Clint Smith Ready To Chase Another World of Outlaws Victory At Blazing-Fast Belleville High Banks On Sunday Night (July 20)
Posted Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
Belleville, KS — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

Clint Smith didn’t have a lot of confidence about his chances for success the first time he laid eyes on the Belleville High Banks last year.

“We rolled in there and I said, ‘Whoa, this place ain’t nothing about Clint Smith,’” recalled the veteran driver from Senoia, Ga. “Small, high-banked deals or rubbered-up (track) conditions are what I’m accustomed to, not a big, fast track like Belleville.”

But Smith, 43, went out and won last year’s inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at the famed half-mile oval in convincing fashion, so now he’s anxious to make a return trip with the national tour for a $10,000-to-win headliner this Sunday night (July 20).

“That place was against everything I normally do well and we killed everybody,” said Smith, whose Belleville victory on June 17, 2007, was one of four triumphs he recorded on last year’s WoO LMS. “Actually, it was kind of a turning point for me. Now I excel more on the big half-mile, killer tracks like Belleville. I run a lot more at ease around them now, with a lot more car control than I did two or three years ago.”

Smith will employ all his newfound big-track skills at Belleville, a historic speedway that produces blazing-fast speeds. It is by far the largest, most demanding track that is part of the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour,’ and Smith is taking some special precautions so his self-owned GRT cars and RaceTek engines will better stand up to the expected grind.

“As a driver the speed is no problem – we just hold the button down and go,” said Smith, who has one victory on the 2008 WoO LMS. “But as a car owner, I’m looking at what it does to the equipment. Your motor just has to cook all the time, and everything else is under pressure the whole time too.

“What we learned last year (at Belleville) is that when the sun goes down the track loosens up a little bit and slows downs. The darkness takes all the immediate strain off of everything and the track is not nearly as hard on equipment. I think everybody will be in a little less of a panic this year knowing that after the heat races are over, the temperatures will go back down and the track will slow down.

“But we’re preparing a couple extra oil cooler systems to go on the car for early in the program, when it’s warmer and the track is faster. We’re also doing some various air duct work – just really preparing everything to help the motor stay cool.”

According to Smith, there isn’t a track he’ll visit this season that is faster than Belleville. Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., set the one-lap track record during last year’s event, clocking a blistering circuit of 16.189 seconds (111.187 mph).

“We run wide-open at Belleville,” bottom-lined Smith. “I’ve been to quicker racetracks but not faster tracks, if that makes any sense. Tazewell, Tenn., and Rome, Ga., are the two quickest racetracks I’ve run – everything happens so fast there and you’re out of breath when you come in. But at Belleville, there’s a little straightaway to help you rest, so you’re out there cruising trying to run a good line at high speed.”

Smith is looking forward to experiencing another dose of the down-home atmosphere at the Belleville High Banks, which drew a standing-room-only crowd for last year’s WoO LMS show.

“The whole town loves the place,” marveled Smith, who met many Belleville fans last year when he signed autographs in a t-shirt trailer following the A-Main. “It’s like they’re thinking, ‘This is our house, our little landmark.’ You get the feeling that everybody thinks (the town of) Belleville wouldn’t exist without the track.

“I like any track I win at,” he continued, “but I really enjoyed racing at Belleville last year. Everybody who came up to talk seemed like they really appreciated us being there.”

Smith’s team figures to receive even more attention from the Jayhawk State fans on Sunday night because he plans to field a second car for veteran Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., who has won several dirt Late Model features at Belleville. Purkey has accompanied Smith on the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ and drove Smith’s car in six of the seven events prior to Belleville.

The all-star WoO LMS drivers’ roster set to invade Belleville will also include 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who finished fifth in last year’s A-Main at the High Banks; points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (sixth in 2007); Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (eighth); Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (ninth); defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (10th); Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (13th); Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (16th); and 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (18th).

WoO LMS travelers who will make career-first appearances on the High Banks include John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y. Johnson has plans to fly out to Kansas on Sunday morning to rejoin the ‘Wild West Tour’ after being absent since the opener on July 9 to run Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds events in the Northeast.

The field will be enhanced by a variety of standouts from across the region, including Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Kelly Boen of Henderson, Colo., who has won multiple events at Belleville, John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., and Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D.

Tickets for the event are $25 in advance and $30 at the gate, with kids 7-15 admitted for $15.

Grandstand gates will open at 5 p.m., with hot laps set for 6:30 p.m. and racing scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the Belleville High Banks, visit www.highbanks.org.

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Babb Back On Track After Friday-Night World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory At South Dakota’s Brown County Speedway
Posted Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
Aberdeen, SD — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

Something about Brown County Speedway made Shannon Babb feel right at home. The result was a drought-busting victory for the Moweaqua, Ill., star in Friday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ A-Main. “A bunch of us were talking and I said, ‘This place looks like a (UMP DIRTcar) Summer Nationals racetrack to me,’” commented Babb, a two-time champion and prolific winner on the grueling Midwest tour before becoming a WoO LMS regular. “It’s just a big bullring, and it was super-fast tonight. “For some reason tracks like this just fit my style I guess. I can usually run these types of places with my eyes closed.”

Babb, 34, had his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports/Traeger Grills Rocket car hooked up on the outside of the three-eighths-mile oval, powering forward from the fifth starting spot to grab the lead on lap 19 from Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. He never looked back en route to his second WoO LMS victory of the season, but first since May 3 at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway. Clanton settled for second place after leading laps 1-18, keeping him winless on the tour in 2008. Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., advanced from the seventh starting spot to finish third, Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., placed fourth and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., was fifth.

“I felt like we’d have to win one of these things again some day,” Babb said after his Victory Lane celebration was cut short by a thunderstorm that struck the track immediately following the race’s checkered flag. “We’ve been close a few times (since the Lebanon score), but for the past week we haven’t really been hitting on anything. It feels good to get back on track.” Babb made his big move following a lap-16 restart, passing Smith and Clanton in a three-lap span to seize command. The caution flag turned the race in Babb’s favor.

“Clanton was gone and really checked out, and I thought, ‘Man, if we don’t get a caution, we’re gonna be lucky to run second,’” said Babb, who reached third place on lap 10. “I knew I could probably get around Clint, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to catch Clanton. “That caution helped me out a ton. It gained ground on those guys for me.” Clanton, 32, ran into trouble at about the same time Babb overtook him.

“I hit a rut and bent the drag plate and it wouldn’t come left no more,” Clanton said of his RSD Enterprises Rocket. “When I got in the corner it wouldn’t turn. I kept trying to turn, turn, turn, and finally I just had to stop turning left. “I had to change my whole line. I couldn’t drive it the way I wanted to anymore.” Clanton held to finish in the runner-up spot, but he was unable to seriously challenge Babb even after a lap-48 caution flag handed him a final opportunity. He ran several car lengths behind Babb to the finish.

“I thought I had him covered,” the polesitting Clanton said of Babb. “When Clint was still second on the restart (on lap 16), I thought I was good to go. I know I was just as good as (Babb) the way I was, but then I bent the drag plate and I was just holding on.” While Clanton pondered what he needs to do to finally crack Victory Lane this season on the WoO LMS, Babb hurriedly helped load up his trailer in the pouring rain and then sat back to savor his triumph. “We don’t ever get too far down, but this pumps us up,” said Babb, who recorded his eighth career WoO LMS victory.

Adding some extra luster to his night, Babb was victorious on the 34th birthday of his chief mechanic Jay Hunt, who received the $50 Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race Award. Francis, meanwhile, was coming on strong at the end of the race in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19. He slipped by Smith for third in lapped traffic on lap 38 and was preparing to mount a challenge on Clanton when the race’s third and final caution flag flew on lap 48. “I didn’t need that caution,” said Francis, 40. “I think we were a little harder on our left-rear and right-front tire than (Babb and Clanton) and it took us a couple laps to get going. I got under Shane, but then the caution come out. “I don’t know if we would’ve had anything for Babb if we could’ve gotten by Shane, but with the trip we’ve had so far we’ll be happy with a third.”

Smith, 43, felt his J.P. Drilling GRT car was a solid third-place machine, but he said lapped cars that “were racing us like it was for the lead” cost him the show position. The 36-year-old Mars was steady from start-to-finish, finishing fifth after starting from the sixth spot in his Mars/Birkhofer mount. It was his second straight top five on the ‘Wild West Tour’ and earned him the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who has never won a WoO LMS A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who started ninth; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who nipped points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., for seventh by inches at the finish line; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who was the last driver on the lead lap; and Rookie of the Race Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.

Lanigan saw his streak of 15 consecutive top-five finishes come to an end, but an eighth-place finish was a relief to him considering the way his A-Main began. He was involved in a turn-two tangle with Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., on lap two and had to restart at the rear of the field, but he moved steadily forward to salvage another top 10.

Fuller, meanwhile, had his two-race win streak snapped. A busted oil-pump belt on the first lap of the fourth heat sidelined his primary car for the night and forced him to use a provisional to start the A-Main in his backup mount, but he charged forward to seventh before bringing out a caution on the 48th lap with a flat right-rear tire. He pitted and returned to finish ninth.

A field of 33 cars was entered in the event, which brought the WoO LMS to the Mount Rushmore State for the first time since a 2005 visit to Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron. Francis whipped around the tacky oval in 13.563 seconds to register his second fast time honor of the season. Heat winners were Babb, Frank, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Curt Gelling of Aberdeen, S.D., and Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D.

Eckert’s miserable stretch of racing on the ‘Wild West Tour’ continued at Brown County. His luck appeared to be turning when he picked the second starting spot for the A-Main, but he stopped on lap 16 while running fifth because his car’s lift bar broke and in turn shattered the driveshaft. The stars of the WoO LMS will use Saturday (July 19) as a travel day and then close out the ‘Wild West Tour’ with events on Sunday night (July 20) at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks and Monday night (July 21) at Boone County Speedway in Albion, Neb.

Results of WoO Late Model Series at Brown County Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (5) Shannon Babb/50 $10,250
2. (1) Shane Clanton/50 $5,100
3. (7) Steve Francis/50 $3,000
4. (3) Clint Smith/50 $2,500
5. (6) Jimmy Mars/50 $2,500
6. (9) Josh Richards/50 $1,700
7. (8) Chub Frank/50 $1,400
8. (13) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,300
9. (23) Tim Fuller/50 $1,200
10. (11) Vic Coffey/49 $1,350
11. (10) John Blankenship/49 $1,050
12. (4) Joe Isabell/49 $1,000
13. (14) Kent Arment/48 $950
14. (20) Sean Beardsley/48 $900
15. (17) Curt Gelling/48 $850
16. (18) Dustin Hapka/27 $800
17. (24) Jeff Isabell Jr./22 $770
18. (12) Chad Becker/21 $750
19. (2) Rick Eckert/16 $730
20. (22) Pat Weisgram/13 $700
21. (21) Brady Johanneck/11 $700
22. (19) Jason Fritzsche/7 $700
23. (16) Shawn Malsam/4 $700
24. (15) Al Purkey/2 $700

Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 2, 16, 48)
Lap Leaders: Clanton (1-18); Babb (19-50)
Provisional Starters: Fuller, Jeff Isabell Jr.
Rookie of the Race: Coffey ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Mars ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Jay Hunt (Babb)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Clanton (half-off tire warmers)
Super Clean ‘Start of the Race’: Babb ($100)

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Fuller’s Second Straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Comes Over Mars In Thrilling ‘Cowboy 50’ At Gillette Thunder Speedway
Posted Thursday, Jul 17, 2008
Gillette, WY — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

Tim Fuller continued his summer resurgence on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on Wednesday night – at the expense of Jimmy Mars.

Taking advantage of a late-race caution flag that gave him new life, Fuller grabbed the lead from Mars with one lap to go and held on to score a thrilling victory in the inaugural ‘Cowboy 50’ presented by the YES Foundation at Gillette Thunder Speedway. The $10,250 triumph was Fuller’s second straight on the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ and kept Mars shut out of Victory Lane in Outlaws action. Fuller was victorious for the first time in 2008 on July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D. “We’re on a roll – that’s all there is to it,” said Fuller, who donned a cowboy hat and hoisted a unique trophy after capturing the first-ever WoO LMS event held in Wyoming. “What it really comes down to is we made the right tire choices the last couple nights and we had some luck on our side.”

Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., led the race’s first 39 laps after starting from the outside pole in his Gypsum Express Rocket car, but he could only watch when Menomonie, Wis.’s Mars rode the inside hub to assume command on lap 40. Mars, 36, relinquished the top spot back to Fuller momentarily on lap 41, but he was back in front the following circuit and immediately drove away toward what appeared would be his first career WoO LMS win.

But when Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., pulled up lame with a flat right-rear tire on lap 46 and brought out a caution flag, Fuller was back in the game. His Hoosier tires came back to life during the caution period and he drove to the outside of Mars on the restart. After two circuits of side-by-side racing, Fuller inched ahead of Mars to lead lap 49 and marched on to beat the Cheese State veteran by a mere 0.257 of a second.

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., picked up two positions on the final restart to finish third. WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., ran his consecutive top-five streak to 15 races by advancing from the 13th starting spot to a fourth-place finish, and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., completed the top five after running as high as second. “If it would’ve went green (to the finish), Mars had me covered bad,” conceded Fuller. “He was gonna win by a half-straightaway, but luckily that caution came out. I was smiling because I knew I was gonna get one more chance.

“That caution let me get down there on the bottom and cool the tires down. I had on a 1425 (compound), and it doesn’t want any heat. My tires would give out after about 10 or 12 laps, kind of right when I had to start racing with lapped traffic and throwing the car around. Once my tires cooled off, I said, ‘This is my only shot.’ “During the caution I packed that middle (lane) where everybody was throwing stuff out, so I knew I’d have a few laps to run up there. I came to find out that (Mars) had a 1350 (compound) and had to be right on that bottom, but I could roll that middle.”

Mars, who started third in his Deppe Enterprises Mars/Birkhofer chassis, knew he was in trouble when the caution flag interrupted his cruise to the checkered flag. “My carburetor was stumbling when I ran the bottom, but it was O.K. once I had more patience,” said Mars. “It would cough all the way through the corners if you tried to drive it hard, so I started driving it in deeper and letting it coast through the corners. “I was fine until the caution came out. (Fuller) was fast out there (on the outside) after the restart, so I had to go faster and that hurt me.”

Mars matched his career-best finish on the WoO LMS, but earning $5,600 – including the tour’s $500 Bonus Bucks prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings – didn’t soothe his disappointment. “I just can’t win one of these Outlaw races,” mourned Mars, whose previous runner-up finish came on April 17, 2007, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. “I feel like the Minnesota Vikings – do good until you get to the Super Bowl, and then lose it.” While Mars pondered his fate, Fuller celebrated his third career WoO LMS triumph. He won once in 2007 en route to the Rookie of the Year Award.

“This is a big one because we backed up our win,” said Fuller, who swept the evening’s program by also setting fast time and winning a heat race. “Last year we won and backed it up with a 16th (place finish) in the next race, so winning two in-a-row proves we’re not a one-hit wonder. “It’s just too bad we haven’t put these kind of showings on up north where the local people are. Hopefully that will come.”

The 46-year-old Frank had an up-and-down race in his Lester Buildings Rocket car. He climbed as high as second, on a lap-24 restart, after starting eighth, then fell back to fifth before rallying after the final caution flag to snare third. “Cautions were definitely my friend tonight,” said Frank. “My right-front tire would give up a little after a few laps and I’d pick up a push, but I was better after my tire cooled down under caution.”

Lanigan, 38, authored yet another steady, championship-worthy performance, coming back from an unspectacular qualifying effort to finish fourth in his GottaRace.com Rocket. He survived a near-spin in turn two on the 11th lap to reach the top five – and with Richards finishing 13th, Lanigan’s points lead swelled to 66 points after 23 events. Babb, 34, appeared primed to bid for the win after hustling his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket from the ninth starting spot to second by lap 25, but he slid back to fifth. “It’s the story of our season,” said Babb. “We just haven’t been good enough.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were polesitter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; fifth-starter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who ran second for laps 13-24 before fading because he couldn’t run his car in the bottom lane; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., who drove Smith’s second car; and Rookie of the Race Vic Coffey of Leceister, N.Y. Eckert salvaged his night by finishing seventh. He saw his run of bad luck on the ‘Wild West Tour’ continue earlier in the program when the motor in his GRT car expired as he ran fourth in the third heat, forcing him to pull out his Rayburn machine for the remainder of the night.

A field of 36 cars was signed in for the event at the one-third-mile oval, which is operated by the Gillette Racing Club. Ed Kirchoff, whose 25-year-old son Eddie won a heat race and finished 15th in the A-Main, leads the group’s promotional efforts.

The largest crowd in the five-year history of the track jammed the hillside seating areas for the night’s action.

Fuller was fastest in time trials for the third time this season, turning a lap of 13.989 seconds. He was the only driver to crack the 13-second bracket.

Heat winners were Fuller, Clanton, John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Clint Smith. The B-Mains were captured by Kelly Boen of Henderson, Colo., and John Bey of Deadwood, S.D.

The stars of the WoO LMS will have a travel day on Thursday before the ‘Wild West Tour’ resumes on Friday night (July 18) at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, SD. The swing concludes with events on Sunday night (July 20) at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks and Monday night (July 21) at Boone County Speedway in Albion, Neb.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Cowboy 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (2) Tim Fuller/50 $10,250
2. (3) Jimmy Mars/50 $5,600
3. (8) Chub Frank/50 $3,000
4. (13) Darrell Lanigan/50 $2,500
5. (9) Shannon Babb/50 $2,000
6. (1) Clint Smith/50 $1,700
7. (5) Shane Clanton/50 $1,400
8. (20) Rick Eckert/50 $1,300
9. (16) Al Purkey/50 $1,200
10. (12) Vic Coffey/50 $1,350
11. (11) Steve Francis/50 $1,050
12. (17) Kelly Boen/50 $1,000
13. (7) Josh Richards/50 $950
14. (4) John Blankenship/50 $900
15. (6) Eddie Kirchoff/50 $850
16. (22) Joe Isabell/49 $800
17. (19) Ricky Weiss/49 $770
18. (21) Mike Stadel/49 $750
19. (10) Eric Mass/49 $730
20. (15) Sean Beardsley/48 $700
21. (23) Dustin Hapka/47 $700
22. (24) Jeff Isabell Jr./47 $700
23. (18) John Bey/41 $700
24. (14) Darryn Waldo/35 $700

Time of Race: 22 mins., 35.856 secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.257 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 13, 24, 46)
Lap Leaders: Fuller (1-39); Mars (40); Fuller (41); Mars (42-48); Fuller (49-50)
Provisional Starters: Hapka, Jeff Isabell Jr.
Rookie of the Race: Coffey ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Mars ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Chris Mars (Jimmy Mars)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: (half-off tire warmers)
Super Clean ‘Start of the Race’: Fuller ($100)

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RACE REPORT: Fuller Runs The Outside To Victory In First-Ever WoO LMS Event At North Dakota’s Williston Basin Speedway
Posted Sunday, Jul 13, 2008
Williston, ND — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

Tim Fuller might be ready to take up residence in North Dakota.

After running the outside line to a convincing victory in Sunday night’s caution-free 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Williston Basin Speedway, Fuller owns two career wins on the tour – both in North Dakota. “It is unbelievable that the two races we’ve won have been in North Dakota,” said Fuller, whose previous WoO LMS triumph came on June 12, 2007, at River Cities Speedway in the eastern portion of the state. “I can’t explain why this is the place we’ve had this success, but I hope that now we can duplicate it everywhere else we go.”

Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., busted out of a frustrating sophomore slump on the WoO LMS in a big way. He slipped back two positions from the fifth starting spot early in the event, but he soon discovered a high lane around the one-third-mile track and used it to blast by the six cars ahead of him in a matter of nine stirring laps. The winning pass came on lap 15 when Fuller surged ahead of Shinnston, W.Va.’s Josh Richards, who had led from the initial green flag after starting on the pole position. Fuller dominated the remainder of the distance, artfully negotiating lapped traffic with his Gypsum Express Rocket No. 19 to cross the finish line nearly a straightaway ahead of Richards.

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., made a strong high-side charge forward from the 11th starting spot to finish third, hot on Richards’s rear bumper at the checkered flag. WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., continued to roll with a fourth-place run, and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., placed fifth.

Though Fuller used the outside groove to explode from fourth to the lead on the opening lap en route to a heat-race win, he didn’t go back to the line in the A-Main until he was forced there. “I saw (Rick) Eckert burst up inside of me (in a bid for seventh place on lap six), so I had to go to the outside,” said Fuller. “When I got on the outside of (Kelly) Boen I was, ‘Oh, man, this feels pretty good.’ “I was getting ready to try the top, but I never would’ve went up there that quick if Eckert didn’t get under me. I guess it always takes a turn of events to make you do something.”

Fuller thrilled the track’s capacity crowd with his high-side march, driving by Henderson, Colo.’s Boen, Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Babb, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Lanigan and Richards in succession. He completed the charge by sailing around the outside of Richards’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1 through turns three and four to assume command as lap 15 was scored.

What allowed Fuller to become peerless at the top of the track? He credited his success to his Hoosier tire choice, including a 1350-compound left-rear that he obtained from Clint Smith just minutes before the start of the A-Main. “Clint had the only 1350 left-rear left in the place and he let me run it,” said Fuller, whose head wrench, Mike Countryman, received the Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race Award. “It was a lot softer than everybody else probably ran, and I had a 40 (UMP tire compound) on the right-rear that stuck real good. I could just roll right on the outside of everybody.”

The victory was a welcomed dose of relief for the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year, who entered the ‘Wild West Tour’ with just three top-five finishes to his credit this season on the series. “It helps the bank account and it helps everybody’s spirits,” said Fuller, who pocketed $10,150 for capturing the first-ever WoO LMS event at Williston Basin Speedway. “Think about it – we have two days off before we go to Wyoming (for the next Wild West Tour show, on July 16 at Gillette Thunder Speedway), so we can rest easy because we know the things we are doing now are right.

“Hopefully we can ride this momentum for the rest of the ryear. We’re out of the points race (he’s a distant ninth in the standings), so we can gamble like we did tonight and go for wins.” The 20-year-old Richards, of course, is in the thick of the WoO LMS points battle, sitting a solid second behind Lanigan. That’s why he was satisfied with a runner-up finish.

“I thought that maybe I should’ve moved up (higher on the track) when I was leading, but I didn’t want to even chance it,” said Richards. “Fuller’s car was better than mine anyway, though, so I don’t think it would’ve made a difference if I moved up to the lane he was running. “I was glad to see Fuller get a win,” he added. “He’s been struggling a lot, so he needed one.”

Richards felt fortunate to escape Williston Basin without taking a huge hit in the points chase. His night began in horrible fashion – first with an off-track excursion over the track’s turn-one berm and into a retaining rail during hot laps, and later a multi-car tangle on the opening lap of the first heat. The practice-session incident left Richards’s car with significant damage, including crushed sheet metal, a busted radiator and even a slightly bent rear clip. But with assistance from several other teams, his machine was repaired in time for time trials.

“The night turned out way better than it started,” said Richards, who ended the night trailing Lanigan by 48 points. “I have to thank all the guys who helped up fix the car – Lanigan and his guys, Vic Coffey, Clanton, Francis, Babb. They all pitched in.” Smith, 42, was just as impressive as Fuller on the top side of the track, but his charge stalled at third place on lap 39. He had his J.P. Drilling/J&J Steel GRT car all over Richards for the final circuits but couldn’t pull off a pass. “If I could’ve just cleared Josh after I got Lanigan (for third), then Fuller was dead,” said Smith. “I knew what tires Fuller had on, so I think I might’ve been able to drive right on by him. “But Josh got wide when I got to him, so I never got by him.”

Lanigan, 38, started and finished in the fourth spot, registering his 14th consecutive top-five finish in WoO LMS competition.

“I wasn’t good up there (on the outside) like Fuller with the rubber I had on,” said Lanigan, who survived an early-race scrape with Frank that bent the right-rear bodywork of his GottaRace.com Rocket. The 34-year-old Babb, meanwhile, recovered from an accident that eliminated him on the opening lap of the previous night’s event at Estevan (Sask.) Motor Speedway to score a steady fifth-place finish. “I was on pins and needles when I tried to go up to the top,” said Babb, who drove NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rocket car. “I’m still just too loose all the time. I haven’t hit on anything for the slick tracks with this car yet.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Frank, who was shuffled back from the second starting spot; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who ran as high as fifth at the race’s halfway point; Coffey, the A-Main’s top-finishing rookie; Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., who drove Clint Smith’s backup car to the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings; and defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

Francis started 24th in the A-Main after seeing his night take a rough turn in the third heat. He was running second on the final lap when he spun in turn two after apparently catching a hole in the track and then receiving a tap from Frank. Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., entered the program riding a two-race WoO LMS win streak, but he never threatened to score a hat trick. He retired on lap 16 after sliding through the infield in turn four while running 12th.

The entry list numbered 26 cars at Williston Basin, which is operated by the Williston Basin Racing Association. The fairgrounds track sits 18 miles from the Montana border. Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., was the quickest in time trials, turning a new-track-record lap of 13.774 seconds from the next-to-last slot in the qualifying order. It was the 2008 Rookie of the Year contender’s first-ever fast-time honor on the WoO LMS.

Heat winners were Coffey, Lanigan and Fuller.

The first heat began in wild fashion when front-row starters Coffey and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., came together on the homestretch, sending Blankenship sideways to trigger a multi-car wreck. Blankenship came to rest with his car’s nose smashed into the right side of the car driven by Rick Eckert of York, Pa., with Richards, Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., and Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D., also involved.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ will take a break for two days before concluding with shows on July 16 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway; July 18 at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.; July 20 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks; and July 21 at Boone County Raceway in Albion, Neb.

Results of WoO Late Model Series at Williston Basin Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (5) Tim Fuller/50 $10,150
2. (1) Josh Richards/50 $5,100
3. (11) Clint Smith/50 $3,000
4. (4) Darrell Lanigan/50 $2,500
5. (3) Shannon Babb/50 $2,000
6. (2) Chub Frank/50 $1,700
7. (14) Shane Clanton/50 $1,400
8. (6) Vic Coffey/50 $1,550
9. (12) Al Purkey/50 $1,700
10. (24) Steve Francis/50 $1,100
11. (8) Kelly Boen/50 $1,050
12. (7) Rick Eckert/50 $1,000
13. (18) Darryn Waldo/50 $950
14. (15) Ricky Weiss/50 $900
15. (13) John Blankenship/50 $850
16. (10) Troy Heupel/50 $800
17. (20) Gary Webb/50 $770
18. (19) Dustin Hapka/49 $750
19. (23) John Winge/49 $730
20. (16) Sean Beardsley/48 $700
21. (25) Joe Isabell/44 $700
22. (21) Jeff Isabell Jr./33 $700
23. (9) Brady Smith/16 $700
24. (17) Brad Seng/7 $700
25. (22) Jimmy Mars/3 $700

Yellow Flags: None
Lap Leaders: Richards (1-14); Fuller (15-50)
Rookie of the Race: Coffey ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Purkey ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Mike Countryman (Fuller)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Richards (half-off tire warmers)

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RACE REPORT: Brady Smith Powers To Second Straight Win In World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Energy City 50’
Posted Saturday, Jul 12, 2008
Estevan, SK — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

Brady Smith has suddenly become the hottest driver on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Twenty-four hours after capturing his first-ever victory on the tour in a down-to-the-wire thriller, Smith made it two straight with an utterly dominant performance in Saturday night’s ‘Energy City 50’ at Estevan Motor Speedway. Smith, 31, of Solon Springs, Wis., mastered the outside groove in the first-ever WoO LMS event held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. He drove forward from the 14th starting spot to take the lead from Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., on lap 27 and then sailed away from the field, beating Lanigan by commanding 5.792 seconds – one of the largest victory margins of this season’s WoO LMS.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished third, followed by 13th-starter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., who registered a career-best tour finish driving Smith’s backup car. “To win two World of Outlaws features is an accomplishment,” said Smith, who scored his milestone career-first tour triumph on Friday night at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., by just 0.121 of a second over Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. “But winning two in-a-row is just awesome. Doing this against the competition on this series, I couldn’t be more proud for our team.”

Driving his familiar Amsoil-sponsored Bloomquist Chassis machine, Smith side-stepped a multi-car tangle on the opening lap that eliminated such top contenders as Babb, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.., and soon found himself sitting in fifth place. He proceeded to make mincemeat of the field following the race’s third and final caution flag, on lap 14, powering around the outside of the three-eighths-mile oval in peerless fashion.

Smith raced through the top five by disposing of Francis, Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Purkey and, finally, Lanigan in a matter of 13 laps. He stayed perched high on the track once in command and built an edge of well over a straightaway. “I shot up to fifth fairly early and then I kinda rode around for a while,” said Smith, who pocketed $10,150 while joining Richards and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., as a winner of back-to-back WoO LMS A-Mains in 2008. “Then that caution came out (on lap 14) and I had to restart on the outside, so I thought, ‘This is a perfect time to try the top (groove).’

“And man, our car just worked like gangbusters up there. It was just unbelievable. “I think the track kind of opened up a little bit (as the race went on),” he analyzed. “There was traction up there, and a guy could bring some real good speed (into the corners) and carry it all the way through the middle with the gas pedal on the wood.”

Lanigan, 38, started third and grabbed the lead from polesitter John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., on the second lap, but the WoO LMS points leader couldn’t stop Smith’s onslaught. Hampered slightly after hitting the track’s turn-four uke tire and bending the left-front spindle of his GottaRace.com Rocket car just before the lap-14 caution flag, Lanigan could only watch Smith drive away from him. “It seemed like the handling changed a little bit after I hit that uke tire,” said Lanigan, who recorded his 13th consecutive top-five finish in WoO LMS competition. “But I think (Smith) had a little different tire on than everybody else and that was the difference.”

Smith went a bit softer with his Hoosier tire selection, keying his triumphant run. He acknowledged the fact in Victory Lane. “We’re not WoO series regulars so we’re not real up on exactly what tires to run,” said Smith, alluding to the tour’s open-tire rule. “But picking tires is a guessing game for everybody, and we’ve had the right tires on the last couple nights and we’ve pocketed the money.”

Francis, 40, crossed the finish line more than two seconds behind Lanigan after his bid to grab second late in the distance was dive-bombed by lapped traffic, but he was surprisingly upbeat in defeat. “I’m just happy that we were finally able to finish a race in the top five,” said Francis, who started eighth in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting Rocket. “I got too tight at the end, so we’ll take a third.”

The Clint Smith Racing GRT cars took the fourth and fifth spots, with team owner Smith leading Purkey across the finish line. Smith overtook Purkey for fourth on lap 42 and briefly challenged Francis for third, but slower cars hindered his efforts. “I had Francis beat until lapped traffic messed me up,” said Smith, 42. “My car was real good. I just started too far back and didn’t get to the front fast enough.”

Purkey, a veteran Midwest racer who is accompanying Smith on the ‘Wild West Tour’ and driving Smith’s backup car in selected events, climbed as high as second from the seventh starting spot. He raced side-by-side for the lead with Lanigan for laps 14-18 before beginning to fade. Nevertheless, Purkey’s fifth-place finish earned him the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings.

“I had on a different tire combination and I was slowly sliding back,” said Purkey. “I’m just glad to get to race for Clint and race up front. This is only the second night we’ve run the car, and I’m happy we got Clint a top five to help him out with some money for the trip.” Purkey was able to continue after being involved in the event’s big opening-lap accident. Contact between Purkey and Eckert sent Eckert’s No. 24 into Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., setting off a wild scramble in which Eckert spun to the top of the track and was struck by Clanton, Babb and Kelly Boen of Henderson, Colo. Mars also spun, but was able to continue. The accident left the Eckert, Clanton and Babb cars with significant damage, costing each WoO LMS regular dearly in the points standings.

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Richards, who fell back from his outside-pole starting spot; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who recovered from his involvement in the opening-lap tangle and a lap-14 pit stop to change a flat tire; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; and Blankenship, who pitted during the lap-14 caution period.

Twenty-six cars were signed in for the event at Estevan, which is located 10 miles north of the United States border.

The track’s biggest crowd of the season jammed the stands on a very blustery night, with sustained winds of 30-40 mph creating chilly summer conditions.

Mars toured the oval in 15.773 seconds during qualifying to record the first WoO LMS fast-time honor of his career.

Heat winners were Mars, Lanigan and Richards.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ returns to the U.S. on Sunday night (July 13) for a first-ever event at Willison Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D. Following a two-day break, the swing will conclude with shows on July 16 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway; July 18 at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.; July 20 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks; and July 21 at Boone County Raceway in Albion, Neb.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Energy City 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (14) Brady Smith/50 $10,150
2. (3) Darrell Lanigan/50 $5,100
3. (8) Steve Francis/50 $3,000
4. (13) Clint Smith/50 $2,500
5. (7) Al Purkey/50 $2,500
6. (2) Josh Richards/50 $1,700
7. (4) Jimmy Mars/50 $1,400
8. (11) Tim Fuller/50 $1,300
9. (16) Chub Frank/50 $1,200
10. (1) John Blankenship/50 $1,200
11. (15) Brad Seng/49 $1,050
12. (12) Mike Balcaen/49 $1,000
13. (18) Dustin Hapka/49 $950
14. (24) Joe Isabell/49 $1,150
15. (22) Ricky Weiss/49 $850
16. (25) Sean Beardsley/48 $800
17. (17) Ed Turnbull/48 $770
18. (21) Troy Heupel/48 $750
19. (20) Dave Smith/46 $730
20. (19) Jeff Isabell Jr./36 $700
21. (26) Gary Webb/9 $700
22. (23) John Winge/2 $700
23. (5) Rick Eckert/0 $700
24. (6) Shannon Babb/0 $700
25. (9) Kelly Boen/0 $700
26. (10) Shane Clanton/0 $700

Time of Race: 18 Mins., 13.933 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 5.792 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 0, 0, 14)
Lap Leaders: Blankenship (1); Lanigan (2-26); B. Smith (27-50)
Provisional Starters: None
Rookie of the Race: Joe Isabell ($250)

WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Al Purkey ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Jay Cardy (Clint Smith/Al Purkey)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Blankenship (half-off tire warmers)
Super Clean ‘Start of the Race’: Blankenship ($100)

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RACE REPORT: Birkhofer Dominant In Featherlite Trailers Gopher 50 Victory At Deer Creek Speedway
Posted Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
Spring Valley, MN — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

Brian Birkhofer surged into the lead at the initial green flag and never looked back, rolling to a flag-to-flag victory in Wednesday night’s 29th annual Featherlite Trailers Gopher 50 Charity Late Model Race at Deer Creek Speedway. The 36-year-old from Muscatine, Iowa, was clearly the dominant force as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ opened before a near capacity crowd at the Queensland family’s three-eighths-mile oval and the SPEED television cameras.

“I’ve had a hard time even finishing races here in the past,” said Birkhofer, who earned $10,250 for his first-ever triumph at Deer Creek and second WoO LMS checkered flag of 2008. “But this is a fun place and it’s only three-and-a-half hours from home, so I’m pumped to finally win one here – especially against the caliber of drivers that were here tonight.” Birkhofer was never seriously threatened after using his outside-pole starting spot to outgun defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., for the lead when the race began. He was slowed only by two caution flags for minor incidents – both on lap 13 – en route to a 2.016-second margin of victory over WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., started and finished third, less than a half-second ahead of fourth-place Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished a distant fifth. Birkhofer’s win was the sixth of his career on the WoO LMS. He became the fourth repeat winner in 19 WoO LMS events this season, joining Richards (four wins), Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (four) and Lanigan (two).

It was Birkhofer’s second career win in the prestigious Gopher 50, a long-running event that is promoted as a fundraiser by the Blooming Prairie (Minn.) Lions Club International. He previously was victorious in 2004, when the race was held for the last time at the Steele County Fairgrounds in Owatanna, Minn., before moving to Deer Creek and becoming a stop on the WoO LMS the following year. “This isn’t a $40,000-to-win race, but it means a lot to win it,” said Birkhofer. “These people who put the Gopher on do a phenomenal job of promoting the race. They really work hard it. I just wish more people would promote races like this.”

The triumph came behind the wheel of the still-unnamed chassis that Birkhofer built with fellow racer Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., and Mars’s brother Chris. “Jimmy’s been pretty dominant in his (Mars/Birkhofer) car the last couple of weeks, but I’ve been stubborn about doing one thing to my car,” said Birkhofer, whose previous WoO LMS victory this season came on May 4 at Monett (Mo.) Speedway. “I listened to him tonight because I watched how good he’s been running, and it’s definitely better. Once that racetrack got that black (groove) – man, this car just felt great.”

Birkhofer’s biggest challenge was finding the correct line to navigate the high-banked oval.

“It was a racetrack where you had to chase the groove around,” said Birkhofer, whose Daufeldt Transportation/J&J Steel car carried a Pro Power engine. “I got a good start and got rolling around the top, but I kinda looked over my shoulder one time (late in the race) and thought I saw Lanigan trying to run the bottom so I moved down (to the inside lane). “I was like, ‘This feels a little better,’ so I just stayed there and tried to attack lapped traffic.”

Lanigan, who started 10th in his GottaRace.com Rocket car, reached second place on lap 27 when he passed Smith. It appeared he was closing on Birkhofer at one point, but Birkhofer negotiated slower cars with ease and took the checkered flag nearly three-quarters of a straightaway ahead of Lanigan. “I’d liked to have seen a yellow once I got to second,” said the 38-year-old Lanigan, who padded his points lead with his 11th consecutive top-five finish. “Without having to deal with lapped traffic, maybe we could’ve given (Birkhofer) a run. “But what I really needed was a better starting position. You can’t start 10th and beat these guys very often.”

Smith, 43, climbed as high as second immediately after the lap-13 caution periods, but he couldn’t maintain enough speed with his J.P. Drilling GRT car to make a bid for the top prize at a speedway he called “my favorite racetrack.” “I just was softer than both of them (Birkhofer and Lanigan) on tires,” said Smith. “We thought the track was going to be more like it usually is here, but it was a little bit different. When I couldn’t get any traction late in the race, they put a half-track on me.” Clanton, 32, faced the same tire situation as Smith. Running an identical softer tire, he couldn’t keep pace with the two frontrunners. “I didn’t think the track was gonna get that slick,” said Clanton, who started sixth in his RSD Enterprises Rocket.

The 20-year-old Richards, meanwhile, fought hard to score his 11th top-five finish of the season, which ties him with Lanigan for the series lead in that category. He started ninth and spent the middle stages of the event battling to take fifth from Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. “I had a real fun race with Babb,” said Richards, who drove the Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. “My car was getting better and better, but I’m satisfied with a fifth tonight.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who steadily moved forward from the 10th starting spot; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings; Babb (after running as high as second); Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., in a brand-new Rocket car; and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who dropped to the rear for the start because he ran his backup car in the feature after damaging his primary mount in a heat-race accident.

Francis was the race’s most notable casualty. He had just moved to second on lap 13 when the engine in his Dale Beitler-owned No. 19 went up in smoke, leaving him with a 24th-place finish.

Forty-six cars entered the event, which was run on a brilliant summer evening.

Clanton blazed around the oval in time trials at 14.353 seconds to register his second fast time honor of the season.

Heat winners were Francis, Babb, Denny Eckrich of Tiffin, Iowa, and Mars. The B-Mains was captured by Andrew McKay of Edina, Minn., and WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y.

One of the night’s heartbreaks belonged to Keith Foss of Winona, Minn. The Deer Creek regular, who entered the night ranked second in the track’s points standings, was leading the fourth heat when his car suddenly shot to the right and slammed the turn-two wall.

The night’s action was taped for broadcast on Sun., Aug. 16, at 4 p.m. ET on the SPEED cable network.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ continues on Thursday night (July 10) with a $10,000-to-win event at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn.

Results of WoO Late Model Series Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (2) Brian Birkhofer/50 $10,250
2. (10) Darrell Lanigan/50 $5,100
3. (3) Clint Smith/50 $3,000
4. (6) Shane Clanton/50 $2,500
5. (9) Josh Richards/50 $2,000
6. (13) Rick Eckert/50 $1,700
7. (7) Jimmy Mars/50 $1,900
8. (4) Shannon Babb/50 $1,300
9. (11) Chub Frank/50 $1,200
10. (16) Brady Smith/50 $1,100
11. (5) Kerry Hansen/49 $1,050
12. (18) Danny Johnson/49 $1,250
13. (14) Tim Fuller/49 $950
14. (21) Vic Coffey/49 $900
15. (12) Mike Prochnow/49 $850
16. (21) John Blankenship/49 $800
17. (20) Tyler Bruening/48 $770
18. (24) Joe Isabell/48 $750
19. (26) Dennis Hillson/46 $730
20. (8) Denny Eckrich/35 $700
21. (21) Jeff Provinzino/26 $700
22. (22) Dustin Hapka/19 $700
23. (15) Chad Simpson/16 $700
24. (1) Steve Francis/13 $700
25. (17) Andrew McKay/13 $700
26. (25) Nick Herrick/12 $700

Time of Race: 19 Mins., 38.792 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 2.016 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 2 (Laps 13, 13)
Lap Leaders: Birkhofer (1-50)
Provisional Starters: Blankenship, Isabell (WoO); Nick Herrick, Hillson (track)
Rookie of the Race: Danny Johnson ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Jimmy Mars ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Jeff Roby (Birkhofer)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Birkhofer (half-off tire warmers)
Super Clean ‘Start of the Race’: Birkhofer ($100)

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CLINT SMITH CLAIMS MSCCS CHECKERS AT JMS
July 5, 2008: “The Cat Daddy” Clint Smith made a surprise visit to Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Mississippi on Saturday night, and it paid off in a big way as he claimed the $2,500 top prize in the Extreme Wireless Super Late Model event.

The evening’s Extreme Wireless Super Late Model event was sanctioned by the Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series and feature a 50 lap main event. Twenty-Nine Super Late Models signed in to do battle with David Breazeale setting quick time around the ¼ mile oval. Breazeale would win the pole sitters dash, and earn the pole position for the feature event. Clint Smith would start to his outside with Breazeale snagging the lead at the drop of the green flag. Breazeale would lead for three laps before rolling to a stop with a broken left front shock bolt. He would head pitside and rejoin the back of the pack. Smith inherited the lead and never looked back en route to the win. Behind Smith, things would not be as easy as several drivers battled for the top five spots. At the finish line Jimmy Cliburn, David Ashley, Scott Slay, and Billy Moyer Jr. rounded out the top five.