January 2007
News  |
1/28/07:
360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series Standout Clint Smith Surprised By Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association Driver of the Year Award CONCORD,
NC – Jan. 31, 2007 Smith, 41, of Senoia, Ga., was honored as the GARHOFA’s 2006 Driver of the Year. After being summoned to the front of the Peach Bowl Reunion crowd, Smith looked at the plaque he believed was for his father and quickly realized that it was actually engraved with his name. “It sure took me by surprise,” said Smith. “I like when my father gets remembered for what he did, so that’s why I was at the Reunion.” Smith graciously accepted the organization’s Driver of the Year Award, which it presents annually to a Georgia racer. Competitors from all divisions are considered for the award. “It’s a super-good feeling to win it,” pronounced Smith, who won four 360 OTC WoO LMS events in 2006 (second-most on the tough tour) and 11 features overall. “There’s a lot of drivers from the state of Georgia who had great years, so to be singled out means a lot. “Bill Elliott (NASCAR Nextel Cup star from Dawnsonville, Ga.) won this same award in the past, so that makes winning it a little more special.” Smith shared the day with his wife Kim, daughter Jenna, and crewmen Johnny Cloer Jr. and Jeff Strope – all of whom also thought they were attending the reunion of Georgia racing pioneers to see Smith’s father receive an award. Following the memorable afternoon, Smith returned to his shop to continue final preparations for a busy 2007 season. He will begin his campaign by competing in this Saturday night’s program at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., and then return to action one week later in the 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speed Shop at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., which includes two 360 OTC WoO LMS events (Feb. 15 and 17) and four nights of UMP DIRTcar Racing competition (Feb. 12, 13, 14 and 16). Smith will chase the entire 360 OTC WoO LMS schedule this season, hoping to improve upon his 10th-place finish in last year’s point standings. “We seem to always have that two-month lull in the center of the year and that costs us in the points,” analyzed Smith. “I’m not sure what causes it, but we have to avoid it this year. We have to find a way to be more consistent the whole way.” There will be a slight change in Smith’s program in ’07. He’s now listed as the sole owner of his race team; Jerry Passmore, who owned the truck and trailer that Smith used last year, will reduce his role with Smith’s effort to a sponsor only. “We have two (GRT) cars ready and two more we’re trying to get built,” said Smith. “We’re also trying to get our truck and trailer together and get more motors and sponsors.” Smith is taking a wait-and-see approach about fielding a second car on this year’s 360 OTC WoO LMS for his chief mechanic, Johnny Cloer Jr., who turned some heads in his limited starts on the tour last year. “If the finances work out we’d like to put together a Rookie (of the Year) program for Johnny,” said Smith. “I think what we’ll do is get the season started and get the (bank) account built up a little bit, and then we’ll look at how the (360 OTC WoO LMS) Rookie deal is going. Since this year (the WoO LMS) is taking the 30 best finishes for the rookies, we can still jump in on the program with Johnny after 14 or 15 races.” Coming off the most prolific checkered-flag season of his three years on the 360 OTC WoO LMS, Smith is confident that he can contend for the ’07 championship. “We feel good about what our program is capable of this year,” said Smith. “It’s as strong as it’s ever been.” The daunting 360 OTC WoO LMS schedule, which currently boasts 50 races at 41 tracks in 23 states, doesn’t intimidate Smith. “We run about 70 to 90 shows a year anyway,” said Smith, “so most of them might as well be Outlaw shows.” Contact:
DIRT MotorSports™ |
| 2/3/07
- Friday Night Lights |
2/4/07: Please be advised that the MySpace.com site known as myspace.com/catdaddy44 IS NOT Clint Cat Daddy Smith. We are not aware of who it is that created the site and is pretending to be Clint. We have no affiliation with the site and are not responsible for any information that is placed there. To keep up with Clint's season or to contact him, fans, friends, and fellow competitors should continue to visit this site. However, we would like to say that the photo collection done by this person is a good job and we appreciate the committment they made in setting up a my space for Clint. If whomever is doing it would like to work with ClintSmith.com for fan updates, they should contact us as we would like to have the information shared in both locations. |
| 2/5/07: Clint Smith Welcomes J&J Steel and Cliburn Tank Lines On Board for '07! (SENOIA, GEORGIA) Clint Smith Racing and GRT Race Cars would like to welcome both J&J Steel and Cliburn Tank Lines aboard as sponsors for the 2007 racing season! Both companies have been long-time supporters of Dirt Late Model racing and currently sponsor several cars in addition to Smith’s #44. The driver known throughout the Dirt Late Model industry as the “Cat Daddy” would like to thank J&J Steel and Cliburn Tank Lines for their support, as well as long time supporters J.P. Drilling, GRT Race Cars, RaceTek Race Engines, Integra Shocks, and JFR Graphics. Clint kicked off his 2007 racing season over the weekend at the ultra-fast Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Georgia. On Friday, February 2, Clint wound up finishing thirteenth in the $10,000 to win O’Reilly Southern Allstars Series (OSAS) feature event after tangling with Billy Moyer following a mid-race restart. He had previously worked his way up to the second spot from his sixth starting position. In the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ finale on Saturday evening, Clint timed in ninth fastest and ran third in his heat race to earn the ninth starting spot for the $12,000 to win OSAS A-Main. The Senoia, Georgia native was able to pick off six spots en route to a solid third place finish behind winner Dan Schlieper and runner-up Chris Madden. Clint, who was recently honored as the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association 2006 Driver of the Year, will next be in action at the Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida from February 12-17. UMP Dirtcar Racing will sanction four events at the Daytona Beach area oval, while the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series will hold their first two shows of 2007 at VSP. Clint will once again be running the entire 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule in ’07, which will kick off with two $10,000 to win shows at Volusia on February 15 and 17. Media
Contact: Ryan Delph – Delph Communications |
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360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: 36th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals At Volusia Speedway Park
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 19, 2007 – GROWING UP: Josh Richards is already the youngest feature winner in the history of the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series, thanks to his first career triumph on Aug. 15, 2005, at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y., when he was 17 years, four months and 24 days old. After capturing the 50-lap Florida DIRTcar Nationals event that opened the tour’s 2007 season on Saturday night at Volusia Speedway Park, the teenage Richards became the youngest points leader the series has ever seen. He’s just over one month away from his 19th birthday. “This is pretty awesome,” the calm, collected Richards said while acknowledging congratulatory honks and waves from departing teams in Volusia’s pit area on Saturday night. “To come down here and win during Speedweek is pretty cool, especially since it’s only my third time here. “The first year I was here we ran well, but last year we struggled a little bit so it feels great to go good here and win a race against so much great competition.” ROLE REVERSAL: During his run to the 360 OTC WoO LMS championship in 2006, Tim McCreadie’s worst finish in 30 events was 17th and he completed all but 10 of the season’s 1,601 total feature laps. He won’t match that superb finishing record in 2007. McCreadie, who hasn’t committed to defending his title this season due to his Driver Development deal with Richard Childress Racing but does expect to enter a majority of 2007’s 360 OTC WoO LMS events, didn’t turn a lap in Saturday’s A-Main and was credited with a last-place finish of 27th. Battery/electrical problems caused his Sweeteners Plus Rocket to stall during the pace laps, and his crew was unable to refire the machine after it was pushed into the infield. The rare DNF ended a frustrating Florida DIRTcar Nationals for McCreadie. He did finish second in Monday night’s UMP Late Model feature, but he failed to qualify for Wednesday’s UMP headliner and got in Friday’s UMP A-Main thanks to a provisional after his car’s rearend broke as he ran second in a heat race. GOOD START: A solid fourth-place run in the 360 OTC LMS lidlifter satisfied Steve Francis, who made a major change to his self-owned racing program during the off-season. After his long affiliation with engine builder Gary Stanton and Mopar Performance came to an end in mid-December, Francis and Co. spent the holidays and all of January furiously revamping their motor program with Chevy powerplants from Custom Racing Engines. The work got the Ashland, Ky., veteran a nice blast-off in the tour points battle. “We were O.K., never really great,” said Francis. “I don’t think we had anything for Josh, but you never know. This is just a good finish with all the changes we made this winter.” STRONG CHARGE: What a difference a year made for Clint Smith. In 2006, Smith failed to qualify for a 360 OTC WoO LMS event during the Florida DIRTcar Nationals – a fatal blow to his championship hopes. This year he left the Sunshine State fully engaged in the points race thanks to a strong sixth-place finish in Saturday’s 50-lapper. “I’m third in points if you take out the guys who aren’t racing with us (fulltime),” said an upbeat Smith. “Now we’ll get on to Baton Rouge and some tracks more like I’m accustomed to (including Columbus, Miss., and North Alabama Speedway from March 23-25), and maybe we can get everything rolling and have a real good year.” Smith, 41, of Senoia, Ga., certainly looked strong on Saturday, charging from the 13th starting spot to push Scott Bloomquist for fifth place in the final laps. He authored the performance in his first start behind the wheel of a new GRT car. “I think I had one of the fastest cars on the racetrack, but I just needed to start better,” said Smith. “That (qualifying) is one of the GRT problems. When the track’s real good and muddy early (for time trials), it struggles, and then when the racetrack gets slick (for the feature), we’re real good, but by then we’re so far back and have to make up ground.” Smith was hampered by some new-car bugs – the machine’s right-front brake broke during his heat and the feature (causing him to push in the corners), and a leaking oil tank slicked up his right-rear tire – but he had no complaints. “To start 13th and come up to sixth with no cautions – we’re real satisfied with our new GRT stuff and RaceTek motors,” said Smith, who was also proud to perform well for new sponsors Cliburn Tank Lines (the Mississippi company’s owner, Don Cliburn, attended Saturday’s show) and J&J Steel. SALVAGING THE NIGHT: Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., ran into trouble in his first heat race of the 360 OTC WoO LMS season, slamming the inside wall backward in turn four after being swept up in a multi-car tangle. “Them guys were all banging off each other,” remembered Frank, who finished third in last year’s tour point standings. “I checked up for the 33 car and got in to him a little bit. We would’ve been O.K., but the guys behind me kept on the gas and spun me around. “I hit the inside wall pretty hard, about flipped ‘er over. I don’t know if there’s that much damage, but it knocked the panhard bar mount off, so it was easier to just unload the other car because we were gonna have to take a provisional anyway.” Making his first start in a new white Rocket car that sported a Chevy Impala body, Frank used a provisional spot to start 25th in the A-Main and made a noteworthy advance forward to finish ninth. “We’re happy to get out of here with a top 10 after that disaster,” bottom-lined Frank. TOUGH TRIP: Rick Eckert recorded a respectable 10th-place finish in Saturday’s 360 OTC WoO LMS opener, but he certainly didn’t head home in a good mood. “We came down here with three motors,” said Eckert. “We’re going home with none.” Eckert, 41, of York, Pa., experienced some issues with his powerplants at various times during three weeks of racing down south, so he had an acquaintance haul the engines back to Cornett for reworking prior to the next tour events in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama from March 23-25. Eckert also spent the past few weeks getting acclimated to his new MasterSbilt cars, which he’s running for the first time in nearly a decade. HEY, ROOKS: Eight drivers registered at VSP as 360 OTC WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders for the 2007 season. The list includes Terry Casey of New London, Wis.; Johnny Cloer Jr. of Chatsworth, Ga., who is Clint Smith’s chief mechanic and will run a car from Smith’s stable; Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.; Ronnie DeHaven Jr. of Winchester, Va.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Greg Johnson of Bedford, Ind.; Roy Mitchell of Rensselaer, Ind.; and Justin Ratliff of Campbellsville, Ky. Fuller, a veteran DIRT big-block Modified star and winner of the division’s feature on Friday night at VSP, was the only rookie contender to make the 360 OTC WoO LMS feature field on Saturday night. Eligible for the award because he has never won a dirt Late Model event paying more than $10,000 to win, Fuller won his heat race with a last-lap pass of Jerry Rice and started second in the A-Main, but his Gypsum Express team’s relative inexperience with dirt Late Model setups for 50-lap events caused him to fade to 23rd at the finish. As the lone rookie in the feature, however, Fuller earned the $250 bonus that goes to the top-finishing rookie contender in all 360 OTC WoO LMS events this season. The 2007 Rookie of the Year will be determined by a system that uses a driver’s best 30 finishes of the season in 360 OTC WoO LMS competition. A $15,000 prize will be presented to the top rookie. NOTABLE… * Last year’s tour points runner-up, Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., raced all week at VSP with a sore left hand. He aggravated an earlier injury to the hand while racing last week at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. Clanton lost several spots early in Saturday’s A-Main due to a scrape with Steve Francis, but he recovered to finish seventh. * Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., entered Saturday’s action on a high note after capturing the previous evening’s $10,000 UMP Late Model feature, but his momentum was quickly dulled when he rode the homestretch wall during his heat race. After repairing front suspension damage to his Rocket No. 29, Lanigan used a provisional spot to start 26th in the A-Main. He was never a factor en route to a 19th-place finish. * Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., the tour’s 2006 Rookie of the Year, got off to a slow start in his second season as a series regular. He was involved in a heat-race tangle and finished ninth in the second B-Main, leaving him a DNQ for the A-Main. * John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Eric Jacobsen of Santa Cruz, Calif. – who both plan to chase the 360 OTC WoO LMS schedule – fell short of making the feature. * Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who won a 360 OTC WoO LMS event at Volusia in 2004, advanced from the 16th starting spot to sixth by the halfway point of Saturday’s 50-lap A-Main. But he back-slid during the race’s second half and settled for 13th place. What caused Babb’s fall? A bounce over the track’s cushion apparently knocked his car’s steering out of whack, and he also was hampered by a deflating right-rear tire. * Sullivan, Wis., star Dan Schlieper’s runner-up finish was his first top-five in a WoO show since Feb. 4, 2006, at Georgia’s Golden Isles Speedway. He owns one career tour win, on Oct. 9, 2004, at Fulton (N.Y.) Speedway. * The UMP DIRTcar Racing Hoosier 20/40 tire rule was in effect for 360 OTC WoO LMS competition at Volusia. The 20/40 mandate will also be used when the tour visits UMP-sanctioned tracks in 2007. * A new twist to the 360 OTC WoO LMS format was introduced at Volusia. Gone from the tour’s program is the dash that was used to determine the up-front starting positions in the feature. In its place is a draw for feature starting position among the heat winners (if five or more are run) or the top-two finishers in each heat (if four or less are needed). For
more information on the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series,
visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. |
| 2/25/07: Triple Treat! Clint scores his 3rd Bama Bash victory and the first victory of 2007 QUICK NOTE: Clint racks up first win of the year by making it 3 in a row at Green Valley Speedway's "Bama Bash". This the 10th year of the event at the Gasden, Alabama track has proved a "Bashing Success" for Clint Smith and the Cat Daddy Racing Team. This is Clint's 3rd win in as many years. Clint was on the upbeat all week coming back from a successful weekend with the World of Outlaws in Florida, wanting to make the most of the down time from the series, Clint set the pace all weekend by setting fast time, winning the dash, starting on the pole, and taking the lead on the 1st lap and never looked back. Clint finished the 100 laps with $10K and the "Mo" on his side. The team will now prepare to head to the newly configured Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC for the Southern All Stars March Madness event on March 3rd. |
Clint
Smith Builds Momentum For 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series
With ‘Bama Bash’ Victory Feb. 26, 2007 – Clint Smith is building some nice momentum for this year’s 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Taking advantage of a month-long break in the schedule of the national tour he’ll chase in 2007, Smith scored a convincing $10,000 victory in Sunday’s eighth annual ‘Bama Bash 75’ at Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, Ala. Smith, 41, of Senoia, Ga., captured the Southeast’s early-season dirt Late Model special for the third consecutive year. He also finished second in the event’s 2004 edition, behind fellow 360 OTC WoO LMS star Rick Eckert of York, Pa. “We’ve had some pretty good success in the ‘Bama Bash,’” bottom-lined Smith, the only 360 OTC WoO LMS regular who entered the weekend program at the three-eighths-mile oval. “It’s a good way to get the year started.” Smith pulled off a clean sweep of the ‘Bama Bash’ action, posting fast time, winning the dash and leading all 75 laps of the A-Main from the pole position. He turned back periodic bids in the feature from 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who settled for second place. Tim Busha of Boaz, Ala., finished third, followed by Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., and Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn. Smith’s triumph came one week after he unsuccessfully attempted to pass Bloomquist for position late in the 50-lap 360 OTC WoO LMS season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., forcing him to be satisfied with a sixth-place finish to kick off the tour’s ’07 campaign. “Scott was tough, but we just had the position on the racetrack on him,” said Smith, one of the Southeast’s most decorated dirt Late Model racers. “We followed him last week (at Volusia), so it’s nice to turn the tables. “Scott’s already won two big ones this year, so maybe it’s good to spread the wins around a little bit,” he added with a smile. “He’s been ending up with a lot of trophies, so I’ll take one once in a while.” Smith’s first win of 2007 came behind the wheel of the JP Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines/J&J Steel GRT car he debuted in the 360 OTC WoO LMS opener on Feb. 18. The machine is working very much to his liking. “We had some little new-car issues at Volusia (a brake problem and leaking oil tank), but we came from 13th to (finish) sixth and I felt like we had one of the fastest cars out there,” said Smith. “We took it home and fixed those little problems, and it was excellent (in the ‘Bama Bash’).” Smith is considering parking his new car until the 360 OTC WoO LMS resumes with the three-night ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie,’ which visits Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La., on Fri., March 23; Columbus (Miss.) Speedway on Sat., March 24; and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., on Sun., March 25. But Smith won’t sit idle for the next three weeks. He has trips planned to Cherokee SuperSpeedway in Gaffney, S.C. (this weekend), Columbus (Rebel Challenge on March 9-10) and Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway (March 17), giving him an opportunity to roll up more ‘Big Mo’ – and pad his bank account – before hitting the road with the Outlaws. “Winning $10,000 early in the season helps any race team that hasn’t had income for two months (during the winter),” said Smith. “Hopefully we can pick off a few more races before we get back with the Outlaws.” Smith, who currently ranks sixth in the 360 OTC WoO LMS point standings after one event, will certainly be a favorite when the tour reaches Baton Rouge Raceway. One of his four series wins in 2006, after all, came in March at the three-eighths-mile, semi-banked oval. For more information of the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. |
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Smith bested the other forty-two O’Reilly Southern All Star Racing Series super late models in time trials and in the process established a brand new track record of 15.548 seconds to claim the Ivey Construction / Big A’s Custom Graphics Fast Time money. Petey Ivey, Shane Clanton, Jimmy Owens and Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five qualifiers. 1990 OSAS Champion James Cline suffered a heavy crash in qualifying after he took the checkered flag. Cline backed his GRT mount into the turn one wall and flipped over onto his roof backwards. Though the car was completely destroyed Cline was able to walk away uninjured. Smith continued to make the most of the weekend by winning the first heat of the afternoon and claim the inside pole position for the feature. Ricky Elliott challenged Smith early but a broken front suspension sent him careening off the turn one wall. Davenport rallied to finish second ahead of John Pursley and Ricky Arms. 2006 World of Outlaws Late Model Champion Tim McCreadie took the win in Heat two over Ivey, Randy Weaver and Steve Blackburn. Heat three saw Chris Madden inherit the lead after Shane Clanton crashed. Madden was followed to the line Ivedent Lloyd, Dennis Franklin and Mike Duvall. The final heat was won by Jimmy Owens ahead of Jeff Cooke, Brandon Kinzer and Casey Roberts. Two ten lap consolation races set positions seventeen through twenty-two. A hard crash on the initial start attempt in the first consi eliminated the entire front row of Mark Vineyard and Josh Echoles. Larry Blankenship took the win over Brent Dixon and Billy Hicks. Freddy Smith won the final consi over Tony Knowles and Doug Sanders. Vineyard unloaded a back-up car to take a points provisional along with Clanton who was able to make repairs to his primary car. The twenty-four car starting field rolled off at 6:30 PM Eastern. Smith immediately nabbed the lead as the field flashed across the line to complete lap one. McCreadie had his hands full with the likes of Owens and Madden. The reconfiguration of the speedway seemed to really improve racing conditions as the drivers were able to race three wide on several occasions. It
appeared as though trouble would beset McCreadie and Owens as they made
contact in turn four with Freddy Smith’s stopped car. But the
caution had already been displayed nd the two drivers were able to resume
their original position for the restart. Smith was forced pitside with
rear damage. Dennis Franklin had began to progress through the field and was up to the sixth postion when he suddenly slowed dramatically trailing a plume of smoke down the back straightaway. The two time Southern All Star East Champion’s hopes of a March Madness victory ended with a blown engine. Madden looked to put pressure on Smith but the crafty veteran would have none of it and again moved out to a comfortable advantage. Madden maintained contact with Smith and drew to his rear deck as the leader entered heavy backmarker traffic. Smith chose his lines carefully and tiptoed his way through the lappers. As the laps wound down some drivers found different grooves to their liking and began marching forward. Larry Blankenship, who had started seventeenth, moved past Ivey for fifth using the ultra low line and set his sights on Davenport. Blankenship pulled door to door with Davenport with two laps remaining but Davenport fended him off. Madden mounted a late charge but it was not enough as Smith took the three car length win. Owens recovered from his earlier incident to finish third followed by Davenport and Blankenship. In victory lane Smith was very complimentary of Cherokee’s new configuration “The track owners have done a real good job here of creating a place for us to race. I’ll take the shorter track any day”. “I need to thank my family and all of our sponsors and supporters for standing behind me. We are off to a real good start this year and we hope we can keep it going.” commented Smith. Smith’s GRT GTO is powered by a RaceTek Race Engine and receives sponsor support from JP Drilling, Cliburn Tank Lines, J&J Steel, Base Race Fuels, RDI, CSR Aluminum Fabrication, Integra Shocks, Sweet Mfg, Hoosier Tires and JFR Graphics. Official Finish 1
– 44 Clint Smith Photo
above courtesy of CTC Photos. |
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Cherokee Speedway ‘March Madness V’ Victory Continues Clint Smith’s Tuneup For 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule Contact:
DIRT MotorSports™ * Kevin Kovac, 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late
Model Series P.R. Director CONCORD, NC – March 5, 2007 – If Clint Smith can find a way to bottle his early-season success in the Southeast, his rivals on this year’s 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series could be in trouble. The standout from Senoia, Ga., continued his splendid break out of the 2007 starting gate on Sunday, winning the 50-lap ‘March Madness V’ event at the newly-reconfigured Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C. It was the second $10,000 triumph in as many weeks for Smith, who also captured the ‘Bama Bash’ on Feb. 25 at Green Valley Speedway in Gloecoe, Ala. “Building up the bank account – that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Smith, who will chase the 360 OTC WoO LMS for the fourth consecutive season. “We’re off to a good start.” Smith,
who will celebrate his 42nd birthday on March 20, made a clean sweep
of the O’Reilly Southern All-Stars Racing Series program. His
lap of 15.548 seconds around the three-eighths-mile oval, which was
shortened during the off-season, was the fastest in time trials, then
he won his heat race and led the feature from flag-to-flag off the pole
position. Smith’s triumph came behind the wheel of a new JP Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines/J&J Steel GRT car that he’s certainly taken a liking to. He debuted the machine with a strong sixth-place finish in the 360 OTC WoO LMS season opener on Feb. 18 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., then followed that up with wins at Green Valley and Cherokee. “They’re supposed to be the fastest when they’re new, and this one sure has been,” Smith said of his fleet-running No. 44. “It seems like we have our program headed in the right direction.” Smith and his crew are in the process of building another new GRT car that they hope to break out for the first time in the next 360 OTC WoO LMS event, on Fri., March 23, at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La. The ‘Bayou Battle 50’ at Baton Rouge – an event Smith won in 2006 – will lead off the three-race, three-state ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie,’ which will also visit Columbus (Miss.) Speedway on Sat., March 24, and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., on Sun., March 25. The popular driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ will tune up for the upcoming 360 OTC WoO LMS ‘Bullring Brawl’ at Columbus Speedway by entering the track’s two-day ‘Rebel Challenge’ this Friday and Saturday (March 9-10). While at Columbus, he’ll have a chance to provide some technical help to Jason and Jimmy Cliburn, fellow GRT campaigners and the sons of Don Cliburn, a sponsor of Smith’s efforts in 2007 through his Mississippi-based Cliburn Tank Lines business. Smith, who finished 10th in last year’s 360 OTC WoO LMS point standings, is also hoping to extend his early-season hot streak. “We’ve had a lot of success already, but it doesn’t take a lot to mess it up,” said Smith, who owns six career wins on the 360 OTC WoO LMS, including four in 2006. “We just have to try and stay on top of everything, not use up all the laps on the parts before we bolt on new stuff. If we can do that, maybe we can avoid those problems that hurt you in the points.” For
more information on Clint Smith and the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late
Model Series, visit www.clintsmith.com or www.worldofoutlaws.com. Information
on the ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie’ weekend set
for March 23-25 can be obtained by logging on to www.batonrougeraceway.com,
www.columbusspeedway.net and www.northalabamaspeedway.com. |
Clint
Continues his string of strong runs at the Bullring |
| Merchandise
Page Updated with All New 2007 Merchandise by ASIWear In addition, for all of you that have sent requests for autographs, we are working on new autograph cards and will hopefully have those out to you soon. We have not forgotten about the request, we just wanted to provide you with images of the most recent season. |
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by: Steve Hixson CHATSWORTH, Ga. (March 16) - Cold temperatures didn't keep the die-hard racefans from the North Georgia Speedway, Friday night and the attendees witnessed an AWESOME race, as CATDADDY prowled from start to finish, despite starting 3rd on the grid for the $3,000. payday in the "FOUR-LEAF CLOVER 40" at the Dalton/Chatsworth area dirt track. Clint Smith in his familiar checkered board topped # 44 "J&J Steel, Cliburn Tank Lines, JP Drilling, Integra Shocks, JFR Graphics" sponsored GRT Chassis, RaceTek Race Engines, Pontiac, GTO racecar overpowered pole sitter Lee Sutton coming off turn four to take the lead of the first lap but had plenty of hard chargin' competition. "It's good to get win #3 outta the way, here at one of our Georgia home track..." stated Smith after climbing out of the racecar in victory lane. "Nobody was stepping up to the high groove and the bottom was gettin' black fast", continued CATDADDY "so I just kept it on the bottom." Randy "the DREAM" Weaver drew along side Smith within 10 laps of the 40 lap race conclusion, but Smith powered off. Local racer Gary McPherson also took a stab at CATDADDY, but the Delaware Double File Restarts proved key in giving Weaver back the edge. Thirty Super Late Model DirtCars from eight states signed in, but it was a pair of weekly/local racers that grabbed the front row, early in qualifying. Brian Hickman of Soddy Daisy knocked out a lap of 12:640 as the first car to hit the track for Time Trials. Sutton in his # L7 "Harris/Sutton Chevrolet, Ladds Farm Supply" Rocket chassis, Hatfield Racing Engines, Chevrolet Monte Carlo would be Hickman only best, clocking a fast 12:550 lap. CATDADDY, Weaver and Mike Marlar would set top five fastest as the top sixteen were locked in from qualifying. In
the first of two 10 lap "B" Main races, Ray Cook and Jimmy
Owens would put on a clinic. In the end "the NEWPORT NIGHTMARE"
took the win over Cook with Riley Hickman and Jason Smith of Mississippi
earning transfer As
CATDADDY slid by Sutton for the lead coming off turn four for the first
official lap, the entourage of the SLM Southern region followed suit
as Weaver, McPherson and reigning Lucas Oil series champ Earl Pearson
Jr. Weaver in the # 116 "Hicks & Ingle Co., PPM Racing Products, Signsmith Sign Studio" sponsored, Rayburn chassis, Race Engine Design, Pontiac GTO and Pearson battled allowing GMAC to tote the line, as Smith put some quick distance between his runner-up contenders. Robert Gant got squirrelly in turn four of lap five and collected the NGS/Thunder series opener winner Anthony White. The "DIRTY WHITE BOY" and Gant suffered enough damage to park their respective mounts for the night. On the restart all eyes were poised on Weaver and Pearson, so the duo didn't disappoint and went back at it with the Jacksonville, FL native taking the number two spot on lap 10. Weaver and McPherson had a battle then, but "the TANK" Shane Tankersley and Ricky Arms stepped in and put the #29 "Carpet Discount Centers Inc., Bob's Towing & Recovery" sponsored, Rayburn chassis, RaceTek, Chevrolet Monte Carlo back just outta the top five for a moment. Defending race winner Chris "SMOKEY" Madden and McPherson then began trenching towards the front, just as Pearson suffered a flat right rear. The Bobby Labonte Raceteam attempted to change the hoof as it was still early in the 40 lap affair, but the restart came too quickly and ended the teams night. Just as the restart came, the other # 44 suffered the same fate, when Madden suffered a flat on the front straight-away. Madden too was unable to shoe the hoof in time for the restart, so McPherson charged on towards the front by himself. GMAC got back by TANK and eventually came past the # 4 "NAPA Auto Parts, Metal-Lite Inc., Perfect Wall, White's Total Performance" sponsored Rayburn chassis, RaceTek engines, Pontiac GTO racecar of Arms. Meanwhile the "TAR-HEEL TIGER" was stalking the prey, racing towards Arms and Tankersley on a mission. Inside ten as Weaver began drawing upon CATDADDY's lead as Cook cracked the top five for the first time. The red # 53 "Arvil Cook Property Investments, Youngblood Concrete, Jacky Jones Automotive Group, A+ Moving & Storage, Hamrick's of Gaffney" sponsored MasterSbilt chassis, Grover Racing Engines, Ford Fusion attacked Arms and TANK, in the process, showing fellow "B" Main racer Jason Smith the way through the pack. According to officials Weaver never grabbed CATDADDY's lead position but the two drew even at the line on at least one of the waning circuits. Cook ended his Hard Chargin' run with a solid third, passing McPherson inside three to go. As the checkers waved over CATDADDY and Weaver, Arms had just enough to fend off Jason Smith and Tankersley for a top five. Many
of the cars and stars will be returning to NGS for the O'SAS $5,000.,
Stats: Official
Results: |
| Madden Survives Shamrock Slugfest for First Win of the Season
A stellar field of fifty O’Reilly Southern All Star Super Late Models signed in for American Billet / Sunoco Race Fuels Pole Qualifying. It looked as though Knowles would grab his first career OSAS pole with only one driver left to take time. However that driver had made many laps at Cleveland Speedway and certainly knew the quick way around. Blairsville, GA’s Jonathan Davenport made the most of his experience and bumped Knowles to the outside pole. Davenport’s 13.520 second lap bested Knowles by just five one hundredths of a second. Clint Smith, Mike Marlar and Madden rounded out the top five qualifiers. The final five qualifiers who were locked in for the feature were Shane Clanton, Jimmy Owens, Skip Arp, Randy Weaver and Anthony White. Four qualifying heats would each transfer three drivers to the sixty lap feature event. Scott Bloomquist made a late charge to take the win in the first heat over Brandon Kinzer and Jackie Boggs. Heat two had Jason Smith picking up the win over Ray Cook and a hard charging Brady Smith who started shotgun on the field after developing electrical problems during qualifying. The third heat race was won by Earl Pearson, Jr. over Kevin Gibson and Dewayne Powell. Former OSAS Rookie of the Year Mark Vineyard powered to the win in the final heat race. Vineyard also started deep in the field and took the lead from Shawn Chastain with only two laps remaining. Chastain held on for second with Ricky Arms taking third and the final transfer spot. Provisionals were granted to Ivedent Lloyd and Stacy Holmes. The feature event rolled off to a bang as Knowles grabbed the point while Davenport and Clint Smith moved up to challenge the Tyrone, GA youngster. The action was wild and furious as the drivers completed the third circuit. The first of eight cautions would slow the action when Bloomquist, Pearson and Vineyard tangled exiting turn two. Pearson and Bloomquist were forced pitside while Vineyard continued. With the drivers set two by two for the Delaware double file restart, Knowles throttled up when the green flag waved. But his TNT was obviously in peril as it failed to accelerate. The ensuing melee’ eliminated Owens, Weaver and White. Knowles apparently broke a driveshaft on the restart also ending his strong run. Knowles misfortune handed the lead over to Smith for the restart. Marlar and Davenport now lined up in Smith’s wake. When the green flag once again waved Madden began making his move forward. Madden first disposed of Davenport off of turn four to take over third. Marlar was keeping pace with Smith and began to pressure the leader. Madden now threw his hat into the ring making it a three car battle for the lead. Caution would again slow the action after Chastain slammed the outside wall in turn four. Chastain was uninjured but his race car was severely damaged. Smith again assumed the point for the restart but OSAS officials called off the double file restarts due to less than favorable track conditions. Madden lined up second with Marlar, Davenport and Brady Smith in close tow. As the field came back up to full song, Madden went to work on Smith for the lead. The two battled door to door seemingly trading the lead in each corner, occasionally making light contact. Marlar stayed close and waited for an opening while Brady Smith moved to Davenport’s inside for fourth. Smith made the pass and immediately began to gain on Marlar for third. The caution again waved on lap thirty-six when Jackie Boggs came to a stop in turn four. Clint Smith was officially the leader after trading back and forth with Madden. However while Boggs’ mount was being removed Smith’s right rear tire went down. Smith pitted for fresh Hoosier rubber allowing Madden to assume the lead. Marlar held on to second with Brady Smith now third, Davenport fourth and Ray Cook up to fifth. Madden opened up a five length lead on the restart while Marlar battled with Brady Smith and Davenport for third. However Smith’s electrical gremlins would once again sideline him ending a stellar run. The battle between Marlar and Davenport continued to rage on. Cook moved up to challenge Marlar after Davenport slipped by for second. Cook moved to the top side with Marlar down low. Cook made the move by Marlar with just seven laps remaining. Cook then set his sites after the front duo, cutting into the margin lap after lap. But Cook ran out of laps after reaching Davenport’s rear deck. Meanwhile Madden motored on to a full five car length advantage over his pursuers, a lead which he maintained when the checkered flag waved. Davenport held on for second and Cook third. Clint Smith recovered from his early woes and came home fourth and Marlar settled for fifth. Madden’s Bloomquist Monte Carlo is powered by a Clements Race Engine and has sponsor support from Henderson Amusement, Century Plastics, Time Out Family Restaurant, Xtreme Customs and Cycles, Jacky Jones Automotive Group, Pancake House, Henderson Motor Company, Big A’s Custom Graphics, Allstar Performance, Delph Communications, Eibach Springs, Ohlins, Wa-Don Bert, VP Race Fuels and Quarter Master. The next event for the O’Reilly Southern All Star Racing Series will be a $5000 to win, fifty lap event at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, GA. For more information please visit www.southern-allstars.com or call (256) 539-4484. You can also visit www.northgeorgiaspeedway.com for race details and directions. Official Finish 1.
Chris Madden |
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Contact:
DIRT MotorSports™ COLUMBUS, MS – March 24, 2007 – The engine in Billy Moyer’s car sounded horrible, wheezing and spewing steam even after it was shut off. But the racket happened to be background noise to Moyer’s Victory Lane celebration after Saturday night’s ‘Battle at the Bullring 50,’ so it couldn’t eliminate the big smile on the veteran superstar’s face. Despite a badly overheating engine, Moyer dominated the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Columbus Speedway, racing unchallenged in front for virtually the entire distance. “It’s not good when you keep punishing (a motor) like that,” Moyer said after racing a significant number of laps with his Pro Power engine at a dangerously high temperature. “But sometimes that’s what you gotta do if you want to win the race.” Moyer, 50, of Batesville, Ark., seemed barely hampered by the overheating woes. In fact, after inheriting the lead when Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., was felled by a busted rearend on lap four, the three-time 360 OTC WoO LMS champ (1988, 1989, 2005) simply pulled away from the pack with ease. With his eyes scarcely glancing at his engine’s temperature reading, Moyer stayed on the attack and beat Rick Eckert of York, Pa., to the finish line by nearly a half-lap margin on the one-third-mile, high-banked oval. Chris Madden of Grey Court, S.C., finished third, followed by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. “I know (the overheating) buried the (temp) gauge, and that ain’t good,” said Moyer, who earned $10,000 while becoming the third different winner in as many 360 OTC Woo LMS events this season. “But at this place you can’t look at the gauges too much. You just run as hard as you can and hope the thing stays together.” Moyer was behind the wheel of a car from his Banner Valley Hauling/J&J Steel stable that performed flawlessly in the Columbus conditions, which featured rough-and-tumble action (six caution flags in the first 16 laps) as drivers attempted to tame the thick berm that built up around the outside. “These (Rayburn) cars like a cushion probably more so than other cars,” analyzed Moyer, who ran a machine that he debuted the previous week in a UMP Late Model event at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. Eckert, who started fourth in Raye Vest’s MasterSbilt No. 24, couldn’t match Moyer’s speed around the choppy top. He ran one position behind Moyer for the entire distance. “Anytime there’s a big rough cushion like that, the guys in those Rayburn cars are hard to handle,” said Eckert, who scored his first top-five finish of the 360 OTC WoO LMS season. “And Moyer is always great at getting up on that lip and going. He proved it all night.” Moyer’s victory was his second overall of the 2007 season, backing up a win he recorded earlier this month driving a West Coast-based dirt Late Model at Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway. He considered the pair of triumphs in March to be a harbinger of good things to come. “Our season’s getting started a whole lot better than last year,” said Moyer, who won twice on the 360 OTC WoO LMS in ’06 en route to finishing fourth in the point standings. “We didn’t have a very good Florida (trip in February), but we’ve been working hard and I think we’re on the right track now.” The win was the 31st of Moyer’s career in 360 OTC WoO LMS competition – an alltime series-leading total. Twenty-two of his victories came during the first incarnation of the tour (1988 and ’89), while the remainder have been earned since the series restarted in 2004. Moyer is the only driver who has won at least one feature in all six seasons of the tour’s existence. Eckert, who has won more 360 OTC WoO LMS events (15) than any other driver since 2004, was satisfied with his $5,000 runner-up finish. It was his strongest outing since switching to MasterSbilt chassis for the 2007 season, and he had to survive a bout with the track’s ample berm late in the distance. “My car was really good on that cushion, but (on lap 38) I just hit the nose on it (in turn three) and that almost cost me,” said Eckert. “I was straddling that big rut getting in the turn, but I guess that one lap I had the right-front half a tire width too low and didn’t get up on that nob, so I stuck the nose right in that dip and bent it. “For the rest of the race the (damaged) bodywork would just barely touch the ground as I turned in, and that would push me up across the track. Fortunately there were no cautions and I was able to hold on to second.” Little did Eckert know that Madden, who was coming off a victory in the previous night’s ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie’ weekend opener at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La., was experiencing some trouble of his own. The 31-year-old southern standout was hampered for much of the distance by a broken right-front shock on his Bloomquist Race Cars No. 44M, leaving him with cornering woes that precluded him from challenging Eckert after he advanced from the 12th starting spot to third in 17 laps. Fourth-place Frank also felt fortunate to secure a top-five finish in his Lester Buildings Rocket. He survived a lap-16 restart scrape with Jimmy Mars of Menominee, Wis., as they contested the third spot. A slide-job moved Frank ahead of Mars off turn two, but then Mars made solid contact, getting the nose of his car underneath the rear of Frank’s and lifting Frank’s rear wheels off the track for a moment. Frank maintained control and sped on, but Mars spun into the outside wall and was clipped by Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., leaving his MasterSbilt No. 28M badly damaged. Frank nearly lost fourth to Chris Wall of Holden, La., on lap 46, but Wall’s slide-job didn’t work and he ultimately fell to seventh at the finish. Frank flashed under the checkered flag in a tight position battle with Babb’s Rayburn No. 18 for the second consecutive night. Rounding out the top 10 was Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., whose advance from the 18th starting spot allowed him to end the night leading the 360 OTC WoO LMS point standings by two markers over Madden; Wall, who for the second straight night earned the $500 ‘WoO Outlaws Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-placing driver who’s not currently ranked among the top 12 in the tour point standings and has never won a WoO feature; Eric Jacobsen of Santa Cruz, Calif.; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who recovered from a lap-two spin in the second turn; and Jason Smith of Laurel, Miss. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., was the only ’07 360 OTC WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender to make the A-Main, so he won the top-finishing rookie bonus of $250 for the third straight race. He finished 23rd, however, because his Gypsum Racing car had its nosepiece ripped up when he made contact with Jacobsen’s out-of-shape mount in turn two on the third lap. Francis and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., entered the program tied for the 360 OTC WoO LMS points lead with Clint Smith, but both drivers lost ground with dismal nights. Francis felt his Valvoline Rocket No. 15 was strong enough to win after he surged off the outside pole to grab the lead from front-row mate Moyer at the initial green flag, but a broken rearend ended his bid on the fourth lap. Richards, meanwhile, started 21st after qualifying through a B-Main and was never a factor in the A-Main. He was involved in several tangles and made multiple pit stops before a late-race flat tire caused him to limp to a 15th-place finish one lap down. Forty-eight cars entered the event, which drew a near capacity crowd to the popular facility promoted by Johnny Stokes. Eddie Rickman, a 56-year-old veteran from Columbus, Miss., became the oldest driver to ever set fast time for a 360 OTC WoO LMS event with his clocking of 13.61 seconds. Heat winners were Birkhofer, Moyer, Jason Smith and Francis. Babb and Clint Smith captured the B-Mains. The three-night, three-state ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie’ concludes on Sunday night (March 25) with the ‘Alabama Assault 40’ at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala. Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(1) Billy Moyer/50 $10,000 Yellow
Flags: 6 (Laps 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 16) 1.
Clint Smith 497 LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the 360 OTC 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 webmaster@dirtvision.com. The 306 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Series sponsor 360 OTC pain reliever and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake and Eibach Springs. |
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Chris ‘Smokey’ Madden’s First-Ever Start At Baton Rouge Results In ‘Battle on the Bayou 50’ Victory Contact:
DIRTcar Racing BAKER, LA – March 23, 2007 – It didn’t take Chris Madden long to figure out Baton Rouge Raceway. In his first-ever appearance at the three-eighths-mile oval, the driver known as ‘Smokey’ captured Friday night’s 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Battle on the Bayou 50.’ “It feels pretty good to get a win the first time at a place,” said Madden, an 11-year dirt Late Model veteran from Grey Court, S.C. “It seems to be a little strategy of ours. We’ve done it three or four times now.” But none were more impressive than his $10,000 score in Friday’s A-Main, which kicked off the three-night, three-state ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie.’ Madden started fifth, but he fell back as far as seventh before surging forward to grab the lead from Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., on lap 34. Madden, 31, survived a strong late-race challenge from Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., to secure the checkered flag in his Century Plastics/Henderson Amusements Bloomquist car. It was his second career win in 360 OTC WoO LMS competition, following up his Gator 100 triumph on Oct. 14, 2006, at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Smith settled for the $5,000 runner-up check in his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT, while Clanton took third in his RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Rocket after starting eighth and leading laps 10-33. Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., started from the pole position but finished fourth in his Valvoline Rocket, and 13th-starter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., placed fifth after nipping Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., at the finish line by mere inches. “We were good all night,” pronounced Madden, who stamped himself as one of the night’s favorites by turning the second-fastest lap in time trials. “We could’ve been a little better in the heat, but we ran a little different tire from some of the guys so we knew we had a real good car for the feature.” Selecting the right tire compound was critical for Madden, who was busy grooving a Hoosier right-rear shoe to his liking inside his trailer just minutes before lining up for the A-Main. “There were a lot of different tire choices being made,” said Madden, who has won two straight Southern All-Stars Series championships. “There was probably everything here in the trailers on the racetrack tonight.”
Madden had the proper rubber combination to stay in front following the race’s fourth and final caution flag, which came on lap 39 when Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., who had just been lapped by Madden, spun between turns three and four after contact with Smith. “I knew Clint was gonna be on the bottom,” Madden said of the deciding restart, “so I just wanted to make sure I didn’t slip up and give him the line off the corner. I felt like if he didn’t beat me on the first two laps after the restart, he wasn’t gonna beat me.” Smith, who turned 42 on March 20, couldn’t summon enough speed over the final 11 circuits to overtake Madden. ‘Cat Daddy’ made one inside bid through turns three and four, on lap 47, but he lost ground to Madden and finished about six car lengths back. In the final analysis, Smith had little hope of passing Madden after the lap-39 restart. He was basically holding on after his scrape with Decker’s Gypsum Racing No. 91. Smith, who started seventh, had just passed Clanton for second and was advancing on Madden when he caught Decker’s car with his machine’s right-front while rounding turns three and four. Smith maintained control of his No. 44 as Decker spun, but the resulting damage to the nosepiece of his car dive-bombed his efforts. “It folded over and rolled that plastic under the tire, and I couldn’t drive it because it was all under the suspension the rest of the race,” said a disappointed Smith. “It would’ve been better if the bodywork just fell off, but it stayed on. With that plastic underneath, the right-front tire just slides (in the corners), and you can’t roll by nobody.” “I still made a charge at (Madden) even with the problem, but when I tried to drive by him (on lap 47), my car just pushed across the bottom.” Smith was confident that the race would’ve been his if not for the run-in with Decker, a DIRT big-block Modified star who is a contender for 360 OTC WoO LMS Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. “I could just drive anywhere the car wanted to drive. This thing was on the money,” said Smith, who has been red-hot (three wins in the Southeast) over the past month. “I feel bad I didn’t get the win because of a lapped car incident. Decker went from the outside wall all the way to the infield and I had nowhere to go.” Smith paused, and then added, “I had found a line that nobody else had found. It had gotten real fast from the middle to the bottom off turn four, and Chris didn’t know that line was there because he was leading. “I was a quarter-second faster with that line, and I just needed one more lap (without an incident) to win the race.” Smith was able to console himself with the fact that he continued to run strong – and that he moved into a three-way tie for the 360 OTC WoO LMS points lead with Francis and season-opener victor Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who advanced from the 18th starting spot to finish eighth. Madden was the driver who got to celebrate in Victory Lane before a packed house of fans – but not too wildly. The low-key driver acted like he had been there before. “All wins mean a lot,” said Madden, who has over 100 victories in his dirt Late Model career. “But I try to keep all of them on the same level, keep them meaning the same thing. I don’t get too excited.” Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., drove off the outside pole to lead the race’s first nine laps, but he wasn’t around at the finish. He stopped on the track due to a broken driveshaft while running second on lap 18. The event’s most significant accident occurred on the original start when Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., slid sideways between turns one and two out of the fourth starting spot, triggering a chain-reaction jingle. Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., got the worst of the tangle, sustaining race-ending front-end damage, and Jimmy Mars of Menominee, Wis., and Eric Jacobsen of Santa Cruz, Calif., also were forced to retire. Fuller, meanwhile, survived the incident and placed 12th, earning a $250 bonus as the highest-finishing 360 OTC WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender. Finishing in positions 6-10 were Babb; local favorite Chris Wall of Holden, La., who earned the $500 ‘World of Outlaws Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-placing driver who’s not currently ranked among the top 12 in the tour point standings and has never won a WoO feature; Richards; Baton Rouge Raceway favorite David Ashley of Zachary, La.; and 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who used a provisional to start 23rd. Forty cars entered the $50,000 event, which was co-sanctioned by the O’Reilly Southern United Professional Racing Series (SUPR). Lanigan established a new track record of 13.44 seconds in time trials. Heat winners were Lanigan, Francis, Clanton and Babb. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Richards topped the B-Mains. The ‘World of Outlaws March Through Dixie’ weekend continues on Saturday (March 24) with the ‘Battle at the Bullring 50’ at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway and on Sunday (March 25) with the ‘Alabama Assault 40’ at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala Results of WoO Late Model Series(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1.
(5) Chris Madden/50 $10,000 Yellow
Flags: 4 (Laps 0, 7, 18, 39) 1.
(tie) Clint Smith 359 LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the 360 OTC 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 webmaster@dirtvision.com. The 306 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Series sponsor 360 OTC pain reliever and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake and Eibach Springs. |
| April
2007 News: |
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Shannon Babb Bags ‘Rumble on the River III’ Victory As Virginia Motor Speedway Beats The Weather JAMAICA, VA – April 14, 2007 – Few people thought Saturday night’s ‘Rumble on the River III’ at Virginia Motor Speedway could beat the approaching storm. A member of that group was Shannon Babb, who nevertheless scored a powerful victory in the 50-lap 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. “We stopped and ate lunch just down the road this afternoon, and it was sprinkling then,” Babb said after emerging triumphant in his first-ever racing trip to the Commonwealth of Virginia. “Considering the weather forecast, I was thinking, ‘I don’t think it will happen tonight.’ It didn’t look good.” But Babb’s long tow east from Moweaqua, Ill., wasn’t for naught. The predicted rain held off until shortly after the A-Main’s checkered flag, allowing Babb to pocket $10,000 for winning an event that was taped for broadcast by the SPEED cable network on Sun., May 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. “We gotta thank these guys for running the show,” Babb said of VMS’s Bill and Clarke Sawyer, who pressed on with the program despite knowing attendance would be hurt by the weather. “This right here tonight was for us. They had a race to put on, and they put it on. “After we lost last night’s show (to postponement at New Jersey’s New Egypt Speedway), it was great for us that they did it.” Babb, a 32-year-old star who is best know for winning the last two UMP DIRTcar Summernationals titles, charged forward from the sixth starting spot to grab the lead from Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., on lap 22. He never looked back the remainder of the distance in his Car City/J&J Steel Rayburn No. 18, building an edge of as much as a half-straightaway before settling for a modest victory margin (0.979 of a second) over Clanton’s RSD Enterprises Rocket No. 25. Reigning 360 OTC WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., returned to the tour after missing last month’s three-race southern swing and finished third in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket No. 39, nearly a straightaway behind the leaders. Polesitter Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished fourth in his Valvoline Rocket No. 15 (his fourth top-five finish in five series events this season), and third-starter Jimmy Mars of Menominee, Wis., was fifth in his Deppe Enterprises MasterSbilt No. 28M (his second straight top-five). The key to Babb’s triumphant march was his mastery of the half-mile track’s inside groove, which he ran to perfection while making his way to the front. “In hot laps, I felt that it was there,” Babb said of the low line. “I knew if it would come in, it would be a pretty good lane. When they blew that top (cushion) off I just kept running the bottom, and it finally came in for me.” Babb spent the race’s early laps battling hard for second with McCreadie, who started fourth. “We were running side-by-side for a while,” said Babb. “I knew if I could ever get out in front of him, I could use the whole racetrack and get my momentum going a little better and pick up some speed.” He did just that, and then, on lap 22, slipped underneath Clanton off turn four to assume command for good. Clanton, 31, had no answer for Babb’s power along the hub. “He had a little softer tire, and he could go through that mud,” said Clanton, who started from the outside pole and led laps 1-21. “I didn’t think there was mud down there (on the inside), but evidently there was. “When I seen his nose under me the first time, I tried to block him. But I was worse down there, so I moved back up and he passed me. There was nothing I could do.” Clanton made a late surge to close within striking distance of Babb, but he fell short of reaching Victory Lane for the first time this season in 360 OTC WoO LMS competition. “My car was getting faster,” said Clanton, who took over the 360 OTC WoO LMS points lead with his $5,000 runner-up finish. “The track was drying out, so it was coming to me and going away from (Babb), but there wasn’t enough time.” Babb registered his second career 360 OTC WoO LMS victory. His first came on Feb. 6, 2004, at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., in just the third event of the tour’s era under the DIRTcar Racing banner. A recipient of 360 OTC WoO LMS touring-driver benefits at VMS because he was ranked among the top 12 in points, Babb improved to fifth in the series standings with the win. He does not plan to follow the entire schedule in 2007, but he expects to test his vast skills against the Outlaws on numerous occasions for the remainder of the season. “It makes you get up on your toes, because everybody here is trying as hard as they can with the best equipment they can build,” Babb said of racing with the 360 OTC WoO LMS. “So when you can run with them, you know you’re right.” Five caution flags slowed the event, including a multi-car tangle on the opening circuit that had big points-race implications. Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., lost the 360 OTC WoO LMS points lead he had held or shared for three straight events after being involved in the incident, which began when Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., slid sideways between turns three and four. Smith, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., Ronnie DeHaven Jr. of Winchester, Va., and Darryl Hills of Great Mills, Md., stacked up, with Hills’s car landing atop the front end of DeHaven’s machine. Smith had the nosepiece of his GRT car torn off and front end bent in the crash. He chased points for the remainder of the distance, running off the pace without a nose on his car en route to salvaging a 16th-place finish, keeping him in a tie for second in the point standings with Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. Finishing in positions 6-10 was Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who recorded his best tour run of the young season; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who started 17th in the Daugherty Motorsports Rocket No. 15b; Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C.; and Frank. Hills pitted following his involvement in the opening-lap wreck, but he rallied to finish 12th. That earned him the $500 ‘World of Outlaws Bonus Bucks’ award for being the highest-finishing driver who has never won a tour event and is not ranked among the top 12 in the current point standings. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., had to use a provisional to make the A-Main after slapping the turn-two wall during his heat, but he finished 13th and pocketed the $250 top-finishing Rookie of the Year contender prize for the fourth time in five events this season. Thirty-four cars entered the event, which was the first of two 360 OTC WoO LMS programs scheduled at Virginia Motor Speedway this season. The tour returns to the track for a 50-lap event on Fri., July 20. Clanton established a new single-lap track record during time trials, rounding the half-mile in 17.097 seconds (105.282 mph). He beat McCreadie’s 2006 mark of 17.457 seconds. Heat winners were Clanton, Francis and Mars, and Eckert captured the B-Main. Results
of WoO Late Model Series(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money
Won): Time
of Race: 27 Mins., 53.174 Secs. Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top 6 Transfer): Clanton, McCreadie, Madden, Richards, DeHaven, Covert, Stuhler, Mann, Moyer, Hudson, Fuller (DNS) Coffey Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top 6 Transfer): Francis, Babb, Frank, C. Smith, Elliott, Birkhofer, Eckert, Decker, Hubbard, Pilkerton, Pettyjohn Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top 6 Transfer): Mars, Lanigan, Carrier, Arthur, Hills, Shirley, Miller, Feathers, Teegarden, Lathroum (DNS) Cosgrove B-Main (12 laps – Top Transfer): Eckert, Miller, Stuhler, Hubbard, Decker, Mann, Teegarden, Pilkerton, Feathers (DNS) Coffey, Cosgrove, Pettyjohn, Fuller, Lathroum, Moyer, Hudson 360
OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings (after 5 events): LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the 360 OTC 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. The 306 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Series sponsor 360 OTC pain reliever and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake and Eibach Springs. |
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CONCORD, NC – April 21, 2007 – Scott Bloomquist’s ‘Team Zero’ boys gave him a fight, but they couldn’t stop their mentor from cashing a $50,000 Circle K Colossal 100 check for the second consecutive year on Saturday night at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The dirt Late Model legend from Mooresburg, Tenn., beat Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. – two drivers who campaign Bloomquist Chassis race cars – to the finish line in the $200,000-plus World of Outlaws Late Model Series event, adding another memorable flourish to a Hall of Fame career. A huge crowd watched the four-tenths-mile track’s second annual blockbuster, which was run on a spectacularly warm, sunny spring day – a stark contrast to the rainy weekend that plagued the inaugural in 2006. “All I can say is that it’s nice to have a one-two-three (Bloomquist Chassis) finish with these boys,” said Bloomquist, the 2004 WoO LMS champion. “And it’s nice to have the order the way I like it!” Bloomquist, 43, earned every cent of his Colossal 100 pay, fighting through a potential engine problem and outdueling Madden in a tense, one-on-one battle that raged for three-quarters of the distance. The lead was exchanged five times between Bloomquist and Madden, with the deciding move coming when Bloomquist pushed his familiar MBC/Hawkeye Trucking No. 0 in front of Madden on a lap-84 restart. Madden, who is chasing the WoO LMS for the first time in his career this season, settled for second place in his Century Plastics/Henderson Amusements No. 44, about four car lengths behind Bloomquist.Owens authored what was arguably the drive of the night to claim third, coming from the 32nd starting spot in the Reece Monuments/Ganette Appraisals No. J20 after advancing through the C- and B-Mains just to make the Colossal 100. Completing the top five was Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., in the Car City/J&J Steel Rayburn. Bloomquist, who started ninth, took the lead for the first time on a lap-25 restart that followed a caution flag for Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who suddenly relinquished second place when power-steering woes caused him to pull up lame. He surged past Babb and Madden, who had set the pace since passing polesitter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., for the position on lap four, in a powerful outside sweep. But the race was far from over. For starters, Bloomquist was concerned about his Vic Hill Racing engine. “We knew it was going to be a long race, and then the stud broke on the carburetor and I lost my air cleaner,” he said. “I hoped it wouldn’t get too much dirt in it and eat up the motor, but it held together and I don’t think it has too much damage.” Then there was Madden, who has developed a close relationship with Bloomquist since moving to the superstar driver’s chassis camp a few years ago. Madden, 31, nosed in front to lead lap 52 after getting the jump on Bloomquist on a restart. Bloomquist quickly fought back, but on another restart, on lap 72, his car pushed in turn two, allowing Madden to assume control on lap 73 and promptly build a healthy half-straightaway edge. The race’s 11th and final caution flag, on lap 84 for Chatham, Ill., standout Brian Shirley’s stopped Kenny Schrader Racing car, erased Madden’s advantage and gave Bloomquist the opportunity he craved. He seized the moment, using the outside line to outgun Madden and regain the lead for good. Bloomquist was never seriously challenged over the remaining distance, but he acknowledged that Madden might have been the ‘Team Zero’ driver donning the Colossal 100’s distinctive knight’s helmet and brandishing a sword in Victory Lane if the lap-84 caution period hadn’t occurred. “When I slid on that start (lap 72) before the last one, it made my tires give up a tick and I had to run (Madden) down,” said Bloomquist, whose 15th career WoO LMS victory was his first on the tour since the ‘Gator 100’ on Oct. 28, 2005, at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. “It would’ve been rough on us if it would’ve stayed green. “Those starts were real critical.” Madden, who started sixth, agreed with Bloomquist’s assessment. “Every one of them was critical,” said Madden, who earned $20,000 for the runner-up spot. “How many passes were made in the top-five cars that weren’t on restarts? Not many. “It seemed like whoever had the clean air could really truck and go fast. You just had to run through a little bit of grit when you were running behind cars, so you couldn’t run the perfect line if you weren’t in the lead. “I
knew whoever got the lead going into turn one (on the final restart)
was gonna win the race.” Madden chose the inside line for that
deciding, double-file restart and couldn’t use it to outrun Bloomquist,
but he didn’t second-guess his decision when asked afterward if
he’d do anything different if he had another shot. “I can’t
say I’d change what I did,” said Madden, whose three career
wins at The Dirt Track rank him as the facility’s alltime winningest
Super Late Model driver. “It’s hard to say if there was
anything else I could’ve done better. Scott just beat me.”
Owens, a former UMP DIRTcar Racing Modified champion who has begun making
a name for himself in Late Model competition over the past two years,
might have had the fastest car on the track in the closing laps. “About
25 to 30 laps into the race, I knew we could get a good finish,”
said Owens. “When the track started clearing off and drying up
real good, and everybody started moving around a little bit, we got
a lot better. The car was working really good.” “I’m not sure what happened, by after that last restart (on lap 84) I sort of died a little bit,” said McCreadie. “I was trying to move around too much to try to gain an advantage, when I probably should’ve just tried to get would I could and ride around. “I think it cost me third, but if you don’t win, what does it matter anyway?” Babb entered the event riding a hot streak on the WoO LMS, with two straight victories propelling him to a tie for the points lead with Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. It looked like he would continue riding the wave as he marched from the 14th starting spot to second in 25 laps. But as Babb was pressuring Bloomquist for the lead on lap 38, he got a few inches too low and clipped one of the tractor tires lining the inside of turn two. That damaged the left-front corner of his car’s nosepiece, causing a handling problem that left him unable to contend – and fortunate to hold off Steve Francis’s Tim Logan-owned No. 11 in the closing laps to finish fifth. Francis finished sixth, followed by 25th-starter Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., who climbed as high as fifth; 27th-starter Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va.; and early leader Lanigan, who rallied from the rear after a flat right-rear tire forced him to pit on lap 18. Four preliminary events were run on Saturday. C-Mains were captured by Owens and Shirley, while Jack Pennington of Carnesville, Ga., and Kellen Chadwick of Oakley, Calif., topped the B-Mains. With the Circle K Colossal K offering show-up points toward the WoO LMS title, Babb and Smith remain tied for the points title entering the tour’s Midwest doubleheader this weekend at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway (Fri., April 27) and Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, Ind. (Sat., April 28). Results
of WoO Late Model Series Circle K Colossal 100 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver//Money
Won): Yellow
Flags: 11 (Laps 3, 3, 11, 15, 18, 25, 51, 52, 61, 72, 84 C-Main No. 1 (20 laps – Top 4 To B-Main No. 1): 1. Brian Shirley; 2. Shannon Buckingham; 3. Scott Shirey; 4. Jason Dupont; 5. Chris Hackett, $250; 6. Dave Hess Jr., $250; 7. Darin Duffy, $250; 8. Damon Eller, $250; 9. Furman Parton, $250; 10. Lewis Hudson, $250; 11. Brady Smith, $250 C-Main No. 2 (20 laps – Top 4 To B-Main No. 2): 1. Jimmy Owens; 2. Greggie Oliver; 3. Ricky Elliott; 4. Jayme Zidar; 5. Al Shawver Jr., $250; 6. Jill George, $250; 7. Zack Forster, $250; 8. Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, $250; 9. Robert Fletcher, $250; 10. Keith Barbara, $250; 11. Matt Dillard, $250; 12. Brian Nuttall, $250 B-Main No. 1 (25 laps – Top 6 To A-Main): 1. Jack Pennington; 2. Steve Shaver; 3. Mike Balzano; 4. Billy Moyer; 5. Brian Shirley; 6. Shannon Buckingham; 7. Jeremy Miller, $500; 8. D.J. Miller, $500; 9. Scott Shirey, $500; 10. Jason Dupont, $500; 11. Austin Dillon, $500; 12. Bruce Hall, $400; 13. Brian Birkhofer, $400; 14. Josh McGuire, $400; 15. Ray Cook, $400; 16. Jeff Smith, $350; 17. Eric Jacobsen, $350; 18. Bobby Hogge IV, $350; 19. Ed Basey, $350; 20. Larry Blankenship, $350; 21. David Scott, $300; 22. Jeff Cooke, $300; 23. Robert Sanders, $300 B-Main No. 2 (25 laps – Top 6 To A-Main): 1. Kellen Chadwick; 2. Donnie Moran; 3. Jimmy Mars; 4. Eddie Carrier Jr.; 5. Jimmy Owens; 6. Wendell Wallace; 7. Tim Fuller, $500; 8. Rick Rickman, $500; 9. Petey Ivey, $500; 10. Derek Ellis, $500; 11. Danny Breuer, $500; 12. Eddie Rickman, $400; 13. G.R. Smith, $400; 14. Ricky Elliott, $400; 15. Jeep VanWormer, $400; 16. Garrett Durrett, $350; 17. Bob Gordon, $350; 18. Jayme Zidar, $350; 19. Greggie Oliver, $350; 20. Chad Ruhlman, $350; 21. Shane Clanton, $300; 22. Walker Arthur, $300; 23. Doug Sanders, $300 |
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FARMER
CITY, IL – April 27, 2007 – Shannon Babb gave the locals
what they came to see. The Moweaqua, Ill., native defended his home
turf well on Friday night, scoring a powerful flag-to-flag victory in
the ‘Farmer City 50’ at the venerable Farmer City Raceway.
It was the third win in the last four World of Outlaws Late Model Series
events for Babb, who departed Farmer City – a quarter-mile fairgrounds
oval at which he raced often early in his career – with sole possession
of the tour points lead. “It’s always nice to win close
to home,” said Babb, who is the only repeat winner this season
through eight WoO LMS A-Mains. “When it’s a big show, it’s
even better.” Babb dominated the feature, blasting off the outside
pole to lead the entire distance in his Car City/J&J Steel Rayburn
No. 18. He was fast enough to stay a step ahead of three-time WoO LMS
champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who made a late bid but settled
for second place in his Banner Valley Hauling Rayburn No. 21. “Part of the game was just keeping your car together and not tearing it up,” commented Babb, who entered the race expecting the track surface to be an issue. “This early-season racing (in the Midwest) is like this year after year – you can just count on it, just like you can count on the heat in August.” Of course, Babb conceded that he has a combination that’s well suited for the conditions teams faced on Friday night. “These cars really run well on this type of track,” Babb said of C.J. Rayburn-built dirt Late Models. “I don’t know if they’re really any better for these conditions than other cars, or if it’s just the setup we run in ‘em, but something makes them work.” Babb’s vast experience at Farmer City told him that he couldn’t race too conservatively, however. The track won’t allow that strategy. “There’s no finesse here,” said Babb. “It’s all stomp-and-steer.” Babb was at his Farmer City, full-throttle best in the race’s closing laps, after Moyer, who passed Francis for second on lap 29, closed within striking distance. Moyer got as close as a car’s length to Babb, on lap 40, before Babb turned up the wick and surged through lapped traffic to triumph by roughly a half-straightaway margin. “I knew Billy was there,” said Babb, whose car is owned by Moyer’s father, Billy Moyer Sr. “He runs super-good on this (heavy) stuff. I just had to keep him behind me, so I just ran as hard as I needed to go to keep him there. If I needed to step it up, I could’ve.” Moyer, 49, knew that passing Babb would be a difficult chore. “He gets around this place as good as anybody in the country,” Moyer said of Babb. “Honestly, my only shot was if he got caught up behind a lapped car. I think he was only going as fast as he had to. “Considering where we started (seventh), I’m happy to get what we did out of the night.” The runner-up finish was Moyer’s second of the season on the WoO LMS. He also owns one victory. Babb, who entered Friday’s action tied for the tour points lead with Smith, won the fourth WoO LMS feature of his career. His only previous win prior to his current two-week checkered-flag explosion was on Feb. 6, 2004, at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. Richards, 19, registered his best WoO LMS finish since winning the 2007 season opener on Feb. 17 at Volusia Speedway Park. He slipped by Francis for third on lap 43 and repelled both Francis and Smith over the remaining circuits. Richards raced most of the distance with his car’s right-side door caved in and a header broken off – the result of an early encounter with Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who also continued on and finished sixth. But the biggest problem for ‘Kid Rocket’ was the frenetic pace and physical nature of the event, which ran caution-free from lap 17 to the finish. “I didn’t know the race was actually over,” said Richards, who never saw the checkered flag displayed because he was so focused on his battle to keep third place. “But I was glad it was over. I had some pizza before the race, and I felt like I was gonna throw up the whole race. “The pizza was good,” he added with a smile, “but I ate too much and the track was rough, so that wasn’t too good on my stomach.” Francis,
39, ran second for more than half the distance, but he was a beat off
the leaders’ pace when it counted down the stretch. He saw his
winless streak on the WoO LMS stretch to 31 races, dating back to his
last win, on May 5, 2006, at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles,
Ohio. “At
the end we just got so tight,” said Francis. “The track
was really tough on us.” Three caution flags slowed the A-Main. The problems included Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., spinning off the backstretch while running sixth on lap three; Muscatine, Iowa’s Brian Birkhofer and New London, Wis.’s Terry Casey tangling in turn three as they battled for fifth on lap seven; and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., breaking a spindle on lap 17. Forty cars entered the event, which drew one of the largest crowds in the history of Farmer City Raceway. Babb
was fastest in time trials with a lap of 12.646 seconds, which was about
three-tenths of a second off Ryan Dauber’s track record. Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(2) Shannon Babb/50 $10,000 Yellow
Flags: 3 (Laps 3, 7, 17) Heat
No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Owens, S. Babb, C. Smith, Lanigan,
Steidinger, Dauber, Clanton, Unzicker, Mataragas, L. Shickel B-Main
No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Steidinger, Weaver, E. Smith,
Clanton, Dauber, Unzicker, Mataragas, Bull, Macklin, Bauman, L. Schickel
(DNS) Beyers 2007
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings (after 8 features): The
World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country
by several sponsors and partners, including contingency sponsors Wrisco
Industries, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignition
and Eibach Springs. |
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., came on late to finish third. Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., made a steady advance from the 11th starting spot to finish fourth, while Moweaqua, Ill.’s Babb, who had won three of the previous four WoO LMS events, faded during the race’s closing stages and settled for fifth place. “The big thing tonight was making the move to the lead in the (second) heat race from fifth (starting spot),” said Smith, who won that prelim after a stirring three-wide battle for the lead with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa. “That was the move of the night for us, because it got us in the (A-Main) draw for position. “Then the feature was just doing business. I had to get the jump (on Babb), drive a smart race and watch lapped traffic. The car was good enough to allow me to do all that.” Smith kept his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT No. 44 several car lengths ahead of Babb throughout the 39 consecutive laps of green-flag racing that opened the race, giving him a good read on his speed. “I knew I was working lapped traffic better than Babb,” said Smith. “He’s on a roll, so being able to stay ahead of him made me feel pretty good about our chances.” But Smith wasn’t quite as certain about handling Madden, who slipped underneath Babb for second place on lap 43, shortly after the race’s first caution flag came out on lap 39 for the slowing car driven by Mike Mataragas of Dekalb, Ill. A second caution flag, on lap 46 for a spin by Roy Mitchell of Rensselaer, Ill., put Madden on Smith’s bumper for a final sprint to the finish. “I’d been beating Babb,” said Smith, “but Madden started fifth and moved up. I didn’t know what he had for the last restart.” As it turned out, Smith had Madden covered. "We had a good car, and he had a good car too,” said Madden, who drove his Century Plastics/Henderson Amusements Bloomquist machine. “It was just one these deals where the car out front has the advantage. “I’m glad to see Clint win. He didn’t have a (WoO LMS) win this year, so he deserves it.” Smith’s victory gave him some momentary bragging rights on Madden, whose WoO LMS triumph on March 23 at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La., came over Smith. “This will give us plenty to talk about on the ride home,” smiled Smith, who has competed against Madden for a decade around the Southeast and has been caravanning to WoO LMS events this season with the rising 31-year-old star. Chasing Smith and Madden under the checkered flag was Frank, whose Lester Buildings Rocket was at its best in the closing laps. “The longer we ran, the better we were,” said the seventh-starting Frank, who passed Babb for third on lap 48. “We needed the race to be longer. We probably needed 100 laps.” Richards, 19, made one of the race’s strongest charges, driving his Mark Richards Racing/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket past seven cars to record his second consecutive top-five finish. “Come feature time, we weren’t as good as we should’ve been,” said Richards, who overtook Babb for fourth as the white flag was displayed. “But I could maneuver a little better than some of those guys, and that helped a lot.” Babb, 33, appeared ready to continue his hot streak after drawing the pole position for the 50-lapper, but he never led a lap. “I just wasn’t as good in the middle of the track as those guys were,” said Babb, who drove the Billy Moyer Sr.-owned Car City/J&J Steel Rayburn. “We didn’t tighten the car up enough, so I had to hang (the car) out on the top. I couldn’t move around and get by lapped cars like Clint.” Babb’s fall from second to fifth over the final seven laps cost him sole possession of the WoO LMS points lead. He ended the night tied for the top spot with Smith. Rounding out the race’s top 10 was Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who climbed as high as fourth; 19th-starter Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.; Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; and Birkhofer. Owens’s bagged seventh place with a final-lap pass of Erb, earning him the $500 ‘World of Outlaws Bonus Bucks’ cash. The bonus goes to the highest-finishing driver who’s not ranked in the top 12 of the current WoO LMS point standings and has never won a tour event. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., picked up the $250 bonus for being the highest-finishing WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender. Thirty-five cars entered the first-ever WoO LMS event at Kamp Motor Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval that Bob and Gayle Kamp have totally refurbished since purchasing it in June 2002. Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., set fast time for the second time this season, turning a lap of 13.336 seconds. But a busted oil tank during his qualifying run hurt his fast car’s motor, forcing him to pull out a backup car for the remainder of the night’s action. Heat winners were Erb, Smith, Terry Casey of New London, Wis., and Babb, while Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Fuller topped the B-Mains. The WoO LMS is off until the five-race, five-state ‘Monster Midwest Tour,’ which visits the Davenport (Iowa) Speedway Quarter-Mile on Wed., May 9; Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., on Sat., May 12; Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on Sun., May 13; Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway on Wed., May 16; and I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., on Fri., May 18. For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results
of WoO Late Model Series(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money
Won): Yellow Flags: 2 (Laps 39, 46) Lap Leaders: C. Smith (1-50) Rookie of the Race: WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Jimmy Owens ($500) Provisional Starters: Hensel, Mitchell, Heckenast Heat
No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Erb, Madden, Shirley, Lanigan, Clanton,
Owens, Hensel, Leviner, Petersak B-Main
No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Owens, Weaver, Hensel,
Boggs, Hotovy, Leviner, Mitchell, Mathew (DNS) Petersak 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings (as of April 28 – after 9 events): 1.
(tie) Shannon Babb 1,258 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. WoO LMS ON TELEVISION: Six World of Outlaws Late Model Series events this season will be televised on the SPEED cable network. The first two one-hour broadcasts are set to air on Sun., May 20, at 2 p.m. (Virginia Motor Speedway’s ‘Rumble on the River III’ from April 14) and Sun., May 27, at 12:30 p.m. (Lernerville Speedway’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ from April 17). |
| May
2007 News: |
 5/3/07 Doug Elkins of Doug's Dirt Diary has a chat with Clint after visit to victory lane this past weekend. Clint talks about his win at Kamp Speedway and his top five finish the night before at Farmer City Raceway in Illinois. He also told me where he will race this weekend as the World of Outlaw Late Model Series is off until May 9th. He also remembered his start in the sport, how he got to where he is today and why there are a lot of photos from the early days of drag racing at his Dad’s house. Nice chat! Doug Elkins also interviewed Clint last spring and you may listen to that interview that is linked on the media page. |
| 5/6/07:
Website updates and a few news tidbits:
We have finally gotten the Auto Decals added to the merchandise
page for those of you that have been waiting to order. If you have not
looked lately, we have also updated some of our shirts and added back
ordering for the popular "Cat Eyes" slate grey t-shirts that
have been on limited supply for the last month. Also, if you have been
waiting on an autograph/hero card or signed photo, they should be ready
around the same time as the Dream and we will be mailing those to all
fans with a pending request. Speaking of Media, we have updated some photos and added a slideshow on the media page. Click on the the 2007 Photos link to view the new gallery. Captions and photographer credit will be added in the next couple of days. We will work on updating previous photo collections to that of the current style soon so keep checking in. Also on the media front, The SPEED channel will offer 6 World of Outlaws events between mid May and the finale at The Dirt Track at Lowe's the first week of November which will be brought to you a mere day after the event. Check the race schedule page or the scroller at the top for the broadcast dates and times. Cruise with the Champions has updated the cruise prices and information for the 2007 Cruise. Check out the Cruise With The Champions website or click on Clint's link here for sign-up information. 
Other recent interesting news is that although no formal
announcement has taken place, when you listen to the audio linked below
you will hear that
Jeff Gordon will be driving one of Clint's cars at the Prelude to
the Dream event in June. This Tony
Stewart Foundation sponsored event at the famed Eldora
Speedway, now owned by Tony Stewart, will be televised on HBO Pay-per-View
live. |
Another New Winner: Dennis Erb Jr.’s First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Comes Saturday At Charter Raceway Park Contact:
DIRT MotorSports d/b/a World Racing Group BEAVER DAM, WI – May 12, 2007 – Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., became the second consecutive first-time winner on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, capturing Saturday night’s 50-lap feature at Charter Raceway Park. There were tears of joy visible in Erb’s eyes after he climbed out of his Rayburn car in Victory Lane – clear-cut proof that this was one of the most important triumphs of his career. Erb, 34, has been a regular winner throughout the Midwest in recent years, but few of his checkered flags could match the exhilaration he felt about winning a WoO LMS event at one of the country’s top short-track facilities. “It’s so exciting to win one of these shows,” said Erb, whose best previous finish in 15 career WoO LMS feature starts was a fifth place on Aug. 14, 2006, at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. “This means a lot to us.” The manner in which Erb joined Brian Harris, who scored an upset win on May 9 at the Davenport (Iowa) Speedway Quarter-Mile, as a new WoO LMS victor made his achievement even more memorable. The A-Main’s 11th-place starter, Erb parked his Malcuit-powered Petroff Towing/J&J Steel/Reaber Transportation car in the high-banked, one-third-mile oval’s inside groove and marched forward to snare the lead from Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., on lap 35. Smith
settled for second place after leading laps 1-34 in his J&J Steel/Cliburn
Tank Lines GRT. It was the second bridesmaid run of the 2007 WoO LMS
season for Smith, who scored his only win on April 28 at Kamp Motor
Speedway in Boswell, Ind. A runner-up finish several car lengths behind Erb was still good enough to push Smith back into the WoO LMS points lead over Babb, who ended the night trailing Smith by a mere two points. Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., authored arguably the drive of the night, racing from the 23rd starting spot to a sixth-place finish. He had to use a provisional spot to get in the A-Main after his Rocket No. 29 sustained damage in a heat-race tangle. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., placed seventh, followed by polesitter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. Twenty-nine Late Models entered Charter Raceway Park’s first-ever WoO LMS event, which drew a strong crowd on a chilly night and had track and series officials already looking forward to a return visit in 2008. Richards was the evening’s fast-timer for the first time this season, setting a new track record of 13.643 seconds. Heat winners were Richards, Clint Smith and Francis, and Nick Anvelink of Navarino, Wis., topped the B-Main. The five-race, five-state WoO LMS ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ continues on Sun., May 13, at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway with a 40-lapper paying $7,000-to-win. The tour will close out with $10,000-to-win, 50-lap events on Wed., May 16, at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway and Fri., May 18, at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich. For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Time
of Race: Mins., Secs. 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 12 - 11 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
1.
Clint Smith 1-5-8-$33,600-1,530 (-0) 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 contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. |
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Brian Shirley Thrills Central Illinois Fans With First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Sunday At Lincoln Speedway Contact:
DIRT MotorSports d/b/a World Racing Group LINCOLN, IL – May 13, 2007 – Another local hero turned back the big boys. Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., became the second driver in less than a week to win a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event in front of a partisan hometown crowd, capturing Sunday night’s 40-lap tour A-Main at Lincoln Speedway. Shirley, 26, also was the third consecutive first-time winner on the WoO LMS, following ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ victories by Davenport, Iowa’s Brian Harris on May 9 at the Davenport Speedway Quarter-Mile and Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., on May 12 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis. The victory was worth $7,500 to Shirley, including the $500 ‘World of Outlaws Bonus Bucks’ prize he received for being the top-finishing driver who was not ranked among the top 12 of the WoO LMS point standings nor a previous winner of a tour event. “I couldn’t have picked a better night to win my first World of Outlaws race,” said Shirley, who lives about 45 minutes southwest of the quarter-mile oval. “My Dad, my aunt, my uncle – pretty much all the important people in my life were here tonight. This is just one of those days that touches you.” Driving Ed Petroff’s Petroff Towing/Jayco Construction/J&J Steel Rayburn No. 3s, Shirley started fifth and spent the first half of the race battling for position in the top five. He made his decisive move on a lap-20 restart, using the outside lane to grab the lead from as lap 21 was scored from Erb, who had held the top spot from the initial green flag. With the remainder of the A-Main running caution-free there was no catching Shirley, who crossed the finish line more than a straightaway ahead of Erb’s Petroff Towing/J&J Steel Rayburn. Last year’s WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., recorded a career-best tour finish of third in his Grover Motorsports Rocket, while Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., placed fourth in his Lester Buildings Rocket and three-time WoO LMS champ Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., was fifth in his Banner Valley Hauling Rayburn. “When I went to the high side and I felt like it was pretty good up there, I knew we were good enough to win,” said Shirley, whose best career WoO LMS finish prior to Sunday night was third place, on Sept. 17, 2005, at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. “I just stayed on the top and went forward.” Shirley stopped Erb’s bid to register two WoO LMS triumphs in a row. “It would’ve been nice to get back-to-back wins, but we’ll take a win last night and a second tonight,” said Erb, who started from the pole position. “I actually went soft on tires (the softer compound choice of the UMP Hoosier 20/40 rule that was in effect) because I thought the moisture down on the bottom would last the whole race, but it dried out about halfway through and that worked against us. “I couldn’t run the top, so we had nothing for (Shirley).” The speed of Shirley’s car, which carried a Pro Power engine, didn’t result from any special knowledge he had of Lincoln Speedway. While the track is close to his central Illinois residence, he had only previously competed there one time in his dirt Late Model career. “I ran a UMP (DIRTcar Racing) Summernationals show here in 2005 – that’s it,” said Shirley. “I’m not real familiar with this place.” A former flat-track motorcycle racer now in his fifth year of dirt Late Model action, Shirley was ecstatic about erasing memories of his subpar performance in Saturday night’s WoO LMS show at Charter Raceway Park. “We picked the wrong tires last night and ended up being out to lunch,” said Shirley, who was the upset winner of the 2006 Knoxville (Iowa) Late Models Nationals. “I’m real happy that we came back strong tonight.” Shirley’s initial WoO LMS win came in the 12th tour feature he’s started in his career. Eight of those A-Main appearances have come this season, which has seen the driver known as ‘Squirrel’ become a familiar face in WoO pit areas. He didn’t enter the first three events of 2007, but he’s been on hand for all 10 shows since then. Shirley said he’ll run the final two events of the WoO LMS ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ – on May 16 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway and May 18 at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich. – and plans to head east when the tour resumes action on May 31 at Delaware International Speedway and June 2 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. “We’re gonna keep going (with the series) and see how far we get,” said Shirley. Just two caution flags slowed Sunday night’s A-Main, including one for a lap-20 incident involving Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., a local favorite who entered the program ranked second in the WoO LMS point standings. Babb was battling for a top-five spot at the race’s halfway point when he was forced into a spin on the backstretch. He restarted at the rear of the field but was never a factor again; he ultimately fell one lap down to Shirley and finished 17th. Finishing in positions 6-10 were Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C.; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who advanced one position to third in the WoO LMS point standings; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who extended his points lead to 18 markers over Babb; and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who fell to fourth in the tour standings. Thirty-two cars entered the Mother’s Day special, which played out before a virtual packed house at the Don Hammer-promoted track. Madden registered his first fast time of the season with a lap of 13.448 seconds in qualifying. Heat winners were Moyer, Shirley, Frank and Erb, while Matt Taylor of Springfield, Ill., and Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., topped the B-Mains. Qualifying-race casualties included Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who earned a transfer spot in the fourth heat but had to scratch his car (engine woes) and start at the rear of the A-Main field in a backup; Jeep VanWormer of Piconning, Mich., whose second-fastest lap in time trials became a moot point when engine problems sidelined him in his heat; and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who retired from the second B-Main with terminal mechanical trouble but started the feature in a backup mount thanks to being the recipient of a WoO LMS points provisional. The five-race, five-state WoO LMS ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ concludes this week with events at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway on Wed., May 16, and I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., on Fri., May 18. For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(5) Brian Shirley/40 $7,500 Yellow
Flags: 2 (Laps 6, 20) 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. WoO LMS ON TELEVISION: Six World of Outlaws Late Model Series events this season will be televised on the SPEED cable network. The first two one-hour broadcasts are set to air on Sun., May 20, at 2 p.m. (Virginia Motor Speedway’s ‘Rumble on the River III’ from April 14) and Sun., May 27, at 12:30 p.m. (Lernerville Speedway’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ from April 17). The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. |
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Wednesday Night Win At Brownstown Speedway Extends Dennis Erb Jr.’s Hot Streak On World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contact:
DIRT MotorSports™ d/b/a World Racing Group BROWNSTOWN, IN – May 16, 2007 – The ‘One Man Band’ is making big-time noise on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Dennis Erb Jr. continued his hot streak on the Outlaws’ ‘Monster Midwest Tour,’ leading Wednesday night’s ‘Hall of Fame 50’ at Brownstown Speedway from flag-to-flag to register his second victory in the last three races. The $10,000 triumph extended a spectacular five-day span of WoO LMS action for the 34-year-old from Carpentersville, Ill., who won his first career tour feature on May 12 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., and finished second in a 40-lap A-Main on May 13 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway. “It’s been one great stretch, that’s for sure,” said the soft-spoken Erb, a top competitor from the UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model circuit. “Nothing really made me think this (streak) was coming. I just try to run good every time I race, and right now everything’s clicking.” After living up to his nickname by driving his hauler solo to Brownstown Speedway’s first-ever WoO LMS event – his one regular crewperson, Heather Lyne, was unable to make the trip – Erb dominated the evening’s 50-lap A-Main. He blasted off the pole position to assume command at the initial green flag and never looked back, fending off challenges from Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., en route to the checkered flag. Erb drove his Petroff Towing/Thomason Transportation Rayburn to a final victory margin of roughly six car lengths over Pearson, who settled for runner-up money in NASCAR star Bobby Labonte’s Lifelong Locks MasterSbilt No. 44. It was the third overall victory of the month for the sizzling Erb, who also topped a weekly UMP DIRTcar Racing feature on May 5 at Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway. O’Neal finished third in Brownstown Speedway business partner Jerry Jones’s Rayburn mount, earning him the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who has never won a tour event and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current series point standings. Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., started from the outside pole but fell to a fourth-place finish in Billy Moyer Sr.’s Car City Rayburn, and three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., rallied from the rear after making an early pit stop to complete the top five in his Banner Valley Hauling Rayburn. Erb, who in 2005 won a Northern All-Stars Late Model Series event and a regular show at Brownstown, mastered the quarter-mile track’s inside groove on Wednesday night. That was precisely part of his plan. “Usually this place gets black-slick all the way across the track,” said Erb, who picked up some pit-area preparation assistance at Brownstown from a couple of his sponsors. “But when I looked at the surface before the feature, it looked like it was gonna keep some moisture on the bottom. “I saw Don O’Neal win the Jackson 100 (at Brownstown) last year by running the bottom and using soft tires, so I set up to do the same thing.” The only driver who seriously challenged Erb happened to be O’Neal, but the local favorite’s inside bid for the lead on lap 12 fell short. O’Neal then lost contact with Erb, falling to third when Pearson drove by on a lap-15 restart. “I saw O’Neal underneath me one time,” said Erb. “But I just kept driving as hard as I could – and I wasn’t gonna get off that bottom unless someone passed me.” Though Erb encountered some heavy pockets of lapped traffic late in a race that ran caution-free from lap 15 to the finish, Pearson never offered a major challenge for the lead. “He just got off the corners so much better than I could,” said Pearson, who started fourth. “He had a lot of drive on the bottom. “I knew I couldn’t do anything with him, so I didn’t want to mess with him. I just settled in and rode it out to finish second.” Pearson was more than pleased with earning a $5,000 runner-up check. “Erb’s been hot, and the Rayburns (chassis) have been hot around here lately,” said Pearson. “It’s nice to come here with a MasterSbilt and new Mopar engine and finish second, especially considering the way we’ve been running lately.” The drive of the night might have been turned in by Moyer, who has 14 career wins at Brownstown. Though Moyer started third, the veteran had to restart at the rear of the field after being involved in a multi-car tangle in turn one on lap five. Later, during a lap-15 caution period, he pitted to change a tire. When Moyer returned, he took off, using the track’s middle groove in a manner no one else could match. Without the benefit of a caution flag, he made it all the way to fifth by lap 39 and was closing on Babb for fourth as the race ended. Babb, who started from the outside pole, was disappointed with the setup choices that contributed to his fourth-place finish, but the performance was good enough to pull him back into a tie for the WoO LMS points lead with Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. Smith, who led Babb by 18 points entering the event, qualified through a B-Main and struggled to a 13th-place finish. Rounding out the top 10 was Patrick Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., who climbed as high as fifth from the 15th starting spot; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.,; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who ended the night tied for fourth in the WoO LMS point standings with Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Rick Aukland of Zanesville, Ohio; and Scott James of Greendale, Ind. Forty-seven cars entered the event, which was run on a cool, breezy spring night. Shaver set fast time with a lap of 14.639 seconds. Heat winners were Erb, Moyer, Pearson and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., while Sheltra and Brandon Kinzer of Allen, Ky., captured the B-Mains. Heat-race qualifier Justin Ratliff of Campbellsville, Ky., was scheduled to start third in the A-Main, but WoO LMS officials sent him to the rear of the field as a penalty for presenting his car late for the pre-race homestretch driver introductions. Local favorite Steve Barnett of Franklin, Ind., and Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., were also penalized for reporting late to the track, but both drivers were already scheduled to occupy the last two starting spots. Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(1) Dennis Erb Jr./50 $10,000 Yellow
Flags: 2 (Laps 5, 15) 2007
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 16 - 13
features completed 1.
(tie) Shannon Babb 3-8-10-$49,750-1,786 (-0) The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. |
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World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ Contact:
DIRT MotorSports™ d/b/a World Racing Group GREAT RALLY: If Clint Smith goes on to win the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, he’ll look back fondly on May 18 at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich. As Smith said following the ‘Great Lakes 50,’ “We were about five seconds away from losing a bunch of points.” Smith, who entered the finale of the five-race ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ tied for the points lead with Shannon Babb, was sitting in his car in the staging area waiting to start ninth in the feature when his night took a sudden turn. Ignition problems left him unable to fire up his GRT No. 44, forcing him into a mad scramble to get his backup machine on the track. Complicating matters, when Smith realized the seriousness of the situation, he couldn’t immediately find his two crewmen. Crew chief Johnny Cloer Jr. was already near the racetrack on a four-wheeler preparing to watch the race, and mechanic Jeff Strope had just visited the concession stand for a slice of pizza. “I had my old, fat butt running all over the pits looking for my crew,” quipped Smith, 42, of Senoia, Ga. Once Smith located his guys, they hastily unloaded their second car, poured five extra gallons of fuel in its tank and bolted on suitable tires. Smith drove onto the racetrack and tagged the rear of the field as the pack made its final pace lap before taking the green flag. Smith ended up racing a car that “still had a quarter-mile (track) setup in it from Brownstown (Ind.),” but he went forward. With the help of only a single caution flag, on lap 37, he advanced to a 10th-place finish. That left him just three spots behind the seventh-finishing Babb, sending Smith home relieved to be trailing Babb by a mere six points in the standings. “All that gear we had in the car (to run a quarter-mile) actually might have helped us,” said Smith. “I had to stay down on the bottom, so when everybody would swing out on the straightaways, I’d just drive by ‘em on the bottom.” ‘WEIGHTY’ SOLUTION?: Chub Frank might have found an unexpected solution to his recent struggles as the ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ drew to a close. During the off-season the 45-year-old adhered to a strict diet regime and lost about 40 pounds, leaving him with a svelte look that belies the name ‘Chub.’ He didn’t consider the possibility that his significant weight loss might have affected his car’s setup by altering its weight distribution – until the May 13 show at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.“I put 25 pounds of lead back in (the car) at Lincoln,” said Frank, who was accompanied on the entire Midwest swing by only his wife Mary, crew chief Brad Baum and his two Chihuahuas. “We’ve been struggling and had to do something, so I figured putting some lead in (to compensate for his weight loss) would be a start.” The result? Frank finished third at Lincoln and scored his first WoO LMS victory of the season at I-96 Speedway. “We have run better since we added the lead,” Frank said after winning at I-96. “It might just be psychological, but it seems to have helped.” BEAMING DRIVER: Tim Fuller was probably never more enthused about a fourth-place finish than he was on Friday night at I-96 Speedway. And why not? It was by far the best run of his career in WoO LMS competition. Fuller, a 39-year-old from Watertown, N.Y., who is the tour’s leading Rookie of the Year contender this season, registered the second-fastest time in qualifying, won a heat race and climbed as high as second in the 50-lap feature (from the sixth starting spot) before settling for his first top-10 finish in WoO LMS action. At one point Fuller even had visions of a win dancing through his head. “I was catching Chub, and my eyes got wide,” smiled Fuller, who drove John Wight’s Custom-powered Gypsum Racing Rocket. “But I knew it was gonna be tough. He was on cruise mode.” Fuller’s bid was likely hampered a bit by damage to the right side of his car’s spoiler, which dangled noticeably after apparently absorbing a hit from a flying rock midway through the race. But running so competitively was enough for the veteran DIRTcar Modified ace, who credited a day of testing on Thursday at Winston Motor Speedway in Rothbury, Mich., with getting him on the right track. “We practiced all day yesterday and it helped out a lot,” said Fuller. “It was good to go somewhere where it didn’t matter. We just tried a bunch of stuff, and then we unloaded here, went out, and looked good.” EXTRA LAPS: There was a whole lot of testing going on among WoO LMS teams during off-days from the ‘Monster Midwest Tour.’ Fuller was one of five travelers who tested on Thursday at Winston Motor Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval near Port City Racing’s headquarters in Muskegon, Mich. He joined Clint Smith, Shane Clanton, Chub Frank and Chris Madden at the western Michigan track. Also on Thursday, Rick Eckert participated in a MasterSbilt test session at Brownstown Speedway. And earlier in the week Josh Richards spent an evening testing at Kenny Schrader’s I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. SHUT OUT: It was slightly surprising to see the Midwest swing go by without a victory by Moweaqua, Ill.’s Shannon Babb, who had won UMP DIRTcar Summernationals events in the past at Lincoln and I-96. “We’ve been struggling in the slick (surface),” Babb said after closing the tour with a seventh-place finish at I-96. “We were way too loose tonight. I was like a duck flailing in the water. “But I know what we have to do to turn things around. We’ve got to get better.” Babb ended the swing leading the WoO LMS points by six markers over Smith. He has not yet committed to pursuing the tour championship, but with only three WoO LMS events remaining before the start of the UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals and Babb still looking strong atop the points, he’s thinking long and hard about his options. The next two WoO LMS events will be at tracks Babb has never visited –on May 31 at Delaware International Speedway and June 2 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. He’s especially interested in the Conococheague 50 at Hagerstown, a track he’s “heard a lot about.” SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING: A frustrating 2007 season reached its boiling point for Darrell Lanigan on May 16 at Brownstown Speedway. After pulling out of Brownstown’s B-Main with an underperforming car and failing to earn one of the event’s two WoO LMS provisionals, Lanigan found himself sitting on the sidelines for a tour feature for the first time since Sept. 18, 2005, at the Springfield (Ill.) Mile. The DNQ prompted Lanigan to drive back to his shop in Union, Ky., and load up two new Rocket cars to enter in Friday’s program at I-96. The decision seemed to pay dividends with a heat win and a solid sixth-place finish in the feature, but he lost fifth to Shane Clanton heading to the white flag. Amazingly, Lanigan is still searching for his first top-five finish after 14 WoO LMS A-Mains this season. Last year he led all drivers with 16 top-fives in 30 events. SORELY NEEDED: Clanton hopes that his strong outing at I-96 was the catalyst for a surge that gets him back on track after a particularly ugly month of racing. After taking the points lead with a second-place finish on April 14 at Virginia Motor Speedway, Clanton experienced an eight-race freefall that saw him fail to crack the top-five even once and tumble to eighth in the point standings. He left I-96 still 112 points behind Babb, but with some confidence. “We got a lot better tonight,” said Clanton, last year’s WoO LMS points runner-up. “We just have to keep plugging away.” Clanton, 31, was blazing fast in qualifying at I-96, obliterating the standing track record by over one second and easily winning a heat. But he drew the seventh starting spot for the feature and didn’t really get rolling until it was too late. “I wish I’d drawn that number one (pill),” smiled Clanton. “Running in clean air is big on a half-mile like this. When you’re back in the pack the air disturbs the dirt, and you get to running on the dust and can’t get no traction. When the track got cleaned up at the end we really got good, but there wasn’t enough time left.” DEDICATED TRAVELER: The unknown registrant in this year’s WoO LMS Rookie of the Year chase is Roy Mitchell, a dedicated low-buck racer from Rensselaer, Ill. Mitchell, 39, made the long haul to Florida for the DIRTcar Nationals in February and has entered seven more WoO LMS events since then, including all five of the ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ shows. He’s gotten his Rocket No. 93 into two features – at Indiana’s Kamp Motor Speedway and Friday night at I-96 – because he ranked high enough in the WoO LMS point standings to be eligible for a tour provisional. After a 20th-place finish at I-96, Mitchell sits 20th in the WoO LMS point standings. Only Tim Fuller and Adam Hensel are above him in the Rookie of the Year race, though Mitchell understands the gap between himself and a fulltime pro like Fuller is immense. “Just to have a chance to be here and compete on the same track as the best in the business is a thrill for me,” said Mitchell, who started racing a Street Stock in 1986 and has been competing in the dirt Late Model division at tracks like Kamp and Kankakee (Ill.) Motor Speedway since 1995 (he’s still looking for his first win). Mitchell demonstrated his pluck getting to I-96 for Friday’s program. He arrived late – just as hot laps were starting – because he had to tend to business before hitting the highway. A truck driver owner/operator, Mitchell woke up early Friday morning to pick up a load of frozen Nathan’s hot dogs in Chicago. He returned to his shop, dropped the trailer filled with frankfurters and bolted on his race car trailer, and then towed to Michigan. “On Sunday at noon I’ll head out to Bedford, Pa., to deliver the hot dogs,” said Mitchell, who plans to return to the WoO LMS when the tour hits River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., on June 12. NOTABLE… * Chub Frank’s victory at I-96 was the eighth of his career on the WoO LMS, but his first outside of Pennsylvania (Lernerville and Tri-City), New York (Fulton, Rolling Wheels, Cayuga County) and Ohio (Wayne County). * There have been 11 different winners in the first 14 races of the 2007 WoO LMS season. Last year there were 13 different winners in 30 events. * Dennis Erb Jr.’s pair of WoO LMS victories at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., and Brownstown – his biggest wins since a $15,000 UMP Challenge of Champions score in 2005 at I-55 Raceway – came at an opportune time. Combined with his second-place finish at Lincoln and a third at I-96, Erb pocketed $28,000 over a four-race period. He said that cash will allow him to finish up an engine that he has earmarked for duty on this year’s UMP DIRTcar Summernationals. * Eddie Carrier Jr., the 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year, thought his luck had taken a turn for the better when he finished a tour career-best third at Lincoln on May 13. Unfortunately, he was sadly mistaken. Carrier failed to qualify at Brownstown after absorbing a car-damaging hit on the first lap of his heat race, and at I-96 his strong run toward a certain transfer spot in his heat was sidetracked by a flat tire. He made the cut at I-96 by winning a B-Main, but another flat dive-bombed his A-Main effort. * Steve Francis used a provisional to get in a feature for the first time this season at Brownstown, where he slid off the track between turns three and four while holding a transfer spot on the final lap of a B-Main. * Rick Eckert liked his chances for success in Brownstown’s 50-lapper, which he started from the ninth spot. But a couple laps into the race he had a scrape with Billy Moyer that cut his car’s right-rear tire, and on lap five he got sideways in turn one when the tire went flat and a multi-car tangle resulted. Eckert returned after a pit stop but was later lapped and finished 20th. It was his worst finish of the season. * All five tracks on the ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ were new to Chris Madden, who did well in the first three events (seventh at Davenport, third at Charter, sixth at Lincoln) before capping the swing with disappointing finishes at Brownstown (19th after using a provisional) and I-96 (12th). * The loudest cheers at I-96 Speedway were directed toward homestate favorite Jeep VanWormer, who lives 150 miles northeast of the track in Pinconning, Mich. VanWormer put on a show in his heat race, coming from the rear of the field to gain a transfer spot after a flat tire forced him to pit midway through the prelim. He was never a factor en route to a 13th-place finish in the feature, but he earned the $500 World of Outlaws Bonus Bucks award for being the highest-finishing driver who was not ranked among the top 12 of the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a tour A-Main. * UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model national points leader Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., arrived late to the track and didn’t get any hot laps. He missed transferring to the feature by one spot in his B-Main. * Veteran Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, competed in the Brownstown event with a broken right thumb suffered on April 28 at Hagerstown Speedway. * Brownstown Speedway promoter Tim Keithley was on crutches Wednesday due to a broken right foot he sustained in a recent fall from a track water truck. * I-96 Speedway is operated by former Midwest Sprint Car racer Mike Mouch, who at 29 is one of the country’s youngest track owners. He purchased the half-mile three years ago and has been making steady improvements to the facility, which will host the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on Fri., July 27. For
more information visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. |
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World of Outlaws Late Model News & Notes: Delaware International Speedway & Hagerstown Speedway CONCORD, NC – June 4, 2007 – TRYING SOMETHING OLD: Shannon Babb hasn’t been happy with his recent performance on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, so he pulled a race car out of mothballs in hopes of getting his groove back. Babb entered Thursday night’s ‘First State 50’ at Delaware International Speedway behind the wheel of the C.J. Rayburn-built machine that he drove in most of last year’s UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals events. The car had sat idle since he steered it to victory in the 2006 Summernationals finale on July 15 at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio. “I’ve been looking at the thing in the shop the last few weeks and thinking about running it,” said Babb. “I thought running the old car might help us figure out what we might be doing wrong with the new (’07 style) car.” Babb dropped out midway through DIS’s A-Main due to an engine meltdown that he said resulted from his continuing to race with an overheating condition, but the information he learned during the night was worthwhile. He broke out his new-style car on Saturday night at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway and promptly piloted the Jay Dickens-powered No. 18 to victory in the ‘Conococheague 50.’ “I got my mind right again,” Babb said when asked about the benefits of using his old mount, which he will likely yield to a prospective buyer upon returning to his Illinois shop. “I’m back to thinking the right things.”
POST-RACE VISIT: Chub Frank took an unusually long time to drive his car back to the pit area after being feted in Victory Lane for his triumph in the ‘First State 50’ at Delaware International. The Bear Lake, Pa., driver spent nearly a half-hour parked on the homestretch talking to his aunt, a resident of nearby Dover, Del., who surprised Frank with her appearance at Thursday’s race. She waved to him from the grandstand area during the post-race ceremonies, prompting Frank to call her down to the track for some pictures. Frank’s win, by the way, marked the first time he has captured back-to-back WoO LMS events in his career. He fell short, however, of becoming just the fourth driver since 2004 to win three straight WoO LMS A-Mains, finishing fourth on Saturday night at Hagerstown. ‘Chubzilla’ was happy with a top-five run at Hagerstown, but a bit perplexed about his car’s performance. “I’ve never been that loose here before,” Frank said after Hagerstown’s checkered flag. “We even actually tightened up more and still were loose. “I
don’t know what it was, but (the surface) was just so slippery.
Usually we run three-wheel brake here, and we were running four-wheel
brake from like lap two.” BAD NEWS: After driving his Raye Vest-owned MasterSbilt to a second-place finish at Delaware International, Rick Eckert was hopeful that the WoO LMS doubleheader at two tracks close to his York, Pa., home would be good to him. Unfortunately, Saturday night at Hagerstown was forgettable for the veteran racer. He relinquished a potential top-10 finish when a flat left-rear tire forced him to pit during a lap-23 caution period (he continued and finished 18th), and bad news he received following the A-Main led him to cut short his usual post-race visiting with family and friends at Hagerstown. Eckert was informed that his 17-year-old nephew, Cody Darrah, had been injured in a hard 410 Sprint Car crash on Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., and was being transported to a nearby hospital. Eckert left the track and later learned that Darrah had suffered a broken arm. WHAT A RUN: The darling of Hagerstown’s ‘Conococheague 50’ had to be Jason Covert, a 36-year-old good guy from York Haven, Pa., who has proven his skills in a dirt Late Model since joining Barry Klinedinst’s team last year. Driving an ’02 Rocket car equipped with an SB-2 motor rebuilt during the off-season by Curt Hershey, the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) champion ran toe-to-toe with the Outlaws and finished a sterling second. His $5,500 payday was the biggest single-race earnings of his career. “It’s intimidating (to race with the Outlaws), but I love it,” said Covert, whose next WoO LMS start should be the Wed., June 20, event at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. “These guys are the best, and they race hard and clean. You learn so much racing with them, because they race so hard every lap. I’m used to just local racing, short 25-lappers, and these guys make you realize there’s no laps off. “Even if you run 20th (in a WoO LMS A-Main), you learn so much. I’ve got a huge learning curve going right now racing with all these different series, but it makes you a better driver.” BABY O.K.: Gray Court, S.C.’s Chris Madden sent thanks out to all the members of the racing fraternity who provided thoughts and prayers over the past week to Chris and his wife Stephanie, who gave birth to the couple’s third child, a boy named Avery, one month prematurely. The early delivery created concern and cast doubt on Madden’s participation in the WoO LMS doubleheader, but the baby weighed in at nearly seven pounds and doctors assured Madden early in the week that Avery would be healthy enough to go home within days. Madden ran well in his first career appearance at both tracks, but there was no storybook victory to present his new son. He finished fourth at DIS and suffered his first DNF of the WoO LMS season at Hagerstown due to terminal engine trouble.
THE CHAMP RETURNS: Reigning WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie entered both events, hitting the dirt hot off a lengthy stock-car test session at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday. McCreadie, who is learning the NASCAR stock-car ropes this season as a Richard Childress Racing development driver, joined with NASCAR regular Scott Wimmer to test the new R07 Chevy Nextel Cup engine for RCR. McCreadie got plenty of seat time, turning nearly 400 miles in the car. The Kentucky laps were all invaluable to McCreadie, who is preparing to make his first starts in ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series events in the near future. A GOOD NIGHT: Teenage WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards was very satisfied with a fifth-place finish in Saturday night’s ‘Conococheague 50.’ “A top-five at Hagerstown is a big deal for me,” said Richards, who enjoyed his best run ever at the half-mile oval. “I’ve always had a tough time trying to get used to this place, so it feels good that we went forward. “I’m still trying to get better at any place where you have to use a lot of brake, and Hagerstown is one of those places. Once you get the braking down, you can get better here.”
FUN IN THE SUN: A large contingent of WoO LMS teams took advantage of Friday’s off-day between DIS and Hagerstown to enjoy some R&R in Ocean City, Md. The teams that headed to the beach – Clint Smith, Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Rick Eckert (who owns a property in Ocean City), Shane Clanton, Darrell Lanigan, Eddie Carrier Jr., John Blankenship and Tim McCreadie – spent time playing beach volleyball, riding go-karts, strolling the boardwalk and visiting watering holes such as the famed ‘Purple Moose.’ NOTABLE… * Darrell Lanigan remained without a top-five finish in WoO LMS action this season after outings of sixth (DIS) and 10th (Hagerstown). He appeared primed for his first top-five at DIS, but Clint Smith snuck by him for fifth heading to the white flag. * Steve Francis remained consistent with finishes of third (DIS) and seventh (Hagerstown), but he continues to be frustrated by his uncharacteristically long winless streak on the WoO LMS. His last victory came on May 5, 2006, at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio – a losing streak that now sits at 39 races. * Accompanying Shannon Babb on the trip east was his fiancée Emily Meyers, who is still beaming since Babb proposed to her just prior to leaving on his first WoO LMS jaunt east in mid-April. The couple has not yet set a date for their wedding, but she noted with a smile, “It definitely won’t be during racing season.” * Top ’07 rookie contender Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., missed his first WoO LMS event of the season on Thursday at DIS. He opted to compete in that night’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series show for big-block Modifieds at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. Fuller was back in his John Wight-owned dirt Late Model on Saturday at Hagerstown and said that for the remainder of the season he will run every WoO LMS event that does not conflict with a Modified SDS date. He said he made a commitment to his DIRTcar Modified sponsor, John Lazore, to chase the Mr. DIRTcar Modified championship this season so those races will take precedence for him, but his plan is to go WoO LMS racing fulltime in 2008. * Veterans Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa., and Les Hare of Felton, Pa. – both winners of WoO LMS A-Mains at Hagerstown during the tour’s first incarnation (1988-89) – were in the field on Saturday night. Hare failed to qualify, but Stuhler won a heat race and ran in the top five early in the feature before fading to an eighth-place finish. * Several drivers had rough run-ins with the marker tires that are buried on the inside of the turns at Delaware International. The group included Clint Smith, who bent his car’s left-front spindle when he hit a tire during his heat but still managed to qualify; Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who knocked his car’s handling off-kilter when he clipped a tire while bidding for second place on lap seven of the A-Main (a lap-21 scrape with McCreadie that sent him over the bank in turns three and four caused Elliott to fall to eighth at the finish); Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who spun between turns one and two after catching a tire on lap eight of the feature; and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., whose crew had to bolt on a new nosepiece after he bounced over the tires during heat action. * Thursday’s program at Delaware International was rough on Pennsylvanians Jim Bernheisel and Davey Johnson. Bernheisel, a chassis builder who fields a house car for Johnson in selected events, saw his own night behind the wheel of Rob Ormsbee’s car end due to a broken steering rack during heat competition. Johnson, meanwhile, had his Bernheisel No. 1J sidelined by engine woes during time trials, so he drove the No. 119 normally steered by Bernheisel the rest of the night. A heat-race tangle bent up the machine, but he qualified through a B-Main and completed 33 laps before retiring from the feature. * DIS regular Kerry King was able to limp across the finish line of the second heat in a transfer spot despite the heavy damage his car sustained in a final-lap tangle that also involved Johnson, but he couldn’t repair the machine for the feature. So what did King do? Since his shop is barely one mile for the track, he had a second car hauled over on a flatbed and ran it in the feature. He had to start at the rear of the field, however. Contact:
DIRT MotorSports? d/b/a World Racing Group |
|
ROSSBURG, OH – June 6, 2007 – NASCAR Nextel Cup mega-star Jeff Gordon will make his first dirt-track start since 1991 with some help from an old-school southern racer known as ‘Cat Daddy.’ When Gordon takes the green flag in the ‘Nextel Prelude to the Dream’ event on Wednesday night (June 6) at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway, he’ll be behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model fielded by Clint Smith, a veteran dirt-tracker from Senoia, Ga., who certainly won’t get starry-eyed in Gordon’s presence. In fact, Smith, 42, believes his reputation as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense competitor helped bring him together with Gordon for a unique event in which two-dozen well-known drivers from motorsports’ big leagues will have some fun racing dirt Late Models to benefit the Victory Junction Gang. “I think (event organizers) knew I could kind of handle Jeff Gordon’s ‘status,’ you could say,” said Smith, the current points leader of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. “They knew we wouldn’t be overwhelmed with him, and he wouldn’t be intimidated with us. I could just teach and help him a little bit (with dirt Late Models), and we could have a good little team. “Jeff and these (NASCAR) guys are from a different type of racing – they’re ‘celebrity’ types, I like to say,” he continued. “But I’ve raced with a lot of those guys, and I know a bunch of them. I’m not overwhelmed by those guys at all. “As far as I see it, they’re just like we are – we’re at the top of our sport, and they’re at the top of their sport. To me, we’re the same status – except they’ve got a lot more money.” For Smith, the best part about being associated with one of the country’s most famous sports figures for the night is the excitement it will provide his family.
“My wife (Kim), and my daughter (14-year-old Jenna), it’ll be fun for them because they don’t get to see people like Jeff Gordon very often,” said Smith. “My daughter will get to meet Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon – Tony Stewart’s her idol, and she likes Jeff Gordon too. She’s going to get a chance to meet people she wouldn’t normally get to meet if I was just a regular Dad.” Smith will admit that he’s proud to have Gordon driving his car – and in that vein, he’ll make one request of Gordon for posterity. “I’m going to get Gordon to sign the door (of the Late Model he drives),” said Smith. “I’m going to put that thing in my basement. Twenty years from now we might sit there, look at that door, and say, ‘This guy has won more (NASCAR Nextel Cup) championships than anybody, and he raced my car once.’ That’s a pretty cool deal.” Smith has prepared a GRT chassis dirt Late Model for Gordon that’s been painted and lettered with Gordon’s familiar rainbow colors and No. 24. He had to bolt in a new seat and make some adjustments to the positioning of the car’s pedals – after all, Smith has at least six inches and 100 pounds on Gordon – but otherwise the machine will be identical to what Smith normally races. Gordon hasn’t raced on dirt since a USAC Midget event in 1991, but Smith has little doubt the current Nextel Cup points leader will get comfortable with alacrity. And if Gordon enjoys himself, Smith would have no problem teaming up again with him in the future. “It’s gonna be a great deal,” said Smith. “Maybe we’ll even build a relationship and he’ll want to run a (dirt Late Model) race later in the year if he can. If he does, he can just give me a call and we’ll stick his seat in and go racin’.” ***** Two other WoO LMS regulars will be teamed with NASCAR stars for Wednesday’s ‘Nextel Prelude to the Dream’ at Eldora Speedway. Josh Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., will continue his close relationship with Eldora owner Tony Stewart, who will drive the Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats No. 20 from the Rocket Chassis shop of Josh’s father Mark. Josh will serve as Stewart’s crew chief for the night. Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., meanwhile, will be partnered with Ryan Newman for the ‘Prelude.’ Francis, who became acquainted with Newman through reps at Mopar, has prepared a brand-new Ranger Boats/Jasper Engines & Transmissions Rocket for Newman; Newman’s old USAC number, 39, will adorn the car’s doors. For more information on Eldora Speedway, visit www.eldoraspeedway.com. Contact:
DIRT MotorSports? d/b/a World Racing Group |
| Chub Frank’s Third-Place Finish Leads World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingent In $100,000 ‘Dream’ At Eldora Speedway ROSSBURG, OH – June 9, 2007 – Chub Frank wanted to leave Eldora Speedway on Saturday night with $100,000 in his pocket, but he had to settle for a payoff with one less zero. The Bear Lake, Pa., star finished third in the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream XIII, giving him a $10,000 check and the honor of being the highest-placing World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular in the prestigious event. Seven drivers who have entered every WoO LMS program so far in 2007 made the 24-car starting field of the 100-lap Dream, which saw 28-year-old Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., score a monumental upset victory over three-time event winner and 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. “I would’ve liked that 100-grand, but third’s not bad,” said Frank, who has won two of the last three WoO LMS A-Mains. “It’ll pay a couple of bills.” Frank, 45, started sixth and ran in the top five for the entire distance, but he could never find sufficient speed in his Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Rocket No. 1* to make a serious bid for the biggest winner’s prize in dirt Late Model racing. “I just didn’t have enough drive,” said Frank. “I was too loose on entry, and that hurt me all the way through the corner. “I tried to tighten my stuff up as tight as I could get it, but I still didn’t get it tight enough.” Frank was probably at his best around the three-quarter mark of the 100, when he passed Scott James of Greendale, Ind., for third. He was still more than a straightaway behind Casebolt and Bloomquist, however, and a caution flag on lap 79 dulled any momentum he had built up during a green-flag stretch of 51 laps. “The only shot I had was when (the surface) got to having a little abrasion,” said Frank. “I got a little better and got by James (for third), but then the yellow came out and the abrasion went away. My car didn’t take off after (the race) went back green.” A winner of Eldora’s World 100 classic in 2004, Frank registered a career-best finish in the Dream. His high-water mark in four previous Dream starts was fifth place, in both 2000 and 2004. “We’re happy,” said Frank, who drove a car that had seen action only once previously this season (during February’s Florida DIRTcar Nationals). “The last two years we didn’t even make the Dream, so this was definitely a step in the right direction. “We’ll be back here for a World of Outlaws (LMS) show next month (Fri., July 27), and we’ll try something different to see if we can get better.” ENCOURAGING RUN: Union, Ky.’s Darrell Lanigan has yet to record a top-five finish through 16 WoO LMS events this season, so he took his fourth-place run in the Dream as a sign that better days might be ahead. Lanigan, who turned 37 on June 3, needed just 12 laps to break into the top five after starting 16th. The charge had his crew thinking that he would march straight to Victory Lane, but his hopes of repeating a 2003 triumph in the Dream stalled there. The Bluegrass Bandit’s tires sealed up following a lap-28 caution flag, forcing him to spend the remainder of the distance simply maintaining his position in the top five. Lanigan was behind the wheel of a brand-new Rocket car that has been sitting in his shop since the winter months waiting for duty at Eldora.
NOT WHAT HE WANTED: Armed with the outside-pole starting spot for the Dream after a strong heat-race victory, current WoO LMS points leader Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., was bullish about his chances of capturing the first crown-jewel dirt Late Model event of his career. But Smith faded badly at the start – he fell back as far as 12th – and never quite recovered. He climbed back as high as fifth before settling for an eighth-place finish in what was his second career Dream 100 A-Main start (he finished 19th in 2000). “We just missed on weight placement,” said Smith, noting that he had to bolt on lead because UMP rules do not permit a burn-off tolerance of one pound per lap. “Our car was real good in the heat, but we had to put the weight on for the feature and that hurt us. We had to put 120 or 30 pounds on the car, and we didn’t put it on in the right place. “I think I still could’ve run fifth, but I got tangled up with a few lapped cars (late in the distance) and lost a couple spots before I got free from them.”
Smith said that Gordon brought a big contingent of Hendrick Motorsports crewmen with him – and the mechanics got their hands dirty helping Smith’s crew fix some damage that Gordon’s car sustained in a hot-lap scrape. "We built some good relationships with those guys,” said Smith. “They all wanted (Clint Smith) t-shirts so we gave ‘em some, and we’re gonna go over to Charlotte and work on our car at their shop when we’re up there (for a WoO LMS event) later in the year.” STEADY EDDIE: Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., continued to show some strength at Eldora, transferring to the Dream 100 for the third straight year. The 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the year finished third in the night’s first heat race and then steered his Rocket No. 28 to a 14th-place finish in the feature. That run backed up his 11th in 2005 and 15th in 2006. MISSED THE SETUP: While teenage WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards looked stout rolling to a second-place finish in his heat race, he was never a factor in the A-Main. Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards didn’t make any headway from his eighth starting spot for the first quarter of the Dream, so he pulled his car into the pit area for adjustments during a lap-28 caution period. A quick restart green flag caught him in the pits, however, putting him a lap down and leaving him to spend the remainder of the distance trying setup ideas in advance of Eldora’s WoO LMS show on July 27 and the World 100 on Sept. 7-8. “We were so good here last year (fourth-place finish in the World 100), but the track changed so much,” said Richards, pointing out the slicker conditions for Saturday’s Dream. “We didn’t know how far to go (with the setup), and we didn’t tighten the car up enough. “We weren’t any good, so we came in and made some changes. We ended up losing a lap, but we went back out so we could at least get some laps to figure out what we need to do when we come back later this year.” NO ‘DREAM’ OUTINGS: Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (17th place), Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C. (18th) and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (21st) weren’t happy with their performances in the A-Main. Clanton stopped on the track with broken spur gears on lap 79; Madden went the wrong way with his setup after a strong B-Main run; and Francis was knocked from contention after losing a lap when he pitted to make changes during a lap-28 caution period. MISSING THE SHOW: Among the high-profile non-qualifiers were Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (this year’s winningest WoO LMS driver) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (the top tour winner in 2006). Normally very strong at Eldora, Babb missed the Dream field for the second straight year. He finished seventh in the B-Main, which transferred four cars. “The track threw us for a loop,” conceded Babb. “We threw everything at the car, but we just couldn’t get going.” Eckert, meanwhile, started from the pole position in the B-Main, but he tumbled backward and finished a dismal sixth, missing the cut by two spots. “I was already loose,” said the 1999 Dream winner, who had to scramble to secure help for the weekend after his two fulltime crewmen left his team earlier in the week. “Then when dirt got on the racetrack when I was behind somebody, it just made me even looser.” Also failing to qualify was John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who was unable to parlay an outside-pole starting spot in the sixth heat into a feature appearance. He finished fifth in the heat and 13th in the B-Main. NOT GOOD FOR THE CHAMPS: While ’04 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist finished a solid second in the Dream, the tour’s only other champions – Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (1988, 1989, 2005) and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2006) – had forgettable weekends. Moyer’s rough going in the Dream continued. His night ended with an 11th-place finish in the C-Main, leaving him a DNQ in the event for the third straight year. McCreadie, meanwhile, was the fastest qualifier in Friday’s time trials by over a half-second, but a busted oil cooler as he ran third in the first heat forced him to use his fast-time provisional to start 19th in the A-Main. He moved forward but said his Sweeteners Plus No. 39 was never a contender en route to a ninth-place finish. The WoO LMS returns to action on Tues., June 12, at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak. The event kicks off a busy week that also includes visits to Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on Thurs., June 14; Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on Fri., June 15; Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., on Sat., June 16; and the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks on Sun., June 17. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Dirt
Late Model Dream XIII Finish (100 laps – 2007 WoO LMS Drivers
In Caps): Contact:
DIRT MotorSports? d/b/a World Racing Group |
Fuller Overtakes Carrier In Final Laps For First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Tuesday At River Cities Speedway GRAND
FORKS, ND – June 12, 2007 – Tim Fuller has officially arrived
as a dirt Late Model racer. The DIRTcar big-block Modified veteran from
Watertown, N.Y., made his mark on the full-fender division in dramatic
fashion on Tuesday night, passing Eddie Carrier Jr. for the lead with
four laps remaining and then holding on to capture the ‘Seven
Clans Casino 50’ at River Cities Speedway. Salt Rock, W.Va.’s Carrier settled for second place after leading laps 1-45, a mere 0.367 of a second behind Fuller at the checkered flag. Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished third despite starting 24th because mechanical problems during his heat victory forced him to switch to a backup car. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., completed the top five. Fuller, who started sixth in New Yorker John Wight’s Gypsum Express Rocket No. 19, announced his status as a contender when he slid up to second place with a lap-15 sweep by Clanton and polesitter Rick Eckert of York, Pa. The pursuit of Carrier’s Grover Motorsports Rocket, however, seemed fruitless to Fuller until slower cars entered the picture. “I was just letting him go because I had to wait to get into lapped traffic,” Fuller said of Carrier. “He just fired so good (on restarts) and ran hard every lap. “I couldn’t run that pace, so I kept trying to save the tires on my car and wait for that opportunity to pass him on the bottom.” The moment of truth finally presented itself to Fuller on lap 46. With Carrier’s momentum dulled by a lapped car, Fuller swept into the lead as the lap was scored. “I saw my time to pounce,” said Fuller, whose car was powered by a Custom Racing Engine. “Of course, the guy in second place always has the advantage in those situations. Whatever the leader does, you’re gonna do the opposite.” Fuller made contact with a lapped car on the backstretch seconds after taking the lead, nearly allowing Carrier to cut low and regain command. But Fuller maintained control and kept Carrier at bay over the remaining circuits. A former Mr. DIRTcar Modified champion and winner of the $50,000 prize for capturing the prestigious Eckerd 200 Modified race at the Syracuse (N.Y.) Mile, Fuller made good on a promise to win a WoO LMS event. “I felt a (WoO) win was gonna happen for us, but I didn’t know when,” said Fuller, whose victory came in his 19th career WoO LMS A-Main start. “I’m kind of surprised it’s come this quickly, but it does show that if we do this thing long enough, we’re gonna get the hang of it eventually. “I told John (Wight), ‘If you stick with me long enough, we’re gonna figure this (division) out.’” Fuller registered his first WoO LMS victory in a shorter time frame than Carrier, the tour’s 2006 Rookie of the Year who is still looking for his initial series triumph. But Carrier, 36, knows he came oh-so-close to a coveted WoO LMS feature win. “When we got to lap 25, I was wanting it to rain so the race would be over,” smmiled Carrier, who came off the outside pole to lead the race’s first 45 laps. Carrier was doomed by slower traffic. “I got behind a lapped car that was running the groove I was running,” Carrier said of the event’s deciding moment. “I got under him two or three times and I figured he’d let me get by, but I finally left an opening and Fuller took advantage of it to get by me.” Carrier battled furiously to regain command from Fuller amid lapped traffic over the final circuits, but his bid fell short. “I tried to move down to see if I could find something to drive back by him,” said Carrier, who recorded a career-best WoO LMS finish (his previous high was a third on May 13 at Illinois’s Lincoln Speedway). “It didn’t work, but we’re happy with second considering how we’ve been going lately.” The driver who very nearly stole the show from Fuller and Carrier in the closing laps was Babb, who made a stirring charge forward from the 24th starting spot in his Billy Moyer Sr.-owned Car City Rayburn. Making his first-ever appearance at the high-banked, quarter-mile oval, Babb established a new dirt Late Model track record of 11.950 seconds in time trials and won a heat race. But while completing his heat the axle tube broke on his stout No. 18, forcing him to relinquish the seventh starting spot in the A-Main because he pressed a backup car into service. “Instead of leaving something loose by rushing to fix the car, we got the backup car out,” said Babb. “I was still pretty confident that we could do something from the back.” Babb, 33, was right. “At the start I was way too tight,” said Babb, whose car also sustained a bent right-side door in an early scrape with Mike Balcaen of Winnipeg, Manitoba. “But at the end it really came on for me.” Indeed, Babb went from ninth during a lap-33 caution period to a third-place finish. He reached third with a lap-48 pass of Clanton, but a slip left him unable to make a final run at a spectacular last-to-first performance. “I really gave up about six car lengths when I pushed real bad in turn one (moments after passing Clanton),” said Babb. “If I wouldn’t have done that, my mouth would’ve really been drooling (about overtaking Carrier and Fuller) on the last lap.” Babb’s late assault took fourth-place finisher Clanton by surprise. “I was right behind Fuller and Carrier (in lapped traffic) and trying to decide whether to go to the top or the bottom to take a shot at the win,” said Clanton. “Then I looked over and saw Babb alongside, and I was like, Oh, man, where did he come from?” Babb recovery helped him close within four points of WoO LMS leader Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who finished seventh. Smith climbed as high as third, but a stumbling carburetor and a late loss of power steering caused him to fade. Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finished a steady sixth, followed by Smith; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., whose car didn’t handle correctly due to an incorrect tire choice; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who had a new crewman at his side; and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who spun out of the top five following a turn-two scrape with Francis on lap 19 and pitted to change a left-rear flat tire on lap 26. Three caution flags slowed the event. Thirty-four cars entered the event, which marked the second straight year the WoO LMS visited River Cities Speedway. Heat winners were Babb, Carrier, Francis and Clanton, while Doyle Erickson of Baglen, Minn., and Steve Anderson of Grand Forks, N.Dak., captured the B-Mains. The WoO LMS continues a busy week of action with events on Thurs., June 14, at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.; Fri., June 15, at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway; Sat., June 16, at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.; and Sun., June 17, at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Seven Clans Casino 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(6) Tim Fuller/50 $10,250 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 12 - 17 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Clint Smith 1-7-13-$43,050-2,336 (-0) The
World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country
by several sponsors and partners, including National Interstate Insurance
and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks,
Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. |
| Chub Frank Holds Off ‘Cat Daddy’ To Bag Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ Victory At Deer Creek Speedway SPRING VALLEY, MN – June 14, 2007 – Everything seems to be going Chub Frank’s way these days on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. The popular driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ registered his third win in the last five tour events, capturing Thursday night’s 28th annual Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ Charity Late Model Race at Deer Creek Speedway. “You just keep riding the wave, because you know things can change,” said Frank, who earned $10,000 for his first-ever victory in the prestigious dirt Late Model special organized by the Blooming Prairie (Minn.) Lions Club. “You get on that low side a lot, so it’s nice to get on the high side. We just have to try and make it last.” Frank, 45, of Bear Lake, Pa., mastered the slick three-eighths-mile oval with his Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Rocket No. 1*, leading the A-Main from flag-to-flag after starting on the outside pole. He repelled periodic pressure from WoO LMS points leader Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., for much of the distance to preserve his 10th career win on the nation’s premier tour. Smith, 42, settled for second place in his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT, crossing the finish line about three car lengths behind Frank after his last-lap bid was short-circuited by a lapped car. Darrell Lanigan of Union, N.Y., scored a season-best finish of third in his gottarace.com Rocket. He pulled within striking distance of Frank and Smith late in the race, but he felt his only chance to pass them was in a lapped-traffic bottle-up. Completing the top five was five-time ‘Gopher 50’ winner Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., in the Banner Valley Hauling MasterSbilt and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., in the Valvoline Rocket. Driving a new Custom-powered car he debuted two nights earlier at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak., Frank never enjoyed a significant edge over Smith, who slid into second place from the fourth starting spot on lap three. But Frank was had just enough speed in his machine – and negotiated lapped traffic slightly better than Smith – to maintain command. “We probably could’ve tightened up (the car) a little more for how slick the track was,” said Frank. “But I was happy with the car. When I was lapping cars, I could see some guys ahead of me who were really struggling on that (tricky) surface.” Frank knew that ‘Cat Daddy’ was lurking close behind him as the race wound down. “I saw him on the inside a few times,” said Frank. “And the last couple of laps I thought a white flash go by on the outside, so I thought Clint had passed me. But I guess I was wrong.” Smith felt he had a car capable of winning, but he couldn’t quite get himself in the right position to overtake Frank. “I think I might have been a touch better (than Frank) the whole race, but it was tough to run him down,” said Smith, who registered his third runner-up finish of the season. “It seemed like every time I’d get close to him, he’d pass a lapped car and then they’d want to race me, and that would cost me 10 car lengths to him. “On the last lap I got a run on him (entering turn three), but there was another lapped car there in my line (on the outside) and that killed my momentum.” After the race Smith visited Frank’s pit stall to congratulate him – and give Frank some good-natured ribbing for saying before the night’s action that Deer Creek wasn’t one of his strong tracks. “Yeah, you don’t run any good here, do you?” Smith said with a smile while slapping Frank on the back. “If I gotta run second to somebody, Chub’s as good as anybody,” added Smith. “I just hate that we had as good a car as him, but we just never got a chance with open track to try and make a pass.” Smith extended his WoO LMS points lead with his finish, leaving Deer Creek 24 points ahead of Moweaqua, Ill.’s Shannon Babb, who couldn’t get his Rayburn No. 18 tuned to the speedway all night and finished a quiet 12th. Frank, meanwhile, made Deer Creek the farthest west he’s ever won a dirt Late Model event. His previous WoO LMS triumphs came in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Michigan. “It feels good to win one real far from home,” said Frank, who ranks fourth in the WoO LMS point standings, 32 points behind Smith. The race went 50 laps caution-free after it was stopped by a red flag on the original start. A scramble that began when Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, went spinning into the infield in turn left the car driven by Terry Casey of New London, Wis., lying upside down at the top of the track, but he escaped the incident without injury. Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Keith Foss of Winona, Minn., were also involved in the incident, but they all continued racing. Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who spent the race’s second half attempting to overtake Francis; Shirley; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who started third but lost a half-dozen positions when he nearly spun in turn four on lap one; Birkhofer; and Chad Simpson of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, who started from the pole position. Simpson’s 10th-place finish earned him the $500 World of Outlaws Bonus Bucks cash for being the highest-finishing driver who wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in WoO LMS points and has never won a tour feature. Forty-two cars entered the ‘Gopher 50,’ which was part of the WoO LMS for the third consecutive year. Francis earned his first National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award of the season, turning a lap of 15.323 seconds in qualifying. Heat winners were Francis, Frank, Moyer and Smith, and Mike Prochnow of Menomonie, Wis., and Nate Wasmund of Rochester, Minn., split the B-Mains. The WoO LMS continues its five-race Midwest swing with events on Fri., June 15, at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway; Sat., June 16, at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.; and Sun., June 17, at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks. For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(2) Chub Frank/50 $10,000 Yellow Flags: 0 (1 Red Flag: Original Start) Lap Leaders: Frank (1-50) Provisional Starters: Mitchell, Murray (WoO); Eckhart (track) Rookie of the Race: Brian Shirley ($250) WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Chad Simpson ($500) National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: Steve Francis ($100) National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Terry Casey ($50) 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 14 - 18 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Clint Smith 1-8-14-$48,050-2,482 (-0) The
World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country
by several sponsors and partners, including National Interstate Insurance
Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins
Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. |
| Bad Break For Richards Propels Lanigan To Slump-Busting Victory In Mediacom Late Model Shootout At Knoxville Raceway KNOXVILLE, IA – June 15, 2007 – What goes around, comes around. Bad luck has plagued Darrell Lanigan all season, but a reversal of fortune propelled him to victory in Friday night’s 50-lap Mediacom Late Model Shootout at Knoxville Raceway. Lanigan, 37, of Union, Ky., inherited the lead on lap 38 when race-long pacesetter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., slowed with mechanical trouble and held on to register his first win of 2007 on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. “If Josh wouldn’t have broke, it would’ve been pretty hard to pass him,” said Lanigan, who earned $10,000 for his seventh career WoO LMS triumph. “I hate what happened to him, but hey, you gotta finish 50 laps. I’ve been on both ends so I know all about that.” Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., chased Lanigan across the finish line, placing second just three days after scoring his first career WoO LMS triumph. He couldn’t mount a serious bid for the lead after Richards’s departure, finishing 2.612 seconds behind Lanigan. Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., turned what could have been a disastrous evening into a memorable one, charging to a third-place finish from the 19th starting spot and grabbing the WoO LMS points lead in the process. After terminal engine trouble with his primary car during heat action forced him to pull out a backup, Francis moved steadily forward in the A-Main and watched the two drivers ahead of him in the point standings, Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., drop out with mechanical woes. Completing the top five was three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who advanced to second in the WoO LMS point standings. Lanigan started from the pole position, but the second-starting Richards outgunned him for the lead at the initial green flag. The 19-year-old had his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket humming and appeared primed to register his first WoO LMS victory since the season opener on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. But coming off turn four to complete lap 38, Richards’s car suddenly slowed. A cracked right-rear axle tube had done him in. ”I didn’t know what happened to him at first,” said Lanigan, who had been unable to stick with Richards following a lap-33 restart. “I thought he just got loose and I passed him (for the lead), and he was still in second behind me. “When I came around a few laps later and lapped him, I was like, Wow, I didn’t know he broke.” Richards ran the final laps at a greatly reduced pace, crossing the finish line 16th, three laps down to Lanigan. He could only curse his fate while signing autographs in the pit area afterward. “It’s hard to get a car that good,” said Richards, shaking his head. “But that’s my luck right now. One of these days we’ll have some good luck. “I knew something wrong from about lap 10 on. The (brake) pedal kept going down and I had to pump it up, and after a while I didn’t have brakes. I was still O.K. because I made my line a little different and I never broke the car loose, but we couldn’t make it to the end. “I thought it was actually gonna be a good night for us,” he added. “I’m glad to see Darrell win, but to win here at Knoxville would’ve been awesome. It’s one of the most famous racetracks in the country, so everybody wants to win here.” Lanigan maintained a two- to three-second edge over the final 12 laps, but not without giving his crew some anxious moments. Smoke was visible drifting out the back of his Lanigan Autosports/gottarace.com Rocket in the final laps. “Fortunately that was just some power-steering fluid leaking,” said a relieved Lanigan, whose first top-five finish of the 2007 WoO LMS season came the previous night at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. “It didn’t hurt the car at all. I just kept running my line and doing what I had to do.” That was more than enough for Lanigan to get job done for the first time at Knoxville, a place he loves to visit. “This place is awesome,” said Lanigan, whose last WoO LMS victory had come on July 28, 2006, at Deer Creek Speedway. “It’s wide-open – my kind of track – and with the history of this place, it’s pretty neat to win a race here.” Fuller, 39, continued his emergence as a serious dirt Late Model contender with a strong runner-up finish in John Wight’s Gypsum Racing Rocket. He was close enough to taste victory, and that put a huge smile on his face. “Right before Josh broke, I almost got (Lanigan) on that (lap-33) restart,” said Fuller, the top WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender. “We were side-by-side, but I couldn’t pass him. We were good, but he was a little bit better. “My eyes did get wide when I saw him starting to smoke,” he added. “I don’t wish anyone bad luck, but I was thinking about how cool it would be to win here.” Francis, 39, authored the drive of the night after jumping in his backup car. His advance stalled at third place, but he couldn’t complain about finishing in the show position. “We pretty much rolled this one out, changed the gears in it and went racing,” Francis said of his second Valvoline Rocket. “This car was really good, but we used everything up to get where we got to.” Francis also didn’t force the issue in the closing laps because he knew the points lead was staring him in the face. Smith suffered his first DNF of the season after his car’s jackshaft broke on lap seven, and Babb, who climbed as high as second from the ninth starting spot, retired on lap 32 while running fifth when his car’s rearend cover broke and its gears came out. “You’re still points racing no matter what,” said Francis. “I saw Clint and Babb break, I knew Chub was behind me, and Josh was broke. I knew it couldn’t be a horrible points night for us, so you don’t take any chances and try to finish.” Finishing in positions 6-10 were Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who’s not ranked among the top 12 in tour points and has never won a WoO feature; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Kelly Boen of Henderson, Colo., whose eventful night included switching to a backup car due to engine problems during heat action, tangling with Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, on lap 26 and spinning on lap 33; and Denny Woodworth of Mendon, Iowa. Twenty-nine cars entered the first-ever WoO LMS event at the famed half-mile oval. Frank earned his first National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award of the season, pocketing $100 for his lap of 18.097 seconds. Heat winners were Frank, Lanigan and Richards, and Francis captured the B-Main. The WoO LMS continues its five-race Midwest swing with races on Sat., June 16, at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans., and Sun., June 17, at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results
of WoO Late Model Series(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money
Won): 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 15 - 19 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Steve Francis 0-10-16-$39,550-2,600 (-0) |
| Thanks To Shirley's Misfortune, Clanton Scores First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Win Of '07 Saturday At Lakeside Speedway KANSAS CITY, KS - June 16, 2007 - Shane Clanton thought he was about to absorb another frustrating loss on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Then Lady Luck finally shined on the standout from Locust Grove, Ga. Mere moments after losing his race-long lead to Brian Shirley, Clanton watched the Chatham, Ill., driver succumb to mechanical trouble with five laps remaining, sending him to his first victory of the season in Saturday night's co-sanctioned World of Outlaws/MARS DIRTcar Series 'Kansas City 50' at Lakeside Speedway. "We got the monkey off our back," said Clanton, who has struggled this season to reclaim the consistency that carried him to a career-best runner-up finish in the 2006 WoO LMS point standings. "Hopefully we'll keep the momentum going." Clanton, 31, held off a lap-45 restart challenge from budding WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., to preserve the $10,000 triumph, which came in the first-ever tour event at the half-mile oval. Fuller settled for second place, 1.074 seconds behind Clanton. It was the second consecutive bridesmaid finish for Fuller, who scored his first career WoO LMS win in the opener of the five-race Midwest swing, on June 12 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak. Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer marched forward from the 14th starting spot to finish third in his MasterSbilt car, followed by Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who was forced to pit after his MasterSbilt mount was damaged in a lap-nine incident, and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., in a GRT machine. Clanton returned to a tried-and-true formula to shake out of his slump, which saw him enter Saturday's event ranked a dismal seventh in the point standings, 102 points out of first. "We've changed shock companies three times this year and haven't had any consistency," said Clanton. "So about a week ago I talked with my car owner (Ronnie Dobbins) and he told me, 'Hey, just go back to what we had last year, and then if we get our car straight, we'll try some more stuff.' "That's what we did. I went back to my Ohlins Shocks, back to what was working for us last year." Clanton got his '06 groove back, but not without a bit more work. "Today when we got here and went over the car, we found a crack in the frame," Clanton said of his 2004-vintage RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Rocket. "Mark Richards (of Rocket Chassis) came here and welded the frame up for us. I don't know how long it was cracked, but it sure raced pretty good today after getting fixed." Clanton surged off the pole position to dominate a majority of the distance, leading by as much as a half-straightaway at times. But when Shirley, who started 19th after qualifying Ed Petroff's Jayco Construction Rocket through a B-Main, made a late-race charge and took the lead on lap 44, Clanton resigned himself to remaining winless in '07 for another day. "He had a softer left-rear tire, and he put it in that (moist) brown strip (on the track) and just drove right by us," Clanton said of the 26-year-old Shirley. "After that, I was just thinking, Hey, second is pretty good. Any top five you get against this tough competition is good." Shirley's reign in front was short-lived. On lap 45 he pulled up lame in turn four because his car's fan had broken and busted its radiator. "We were good enough to win the race," said the disappointed Shirley, who reached the front of the pack after surviving a lap-16 incident in which his car got wildly out of shape between turns one and two from being momentarily hooked with John Anderson of Omaha, Neb. "I kept getting freer and freer to roll through the corners across the tires down low." After Shirley brought out the race's fourth and final caution flag, Fuller drove his John Wight-owned Gypsum Wholesalers Rocket underneath Clanton heading down the backstretch on the restart. But Clanton repelled the challenge and opened a slight edge over the final circuits. "I just started to run higher (for the final five laps), like I had been," said Clanton, who used a Custom-built 430 engine. "I just said, '(Fuller) can have that bottom. I'm staying up top where I can keep up my momentum,' and here we are." Fuller, 39, couldn't take advantage of the opportunity presented him by the late caution period. "I had a shot on the restart," said Fuller. "I knew I could get underneath (Clanton) because my tires were so cold, but once the tires warmed up he was better. "If I could've cleared him, maybe I could've screwed his line up and kept him behind me. But he deserved to win." Clanton let out a scream of relief - and ecstacy - after climbing out of his car's cockpit in Victory Lane. "After leading at Virginia (Motor Speedway) for so long, and leading at North Alabama (Speedway) for so long, and leading the Louisiana (Baton Rouge) race for so long, it was frustrating to not be able to finish the deal in any of them," said Clanton. "Then we got to running 18th and 20th for a stretch before we started knocking on door with top fives again. "I know that if you do that (regularly finish in the top five), the wins will come." The most eventful drives of the night were authored by Eckert, 42, and Francis, 39, who were both collected in the chain-reaction pileup that followed a lap-nine slap of the wall between turns three and four by MARS star Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., who was fourth at the time. Eckert pitted to change a flat tire and returned. He was hampered for the remainder of the distance by the bent rear suspension on his Raye Vest-owned Rocket, but he managed to steadily advance to a fourth-place finish. "We're gaining on it," said Eckert, who is winless so far in 2007 on the WoO LMS trail after leading the tour in victories one year ago. "We had a better car before the crash, so it's disappointing that we had more bad luck. I'd already passed Fuller (before the tangle) and he (ultimately) ran second, so you never know what could have happened if we didn't get bent up." Francis's Valvoline Rocket sustained a broken right-front spindle and lower-control arm in the incident, which forced him to make a quick pit stop. He had already moved from the 17th starting spot to seventh place when the accident occurred. Francis moved back into the top 10 before a flat right-rear tire caused him to stop on the track on lap 24, and then he rallied again to salvage a seventh-place finish. The run kept him in the points lead by eight markers over Smith, who ran in or near the top five for the entire distance. "I'm definitely not gonna take anything away from Shane, but I think we had a car capable of winning the race before we got in that wreck," said Francis, who earned his first $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award of the season. "Blame it on me, though, because if the driver wouldn't have messed up and got the car too free in the heat (he didn't qualify despite starting from the pole), then maybe we would've gotten into the draw and not been in the wreck because we started so far back." Finishing in positions 6-10 were Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., whose two-race top-five streak came to an end; Francis; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who ran second for laps 10-24 before fading; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who fell one spot to third in the point standings (14 points out of first); and MARS points leader Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kans., who earned the $500 WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' cash for being the highest-finishing driver who's not ranked among the top 12 in tour points and has never won a WoO feature. Among the early retirees was WoO LMS title contender Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who dropped out due to a broken panhard bar on lap 47. He ran as high as second early in the A-Main before fading to just outside the top 10. Thirty-one cars entered the event, which was run in front of a big crowd on a clear, steamy evening. A lap of 16.665 seconds was good enough to earn Francis fast-time laurels in qualifying. Heat winners were Richards, Babb, Clanton and Smith, and Francis captured the B-Main. The WoO LMS closes its five-race Midwest swing tonight (Sun., June 17) at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks. Results of WoO Late Model Series(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(1) Shane Clanton/50 $10,000 Time
of Race: 33 Mins., 58.663 Secs. 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 16 - 20 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Steve Francis 0-10-17-$41,050-2,736 (-0) Contact:
DIRT MotorSports? d/b/a World Racing Group |
| Clint
Smith Masters Blazing-Fast Belleville High Banks, Regains World of Outlaws
Late Model Series Points Lead "This is the first time we won at a racetrack that's not really (suited to) my style," said Smith, referencing the full-throttle racing on the famed high-banked, half-mile oval. "We finally had a car on this type of racetrack that would just turn left, not get sideways, and stay right in the fuel." Smith, 42, drove his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT car by Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., to assume command on lap 10 and never looked back. He easily handled the race's only caution flag - on lap 31 for debris in turn one - to cross the finish line 3.891 seconds ahead of Shirley's Ed Petroff-owned Rocket machine. The $10,000 triumph was Smith's second of the season on the WoO LMS, making him the fourth driver to record two or more victories. He also regained the tour points lead, vaulting over Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who placed ninth and 10th, respectively. Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., finished third, followed by 2004 tour titlist Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., and 19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. Smith, who started from the outside pole, didn't take long to flex his muscle in the WoO LMS's first-ever visit to the Belleville High Banks. He chased the pole-sitting Shirley for nine laps before surging into the lead when Shirley lost his momentum in lapped traffic. "I got behind Shirley there early, but I felt I was a little better," said Smith, who registered his seventh career WoO LMS victory. "The tires got a little hot, then he got in lapped traffic and hesitated for a second and I just went to the inside (off turn two) and drove by him. "From then on I could just use the whole racetrack. I kind of put it on cruise control and only used as much as I had to." Conservation of equipment was the name of the game at Belleville, a sweeping track where dirt Late Models attain breathtaking speed. Smith was especially cognizant of keeping his strong RaceTek engine from overheating under the stress of high-speed competition. "It got up to 235 (degrees) in the heat race alone," Smith said of his powerplant. "This wide-open racing really works on a motor, so we did some work on the car to try to help cool it off in the feature. We put a lot of air ducts and air dams in (the hood), and we put jets in the carbureter. "The cooler (air) temperatures (after sunset) and everything we did must have worked, because the motor never got over 180 (degrees) in the feature." Shirley, 26, couldn't keep pace with Smith after making a misstep in lapped traffic. "I tried to get by a lapped car and I pushed up (in turn two)," said Shirley, who earned a $250 bonus for being the top-finishing WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender. "Before I could get back in the groove Clint was by me." A $5,000 runner-up finish in his first career start at Belleville pleased Shirley, but he couldn't help thinking of what might have been if he hadn't slipped up the track on the ninth circuit. "Overall, (Smith) had the best car to win the race tonight," said Shirley. "But I think we had a good enough to win the race if I wouldn't have lost my momentum (in traffic). That's racing, though." Moyer, making his first start at Belleville in roughly two decades, surged from the fourth starting spot to third place on the race's opening lap. But he never got his Rayburn No. 21 close enough to challenge the leaders over the remaining distance. "I was a little too free," said Moyer, who established a new dirt Late Model track record of 16.189 seconds (111.187 mph) in qualifying to win the National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award. "I should've tightened the car up more." Moyer felt fortunate to hold off Bloomquist for third in the closing laps after losing his car's air cleaner late in the distance. "The air cleaner stud broke and the air cleaner fell off," said Moyer. "The car wouldn't run for the last 10 laps, but somehow I just gassed it and stayed up there (in third)." Bloomquist, who made his first-ever appearance at Belleville, started sixth. He spent the majority of the distance running in fifth place before slipping by Richards for fourth on the lap-31 restart. Twenty-nine cars entered the program, which was run before a packed house of fans. Heat winners were Moyer, Bloomquist and Smith, and Delbert Smith of Wichita, Kans., captured the B-Main. Several WoO LMS regulars ran into trouble during the night. * Rick Eckert of York, Pa., used a provisional to start the A-Main after a slap of the backstretch wall early in his heat race caused his car's right-rear wheel to break off on the prelim's final lap. He scrambled to repair the machine's rearend damage in time for the feature green flag. * Watertown, N.Y.'s Tim Fuller saw his streak of two straight runner-up finishes end after he exploded a motor during heat action and retired early from the feature because his backup car's powerplant overheated. * Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and his crew swapped engines after he qualified through a heat race, but he was never a factor in the A-Main. He finished 16th, one lap down to Smith. * Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., was sidelined by a broken engine during heat action. He was eligible for a provisional spot, but he gave it up because he did not have a backup car ready for competition. The WoO LMS returns to action on Wed., June 20, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. It will mark the tour's first appearance at the half-mile oval. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series ?Belleville 40? (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(2) Clint Smith/40 $10,000
Time of Race: 15 Mins., 55.665 Secs. World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings (as of June 17 ? 21 features completed): 1.
Clint Smith 2,878 (-0) 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 National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs.
Woolmmedia@dirtmotorsports.com http://lists.dirtmotorsports.com/mailman/listinfo/woolmmedia |
| Francis Ends Long Victory Drought In First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At Canada’s Autodrome Drummond DRUMMONDVILLE, QUE – June 23, 2007 – The drought is over. Steve Francis won his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series event in over a year on Saturday night, capturing the historic ‘Quebec 50’ at Autodrome Drummond. “We needed this,” a relieved Francis said after taking the checkered flag in the first-ever WoO LMS program run in Canada. With a huge crowd looking on from the three-eighths-mile track’s tall grandstand, Ashland, Ky.’s Francis passed Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for the lead on lap 21 and never looked back. He dominated the A-Mains’s second half en route to pocketing $10,000 for his first WoO LMS triumph since May 6, 2006, at Bruschcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., chased Francis for the race’s final 24 laps but never made a serious bid for the lead, finishing 1.599 seconds back in second place. It was Eckert’s second consecutive runner-up finish and fourth overall – without a win – of the 2007 WoO LMS season. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished third after losing contact with Eckert in the closing stages because his Gypsum Racing Rocket was “too free” to perform perfectly on the ample cushion. He started third and got as high as second, on lap 22, but Eckert overtook him just two circuits later. Completing the top five in Race 2 of the five-event WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ was Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., in his Lester Buildings Rocket and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., in the RSD Enterprises Rocket. Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., maintained his WoO LMS points lead with a sixth-place finish in his J.P. Drilling GRT, but he lost two spots on the final lap after a broken spindle caused his car to fall off the pace. Francis, 39, ended what was the longest winless streak of his career on the WoO LMS. He went a total of 45 races between victories. “It’s hard to believe it’s been that long,” said Francis, reflecting on his locked door to Victory Lane. “We’ve run so good but just hadn’t won an Outlaw show, so it really feels good to finally get that win. “This is definitely one of the most relief-filled wins I’ve ever had. It feels like I got a bunch of pressure off me now.” Francis showed the strength in his Custom-powered Valvoline Rocket right from the initial green flag, vaulting from the fourth starting spot to second. He chased Richards, who immediately grabbed the lead from the outside pole in the Mark Richards Racing Rocket, through five caution flags in the first seven laps before turning up the pressure as the halfway point approached. When Richards left the inside lane open off turn two on the 20th circuit, Francis swept into the lead for good. “Josh’s car was really good all night,” said Francis. “You can’t take anything away from him, but he got to entering the corner in that hole at each end of the track. I didn’t know what was going wrong, but I saw his car would hit the hole, bounce the nose and push, so I started running the bottom and I was in the right lane when he did it (on lap 20).” Richards watched Fuller and Eckert pass him one circuit later. Then, on lap 27, he slowed on the homestretch while holding fourth place and brought out a caution flag, his night dive-bombed due to a broken part in his car’s rear suspension. He returned many laps down in an attempt to pick up a few additional points. Eckert, 42, was drawing close to Francis when Richards triggered the caution flag, but he didn’t get within striking distance again after the race restarted. Francis didn’t know he held a solid half-straightaway edge, however, so he drove like Eckert was hot on his tail. “I was thinking Rick was running the bottom because that’s where he was earlier in the night,” said Francis. “So I figured I’d just drive in around the bottom and drift out to the cushion, thinking if he was down there, I’d kill his momentum a little.” Eckert was done in by his tire choice. “I gambled on tires and it didn’t work out,” said Eckert, whose Raye Vest-owned MasterSbilt carried slightly harder-compound Hoosier tires than his rivals. “I was a little bit too hard. “After a long green I could run back to (Francis) – when that caution came out after that long green (from laps 7-27), I was right back up to his quarter. I just needed it to stay green longer. “I should’ve know with a field like this (all entrants qualified) that there would’ve been more cautions, but I was stupid. I just put these tires on and everybody else put the other stuff on, and it didn’t pan out for me.” But Eckert didn’t pout about a $5,000 payoff. “Second is better than finishing 14th,” said Eckert, who moved up to fourth in the WoO LMS point standings. “At least we made some money.” Francis registered his 11th career WoO LMS triumph, moving him out of a tie with 2006 series champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., for fourth on the tour’s alltime win list. He also drew within six points of Smith in the 2007 point standings after 23 of 48 scheduled events. “We might go tomorrow and start (a win drought) all over again,” said Francis. “But a few years ago (2005) we were running kinda like we were this year, running good but not winning, and then we rolled off three wins in five races and went on to tie for the championship (he lost a tie-breaker to Billy Moyer). “If we can get something like that going on, we’ll be tickled to death.” Seven caution flags slowed the feature, all for minor incidents. Finishing in positions 7-10 was Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who rallied after pitting to change a flat left-rear tire on lap 32; Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who’s not ranked among the top 12 in tour points and has never won a WoO feature; John Mason of Millersburg, Ohio; and Clint Smith’s crew chief Johnny Cloer Jr. of Chatsworth, Ga., who drove Smith’s second car. Twenty-two cars entered the tour’s first international event. Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., earned $100 for his first National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award of the season after lapping the oval in 15.884 seconds. Heat winners were Eckert, Richards and Frank. No B-Main was run, but a special $500-to-win ‘All-Canadian Dash’ was added to the program. The 5-lap event was won by DIRTcar Modified star Pat O’Brien of Kingston, Ont., who made his dirt Late Model debut in Fuller’s backup Gypsum Racing No. 19. Chasing O’Brien under the checkered flag in the dash was Kayle Robidoux of St-Constante, Que., a Drummond 358-Modified regular who drove Mason’s second car; Drummond promoter/358-Modified standout Yan Bussiere of Drummondville, Que., who picked up a ride in Chub Frank’s second machine; and Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que., a 358-Modified competitor who made his first dirt Late Model start in a self-owned car. A fifth Canadian, Niagara Frontier 358-Modified racer Luke Carleton of Port Colbourne, Ont., did not start the dash due to mechanical trouble with his Stan Miskin-owned No. 7. The WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ continues on Sun., June 24, at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y.; Wed., June 27, at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y.; and n June 29-30 for the $30,000-to-win ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Quebec 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(4) Steve Francis/50 $10,000 Time
of Race: 35 Mins., 40.624 Secs. 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 23 - 23 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Clint Smith 2-11-18-$63,950-3,156 (-0) 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 National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. Contact:
DIRT MotorSports? d/b/a World Racing Group |
| Chub Frank Outduels Eckert For Cayuga County Win To Continue World of Outlaws Late Model Series Superiority In Central New York WEEDSPORT,
NY – June 24, 2007 – Just call him Mr. Central New York.
Chub
Frank continued to show an uncanny superiority over the competition
in World of Outlaws Late Model Series events run near Syracuse, winning
Sunday night’s 50-lap A-Main at Cayuga County Fair Speedway. It
was the second straight year that Frank was victorious in WoO LMS action
at CCFS, and his fourth overall triumph in tour events contested in
central New York over the past three years. He also won twice in 2005,
at Fulton Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge. Eckert, 42, settled for second place, 1.705 seconds behind Frank. It was his third runner-up finish in as many ‘Great Northern Tour’ events and fifth overall – without a win – of 2007. Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished third in the Valvoline Rocket after leading laps 1-28. He lost ground during the race’s second because his car got “real loose” entering the corners. Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., placed a WoO LMS career-high fourth in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket, earning him the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who’s not ranked among the top 12 in tour points and has never won a WoO feature. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., claimed fifth in the RSD Enterprises Rocket. He reached the position by the halfway mark after starting eighth. Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who entered the event leading the WoO LMS point standings, finished sixth for the second straight night. He fell into a tie for the points lead with Francis after 24 events. Frank, who started sixth, had some anxious moments en route to the checkered flag – specifically, a bad lap-24 restart that cost him second place to Eckert. ”Francis didn’t take off, and Eckert did,” described Frank. “When Eckert was side-by-side with Francis when we came off the corner, I said, ‘This isn’t gonna be good.’ “I knew I had a good car, but I just didn’t know if I could get by Eckert and Francis after that.” In retrospect, Frank need not have been worried. He passed Francis for second on lap 32, then caught Eckert and grabbed the lead from him with a pass amid lapped traffic on lap 42. “I hit the (inside) wall about five times getting in the corner, but I could stay right there and shoot out in front of those cars where (Eckert) couldn’t,” said Frank. “He finally got pinned behind a lapped car (in turn two) and I took the line away from him.” Frank stayed on the charge in the race’s closing stages, driving his Custom-powered Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Rocket hard to stay in front. “I had to run as hard as I could in lapped traffic because I wasn’t givin’ (the race) away,” he said. “I’ll only give it away if I wreck; I’m not giving it away to lapped cars.” Eckert conceded that Frank “had a better car,” but he knew he had an opportunity to steal his long-awaited first WoO LMS victory of the season. “I only got by Chub (on lap 24) because he picked the wrong lane on that restart,” said Eckert, who led laps 29-41 after starting seventh in Raye Vest’s MasterSbilt mount. “He gave me that outside and I was able to get a run down that hill (the banking). “Once I got the lead, as long as we weren’t in traffic, I think we were O.K. But I had to use the whole racetrack because I was really tight, so once we got to (lapped) traffic, I couldn’t turn under them like (Frank) could.” Eckert fought hard to end his frustrating victory drought, but he remained winless since July 8, 2006, when he was triumphant at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. “I drove about as hard as I ever drove, I can tell ‘ya that,” said Eckert. “I could hear (Frank) back there. I was changing lanes to try and keep him busy, but when I got to a lapped car (on lap 42) I just couldn’t get turned. I got a little bit of a push and left the door open for him into (turn) three. “The racetrack was excellent,” he added. “If it wasn’t so good, I might have won. When the racetrack is two or three lanes wide the best race car is gonna win, and it did tonight. “We still have to get a little bit better to win one of these things.” Frank registered his 11th career WoO LMS victory, tying him with Francis, who captured the previous night’s event at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond, for fourth on the tour’s alltime win list. Two caution flags slowed the event – on lap nine when Kirk Bradley of Great Valley, N.Y., dropped a driveshaft on the track, and lap 24 when Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., slowed with a flat tire after scraping the wall. Blair, who earned his first $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award earlier in the night, saw his encouraging run go bad even before a flat tire struck him. He was running second behind Francis on lap nine when he ran over the driveshaft that fell out of Bradley’s car. “The driveshaft hit everything in the right-front (of the car) and then ripped right through the interior sheet metal on the right side,” said Blair, who turned a quick time-trial lap of 15.365 seconds. “The car was toed-out after that.” Finishing in positions 7-10 was Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who fell just short of passing Smith for sixth at the finish line; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who started 23rd after using a provisional spot because a heat-race engine problem forced him to run his backup car; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., who registered his first top-10 finish in a WoO LMS show this season; and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who raced with no power steering for the race’s final 30 laps. Twenty-six cars entered the program, which draw a near capacity crowd to the longtime home of DIRTcar big-block Modified racing. Heat winners were Frank, Francis and Coffey, and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., captured the B-Main. The WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ continues on Wed., June 27, at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., and June 29-30 with the inaugural $30,000-to-win ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series at Cayuga County Fair Speedway: (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(6) Chub Frank/50 $10,000 Time
of Race: 23 Mins., 10.554 Secs. 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 24 - 24 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
(tie) Clint Smith 2-11-19-$65,650-3,294 (-0) 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 National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. Contact:
DIRT MotorSports? d/b/a World Racing Group |
|
6/27/07 Doug Elkins of Doug's
Dirt Diary has been chatting with Clint again. This
time the
2 of them talk about the recent Prelude to the Dream, the most recent
World of Outlaws events and if racing a Modified might be in Clint's future. |
| 7/1/07: Clint had his worst outing of the season with the World of Outlaws on June 30th at the 1st annual Firecracker 100 at Learnerville Speedway in Sarver, PA. After running 2nd in his heat race Clint headed for the redraw for a top 12 starting spot, drawing the 8th starting spot for the main event, a mere 11 laps in to the event, Clint broke a distributor and ended his evening in a disappointing 28th position. The early exit from the race also meant an extra hit in points as there were also 4 extra cars in this event from the usual lineup. This resulted in a drop from a tie for 1st down to 3rd in points, 42 points out of the lead. |
| 7/2/07: On Sunday July 1 Clint made his way to Portsmouth, OH for the Lucas Oil event. Clint won his heat and went on to start 4th for the feature event. Unfortunately there wasn't much passing in the main event and Clint scored his 30th top 5 of the season. |
Clint Smith Survives Rash Of Flat Tires To Capture Tuesday’s ‘Missouri 50’ At Lebanon I-44 Speedway Contact:
DIRT MotorSports™ d/b/a World Racing Group LEBANON, MO – July 3, 2007 – Clint Smith saw rival after rival fall by the wayside with a flat tire on Tuesday night, so he devised a strategy that would hopefully keep him from joining the procession to the pit area. The Senoia, Ga., star’s heady racing style worked to perfection, leading him to victory in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series/MARS DIRTcar Series ‘Missouri 50’ at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. “It seemed like everybody was having flats, so I just ran the same line every lap after I got the lead,” said Smith, who assumed command for good on lap 28 when he overtook Rick Eckert of York, Pa. “The line I was running was packed tight and I didn’t have a flat running there for 10 laps, so I felt it was a pretty safe area.” With seven of the marathon race’s 10 caution flags caused by drivers slowing due to flat tires, Smith stayed out of trouble to record his third WoO LMS triumph of the season. He pocketed $10,000 for his ninth career tour win and first-ever checkered flag in the state of Missouri. Outside polesitter Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., was among the flat-tire victims, slowing on a lap-23 restart while he was in the lead. But he battled back after a pit stop to place second, 1.282 seconds behind Smith at the finish. Eckert lost the runner-up spot to Shirley on lap 48 but held on to finish third. WoO LMS points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., nursed his car to a fourth-place finish despite racing most of the distance with a damaged front end, and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., took fifth after rallying from a lap-24 pit stop to change a cut right-rear tire. Smith, 42, came from the 10th starting spot in his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines/J&J Steel GRT car to emerge as a serious contender near the race’s halfway point. “When I located that line through (turns) three and four that was right above the holes, I knew we were in good shape,” said Smith, who sat fourth on lap 23 when Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., relinquished third place to a flat right-rear tire. “I could run up there and cut in between the second set of holes without touching them, and then I could get full fuel down the front straightaway.” Smith was up to second on lap 24 when Shirley, who had taken the lead from polesitter Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., on lap 16 moments before Babb retired abruptly due to an exploded left-rear tire, slowed with his own cut right-rear shoe. But Smith had a poor restart and watched Eckert glide around the outside of him and Francis to snare the lead. “I messed up and chose the wrong line on that restart,” analyzed Smith, whose car was powered by a RaceTek engine. “I didn’t know how good Francis was gonna start with his front-end toed out so I didn’t want to go to the top, and then I didn’t fire good on the bottom. “But I was good enough on the bottom to drive back by them.” The remainder of the distance seemed to last an eternity to Smith, who watched caution flags fly for flat tires suffered by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (while fifth on lap 35), Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (while fifth on lap 37), Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo. (his second of the race on lap 40) and Moyer (his second, while third on lap 40). Smith finally saw the checkered flag, however, and with it he quickly got back on track with the WoO LMS. He was coming off his worst outing of the season, a dismal 28th-place effort on June 30 in the ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., that dropped him from a tie for the points lead to third place, 42 markers behind. “This fixed everybody up a little bit,” said Smith, who was credited with his first career MARS DIRTcar Series victory. “That 28th-place finish hurt us bad and got us down, but we showed what kind of team we have by coming back strong tonight. “This gets us back in the hunt.” The 26-year-old Shirley, who sat fourth for the final restart on lap 40, made a late bid with his Petroff Towing/Jayco Construction Rayburn mount but ran out of time. “When I saw the scoreboard (after passing Eckert for second) and there was only two laps left, I didn’t know if I had a chance,” said Shirley, who picked up a $250 bonus for being the race’s top WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender. “Maybe if I didn’t get slowed down by that lapped car (entering turn one on lap 49) we might’ve had a chance. “We passed every other car, so I feel like we were good enough to win. But I don’t go off what-ifs. I just take second and move on.” Shirley, who registered his second runner-up finish of the ’07 WoO LMS, and Eckert spiced up the final laps with some close racing that left both drivers a bit angry following the race. Shirley got into the back of Eckert’s Raye Vest-owned MasterSbilt car off turn two on lap 41, turning Eckert sideways for a moment. “I’m sure he’s got his side and I got my side, but I just feel like every time I get alongside him he just comes across in front of me and cuts me off,” Shirley said of Eckert. “He’s done it to me a couple races before, so I just wanted to let him know I didn’t want that anymore. “I didn’t spin him out, I didn’t try to start anything. I just wanted him to respect me, and I respect him. It’s just racing.” Eckert was terse with his response: “He was beside me in three and four, and I passed him clean down the frontstraight and got in on the bottom (in turn one). I entered on the bottom, and he hit me (off turn two) on the bottom, so I don’t know how you call that ‘cutting across.’ “I got nothing to say about him. Some guys you just expect it from.” Eckert, 42, was satisfied to leave Lebanon with a third-place finish after struggling to get in synch. “The car was terrible early, but finally the racetrack slicked up enough for us and I could race,” said Eckert, who surged forward to lead laps 26-27. “Right before that one caution (on lap 24) I got tired of running through them holes, so I went to the top and when I took back off I drove by Clint and Francis and got the lead. “But after a few laps I lost my front tires and got tight again, and Clint got back by me.” Francis, 39, led laps 24-25, but his Valvoline Rocket car was handicapped after its front end was damaged early. “When me and Shannon (Babb) were racing early on, I drove down a little farther than I wanted to and barely clipped one of them uke tires,” said Francis, who started sixth. “It knocked the left-front off, and it’s toed out about four inches. “We weren’t gonna take the lead without Brian having his flat. I think we were good enough before that, but then we were a sitting duck because of the front end. “I
just got real conservative and got to points racing,” he added.
“Actually, I probably would’ve had a flat if I didn’t
hit that tire, because then I would’ve been out there running
around the top like everybody else instead of just staying on the bottom.”
Finishing in positions 6-8 were three drivers who pitted multiple times during the race to change tires: Moyer (laps 23 and 40), Richards (opening circuit, laps 23 and 37) and Frank (opening circuit, lap 35). Rounding out the top 10 were MARS regulars Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who’s not ranked among the top 12 in tour points and has never won a WoO feature, and Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark. The race’s biggest incident occurred on the opening lap, when four-time MARS champion Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., got sideways off turn two at mid-pack, setting off a chain-reaction pileup. Drivers eliminated were Joey Mack of Benton, Mo., Jeremy Payne of Springfield, Mo., and Dusty Johnston of Flipper, Ark. MARS points leader Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kans., received the $50 National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award after terminal engine problems eliminated him as he ran third on lap three. A field of 29 cars entered the event, which was run before a strong grandstand gathering and packed drive-in section. Moyer registered a new track record in time trials, obliterating Payne’s one-month-old standard of 14.28 seconds with a blistering lap of 13.670 seconds. The veteran pocketed the $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award. Heat winners were Moyer, Francis and Babb, and Justin Wells of Aurora, Mo., captured the B-Main. NASCAR Nextel Cup veteran Kenny Schrader of Fenton, Mo., entered his Red Baron Frozen Pizza No. 99 in the night’s action. He was running second on lap nine of the 12-lap B-Main when he spun with a left-rear flat tire, ending his night. Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Missouri 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(10) Clint Smith/50 $10,000 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 3 - 26 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Steve Francis 1-13-23-$62,750-3,572 (-0) The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions and Eibach Springs. |
| Clanton Triumphant After Titanic Battle In ‘Summer Sizzler 50’ At Virginia Motor Speedway JAMAICA, VA – July 20, 2007 – This time Shane Clanton got the job done. Three months after finishing second in a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Virginia Motor Speedway despite leading nearly half the distance, Clanton returned to the pristine half-mile oval and emerged victorious in Friday night’s scintillating ‘Summer Sizzler 50.’ It was the second WoO LMS victory of the season for Clanton, who exorcised the demons associated with his April 14 loss to Moweaqua, Ill.’s Shannon Babb. “That went through my mind tonight,” Clanton said when asked if he thought about his springtime defeat while leading Friday’s A-Main. “It’s always in the back of your mind when you come back to a track where you lost a race that you led for a bunch of laps.” Clanton, 31, of Locust Grove, Ga., started from the outside pole in Ronnie Dobbins’s Custom-powered RSD Enterprises Rocket, but he had to scratch and claw for every cent of the $10,000 first prize. He was involved in each of the feature’s six lead changes – four with Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who fell from contention with mechanical trouble, and two with fellow WoO LMS regular Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. The final exchange of the top spot came on lap 45, when Clanton criss-crossed lanes with Lanigan off turn four while racing through lapped traffic and nosed in front at the start/finish line. Clanton held on to win by 0.539 of a second over Lanigan, whose charge from the eighth starting spot in his gottarace.com Rocket fell short. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished a close third in the Gypsum Racing Rocket to earn the $250 top rookie bonus, while Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., placed fourth in Barry Klinedinst’s Rocket and pocketed the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ award for being the highest-finishing driver who was not ranked in the top 12 of the WoO LMS points standings and has not won a tour feature. WoO LMS points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., was fifth after making a late advance in his Valvoline Rocket. He extended his points lead to 22 markers over Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who missed the setup and finished 11th, and 40 points over Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who placed a quiet eighth. Clanton gave his sixth career WoO LMS victory some serious style points. “It’s exciting when somebody can pull up underneath and pass you, and then you can get back by him for the win,” said a pumped-up Clanton. “Winning the Pittsburgher (100) last year (at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway) was pretty exciting for me because I beat Chub (Frank), who’s so good there. But this is a great feeling, a race I’ll never forget.” Clanton led the race’s first 22 laps before being nipped at the line by Miller, who started fourth in the Buckler Motorsports Rocket. Miller led laps 23 and 26-27 before his hopes took an abrupt about-face. After Clanton regained command on lap 28, Miller gradually slowed, eventually retiring while running third during the race’s third and final caution period, on lap 32. “An oil line broke,” said the disappointed Miller. “It started shooting oil under the hood right when I got the lead, and then I started sliding and going backward. “It was hard to pull out in that position – with the car running so well, and being the first time I ever led an Outlaws show. But it was the right thing to do. “This is a new Bullock motor, so I didn’t want to hurt it,” he concluded. “We’ve only run it twice, and it’s working great. This thing gives me something I can battle with.” Clanton’s battle for the checkered flag raged on with Lanigan, who was seeking his third WoO LMS win of the season. Lanigan, 37, found the inside lane to his liking and slipped by Clanton for the lead on lap 42, but he stayed there for only three laps. He faltered for a moment in lapped traffic on lap 45 and ceded the top spot to Clanton, then couldn’t mount a comeback. “I was good on the bottom to get the lead, but then we got up to those lapped cars,” said Lanigan. “They didn’t get out of the way, but they just stood their ground and they were sort of in my groove. “I tried to go around them in the middle (lane), but there just was nothing there and I lost my momentum. Shane went way out there, where I should’ve went, and got the run he needed to pass me.”
Clanton was relieved to make a successful recovery. “When Jeremy got by me (for the lead), I pushed the front end. That was my own fault,” said Clanton. “But when Darrell drove by on the bottom, I was like, ‘Dang, I don’t know what I’m gonna do now.’ “So I just started hammering the top, and by running the cushion I got back up to (Lanigan’s) quarter-panel. One time in lapped traffic I saw him sliding, so I just turned left and got by him. “When he slid, I either had to let up so I wouldn’t run in the back of him, or turn left under him a little bit and cross him. I crossed him and it worked.” Clanton kept Lanigan at bay over the final five laps by running the inside groove in an efficient manner. “I didn’t know I had to slow down that much through (turns) three and four to stay on the bottom off the corner,” said Clanton. “Once I did that, I was pretty good.” Lanigan was a surprisingly upbeat runner-up. “That actually was a pretty fun race,” said Lanigan. “No one wants to finish second, but when you can race that hard, that fast, and that clean with somebody, you’re not too upset. “When you’re out there with people you can trust, you can do that stuff,” he noted when asked about his close battle with Clanton. Fuller, 39, never led a lap despite starting from the pole position. He was hampered by a car that didn’t perform well on restarts. “I don’t know why they fired better than me on restarts,” Fuller said of Clanton and Lanigan. “I was really good on the bottom, but I needed laps to get going – and by then, I was already too far behind them.” Finishing in positions 6-10 were Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who lost a top-five spot to Francis in the final laps; Booper Bare of Rockbridge Baths, Va., who made his first WoO LMS appearance of the season; Smith; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; and Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa., who drove Jerry Foster’s DirTek No. 5. The race’s three caution flags were caused by Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who spun between turns three and four on lap 18; a three-car tangle on lap 22 involving Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Jack Pencil of Bedford, Pa., and Roland Mann of Chaptico, Md.; and David Williams of Avenue, Md., who stopped on lap 32. Thirty-five dirt Late Models entered the event. Miller earned the $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award for his qualifying lap of 17.845 seconds, and he also picked up the $50 National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award for his misfortune in the feature. Heat winners were Frank, Richards, Clanton and Smith, and the B-Mains were captured by Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Stuhler. The WoO LMS continues its weekend of action with events on Sat., July 21, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (the $12,000-to-win 60th Anniversary Classic) and Sun., July 22, at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(2) Shane Clanton/50 $10,000 1.
Steve Francis 1-14-24-$64,750-3,712 (-0) |
| Josh Richards Flawless In Flag-To-Flag ‘60th Anniversary Classic’ Victory At Hagerstown Speedway HAGERSTOWN,
MD – July 21, 2007 – Just over five months after winning
the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener, Josh Richards
made his long-awaited return to Victory Lane on Saturday night at Hagerstown
Speedway. And
oh, what a relief it was for the 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston,
W.Va. “It’s
definitely a great feeling to get a win and get everything moving again,”
Richards said after making Saturday’s ‘60th Anniversary
Classic’ his first WoO LMS score since Feb. 17 at Volusia Speedway
Park in Barberville, Fla. “The last couple of weeks and months,
when we’ve had a fast car, something’s happened to take
us out. Richards steered his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket around the half-mile oval virtually without a challenge until the closing circuits, when Smith and Covert drew within striking distance. Smith was able to pull his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT car up to Richards’s back bumper, but he couldn’t shake the cool teenager from the track’s preferred lower groove. “It was a little bit one lane and our car was really good, so I knew I had a good chance of winning,” described Richards, whose machine was powered by a Cornett engine. “I just tried to stay out front, stay focused, and keep my line. I just had to hold on for 60 laps. “I was watching my crew guy Jimmy in the infield, and he was signaling that Clint was right there at the end. I just tried to maintain what I was doing and it worked out.” With the flawless performance, Richards ended a 26-race losing streak that stretched far longer than he ever would have expected. “After we won the opener to begin the year, we were like, ‘We’re gonna win a lot of them this year,’” said Richards, who registered his fourth career WoO LMS victory (and his initial multiple-win season). “But it’s definitely not that easy. To win races with the Outlaws, everything has to go your way, and everyone on the team has to work together and stay focused. “We’ve been struggling and having some bad luck lately, so over the past couple weeks we’ve worked hard on staying focused. We finally got some the result we’re looking for, and it definitely keeps this team motivated.” The victory was a milestone of sorts for Richards, who ran the first dirt Late Model feature event of his career at Hagerstown, in 2004, but was winless in his appearances there. “I actually dreaded coming to this place because I was so bad here when I first started,” said Richards. “This is a tough place to get around, and I’ve been working to try to get better here. It definitely means a lot to finally win a race at Hagerstown.” Smith won a WoO LMS event at Hagerstown in 2006, but he couldn’t duplicate that feat on Saturday night. He chased Richards for the entire distance after starting third. “I was running in his dirty air all night, which affects the car here because of the long straightaways,” Smith said of pursuing Richards. “As soon as we would see a (slower) car on the straightaway, though, I’d start gaining on him because the dirty air off the lapped car would mess him up. “I got in same situation with Shannon Babb earlier in the year here (the June 2 WoO LMS event in which Smith finished third). If I could’ve ever cleared Shannon that night, I could’ve won that race. I think it was the same thing tonight – if I could’ve cleared Josh, I could’ve won it. "But they had their car on the money, he had a good start, and he was pretty much the dominant car all night. He got a good, solid win. I’m just glad I was able to get up close to him and make a race of it at the end.” Lurking a few car lengths behind Smith at the finish was Covert, who registered his third top-five finish of the season in WoO LMS competition driving Barry Klinedinst’s 2002-vintage Rocket. He finished second to Babb on June 2 at Hagerstown after slipping by Smith late in the distance. Covert, 36, found a way to make passes in the track’s slick outer lane. The 2006 Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) titlist slid into third on lap 31 and appeared primed to challenge Smith and Richards, but he never authored a serious bid to overtake them. “I was gaining on Clint and Josh (after taking third), and then we evened out,” said Covert, the highest-finishing driver using American Racer tires in a Hoosier-dominated field. “I think with about 20 to go the track got ‘clean’ and took a little rubber. “But I’m happy with third. I wanna win, but just racing with these guys is more important to me. To be able to keep up with drivers of this caliber and even see the lead is what it’s all about for me.” Covert earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-placing driver who is not ranked among the top 12 in the tour points standings and has never won a WoO feature. He also earned the bonus the previous night with a fourth-place finish at Virginia Motor Speedway. Francis, 39, ran another quiet-but-steady race in his Valvoline Rocket, improving one spot from the fifth starting position to finish fourth. The performance helped him extend his points lead to 36 markers over Smith, who moved into second in the standings because Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who pulled out his backup car following the heats and used a provisional to get in the A-Main, finished 24th after a busted fuel-pump rod forced him to retire on lap 27. Clanton, looking for his second straight WoO LMS victory, used the outside lane to crack the top five on lap 41 and started closing on Francis for fourth. But before he got close enough to mount a challenge the track surface changed, hampering his bid. “It started rubbering up in the last 10 laps,” Clanton said of the track. “Until the rubber laid down, I was good.” Finishing in positions 6-10 were Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who ran as high as fifth; Bo Feathers of Winchester, Va.; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa.; D.J. Myers of Greencastle, Pa., whose lap of 19.811 seconds in qualifying earned him a career-first National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award with the WoO LMS; and Keith Jackson of Odenton, Md., who won a heat and scored a top-10 finish in his first career WoO LMS start. Three caution flags slowed the event – on lap 16 for Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; lap 18 for J.T. Spence of Winchester, Va.; and lap 30 for David Williams of Avenue, Md. Forty-six dirt Late Models took part in the program, which was run before what was estimated to be the track’s largest crowd of the season. Heat winners were Francis, Richards, Fuller and Jackson, and the B-Mains were captured by Brent Smith of Mercersburg, Pa., and Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa. For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘60th Anniversary Classic’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1.
(2) Josh Richards/60 $12,225
Time
of Race: 31 Mins., 42.598 Secs. WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Covert ($500) -National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: D.J. Myers ($100) - National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Chub Frank ($50) 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 21 - 28 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1.
Steve Francis 1-15-25-$68,250-3,854 (-0)
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 National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions, Eibach Springs and Integra Shocks. |
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Clint
kicked off his 2007 racing season at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick,
Georgia on Friday night. It was a night of highs and lows. On a high
note,Clint turned in a top 10 qualifying effort by clocking in at 6th
in the field of 44. Starting in the outside pole position along side
Scott Blooomquist in the 2nd heat, The Cat Daddy held on to second to
secure a starting spot in the $10K to win event. The highs kept coming
as a good start got the 44 to 3rd place. Clint's car got stronger as
the night wore on passing the 2nd place car of Ivedent Lloyd and began
tracking down Bloomquist who had built up about a straightaway lead.
The lows came when a caution at around lap 21 bunched the field up,
this should have been an opportunity to challenge Bloomquist for the
lead; however, the now bunched up field lead to trouble
at mid race. Billy Moyer now running in the 3rd position and Clint accidentally
tangled on the restart sending Clint spinning. Clint had to report to
the end of the field and worked his way back up to 13th but never could
get around Kenny Schrader as the laps came to a close.
Clint
Smith Claims Cherokee’s OSAS March Madness V
Cleveland,
TN- Southern All Stars 3/17/07 – Officially there were seven lead
changes among three drivers but the lead certainly changed many more
times. However two time and defending O’Reilly Southern All Star
Champion Chris Madden held the lead on the lap that paid. After a wild
battle with four-time Series Champion Clint Smith through the race’s
middle stages, Madden was able to fend off all challenges and score
his first win of this young season. 
BOSWELL,
IN – April 28, 2007 – Clint Smith registered
a pretty satisfying victory in Saturday night’s ‘Boswell
Brawl 50’ at Kamp Motor Speedway. With his first World of Outlaws
Late Model Series win of the 2007 season, Smith cooled off the streaking
Shannon Babb, got some revenge on his good buddy Chris Madden and regained
a share of the tour points lead. “It was a great night for us
on a great track,” bottom-lined Smith, a 42-year-old veteran from
Senoia, Ga. “This was our first time racing here, and all I can
say is this was one racy track.” Smith, who started second, outgunned
the polesitting Babb for the lead at the initial green flag and never
looked back. He survived two late-race caution flags to record his seventh
career WoO LMS win by about three car lengths over Gray Court, S.C.’s
Madden, whose final-lap bid between turns three and four fell short.
Clint
Smith Proud To Provide Ride For Jeff Gordon’s Return To Dirt In
Wednesday’s Nextel Prelude To The Dream At Eldora Speedway 
Overall,
Smith, 42, enjoyed his visit to Eldora. He said he had a “great
time” on Wednesday night when he provided the car that NASCAR
star Jeff Gordon drove in the ‘Nextel Prelude to the Dream’
event. “Gordon
had one of the best times of his life,” Smith said of the former
Nextel Cup champ, who raced on dirt for the first time since 1991.
“You could tell he hadn’t been in (a dirt Late Model)
before during the first hot-lap session that wasn’t televised
(on HBO Pay Per View), but after I talked to him a while he went out
for the second session and was the fastest guy out there. He was so
tickled to death, he kept the sheet that showed him as fast time.”
BELLEVILLE,
KS - June 17, 2007 - Clint Smith felt a sense of accomplishment
after capturing Sunday night's 40-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series
event at the blazing-fast Belleville High Banks. And that wasn't because
the Senoia, Ga., star emerged victorious in his first-ever appearance
at the track and regained the tour points lead in the process.