t want to run too hard and have my tires all sealed up if somebody
challenged me. I was trying to keep that in mind.”
Of course, there was no true challenger to Moyer’s throne. Clanton, 32, led the
first three laps of the race, but, while he put up a good fight, he wasn’t a
match for Moyer’s speed.
“When you get to a place like this it’s easier to follow than it is to lead,”
said Clanton. “(Moyer) followed me for three laps, saw where my weak spots were,
and then he went by me.
“When I changed my line and started driving in as hard as he was, it didn’t seem
like he pulled me that bad. But he was a little bit better than I was – and on
every restart, it took my car four of five laps to get going.”
Moyer pocketed $10,150 for the victory, his 10th overall of the young 2008
season. It tied him with Frank for fourth on the modern-era (2004-present) WoO
LMS win list, with 13 victories, and was his alltime-best 35th career WoO LMS
win (including the original 1988-89 seasons).
In addition, Moyer registered his second career WoO LMS win at Lernerville. He
previous triumph came in a rain-shortened event on April 29, 2005 – early in a
season that saw him capture his third tour title.
“Everything’s going good and we’re making the right decisions,” bottom-lined
Moyer, who leads the WoO LMS points standings and has already earned $64,000.
Clanton knows that Moyer is on top of his game, but he doesn’t see the veteran
driver as being unbeatable.
“I think he’s just got momentum and confidence,” said Clanton, who beat Frank to
the finish line by less than half of a second. “Confidence is so important. I
know, because my confidence is building. I’m finishing races now – and finishing
up front.
“Maybe I can carry some confidence to Charlotte this weekend (for the
$50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway)
and run up front. I know that’s what Billy is gonna do.”
Frank, 46, nearly swept around the outside of both Francis and Clanton to snag
second off turn four on lap 35, but Clanton held on to the position. That might
have been the end of Frank’s hopes for a victory at his favorite track.
“I was going by Clanton, and then (Francis) shoved him out of the way and
(Clanton) took my lane away,” quipped Frank. “I got into Clanton a little bit on
the frontstraightaway when I slid up.
“Maybe if I would’ve gotten by Clanton there (for second) I would’ve had
something for Moyer. I don’t know, but I would’ve liked to try. With clear
racetrack, my car was good.”
Francis, 40, was simply a bit off the fast setup for the A-Main.
“We gambled and went a little softer on tires than everybody else and it didn’t
work out,” said Francis, who took second from Clanton on lap 23 before ceding
the spot back a few circuits later. “That’s just the learning curve I have with
the (American Racer) tires.”
Eckert, 42, grabbed fifth from 13th-starter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., on
lap 30 and held the position to the finish. But he felt fortunate to maintain
the spot during the race’s late stages because he ran the final 16 laps without
his car’s fifth-coil, which fell off his car during a lap-34 caution period and
left him devoid of traction for the remaining distance.
Finishing in positions 6-10 were Lanigan, who climbed as high as third; Josh
Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who struggled with a push condition after five
consecutive green-flag laps; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who ended a string
of three straight finishes of 19th and worse; Mike Balzano of Parkersburg,
W.Va., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ for being the highest-finishing
driver who’s never won a tour event; and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.
Among the race’s casualties were Gypsum Racing teammates Tim Fuller of
Watertown, N.Y., and Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.
Decker was the race’s first retiree, while Fuller’s promising run deteriorated
quickly after his turn-four spin on lap 33 knocked him from eighth place. One
circuit later Fuller ran into the back of the slowing Dave Hess Jr. of
Waterford, Pa., on the backstretch, crushing his car’s nosepiece and forcing him
out of further action.
Fifty cars entered the program, which was run on a cool but sparklingly clear
evening.
Francis was fastest in time trials for the first time this season, rounding the
track in 15.433 seconds.
Heat winners were Moyer, who pulled off a last-lap pass to nip Francis at the
finish line by 0.032 of a second, Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa., Vic Coffey of
Leicester, N.Y., and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Hess and John
Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.
Following his B-Main triumph, Hess was honored trackside for winning the ‘Alltel
DIRTcar All-Star’ contest. He received a check for $12,000 after coming out on
top of on-line and text-message voting among all the drivers who won features
during February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in
Barberville, Fla.
The WoO LMS now heads south for the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on Friday
and Saturday (April 18-19) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord,
N.C.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ (Finishing
Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (3) Billy Moyer/50 $10,150
2. (1) Shane Clanton/50 $5,100
3. (10) Chub Frank/50 $3,000
4. (4) Steve Francis/50 $2,500
5. (7) Rick Eckert/50 $2,000
6. (13) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,700
7. (8) Josh Richards/50 $1,400
8. (9) Brian Shirley/50 $1,300
9. (12) Mike Balzano/50 $1,700
10. (16) Jeep VanWormer/50 $1,100
11. (2) Vic Coffey/50 $1,300
12. (19) Clint Smith/50 $1,000
13. (17) Dave Hess Jr./50 $950
14. (21) Mike Knight/50 $900
15. (6) Matt Lux/50 $850
16. (15) Shannon Babb/50 $800
17. (18) John Blankenship/50 $770
18. (5) Doug Horton/50 $750
19. (26) Gary Lyle/50 $730
20. (24) Danny Johnson/48 $700
21. (25) Alex Ferree/33 $700
22. (11) Tim Fuller/33 $700
23. (14) David Scott/29 $700
24. (23) Joe Isabell/22 $700
25. (20) Davey Johnson/21 $700
26. (22) Billy Decker/20 $700
Time of Race: 29 Mins., 21.635 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.663 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 4 (Laps 3, 21, 33, 34)
Lap Leaders: Clanton (1-3); Moyer (4-50)
Provisional Starters: Isabell, Danny Johnson (WoO); Ferree, Lyle (track)
Rookie of the Race: Vic Coffey ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Mike Balzano ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Chris Burton (Darrell Lanigan)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Shane Clanton (half-off tire warmers)
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.433
2. 5-Alan Dellinger/Hermitage, PA 15.571
3. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 15.608
4. 39-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 15.680
5. 99B-Rick Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 15.687
6. 21L-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA 15.698
7. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.717
8. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.726
9. 40-Dutch Davies/Warren, PA 15.740
10. 9k-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 15.743
11. 46-Doug Horton/Bruceton Mills, WV 15.751
12. 13-Steve Wilmoth/Clarksburg, WV 15.760
14. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.783
15. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.809
16. E1-Mike Balzano/Parkersburg, WV 15.843
17. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 15.849
18. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.871
19. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 15.873
20. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 15.884
21. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.889
22. 17-Keith Barbara/South Park, PA 15.904
23. 2s-Sam Stile/Charleroi, PA 15.918
24. B22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 15.922
25. 33-Chris Hackett/Erie, PA 15.966
26. 3-David Scott/Garland, PA 15.997
27. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 16.007
28. 1J-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA 16.027
29. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 16.060
30. T8-Mark Banal/St. Clairsville, OH 16.116
31. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 16.126
32. 48-John Flinner/Zelionople, PA 16.146
33. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 16.148
34. 4-Alex Ferree/Saxonburg, PA 16.175
35. 1c-Lynn Geisler/Cranberry Twp., PA 16.196
36. 91-Billy Decker/Unadilla, NY 16.198
37. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 16.278
38. 7J-Joe Isabell/Pennellville, NY 16.285
39. 67-Ken Schaltenbrand/Sarver, PA 16.286
40. 10-Gary Lyle/Hyde Park, PA 16.410
41. J4-John Garvin/Sarver, PA 16.481
42. H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA 16.504
43. 8H-Sheetz McGarvey/Colport, PA 16.592
44. 27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY 16.598
45. 1L-Dane Laraway/Irwin, PA 16.626
46. 4J-John Mollick/Toronto, OH 16.728
47. 18s-Sean Beardsley/Central Square, NY 16.802
48. 0-Ryan Scott/Garland, PA 17.161
49. 65-Jesse Smith/New Richmond, PA 18.490
50. 17T-Tom Kitchen/Indiana, PA 18.562
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Francis, Shirley, Lanigan, C.
Smith, D. Davies, Hess, Satterlee, Briggs, Hackett, Garvin, J. Smith, Laraway
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lux, Eckert, Frank, D. Scott, Knight,
Dellinger, Ferree, Banal, Miley, Mollick, Barbara, Isabell (DNS) Kitchen
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Horton, Fuller, Babb, J. Miller,
Blankenship, Stone, Stile, McGarvey, Schaltenbrand, Geisler, Beardsley
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Coffey, Richards, Balzano, VanWormer,
Davey Johnson, Flinner, Decker, Lyle, Danny Johnson, R. Scott, Hedman, S.
Wilmoth
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Hess, C. Smith, Knight, Ferree, Briggs,
D. Davies, Hackett, Mollick, Garvin, Satterlee, Miley (DNS) Dellinger, Banal,
Barbara, J. Smith, Isabell, Laraway, Kitchen
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Blankenship, Davey Johnson, Decker,
Flinner, Lyle, Danny Johnson, Schaltenbrand, Beardsley, S. Wilmoth, R. Scott,
Stone, Miller, Geisler, Stile, McGarvey (DNS) Hedman
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 15 - 6
A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to
leader):
1. Billy Moyer 4-5-5-$64,370-860 (-0)
2. Josh Richards 1-3-5-$22,200-834 (-26)
3. Steve Francis 0-4-5-$19,000-830 (-30)
4. Rick Eckert 0-2-5-$15,250-820 (-40)
5. (tie) Darrell Lanigan 0-0-5-$11,000-804 (-56)
5. (tie) Chub Frank 0-2-4-$14,550-804 (-56)
7. Shannon Babb 0-3-3-$20,650-782 (-78)
8. Clint Smith 0-2-2-$9,610-768 (-92)
9. Shane Clanton 0-3-3-$14,400-764 (-96)
10. John Blankenship 0-0-1-$6,760-718 (-142)
11. Tim Fuller 0-0-1-$6,940-714 (-146)
12. Brian Shirley 0-0-2-$7,120-702 (-158)
13. Vic Coffey 0-0-1-$4,120-524 (-336)
14. (tie) Joe Isabell 0-0-0-$1,910-514 (-346)
14. (tie) Danny Johnson 0-0-0-$2,300-514 (-346)
16. Billy Decker 0-0-0-$3,020-438 (-422)
17. (tie) Darren Miller 0-0-3-$5,700-404 (-456)
17. (tie) Jeep VanWormer 0-0-1-$3,020-404 (-456)
19. (tie) Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-0-2-$4,750-396 (-464)
19. (tie) Tim McCreadie 0-1-1-$7,050-396 (-464)
LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the World of Outlaws Late
Model Series, they can experience the excitement of the nation’s premier tour
live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to
www.dirtvision.com and click on
the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio
Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail
customerservice@dirtvision.com.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by
several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto
parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken
Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra
Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.
Contact: World Racing Group
Chris Dolack, VP Media/PR
Kevin Kovac, DIRTcar Racing PR
704-795-7223 • DIRTcar.com
DIRTcar Racing Establishes Western Region Base of Operations
New West Coast Region Delivers Benefits To Competitors, Track Operators
CONCORD, N.C. — April 14, 2008 — DIRTcar Racing is heading West. The largest
sanctioning body for dirt track racing in the United States established a
DIRTcar Racing base for the western region of the country in Southern California
under the direction of experienced motorsports manager and developer Chris
Morgan.
Like UMP DIRTcar Racing in the Midwest and DIRTcar Racing Northeast, DIRTcar
Racing Western Region brings significant benefits to member competitors and
track operators, from insurance to point funds.
“We recognize the passion of racing fans in the western region of the country,
and while we are a national company we realize that solidifying weekly and
grassroots racing creates benefits for competitors and fans,” World Racing Group
President Tom Deery said. “The time has come for us to bring that to the West
Coast, where dirt racing fans are some of the most passionate in the country.”
Headquartered in Concord, N.C., the World Racing Group now has an operational
base west of the Rockies from which it can expand its membership and maintain
its relationships with facilities, tracks, competitors and media in the western
region of the United States.
“I’m excited to represent the World Racing Group and DIRTcar Racing in the
western United States,” said Chris Morgan, who’s managed a diverse set of
motorsports programs for NASCAR and USAC as well as facilities including
Irwindale Speedway. “I have seen the many benefits of DIRTcar Racing’s programs
for promoters and racers in the Midwestern and Eastern sections of the country.
This program will replicate these successes and bring this proven formula to our
racing partners across the West.”
For more information on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of
DIRTcar Racing, visit DIRTcar.com.
About World Racing Group, Inc.
World Racing Group, Inc. (OTCBB: WRGI), a sports entertainment company, is a
world leader in the sanctioning and promotion of dirt track auto racing. WRGI,
based in Concord, N.C., owns and operates the three highest profile national
touring series for dirt track racing in the United States:
• The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws® Sprint Car Series
• The World of Outlaws Late Model Series(SM)
• The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™
World Racing Group sanctions more than 4,900 local and regional dirt track
racing events in the United States and Canada at 126 tracks each year under the
DIRTcar™ Racing brand. In addition, World Racing Group owns and/or operates
seven premier dirt track speedways. To learn more about World Racing Group,
visit worldracinggroup.com.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
Steve Francis and Tim McCreadie posed together for use with this story. (Kevin Kovac/WoO LMS photo)
Pairing Of Champions: Tim McCreadie Ready To Make Debut In Steve Francis No. 15
At This Weekend’s Circle K Colossal 100
CONCORD, NC – April 14, 2008 – O.K., Steve Francis, so it’s the final laps of
the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 this Saturday night (April 19) at The
Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and you have Dale Beitler’s No. 19 dirt Late
Model up front battling for the lead with a familiar-looking car.
Yeah, that would be your No. 15 car, with Tim McCreadie behind the wheel.
With a $50,000 top prize on the line, what’s going to be racing through your
mind, ‘Kentucky Colonel?’
“At that point, I’ll be thinking, ‘Don’t make a mistake and take us both out,’”
smiled Francis, considering the scenario he could experience during his first
event fielding a car from his stable for McCreadie. “That would be an ideal
situation, though, especially with how well the Colossal pays back.
“I just hope I’m leading and he’s running second.”
Francis will begin an interesting big-show experiment at this weekend’s Circle K
Colossal 100. With the Ashland, Ky., driver stepping out of his own top-notch
equipment this season to chase a second straight World of Outlaws Late Model
Series title with Beitler’s West Friendsville, Md.-based team, he’s hired fellow
WoO LMS titlist McCreadie to steer his well-known No. 15 in several major
events.
Why did Francis, 40, seek out the 34-year-old McCreadie to fill the seat of his
Steve Francis Racing machine?
“Who else would you pick if you’re looking for a driver?” Francis asked
rhetorically. “Getting Timmy to drive my stuff a few times is just the right
situation for him and me. It keeps all my sponsors happy and gives me something
to do – hopefully not too much – to keep my shop active and everything
up-to-date while I’m running for Dale.”
Back in early December when the pairing of former WoO LMS champions was
announced, McCreadie, who won the title in 2006, was very uncertain about how
much dirt Late Model racing he would be able to do in 2008. He was hopeful that
his deal as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver would result in a
schedule heavy with NASCAR Nationwide Series starts – a direction that would
likely curtail his appearances with the Sweeteners Plus team – so a limited
arrangement to run on dirt with Francis seemed very attractive.
Of course, a lack of sponsorship for RCR’s No. 21 Nationwide Series team has
left McCreadie in limbo with his pavement aspirations and he’s continued to
drive the Avon, N.Y.-based Sweeteners Plus dirt Late Models. But he’s upholding
his commitment to race the Francis No. 15, a car he feels honored to buckle up
in.
“One day a few months ago, when I was looking to do some races with different
people, I was talking with Francis on the phone and he said, ‘I want you to come
drive my stuff,’” said McCreadie. “I was like, ‘Sure.’ Any time one of the top
guys thinks enough of you to ask you to drive their car, it’s flattering.
“The fact that he wanted me to drive for him, when it could take money out of
his pocket, because he likes me or thinks I can get the job done or whatever,
that’s cool.
“It helps both of us,” continued McCreadie. “He’s got sponsors and product
sponsors that now he can give some races, and he can keep his equipment
up-to-date just in case something ever happens where he has to run it. You just
can’t let stuff sit dormant and expect it to say top-notch.”
McCreadie knows he’ll have a “top 10” car at his disposal when he climbs into
Francis’s Custom-powered Valvoline Rocket for the Colossal as well as his other
tentative assaults with Francis, including the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned ‘Dream’
and ‘World 100’ at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
“It’s the exact same car he ran last year and won with, so hopefully I can get
in there, be comfortable and get it up to speed,” said McCreadie. “Just seeing
how he races, he knows what it takes for a race team to win, and that gets me
excited.
“He thinks he can give me a chance at winning some of the bigger races – and I’m
all for that. I haven’t gotten (a win in) any of these big races yet, so that’s
something I’d love to do. We’ve been up front in them, but we just haven’t hit
on what we need to win one yet.”
McCreadie has “a lot of respect” for Francis, a rival he knows well from their
three years of traveling the WoO LMS together.
“We’ve always been straight with each other and had a good relationship,” said
McCreadie. “I remember that when we were winning all those Outlaws races a few
years ago (2006, when he led the tour with eight victories), Steve was
struggling a little bit. We talked and kinda showed him what we were doing, he
started doing it, and then he started winning again. I told him, ‘If we didn’t
give you that stuff, we could’ve probably won a bunch more shows because we ran
second to you a bunch of times.’
“I think we’ve had a respect for each other, and I think he does more with a
race car and is a lot smarter than people think.”
Francis has similar thoughts about McCreadie.
“Me and Timmy have always been friends, always got along real well,” said
Francis. “I’m looking forward to putting him in my car. It’s gonna be something
different, something kind of fun for me – my first deal as a car owner.”
In last year’s Circle K Colossal 100, McCreadie piloted the Sweeteners Plus No.
39 to a fourth-place finish and Francis finished sixth driving Tim Logan’s No.
11.
They’re hoping to be even closer to each other at the finish of Saturday’s event
– and a few spots higher as well.
The Circle K Colossal 100 will be run over two days (April 18-19) at the
four-tenths-mile Dirt Track @ Lowe’s.
The Friday-night (April 18) portion of the weekend features group time trials
and heat races. The top-two finishers in each heat will secure a spot in the
100-lap finale and a draw will determine the starting lineup.
Saturday night's program begins with a driver autograph session and the on-track
action includes at least four additional qualifying races prior to the main
event. The race is part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, but The Dirt
Track's traditional format, including the extremely popular Delaware-style
restarts, will be utilized.
If purchased in advance, reserved tickets for both Friday and Saturday nights
are just $39 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and
under. Two-day pit passes are $60 in advance.
Tickets and pit passes for the April 18-19 Circle K Colossal 100 can be
purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.
The Fleetwood RV Camping Resort is located adjacent to The Dirt Track and
full-service camping spots can be reserved by calling (704) 455-4445.
The Circle K Colossal 100 is the first of four WoO LMS events at The Dirt Track
this season. The tour returns on Oct. 8 for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage
Showdown presented by Ferris Mowers and Oct. 30-Nov. 1 for the second running of
the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ that also includes the Advance Auto Parts World of
Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
Car Owner Charles Buckler Walking On Air After Winning First World of Outlaws
Late Model Series Race With Driver Jeremy Miller
CONCORD, NC – April 13, 2008 – Everyone who knows car owner Charles Buckler
would say he has a very, uh, animated personality.
So the big question has always been: Just how wildly would Buckler celebrate if
he won a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event?
The answer came on Friday night at Virginia Motor Speedway, where Buckler’s
driver, Jeremy Miller, captured the 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River IV’ to bring
Buckler the Outlaws checkered flag he’s long coveted.
“I did flips all the way to the front straightaway,” the 50-year-old Buckler
said of his walking-on-air jaunt through the infield to meet Miller in Victory
Lane. “Nah…I’m only kidding. But I was close.”
Actually, Buckler, who hails from Maryland, pumped his fists, flexed like a
posing bodybuilder, yelled “We beat the Outlaws!” over and over, and hugged
anyone who crossed his path. After saying a few quick, emotion-draped words to
WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman over the track p.a. system, he gave his driver
the warmest greeting he’s ever dished out.
As Miller later reported when asked about Buckler’s post-race excitement: “He
always gives the hugs (after a race), but tonight he wanted to give the kisses.”
Yes, Buckler planted a warm, wet one on Miller, a cool, calm and collected
37-year-old regional star from Gettysburg, Pa.
“I said, ‘Kid, you’re my hero,’” Buckler related when asked how he congratulated
Miller, “and then I just kissed him right on the cheek. I didn’t go no further
than the cheek!”
A former racer-turned-car owner who is in his 31st year involved with the sport,
Buckler saw Miller come close to winning him a WoO LMS show several times last
year but Lady Luck wouldn’t let them complete the deal. Particularly
disappointing was Miller’s loss in the A-Main on the first night of last year’s
inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals’ at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in
Concord, N.C., where Buckler watched Miller relinquish the lead to mechanical
trouble while he partied with friends, family and sponsors in a tower suite he
had rented for the evening.
The heartbreaking near-misses were forgotten, however, when Buckler and his
wife, Genny, stood with Miller for Victory Lane photos at VMS.
“Oh, man,” Buckler said in his distinctive southern-fried accent, “this is the
best race I’ve ever won. We beat the best! We beat the Outlaws!
“The World of Outlaws is the best series to run with,” he continued. “They have
a good series, they treat everybody equal. I’m just tickled to death that we can
run with ‘em.
“When you run with these Outlaws, and you beat ‘em, you beat the best in the
country. As far as I’m concerned, there ain’t nobody better than (the WoO
regulars).
“It’s a big, big, big deal in my career that now I can put in my books that I’ve
won a World of Outlaws race. I just can’t say it enough.”
The grand triumph led Buckler to reflect on his years in the sport, especially
his successful run with Miller behind the wheel of his No. 24 cars. Since Miller
joined Buckler Motorsports late in the 2002 season, he’s captured 52 dirt Late
Model feature wins.
“We picked up little Jeremy here six years ago,” said Buckler. “My wife really
wanted him to drive the car, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to us.
He’s a top-notch racer, he wants to win, he races clean, and you never hear him
holler.
“It’s just so much fun to race with him against the guys we do in this division.
“I’ll tell you this – me and my wife have been in this (sport) so long, and we
still enjoy it. It’s just a wonder that I have the luck to be with a woman who
just wants to race…that’s all she wants to do.
“Win or lose,” he added, “we enjoy ourselves. It’s just fun to be at the
racetrack.”
Buckler certainly enjoyed himself famously in the VMS pit area following
Friday’s race. “It’s going to be a long night,” he smiled.
Being his usual fun-loving, joking self, Buckler basically held court with the
crowd that gathered to congratulate him and Miller on their accomplishment. He
had a barb for everyone who stopped by.
For instance, when Shannon Babb’s longtime mechanic, Jay Hunt, visited to shake
Buckler’s hand, Buckler chirped, “I want to thank Jay Hunt, because he’s the one
who told me to buy those Bullock motors (that powered Miller to victory).”
Then Buckler noticed that WoO LMS star Chub Frank was standing a couple feet
away and he chimed up again.
“Look at Chub, he’s over there laughing,” quipped Buckler. “But he don’t realize
that he’s the next victim.
“I got the one legend, Billy Moyer (whom Miller passed to take the lead), and
now my next one is Chub Frank.”
Frank chuckled and shook his head. Buckler smiled and slapped Frank on the back.
Oh, what a fun night at the speedway it was for a car owner who just loves
racing.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ On
Tuesday (April 15) At Lernerville Speedway
SARVER, PA – April 13, 2008 –
WHAT:
* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes its first appearance of the 2008
season in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night (April 15), visiting Lernerville
Speedway in Sarver, Pa.
The mid-week ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ sponsored by Y108 Radio will be run over
the 50-lap distance and offers a $10,000 top prize.
Adding more luster to the event, it will serve as the 2008 season opener at the
wildly popular Lernerville Speedway. Wet weather has washed out the track’s
first three Friday-night programs, but sunny skies are in the forecast for
Tuesday, setting up a blockbuster night to celebrate the start of the facility’s
40th anniversary campaign.
WHEN:
* Lernerville’s pit gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and
spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Time trials are set for 7:15 p.m.,
followed by racing at 8 o’clock.
The night’s undercard will feature the first-ever UMP Pro (crate) Late Model
program at Lernerville.
WHERE:
* Lernerville Speedway is a four-tenths-mile oval that sits one hour northeast
of Pittsburgh International Airport. One of the top facilities in the country,
the track has been accented for 2008 with a new clay surface and a slight
reconfiguration of turn two.
To reach the track, take SR 28 to exit 17, then travel 4.6 miles north on SR
356.
TICKETS:
* Reserved-seat tickets are on sale for $27 (adults), $24 (seniors) and $22
(ages 17-and-under). General admission is $25 (adults) and $22 (seniors and
students), with children 10-and-under admitted free of charge.
Pit passes are $30 for DIRTcar Racing members and $35 for non-members.
PRE-RACE FUN:
* Pittsburgh’s Best Country Y108 will have ‘Wookie,’ the producer of the
station’s ‘Country Crew’ morning show, on hand from 5:30–7:30 p.m. to
meet-and-greet fans and hand out samples from McDonald’s & Twizzlers to the
kids.
In addition, the folks from Anheuser Busch will be on hand to entertain the
adults.
AWARD PRESENTATION:
* Young dirt Late Model standout Dave Hess Jr. will receive a $12,000 check on
Tuesday night for winning the ‘Alltel DIRTcar All-Star’ balloting surrounding
February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville,
Fla.
Hess earned the honor after his supporters made him the top vote-getter of the
drivers who won features during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. He became eligible
for the contest by winning a UMP DIRTcar Modified headliner at Volusia.
INFORMATION:
* To learn more about the ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ at Lernerville Speedway,
visit www.lernerville.com or call
the track office at 724-353-1511.
PREVIOUS WoO LMS WINNERS:
* Eight WoO LMS events have been run at Lernerville Speedway since 2004 – only
Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park has held more tour shows (12).
Chub Frank has two wins (April 23, 2004, and Aug. 12, 2005), and single
victories have been claimed by Dale McDowell (Aug. 13, 2004), Billy Moyer (April
29, 2005), Rick Eckert (April 18, 2006), Tim McCreadie (Aug. 4, 2006), Shannon
Babb (April 17, 2007) and Scott Bloomquist (June 30, 2007).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., will enter
Tuesday’s action hot off his scheduled national-television interview on Sunday
night’s Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain show on SPEED. The hottest dirt Late Model
driver in the nation has won three of five WoO LMS events this season and holds
the tour points lead.
A 50-year-old dirt Late Model legend, Moyer won a WoO LMS event at Lernerville
in 2005. He didn’t enter a race at the track in 2007.
* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., rolls into Tuesday’s program batting 1.000 at
Lernerville, thanks to a victory in last year’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ that
came in his first-ever – and still only – start at the oval.
Babb returns this season as a WoO LMS championship contender behind the wheel of
the Chevy/Traeger Grills dirt Late Model fielded by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint
Bowyer.
* No WoO LMS star enjoys visiting Lernerville more than Chub Frank – and not
only because the track is only a couple hours away from his shop in Bear Lake,
Pa. ‘Chubzilla’ has had more special-show success at Lernerville in recent years
than any other driver, including a pair of WoO LMS victories (2004 and 2005).
* What WoO LMS driver is probably the most likely to become the next winner of a
tour event at Lernerville? How about defending tour champion Steve Francis of
Ashland, Ky., who has six top-five finishes (including three runner-up outings)
in eight career WoO LMS events at the track.
Francis will be trying to erase memories of his 16th-place finish in last year’s
‘Showdown at Sarvertown’ – one of just two DNFs he experienced in 44 WoO LMS
A-Mains in 2007.
* Lernerville figures to provide Rick Eckert of York, Pa., a prime opportunity
to snap his 62-race winless streak on the WoO LMS. He owns a win and five
top-five finishes in the eight tour shows that have been run there.
* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., has come close to victory in WoO LMS
competition at Lernerville, finishing second twice (both in 2005).
* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., has only one top-five finish in eight career WoO
LMS starts at Lernerville, but that fourth-place run came in last year’s
‘Showdown in Sarvertown.’
* Lernerville has been a site of many frustrating WoO LMS outings for Shane
Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.
Clanton’s six tour starts at Lernerville show just two top-10 finishes,
including a personal-best of sixth in last year’s ‘Firecracker 100.’ He knows
the track as the place where he suffered a shoulder injury in April 2005 that
sidelined him for two months of the WoO LMS campaign, but he does have some
confidence after contending for victory in the inaugural ‘Firecracker 100.’
Richards, meanwhile, owns one top-five finish in his eight WoO LMS appearances
at Lernerville – a third place as a 17-year-old rookie in April 2005. The track
was the site of the first flip of his racing career, in August 2006 when he
jumped the berm in turn three and went rolling.
* Last year’s WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Tim Fuller of Watertown of
Watertown, N.Y., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., performed very similarly in
their first dirt Late Model visits to Lernerville last year. Fuller scored WoO
LMS finishes of 11th (April) and eighth (Firecracker 100), while Shirley was
10th and 12th in the events.
* WoO LMS traveler John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., has never finished
better than 18th in four tour A-Main starts at Lernerville.
* The 2008 WoO LMS Rookie aspirants – New Yorkers Vic Coffey, Danny Johnson and
Joe Isabell – plan to enter Tuesday’s meet.
* Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., will enter Tuesday’s action just days after
winning his first career WoO LMS event at Virginia Motor Speedway.
* Fifty cars were entered in last year’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ and a similar
number – perhaps even more – are expected to fill Lernerville’s pit area on
Friday.
Some of the top regional and local names expected include Eddie Carrier Jr. of
Salt Rock, W.Va.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.;
Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.; David Scott of Garland, Pa.; Dan Stone of
Thompson, Pa.; Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa.; Dick Barton of Ashville, N.Y.;
Keith Barbara of South Park, Pa.; reigning Lernerville champ Alex Ferree of
Saxonburg, Pa.; former Lernerville champs Lynn Geisler of Cranberry Twp., Pa.,
John Flinner of Zelionople, Pa.; Gary Lyle of Hyde Park, Pa., and Ron Davies of
Warren, Pa.; Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa.; and young guns Matt Lux of Franklin,
Pa., Jared Miley of South Park, Pa., and Greg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa.
EXTRA CASH:
* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the event will be
chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’
The highest-finishing driver who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the
WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500
‘Bonus Bucks’ award.
COMING UP:
* The tour heads south for the richest WoO LMS event of the 2008 season – the
third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s
Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. A $50,000 top prize from a total purse of
$200,000 will be on the line in the much-anticipated program at the
four-tenths-mile oval.
LISTEN OR WATCH ON THE INTERNET:
* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to
the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to
www.dirtvision.com and click on
the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio
Network. Those who sign up for a free membership can enjoy advanced features
while listening to the races, such as text chat and live scoring via AMB.it.
Fans can also watch Tuesday’s Lernerville event live on the internet as part of
the DIRTVision Cybercast schedule. The event can be purchased for $8.99 on a
pay-per-view basis, or fans can purchase a ‘DIRT Track Ticket’ subscription for
$59.99 to gain access to Lernerville’s video feed and all other live
‘Cybercasts’ offered in 2008.
More information is available at
www.dirtvision.com.
WoO LMS INFO:
* Log on to the WoO LMS website at
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 11 - 5
A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to
leader):
1. Billy Moyer 3-4-4-$54,220-710 (-0)
2. Josh Richards 1-3-4-$20,800-698 (-12)
3. Steve Francis 0-3-4-$16,500-688 (-22)
4. Rick Eckert 0-1-4-$13,250-680 (-30)
5. Darrell Lanigan 0-0-4-$9,300-666 (-44)
6. Shannon Babb 0-3-3-$19,850-664 (-46)
7. Chub Frank 0-1-3-$11,550-660 (-50)
8. Clint Smith 0-2-2-$8,610-642 (-68)
9. Shane Clanton 0-2-2-$9,300-618 (-92)
10. Tim Fuller 0-0-1-$6,240-608 (-102)
11. John Blankenship 0-0-1-$5,990-602 (-108)
12. Brian Shirley 0-0-1-$5,820-568 (-142)
13. Joe Isabell 0-0-0-$1,210-412 (-298)
14. (tie) Darren Miller 0-0-3-$5,700-404 (-306)
14. (tie) Danny Johnson 0-0-0-$1,600-404 (-306)
16. (tie) Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-0-2-$4,750-396 (-314)
16. (tie) Tim McCreadie 0-1-1-$7,050-396 (-314)
16. (tie) Vic Coffey 0-0-1-$2,820-396 (-314)
19. Billy Decker 0-0-0-$2,320-340 (-370)
20. Ricky Elliott 0-0-1-$1,910-303 (-407)