resultsWoO

Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • [email protected]

Rocket Chassis Wins World of Outlaws Late Model Series Chassis Builders Challenge Award For Fifth Consecutive Season

The Shinnston, W.Va.-based manufacturer ruled the World of Outlaws Late Model Series once again in 2008, winning the national tour’s Chassis Builders Challenge Award for the fifth consecutive season.

Rocket remains the only company to capture the top chassis builders’ honor since the World Racing Group began operating the WoO LMS in 2004 – an achievement that Rocket co-owner Mark Richards acknowledged but modestly deflected.

“That’s what they tell me,” a smiling Richards said when asked about his firm’s five-year WoO LMS winning streak after accepting the award during the tour’s 2008 awards banquet on Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla. “It’s a tribute to the good racers in our stuff who have confidence in what we build, take it and do a good job with it.

“And I have to thank all of our employees back at Rocket Chassis,” he added, hailing the 14 fulltimers (not including himself and partner Steve Baker) who comprise the company’s workforce.

The 2008 WoO LMS Rocket army was led by Darrell Lanigan, whose unprecedented run of consistency brought him the tour’s $100,000 points title for the first time in his career. Lanigan became the third consecutive driver to capture the WoO LMS championship behind the wheel of a Rocket machine, following Steve Francis (2007) and Tim McCreadie (2006).

“He deserves it,” the 48-year-old Richards said of Lanigan, a Rocket loyalist for more than a decade who has developed a close relationship with Richards. “He’s been with this whole Outlaw deal since it started (under the WRG banner) and I know he’s wanted to get a championship knocked down at some point. It’s an accomplishment to be proud of and I think it means a lot to him.

“We’re happy that Darrell got a chance to win one. He’s been a great supporter of Rocket Chassis and he’s a great guy to travel with (on the WoO LMS).”

Overall Rocket Chassis registered victories in 27 of the ’08 season’s 43 A-Mains (a win percentage of 62.7%), paced by the series-leading six triumphs scored by both Francis and Josh Richards, the 20-year-old son of Rocket’s head man. In addition, Rocket drivers swept the top-six positions and eight of the top 10 spots in the final points standings. Lanigan was followed by Josh Richards (second), Francis (third), Shane Clanton (fourth), Chub Frank (fifth), Shannon Babb (sixth), Tim Fuller (ninth) and Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey (10^th).

Rocket’s spectacular ’08 campaign – no other chassis manufacturer won more than five WoO LMS events – returned the well-known shop to dominator status on the tour after below-average results the previous year. While Rocket won the 2007 WoO LMS Chassis Builders Challenge and boasted seven of the top 10 drivers in the points standings, the company’s victory total (19) and win percentage (43.2%) were its lowest ever on the series.

Mark Richards attributed Rocket’s reduced 2007 numbers to a slow start that resulted from some significant changes in the manufacturer’s core WoO LMS group. With key Rocket racers McCreadie and Dale McDowell not returning as tour regulars and Rick Eckert switching chassis builders, it took a while to get everyone running Rockets with the Outlaws “back together and on the same page,” said Richards.

The new-look Rocket group began to hit its stride late in 2007 and the success carried over to ’08.

“Oh yeah, it was a big plus for us to get a ‘team’ of guys back together who are willing to work together and share information,” said Richards, analyzing Rocket’s success in ’08. “And I think we’re going to be even stronger next year.”

Richards is determined to maintain Rocket’s historic control of the headlines on the WoO LMS. Rocket cars have won 118 of the 197 tour A-Mains contested since 2004 – a sterling win percentage of 59.8% – and claimed no fewer than seven of the top 10 drivers in the points standings in any season.

In that vein, Richards has already overseen an extensive testing session with an eye on 2009. In early December he traveled south with his son, Francis, Clanton and McCreadie to spend several days experimenting at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., and East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla.

Richards hauled two dirt Late Models to the test session – one of his familiar No. 1 house cars and an Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 that his son drove in selected non-WoO LMS events. The Davis machine sported new front and rear suspension geometry and a new Integra Shock package that Josh and mechanic Robby Allen experimented with in 2008 in hopes of applying the ideas to ’09 Rocket models.

“We wanted to get a feel for where the new car stacks up with our cars that were running well at the end of the season,” said Richards, noting that Rocket’s ‘new’ front-end chassis is adaptable to race as either a ‘blue’ or ‘black’ front-end machine. “We had Josh’s (No. 1) car (McCreadie was an extra driver for Richards’s two cars), Shane’s car and Steve’s car set up like they were at the end of (2008) so we could see how the new car ran against them.

“We felt like we got in a real good test and learned a lot. We think the new car will be a definite improvement.”

The 2009 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 12 and 14 with two dates during the 38^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Home For The Holidays: How The World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Are Spending Their Rare Time Off

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 24, 2008 – The holiday season is a rare joy for the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series – a once-a-year stretch during which the busy fulltime professional race car drivers absolutely, positively don’t have any competitive events keeping them away from home.

So how are the top 10 drivers in the 2008 WoO LMS points standings taking advantage of their time off? For the most part, they’ll be catching up with family and friends.

No WoO LMS regular, of course, has a larger family than veteran Chub Frank – and thus no driver hosts a bigger holiday bash than the 46-year-old owner/operator who finished fifth in the national tour’s 2008 points standings.

Frank, whose grandmother had 18 children, opened up his race shop in Bear Lake, Pa., last Saturday (Dec. 20) for his annual day-long holiday bash that was attended by over 100 of his relatives and dozens of his friends. Santa Claus made an appearance during the afternoon to visit with the kids, and then after 7 o’clock “the adult party started,” said a smiling Frank, whose expansive shop features a bar area filled with memorabilia from his racing career.

Christmas Day is actually much more intimate for Frank. He spends it at his home with a smaller gathering that includes his wife Mary, Mary’s two children and their two grandchildren.

As for New Year’s Eve, Frank doesn’t have any big plans. There will likely be some action in his bar, but he’ll be more focused on the vacation he’ll begin three days later. Frank and his wife will be one of many racers on the 15^th annual ‘Cruise With The Champions,’ which from Jan. 4-11 will visit several western Caribbean ports-of-call, including Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman and Cozumel…

Joining Frank on the ‘Cruise With The Champions’ will be 2007 WoO LMS champion Steve Francis, who also happens to come from a family that rivals Frank’s in size. But while Francis’s father had seven siblings and his mother had eight, there’s no Frank-like holiday family reunion.

“We go to my parents’ house in Ashland (Ky.) for Christmas and I’ll see a lot of relatives I get to see only once a year,” said Francis, who finished third in the 2008 WoO LMS points standings. “But our family has gotten kinda spread out, so the gathering isn’t as big as it was when I was growing up.”

Francis, 41, relishes the holidays because it’s his opportunity to spend more time with his girlfriend Jennifer, who didn’t make as many road trips with him in ’08 as she had in the past due to work commitments at home, and his 10-year-old daughter Alexis (from a previous relationship).

“I get a little time to just kick back and relax,” said Francis, “and actually kind of enjoy my home.”

And coming off a season in which he earned nearly $250,000 on the WoO LMS alone driving for Dale Beitler’s team, Francis will no doubt have to spend some of his racing cash to fulfill the Christmas wishes of his girls.

“Jennifer wants new wheels for her car,” quipped Francis, “and my daughter wants that Guitar Hero game.”

“I’m fortunate – I don’t want for a lot,” he said. “Well, maybe one thing – a World of Outlaws championship in 2009. I’ll take that as a Christmas present.”…

The biggest money-winner on the 2008 WoO LMS was Darrell Lanigan, whose $100,000 prize for capturing the tour points title pushed his total earnings to $245,467.

But Lanigan’s daughters – Tiffany, 7, and Brittney, 4 – apparently haven’t factored dear old Dad’s 100-grand check into their Christmas wish lists.

“Nah, they didn’t ask for anything bigger because I won the championship,” laughed Lanigan, who became the fifth different WoO LMS champion in as many years. “The older one wants an electric scooter, and the other one wants a baby doll.”

The 38-year-old Lanigan, who returned to his Union, Ky., home earlier this week after flying to Nebraska on Sunday to pick up a new S&S hauler and trailer for his ’09 WoO LMS travels, will spend Christmas Day at the nearby residence of his girlfriend Erin Dailey’s parents. He has no getaway planned for New Year’s Eve – he vacationed with Dailey in Miami last month – so he’ll use the holiday week to get some preparatory work done at his shop….

Clint Smith is another Outlaw who will trade fun for hard work in the shop during the holidays. Coming off a grueling season in which ‘Cat Daddy’ slipped to eighth in the WoO LMS points standings following a career-high third-place finish in 2007, he’s focused on making a big rebound in ’09.

“I’ll spend some time with my next-of-kin – go to my mom’s, my dad’s and my sister’s places,” said Smith, 43, of Senoia, Ga. “But other than that, we’ll be working on the race cars.

“We ran 112 shows this year, so our equipment is worn out. We have a lot of work to do. We’re building one brand-new car and we’ve got five others to re-do, and we’ve got to get our motors back.”

Smith, whose workload might even prompt him to skip the ‘Cruise With The Champions’ that he annually enjoys, is looking forward to spending time with his 16-year-old daughter, Jenna, between his sessions at the garage. He said she hasn’t asked him for a major present this year.

“She got a (highway) car last year,” smiled Smith, “so it’d be hard to out-do that.”…

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., will take it a bit easier this holiday season than his fellow Peach State Outlaw.

After enjoying the best campaign of his dirt Late Model career in 2008 (four wins and a fourth-place finish in the WoO LMS points plus a World 100 victory), the 33-year-old Clanton will get away from the racing grind with his wife Jennifer and son Ryan, who turns six in January. They’ll partake in a Christmas Eve dinner at Clanton’s mother’s house, spend Christmas Day at home (“We’ll just let Ryan play with his new toys as much as he can,” said Clanton) and then head out on the 28^th for a week-long Caribbean cruise with more than 50 people, including Clanton’s mother; his car owner Ronnie Dobbins; his RSD Enterprises teammate Tony Knowles; WoO LMS regular Rick Eckert and his wife Crystal; and ’08 Belleville (Kans.) High Banks WoO LMS winner Kelly Boen of Henderson, Colo.

“We’re looking forward to the cruise,” said Clanton, who is bringing his son along on the trip that will visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel. “It’s going to be fun to get away with the whole family and a lot of friends.”…

Before flying south to hook up with Clanton and Co. for the holiday cruise, York, Pa.’s Eckert, his wife and 19-year-old daughter Courtney will be part of probably the biggest Christmas family gathering this side of Chub Frank.

On Christmas Day, Eckert, who turned 43 on Dec. 14 and is in the midst of building a new shop to house his Raye Vest-owned racing equipment, will take his brood to his parents’ home for a dinner that will include more than 60 of his relatives.

“It takes several tables to handle everybody,” said Eckert, who has five siblings. “We have a big family.”…

Young WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards has a holiday trip planned, but he’ll go north to chase cold weather rather than the warm sun of the Caribbean.

Richards, 20, of Shinnston, W.Va., will spend several days before and after New Year’s Day at the Holiday Valley ski resort in Ellicottville, N.Y., south of Buffalo. His travel group will include his family (father and team owner Mark Richards, mother Tina and sister Morgan); his girlfriend; his buddy and fellow racer Jared Hawkins; well-known dirt Late Model mechanic Robby Allen and his wife; Brian Daugherty of Integra Shocks; and possibly 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie.

“I enjoy skiing, but I don’t get a chance to go as much as I’d like to,” said Richards, who tied Francis for the most wins on the 2008 WoO LMS and finished a career-high second in the points standings. “It’s gonna be a great time spending a few days up there at Holiday Valley.”

Richards’s holiday season also includes an affair with his mother’s side of the family (it happened last Saturday night) and a Christmas Eve get-together at his aunt’s home with his father’s family…

Christmas 2008 will be special for Shannon Babb – it is, after all, his first holiday season as a married man. He tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Emalie Meyer, in November.

And Babb, whose first season as a WoO LMS regular ended with a sixth-place finish in the points standings, has a busy schedule of family activities.

Babb celebrates his 35^th birthday on Christmas Eve, so Emalie will host a birthday/holiday party at their home in Moweaqua, Ill. The gathering’s guest list includes, among others, their parents, grandparents and siblings.

Then on Christmas Day Babb and his bride will be on the move all day. They’ll begin by opening presents together at their home, then head to Babb’s parents’ home around 10 or 11 a.m. to exchange presents; Babb’s grandparents’ house around 1 or 2 p.m. for more gift-giving; and finally Emalie’s grandparents’ residence two-and-a-half hours away in Mount Vernon, Ill., to open presents with her family.

After such a busy holiday on top of a grueling 2008 racing season, it’s not surprising that Shannon and Emalie might not hit the road for a New Year’s Eve trip.

“We are seriously contemplating staying home (on New Year’s Eve) with a bottle of wine and the Hunting Channel,” laughed Emalie. “Most likely we will be staying home and ringing in our first New Year married together.”

The new Mr. and Mrs. Babb did just return on Sunday from a late ‘honeymoon’ in Texas and Mexico. They made several hunting excursions, during which Shannon – an expert hunter – shot a 16-point Mule Deer Buck and Emalie shot her first 6-point Whitetail Buck…

The last two WoO LMS Rookies of the Year – Tim Fuller (2007) and Vic Coffey (2008) – will try to dodge snowflakes while spending the holidays in their native upstate New York.

Fuller, 41, of Watertown, N.Y., is preparing for a wild Christmas morning. He expects his daughter Ainsley, who turns four in January, to be more in tune with the holiday than she’s ever been.

“I’m sure she’s going to wake us up at the crack of dawn,” said Fuller, noting that a life-like ‘Biscuit the Dog’ toy tops Ainsley’s Christmas wish list. “It’s game-on. She’ll be zipping off the walls.”

Fuller, his wife Lori, Ainsley and Lori’s 14-year-old daughter MacKenzie will make the short drive to Lori’s grandparents’ home for a large Christmas Day family gathering.

“Lori’s grandfather makes homemade wine,” Fuller said when asked for one of the holiday affair’s highlights. “You have a couple glasses of that and man, you’re flying. It’s some powerful stuff.”

Fuller, who won twice en route to a ninth-place finish in the 2008 WoO LMS points standings, isn’t making a New Year’s Eve trip with his wife this year. But they’ll probably make a stop at a party hosted by Lori’s uncle, where “all kinds of shenanigans will be going on,” he quipped.

Meanwhile, Coffey, 37, who finished 10^th in the ’08 points standings, will enjoy his first Christmas with eight-month-old son Kasey. His wife, Jillian, gave birth to the couple’s first child in April just before Coffey dived head-first into his rookie season as a WoO LMS traveler.

“On Christmas Eve we’ll go to Jill’s cousins’ for a dinner,” said Coffey, who will also have his two children from a previous marriage, Shelby, 13, and Kyle, 12, on Christmas Day. “Then on Christmas we’ll go to Jill’s parents’ house, and the day after Christmas we’ll have a get-together with my brother and sister.”

There will certainly be plenty of racing talk on Christmas Day at Coffey’s in-laws’. Jillian’s parents own Phelps Cement Products, a longtime backer of DIRTcar Modified racing in central New York, and her brother, Justin, is a big-block Modified regular who follows the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series.

As for New Year’s Eve, Coffey, who moved into a new home in Caledonia, N.Y., earlier this year, said he might take his older kids skiing…

Happy Holidays from the staff of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which kicks off the 2009 season on Feb. 12 and 14 during the 38th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Perfect Season Brings Cornett Racing Engines 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Crane Cams Engine Builders Challenge Award

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 17, 2008 – For an engine builder, a season can’t go much better than the one Jack Cornett just experienced.

The chief of Cornett ‘Thunder & Lightning’ Racing Engines had his powerplants bolted into the cars of three fulltime World of Outlaws Late Model Series drivers in 2008 – and the trio of superstars swept the top-three spots in the national tour’s points standings.

Thanks to WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan, runner-up Josh Richards and third-place Steve Francis, the 52-year-old Cornett’s venerable shop in Somerset, Ky., was recognized as the winner of the circuit’s 2008 Crane Cams Engine Builders Challenge Award.

The affable Cornett modestly directed the credit to his high-profile clients after collecting the WoO LMS engine-builders trophy for the second time in the last three years.

“We’re always trying to make our engines more reliable and find more horsepower, but the biggest deal was the three cars we happened to have motors in (on the 2008 WoO LMS),” said Cornett, who was honored during the WoO LMS ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Dec. 11 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla. “Those guys had awesome years. They did the job for us.”

While 2008 marked the first time that Cornett constructed the powerplants used by a WoO LMS champion, it’s just the latest honor on his sparkling dirt Late Model resume. His company’s major series championships include four Hav-A-Tampa/UDTRA/Xtreme Dirtcar titles (1995 and ‘98 with Scott Bloomquist, 2001-2002 with Rick Eckert) and the 1987 UMP DIRTcar national crown (John Gill). Among his crown-jewel event wins are four Dirt Track World Championships (1990 and ‘95 with the late Jack Boggs, 2003 with Lanigan and 2004 with Eckert), three World 100s (Bloomquist in ’90, Boggs in ’95 and Jimmy Owens in 2007) and three Dream 100s (Bloomquist in ’95, Lanigan in 2003 and Steve Casebolt in ’07).

All this from a man who began his racing career as a driver in the asphalt Late Model ranks.

“I drove on-and-off for about 10 years (in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s), mostly around home at tracks like Louisville Motor Speedway,” said Cornett, who also spent a couple years competing with the ARCA stock-car series. “I wanted to be a driver first. Obviously that didn’t pan out too well, but I found out I could build a pretty good engine along the way.”

Cornett learned the motor-building ropes as an understudy to his father Red, who started the engine business over 30 years ago, and through trial-and-error assembling powerplants for his own cars. He developed a solid reputation for his workmanship, attracting the attention of local dirt Late Model racers.

“When I started racing guys saw my personal stuff ran good and didn’t blow up, so they started coming to me and asking if I’d build them a motor,” said Cornett. “We really didn’t have too much asphalt racing around home – it was mostly dirt – so my customer base started in dirt and grew from there.

“John Gill, when he drove the old Indiana ‘1’ car in the mid ‘80s, came through with some of our first big wins against top-notch competition. Then we started doing Bloomquist’s stuff in ’88 and everything really picked up.”

Cornett took the reins of his father’s shop in the mid ‘80s with just one employee under him. He now counts nine fulltimers working at his facility, which has expanded to the point where he needs to add on to the building.

The well-known ‘Thunder & Lightning’ part of his firm’s title developed over the years.

“Some guy who used to work for Bloomquist and did decals on the side came up with the ‘Thunder,’” said Cornett. “When I started doing the motors for Mark (Richards, who fields the Rocket Chassis house cars driven by his son Josh), he said, ‘I don’t want to call it ‘Thunder,’ so let’s call the Chevrolets ‘Lightning.’

“It stuck after that – our Fords are ‘Thunder’ and our Chevys are ‘Lightning.’”

The 20-year-old Josh Richards has felt nothing but the power of Cornett Chevy ‘Lightning’ motors under his right foot since he began driving his father’s equipment in 2004. But Francis, 41, used Cornett Chevrolets this season for the first time in his career, joining his fellow Kentuckian’s fold after parking his own team to drive for Maryland’s Dale Beitler, who already had a stockpile of Cornett engines.

“Me and Steve are both from Kentucky and just three hours apart, but it just never happened with us until this year,” said Cornett. “It was great to finally work with him.”

Lanigan, meanwhile, has been a devotee to Cornett’s Ford ‘Thunder’ engines for 15 years. The 38-year-old has developed a close friendship with Cornett, who also built engines for Lanigan’s short pavement foray into ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series competition from 1998-2001.

Cornett wasn’t surprised that Lanigan, who has been a WoO LMS regular since 2004, emerged as the tour’s champion this season by the largest points margin in history.

“He’s a really good shoe,” said Cornett, whose workload is split almost evenly between Chevrolet and Ford engines. “He had all the talent to make it in NASCAR if he had met the right people at the right time, but it seemed like when he finally gave up on that dream and came back to dirt he was refocused and more determined than ever to do good on dirt.

“He’s gotten older and matured, and man, he knows his race car. Your best drivers are all that way. They have to know, ‘When I change this spring or put this tire on, this is the feel it gives me.’ If you can’t do that as a driver, you ain’t gonna continue to run up front.”

Lanigan and Cornett’s other boys were certainly stalwarts at the front of the WoO LMS pack in 2008. Richards and Francis finished tied for the tour’s win lead with six victories apiece; Lanigan scored a modest two triumphs, but he rolled off an unprecedented streak of 15 consecutive top-five finishes en route to a series-leading 25 top-five and 36 top-10 placings in 43 events.

“When Darrell was rolling to those 15 straight top-fives (from May 4-July 16), I thought he might be able to pull this thing off,” said Cornett, who led all engine builders with 15 WoO LMS wins in 2008 (Jimmy Owens also earned him a victory). “And with Josh and Steve both running good also, I thought, Hell, if we don’t win (the WoO LMS title) this year, we ain’t ever gonna win it.”

Cornett earned his WoO LMS crown – and second and third place to boot. It’s the first time in tour history that one engine builder swept the top-three spots in the points standings.

“It’s awesome to have a season like this on a top-notch series like the World of Outlaws,” said Cornett. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be considered one of the best of the best (in the engine-building game).”

There’s simply nothing Cornett would rather be doing than putting together race-winning engines.

“It’s the only job I’ve ever had,” bottom-lined Cornett. “My dad – who’s 92 and still comes to work every day – tells me all the time: ‘When you get to do something you love to do for your living, you’re one lucky individual.’”

The 2009 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 12 and 14 with two dates during the 38^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Darrell Lanigan Collects $100,000 Championship Prize During Thursday Night’s 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Awards Banquet

ORLANDO, FL – Dec. 11, 2008 – Darrell Lanigan hates standing in front of a crowd to deliver a speech.

But the 38-year-old driver from Union, Ky., happily cast aside his fears on Thursday night to accept the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship during the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

“For $100,000,” quipped Lanigan, noting his lucrative six-figure title prize, “I can do it.”

Lanigan’s much-anticipated moment in the spotlight capped the fifth annual gala affair, which was held in conjunction with the nearby Performance Racing Industry Trade Show for the second consecutive year. Nearly $400,000 in points-fund cash for handed out by officials of the World Racing Group, the operator of the WoO LMS since 2004.

After taking some ribbing from several fellow racers about his famed aversion to formal public speaking, Lanigan addressed the banquet gathering with a smile on his face.

“As you guys know, I don’t like to be up here speaking,” said Lanigan, who had prepared remarks but largely spoke off-the-cuff when called to the stage. “I’d much rather be on the racetrack, but it’s been a long year and I want to thank a lot of people.”

Lanigan’s roll-call of appreciation for his first career WoO LMS points crown began with his 35-year-old head mechanic Chris Burton, who earlier in the night was named the 2008 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year by a vote of the tour’s crew chiefs and officials. He also mentioned his second fulltime crewman, Thomas McDowell; car builders Mark Richards and Steve Baker of Rocket Chassis; longtime engine builder Jack Cornett; and his list of sponsors, including Fusion Energy, which became the primary backer of Lanigan’s self-owned team late in the season.

The people and companies Lanigan listed provided the quality help and top-notch equipment that propelled him to a spectacularly steady campaign, which he ended with the largest championship-winning margin (160 points) in WoO LMS history. His 2008 victory total numbered a modest two A-Main wins, but he seized control of the points standings by stringing together an unprecedented streak of 15 consecutive top-five finishes en route to a series-leading 25 top-five and 36 top-10 placings in 43 events.

Lanigan, who also received a custom-made championship ring and trophy from WRG Chief Executive Officer Brian Carter, had his total ’08 earnings on the WoO LMS pushed to nearly $250,000 by the 100-grand check he collected on Thursday night.

“We had an awesome year,” said Lanigan, whose best previous points finish in four seasons on the WoO LMS was fifth, in 2006. “We got on a roll and had luck on our side, and we accomplished our goal of winning a World of Outlaws championship.”

Lanigan reserved his strongest comments for his competition on the national tour.

“It’s an honor to be up here tonight,” said Lanigan, gazing out at the banquet hall, “and it’s a privilege to be racing with you guys. You are the best group of guys with any series out there.

“When you race with you guys, it’s like racing with family. When you’re at the track or going down the road, there’s always someone there to help you whenever problems happen.”

One of Lanigan’s extended WoO LMS family members during the past season was Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who received a $60,000 check for finishing a career-high second in the 2008 points standings. The 20-year-old sensation hailed Lanigan when he stood behind the podium on stage.

“I’d like to congratulate ‘Uncle’ Darrell, Chris (Burton) and Thomas (McDowell) on an awesome year,” said a smiling Richards, who knows Lanigan well because their teams travel together throughout the season. “To have 15 top-five finishes in a row is just crazy.”

Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who was unseated as WoO LMS titlist by Lanigan, provided his fellow Kentuckian a glimpse into life as a champion after accepting a $40,000 check for finishing third in the 2008 points standings.

“You’ll learn to appreciate this thing next year,” the 41-year-old Francis said of holding the WoO LMS throne. “I didn’t realize how much it would mean until the next year, and you will too Darrell.”

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., received $35,000 for finishing fourth in the points standings, while Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., pocketed $30,000 for placing fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 in the standings was Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. ($25,000), Rick Eckert of York, Pa. ($24,000), Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. ($23,000), Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. ($22,000) and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. ($10,500).

The top-10 drivers were all in on hand for the awards banquet. Also in attendance was 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who came to help celebrate the 2008 Rookie of the Year award earned by his Sweeteners Plus Racing teammate Vic Coffey.

Coffey, 37, received an additional $15,000 for winning the Rookie of the Year honor. A standout from the Northeast’s DIRTcar big-block Modified ranks like former WoO LMS Rookie of the Year winners McCreadie (2004) and Fuller (2007), Coffey ran away with the first-year traveler title, which was determined using a driver’s best 30 finishes on the tour.

“It’s an honor for me to be up here and to race with these guys, who I consider the best dirt Late Model racers in the country,” Coffey told the banquet crowd. “It was a learning experience for us, but it was a good year.

“All the guys in this room, no matter how busy they are, when we have a question or need some help, they’ll always take time to help. That means a lot to me and our race team.”

Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, W.Va., was recognized as the winner of the 2008 WoO LMS Chassis Builders’ Challenge – the fifth straight year that the company co-owned by Mark Richards and Steve Baker has earned the nod. Eleven drivers won WoO LMS A-Mains using Rocket cars in 2008, giving the manufacturer 27 victories in 43 events.

“It’s a tribute to the good racers in our stuff who have confidence in what we build, take it and do a good job with it,” said Mark Richards, who accepted the accolades. “We’re always honored to win this award.”

Cornett ‘Thunder & Lightning’ Racing Engines in Somerset, Ky., was announced as the winner of the 2008 WoO LMS Crane Cams Engine Builders’ Challenge. It was the first such honor for company owner Jack Cornett, who saw Lanigan, Richards and Francis sweep the top-three spots in the points standings using his powerplants.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” said Cornett, 52. “I’ve been trying to win this thing for five years. It’s not an easy thing to do.”

WRG Chief Operating Office Tom Deery honored Mike Graham and Roger Crick, who operate Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., as the 2008 WoO LMS Promoters of the Year.

Graham and Crick, who were unable to attend the awards banquet, brought the WoO LMS to their half-mile oval for the first time in 2005. Since then they’ve made the tour the centerpiece of their Oil Region Labor Day Classic, a two-day extravaganza of speed and post-race fun that has become a true event on the Northeast’s racing calendar.

WoO LMS director Tim Christman closed the evening’s program with a short address.

“Everyone in this room from a competitor standpoint has won a championship,” said Christman. “So when you win this championship, you are the best of the best. There’s no question.

“I tell people that all the time – I will take these 10 guys (WoO LMS regulars) and I will be willing to wager anything anybody wants to bet on them against any other 10 guys, night in and night out. And I mean that, because these guys are the best.”

Christman also touched upon the 2009 WoO LMS schedule, which was released earlier in the day at the PRI trade show. Forty-five confirmed events at 37 tracks in 20 states and three Canadian provinces currently comprise the slate, with at least a half-dozen more dates to be announced in the near future.

“I’m looking forward to 2009,” said Christman. “We’re going on to bigger and better things. We’re going to some new venues, we’re going to visit some new markets, and we are going to continue to grow and make something that’s already great into something superior.”

The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 12 and 14 with two dates during the 38^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS; Fusion Energy – the official energy boost of the WoO; and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

2009 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule Released At Performance Racing Industry Trade Show

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 11, 2008 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will be bigger and better than ever in 2009.

A record number of events are listed on the national tour’s 2009 schedule, which was released on Thursday during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

The action-packed season will blaze new territory with first-time visits to at least a half-dozen tracks and feature several big-money, extra-distance races, highlighted by the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 on March 27-28 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and the third annual Firecracker 100 on June 26-27 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

The sixth consecutive WoO LMS campaign under the World Racing Group banner kicks off on Feb. 12 and 14 with two 50-lap A-Mains during the 38^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. It will end for the third straight year with the World Finals on Nov. 5-7 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“We’re proud to put together a schedule that is attractive for our fulltime traveling teams and brings World of Outlaws Late Model Series racing to more race fans across the country,” said Tim Christman, the director of the WoO LMS. “We continue to build the series by visiting new markets and tracks and developing fresh, exciting events.

“We still plan to add at least seven more events, which will push the 2009 schedule to over 50 dates. That will be a record number of events for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and more proof that the demand for races from track promoters just continues to grow.”

Forty-five confirmed events at 37 tracks in 20 states and three Canadian provinces currently comprise the 2009 WoO LMS schedule.

The WoO LMS will notably end long absences from the racing scenes in Texas and West Virginia, contesting events in each state for the first time since 2004. Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, is scheduled to host the tour on March 20 and Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., will bring full-fender Outlaws competition to the Mountaneer State – home to 20-year-old WoO LMS star Josh Richards – on May 31.

In addition, the series will return to Alabama (Deep South Speedway in Loxley on March 13-14), Iowa (34 Raceway in West Burlington on May 23) and Wisconsin (Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam on May 24) after a one-year hiatus. Deep South, which has scheduled a two-day show paying $7,000 to win on Friday and $12,000 on Saturday, will host the WoO LMS for the first time, while 34 Raceway is on the tour schedule for the first time since 1989 and Charter is back after holding its lone series event in 2007.

Three extended swings that filled the summer schedule in 2008 will be reprised in ’09, beginning with the ‘Great Northern Tour’ through the Northeast from June 18-27. The stretch includes Canadian events at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway on June 18, Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., on June 20 and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on June 21, followed by stops at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway on June 23, Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., on June 24 and the blockbuster Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway on June 26-27. A June 16 date, meanwhile, is listed as ‘To Be Announced.’

After a 10-day break the WoO LMS will commence its longest, most far-flung swing of the season. The ‘Wild West Tour’ begins on July 8 with the annual ‘Gopher 50’ at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., which will be part of the WoO LMS for the fifth consecutive season. Also scheduled are events on July 9 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn. (last year’s race there was rained out and not rescheduled); July 10 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., which hosts the series for the fourth year in a row; July 11 at Estevan (Sask.) Motor Speedway (second straight year the tour will cross the Canadian border to race at the three-eighths-mile oval); and July 15 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway (the ‘Cowboy 50’).

The WoO LMS will close out a busy month of July by heading east for another series-within-a-series: the four-night Alltel Ohio Late Model Speedweek that appears on the schedule for the third straight season. A visit to Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, on July 23 starts the stretch of racing, followed by engagements on July 24 at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park, which hosted its first-ever WoO LMS event in May 2008; July 25 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 26 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

Two $20,000-to-win 100-lappers will join the Firecracker 100 and Circle K Colossal 100 as high-dollar specials on the ’09 schedule: the ‘Illini 100’ on April 3-4 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, which drew rave reviews following the inaugural two-day spectacular in 2008, and a new extra-distance shootout on May 1-2 at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, which hosted a late-summer WoO LMS event in 2008.

Other tracks that will hold WoO LMS events for the first time in 2009 include U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo. (May 22) and Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa. (Aug. 13).

Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway will return to the WoO LMS sked on May 16 after a one-year absence, albeit in a different form. The track has been enlarged from a quarter-mile bullring to a high-speed three-eighths-mile oval – a reconstruction project that was not completed in time for a scheduled May 2008 WoO LMS date to take place.

Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., is back on the WoO LMS docket after hosting the tour for the first time in 2008. The three-eighths-mile track has an event scheduled for Aug. 29.

The WoO LMS will also visit several stalwart tracks, including Virginia Motor Speedway (April 18); Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway (May 17); Delaware International Speedway in Delmar (May 28); Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (May 30 and Aug. 15); Bedford (Pa.) Speedway (Aug. 14); Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. (Sept. 5-6); I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. (Sept. 19); and La Salle (Ill.) Speedway (Sept. 20).

Hagerstown, of course, has hosted a WoO LMS event every season of the tour’s existence except 2008, when rain washed out a scheduled event and it could not be reset. What’s more, VMS and Tri-City have been on the tour each year since 2005; Delaware International will conduct a race for the fifth time in six years; I-55 will hold its fourth tour show in six years; Lincoln is part of the series for the third consecutive season; and La Salle is set to present Outlaws action for the second time in three years (a planned 2008 date was rained out).

Seven tracks are scheduled to host multiple WoO LMS events in 2009. The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway leads the list with four dates (including the mid-week Showdown on Oct. 14, which could pay its winner as much as $30,000 with a passing bonus), while two races will be held at Volusia, Deep South, Hagerstown, Tri-City (the Oil Region Labor Day Classic), Lernerville (May 5 and June 26-27) and Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway (April 17 and Aug. 28).

Lernerville’s traditional springtime mid-week date has not only been pushed back from April to May 5, but will also boast some extra intrigue. The event will serve as a qualifier for the track’s Firecracker 100.

Feb. 12 – Thurs. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL – Alltel DIRTcar Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

Feb. 14 – Sat. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL – Alltel DIRTcar Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

March 27-28 – Fri./Sat. – The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – COLOSSAL 100 - $50,000 – 100L

April 3-4 – Fri./Sat. – Farmer City (IL) Raceway – ILLINI 100 - $20,000 – 100L

May 28 – Thurs. – Delaware International Speedway/Delmar, DE - $10,000 – 50L

June 18 – Thurs. – Ohsweken (ONT) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 20 – Sat. – Autodrome Drummond/Drummondville, QUE – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 21 – Sun. – Cornwall Motor Speedway/Cornwall, ONT – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 23 – Tues. – Canandaigua (NY) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 24 – Wed. – Big Diamond Raceway/Minersville, PA – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 26-27 – Fri./Sat. – Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA – FIRECRACKER 100 - TBA – 100L

July 8 – Wed. – Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, MN – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 9 – Thurs. – North Central Speedway/Brainerd, MN – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 10 – Fri. – River Cities Speedway/Grand Forks, ND – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 11 – Sat. – Estevan Motor Speedway/Estevan, SAS – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 15 – Wed. – Gillette Thunder Speedway/Gillette, WY – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 23 – Thurs. – Muskingum County Speedway/Zanesville, OH – Alltel Ohio LM Speedweek - $7,000 – 40L

July 24 – Fri. – Attica (OH) Raceway Park – Alltel Ohio LM Speedweek - $10,000 – 50L

July 25 – Sat. – Sharon Speedway/Hartford, OH – Alltel Ohio LM Speedweek - $10,000 – 50L

July 26 – Sun. – Eriez Speedway/Hammett, PA – Alltel Ohio LM Speedweek - $10,000 – 50L

Sept. 5 – Sat. – Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, PA – Oil Region Labor Day Classic - $10,000 – 50L

Sept. 6 – Sun. – Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, PA – Oil Region Labor Day Classic - $10,000 – 50L

Sept. 19 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO – Pepsi Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

Sept. 20 – Sun. – La Salle (IL) Speedway/Illinois Fall Nationals - $7,000 – 50L

Oct. 14 – Wed. – The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC - $10,000 ($30,000 possible) – 50L

Nov. 5 – Thurs. - The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – WORLD FINALS (Time Trials)

Nov. 6 – Fri. - The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – WORLD FINALS - $10,000 – 50L

Nov. 7 – Sat. - The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – WORLD FINALS - $10,000 – 50L

* Schedule subject to change (check www.worldofoutlaws.com for the latest information)

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Champ Darrell Lanigan Earns ‘Honorable Mention’ Recognition In AARWBA All-America Auto Racing Team Balloting

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 4, 2008 – If a $100,000 championship check isn’t enough to make Darrell Lanigan realize the significance of his 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series title, he received more evidence this week from the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association.

Lanigan, 38, of Union, Ky., earned ‘Honorable Mention’ recognition in the ‘Short Track’ category in voting for the 2008 AARWBA All-America Auto Racing Team, which includes some of the country’s most well-known drivers spread over seven categories.

Top vote-getters earning All-America First Team nods included World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz (Short Track), NASCAR stars Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards (Stock Car) and IndyCar greats Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon (Open Wheel).

“It’s awesome just to be mentioned as part of something that includes so many great drivers,” said Lanigan, who rolled to his first career WoO LMS championship by the largest winning points margin in tour history. “I feel honored that the national media recognized the season we had. I think it shows how big the World of Outlaws Late Model Series has become.”

Though Lanigan fell short of the necessary votes to make the All-America First or Second Team, he felt privileged simply to appear on the select six-driver ballot. He was the lone dirt Late Model driver to receive a nomination in a ‘Short Track’ category that was otherwise dominated by names from the open-wheel racing world.

Schatz was joined on the ‘Short Track’ First Team by USAC Silver Crown and Sprint series champion Jerry Coons Jr. The Second Team was comprised of WoO Sprint Series star Jason Meyers and USAC standouts Tracy Hines and Cole Whitt, and Lanigan earned ‘Honorable Mention’ status by receiving more than five percent of the total vote.

More than 400 AARWBA members voted for the All-America Auto Racing Team, which the organization has chosen annually since 1970. The AARWBA will publicly honor the 2008 All-America Team members during its banquet on Jan. 10 at the Hilton Hotel in Ontario, Calif.

Lanigan’s ‘Honorable Mention’ comes after fellow WoO LMS travelers Tim McCreadie (2006 champion), Steve Francis (2007 titlist) and Chub Frank (2007 winningest driver and points runner-up) appeared on the AARWBA All-America Auto Racing Team ballot over the past two years.

“We’re very proud that the World of Outlaws Late Model Series is held in such high esteem by the national media,” said Tim Christman, the director of the dirt Late Model tour that contested 43 events at 36 tracks in 18 states and three Canadian provinces during the 2008 season. “When our champion receives recognition in a prestigious poll alongside some of the best drivers in the country, it provides further proof that the World of Outlaws Late Model Series is growing stronger every year.”

Lanigan will receive his 2008 WoO LMS championship accolades on Thurs., Dec. 11, during the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

The 2009 WoO LMS season is scheduled to kick off with a pair of events (Feb. 12 and 14) during the 38th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Looking Back: Facts, Figures & Statistical Notes From The 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 2, 2008 – With the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet approaching on Dec. 11 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla., here’s an inside look back at the season that was on the nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour…

QUINTET: With his 2008 championship, Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., joined an exclusive club of five drivers with WoO LMS points titles. He stands alongside Billy Moyer (1988, 1989, 2005), Scott Bloomquist (2004), Tim McCreadie (2006) and Steve Francis (2007).

WHAT A SEASON: Lanigan parlayed an amazing string of consistency into the largest championship-winning margin since the tour’s current points system came into use in 2004, defeating Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., by a resounding 160 points.

Notable is the fact that Lanigan became the second champ in a row to clinch the title in the season’s next-to-last race, following Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who ended the 2007 campaign with a then-record championship margin of 126 points. The consecutive points runaways come after the 2004-2006 seasons featured dramatic points battles that went down to the final race.

Lanigan built his commanding advantage by topping several key statistical categories during the 2008 season, which saw 43 A-Mains contested.

The 38-year-old standout led all drivers with 25 top-five finishes (Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., was second with 22); 36 top-10 finishes (Francis was next with 33); and an average A-Main finish of 5.91 (Richards was second at 7.26). He also put together an unprecedented streak of 15 consecutive top-five finishes (no other driver managed more than five in a row) and 25 consecutive top-10 finishes (Clanton and Francis were next with streaks of 11 straight), plus a streak of 32 consecutive lead-lap finishes (eight more than Richards’s second-best total of 24) spanning from May 3 at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway to Sept. 13 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.

Lanigan failed to finish just two A-Mains this season – and fortunately for his points-chasing, both occurred in special events at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., that offered only WoO LMS show-up points. He retired with 10 laps remaining in the Circle K Colossal on April 19 due to his car’s broken rearend (as he ran a threatening second) and on lap 32 of the 50-lap Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown on Oct. 29 (engine failure while holding third place).

The only full-points A-Main that Lanigan did not finish on the lead lap was the Oct. 7 event at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He lost three laps in the pit area while his crew repaired a broken right-rear shock mount late in the 50-lap distance.

In all, Lanigan completed 2,254 of a possible 2,285 A-Main laps during the 2008 season. The only driver who ran more laps was Richards, who completed 2,275 of the 2,285 circuits.

CHECKERED FLAGS: Lanigan won two A-Mains in 2008, making him the fourth driver in the past five years to emerge as champion without leading the WoO LMS in feature wins. The only champion of the tour’s World Racing Group-era to also top the victory chart was Bloomquist, in 2004.

Francis and Richards shared winningest-driver status in 2008, collecting six victories apiece. Both racers established personal single-season high win totals on the WoO LMS – Francis bested the five wins he had in 2005, and Richards surpassed the four triumphs he scored in 2007.

The six wins matched Chub Frank’s ’07 leading total as the lowest number of victories for a top winner in WoO LMS history – more proof of the tour’s competitiveness in 2008. A record 21 different drivers reached Victory Lane this season, beating the previous mark of 19 different winners set last year.

Nine drivers recorded two or more wins, and there were five first-time WoO LMS winners in 2008: Jeremy Miller, Brady Smith, Kelly Boen, Jimmy Owens and Rod Conley.

AT THE TOP: Lanigan seized control of the WoO LMS points lead after the June 20 event at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway and never relinquished it, holding sway for the final 30 races of the season. His advantage exceeded 100 points for the first time after the 26^th event and never dipped below that threshold again, topping out at a 174-point margin following the next-to-last race of 2008.

Three other drivers held at least a share of the top spot in the points standings during the campaign. Lanigan led the standings after the most events (31), followed by Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (eight), Francis (four) and Richards (two).

There were two ties for the points lead – after the second event (Moyer and Richards) and 12^th event (Lanigan and Francis).

STILL FIVE: With victories in ’08, Francis, Moyer, Frank, Lanigan and Clanton remained the only drivers who have won at least one A-Main in each WoO LMS campaign since 2004.

THE NEW KING: Francis ended the season as the winningest WoO LMS driver since 2004, sitting atop the win list with 20 career victories. He now leads Bloomquist (17 wins) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (16) on the World Racing Group-era chart.

Moyer, who won four times in 2008, is the alltime winningest driver on the WoO LMS. He owns 35 career triumphs, including 22 during the tour’s original incarnation (1988-89) under late WoO Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson.

BUSY SEASON: The 2007 WoO LMS was comprised of 43 A-Mains at 36 tracks in 18 states and three Canadian provinces.

Pennsylvania was the site of the most tour events, hosting eight races. There were five events held in both North Carolina and Ohio; three in Missouri; two in Florida, Illinois, North Dakota and Tennessee; and one each in Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming. The tour’s record four Canadian events, meanwhile, included two races in Ontario, one in Quebec and one in Saskatchewan.

Six scheduled events were canceled and not rescheduled. Rain washed out shows at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (May 31), North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn. (July 10) and La Salle (Ill.) Speedway (Sept. 14), while a May 17 date at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway was stricken from the sked due to ongoing track reconstruction work and the Oct. 11-12 weekend at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., was canceled by mutual agreement of track and series officials.

Four events were postponed by rain and completed at a later date – at Ohsweken Speedway, Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (Firecracker 100), Fayetteville Motor Speedway and The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown).

FULL PITS: The average field for a WoO LMS event in 2008 was 44.74 cars – virtually identical to last year’s average car count.

The season-high turnout of 81 cars came for the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown on Oct. 29 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. In all, 13 events drew 50 or more cars.

A total of 618 drivers representing 34 states, four Canadian provinces and Australia entered at least one WoO LMS event in 2008, and 274 drivers competed in A-Main action.

Five events paid more to win than a standard WoO LMS purse – the Circle K Colossal 100 ($50,000) and the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown ($16,000) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway; the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville ($40,000); the March Through Dixie 100 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. ($20,000); and the Illini 100 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway ($20,000).

Five drivers topped the six-figure mark in purse earnings on the ’08 tour, led by Francis with $173,300. He was followed by Richards ($133,510), Clanton ($125,590), Lanigan ($124,967) and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. ($111,550).

When post-season points-fund money and per-race appearance bonus cash from the WoO LMS ‘Winner’s Circle’ program is included in the total season earnings, nine of the top 10 finishers in the points standings reached six figures. Lanigan headed the overall earnings list with $245,467, followed by Francis ($237,900), Richards ($214,010), Clanton ($181,090), Babb ($157,050), Frank ($135,430), Eckert ($126,000), Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. ($113,700) and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. ($113,190).

HARD CHARGER: The deepest in the starting field that a driver came from to win a WoO LMS A-Main this season was 18^th – Josh Richards on Oct. 7 at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. He pulled off the impressive victory after performing poorly in time trials and heat action on Aug. 15 before rain postponed the remainder of the show, forcing him to qualify through a B-Main when he returned to the four-tenths-mile oval.

The only other driver to win from a double-digit starting spot was Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., on July 12 at Estevan (Sask.) Motor Speedway.

Eight A-Mains were won by drivers starting from the pole position, but only five of those victors led the event from flag-to-flag. (There were a total of 12 flag-to-flag race winners.) Outside polesitters won the most races, taking the checkered flag from the position 13 times.

ROOKS: Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., became the third driver with DIRTcar big-block Modified roots in the last five years to win the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award Presented by ButlerBuilt.

Coffey, 37, registered a modest total of two top-five and nine top-10 finishes while entering 38 of the season’s 43 events. But with the rookie award determined using a driver’s best 30 finishes, Coffey’s cruised to the $15,000 crown with a total of 3,921 points, easily outdistancing fellow DIRTcar big-block Modified converts Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y. (3,090 points) and Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y. (2,437 points).

MANUFACTURER BATTLE: Six dirt Late Model chassis companies claimed victories in WoO LMS A-Mains during the 2008 season.

Rocket Chassis led the way with 27 wins, divided among Richards, Francis, Clanton, Lanigan, Babb, Fuller, Jeremy Miller, Frank, McCreadie, Kelly Boen and Rod Conley. Bloomquist Chassis was second with five wins (Brady Smith, Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Chris Madden), followed by Victory Circle Chassis with four (Moyer); Birkhofer-Mars Chassis with three (Brian Birkhofer); GRT with two (Clint Smith and Eckert); and MasterSbilt with two (Earl Pearson Jr. and Donnie Moran).

Under the hood, meanwhile, a total of 10 engine builders laid claim to a WoO LMS A-Main triumph in 2008. Cornett Racing Engines was tops on the list with 15 victories, divided among Richards, Francis, Lanigan and Owens.

Other motor builders with multiple victories were Custom Race Engines (eight), Clements (seven), Pro Power (four) and Vic Hill (four). Single race victors included RaceTek, Bullock, Jay Dickens, Larry Wallace and Draime.

MORE MONEY COMING: The top-10 drivers in the 2008 points standings will share nearly $400,000 in points-fund cash during the WoO LMS ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Thurs., Dec. 11, at the International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando, Fla.

Lanigan will receive $100,000 for winning the title at the gala affair, which is being held in conjunction with the Performance Racing Industry trade show for the second consecutive year.

* Nine drivers had perfect attendance on the 43-race ’08 tour: Lanigan, Richards, Francis, Clanton, Frank, Babb, Eckert, Clint Smith and Fuller. Only Clanton and Fuller did not start every A-Main – both drivers failed to qualify for the Circle K Colossal 100 (which offered only show-up points) and were not eligible for provisional spots, and Fuller also was a DNQ on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

Other drivers who entered more than 30 programs included Joe Isabell (39), Coffey (38), Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y. (34) and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (34).

* The 20-year-old Richards proved to be the tour’s best qualifier against the clock in 2008. He led the series with five fast-time honors, and his average time-trial placing of 7.77 topped the category over Francis (9.19).

Not surprisingly, Richards’s time-trial acumen helped make him one of the tour’s most consistent heat-race qualifiers. He ran a mere three B-Mains all season (only Lanigan was better, with two B-Main appearances) and was among a group of four drivers (Clanton, Francis and Frank were the others) who utilized just one provisional to start an A-Main in ‘08.

Notable is that Richards went through the entire 2007 season without using a provisional – the only driver to do so.

* Fifty-two different drivers won at least one heat race on the tour in ’08, led by Richards’s 20 victories.

* There were 50 different B-Main winners, with Chub Frank’s six last-chance scores leading the way.

* Twenty-nine different drivers led at least one A-Main lap in ’08. Francis led the most (313 laps), followed by Clanton (268), Moyer (255), Richards (175) and Birkhofer (172).

* Moyer enjoyed the longest winning streak in ’08, capturing three straight events. Five other drivers scored back-to-back wins during the campaign: Richards, Brady Smith, Fuller, Francis and Clanton.

* Richards book-ended the WoO LMS schedule with victories, winning the opener on Feb. 14 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park and the season-ending VAULT World Finals show on Nov. 1 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He became the first driver in the tour’s WRG-era to win the opening and closing races of the season.

* Richards failed to finish just one A-Main in ’08, putting him at the top of that important statistic over Babb, Frank and Lanigan (two DNFs apiece, although Lanigan’s pair came in races offering only show-up points).

And Richards was actually just over a half-lap away from being able to claim that he was running at the checkered flag of every A-Main. His lone official DNF came on July 26 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, when he was swept up in a final-lap tangle in turn two while battling for a top-10 spot.

* There were three caution-free A-Mains in ’08 – May 29 at Delaware International Speedway, July 13 at North Dakota’s Williston Basin Speedway and Aug. 31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

An average of 4.30 caution flags flew in WoO LMS features this season. The most caution-plagued event was the Circle K Colossal 100 (16 caution flags) – one of 14 races that was slowed by five or more caution periods.

* Eckert’s single ’08 victory, on June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond, was his first since July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway. He snapped a frustrating stretch of 71 winless WoO LMS starts.

* The Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown on Oct. 29 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway historic. It marked the first-ever WoO LMS event run ‘topless’ (without roofs on the cars).

* Francis and Eckert ended the season as the only drivers who have started all 197 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Prestigious Nominations For Champion Darrell Lanigan; Southern Victories For Clanton & ‘Cat Daddy’

HONORS: Darrell Lanigan is earning some prestigious national recognition for his 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points championship.

The 38-year-old driver from Union, Ky., is among a select group of nominees for the 2008 American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) Auto Racing All-America team and the 2008 Economaki Champion of Champions Award presented by Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

Lanigan is a first-time nominee for the AARWBA Auto Racing All-America team, which has been voted on annually since 1970 by 300-plus members of the motorsports press. He is the lone full-fender driver on the ballot in the ‘Short Track’ category, which also includes World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series stars Donny Schatz (the tour’s 2008 champion) and Jason Meyers as well USAC open-wheel racers Jerry Coons Jr., Tracy Hines and Cole Whitt.

Two nominees from each of seven categories – Open Wheel, Stock Car, Road Racing, Drag Racing, Short Track, Touring Series and At Large – will be named to the All-America first team at the completion of the voting. The balloting will also determine a second team (drivers placing third and fourth in each category), and honorable mentions will go to all other drivers receiving at least 5 percent of the vote.

The All-America team selections will be honored at the annual AARWBA banquet on Jan. 10 in Ontario, Calif. The winner of the Jerry Titus Award – given to the driver earning the most votes in the balloting, regardless of category – will also be announced at the banquet.

In addition, National Speed Sport News has announced that Lanigan is among an elite group of 23 drivers in contention for the 2008 Economaki Champion of Champions Award presented by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is given to the North American racing champion judged to have had the best season on-and-off the racetrack.

The names of the 10 finalists for the sixth Economaki Champion of Champions Award presented by SMI are scheduled to be released on Dec. 3 by NSSN. The winner will be announced on Dec. 11 during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

Lanigan is joined on the list of Economaki Champion of Champions Award contenders by fellow World Racing Group series champions Schatz (the 2007 winner of the award) and Billy Decker (Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds).

The 33-year-old WoO LMS star from Locust Grove, Ga., swept a pair of Super Late Model features on Saturday at Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway, adding a cool $11,000 to his bank account for the off-season ahead.

After a freezing racing surface forced the postponement of Friday night’s 27-lap Joe Lee Johnson Memorial to early Saturday afternoon, Clanton heated right up. Driving his backup RSD Enterprises Rocket car because he crashed during hot laps on Friday, the driver known as ‘Coconut’ led every circuit of the held-over A-Main and roared back later in the day to capture the regularly-scheduled 50-lap O’Reilly Southern All-Stars-sanctioned ‘Gobbler’ event.

Skip Arp of Georgetown, Tenn., and former WoO LMS regular Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., followed Clanton across the finish line in the first A-Main. The two drivers swapped spots behind Clanton in the 50-lapper, with McDowell placing second in the Warrior Chassis house car.

Clanton earned $2,700 for his first victory, $5,000 for the triumph in the nightcap and a $3,300 bonus for sweeping the program from track sponsor Car Smart Auto Sales.

The two wins pushed Clanton’s overall 2008 win total to 16 – a career-high for the seventh-year dirt Late Model driver. Four of his triumphs came in WoO LMS competition.

REASON TO SMILE: WoO LMS regular Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., also reached Victory Lane last weekend, rolling to a $2,500 checkered flag in Sunday’s Late Model Challenge at Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, Ala.

The 43-year-old driver, who entered the second half of Green Valley’s two-day program after spending Saturday racing at Cleveland (he scored finishes of seventh and fifth in the doubleheader), grabbed the lead at the initial green flag from the outside pole and never looked back. He was declared the winner when the race was ended with 19 of 30 scheduled laps completed following a hard crash in turn three involving Southern Regional Racing Series champion Byron Michael of Florence, Ala., who was transported to a local hospital and held for observation but is expected to be released with no major injuries.

One of the nation’s busiest fulltime race car drivers, Smith emerged triumphant in what was his 110^th overall start of the season. He steered his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT to victory with just a brace on his right wrist, which he broke in a World 100 qualifying accident on Sept. 6 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, after recently having his elbow-length cast removed by doctors.

COMING UP: The stars of the 2008 WoO LMS will share nearly $400,000 in points-fund cash during the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Dec. 11 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

Vic Coffey Becomes Third Driver From DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Ranks To Win World of Outlaws Late Model Series Rookie of the Year Award

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 22, 2008 – Vic Coffey continued the rich DIRTcar big-block Modified pipeline to the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2008.

The Leicester, N.Y., resident became the third driver with big-block Modified roots in the last five years to win the national dirt Late Model tour’s Rookie of the Year Award Presented by ButlerBuilt, joining fellow upstate New Yorkers Tim McCreadie (2004) and Tim Fuller (2007).

It was a satisfying accomplishment for the 37-year-old Coffey, who began the 2008 campaign without concrete plans to chase the WoO LMS.

“We started out taking it one race at a time,” said Coffey, who entered the season-opening Alltel DIRTcar Nationals events in February at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park but skipped the next WoO LMS show six weeks later at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. “Then, the next thing you know, we’re going to every race.”

Indeed, after bypassing the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County, Coffey became a WoO LMS regular. He entered 38 of the season’s 43 overall events, with his only absences over the remaining months coming in the four races run on Canadian soil.

Though Coffey took his share of lumps during a season that saw him score a modest two top-five and nine top-10 finishes, he cruised to the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year crown. With a driver’s best 30 finishes used to determine the top rookie, Coffey’s total of 3,921 points easily outdistanced fellow DIRTcar big-block Modified converts Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y. (3,090 points) and Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y. (2,437 points).

Coffey, who also finished 10^th in the overall WoO LMS points standings, will receive a Rookie of the Year check worth $15,000 during the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Dec. 11 at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

“As a racer you always think you could have done better, but we’re real proud of our season,” said Coffey, who became known as the ‘Captain’ while on the road this season. “We knew we were going to struggle going to so many new places and running against the competition with the Outlaws, but our goal was to win the Rookie of the Year and get better with a Late Model and we did that.

“You don’t learn anything if you don’t race against the best, so doing (the WoO LMS) got us up to speed with the Late Model. I don’t think we could’ve gotten any better experience than we did this year. This was definitely the most I’ve ever learned in a single season.”

A two-time victor (2002 and 2007) of DIRTcar big-block Modified racing’s marquee $50,000-to-win Rite Aid 200 at the one-mile New York State Fairgrounds oval in Syracuse, N.Y., Coffey came to the WoO LMS this season after dabbling in dirt Late Model competition since 2003. His handful of annual full-fender starts included a feature win on Sept. 9, 2007, at Little Valley (N.Y.) Speedway.

Despite his dirt Late Model inexperience, Coffey certainly wasn’t an unknown quantity to WoO LMS denizens when he finally made his Rookie of the Year intentions known. Competing out of the same Avon, N.Y.-based Sweeteners Plus Racing stable that propelled McCreadie to the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award and the 2006 tour points championship, he enjoyed an immediate measure of familiarity with teams and fans. In addition, Coffey entered 2008 with 10 career WoO LMS A-Main starts to his credit, including a top finish of fourth on June 24, 2007, at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y., and a starting berth in the historic inaugural event of the tour’s World Racing Group-era on Feb. 3, 2004, at Volusia Speedway Park (a 23^rd-place finish).

But while Coffey enjoyed solid backing from Sweeteners Plus team owner Carl Myers (Coffey’s step-father) and a built-in reservoir of knowledge to draw upon (including teammate McCreadie, who entered 23 WoO LMS events this season, and former WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Tommy Grecco), it was up to him to make his own mark on the tour.

Coffey did that by grounding out a workmanlike campaign, learning the ropes of big-time dirt Late Model racing beyond the headlines. Considering that neither his racing arsenal nor his race car transporter was truly ready for the grind of the complete WoO LMS schedule, he came out of the experience stronger and battle-tested.

“Having just one car for most of the year was the biggest challenge,” analyzed Coffey, who traveled a majority of the tour with mechanic Johnny Cocco and truck driver Dave (‘Frog’) Griepsma (Grecco joined them at selected events). “We had two cars in Florida to start the year, but then the frame got bent on one of them and we didn’t fix it and other cars we ordered took longer to get than we thought, so we basically went from April to August with one car. We had motors and spare parts, but it was tough keeping one car up with all the racing we did.

“When we finally went to two cars (a Victory Circle chassis joined Coffey’s tried-and-true Rocket late in the summer), we actually had to find space in the trailer to put our stuff. We had been putting all our tires upstairs where the second car goes, so we lost all that space when we started bringing along another car.

“We weren’t really equipped this year to do this deal out of this trailer,” he added. “We raced a lot with the Modifieds, but we didn’t spend the time on the road like you do with the Outlaws. You need more tire racks and space for spare parts in the trailer if you’re gonna be on the road for weeks at a time and you need living quarters in the hauler, and we didn’t have that.”

Coffey and Co. were unique in that they were only WoO LMS regulars who didn’t travel in huge, house-on-wheels rigs. The team’s trailer was pulled by a standard semi-tractor, forcing them to find hotels each night on the road.

“With this (hauler) not having living quarters in it, we couldn’t just pull over whenever we wanted to and sleep or stay at the track,” said Coffey, who became a father for the third time in the midst of his traveling when his wife Jillian gave birth to a boy, Kasey, in April. “Searching for hotels and unloading in parking lots to work on the car instead of going straight to the next track made traveling a little different for us. Being better equipped with the hauler will make life much easier.”

Coffey is already gearing up for a bigger assault on the 2009 WoO LMS, starting with plans for a transporter that’s more up to touring code. He’ll roll into the new campaign with confidence as well after registering his best runs of ’08 late in the season. The two top-five finishes on Coffey’s ledger came in a span of five events heading down the stretch – a fourth (matching his career-best WoO LMS outing) on Aug. 29 at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway and a fifth on Oct. 7 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

“Those (Bedford and Fayetteville) races would have to be the highlights of our season,” said Coffey, who also recorded his first career WoO LMS Fast Time honor on July 13 at North Dakota’s Williston Basin Speedway. “It felt good to have some good runs, some top-fives, before the season ended. I think it shows that we’re there, we’re getting better.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Rookie of the Year Points Standings (points determined using drivers’ best 30 finishes ):

Amazing Consistency Propelled Darrell Lanigan To First Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship In 2008

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 4, 2008 – Darrell Lanigan understands why many observers might be surprised that he emerged as the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion.

“I guess because I haven’t been in the top two or three in the points before,” said Lanigan, whose best previous finish in the renowned tour’s points standings was fifth, in 2006. “I’ve never really been a points racer.”

But that changed this season. Lanigan, 38, of Union, Ky., collected points in a manner unmatched by anyone in WoO LMS history, putting together a remarkable run of consistency to end the campaign with a record championship-winning margin of 160 points over 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

When Lanigan clinched his first career WoO LMS title last Friday night (Oct. 31) by simply starting the first 50-lap A-Main of the VAULT World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., his already ample national profile took one more giant step forward.

Lanigan has accomplished plenty during his dirt Late Model career – including victories in the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream and Dirt Track World Championship events in 2003 – but nothing surpasses a WoO LMS crown on his personal bucket list.

“Winning the World of Outlaws championship just puts you in a different category,” said Lanigan, who has followed the tour since its reincarnation in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. “Are you able to travel and run good at different tracks? When you win the World of Outlaws championship, it shows you can.

“You gotta show up and run good everywhere to win this deal. It’s a real challenge – and there aren’t very many people who have done it.”

Lanigan certainly wasn’t considered a favorite to join that select list of champions when the 2008 WoO LMS schedule kicked off in February. Coming off a frustrating 2007 campaign that saw him fail to record a top-five finish until mid-June and finish a distant seventh in the points standings, Lanigan was effectively running under the radar. In fact, a pre-season poll that asked nearly two dozen media members to predict the top-five finishers in the ’08 WoO LMS points standings yielded just a single fourth-place vote for Lanigan.

The first eight events of 2008 gave little indication that Lanigan had raised his game. He was steady but not spectacular, finishing no better than sixth but also no worse than 13^th.

Then came the ninth A-Main of the season, on May 4 at Monett (Mo.) Speedway. Fifth in the WoO LMS standings and a season-high 64 points behind the leader entering the event, Lanigan finished fourth to register his first top-five placing of ’08.

Little did Lanigan – or his rivals – know that his run at the one-third-mile oval in southwestern Missouri would set him off on an unprecedented two-month streak of success. He went on to compile 15 consecutive top-five finishes – including two victories (May 29 at Delaware International Speedway and June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.) and two runner-up placings – before seeing the skein end on July 18 at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D., when an early tangle left him with an eighth-place finish.

By the end of the streak Lanigan was atop the WoO LMS points standings by 62 points and well on his way to the crown.

“Anytime somebody has that many top-fives in a row, they’re gonna be hard to beat,” said Lanigan, whose streak tripled the season-best run of five consecutive top-five finishes that Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., put up en route to winning the 2007 WoO LMS championship. “That stretch was definitely the key (to the title). We just got on a great run and had some luck on our side.”

Of course, there was still plenty of racing left after Lanigan’s record-setting stretch, but the ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ never faltered. When he closed the month of July with a second-place finish worth $17,667 in the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., his lead had ballooned to 146 points and it was clear only an epic collapse could derail him.

Not surprisingly, the famously low-key Lanigan steered clear of any premature championship talk as he continued piling up consistent finishes down the stretch to keep Francis’s comeback hopes at bay. He refused to stop worrying right up to the VAULT World Finals – even knowing that all he had to do was start Friday night’s Finals A-Main to secure the title.

“Everything fell into place for us all year and went good,” said Lanigan, who grabbed sole possession of the points lead for the first time after a fifth-place finish in the season’s 14^th event, on June 20 at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway, and never relinquished it. “The new crew guys (Chris Burton and Thomas McDowell) I brought on this year clicked. We pretty much ran the same car all year. We didn’t fall out of any (full) points races. I don’t remember changing a motor on the road (because of a problem). And honestly, I don’t remember putting a freakin’ front bumper on the car all year because we were in a wreck and it was bent.

“But still, you don’t know when you’re gonna have a bad night. You still can have a problem. That’s why when I saw Gerald (Newton of Arizona Sports Shirts) up there wanting to sell championship t-shirts (at the start of the VAULT World Finals), I said, ‘No, it’s not official. We don’t have it yet, not until we start that race.’”

Actually, maybe Lanigan had reason to worry because Lowe’s Motor Speedway was about the only track at which good fortune abandoned him this season. In four WoO LMS events held at the four-tenths-mile oval in ’08 he had only a single top-10 finish – a seventh in last Saturday night’s VAULT World Finals A-Main. He finished 11^th in Friday night’s feature after using only his second provisional of the season to get in the starting field, and he dropped out of The Dirt Track’s ‘topless’ Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown last Wednesday night (motor woes while running third and finished 22^nd) and the Circle K Colossal 100 on April 19 (broken rearend while running second with 10 laps remaining).

Fortunately for Lanigan – and proving the Karma he had on his side in ’08 – his DNFs at The Dirt Track did not hurt him because they came in events that offered only WoO LMS show-up points. What’s more, they were the only WoO LMS A-Mains that he failed to finish all season.

Lanigan’s sparkling ’08 stats show two wins, 25 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes in 43 A-Mains, plus one fast time honor and 17 heat-race wins. He led 168 laps and completed 2,254 of a possible 2,285 laps, with only three of the 31 laps he missed coming in full-points races. (He finished three laps down in the Oct. 7 event at Fayetteville, N.C., due to an extended pit stop for servicing.)

Surely Lanigan would have liked to win more A-Mains, but he did record five runner-up finishes. He also continued a trend – only once in the WoO LMS’s five-year modern era has the tour’s winningest driver also captured the championship (Scott Bloomquist, 2004).

Checkered flags or not, Lanigan was just too solid, too steady, too prepared, to be beaten in 2008.

“There’s so many different variables that go into winning the championship,” said Lanigan, whose WoO LMS resume boasts 10 career wins and additional points finishes of seventh (2005) and 11^th (2004). “You’ve gotta have a good program, a good crew, good maintenance, good cars, parts, motors – everything’s gotta be right. And you’ve got to be able to adjust your car to the conditions at the different tracks you go to, adapt to them.

“We’ve worked hard to build a team that can win a championship and this year everything finally came together.”

And making the season even more special, Lanigan did it his way. His father, former car owner and 2008 Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame inductee Porter Lanigan, got him started in dirt Late Model racing as a teenager, but Lanigan has been fielding a fulltime team on his own for nearly a decade.

“He helped me out at the beginning and got me going, but everything is mine now,” Lanigan said when asked about his 75-year-old father. “He hasn’t really pitched in for the last eight, nine, 10 years, and I haven’t really asked him. We’ve been doing well enough on our own where I didn’t have to. It just makes me feel better when I can do it on my own.

“There’s not too many teams like us out there anymore, so it definitely makes you more proud to win a championship.”

Lanigan couldn’t have gotten his operation up-and-down the road so successfully without the help of many sponsors, including Fusion Energy, which debuted on his always spic-and-span car in late-August; gottarace.com; Indiana Decal Company; PRC Racing; Rocket Chassis; and Cornett Thunder Engines.

All those backers will certainly be the focus of Lanigan’s acceptance speech when he receives his $100,000 championship prize during the WoO LMS Awards Banquet on Thurs., Dec. 11, at the International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando, Fla. – if the quiet, reserved driver is able to get himself on that stage for a moment in the spotlight.

You see, Lanigan has been taking plenty of ribbing about having to deliver the keynote address to the banquet attendees.

“I’ll tell you what, doing that speech at the banquet is about the hardest part of winning the championship for me,” said Lanigan, whose overall 2008 earnings on the WoO LMS will reach nearly a quarter-million dollars, including his points-fund take and the Winner’s Circle bonus cash he received throughout the season. “Some people can get up there and talk all day, but not me. I don’t have a problem doing interviews, but when you get everybody sitting there and looking at you, it makes it hard on me.

Josh Richards Experiences Emotional High After VAULT World Finals Victory In Front Of Huge Crowd & National Television Audience On SPEED

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 1, 2008 – Josh Richards was on an emotional high after capturing Saturday night’s 50-lap VAULT World Finals dirt Late Model A-Main at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“This is definitely my biggest win ever,” said the normally reserved Richards. “To win a race like this, on live T.V. and in front of all these people, is just awesome.

With a packed house of over 14,000 fans and a national television audience on the SPEED cable network looking on, the 20-year-old star from Shinnston, W.Va., charged forward from the eighth starting spot to overtake Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., for the lead on lap 36. He held off Pearson’s late bid to emerge triumphant.

It was the sixth World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of 2008 for Richards, who ended the season tied with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., atop the tour’s win list. He also book-ended the 43-race WoO LMS campaign with wins, capturing the season opener, on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., as well as Saturday’s season finale.

Richards secured a career-high finish of second in the WoO LMS points standings, worth $60,000. He ended the season 160 points behind Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who was crowned the 2008 champion on stage at the end of the program after clinching the $100,000 title for the first time in his career the previous night.

“If we just learn the middle of the year a little better, I think we’ll be all right,” Richards said of his 2008 points-chasing. “We’ve got the beginning and the end figured out pretty good, but we gotta do better in the middle to have a shot at the championship.”

Pearson, 36, settled for runner-up money after leading laps 32-35, crossing the finish line 0.535 of a second behind Richards. Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who led laps 2-31, placed third, followed by 2007 VAULT World Finals Night 2 winner Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and 2007 WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who locked down a third-place finish in the points standings.

Richards’s performance exceeded his expectations for the second night of feature-event action at the blockbuster VAULT World Finals, which also included the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

“I had no intentions of winning,” conceded Richards. “Our main goal was to focus on beating Francis and Clanton to try and wrap up second in the points. But then I got rolling and I said, ‘O.K., we’re running fourth. We might have a chance.’

“When I drove through the middle (groove) when Earl and Dale got caught in lapped cars, my car stuck really hard. From then on out it was pretty good, and here we are (in Victory Lane).”

Richards didn’t cruise to the checkered flag once he put his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket into the top spot. He survived three late-race caution flags – on laps 37, 41 and 47 – and some heavy pressure from Pearson to win at The Dirt Track for the first time in his young career.

“I don’t know if (the cautions) got my nerves worse or better, because the whole time I was a nervous wreck,” said Richards, who earned $10,150 for his 12^th career WoO LMS triumph. “But I think the cautions probably got me to focus more. With all the times I’ve been leading races and lost in the last couple laps, I wasn’t gonna let it happen this time.”

Pearson sure tried to send Richards home dejected. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion got close enough to bump Richards’s rear bumper racing down the homestretch with the white flag waving, but he slid high in turn one and lost too much ground to make a move for the win.

“When I got right up under (Richards) I lost my front end,” said Pearson, who started second in NASCAR star Bobby Labonte’s LifeLong Locks MasterSbilt car. “I got an aero-push and just couldn’t steer when I got to turn one. My car just slid right up to the wall.

“My biggest problem, though, was when I passed McDowell for the lead, I stayed down low too much and Josh ended up driving by me on the outside. If I would’ve moved up to the middle it would’ve made it a lot harder for (Richards) to pass me.”

McDowell, 42, appeared primed to record his first WoO LMS victory since Sept. 23, 2005, at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, Ky., after blasting from the fourth starting spot to the lead on lap two. He completed the surge by passing polesitter Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., who led the first lap before later bringing out caution flags on laps 15 (turn-four spin) and 20 (stopped in turn two).

But McDowell’s Sanford Goddard-owned Warrior house car wasn’t quite fast enough to keep him in front.

“We ran the wrong left-rear tire,” said McDowell, whose sterling visit to the The Dirt Track also included a second-place finish the previous night and a third-place run in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown. “I thought I had a good read on what we should do, but we were a little too soft with the tire. The track was a little harder and drier off turn four than I thought it was and I just worked by left-rear tire too hard.

“But I can’t complain. We exceeded our expectations for the weekend, so we’re excited.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who clipped the turn-four wall on lap 39 while battling for fourth with Moran; Lanigan, who used a Chevy engine (borrowed from winning team owner Mark Richards) for the first in more than a decade; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings; Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky.; and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who struggled to climb forward from the 21^st starting spot after capturing Friday night’s A-Main.

Six caution flags slowed the event, including incidents involving top contenders Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.

McCreadie was running just outside the top 10 when he slowed on lap 14. He pitted to change his car’s left-rear tire and returned to finish 11^th.

Clanton, meanwhile, saw his hopes for victory – and a third-place finish in the points standings – effectively end on lap 37 when he spun between turns three and four. He went around while attempting to pass Pearson for third.

“I just got in there too hard I guess,” said Clanton, who started 12^th. “I thought I was far enough up for him to see me, but he was probably trying to focus on his line and didn’t see me when I tried to fill the gap.

“When I hit the brakes to avoid hitting (Pearson), that was it. You spin every time when you do that.”

Clanton, who entered the event tied with Francis for third in the points standings, had to settle for a fourth-place finish in the 2008 WoO LMS rankings.

Winners of Saturday night’s heat races, which were aligned by the results of Thursday night’s second-round time trials, were McDowell, Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. (who dropped out of the A-Main on lap 22 while running third), Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., Davey Johnson, McCreadie and Pearson. The B-Mains were captured by Francis, Michael England of Glasgow, Ky., and Bloomquist.

Results of WoO Late Model Series VAULT World Finals Night 2 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Lap Leaders: Davey Johnson (1); McDowell (2-31); Pearson (32-35); Richards (36-50)

Provisional Starters: Babb, Eckert, Clint Smith (WoO); Coffey (fast qualifier); Rine (earliest post-mark)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Josh McGuire, 3. Donnie Moran, 4. Eric Jacobsen, 5. Danny Johnson, 6. Vic Coffey, 7. Jeff Rine, 8. Jeep VanWormer, 9. Jerry Bowersock, 10. Bob Gordon, 11. Austin Hubbard

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Josh Richards, 3. Darrell Lanigan, 4. Steve Francis, 5. Tommy Kerr, 6. Rick Eckert, 7. Gregg Satterlee, 8. Eric Wells, 9. Joe Isabell, 10. Chris Ferguson, 11. Rob McLaughlin, 12. Curt Spalding

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Chris Madden, 2. Chub Frank, 3. Ricky Elliott, 4. Mike Balzano, 5. Jeff Smith, 6. Brian Shirley, 7. Jared Miley, 8. Jackie Boggs, 9. Mike Knight, 10. Jeff Isabell Jr. (DNS) Don O’Neal

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Davey Johnson, 2. Steve Shaver, 3. Tim Fuller, 4. Michael England, 5. Clint Smith, 6. Tim Allen, 7. Wayne Chinn, 8. Dean Bowen, 9. Austin Dillon, 10. Jill George, 11. G.R. Smith

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Tim McCreadie, 2. Ricky Weeks, 3. Dan Schlieper, 4. Scott Bloomquist, 5. Shannon Babb, 6. Eddie Carrier Jr., 7. Jeremy Miller, 8. Justin Rattliff, 9. Jordan Bland, 10. John Winge, 11. Justin Labonte

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Earl Pearson Jr., 2. Shane Clanton, 3. Jonathan Davenport, 4. Matt Miller, 5. Dan Stone, 6. Chad Ruhlman, 7. Chuck Harper, 8. Bruce Hall, 9. Chesley Dixon, 10. Tony Izzo Jr., 11. Jeremy Faircloth

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Francis, Danny Johnson, Jacobsen, Kerr, Eckert, Rine, VanWormer, Satterlee, Spalding, Gordon, Joe Isabell, Coffey, Wells, Bowersock, Ferguson (DNS) McLaughlin, Hubbard

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): England, Balzano, Clint Smith, Shirley, Boggs, Allen, Miley, Jeff Smith, Dillon, Bowen, O’Neal, Chinn, George (DNS) Knight, Jeff Isabell Jr., G.R. Smith

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Bloomquist, Matt Miller, Babb, Rattliff, Carrier, Ruhlman, Harper, Stone, Labonte, Bland, Winge, Hall (DNS) Jeremy Miller, Dixon, Izzo, J. Faircloth

Final 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings - 43 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, they can experience the excitement of the nation’s premier tour live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail [email protected].

Bloomquist Dominates From Flag-To-Flag In Friday Night’s VAULT World Finals Late Model A-Main; Lanigan Clinches World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 31, 2008 – Did Scott Bloomquist ever feel a sense of worry while rolling to a flag-to-flag victory in Friday night’s 50-lap VAULT World Finals Late Model A-Main at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway?

“I think I was probably as good, or better, than I’ve ever been here,” Bloomquist said after capturing the Friday-night feature of the VAULT World Finals for the second consecutive year. “I looked over to my (crew) guys to see how far ahead I was when the cautions were out, but I really didn’t feel like I needed to do that because I thought, Man, if anybody can run faster than this, then hell, they deserve it.

Mooresburg, Tenn.’s Bloomquist, who turns 45 on Nov. 14, was simply in a league of his own at the four-tenths-mile oval. He roared into the lead from the pole position at the start of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series event and never looked back, racing unchallenged for the entire distance in his Miller Brothers Coal Team Zero machine.

Bloomquist, who earned $10,150 for his 18^th career WoO LMS triumph but first since last year’s VAULT World Finals, crossed the finish line with a commanding 2.112-second margin of victory over Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga. McDowell never got close to the 2004 WoO LMS champion after taking over second place when Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., retired with rearend failure on lap 43.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished third, followed by 20^th-starter Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and outside-polesitter Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.

In a race that saw Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., officially clinch his first career WoO LMS points championship when he joined the starting field, Bloomquist grabbed the attention of the evening’s huge crowd and the SPEED television cameras that taped the action for broadcast on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET.

“The car was just super,” said Bloomquist, who drove the self-built machine that earlier this season carried him to big-money victories in the Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway and the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway. “The car rotated so sweet going in (the corners) and throttled up with as much traction as if it was a wet racetrack. I was amazed at how good it felt.

“I’m not even gonna touch it (for Saturday night’s VAULT World Finals program). I can’t even think of anything I can do to improve it.”

Bloomquist recorded his fifth career Super Late Model win at The Dirt Track – the most of any driver in the facility’s nine-year history. He pulled one victory ahead of his protégé Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., who had tied Bloomquist at four wins with a triumph in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown but failed to qualify on Friday night.

Not only have Bloomquist and Madden combined to win nine of the 19 Super Late Model events contested alltime at The Dirt Track, but they’re also the only two drivers with multiple victories at the speedway.

“If I can’t win it, I’d just as soon see (Madden) or any of my guys win,” said Bloomquist. “But Chris was one of the first (drivers) I’ve worked with, and I’ve never questioned him and he’s never questioned me. We have a great releationship, but I still like to be one up on him.”

Owens, who steered his Bloomquist Chassis car owned by Mike Reece from the seventh starting spot to second place by lap 24, was the only driver who made even a fleeting run at Bloomquist. The 36-year-old cut Bloomquist’s margin to less than one second shortly before a lap-35 caution period for the stopped car driven by Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., but couldn’t draw any closer before dropping out.

McDowell, 42, inherited second place with Owens’s departure and kept Sanford Goddard’s Warrior Chassis house car in the runner-up position for the remaining circuits. It was his best WoO LMS finish since a runner-up placing on July 25, 2006, at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway.

“We had a third-place car,” said the sixth-starting McDowell, indicating the break Owens gave him. “For the first six, seven laps, I felt like we were where we needed to be. Then when the racetrack cleaned off and got a groove worn in there, I was a little tight.

“(Bloomquist) was a little bit better than me right across the center of the corner. I had to wait on picking my throttle up and just lost a little bit every lap. His car just stayed nice and straight and had a nice attitude.

“But I can’t complain,” added McDowell, who finished third in Wednesday night’s Showdown. “We’ve exceeded what we wanted to do coming here.”

The most intense racing late in the distance was waged between Babb and McCreadie, who ran together through the top 10 over the final 15 laps. Both drivers made impressive rallies to secure their top-five placings.

Babb, 34, started fourth, but he slipped high in turn two on lap 11 and fell out of the top 10. He finally reached third place on a lap-43 restart and kept his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket car ahead of McCreadie the rest of the way.

After a close second-place finish in Wednesday night’s Showdown, Babb knocked on the door to Victory Lane again.

“Maybe the third time will be the lucky charm and we’ll get one tomorrow night,” he said of Saturday’s VAULT World Finals finale.

McCreadie, 34, saw his night become more difficult during his heat race when he clipped one of the foam markers lining the inside of the track. The contact bent the left-front nosepiece of his Sweeteners Plus Rocket car and he lost the final transfer spot to Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va., on the last lap.

While McCreadie came back to win the B-Main and charged forward from the 20^th starting spot in the A-Main to finish fourth, he wasn’t satisfied.

“The damage I got in the heat put us behind for the whole night,” said McCreadie. “We had a real good car. I don’t know if we would’ve been able to run with Scott, but I would’ve liked to start further up to at least try.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who cracked the top five midway through the A-Main; 19^th-starter Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

Richards vaulted from fourth to second in the WoO LMS points standings with just Saturday night’s 50-lap A-Main remaining thanks to the misfortune suffered by Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.

Francis, whose reign as WoO LMS champion ended with Lanigan’s clinching on Friday night, didn’t even complete a lap in the A-Main. He pulled his Beitler Motorsports Rocket to the pit area after the four-wide pace lap due to a busted transmission.

Clanton, who entered the night third in the WoO LMS standings just six points behind Francis, appeared primed to overtake Francis as he settled into fifth place in the A-Main. But distributor problems in his RSD Enterprises Rocket car forced him to retire on lap 23, leaving him in a tie for third in the points standings with Francis.

Lanigan, 38, experienced a frustrating night, but he nonetheless secured the $100,000 WoO LMS points crown by starting the A-Main. A faulty fuel regulator during heat action forced him to use a provisional to gain entry to the headliner and he quietly advanced from the 25^th starting spot to finish 11^th.

“I’m happy,” Lanigan said when asked for his emotions after clinching the title, “but mostly I’m relieved. I don’t have to worry about the points anymore.”

Winners of Friday night’s heat race, which were aligned by the results of Thursday night’s first-round time trials, were Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, Moran, Clanton, Babb, McDowell and Bloomquist. The B-Mains were captured by Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., McCreadie and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.

Coming off a victory two nights earlier, Madden saw his fortunes turn around for the worse during the fourth heat. Moments after losing several positions when he nearly spun in turn four, the 33-year-old driver slapped the backstretch wall and had his car towed off with front-end damage.

Madden returned to run the second B-Main and made a gallant come-from-behind bid. He advanced from the 18^th starting to finish fourth, leaving him two spots short of a transfer position. He also ended up two positions shy of claiming the provisional that went to the fastest driver from time trials who failed to qualify.

The VAULT World Finals continue on Saturday (Nov. 1) with the second and final night of WoO Late Model and Sprint Car activity. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing getting the green flag at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday’s action will be televised live by the SPEED cable network from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

Results of WoO Late Model Series VAULT World Finals Night 1 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

NOTE: Clint Smith went to the rear of the field for the start of the A-Main because he ran a backup car

Provisional Starters: Lanigan, Frank (WoO); Eckert (fast qualifier); Gordon (earliest entry post-mark)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Matt Miller, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Steve Francis, 4. Steve Shaver, 5. Tommy Kerr, 6. Dan Schlieper, 7. Jared Miley, 8. Michael England, 9. Eddie Carrier Jr., 10. Eric Wells, 11. Bruce Hall, 12. Tony Izzo Jr.

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Donnie Moran, 2. Tim Fuller, 3. Don O’Neal, 4. Rick Eckert, 5. Jeep VanWormer, 6. Brian Shirley, 7. Wayne Chinn, 8. Chesley Dixon, 9. Chuck Harper, 10. Dean Bowen, 11. Jill George, 12. Jeff Isabell Jr.

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Shane Clanton, 2. Earl Pearson Jr., 3. Davey Johnson, 4. Chub Frank, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Austin Hubbard, 7. Justin Rattliff, 8. Eric Jacobsen, 9. Rob McLaughlin, 10. Justin Labonte, 11. Norman Short Jr., 12. Jeff Isabell Sr.

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Shannon Babb, 2. Josh Richards, 3. Mike Balzano, 4. Tim McCreadie, 5. Jackie Boggs, 6. Randy Korte, 7. Rick Whaley, 8. Bob Gordon, 9. Mike Knight, 10. Chris Ferguson, 11. Chad Ruhlman, 12. Chris Madden

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Ricky Elliott, 3. Jeff Rine, 4. Ricky Weeks, 5. Jeff Smith, 6. Danny Johnson, 7. Jerry Bowersock, 8. Dan Stone, 9. John Winge, 10. G.R. Smith, 11. Curt Spalding, 12. Darrell Lanigan

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Josh McGuire, 3. Jonathan Davenport, 4. Clint Smith, 5. Gregg Satterlee, 6. Jordan Bland, 7. Austin Dillon, 8. Vic Coffey, 9. Joe Isabell, 10. Wes Burton, 11. Tim Allen, 12. Jeremy Faircloth

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Shaver, Kerr, Shirley, Schlieper, Carrier, Miley, Harper, Izzo, Dixon, Bowen, Jeff Isabell Jr., George, Hall, VanWormer, Wells, England, Eckert, Chinn

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): McCreadie, Boggs, Frank, Madden, Jeremy Miller, Rattliff, McLaughlin, Jacobsen, Hubbard, Ferguson, Ruhlman, Knight, Labonte, Whaley, Short, Korte, Gordon (DNS) Jeff Isabell Sr.

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Clint Smith, Jeff Smith, Weeks, Bowersock, Coffey, Stone, Allen, Joe Isabell, Bland, Satterlee, Spalding, Winge, Danny Johnson, G.R. Smith, Dillon, Burton, Lanigan, Faircloth

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Oct. 31 - 42 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

Owens, McDowell Share Fast-Time Honors As VAULT World Finals Kicks Off Thursday Night With 78-Car Late Model Field

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 30, 2008 – Southern stars Jimmy Owens and Dale McDowell shared the spotlight on Thursday night, grabbing fast-time honors in the two rounds of World of Outlaws Late Model Series time trials that opened the second annual VAULT World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

A field of 78 dirt Late Models jammed the pit area for the blockbuster doubleheader, which also attracted 47 machines for the companion Advance Auto Parts Sprint Car Series meet.

Owens, 36, of Newport, Tenn., controlled the first round of time trials, roaring around the four-tenths-mile oval in 14.825 seconds to earn his first WoO LMS fast-time honor of 2008. The performance behind the wheel of Mike Reece’s Bloomquist Chassis car gained him the pole position starting spot for the first VAULT World Finals heat race on Friday night.

McDowell, 42, of Chickamauga, Ga., denied Owens a sweep of the qualifying night, topping the second round of time trials with a lap of 14.832 seconds. The former WoO LMS regular will start Sanford Goddard’s Warrior Chassis house car from the pole position in the first heat on Saturday night after nipping Owens, whose lap of 14.945 seconds left him just short of duplicating the double fast-time accomplishment turned in by Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., during last year’s World Finals.

Owens’s powerful evening helped him erase memories of a frustrating outing in the previous night’s WoO LMS Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown. After his primary car was sidelined by terminal engine problems during heat action, Owens jumped in his backup machine to start the 50-lap A-Main thanks to a fast-time provisional but was the first retiree.

McDowell, meanwhile, was strong for the second consecutive night. He backed up a third-place finish in the Showdown and appears primed to chase his first WoO LMS victory since Sept. 23, 2005, at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, Ky.

Thursday’s first round of time trials set the lineups for Friday night’s heats, while the second round of qualifying was used to align Saturday night’s heats.

WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., earned a pole position starting spot in a Friday-night heat and an outside-pole start in a Saturday-night prelim with his steady qualifying laps of fifth and eighth. He will clinch his first career WoO LMS championship by starting Friday night’s 50-lap A-Main.

Thursday night’s program concluded with the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ dashes – a series of nine match races among the top-five drivers in the WoO LMS points standings and five of the fastest qualifiers from the evening. The winner of each lap-and-a-half dash earned $300 and had the opportunity to select his next opponent, building the drama to a final two-and-a-half-lap ‘championship’ race that was captured by Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.

Lanigan made a bid to sweep the dashes, ripping off five straight wins by defeating in succession Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., McDowell, Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. But Lanigan’s run ended with $1,500 in earnings after Owens knocked him off in Round 6.

Owens pocketed only one $300 win before falling in Round 7 to O’Neal, who proceeded to defeat Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., in Round 8 and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., in the extended-distance finale. O’Neal earned a total of $1,600 for his efforts in the Rattliff Motorsports mount.

O’Neal is scheduled to start from the pole position in heat action on both Friday and Saturday night. His time was second-fastest in the first round and third-fastest in the second round.

“Hopefully we can start off the heat race tomorrow night better than we did last year,” said O’Neal, recalling the wild flip during last year’s Friday-night World Finals heat competition that left him with a weekend-ending concussion.

The Integra Shocks ‘Crew Chief Challenge’ scheduled for the end of Thursday night’s program was canceled due to the falling temperatures. The competition will be rescheduled to take place during February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

The VAULT World Finals continue on Friday and Saturday, with hot laps scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and racing set to take the green flag at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday night’s VAULT World Finals program will be televised live by the SPEED cable network from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, and Friday night’s action will taped for broadcast on SPEED on Sat., Nov. 8, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

Round 1 Time Trial Results For Fri., Oct. 31 Heat Races (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):

Round 2 Time Trial Results For Sat., Nov. 1 Heat Races (Position/No./Driver//Best Lap):

Madden Turns Back Babb’s Last-Lap Bid To Register $16,150 Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Victory At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 29, 2008 – Chris Madden thought he could cruise to victory in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The standout driver from Gaffney, S.C., ended up in a dramatic, down-to-wire dogfight instead.

After seeing his once-commanding lead in the 50-lap A-Main wiped out by several late caution flags, Madden had to hold off a stirring challenge from Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., to capture the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event run ‘topless’ – or more specifically, without roofs on the cars.

Madden, 33, beat Babb to the finish line by a scant 0.077 of a second and pocketed $16,150, including a $6,000 ‘passing’ bonus for winning from the sixth starting spot.

It was both Madden’s fourth career win on the WoO LMS and at The Dirt Track, which drew a massive 81-car field for the mid-week ‘topless’ special that was postponed by rain on its original Oct. 8 date.

Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who started seventh, finished third in Sanford Goddard’s Warrior house car after racing in second place from lap 21 until Babb glided by on a lap-43 restart. It was the former tour regular’s second top-five finish in three 2008 WoO LMS A-Main starts.

Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., advanced from the 12^th starting spot to place fourth in his Team Zero machine, while Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., made a steady march forward from the 21^st starting spot to complete the top five in the RSD Enterprises Rocket.

Madden, who started sixth but was in the lead for good by lap five after overtaking early pacesetter Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., built a full straightaway edge during a green-flag stretch from laps 4-28. But five of the race’s six caution flags flew between laps 28 and 43, dulling Madden’s momentum and allowing Babb to mount a last-ditch bid.

“All those cautions killed us,” said Madden, who drove his familiar Clements-powered Bloomquist car. “I was hoping it was gonna stay green so we could keep our comfort zone. We had really gotten away from everyone – at one point I could even see Babb (on the same straightaway).

“But those double-file restarts (in place for the entire distance by event rules) just kept bunching us up.”

Madden soon found himself with company on his rear bumper in the form of Babb, who came alive after the halfway point. Babb, who started 14^th in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rocket car, blasted around the outside of the four-tenths-mile oval on a lap-42 restart to skip from fifth to third, and then he passed McDowell for second on another restart one circuit later.

“When I saw (Babb’s) number up on the (score) board, I knew he was gonna be up on the top (lane) and hammer-down,” said Madden. “The racetrack was good and wide, and I knew if he running up there it was gonna be a good race.”

On the final lap Babb charged inside of Madden exiting turn four and the two drivers raced side-by-side to the checkered flag. Madden crossed the finish line with a miniscule margin of victory while dodging the slowing car driven by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was limping down the homestretch due to a dead battery.

“The last lap was awesome,” said Madden, whose last WoO LMS victory came on Aug. 23, 2007, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. “I went into (turn) three and chose to run the middle of the racetrack. I was gonna come off on the top side because I knew (Babb) would be up there, so I thought I’d be able to take his line away off the corner.

“But when I went through there, there sat Chub. I didn’t know what he was doing, so I had to turn back left and that made me crack the throttle. I guess when I did that, Shannon turned left and come up under me, and then I turned left and we touched a little.

“I was looking dead out the door at (Babb) as we went down the homestretch,” he continued. “Then, just before the starter’s stand, I cranked the car to avoid (Chub). I know there wasn’t a foot on both sides of me. It was tight quarters, but we made it.”

Babb, 34, saw his hopes of winning the Showdown for the second consecutive year fall short in heartbreaking fashion. He also lost a chance at a $24,000 payday, since the race’s unique bonus system – if pre-entered by Sept. 13, the winner was eligible to receive a bonus equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position – would have added $14,000 to the base first-place purse of $10,000.

“If we would’ve made a zig and a zag at the right time, we would’ve been alright,” said Babb. “But I can’t really complain. We had a few lucky breaks to get us up there, like having the cautions come out to stick me where I needed to be.

“We were a long way back there at one time, so we made up a lot of ground. There just weren’t enough laps.”

“Madden was gonna be tough to beat no matter what – he’s good here,” said Babb. “But when we went into (turns) three and four the last time, he made a good corner but I ran right up on him, so I thought, ‘Man, maybe we are gonna beat him at the line here.’

“I think we were both leaning forward in our seats trying to get to the (finish) line.”

Madden’s victory continued his run of success at The Dirt Track, where he’s now tied with his mentor Bloomquist as the facility’s alltime winningest dirt Late Model driver.

“This racetrack suits me,” said Madden, who became the 20^th different winner on the 2008 WoO LMS. “I love the big high-speed, momentum deal here. If we haven’t broke or gotten in a wreck, we’ve been in the top five every time we’ve been here.

“We actually shouldn’t have a tie (for the overall win lead) with Scott,” he added with a hint of a smile crossing his lips. “The Colossal (100) should’ve been mine two years ago. That double-file restart stuff cost me that race or we’d be out in front (on the win list).”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who lost fifth to Clanton with five laps remaining; Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., who drove the Tracy Seymour No. 17J; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.; and Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, Ky., who steered fellow Kentuckian Michael England’s second Bloomquist Chassis car.

The 21-year-old Knight had a memorable night in his first career visit to The Dirt Track. He received recognition during the program for winning the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star on-line contest, and his ninth-place finish earned him the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash 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.

The fact that the Showdown offered only WoO LMS show-up points was a break for several tour regulars. Five of the race’s six caution flags were brought out by drivers who chase the series.

Points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., suffered just his second DNF in 41 A-Mains this season, slowing with a rare engine failure while running third on lap 34. He is in line to clinch his first career WoO LMS championship, however, by simply starting Friday night’s VAULT World Finals A-Main.

Other WoO LMS steadies who experienced caution-causing problems were Fuller (flat tire on lap 28), Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (lap 40), Frank (flat on lap 42) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (a turn-four spin on lap 43 after a scrape with Richards while battling for fifth).

Richards was quickest in time trials, earning his series-leading fifth fast-time honor of 2008 with a lap of 14.955 seconds.

Heat winners were Davey Johnson, Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., Lanigan, Bloomquist, McDowell and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C., Frank and Clanton.

Four NASCAR drivers – Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader, David Gilliland and Jason Leffler – climbed behind the wheel of dirt Late Models for the Showdown. Schrader, who fields his own dirt Late Model in many events every season, was the only stock-car standout to qualify for the A-Main, finishing 12^th.

Gilliland, who drove his own Rayburn car, and Leffler, who made a surprise appearance in the No. 23 normally campaigned by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., did not challenge for transfer spots in a heat or B-Main.

Newman, meanwhile, escaped injury when he rode out a wild flip on the opening lap of the first B-Main. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner’s Steve Francis-prepared Alltel No. 12 was sent airborne at the end of the backstretch in a chain-reaction scramble after Chas Shellenberger of Winfield, Pa., slammed the turn-two wall.

The four-day festival of speed at The Dirt Track continues on Thursday (Oct. 30) with the opening night of the VAULT World Finals, which pairs the WoO LMS with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in a spectacular doubleheader.

Thursday’s program features two rounds of time trials for both divisions – one to set the heat lineups for Friday’s action, one to align Saturday’s heats – plus the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ match-race dashes and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for Late Model teams.

Complete programs of heats, B-Mains and A-Mains will highlight the cards on Fri., Oct. 31, and Sat., Nov. 1. The WoO LMS standouts will chase a first-place prize of $10,000 in each evening’s 50-lap A-Main.

Saturday’s competition will be aired live on the SPEED cable network starting at 8 p.m. ET, while Friday’s action will be taped for telecast by SPEED on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET.

VAULT World Finals ticket information is available by calling 1-800-455- 3267 or visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.

Results of WoO Late Model Series Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Davey Johnson, Davenport, Wells, Weeks, Danny Johnson, Boggs, Rasey, Ruhlman, Gilliland, Sanders, George, Dixon, Kerr (DNS) Balzano

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Elliott, Madden, Eckert, Jacobsen, McCreadie, J. Faircloth, McLaughlin, McGuire, Bland, Jeff Smith, B. Faircloth, Joe Isabell, VanWormer, Chupp

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lanigan, Fuller, Knight, Carrier, Dillon, Korte, Ferguson, O’Neal, Whaley, Burton, Greer (DNS) Hill, Jeff Isabell Sr., Gordon

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bloomquist, Babb, Schrader, Shirley, Matt Miller, Jeremy Miller, G.R. Smith, Satterlee, Newman, Harper, Leffler, Winge, Shellenberger

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): McDowell, Clint Smith, Moran, Frank, Schlieper, Roffers, Cook, England, Coffey, Stone, Spalding, Short, Owens

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Rattliff, Francis, Clanton, Dohm, Chinn, Bowersock, Whiseant, Hubbard, Shaver, Allen, Labonte, Jeff Isabell Jr.

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Weeks, Shirley, Danny Johnson, Ruhlman, Kerr, Boggs, Gilliland, Harper, Winge, Matt Miller, Rasey, Satterlee, Newman, Sanders, Shellenberger (DNS) Jeremy Miller, G.R. Smith, George, Leffler, Dixon, Balzano

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Frank, Schlieper, Jacobsen, McCreadie, Coffey, Owens, Roffers, Cook, McLaughlin, England, Jeff Smith, Stone, Bland, J. Faircloth, Chupp, Joe Isabell, Short, Spalding (DNS) McGuire, B. Faircloth, VanWormer

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Clanton, Carrier, Chinn, Dohm, Korte, O’Neal, Dillon, Bowersock, Whiseant, Hubbard, Ferguson, Jeff Isabell Sr., Labonte, Burton, Jeff Isabell Jr., Allen, Whaley (DNS) Shaver, Greer, Hill, Gordon

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Oct. 29 - 41 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

Pre-Entry List Of 50-Plus Drivers Provides Glimpse Into Huge Late Model Field Expected For VAULT World Finals

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 28, 2008 – The dirt Late Model pre-entry list for this weekend’s second annual VAULT World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway exceeds 50 drivers.

But the ultimate car count for the season-ending World of Outlaws Late Model Series spectacular? That’s anyone guess.

An all-star cast of 52 drivers from 16 states currently comprises the official pre-entry list for the VAULT World Finals, which begins on Thursday night (Oct. 30) with time trials for the WoO LMS and Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and continues with complete programs for both tours on Friday and Saturday night (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1).

Pre-entry is not mandatory, however – and with dozens of drivers not entered but nevertheless making plans to attend, the field could reach epic proportions. Eighty-two cars were signed in for the qualifying night of last year’s VAULT World Finals, and the current high-water mark for the 2008 WoO LMS is the 70-car throng that assembled for the opener on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

“By all indications, we should see the biggest car count of the season for a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event,” said series director Tim Christman. “Last year’s inaugural VAULT World Finals was a huge success and Late Model teams from all over the country are excited to be part of what promises to be another great show.”

All of this season’s WoO LMS travelers are on the pre-entry list, led by presumptive 2008 champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. He figures to clinch the tour’s $100,000 points title by starting Friday night’s 50-lap A-Main.

Defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., will relinquish his throne this weekend, but he’ll have to race hard throughout the Finals to maintain his precarious hold on second place in the points standings. He is just six points ahead of Locust Grove, Ga.’s Shane Clanton and 26 points up on Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

Other WoO LMS regulars set for battle on the four-tenths-mile oval include (in order of points position) Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who will look to erase memories of his wild flip in The Dirt Track’s Circle K Colossal 100 earlier this year; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who made a memorable drive from the 22^nd starting spot to a third-place finish in the 2007 World Finals finale; and 2008 Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Leceister, N.Y.

The upstate New York-based JIR Motorsports team, which fielded three cars at more than three-quarters of this year’s WoO LMS events, will also be on hand at The Dirt Track. A four-car effort will include brothers Joe Isabell and Jeff Isabell Jr., both of Pennellville, N.Y.; Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y.; and DIRTcar big-block Modified superstar Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., who makes his return to the JIR operation following a mid-summer separation.

* Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, who held off Francis to score a dramatic victory in last year’s Saturday-night World Finals A-Main.

* Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., the 2006 WoO LMS champion who pocketed $85,000 for winning the Topless 100, Jackson 100 and Late Model Knoxville Nationals over a seven-week period in August and September.

* Two-time UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champion Randy Korte of Highland, Ill.

* Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va., who pocketed $17,000 for winning the 2004 Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown at The Dirt Track.

* Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., who owns three career Super Late Model wins at The Dirt Track.

* Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., the teenage grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress who is coming off a fourth-place finish in his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series on Oct. 25 at Memphis Motorsports Park.

* Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis., whose 2007 World Finals bid was marred by a wild flip during heat-race action.

* Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who earned $26,000 for capturing the 2005 Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown at The Dirt Track.

* Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who has won at The Dirt Track in Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified competition.

* Well-known Southerners such as Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C., Jeff Smith of Gastonia, N.C., and Ed Gibbons of Manning, S.C.

A host of talented racers from far-and-wide are expected to enter the VAULT World Finals when they arrive at The Dirt Track, including 2004 WoO LMS champ Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who won the Friday-night World Finals A-Main last year; former WoO LMS regular Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga.; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., who was the fast-timer in both rounds of qualifying for last year’s World Finals; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who led laps 1-30 of last year’s Friday-night World Finals feature before retiring with a broken axle; Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; and Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., who won the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star contest earlier this year.

The VAULT World Finals ‘unofficially’ commence on Wednesday night (Oct. 29) with the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown for the WoO LMS. Postponed by rain on Oct. 8, the Showdown will be the first race in WoO LMS history to be run ‘topless’ – ie., without the fiberglass roofs on the cars – and offers a unique passing bonus that could push the first-place prize of the 50-lap A-Main to as much as $30,000.

Thursday night (Oct. 30) kicks off the scheduled VAULT World Finals action. Two rounds of time trials for the WoO Late Model and Sprints – one to line up Friday night’s heats, one to line up Saturday night’s preliminaries – will be conducted, as well as the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ dashes for both divisions and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for Late Model teams.

Saturday’s competition will be aired live on the SPEED cable network starting at 8 p.m. ET, while Friday’s action will be taped for telecast by SPEED on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET.

Ticket information is available by calling 1-800-455- 3267 or visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.

More information on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

VAULT World Finals Official Late Model Pre-Entry List (Car/Driver/Hometown):

World of Outlaws Late Model Series VAULT World Finals News & Notes: Clanton & Francis Bring Momentum To Lowe’s Motor Speedway; Wednesday’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Kicks Off Four Days Of Action

WHO’S HOT: World of Outlaws Late Model Series stars Shane Clanton and Steve Francis are rolling into The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

With both drivers coming off victories during a break from the national tour’s schedule, they’re clearly ready for four days of action at the famed facility that begins on Wednesday night (Oct. 29) with the postponed Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown and continues Oct. 30-Nov. 1 with the second annual VAULT World Finals.

Clanton, 33, of Locust Grove, Ga., is arguably one of the hottest dirt Late Model drivers in the nation over the past couple months. He’s not only won three of the last eight WoO LMS events – including two of the last three – to reach third in the points standings, but also captured the prestigious UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 on Sept. 6 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; finished second in the Dirt Track World Championship on Oct. 18 at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio; and won three consecutive regional events in the Southeast.

The latest conquest for Clanton came on Saturday night (Oct. 25) at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga. He pocketed $5,000 for topping the ‘Bill Elliott 50 Red Dirt Dash,’ which was run during the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend at the nearby Atlanta Motor Speedway and included visits by such NASCAR celebrities as Elliott, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Ken Schrader, Dave Blaney, David Gilliland and Ray Evernham.

Clanton, who owns a career-high 13 overall dirt Late Model wins in 2008, didn’t qualify for the Circle K Colossal 100 in his only previous appearance this season at The Dirt Track after breaking a wheel in time trials and getting involved in several preliminary-race tangles. But he was spectacular in last year’s VAULT World Finals, charging around the outside of the track to take the lead late in the Saturday-night A-Main before contact with another car caused him to slip to seventh at the finish.

Francis, 41, of Ashland, Ky., picked up some steam for the VAULT World Finals with a $10,000 victory on Sunday night (Oct. 26) in the unsanctioned 100-lap dirt Late Model portion of the Winchester 200 at Winchester (Va.) Speedway. He swept the weekend program, setting fast time and also winning a heat and the Fast Dash on Friday night.

Though Francis is resigned to relinquishing his reign as the 2007 WoO LMS champion to Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., during this week’s season-ending action, he can assure himself sole possession of top-winner status for the ’08 tour. He leads the series with six victories, including a $50,000 triumph in April’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track.

WEEKEND RACING: Francis was joined in Winchester’s field by fellow WoO LMS regulars Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. The 20-year-old Richards drove the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 to a third-place finish in the 100-lap A-Main, while Eckert was the race’s first retiree and finished 25^th.

Francis, Richards and Eckert had also planned to compete in the dirt Late Model portion of the weekend’s Octoberfest 350 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway, but heavy rain on Saturday’s scheduled qualifying day forced officials to postpone the entire two-day show to Nov. 8-9. The weather also pushed Winchester’s feature events from Saturday night to Sunday night.

WoO LMS traveler Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., meanwhile, also entered Saturday night’s ‘Bill Elliott 50 Red Dirt Dash’ at his hometown Dixie Speedway. He finished fourth in the feature, but he did experience a taste of victory thanks to Ken Schrader, who drove Smith’s backup car to the checkered flag in a 25-lap special event for the NASCAR stars on hand.

CAN HE REPEAT?: WoO LMS standout Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., left The Dirt Track with $18,000 in his pocket when he captured last year’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown.

The driver of NASCAR star Clint Bowyer’s Traeger Grills/Chevy No. 18 will try to make it two in-a-row on Wednesday night (Oct. 29) when the 50-lap event, which was rained out on its original Oct. 8 date, kicks off a four-day festival of speed at the four-tenths-mile oval.

Of course, Babb, 35, will have to make some adjustments from his winning ’07 setup. Wednesday’s event will mark the first time in WoO LMS history that a race is run ‘topless’ – ie., with the fiberglass roofs taken off the cars to provide fans a better look at the drivers wrestling their steering wheels.

One thing remains the same from last year’s Showdown: Babb and his rivals will once again have an opportunity to pad their first-place bounty thanks to the event’s unique passing-bonus program. The Showdown is offering a base purse of $10,000 for first place, but if the driver who wins the A-Main submitted an official entry form prior to Sept. 13 he will also receive a ‘passing’ bonus in an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position. That means winning from the pole position is worth a $1,000 bonus; from the 10^th spot is worth a $10,000 bonus; and from the 20^th spot is worth a $20,000 bonus.

The Showdown will also feature an exciting draw for A-Main starting spots, called the ‘ Southern Fried Scramble.’ Either 18 drivers (if four heats are run) or 20 drivers (if four heats are contested) will participate in the draw, which gives them a chance to play it safe or roll the dice in pursuit of the maximum $30,000 first-place prize on the line.

The ‘Southern Fried Scramble’ draw will consist of five buckets holding four starting-spot pills each. Bucket One will have positions 1-4, Bucket Two positions 5-8, Bucket Three positions 9-12, Bucket Four positions 13-16 and Bucket Five positions 17-20.

When the drivers are called up to draw in the order of their heat finishes (winners first, etc.), they’ll have the option of selecting a pill from any of the buckets. Essentially they can guarantee themselves a starting spot in the first two rows of the A-Main by staying conservative and sticking their hand in the first bucket – or they can go for a position further back in the field that would set them up to a claim a huge paycheck if they win the Showdown.

NASCAR INVASION: Reigning Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman will lead a trio of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars into battle against the dirt Late Model regulars during Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown.

Newman will drive an Alltel-sponsored No. 12 from WoO LMS titlist Steve Francis’s stable for the second consecutive year. He finished 11^th in the 2007 Showdown.

Joining Newman in the Showdown field will be Ken Schrader, an accomplished dirt racer who enters his own dirt Late Model in dozens of events every season, and up-and-coming Sprint Cup racer David Gilliland, who will steer his own Rayburn No. 98.

ALLTEL ALL-STAR: The 2008 Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star will get his moment in the spotlight this week at The Dirt Track.

Mike Knight, 21, of Ripley, N.Y., who earned a $10,000 check for receiving the most votes in the on-line Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star poll, will make the long tow to North Carolina with his No. 9K for the four-day racing meet. He will be honored for his Alltel All-Star triumph during a special ceremony in front of the massive grandstand at The Dirt Track.

HE’S BACK: Sizzling DIRTcar big-block Modified superstar Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., plans to end a three-month absence from the WoO LMS this week at The Dirt Track.

Johnson, 48, began the 2008 campaign as a WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender. He entered 22 of the season’s first 28 events before splitting with the JIR Motorsports team following the July 25 date at Eldora Speedway.

The driver known as the ‘Doctor’ has reunited with JIR Motorsports, however, and has a freshly-lettered No. 27J Rocket dirt Late Model to run in the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown and VAULT World Finals. He’ll compete as a teammate to JIR drivers Joe Isabell and Jeff Isabell Jr. – brothers from Pennellville, N.Y. – and Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y.

Johnson will arrive at The Dirt Track hot off a pair of huge big-block Modified victories in October. On Oct. 19 he pocketed over $20,000 for winning the prestigious Eastern States 200 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., and on Oct. 4 he was triumphant to the tune of $25,000-plus in the Schneider Brothers 200 at Fulton (N.Y.) Speedway. His win at Fulton came behind the wheel of a big-block Modified owned by New Yorker Joe Beyea, who also fields a dirt Late Model that Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., drove in several WoO LMS events this season.

MAC-DADDY: Former WoO LMS regular Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., has thoroughly enjoyed his stint as the color commentator for this year’s WoO LMS events televised on the SPEED cable network.

But while both of this week’s VAULT World Finals feature programs will be broadcast on SPEED – Saturday will be live starting at 8 p.m. ET, while Friday’s action will be taped for telecast on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET – McDowell will trade his microphone for a helmet. He plans to drive Sanford Goddard’s Warrior Chassis House Car in all of this week’s dirt Late Model events.

Shane Andrews, who has teamed with McDowell to call the five WoO LMS events broadcast this year on SPEED, will be matched in the booth for the VAULT World Finals with Roger Slack. The former director of events at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Slack made his SPEED television debut recently when he served as a pit reporter for the coverage of the DIRTcar big-block Modified Rite Aid 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.

THIS WEEK: Four days of competition at The Dirt Track begins on Wednesday (Oct. 29) with the postponed Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m.

Then the second annual VAULT Outlaws World Finals starts on Thursday (Oct. 30), combining the WoO LMS with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in a blockbuster doubleheader not seen anywhere else.

Two rounds of time trials for the Late Models and Sprint Cars will be contested on Thursday night – one round to set up Friday’s heat races, and one to set up Saturday’s preliminaries. Added attractions on Friday include the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ dashes, which will pit the top-five drivers in the championship standings in each series plus the five fastest qualifiers from time trials in one-on-one match races to determine a $1,000 ‘last driver standing,’ and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for the WoO LMS.

Complete programs of heats, B-Mains and A-Mains will be contested for both the Late Models and Sprints on Friday and Saturday nights. The Late Model headliners will be 50 laps and the Sprints will run 30-lappers – all for $10,000 to win.

Hot laps are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday and 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

For ticket information visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or call the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.

VAULT World Finals Grows With ‘Breaking the VAULT’ Dashes, More SPEED Coverage, Huge Souvenir Area

CONCORD, N.C. — Oct. 26, 2008 — The VAULT World Finals already is the biggest event in the history of The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway — and it keeps growing.

Not only will the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Mowers kick off the action on Wednesday night, now the top five drivers in the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series standings, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series standings and the top five qualifiers in each division on Thursday’s opening day of the VAULT World Finals will compete in “Breaking the VAULT” dashes — a series of match races that will set the stage for two more thrilling nights of racing on Friday and Saturday.

Plus, Saturday’s event already was scheduled to be televised live on SPEED from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., now the SPEED cameras will be in action on Friday to capture the first round for air in a two-hour special event at 9 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 8. Once again, the biggest crew in dirt track television coverage will converge on The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Bobby Gerould and Brad Doty will call the Sprint Car action from the booth with Tony Bokhoven covering the fast-breaking news in the pits. On the Late Model side, Shane Andrews and Roger Slack will provide the play-by-play and analysis with Sarah Jane Hunt covering the action in the pits.

If all that wasn’t enough, a record number of vendors will be on site arranged in a special location outside the main gates with the latest merchandise for all of the fans. Then, beginning at 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday, a pre-race talk show in the souvenir area with hosts Dave Seay and D.C. Bash will feature interviews with drivers and key people behind the scenes of the second annual VAULT World Finals.

One of the highlights of the event will no doubt be the “Breaking the VAULT” races on Thursday night. The top five drivers in the championship standings in each series plus the top five fastest qualifiers from time trials will take the track. The points leaders will call out a driver to race one-on-one. The driver who wins the lap-and-a-half dash will call out the next driver, and so on until only one driver is left standing. Money will be on the line with each race, including a $1,000 bonus in the final dash. That exciting event will be followed by the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, wrapping up a full day of action on and off the track.

To reserve seats, call 1-800-455- 3267 or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.

Lanigan Won’t Celebrate Until 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title Is Officially His During VAULT World Finals

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 24, 2008 – It’s virtually a stone-cold lock that Darrell Lanigan will clinch his first career World of Outlaws Late Model Series points championship during the VAULT World Finals scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

While Lanigan realizes he’s on the precipice of the $100,000 title, he’s a typical racer who refuses to celebrate until he knows the money is 100 percent in his pocket.

In fact, Lanigan didn’t even crack a smile when he was informed that he’d become the 2008 WoO LMS champion by basically showing up at The Dirt Track for the VAULT World Finals and the postponed Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown, a ‘topless’ special that was rescheduled for Wed., Oct. 29.

“Don’t even tell me that,” Lanigan scoffed when the points possibilities were offered to him following the last WoO LMS event, on Oct. 7 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. “I don’t want to know anything until it’s over.”

Lanigan, 38, of Union, Ky., holds a commanding 150-point lead over defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., heading into the season-ending three-race visit to The Dirt Track. It’s an insurmountable advantage because Lanigan will earn 75 show-up points for each event at the four-tenths-mile oval; as a WoO LMS contract driver who has entered every tour race this year, a ‘hardship’ clause ensures he’ll receive the non-qualifier/show-up points if unforeseen circumstances prevent him from attending a show.

But Lanigan’s lead is not quite unbeatable – and that’s why he’s taking nothing for granted.

There remains a miniscule chance that Lanigan could see the title slip through his fingers. It’s a scenario so unlikely that no bookie could lay odds on it, but one that a veteran driver like Lanigan, who knows there are no absolutes in racing, just can’t simply dismiss.

Since the postponed Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown offers only WoO LMS show-up points to all entrants, Lanigan’s lead will remain at 150 points entering VAULT World Finals time trials on Thursday. Then, if Lanigan somehow failed to start the Friday and Saturday A-Mains – even though he’s guaranteed starting berths in the events with a series points provisional – and Francis were able to win both of them, the two drivers would find themselves in a tie for the points lead.

And because Francis would have eight tour wins to Lanigan’s two, the championship would go to Francis on a tie-breaker.

So that’s why Lanigan will finally breathe easy when he takes the green flag in Friday night’s 50-lap A-Main. The coveted points crown will then officially belong to the driver of the Fusion Energy Rocket No. 29.

The championship will be well-deserved for Lanigan, who has authored arguably the most consistent campaign in WoO LMS history. He seized control of the standings with an unprecedented string of 15 consecutive top-five finishes from May 4-July 16 and never looked back. He’s piled up a total of 25 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes in 40 A-Mains to date and has failed to finish just two races on the lead lap (he’s completed 2,122 of a possible 2,135 laps).

The VAULT World Finals kick off on Thurs., Oct. 30, with a big qualifying night for the WoO LMS and Advance Auto Parts WoO Sprint Car Series. Two rounds of time trials – one to line up Friday night’s heats, one to line up Saturday night’s preliminaries – will be conducted, as well as a ‘VAULT Dash for Cash’ for both divisions and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for Late Model teams.

Adding more luster to the VAULT World Finals, the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown will kick off the four days of competition on Wed., Oct. 29. Postponed by rain on Oct. 8, the Showdown will be the first race in WoO LMS history to be run ‘topless’ – ie., without the fiberglass roofs on the cars – and offers a unique passing bonus that could push the first-place prize of the 50-lap A-Main to as much as $30,000.

For tickets to the VAULT World Finals and Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown, call 1-800-455- 3267 or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.

More information on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Behind Presumptive Champ Darrell Lanigan, Battle For Second In World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Standings Will Be Tight At VAULT World Finals

Just 26 Points Separate Francis, Clanton & Richards Entering Season-Ending Events Oct. 30-Nov. 1 At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 21, 2008 – Darrell Lanigan’s spectacularly steady 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series performance means the VAULT World Finals on Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway will serve as his championship coronation rather than a dramatic battle for the tour’s $100,000 title.

But there will still be plenty of points-race intrigue for the full-fender crowd during the blockbuster second annual event, which closes the 2008 seasons for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

While Union, Ky.’s Lanigan will march toward the official clinching of his first career WoO LMS crown during a busy week of racing that includes two VAULT World Finals A-Mains and the postponed Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown rescheduled for Wed., Oct. 29, three drivers separated by just 26 points will fight to secure the runner-up spot in the final points standings.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., enters the season-ending burst of action with a precarious hold on second in the standings. He leads the red-hot Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., by six points and 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., by 26 points.

What’s at stake for the battling Outlaws? How about $25,000 in points-fund cash – the difference between second place (worth $60,000) and fourth place ($35,000).

With Francis, 41, already conceding his reign as WoO LMS champion to Lanigan, he certainly doesn’t want to fall below second in the points standings and see more money slip through his fingers.

“Darrell has just had a great year – the kind of year we had last year, where everything seemed to go our way,” said Francis, who trails Lanigan by 150 points but leads the tour in A-Main triumphs, with six. “We’re just trying to hold on to second. The points are a little closer now than we’d like, though, because we dropped out (in the last WoO LMS event on Oct. 7 in Fayetteville, N.C.).”

Francis, who celebrated his 2007 WoO LMS title on The Dirt Track’s stage at the conclusion of last year’s inaugural VAULT World Finals, has a proven track record at the blazing-fast, four-tenths-mile oval. Earlier this year he drove his Dale Beitler-owned Rocket car to victory in the track’s WoO LMS Circle K Colossal 100, bringing him a $50,000 prize.

Clanton, 33, brings the most momentum into the VAULT World Finals. Over the past two months he’s won three WoO LMS A-Mains and finished second in two other events, pulling him to within six points of Francis.

After spotting his rivals nearly 100 points when he dropped out of the first two events of the WoO LMS season at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, Clanton has made an impressive rally that has him in reach of matching his career-best tour points finish of second, in 2006.

“We’re working hard to try and get second (in the points),” said Clanton, whose late-season surge includes a star-making victory in the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. “That would be a real good finish for us considering the setbacks we had. If I had back those two races in Florida and the Canadian race (a 26^th-place finish on July 12 at Estevan, Sask., thanks to a first-lap accident), I could be right there battling for the championship.”

Richards, meanwhile, is already virtually assured his career-best finish in the WoO LMS points standings – a sixth in 2007. But the tour’s 2005 Rookie of the Year would like to ascend all the way to second to top off a season in which he’s established a personal single-season win standard with five WoO LMS victories.

The rising young star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ will arrive at The Dirt Track having won the tour’s last event, on Oct. 7 at Fayetteville, N.C. He broke out of a checkered-flag drought that had stretched from late-June with his stirring march to victory from the 18^th starting spot.

“This has just been Darrell’s year and I’m real happy for him,” said Richards, whose father and car owner, Mark Richards, builds the Rocket Chassis machines that Lanigan also campaigns. “We’re just trying to finish right behind him. Winning (at Fayetteville) gives us a chance.”

Behind the battling trio, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., appears to have a solid hold on fifth place in the standings. He trails Richards by 64 points and leads sixth-place Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., by 74 markers.

Sixth place is up for grabs, with Babb leading Rick Eckert of York, Pa., by eight points and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., by 36 points. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., is virtually locked into a ninth-place finish and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who will be recognized as the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year, is in possession of the 10^th and final cash-paying points position.

Lanigan, 38, will clinch the championship by entering the Wednesday-night Showdown program (which offers only show-up points); entering the two rounds of VAULT World Finals qualifying on Thursday night; and starting Friday night’s A-Main.

For tickets to the VAULT World Finals and Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown, call 1-800-455- 3267 or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.

More information on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Oct. 7 - 40 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Clanton’s Runner-Up Finish Leads Strong Showing By Outlaws In Dirt Track World Championship

STRONG SHOWING: The stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series made a definite mark on Saturday night’s 28^th annual Dirt Track World Championship at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio.

Though an Outlaw wasn’t able to stop Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, from running off with the 100-lap event’s $50,000 top prize for the first time in his career, six of the top 13 finishing positions in the prestigious race were claimed by 2008 regulars on the nation’s premier tour.

The WoO LMS charge was led by Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who continued his emergence as a bona fide dirt Late Model superstar with a solid second-place finish in the DTWC. He won a Friday-night heat race and led laps 1-36 of the A-Main from the outside-pole starting spot before being overtaken by Birkhofer, whose three WoO LMS victories in 2008 include a $40,000-plus score in the second annual Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

“I had a great car – the best car I’ve ever had at K-C,” said Clanton, who finished eighth in the WoO LMS event on Aug. 23 at K-C Raceway. “But I knew I was in trouble when I caught lapped traffic and started struggling. (Birkhofer) could move around in the lapped cars better than I could.

“It was just setup,” he added when asked what separated the performance of his RSD Enterprises Rocket from Birky’s machine. “Tire choice wasn’t the difference. We just needed to do something different to our car.”

Despite falling short in his bid to win the DTWC and the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway in the same season, Clanton was smiling about another strong performance on a major dirt Late Model stage.

“I feel pretty good,” said Clanton, who pocketed $15,000 for his career-best DTWC finish. “We’re having the best season we’ve ever had, so I don’t want to see it end. I just want to keep on rolling.”

Indeed, Clanton, 33, has been one of the country’s hottest drivers for the last few months. He’s won three of the last seven WoO LMS A-Mains and enters the season-ending VAULT Outlaws World Finals on Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., with a real shot at a second-place finish in the tour points standings, sitting in third place, just six points behind Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

Francis, 41, provided more bragging rights for the WoO LMS in the DTWC, driving Dale Beitler’s Rocket to a third-place finish in the 100-lapper. The former DTWC winner captured a heat race and started third in the headliner.

“I got to watching (Birkhofer) and how he could maneuver around lapped cars, and I knew it was gonna be a long night for all of us,” said Francis, who briefly slipped by Clanton for second midway through the race. “Sometimes everybody gets these (kind of) nights. Maybe we can have one at Charlotte in a couple weeks (during the VAULT World Finals).”

Other WoO LMS regulars in the DTWC starting field included Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who won a heat race and finished sixth in the 100; points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., whose advance to an eighth-place finish from the 16^th starting spot was one of the race’s most notable improvements; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who was a disappointed 12^th-place finisher after placing second in last year’s DTWC; and defending DTWC victor Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who registered the overall fastest time in Friday’s group-qualifying session but settled for a 13^th-place finish in the A-Main.

Two-time DTWC winner Shannon Babb of Moweaqua., Ill., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., also represented the WoO LMS at the event but failed to qualify. Smith finished fifth and Babb was sixth in Saturday night’s third B-Main.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. – the 2006 WoO LMS champion and an entrant in 20 of this season’s tour events – finished fifth in the DTWC 100. He won a heat race and started from the pole position in the A-Main, but he lost eight spots on lap 16 when his bid to overtake Clanton for the lead sent him through the infield in turn four and spent the remainder of the distance trying to recover.

MODIFIED ACTION: WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., stuck with his DIRTcar Modified roots for the fifth consecutive weekend, entering the prestigious Eastern States Weekend at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y.

The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year drove his own No. 19 to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Eastern States 200 for big-block Modifieds – the longest-running short-track event in nation. It was a nice comeback from his disappointing outing the previous afternoon when a busted spark box left him with a 41^st-place finish in the companion Eastern States 358-Modified 150.

The Eastern States 200 was won by Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., who chased the first half of the 2008 WoO LMS as a Rookie of the Year contender before splitting with the JIR Motorsports team. He pocketed over $20,000 for his fifth career victory in the prestigious big-block Modified event.

Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., who enters selected WoO LMS shows as Fuller’s Gypsum Express teammate, finished ninth in the Eastern States 200 after a flat right-rear tire knocked him from the top five during the race’s second half. But he enjoyed a post-race celebration for winning his second career Mr. DIRTcar Modified points title.

NEXT UP: The 2008 WoO LMS season will wrap up with four huge days of competition at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., from Oct. 29-Nov. 1.

The meet begins on Wed., Oct. 29, with the postponed Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers, which offers fans a chance to see the WoO LMS stars race ‘topless’ in pursuit of a first-place prize that could be as much as $30,000.

Then the second annual VAULT Outlaws World Finals takes center stage from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Two rounds of time trials for the Late Models and Sprint Cars will be contested on Thurs., Oct. 30, followed by complete programs on Fri., Oct. 31, and Sat., Nov. 1.

For ticket information visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or call the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.

VAULT Energizes World of Outlaws World Finals At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. — Oct. 15, 2008 — “How can it be topped?” That was the challenge fans and competitors offered after the inaugural championship-deciding World of Outlaws World Finals in 2007 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. VAULT will make the 2008 event more exciting.

This season, the World of Outlaws and Lowe’s Motor Speedway are elevating the event with VAULT, Citrus Soda with a Kick, as the title sponsor. From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series will come together for the first time since that historic event last year. With consecutive nights of wheel-to-wheel excitement at ridiculous speeds, an event of this magnitude needs a powerful drink to energize fans and racers. VAULT will do just that when the grandstands and the pits fill up at the 2008 VAULT World Finals as the racers aim to fulfill the VAULT credo to “Get It Done, And Then Some.”

The opening day of action Oct. 30 gets a kick this time around, with a Halloween-themed night. More than 100 cars are expected to compete again this year so qualifying rounds no doubt will be scary for the competitors aiming for an edge on their foes, but the action also will include a “VAULT Dash for Cash” for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Plus, with Halloween only a night away, all kids 12-and-under in costume will be admitted free of charge, and the kid with the best costume will be rewarded with a “VAULT” full of candy. Not to forget about the big kids, the best adult costume will win two tickets to the Colossal 100 featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in April at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Open pits and a pit crew challenge will conclude the first night of the VAULT World Finals.

The intensity increases on Oct. 31. A pre-race talk show at 2 p.m. will allow fans a chance to hear from racers before they compete, and the first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a free commemorative VAULT World Finals poster. Then heat races and consolation races will lead to full features for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Drivers like Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Joey Saldana, Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Darrell Lanigan and Josh Richards will tackle the four-tenths banked oval.

On Nov. 1, the VAULT World Finals finale will crown champions for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series after another thrilling day of action. Another pre-race talk show at 2 p.m. will have fans in gear for one of the best nights of racing they’ll see each year. Full heats and consolation events will lead up to the final night of racing in 2008.

Making the entire week even bigger, the VAULT World Finals now will be preceded on Wednesday, Oct. 29, by a special World of Outlaws Late Model Series event — the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown — at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, making it four days of dirt track racing.

“Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the World of Outlaws have a strong relationship, and we are extremely excited to be hosts of the Second Annual VAULT World Finals,” said Seamus Curley, Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s manager of short track racing. “After last year’s success, we look forward to continuing and growing the tradition of what has quickly become a must-see event.”

VAULT is keenly aware of its customers’ passion for World of Outlaws racing, and is looking forward to making the VAULT World Finals a memorable experience for fans and racers.

“Our customers are attending races like the VAULT World Finals so it’s important for us to support an event they enjoy,” said James Lee, VAULT marketing director. “We’re excited to be part of the World Finals because the people who drink VAULT are World of Outlaws fans. VAULT is energy with a purpose, energy to get things done, and at the VAULT World Finals the competitors will be trying to earn a victory and clinch a championship. It doesn’t get much bigger than that.

“We are looking forward to adding to the enjoyment of event with giveaways and product sampling. It’s a way for us to say thank you to our customers and fans.”

World of Outlaws races at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway are almost always sold out, so entertaining fans is big project and vitally important to the event’s overall success.

“We were thrilled with how exciting every aspect of the inaugural VAULT World Finals turned out,” said World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler. “Now with VAULT sponsoring the event, there’s no doubt it will be an even larger success. VAULT is committed to enhancing the fan experience, and it will no doubt be a weekend to remember.”

Can Donny Schatz and Darrell Lanigan hold onto their championship leads or will Jason Meyers and Steve Francis run them down? The best way to find out is to get a ticket, and fast. Nearly every state in the country is represented as well as five foreign countries, with fans coming from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, making the VAULT World Finals a truly global festival of racing.

For tickets, call 1-800-455- 3267 or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Fuller & Coffey Fall Short In Super DIRT Week Modified Bids At Syracuse Mile; Clanton Goes Two-For-Two

UP NORTH: World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars Tim Fuller and Vic Coffey experienced contrasting results during a return to their DIRTcar Modified roots last weekend at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.

During the 37^th annual Super DIRT Week at the famed one-mile dirt track, both drivers had their moments of success and failure. Watertown, N.Y.’s Fuller shined in big-block Modified action and was star-crossed in 358-Modified competition, while Leicester, N.Y.’s Coffey made his mark in the 358-Mod ranks and was struck by misfortune in the big-block meet.

Fuller, who turns 41 on Oct. 28, was the polesitter for Sunday’s Rite Aid 200 – the most prestigious event in DIRTcar big-block Modified racing – after his lap of 30.160 seconds (119.363 mph) was fastest in Thursday’s time trials. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year never led a lap of the week’s $50,000-to-win headline show, but he appeared to be in position to make a bid for his second career victory in the 200 until a suspension problem on his Street Wise Fight Gear No. 19 left him feeling fortunate to salvage a fifth-place finish.

Fuller was beaten off pit road following his final pit stop, on lap 82, by just one driver – four-time Rite Aid 200 winner Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., who enters selected WoO LMS events as Fuller’s Gypsum Express Racing teammate. On a restart shortly thereafter, however, the bolts broke on the birdcage of Fuller’s car, causing his right-rear shock to dangle uselessly for the remainder of the distance.

“That took us out of the equation,” said Fuller, who was also plagued by oil leaking from a breather behind his car’s cockpit. “I didn’t even know if I could keep going. The shock eventually blew out and shot gas all over the place, and my right-rear wheel was just bouncing across the holes.”

Calling himself “lucky” to survive the 200-lap marathon with his faulty suspension and a fuel tank that was running dry during the final circuits, Fuller was happy to leave Syracuse with a fifth-place take worth over $7,000. But he couldn’t help wondering what might have been.

“I think I could’ve rolled out there and tried to make some passes if the shock didn’t break off the mount,” said Fuller, who won the Rite Aid 200 in 2004. “Would I have been able to pass (eventual winner Frank) Cozze (of Wind Gap, Pa., who ran the final 129 miles on a tank of fuel)? I don’t know about that. But I know our pit stop was perfect and we came out right behind Billy (Decker) – and he ended up blowing up running second (on lap 197).”

Fuller didn’t even break a sweat in Saturday’s 29^th annual ‘Salute to the Troops’ 150 Championship for 358-Modifieds. He started seventh in John Lazore’s small-block mount, but a three-wide scrape entering turn one with Pete Bicknell of St. Catharines, Ont., and Jimmy Phelps of Baldwinsville, N.Y., on the opening circuit sent him sideways and into a multi-car pileup that immediately ended his afternoon. He didn’t complete a lap and was credited with a 42^nd-place finish.

Coffey, meanwhile, had a short day in the Rite Aid 200. Bidding for his second consecutive and third career victory in the marquee big-block Modified event, the presumptive 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year took the green flag from the 31^st starting spot and was merely beginning to advance when he limped into the pit area on lap 10 with a broken right-front spindle.

“The car just sat down on the nose when I got halfway down the backstretch,” said Coffey, who finished 45^th driving a big-block Modified from the same Sweeteners Plus Racing stable that fields his dirt Late Models. “It wasn’t from any contact with another car. For some reason, the spindle just broke.”

Coffey, 37, enjoyed himself much more on Saturday when he steered his No. 32c to a second-place finish in the 358-Modified 150 behind Decker, who captured the event for the third time in his career. He started from the pole position after setting fast time (32.000 seconds/112.500 mph) in Thursday’s qualifying session, led laps 1-26 and was the first driver back on the track after his lap-27 pit stop, but he was passed for position by Decker on lap 33 as they raced deep in the pack and wasn’t able to find a way by the eventual winner over the remaining distance.

Fuller and Coffey also entered Thursday night’s satellite Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series event at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway. Fuller was a non-qualifier for the 75-lap feature thanks to his involvement in a heat-race accident, but Coffey grabbed the lead late in the distance and held on until Gary Tomkins of Clifton Springs, N.Y., slipped by him with just two laps left to steal the victory, forcing Coffey to settle for a runner-up finish.

UPSTAIRS: Tim McCreadie spent the weekend at the Syracuse Mile, but in a slightly different capacity than expected.

Eschewing several big-block Modified ride offers for the Rite Aid 200, the 2006 WoO LMS champion instead agreed to serve as the color analyst for the SPEED television broadcast of the event. He joined announcer Shane Andrews in the booth for the live-to-tape production of the 200, which will be aired by the SPEED cable network on Sat., Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. EST.

“I had a great time,” said McCreadie, whose luck at Syracuse has been so bad that he’s never finished the Rite Aid 200 in nine starts from 1997-2005. “It was definitely a different perspective watching the race from the tower.”

STILL HOT: The streaking Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., added two checkered flags to his ever-growing 2008 win list last weekend, bagging back-to-back victories on Friday night at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, Ga., and Saturday night at Crossville (Tenn.) Raceway.

A four-time winner on the 2008 WoO LMS, Clanton needed just 12 laps to advance from the 12^th starting spot to the lead in Friday’s Southern Regional Racing Series event at Boyd’s Speedway. He pocketed $3,000 for that triumph, then collected another $6,000 for a flag-to-flag victory in Saturday night’s unsanctioned 53-lap Tennessee State Championship at Crossville.

Clanton’s fellow WoO LMS traveler from the Peach State, Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., also entered the two southern events. Smith failed to qualify at Boyd’s but finished fourth at Crossville.

KEYSTONE STATE ACTION: WoO LMS regulars Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., invaded Challenger Raceway in Indiana, Pa., for the UFO-sanctioned ‘Ultimate’ event, which ran from Thursday to Saturday.

Francis made the most noise in Saturday night’s 91-lap headliner, which offered a $22,000 top prize. He raced forward from the 19^th starting spot to finish sixth in Dale Beitler’s No. 19.

Richards also advanced to Challenger’s A-Main, finishing ninth driving the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25. Frank and Eckert, meanwhile, failed to qualify; Frank’s charge from the last starting spot to third in the fourth B-Main on Saturday (he dropped out of his heat on Friday due to a suspension failure) fell one position short of transferring, and Eckert finished directly behind Frank in fourth place.

NEXT UP: The 2008 WoO LMS season will wrap up with four huge days of competition at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., from Oct. 29-Nov. 1.

Then the second annual Vault Outlaws World Finals takes center stage from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Two rounds of time trials for the Late Models and Sprint Cars will be contested on Thurs., Oct. 30, followed by complete programs on Fri., Oct. 31, and Sat., Nov. 1.

For ticket information visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or call the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.

Rain Postpones Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway To Wed., Oct. 29

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 8, 2008 – Rain spread across the Charlotte area on Wednesday afternoon and refused to let up, forcing the postponement of the evening’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series event has been rescheduled for Wed., Oct. 29, adding additional luster to the second annual Vault Outlaws World Finals for the Late Models and Sprint Cars that are set for Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at the four-tenths-mile oval.

The same event schedule that was planned for Wednesday night will be used on Oct. 29, track and series officials announced.

Anticipation was running high for Wednesday’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown –the first race in WoO LMS history to be run ‘topless.’ The dirt Late Model teams will take the fiberglass tops off their cars for the event, which also offers a unique passing bonus that could push the first-place prize of the 50-lap A-Main to as much as $30,000.

Drivers Face Unique ‘Southern Fried Scramble’ Draw For Position During Wednesday Night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown

Heat Qualifiers At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway Must Decide: Start Close To The Front Or Go After The Maximum Passing Bonus Bucks?

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 6, 2008 – Dirt Late Model fans have never seen a draw for position quite like the one planned for the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers on Wednesday night (Oct. 8) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The pressure will be on the drivers when they step up for the ‘Southern Fried Scramble’ draw, which sets the starting field for the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main.

Assuming a format of four qualifying heats, 20 drivers will participate in the unique feature draw that gives them a chance to play it safe or roll the dice in pursuit of the maximum $30,000 first-place prize on the line in the first-ever WoO LMS event that will be run ‘topless.’ All dirt Late Model teams will take the fiberglass tops off their cars on Wednesday night, giving fans a better view of the drivers as they navigate the four-tenths-mile oval.

The Showdown is offering a base purse of $10,000 for first place, but if the driver who wins the A-Main submitted an official entry form prior to Sept. 13 he will also receive a ‘passing’ bonus in an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position. That means winning from the pole position is worth a $1,000 bonus; from the 10^th spot is worth a $10,000 bonus; and from the 20^th spot is worth a $20,000 bonus.

What’s a driver to do if they walk up to the ‘Southern Fried Scramble Draw’ with all starting-position options available? Do they jump at an assured up-front spot? Are they brave enough to gamble that they can pad their bank accounts by winning from deep in the field?

Well, ask some drivers and it’s apparent that a lot of them will probably hedge their bets.

“Ideally, I would like to start in the sixth to 10th spot,” said defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who won the Circle K Colossal 100 earlier this year at The Dirt Track. “You’re close enough to the front to avoid some of the incidents and close enough to the back to get a good pay day.”

“It’ll all depend on how the track conditions are,” added Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., one of the hardest chargers on the WoO LMS. “If the track is real good, I’d pull from the bucket that would get a spot from 10^th to 15^th or so. I’d go for the closest spot to the front, though, if the track is heavy and fast so I’d have a better chance of staying out of trouble.”

WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who over the past month-and-a-half has won three of the last six WoO LMS events as well as the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, both claim that they won’t allow the expected pleas of fans push them into selecting from Bucket No. 5 if they happen to be the first to draw.

“I’m gonna do what’s best for our race team,” said Lanigan, who is rolling toward his first career WoO LMS title. “If the track is in good shape with some slick through the middle, I’d probably take a chance and go with a mid-pack (pick). But if the track is heavy I’d pick from that first bucket because I don’t want to be back in traffic where you’ll have all that mud flying up at you and sticking to the front of your car.”

Clanton was more succinct: “I’d rather start on the pole and run for the $10,000 (base purse) if I have that opportunity. I’ll always take my chances from the front row.”

And then there’s the drivers who seem to have the inclination to let it all hang out – guys like 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and 20-year-old tour star Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

“I think it depends of what kind of mood you’re in,” said McCreadie, who enters the Showdown having pocketed $85,000 for three big wins (Topless 100, Jackson 100 and Late Model Knoxville Nationals) over the past month-and-a-half. “If you feel good about your car, you’ll probably want to pick from last bucket and go for the big money.

“I might just do that. We’re on a roll right now – and when you get on a roll, you try to get much money as you can before it ends.”

Richards, meanwhile, has no reservations about getting to the front from the 20^th starting spot at The Dirt Track. He did it in last year’s Showdown, advancing from the 21^st starting position to the lead in just 10 laps before his bid ended when he dropped out with front-end damage from catching the cushion.

“I would pick from the last bucket,” said Richards. “I know you can win from wherever you start at Charlotte, so I’d go for all or nothing.”

The Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown, which offers WoO LMS show-up points because of the race’s unique format, will kick off Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s Bank of America 500 Week for the fifth consecutive year.

Former event winners – and their first-place earnings including passing bonus money – are Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va., in 2004 ($17,000); Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., in 2005 ($26,000); Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., in 2006 ($10,000 base purse because he did not enter prior to the deadline); and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., in 2007 ($18,000).

More than 50 dirt Late Model drivers are expected to compete in the Showdown. Joining the dirt regulars in action on Wednesday will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman, who will drive an Alltel No. 12 machine prepared by Francis.

If purchased in advance, adult tickets for the Oct. 8 Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers are $25 with children 12 and under admitted for just $5.

Tickets for this event can also be purchased as part of the four-race $99 SUPER Ticket which includes Bojangles' Pole Night on Thursday night, Oct. 9; the Dollar General 300 on Friday night, Oct. 10; and the Bank of America 500 on Saturday night, Oct. 11.

Tickets are available online or by calling the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.

The WoO LMS will pull into The Dirt Track after competing on Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Fayetteville event is the completion of a program that was postponed by rain during the first B-Main on Aug. 15.

Red-Hot Clanton Returns To Fayetteville Motor Speedway On Tuesday Night (Oct. 7) For Postponed World of Outlaws Late Model Series Show

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Oct. 2, 2008 – Before rain postponed the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Fayetteville Motor Speedway on Aug. 15, Shane Clanton had established himself as one of the drivers to beat in the 50-lap A-Main.

But when the tour returns to the four-tenths-mile oval on Tues., Oct. 7, to complete the held-over program, Clanton will be an even bigger favorite to grab the race’s $10,000 top prize.

Clanton, 33, of Locust Grove, Ga., has simply become the hottest driver on the WoO LMS since rain interrupted Fayetteville’s Aug. 15 card two laps in the first of two B-Mains. He enters the mid-week show having won two straight and three of the last six tour events as well as the prestigious UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

“Everything has fallen into place and we’ve gotten on a real good roll,” said Clanton, who has moved to third in the WoO LMS points standings with four A-Mains remaining on the 2008 schedule. “Hopefully we can keep it going at Fayetteville.”

Considering the speed Clanton flashed behind the wheel of his RSD Enterprises Rocket car seven weeks ago at Fayetteville, no one would be surprised to see his tear continue. He was the fastest qualifier in the 38-car field that assembled for the historic event and appeared to be rolling to a heat-race victory until a final-lap tangle with a lapped car allowed WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., to steal the checkered flag.

Though it was his first career visit to Fayetteville, Clanton had little trouble finding the fast route around the track. He’ll return confident that he can make his way to the front from the third starting spot in an A-Main lineup that already has its top 16 positions determined.

“We had a real good car there in August and – barring anything out of the ordinary happening – we’re bringing the same car back on Tuesday,” said Clanton, who will follow front-row starters Lanigan and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., to the green flag in the 50-lapper. “We’ll probably try to settle in there behind Lanigan at the start, see where his weak spots might be and then try to make a move.”

A winner of a career-high four WoO LMS A-Mains this season, Clanton will attempt to become just the fourth driver since 2004 to win three consecutive events on the tour. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., holds the WoO LMS consecutive-win record of four races (2006), while former tour champions Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., both captured three races in-a-row in 2005.

Pulling off the rare feat of three straight WoO LMS wins would serve as yet another enhancement of Clanton’s growing star in the dirt Late Model world. His name recognition, of course, has already expanded in the last month thanks to his World 100 victory.

“It feels pretty good when you go to tracks now and hear your name announced as the ‘2008 World 100 winner,’” Clanton said with pride.

Fayetteville’s WoO LMS program on Tues., Oct. 7, will begin with the final 10 laps of the first 12-lap B-Main that was stopped by rain on Aug. 15. G.R. Smith of Cornelius, N.C., and WoO LMS regular Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., are scheduled to restart from the first two spots in the last-chance race.

The second B-Main has Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., and Larry Blankenship of Mooresville, N.C., scheduled to start from the front row. WoO LMS standout Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., is listed as the fifth starter in the second B-Main after struggling before the rain arrived in August.

The 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main will top off the postponed program, which also includes held-over features for Fayetteville’s weekly open-wheel Modified, U-Car and Young Guns divisions.

Pit gates are scheduled to open at 12 noon and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 2 p.m. A driver autograph session will be held in the spectator area at approximately 5:30 p.m. and racing is slated to commence at 7 p.m.

Rainchecks and pit bands from the Aug. 15 date will be accepted for admission only on Oct. 7.

The WoO LMS will head west across North Carolina following Tuesday’s program for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers on Wednesday night (Oct. 8) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The first-ever ‘topless’ event in WoO LMS history will feature a 50-lap A-Main that could pay up to $30,000 to win.

More information on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Fayetteville Motor Speedway World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Information:

B-Main No. 1 Running Order (after 2 of 12 laps; top 3 will transfer to A-Main): 1. G.R. Smith, 2. Clint Smith, 3. Ray Tucker, 4. Ricky Weeks, 5. David Taylor, 6. Roger Lucas, 7. Jeff Isabell Jr., 8. Joe Isabell, 9. Scott Neighbors, 10. Michael Ray Mason (DNS) Chris Madden, Jason Fitzgerald

Streaking McCreadie Brings ‘Topless’ Success Into Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown On Oct. 8 At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 30, 2008 – Tim McCreadie has won three big-money dirt Late Model events in the past seven weeks – and one of them came in a ‘topless’ race.

So there’s little doubt that all eyes will be on the mop-haired McCreadie when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series visits The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Wed., Oct. 8, for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commericial Mowers, which will see drivers race without roofs in pursuit of a first-place prize that could reach $30,000.

McCreadie, 34, of Watertown, N.Y., is certainly hoping his late-summer/early-fall joy ride continues in the 50-lap A-Main that kicks off Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s Bank of America 500 Week.

“We’re just on a roll,” said McCreadie, who has pocketed a cool $85,000 for his three triumphant starts over the past month-and-a-half. “Right now it’s my turn. I’ve seen other guys go through stretches like this where everything goes right, and it feels great to finally get on a roll like this myself.

“We’re just enjoying every minute of this run and trying to make it last as long as we can.”

Back running at full strength in his dirt Late Model after spending the 2007 season focused on pavement racing as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver, McCreadie’s hot streak includes a $25,000 victory in the Topless 100 on Aug. 17 at Batesville (Ark.) Speedway; a $20,000 score in the Jackson 100 on Sept. 20 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway; and a $40,000 jackpot in the Late Model Knoxville Nationals on Sept. 27 at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. The 2006 WoO LMS champion could push his earnings over the six-figure mark for just four victories if he’s able to capture The Dirt Track’s Showdown.

The Showdown is offering a base purse of $10,000 for first place, but if the driver who wins the A-Main submitted an official entry form prior to Sept. 13 he will also receive a bonus in an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position. The top-five finishers in each of the night’s four heat races will be eligible for the unique bonus program and draw for their starting positions.

McCreadie has visited The Dirt Track’s Victory Lane after capturing an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified show, but he’s never won a dirt Late Model event at the four-tenths-mile oval. He’s hoping his momentum – and success in last month’s Topless 100 – will translate into a coveted checkered flag at the spic-and-span facility.

“We’ve always been competitive at Charlotte but just haven’t been able to get a win,” said McCreadie, who finished seventh in April’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track driving Steve Francis’s No. 15 but will return for the Showdown with his familiar Sweeteners Plus Rocket No. 39. “We’re trying hard to get a win there. We’re putting a fresh (Pro Power) motor in for the race so we should have plenty of horsepower, and hopefully we’ll hit on a setup that works.”

Finding that optimum setup, of course, will be slightly more challenging for everyone at this year’s Showdown. The event will be the first in WoO LMS history to be contested topless, forcing teams to make adjustments to compensate for the change in aerodynamics.

McCreadie has raced without a roof just twice in his five-year dirt Late Model career, but he learned some things about how his machine reacts without a roof during his recent Topless 100.

“Taking the roof off cleans the air up going over the car,” analyzed McCreadie. “More air can get to the rear spoiler, so the car usually gets tighter (handling). The car feels like it’s more glued to the ground.

“As far as sitting in the car without a roof, you feel more air around the cockpit and you can see the gauges on the dash so much better. With the roof off the cockpit is just wide-open to the (track) lights.”

According to McCreadie, the fans will benefit the most from the Showdown going ‘topless.’

“It’ll be neat for the fans,” said McCreadie, one of the most popular racers on the dirt Late Model circuit. “They can see the drivers moving their heads and hands around in the car. It gives the fans a chance to see things they usually can’t.”

McCreadie will be part of an all-star cast of drivers in the Showdown field, which is expected to number in the neighborhood of 50 cars.

Drivers expected to compete include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman; WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and fellow tour regulars Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (the recent World 100 winner), Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (last year’s Showdown winner), Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.; dirt Late Model legends Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., and Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; and top contenders such as Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.

The Dirt Track’s pit gates are scheduled to open at 1 p.m. and the spectator gates at 5 p.m. on Oct. 8. WoO LMS hot laps are set for 6:15 p.m., followed by single-lap qualifying at 6:45 p.m. and heat racing at 7:30 p.m.

If purchased in advance, tickets for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers are $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: McCreadie Outduels Richards For Knoxville Nationals Triumph; Frank Has Up-And-Down Weekend In Pennsy

WHAT A FINISH: A former World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion and the tour’s youngest star combined to produce a thrilling ending to Saturday night’s fifth annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by SuperClean.

A bold last-lap charge around the outside of Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway’s third and fourth turns proved decisive for 2006 WoO LMS titlist Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who turned back a dramatic bid by 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., to capture the unsanctioned 100-lap event.

McCreadie, 34, pocketed $40,000 for the biggest win of his dirt Late Model career while denying Richards what would have been his first signature, crown-jewel triumph.

“To be honest,” an overjoyed McCreadie said following the memorable A-Main, “I’d be lying if I didn’t think that one wasn’t the best race of my life.”

Indeed, McCreadie had to run his familiar Sweeteners Plus Rocket car for all it was worth to stave off Richards. After three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., brought out a caution flag on lap 99 to set up a green-white-checkered finish, McCreadie, who had seized control of the lead after NASCAR Sprint Cup star Tony Stewart relinquished the top spot due to a flat right-rear tire on lap 67, watched Richards slide underneath him to assume command with the white flag flying.

McCreadie let it all hang out rounding turns three and four for the final time, tossing his No. 39 around the extreme outside of the famed half-mile oval. He carried enough momentum – and Richards scrubbed off just enough speed on the inside of turn four – to reach the finish line first.

“We can sit up here and call it skill,” McCreadie said of his on-the-edge pass for the win. “I just stabbed and sticked and it just happened to work out this time.”

Richards, who scored his first-ever victory at Knoxville in a 25-lap semi-feature on Thursday night, could only think about what might have been after settling for a heartbreaking second-place finish worth $20,000.

“When I passed (McCreadie) for the lead I caught some of that oil (from Moyer’s mechanical) that was run in on the bottom of turn four and my car just latched to the ground,” said Richards, who drove his father Mark’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. “I was trying to do the same thing the last lap, but I guess I just missed it. I felt my car start skating a little bit and I knew I was done.

“There’s so many things you should’ve, could’ve done. I just chose the wrong one I guess.”

During the post-race press conference, McCreadie spoke highly of dirt Late Model racing in general and WoO LMS regulars Richards and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who finished a close third, in particular.

A question about Stewart got T-Mac talking about the competitiveness of dirt Late Model racing and the drivers in it. He noted that Stewart developed his bid-ending flat tire on lap 67 after the NASCAR invader slid into McCreadie’s door while battling for the lead – a miscue that McCreadie said could have resulted from Stewart’s limited time behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model.

“A lot of people think (Stewart) might be the best there ever is,” said McCreadie. “This division is the best there is in racing right now. You can’t just jump in these things and be perfect.”

As for Richards and Babb, McCreadie gestured toward them and said, “These two guys are class acts. I wouldn’t pick two other guys I’d want to be sitting up here with.”

GRIDIRON PARTY: Where did McCreadie go on Sunday to continue celebrating his Knoxville Nationals triumph?

Well, McCreadie headed to St. Louis with Integra Shocks representative Brian Daugherty to watch his beloved Buffalo Bills play the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. He kept the good times rolling by cheering the Bills to a 31-14 victory that extended their record to 4-0.

OUTLAWS AT KNOXVILLE: Richards was one of three 2008 WoO LMS regulars to finish in the top five in the Knoxville Nationals, leading Babb (third place) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (fifth) in the final rundown.

Babb had his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket right behind McCreadie and Richards at the checkered flag, hoping for an opening to steal the win.

“I had the best seat in the house for those last couple laps,” said Babb, who started 13^th. “I didn’t know what was gonna happen.”

Eckert was also in the late-race mix with his Raye Vest-owned GRT car, securing a $7,500 fifth-place finish after starting 15^th.

The news wasn’t as good for WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

Lanigan started from the pole position in the 100 after scoring a semi-feature win on Friday night, but a smoking valve-cover gasket forced him to pit on the pace laps and power-steering woes prompted him to retire after just seven circuits. He finished 29^th.

Francis, meanwhile, started 11^th in the A-Main but lasted a mere four laps because a blown right-rear tire caused his Dale Beitler-owned car to flip. He landed on his wheels and wasn’t injured, but his heavily-damaged machine was carted off on a flatbed truck.

BAD NIGHT, GOOD NIGHT: WoO LMS stalwart Chub Frank stayed close to his Bear Lake, Pa., home for weekend action, entering the United Late Model Series program at McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa.

The visit to the one-third-mile oval didn’t start out well for the 46-year-old Frank. During a heat race for Friday night’s preliminary feature an unidentified piece of debris flew into his cockpit and slammed his helmet, momentarily knocking Frank out and causing him to hit the homestretch wall with great force.

While the unique Day Glo-orange tinged ‘Chub’s Army’ car that Frank debuted during the recent World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, sustained heavy damage and will be transported to Rocket Chassis in Shinnston, W.Va., for frame repair, ‘Chubzilla’ was shaken but otherwise uninjured. His night of racing was over, but he remained at the track and later visited Victory Lane to congratulate his former mechanic Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, who won the evening’s 30-lap headliner.

Frank returned to MCR on Saturday night with his two-year-old car called ‘Old Faithful’ and fared much better, finishing second in the 50-lap A-Main to…Briggs, who completed a sweep of the weekend with a career-high $12,000 victory. Frank and Briggs started alongside each other on the front row and swapped the lead several times early in the race before Briggs gradually asserted control.

MECHANIC MAKES GOOD: Bear Lake, Pa.’s Briggs was, of course, the 2004 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year award when he traveled the tour as Frank’s head wrench, but he’s concentrated more on his driving career in recent seasons.

The 37-year-old talent has been a familiar face on the WoO LMS this year, entering 11 events with his No. 99b. He experienced one especially trying moment – a wild flip during hot laps for the tour show on June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway that left him with a concussion and on the sidelines for nearly a month – but also picked up valuable seat time racing with the country’s best drivers.

Briggs, who houses his car at Frank’s shop, has busted out over the past month. He was victorious on Sept. 21 at Little Valley (N.Y.) Speedway and then swept the three-day McKean County meet, winning a Thursday-night ‘King of the Hill’ match race and features the next two evenings.

“It was a weekend you’ll never forget,” a still beaming Briggs said on Monday morning while working at Frank’s garage. “To have everything go so perfect for three straight nights just doesn’t happen too often. It’s like a dream come true.”

Briggs gave the credit for his success to Frank and WoO LMS traveler Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who spent several days at Frank’s shop following the tour’s Labor Day show at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., and has been helping Frank and Briggs with setup ideas.

“The help I’ve gotten from Chub and Clanton is the reason why my car is going as good as it is,” said Briggs, who would like to someday follow the WoO LMS in pursuit of the Rookie of the Year award. “They’re making me a better driver.”

MISFORTUNE: Clanton did his racing over the weekend at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway and nearly captured his second consecutive Magnolia 100 title.

The red-hot 33-year-old standout dominated Saturday night’s unsanctioned event after grabbing the lead on lap eight, but a flat right-rear tire with just six laps remaining ended his bid and propelled Chris Wall of Holden, La., to the $20,008 victory.

Clanton, who settled for an eighth-place finish after making a pit stop for a new tire, was done in by a broken throttle spring on his Rocket No. 25. The malfunction occurred early in the 100 and forced him to use his foot to pull up the gas pedal throughout the distance; as a result, he had to slide through the corners harder than he would have liked to scrub off speed and ultimately wore out his tire.

SHORT DAY: Still racing with a cast on the right wrist that he broke during World 100 heat-race action on Sept. 6, WoO LMS star Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., was running second early in Sunday’s Alabama State Championship feature at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala., when terminal engine woes ended his hopes.

Smith also put his crewman Aaron Ridley in his backup car for the event, but Ridley hit the wall during the feature and did not finish.

MODIFIED MEN: New York WoO LMS followers Tim Fuller and Vic Coffey jumped into their DIRTcar big-block Modifieds for Saturday night’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series BPG National 200 at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, N.Y., but didn’t enjoy memorable outings.

Coffey had the best finish of the pair, placing 15^th in an event that was shortened to 128 laps by rain. Fuller won a heat and appeared to be on the move to the front after the halfway mark, but a flat tire on lap 110 left him with a 19^th-place finish.

NEXT UP: The WoO LMS returns to action on Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway (the completion of an event postponed by rain on Aug. 15) and Wed., Oct. 8, at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown that will be contested ‘topless,’ ie., with roofs removed from the cars for the first time in WoO LMS history).

Lanigan’s Last-Lap Semi-Feature Win Puts Another World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star In Knoxville Nationals Spotlight

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 27, 2008 – Score another checkered flag for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Knoxville Raceway.

Points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., became the second tour regular in as many nights to grab the spotlight at the fifth annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by SuperClean, pulling off a dramatic last-lap victory in Friday’s 25-lap semi-feature.

Lanigan, 38, made a breathtaking outside pass of Newport, Tenn.’s Jimmy Owens rounding turns three and four for the final time to steal the race’s $7,000 top prize. His performance followed the Thursday-night semi-feature triumph by fellow WoO LMS traveler Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who opted to sit out Friday night’s preliminary program while awaiting delivery of a backup engine.

Though Lanigan started from the pole position in his Fusion Energy Rocket car, he slipped back several spots early in the headline event. He found his rhythm around the top of the famed half-mile oval, however, and erased a half-straightaway deficit over the final five circuits to nip Owens at the finish line by less than a car length.

“I just got my momentum going on the top,” Lanigan said of his late rally. “We just got lucky those last five laps and hit it right. Jimmy got held up a little going into (turn) three by those lapped cas on the bottom (on the last lap) and we just got a helluva run on the top.”

The victory was the second of Lanigan’s career at Knoxville, where he was triumphant in a WoO LMS event on June 15, 2007. He’s an admitted lover of long, sweeping layouts like Knoxville – though his performance on the 2008 WoO LMS makes it clear that he’s much more than a big-track specialist.

Lanigan has authored arguably the most consistent season in WoO LMS history, rolling up 25 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes (including 15 consecutive top-fives during one amazing stretch) in 39 A-Mains to put himself on the brink of his first career tour championship. He holds a commanding 126-point lead over defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., with only four events (three offering full points) remaining on the 2008 schedule.

While Lanigan has only won two WoO LMS A-Mains this season (his last score came on June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.), he’s looking to close out his ’08 campaign with a flourish. With the $100,000 WoO LMS title sitting ready for his taking, he’d love to add Saturday night’s 100-lap Knoxville Nationals finale to his ledger as a signature victory.

Lanigan sits in perfect position to capture Saturday night’s $40,000 top prize. He had the top points total from the two preliminary programs, giving him the pole starting spot for the 100-lapper.

All four of Lanigan’s fellow WoO LMS regulars at the Knoxville Nationals are also already locked into Saturday night’s A-Main thanks to their points totals. Richards will start third in the event, followed by Francis (11^th starting spot after a 24^th-place finish on Friday); Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (13^th starting spot after placing 14^th on Friday); and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (15^th starting spot after finishing ninth on Friday).

The next WoO LMS action is set for Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway (the completion of an event postponed by rain on Aug. 15) and Wed., Oct. 8, at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown that will be contested ‘topless,’ ie., with roofs removed from the cars for the first time in WoO LMS history).

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Regular Josh Richards Opens Late Model Knoxville Nationals With Thursday Semi-Feature Victory

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 26, 2008 – Josh Richards now has a victory at the historic Knoxville Raceway on his ever-growing resume.

The 20-year-old World of Outlaws Late Model Series star added the checkered flag on Thursday night, outdueling fellow Outlaw Darrell Lanigan to win the 25-lap semi-feature that opened the fifth annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals presented by SuperClean.

Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards used a classic slide-job maneuver through turns three and four to overtake Lanigan for the lead on lap 19 and never looked back in the unsanctioned event. He crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of Union, Ky.’s Lanigan, who holds a commanding lead in the WoO LMS points standings with just four tour events remaining on the 2008 schedule, and 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.

Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., placed fourth and NASCAR Sprint Cup star Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind., finished fifth driving the Old Spice/Bass Pro Shops Rocket No. 20 that was built and prepared by Richards and his crew.

“It’s awesome to get a win at Knoxville,” said Richards, who appeared headed to victory in a June 2007 WoO LMS event at the half-mile oval until mechanical trouble ended his bid. “We got a (Sunoco American Late Model Series) win earlier this year at Eldora (Speedway in Rossburg, Pa.), and now we got one at Knoxville. It’s pretty cool to win at two of the most famous tracks in the country in the same year.”

Richards also felt good about ending a long absence from Victory Lane. He had been winless driving his father Mark’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1 since June 24, when he scored his fourth WoO LMS triumph of the season in his first-ever visit to Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway.

“We’ve had a little bit of a dry spell,” said Richards, whose last win of 2008 actually came behind the wheel of the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 on July 6 in a MACS event at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park. “It’s nice to finally win again. Hopefully it’ll give us some momentum to end the season strong.”

Richards hopes his $7,000 win was a harbinger of success to come on Saturday night (Sept. 27) at Knoxville. The victory placed him second in the Late Model Knoxville Nationals points standings behind Lanigan, putting him in position for a good starting spot in Saturday’s 100-lap headliner that pays $40,000 to win.

Despite having an opportunity to improve his Nationals points total with a better qualifying performance in Friday night’s second preliminary program, Richards was planning to sit out the Friday action and stick with the points he accumulated on Thursday. He said Thursday’s heavy, fast track conditions exacted a heavy toll on everyone’s equipment, prompting his team to keep their machine parked to save it for Saturday’s big-money grand finale.

“We’re taking the night off,” said Richards, who sits fourth in the WoO LMS points standings. “We only have one spare motor with us and we have to put that in Tony’s car for Saturday night (problems were found in Stewart’s powerplant after the semi-feature), so we don’t want to take a chance with our motor after running it so hard (on Thursday).”

Richards, who has another powerplant coming from the team’s shop to put in his car for Saturday’s program, said he’ll spend Friday’s preliminary program in the pit area helping NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader and 2006 Knoxville Nationals winner Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. Stewart isn’t scheduled to compete on Friday night.

Richards was one of five 2008 WoO LMS regulars competing in the Late Model Knoxville Nationals. He was joined in the field by Lanigan, who ran his backup car after suffering engine woes during hot laps but led laps 7-18 of the semi-feature en route to a runner-up finish and the points lead after Thursday night; defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who finished eighth in the semi-feature; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who placed 14^th; and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who won the B-Main and finished 15^th in the semi-feature.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Travelers Fuller & Coffey Gearing Up For Assault On Rite Aid 200 Big-Block Modified Classic Oct. 7-12 At Syracuse Mile

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 22, 2008 – Tim Fuller and Vic Coffey have become fulltime World of Outlaws Late Model Series travelers this season.

But over the upcoming Columbus Day weekend, both New Yorkers will park their potent dirt Late Models and return to their DIRTcar big-block Modified roots at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y. They’ll chase a $50,000 pot of gold available to the winner of the open-wheel division’s 37^th annual Rite Aid 200, which closes the Super DIRT Week activities that stretch from Oct. 7-12 at the legendary one-mile oval.

With the WoO LMS events that had been scheduled for Oct. 11 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., and Oct. 12 at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., canceled by series and track officials, Fuller and Coffey are free to focus on the most prestigious race of the DIRTcar big-block Modified season.

And despite making only a handful of DIRTcar big-block appearances apiece in 2008, there’s no doubt that Fuller and Coffey stand as favorites to capture the lucrative Rite Aid 200 prize. Both drivers are former winners of the event – in fact, last year Coffey won the grueling 200-mile test of man and machine and Fuller finished a close second.

“Having the (Columbus Day) weekend off from the Outlaws (schedule) works out great for me,” said Fuller, the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year and a winner of two tour A-Mains this season. “Syracuse is the one Modified race I will always want to run. It’s not only the biggest Modified race of the year, but it’s also one of the biggest dirt races of the year in the whole country.”

Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., will bring his proven self-owned DIRTcar big-block Modified to the Moody Mile. He debuted the Teo-Pro machine at last year’s Super DIRT Week, drove it to a runner-up finish in the Rite Aid 200 and then put it in storage inside his shop to save it for Syracuse ’08 duty.

“It’ll be pretty easy to get ready this year,” said Fuller, who won the Rite Aid 200 in 2004. “The car has just been sitting there all year and we have a fresh (Kevin) Enders engine ready to go, so all we have to do is go through everything.

“We’re going there knowing that we have a car that’s fast and can win the race, so I’m real confident. But you can’t get your hopes up too much because Syracuse always comes down to luck and pit stops.”

Coffey, 37, of Leicester, N.Y., is acutely aware of the keys to success in the Rite Aid 200. The presumptive 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year won the marquee DIRTcar big-block Modified event twice – and each checkered flag came in a different manner.

In 2002, Coffey captured the Rite Aid 200 for the first time with a big assist from Lady Luck. His marginal involvement in a tangle after the halfway point prompted him to make an unscheduled pit stop to top off his car’s gas tank – and as a result he survived the outbreak of empty fuel cells that produced high drama in the closing laps, finally taking the lead on the last circuit when the pacesetter’s mount starved for fuel.

Last year, however, Coffey repeated thanks to speed and savvy more than good fortune. He grabbed the lead on lap 154 and controlled the remainder of the distance, coolly conserving fuel to defeat Fuller by several car lengths.

Coffey returns to Super DIRT Week to defend his Rite Aid 200 title with the same Sweeteners Plus No. 32c that he drove to victory a year ago. It’s a 2003 Bicknell machine that he ran at Syracuse for the first time last year after it had been driven previously in the 200-miler by 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.

“It’s been just a Syracuse car for the last few years,” said Coffey, who recently scored a season-best WoO LMS finish of fifth at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway. “We know it’s a car that can get the job done.”

The Rite Aid 200, which gets the green flag the afternoon of Sun., Oct. 12, will culminate a long, race-filled week for both Fuller and Coffey. They’ll start it with the WoO LMS, traveling south to compete in tour shows on Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway (the completion of an event postponed by rain on Aug. 15) and Wed., Oct. 8, at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown that will be contested ‘topless,’ ie., with roofs removed from the cars for the first time in WoO LMS history).

Both drivers are making some special arrangements to run the mid-week WoO LMS events without using their primary haulers, which will be filled with Modified equipment and driven to the Syracuse Mile on Wednesday by crewmen who remain home.

Fuller plans to tow his Gypsum Express No. 19 dirt Late Model to Fayetteville – where he’s scheduled to start fourth in the 50-lap A-Main after winning a heat race on Aug. 15 – on an open trailer with a bare minimum of tires and spare parts. His father will then haul the machine back to New York following the race while Fuller heads over to Lowe’s Motor Speedway with fellow WoO LMS regular Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who will allow Fuller to drive his backup No. 44 in the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown.

Coffey, meanwhile, expects to dispatch one Sweeteners Plus hauler to the Tar Heel State. The trailer will carry both his and teammate McCreadie’s dirt Late Models.

The Lowe’s Motor Speedway event will prevent Fuller and Coffey from participating in a ‘Happy Hour’ practice session that same day at the Syracuse Mile, but their crewmen will have their Modifieds at the track to undergo inspection that afternoon. Fuller and Coffey have arranged to hop on a charter flight together following the Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown so they’ll be in Syracuse in time for practice on Thursday morning and Rite Aid 200 time trials later in the afternoon.

Fuller and Coffey plan to round out their Super DIRT Week schedules with DIRTcar 358-Modified competition – Fuller driving a small-block from sponsor John Lazore’s stable and Coffey with a Sweeteners Plus mount. Both drivers will enter the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series events on Thurs., Oct. 9, at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway and Fri., Oct. 10, at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, N.Y., and Coffey will also tackle the ITT Corporation/Goulds Pumps ‘Salute To The Troops’ 150 on Sat., Oct. 11, at the Syracuse Mile.

Super DIRT Week tickets can be ordered on-line by logging directly into https://syracuse.ticketdirector.com or contacting the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Office (315/834-6606) Monday-Friday during normal business hours.

CONCORD, NC — Sept. 19, 2008 — New Yorker Mike Knight earned a spot in the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star competition on the final night of the four-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series mini-tour at his Eriez Speedway home track, and the fans who like to call him “Hollywood” then voted him as the Alltel All-Star champion.

Online voting in the Alltel All-Star contest ended at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 9 as Knight edged one of his best friends on the track, Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., for the $10,000 title. With 15 different drivers eligible to compete, 25 percent of the fans voted for 21-year-old Knight, of Ripley, N.Y.

“I was actually joking with Rob Blair because I bought a $15,000 motor from him and I paid him only $5,000,” said Knight, who received the news of his Alltel All-Star victory while working on his grape farm. “This extra $10,000 was going to go toward the rest of that motor. I told him, ‘You just need to let me win so I can pay you.’ He said, ‘You need to let me win and you can still pay me for the rest of that motor.’

“Rob and I are really good friends and we’re always joking around about it. I’m glad we got to battle for the Alltel All-Star lead.”

The contest featured the top five finishers from events July 24-27 at Muskingum County Speedway, Eldora Speedway, Sharon Speedway and Eriez Speedway. Those drivers included Knight; Blair; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Shane Clanton of Locus Grove, Ga.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.; and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Knight let his actions on the track carry him to the Alltel All-Star victory, but he had plenty of support from his fans in the online voting competition at AlltelAllStar.com.

“Everywhere I went people would tell me, ‘You’ve got a five percent lead’ or ‘You’ve got a four percent lead.’ I was usually working all the time on my farm, but everybody was keeping me updated,” said Knight, whose goal is to compete on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series tour. “I live in a small town, about 3,000 people, and everywhere I went it was the topic. The whole town was talking about it. This whole area is good for that. Our fans are really loyal and they pay attention. We’ve got great fans up here.”

One particular fan did all she could to vote Josh Richards to the Alltel All-Star title. For her effort, Evelyn Baker of Morgantown, W.Va., earned a $500 gift card from Alltel Wireless. A fan of Josh’s since he was born, she says, Baker never won anything like this before.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: ‘Chubzilla’ Gets Back On Track With Some Help From Clanton; ‘Cat Daddy’ Drives One-Handed

COLLABORATION: Chub Frank turned to the country’s hottest dirt Late Model driver to get himself headed back in the right direction.

And judging by his performance in Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Pepsi Nationals’ at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., the driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ received some very valuable assistance from fellow tour regular Shane Clanton.

Frank, 46, of Bear Lake, Pa., finished second in the 50-lap A-Main – ironically behind Clanton, who grabbed the lead from Frank on lap 30 and marched on to his second straight and third win in the last five WoO LMS events. The runner-up was Frank’s best performance on the series since an identical finish on July 20 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks and marked the first time he had led a tour A-Main since he scored his lone triumph of 2008 on May 18 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

“Shane has helped me out quite a bit the last few weeks,” said Frank, who last year led the WoO LMS with six A-Main victories en route to a career-high second-place finish in the points standings. “He’s really helped us get back to where we need to be.”

Clanton, 33, of Locust Grove, Ga., spent a couple days at Frank’s Keystone State shop following the recent Oil Region Labor Day Classic at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. The two drivers then caravanned to the World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, where they pitted side-by-side, and they collaborated again on setup ideas on Saturday night at I-55 Raceway.

When Clanton found himself chasing Frank in I-55’s A-Main, he began wondering if the driver he had shared some speed secrets with was going to beat him.

“He’s a good guy and he’s helped me out a lot over the years,” said Clanton. “I felt privileged that someone of his status would come to me and ask me what to do to his race car.”

PLAYING HURT: Clint Smith competed with a handicap in Saturday night’s action at I-55 Raceway, effectively driving with one hand after suffering a broken right wrist in a heat-race crash the previous week at Eldora Speedway.

With a black cast stretching from his fingers to just below his elbow, the 43-year-old from Senoia, Ga., had to control the steering wheel predominantly with his left hand. He grasped the steering wheel only lightly with his right hand – and by the end of the night that slight activity caused some tearing of the cast just below Smith’s fingers.

Smith had hoped to install a new rack in his GRT car that would make it easier for him to steer the machine with one hand, but the part didn’t arrive at his shop before he headed to Missouri. So he raced with a conventional steering setup and still performed admirably, timing fifth-fastest in qualifying, qualifying through a heat race and finishing 14^th in the A-Main after pitting on lap 26 to change a left-rear tire.

At the end of the night Smith said his wrist was “a little sore,” but he survived the evening without much of a problem. He certainly welcomed the rainout of Sunday night’s WoO LMS show at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway, however, since it gave him more time to heal before his next scheduled start.

Smith said doctors will cut off his current cast and evaluate the progress of his injury on Oct. 6 – the day before the next WoO LMS event at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. It’s likely that Smith will then be fitted for another cast that he’ll wear for up to six more weeks.

HOT SEPTEMBER NIGHT: Twenty-year-old Josh Richards normally jumps out of his cockpit following a race looking little worse for the wear, but Saturday night’s unexpectedly warm and muggy conditions exacted a toll on the young star.

Richards rushed to his team’s air-conditioned hauler immediately following his hard-earned third-place finish in the 50-lap A-Main, seeking refuge from the heat that had him sweating through his driver’s suit late in the distance.

“I just got so hot in the car,” said Richards, who nonetheless was able to bid for the win in the closing laps. “I don’t know if I just didn’t eat right or drink enough today, but I’ve never felt so hot in a race car. During the last caution (on lap 26) my legs felt like they were on fire as I was driving around.”

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Steve Francis saw a chance to make up some ground on WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan slip through his fingers on Saturday.

With Lanigan uncharacteristically a non-factor from start-to-finish in the A-Main, Francis appeared to be position to at least improve his flickering hopes for a second consecutive title. He settled into second place by lap two and was still there when a caution flag flew on lap 16.

Then Francis’s night went downhill fast. He lost three spots on the restart and continued to fade for the remainder of the distance, ultimately finishing 10^th – one spot better than Lanigan, who ended the night losing just two points from the commanding 128-point edge over Francis that he brought into the program.

“We were just miserable tonight,” said Francis, lamenting the tour’s return to the UMP DIRTcar Hoosier tire rule for the first time since July 25 at Eldora Speedway after he had hit his stride running American Racers in the open-tire events over the past month. “I don’t know if I sealed my tires up under the caution or if it was because we had to change tires (from the team’s normal brand), but we were missing something.”

Lanigan, meanwhile, was ready to write off what was just his fourth finish outside the top 10 in 39 A-Mains this season.

“I was horrible,” said Lanigan. “I’m just glad Francis helped me out.”

A mere four events remain on the 2008 WoO LMS schedule – Oct. 7 at Fayetteville, and then a trio of shows at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 8 (the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown) and Oct. 30-Nov. 1 (Vault Outlaws World Finals). The Oct. 8 program offers only show-up points to all drivers because it is being run ‘topless,’ so just three full points races are left for Francis to catch Lanigan.

With a 126-point lead, Lanigan clearly sits on the precipice of his first career WoO LMS title and the $100,000 prize that goes with it. Assuming both drivers enter the Oct. 8 show at The Dirt Track to receive show-up points, the minimum that Lanigan must do to capture the championship if Francis were to win the final three points races is finish 20^th once and 21^st twice.

BEATING MOTHER NATURE: The biggest surprise in the pit area on Saturday night was simply the fact that I-55 Raceway’s ‘Pepsi Nationals’ was completed on schedule.

With some forecasts calling for a 100-percent chance of rain on Saturday night, the WoO LMS caravan headed to Missouri with an obvious sense of trepidation. One crewman even predicted – with a tinge of sarcasm – that with “a 190 percent chance of rain, the only thing we’ll be doing at the track is fishing.”

But with I-55 Raceway staying dry all week even as areas just to the north were doused with rain, promoters Ken Schrader and Ray Marler pressed on in the face of the dire Saturday-night forecast. Their perseverance paid off as no rain fell until the remnants of Hurricane Ike began to reach the area after midnight, allowing the entire three-division, 135-car show to be run in its entirety in front of a crowd that was pretty solid considering the conditions.

Officials did arrange the program’s schedule to get the WoO LMS on the track first all night. The A-Main ended at 10:15 p.m.

Heavy Rain Forces Cancellation Of Sunday Night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals’ At La Salle Speedway

LA SALLE, IL – Sept. 14, 2008 – Heavy rain forced the cancellation of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals’ scheduled for Sunday night (Sept. 14) at La Salle Speedway.

Bob Sargent of Track Enterprises Inc. made the decision to call off the event on Saturday night after the high-banked, quarter-mile oval was swamped by precipitation for much of the day and more was in the forecast through Sunday afternoon.

Track Enterprises is attempting to reschedule the 17^th annual Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals, but scheduling issues will prevent the WoO LMS from returning to sanction the program.

The La Salle Speedway cancellation marked the third WoO LMS event of 2008 that was rained out and not rescheduled.

La Salle’s date was to anchor a Midwestern doubleheader that began on Saturday night at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., where Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., emerged victorious in the 26^th annual Pepsi Nationals.

The WoO LMS will return to action on Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway (the completion of a program that was struck by rain during B-Main competition on Aug. 15) and Wed., Oct. 8, at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown that will be contested ‘topless’).

Clanton’s Surge Continues With Weather-Beating World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Pepsi Nationals’ Victory At I-55 Raceway

With rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ike closing in, the surging Clanton outdueled Chub Frank and Josh Richards in a stirring late-race battle to capture Saturday night’s 26^th annual Pepsi Nationals at I-55 Raceway.

Clanton, 33, of Locust Grove, Ga., beat the impending weather to make the 50-lap A-Main his second straight victory on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. It was his third win in the last five tour events and came one week after he scored the biggest triumph of his career in the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

“I’m pretty excited right now,” said Clanton, who earned $10,150 for his fourth WoO LMS win of 2008. “I was dreading coming out here because we all thought it was going to rain out and I’ve always called this state ‘Misery,’ not ‘Missouri,’ because I’ve just always had so much trouble when I race here.

“But when your car’s working good, your luck’s good and your team is gelling, then you tend to have things kind of work out better. We’re in that zone right now.”

Clanton steered his RSD Enterprises Rocket car forward from the seventh starting spot, grabbing the lead on lap 30 when he took advantage of a slight slip by race-long pacesetter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. He held off the challenges of Frank and Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards over the remaining distance to register his 10^th career WoO LMS victory.

Frank, who started from the pole position, settled for a second-place finish in his Lester Buildings Rocket, several car lengths behind Clanton after he lost ground during the final circuits while engaged in a tight tussle for position with Richards. It was the best WoO LMS run for the 46-year-old Frank since he was a runner-up on July 20 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks.

Richards, 20, finished third in his father Mark’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., advanced from the 10^th starting spot to secure a career-best WoO LMS finish of fourth in his Bob Pierce-built car, and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., quietly completed the top five in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Traeger Grills/Chevy Rocket.

Clanton positioned himself for his winning move when he passed defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., for second on a lap-16 restart. He chased Frank until exploding into the lead on lap 30.

“He was hitting his marks until he pushed off turn four and slowed just a little bit,” Clanton said of Frank. “When he pushed, I just turned left (entering turn one) and went right by him.

“That was the opening I needed. I don’t know if I could have passed him or not without it.”

Clanton tried to drive conservatively when he approached lapped traffic late in the race, which was slowed by six cautions flags but none over the final 24 circuits. He got a wakeup call, however, when Frank and Richards went three-wide with him for the lead on lap 42.

“I saw Josh underneath me and I said, ‘Holy cow! I’ve got to get going!’” described Clanton, whose previous WoO LMS finishes at the one-third-mile I-55 Raceway were eighth (2007) and 15^th (2005). “I was stopping getting into the corners, trying to be careful, so after I saw (Richards) I picked up the pace a little bit.”

After putting some space on his pursuers, Clanton was met in Victory Lane by his wife Jennifer and son Ryan, 5, who shared a WoO LMS win with his father for the first time this season.

Frank, meanwhile, was in good spirits despite remaining winless on the WoO LMS since his lone victory on 2008, on May 18 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

“It feels good to be competitive again,” said Frank, who was the tour’s winningest driver in 2007 with six A-Main triumphs. “It was a lot of fun racing for the lead with Shane and Josh.

“I think Shane knows that we probably would have won if I didn’t make that one mistake. He told me, ‘If you didn’t jump that cushion and give me an opening, I wouldn’t have passed you.’

“There was just a real fine line out there,” he added, describing the top groove that ran close to the outside guardrail. “I missed it one lap and had to almost stop to stay off the wall.”

Richards also lost a struggle with the cushion. He was racing side-by-side with Frank for second on lap 46 when he slipped over the track’s outside lip rounding turn four, causing him to drop to fourth before he could get back up to speed.

“I thought we had a shot at the win,” said Richards, who started sixth. “I tried to run into (turns) three and four as hard as I could so I could carry a lot of momentum down the straightaway and then try to slide under Clanton in (turns) one and two, but I got stuck on the cushion (in turn four). I had to about stop the car so I wouldn’t hit the wall.”

Richards regained third from Feger with three laps remaining, but he didn’t have enough time to make another bid for his fifth WoO LMS win of 2008.

“I’m just glad we were able to get out of our little slump,” said Richards, who had gone without a top-five finish in the tour’s three Pennsylvania events over Labor Day weekend.

Feger, 30, was the event’s Cinderella story, racing toe-to-toe with the WoO LMS regulars from start-to-finish in his distinctive No. 25. Coming off a victory in a UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned feature the previous night at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway, he blasted from 10^th to fifth on the race’s opening lap and advanced two more positions on a lap-two restart.

“I was way too tight to run the bottom and I couldn’t run the top consistently enough,” said Feger, who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hadn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 of the 2008 points standings. “But it felt awesome to be up there racing with these guys.”

Babb, 34, couldn’t duplicate his dramatic run to a second-place finish in last year’s WoO LMS event at I-55 Raceway. He started fourth and basically settled into position at the back end of the top five for the entire distance.

“Everybody was pretty much married to the top (groove), so I tried running the bottom,” said Babb. “I was hoping the top would slow down, but it really never did.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who started from the outside pole and got shuffled back from second on an early restart; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; and Francis, who ran second for laps 3-16 before fading with a car he called “miserable.”

Francis’s frustrating performance cost him a chance to make up some ground on WoOLMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who struggled to an 11^th-place finish. Lanigan holds a commanding 126-point edge over Francis with only four tour events remaining on the 2008 schedule.

Veteran NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, who owns I-55 Raceway, drove his No. 9 dirt Late Model in the event. He finished 15^th in the A-Main after rallying from a spin between turns one and two on a lap-16 restart.

Thirty-nine cars were signed in for the evening’s action, which was run under a constant threat of rain. Forecasts called for a 100-percent chance of precipitation developing on Saturday night, but the rain stayed north of the track and the remnants of Hurricane Ike did not begin reaching the area until after midnight.

Babb was fastest in time trials, blazing around the high-banked oval in 12.464 seconds. It was his third fast-time honor of the 2008 WoO LMS season.

Heat winners were Erb, Richards, Francis and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Ed Dixon of Washington, Mo., and Jeff Johns of Belleville, Ill.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Erb, Babb, C. Smith, Coffey, Dixon, Dehm, McQuerry, Gaultney, Joe Isabell, Hammond

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Lanigan, Feger, Schrader, Collins, Kloos, Zidar, Griffaw, Schulte (DNS) Haynes

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Fuller, Shirley, Woodworth, Johns, Kiefer, Jeff Isabell Jr., Beardsley, Korte (DNS) Unterbrink

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Frank, Eckert, Faust, McBride, Manville, Voigt, Sharp, Helmkamp

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Dixon, Collins, Joe Isabell, Griffaw, Gaultney, Schulte, Zidar, Hammond, McQuerry, Dehm, Kloos

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Johns, McBride, Manville, Voigt, Kiefer, Helmkamp, Jeff Isabell Jr. (DNS) Beardsley, Sharp, Korte

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Sept. 13 - 39 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: I-55 Raceway (Sept. 13) & La Salle Speedway (Sept. 14)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns to action this weekend with a Midwestern doubleheader, visiting I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., on Saturday night (Sept. 13) and La Salle (Ill.) Speedway on Sunday night (Sept. 14).

Both tracks will feature events that have become late-season traditions for the Midwest’s fans. I-55 Raceway will present the 26^th annual Pepsi Nationals, featuring a 50-lap A-Main that pays $10,000 to win. La Salle, meanwhile, is set to host the 40-lap, $7,000-to-win Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals, an annual event that ran for 15 years at the one-mile Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield before landing at La Salle for the first time last year.

* I-55 Raceway’s gates will be unlocked at 4 p.m. on Saturday, with hot laps set for 6 p.m. and WoO LMS time trials at 6:30 p.m. Racing is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

* For La Salle’s early-evening program on Sunday, pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and the grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. Practice is scheduled to get the green flag at 5 p.m., followed by WoO LMS time trials at 5:30 p.m. and racing action at 6 p.m.

* I-55 Raceway is a fast, high-banked one-third-mile oval that is operated by NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader and longtime promoter Ray Marler. It is located off Pevely Exits 180 and 178 of Interstate 55, about a half-hour south of downtown St. Louis.

* La Salle Speedway is a high-banked, quarter-mile oval centrally located on US Rt. 6 in the ‘Land of Lincoln,’ 60 miles west of Joliet, 80 miles east of the Quad Cities, 70 miles south of Rockford and 60 miles north of Bloomington.

Sunday’s event at La Salle is being promoted by Bob Sargent’s Track Enterprises Inc., which has long been behind the successful Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals.

* I-55 Raceway is offering reserved seats for $30, with general admission tickets $25 and kids 12 and under admitted free in general admission sections. Pit passes will be $35.

* For La Salle Speedway’s ‘Illinois Fall Nationals’ program, grandstand admission for adults is $25 and $5 for children 11 and under. Pit passes will be $35.

* Information about I-55 Raceway is available by calling 636-479-3219 or visiting www.i55raceway.com.

* For more details about La Salle’s ‘Illinois Fall Nationals,’ contact Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200; La Salle Speedway at 815-223-6939; or visit www.trackenterprises.com

* The WoO LMS will visit I-55 Raceway for the third time. Billy Moyer won the first tour event at the oval on Sept. 17, 2005, and Clint Smith was triumphant on Sept. 15, 2007.

La Salle Speedway’s only previous WoO LMS event, on Sept. 16, 2007, was captured by Jeep VanWormer.

* WoO LMS standout Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., will lead the tour’s charge to the Midwest hot off a huge victory in last Saturday night’s UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Clanton, 33, won dirt Late Model racing’s most prestigious event for the first time in his career, earning over $41,000 and cementing his status as a national star. He also won the last WoO LMS A-Main run, on Aug. 31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

The driver known as ‘Coconut,’ who ranks third in the current WoO LMS points standings, finished eighth in last year’s WoO LMS shows at I-55 and La Salle.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will continue his relentless march toward a first-ever WoO LMS title, bringing a commanding 128-point lead over defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., into the weekend’s action.

Lanigan, who finished second in last year’s Illinois Fall Nationals at La Salle, can assure himself the $100,000 WoO LMS points crown by finishing 12^th in each of the five full points races remaining on the 2008 schedule. He’ll go to the post this weekend sporting the Fusion Energy sponsorship that he debuted on his familiar No. 29 car over the Labor Day weekend.

* Francis sits second in the points standings, but he has won more WoO LMS A-Mains than any other driver in 2008. He has six victories and is on a hot streak, capturing two of the last three tour events behind the wheel of Dale Beitler’s No. 19.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., will face a serious handicap in pursuit of a victory at I-55 Raceway for the second straight year – he’ll effectively be driving with one hand.

Smith, 43, suffered a broken right wrist in a heat-race accident during last Saturday night’s World 100 at Eldora Speedway. He is wearing a cast that stretches to just below his elbow and doctors estimate it will take 10 weeks for the injury to fully heal, but he plans to enter the weekend’s action and race to the best of his ability.

The driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ is currently eighth in the WoO LMS points standings.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., is the WoO LMS regular with the most experience at I-55 and La Salle. His victories at I-55 include the 2003 Pepsi Nationals and two UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals events (2006, 2002), and he’s captured two Summer Nationals A-Mains (2006, 2003) and a 2006 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series show at La Salle.

Last year Babb enjoyed solid outings in the WoO LMS events at both tracks, finishing second at I-55 after his dramatic final-lap bid for victory fell just short and advancing from the 17^th starting spot to a seventh-place finish at La Salle.

* Josh Richards, 20, of Shinnston, W.Va., hopes to turn around his recent struggles (he’s fallen to fourth in the WoO LMS points standings) with a strong weekend. He’ll have to show some improvement over his performance in last year’s tour stops at I-55 and La Salle; he finished 13^th in both events.

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who has just one WoO LMS victory this season after leading the tour with six wins in 2007, would like to just slightly improve his ’07 tour outings at I-55 and La Salle. He was a contender in both events, finishing fourth at I-55 and third at La Salle.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., enters the weekend riding one of his best waves of the season. He’s scored a top-five finish in three of the last four tour A-Mains, including a third-place finish on Aug. 31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., might have had the fastest car at the end of last year’s WoO LMS A-Main at La Salle, but he only made it to fourth at the finish. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year didn’t enter last year’s I-55 event, however, because he had to fly back to New York to run his big-block Modified in an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series show.

* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., will look to make their first A-Main starts at I-55 and La Salle.

* Jeep VanWormer will make the tow from Pinconning, Mich., to compete in the doubleheader with hopes of repeating his first career WoO LMS victory in last year’s La Salle event. He’ll drive the unique black-and-silver, spider-covered No. 55 that he steered to a third-place finish in last Saturday night’s World 100.

* A talented group of drivers is planning to enter both events, including two-time UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who has won two special shows at I-55 in the past month-and-a-half; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who won two WoO LMS A-Mains earlier this season; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year runner-up Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who has enjoyed plenty of success at I-55 during his career; and Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, who finished fourth in last Saturday night’s World 100.

* Drivers with I-55 Raceway’s program listed on their schedule include Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who has won the Pepsi Nationals a record seven times; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., who led early before finishing third in last year’s WoO LMS event; and 2008 I-55 Raceway champion Billy Faust of Lebanon, Ill.

* The influx of regional and local standouts who compete in the weekend events will chase a $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ award in each night’s A-Main. The cash will go to the highest-finishing driver who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has not won a WoO feature since 2004.

* This weekend’s swing continues the WoO LMS ‘Race to the Vault Outlaws World Finals.’ Scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 1, the second annual ‘Vault Outlaws World Finals’ is a WoO Late Model/Sprint Car doubleheader that will close both divisions’ points battles at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network, which will broadcast the weekend’s races over the internet.

To listen to the free audio broadcast, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. Those who sign up for a free membership can enjoy advanced features while listening to the races, such as text chat and live scoring via AMB.it.

* The next televised WoO LMS event on the SPEED cable network is set for Sun., Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. ET, when the Aug. 30 event at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., will be aired.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 31 - 38 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Babb Ready For World of Outlaws Late Model Series Weekend On Familiar Midwestern Turf At I-55 Raceway & La Salle Speedway

Though Not In Title Hunt As He Had Hoped, Illinois Star Looking To Finish Season Strong

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 9, 2008 – Shannon Babb would prefer to be battling for a championship as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series hits his familiar Midwestern turf for a doubleheader this weekend.

Alas, there will be no title for Babb this season, but he still has plenty to race for on Saturday night (Sept. 13) in the 26^th annual Pepsi Nationals at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., and Sunday night (Sept. 14) in the 17^th annual Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway.

“There’s still some races left to gain some points on guys and finish a little higher (in the standings),” said Babb, who enters the weekend ranked seventh in the WoO LMS points race as he nears the conclusion of his first season driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer’s Traeger Grills/Chevy dirt Late Model team. “You’re always hoping you’re going to be up there tight (in the championship battle) coming down to the end, but it’s not happening for us this year. We just have to concentrate on finishing as strong as we can.”

A WoO LMS regular for the first time in his career in 2008, Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., can dial up few better places to commence a season-ending surge than this weekend’s WoO LMS host tracks.

Most significantly, Babb has won major races at both facilities – his I-55 resume includes the 2003 Pepsi Nationals and two UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals victories (2006, 2002), and he’s captured two Summer Nationals A-Mains (2006, 2003) and a 2006 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series show at La Salle. He also enjoyed solid outings in last year’s WoO LMS events at both tracks, finishing second to Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., at I-55 Raceway after his dramatic final-lap bid for victory fell just short and advancing from the 17^th starting spot to a seventh-place finish at La Salle.

“It’s always good to get back to tracks where you have a lot of experience, you run good and you have great support from the fans,” said Babb, who will make his first visit of 2008 to both speedways. “We know our way around both places and we know what to do with tires, so we’re looking forward to it.”

“I’ve never rolled in there with a Rocket chassis before,” said Babb, who has become a stalwart of the Shinnston, W.Va.-based car builder this season.

Adjusting to the Rocket machines has been one of the biggest challenges in 2008 for Babb, who owns two WoO LMS victories this season but hasn’t made the type of impact on the tour that suits his competitive desires.

“You always kinda know with a new team that you’re gonna have some serious growing pains,” said Babb, who joined Bowyer’s fledgling operation in December 2007. “It just takes time to get everybody connecting and on the same page. We started a new team and started a new program too with the different chassis we’ve been running all year, so it’s been a real learning process.

“As a driver, I haven’t been as sharp as I need to be at times because I just didn’t know what I had to do (to an unfamiliar car). I’m going to racetracks I’ve never seen before with a car I’ve never run before, so there’s two variables we’ve faced.

“It’s just been tough, but it’s gonna make us better down the road,” he added, certifying his satisfaction with the Rocket cars. “Mark (Richards of Rocket Chassis) has helped us out a ton. We’ve gained probably five years worth of experience in one season.

“Honestly, I’ve had way, way better seasons, but I’m not disappointed. I definitely want to run a helluva lot better than I’ve run, but we’ve got a good baseline that we’re building off of now. I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

With a strong finishing kick in the tour’s last six events of 2008, Babb has a solid chance to end up as high as fifth in the points standings. He trails sixth-place Rick Eckert of York, Pa., by eight points and fifth-place Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., by 62 points.

A top-five finish in the WoO LMS points race would certainly be a nice springboard to 2009 for Babb, who hopes to come back stronger after his first year on the road with the Outlaws.

“You’re always thinking about next year, but we have to sit down and talk about it,” said Babb. “We haven’t had Clint cornered very long because he’s been trying to take care of his business (competing on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), so it’s kinda hard to make any concrete plans. But at the same time, we’ll all trying to think of what we can do to make ourselves better.”

I-55 Raceway Event Information: The 26^th annual Pepsi Nationals, which features a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win as well as programs for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds and Sportsman, carries a general admission price of $25 with kids 12-and-under admitted free in general admission sections. Reserved seats are available for $30 and pit passes are $35.

Gates at the Ken Schrader-owned one-third-mile oval are scheduled to be unlocked at 4 p.m. on Saturday, with hot laps set for 6 p.m. and WoO LMS time trials at 6:30 p.m. Racing is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

I-55 Raceway is located 30 minutes south of downtown St. Louis, off Pevely exits 180 and 178 of Interstate 55.

More information about I-55 Raceway is available by calling 636-479-3219 or visiting www.i55raceway.com.

La Salle Speedway Event Information: Bob Sargent’s Track Enterprises is promoting the Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals at the quarter-mile La Salle Speedway for the second consecutive year. The event previously enjoyed a 15-year run at the one-mile Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

Grandstand admission is $25, with children 11-and-under $5. Pit passes will be $35.

La Salle’s pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and the grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. Practice is scheduled to get the green flag at 5 p.m., followed by WoO LMS time trials at 5:30 p.m. and racing action at 6 p.m.

For more details about La Salle’s Illinois Fall Nationals, which features a 40-lap WoO LMS A-Main paying $7,000 to win and includes a full program of UMP DIRTcar Modified racing, contact Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200; La Salle Speedway at 815-223-6939; or visit www.trackenterprises.com.

La Salle Speedway is located 60 miles west of Joliet, 80 miles east of the Quad Cities, 70 miles south of Rockford and 60 miles north of Bloomington.

For further details or to purchase advance general admission tickets, contact Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200; La Salle Speedway at 815-223-6939; or visit www.trackenterprises.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series At The World 100: Clanton’s Triumph Certifies Him As A National Superstar

ROSSBURG, OH – Sept. 8, 2008 – Shane Clanton is now a bona fide national dirt Late Model superstar.

One command performance in front of over 20,000 fans at Eldora Speedway thrust him squarely into the spotlight.

While the Locust Grove, Ga., driver has gained wide acclaim in recent years for his success on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, he needed a signature crown-jewel event victory to certify his status at the top of the division. He got it on Saturday night when he captured the 38^th annual UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned World 100, which stands as the sport’s most prestigious race.

Start printing up more t-shirts and putting his name in the pre-race headlines – at just 33 years of age, Clanton is going to be a prominent figure in dirt Late Model racing for a long time to come.

Clanton, of course, is a modest country boy and thus sidestepped post-race suggestions that he’s now reached the elite level in his line of work. But he did assert that, in his seventh year as a dirt Late Model driver, he’s found that elusive mix of elements necessary for serious success.

“It’s gotta be a combination of what we do to the race car and us gelling as three crew guys working together,” said Clanton, describing his emergence as a contender to win wherever he unloads with the help of mechanics Mark ‘Head’ Lloyd and Jonathan Owensby. “There’s just some little things that we’ve changed over the course of the last couple years and we’ve gotten better all over the country.

Indeed, Clanton has been front-and-center on the WoO LMS in recent weeks. He’s won two of the last five A-Mains on the tour – visiting Victory Lane on Aug. 21 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., and Aug. 31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. – and has moved up to third in the points standings entering this weekend’s doubleheader at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. (Sat., Sept. 13) and La Salle (Ill.) Speedway (Sun., Sept. 14).

A WoO LMS regular since 2005, Clanton, who turned 33 on Aug. 29, credits his development to his extensive touring with the nation’s premier dirt Late Model series.

“There’s 10 good guys who can win this race and the Dream (Eldora’s $100,000-to-win spectacular in June), and I race against those guys them 10 guys every single week,” said Clanton, analyzing the caliber of competition on the WoO LMS. “Those guys (Outlaws regulars) have the most experience as far as Late Model drivers, and we race side-by-side, door-to-door.

“There’s nothing (better than the WoO LMS) that can give you the confidence and the ability (to win races). If you can outrun them guys every night, you can win this race.”

Clanton also hails his car owner Ronnie Dobbins, a low-key, 56-year-old Georgian who has been fielding dirt Late Models for nearly three decades. It’s Dobbins who has backed Clanton’s rise from a talented Southeastern Sportman racer to the upper echelon of dirt Late Model racing.

“I can’t say enough for him,” Clanton said of Dobbins, who decided on Saturday morning to not fly up for the World 100 but spoke by cell phone with Clanton during the Victory Lane ceremonies. “He gives me the best money can buy, without sparing a penny. Anything I ask him for, he says, ‘Go ahead and buy it.’ You can’t ask for no better than that.

“He stands behind me when we’re down. He says, ‘Hey, if you just work on your race car, you’ll get better.’”

Clanton said Dobbins has known him since he was “an itty-bitty thing” – a four-year-old hanging around his father Billy, a hard-nosed Southern driver who preceded Shane as a World 100 entrant. (Billy Clanton made one World 100 A-Main start, finishing 24^th in 1978.) After Clanton began his own racing career by tearing up the Sportsman ranks and then entering the dirt Late Model division in 2002 with a self-funded effort, Dobbins offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse.

“In 2002 he came to me and said, ‘Hey, next year me and you are are gonna get together and go racing,’” recalled Clanton. “He said, ‘I’ll buy a trailer and buy some new cars and new motors and we’ll go back out on the road if you want to do it.’ I said, ‘Heck, I’m here to race. I’ll do whatever you want to do.’”

Clanton was victorious in his first two starts behind the wheel of Dobbins’s RSD Enterprises No. 25 in January 2003. Two years later he found himself following the WoO LMS, making his living as a race car driver after quitting his regular job.

“He gave me the opportunity to go fulltime racing,” Clanton said of Dobbins, “and here I am.”

FEATURE STARTERS: The top-eight drivers in the WoO LMS points standings entered the World 100 and five of them cracked the A-Main starting lineup.

Outlaws who joined Clanton in the 100-lap headliner included Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (qualified through a B-Main and finished 10^th after surviving a lap-82 tangle in turn two with former WoO LMS champ Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and Scott James of Greendale, Ind.); Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (found his footing after transferring through a B-Main and moved forward from the 26^th starting spot to finish one lap down in 13^th place); defending WoO LMS titlist Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (finished a quiet 14^th one year after leading much of the World 100 en route to a second-place finish); and points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (finished 27^th after pulling off before the halfway point).

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., the 2006 WoO LMS champion who has one win and nine top-five finishes in 20 tour starts this season, finished a career-best fifth in the World 100. He qualified second-fastest on Friday night but had to use a fast-time provisional (and start 19^th in the A-Main) after experiencing handling problems during his heat race.

SHORT NIGHT: Lanigan was hoping that 2008 would finally be his year in the World 100, but his pursuit of a checkered flag in the storied race will have to continue.

A World 100 A-Main starter for the 15^th time after grabbing the third and final transfer spot in the fourth heat when fellow WoO LMS regular Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., slowed with mechanical trouble on the final lap, Lanigan was an early retiree and was credited with a 27^th-place finish.

“I got hit on lap five and it knocked the (right side of the) spoiler off,” said Lanigan. “I was so loose after that, there was no use staying out there once I got lapped.”

HEARTBREAK: The 20-year-old Richards appeared headed for his fourth straight World 100 A-Main start after wrestling third place from Lanigan in a stirring battle filled with slide-jobs – until his Rocket No. 1 suddenly lost power as he came off turn four with the checkered flag waving.

“The car just shut down as I was going through the (fourth) corner on the last lap,” said Richards, who in 2005 became the youngest A-Main starter in the history of the World 100. “It was fine until I got to turn four – then it just started popping and carrying on.

“When I started slowing down and guys went by me, I was just thinking, ‘Oh, man, this isn’t happening. I did all that work to get to third, and the car shuts off going through the last corner.’”

Richards limped across the finish line in fifth place, which still put him in good position to transfer through a B-Main. But he never got on the track for the last-chance race because his car refused to fire up when the call went out for the B-Main field to hit the track.

Richards and Co. ultimately discovered that the problem stemmed from a battery that went bad.

FRUSTRATING REPLAY: Chub Frank is wondering if the unique themed cars he’s brought to the World 100 for the last two years are bad luck.

For the second straight year Frank was involved in a heat-race accident that ended his World 100 hopes prematurely. Confident after timing sixth-fastest among 175 cars in Friday night’s time trials, Frank was attempting to race forward from the sixth starting spot on the third lap of Saturday’s sixth heat race when he hit the stricken car driven by fellow WoO LMS regular Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who bounced off the wall between turns one and two.

“Clint just caught the wall with the right-rear and it sucked his right-front in,” said Frank, who won the World 100 in 2004. “When his right-front hit it pretty much stopped him, and then the ass-end of his car came out and I clipped him going by.

“I just caught him with my right-rear. It ripped the rear deck out and probably made the crash look pretty spectacular, but it didn’t really hurt nothing. It was all tin. The suspension was fine.”

Frank’s sharp car, which featured an orange-camouflage graphics scheme to coincide with a ‘Chub’s Army: Salute to the Troops’ theme, could not be repaired in time for him to continue racing in the prelim.

PAINFUL WRECK: Clint Smith’s slap of the wall not only left him a non-qualifier for the World 100, but also with a broken bone in his right wrist.

“I got the right-rear in the fence and then the right-front caught and snatched the steering wheel out of my hand,” said Smith. “I knew I hurt my wrist as soon as I came to a stop.”

Smith had his injury checked out by Eldora’s safety team inside the ambulance stationed in the pit area, but he refused to visit a hospital for further evaluation. He wrapped his hand with an Ace bandage and drove home to seek further medical attention.

On Monday afternoon x-rays found that Smith snapped a bone in his wrist. He was fitted with a cast that stretches to just below his elbow.

Smith, 43, said doctors estimate it will take 10 weeks for his wrist to fully heal, but he plans to continue racing to the best of his ability beginning with this weekend’s WoO LMS trip to Missouri and Illinois.

More details of Smith’s injury and his racing plans will be available in an upcoming WoO LMS press release.

NEXT UP: The WoO LMS returns to action this weekend with a doubleheader in the Midwest, visiting I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., on Saturday night (Sept. 13) for the Pepsi Nationals (50 laps/$10,000 to win) and La Salle (Ill.) Speedway on Sunday night (Sept. 14) for the Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals (40 laps/$7,000 to win).

CONCORD, N.C. — Sept. 5, 2008 — World Racing Group (OTCBB: WRGI) and Bond Laboratories, Inc. (OTCBB: BNLB), are pleased to announce today that Fusion Energy Products is partnering with the World of Outlaws through 2009 as the” Official Energy Boost of the World of Outlaws.”

In addition, Fusion Energy Products, manufacturer of Fusion(TM) 6+hr. 2oz. Energy Boost and other Fusion(TM) nutritional energy products, will also be the primary sponsor of the cars of both rising star Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and current points leader Darrell Lanigan in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

“Fusion(TM) Energy Products are a natural fit for all elite competitors. Race car drivers are a prime example of athletes that need instant energy and the ability to focus at all times,” said Eric Schick, President of Bond Laboratories. “We are excited to sponsor the entire World of Outlaws series, as well as backing two of the strongest teams. Darrell Lanigan is well on his way to winning the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship this season, which fits well with our recent sponsorship of L&M Racing, the 2008 Supercross World Champions. Sam Hafertepe Jr. has the talent and skills to be an Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion down the road. They are the perfect fit to represent Fusion Energy because like our Fusion 6+Hour 2oz. Energy Boost, focused energy is the core to their success”

Lanigan unveiled his Fusion Energy Boosts Ford Fusion during the Oil Region Labor Day Classic at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., while Hafertepe rolled out his Fusion Sprint Car at the 55^th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions last weekend at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. In addition, all in-car cameras during SPEED broadcasts are titled “Fusion Energy In-Car shots.”

“Utilizing our ability to strategically integrate marketing programs on several media platforms along with on-site promotion capabilities maximizes the value of Fusion’s exposure and partnership with the World of Outlaws,” said Ben Geisler, World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer. “Taking it a step further, we were able to bring two of our teams together with Fusion for even more success. With an aggressive program, including complete on-site and media integration across SPEED, DIRTVision.com and WorldofOutlaws.com, we’re excited to have Fusion as a World of Outlaws partner.”

Based in Concord, N.C., World Racing Group, Inc. (WRGI), (OTCBB: WRGI) is a national sanctioning body, real-estate operator, and sports entertainment company serving the dirt racing industry. WRG sanctions sprint car racing as the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series™, late model racing as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series™, big block modified racing as the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™ and sanctions more than 4,000-races a year under the DIRTcar Racing™ banner. In addition, WRG owns and operates seven speedways. WRG races can be heard online at DIRTVision.com®.

Bond Laboratories is a premier marketer and manufacturer of nationally branded nutritional products. Bond has brought together a seasoned team of highly successful sales and marketing executives with considerable experience in the launch and development of many well known branded products. With our previous nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sales and management expertise, Bond Laboratories, Inc. is currently focused on developing proprietary products, as well as delivery platforms, that address the needs and concerns of today's consumer. For more information on Fusion(TM) Energy Products, interested persons can go to www.fusionboost.com.

SPEED Features Two Hours of World of Outlaws Racing On Sunday From Eldora Speedway Beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern

CONCORD, N.C. — Sept. 6, 2008 — Beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, SPEED will broadcast two special one-hour events back-to-back from Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway following its “NASCAR Raceday” show.

Stewart himself climbs behind the wheel of his Dirt Late Model to take on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series warriors in a one-hour show at 1 p.m., followed at 2 p.m. Eastern by the high speeds and high thrills from the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Don’t miss Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana duel with Ohio standout Dale Blaney in a classic battle at the intimidating and historic half-mile oval.

Join Shane Andrews and analyst Dale McDowell on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series broadcast with Bobby Gerould and Hall-of-Famer Brad Doty calling the action for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Don’t miss a minute of the super-sized excitement from start to finish beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Sunday on SPEED.

Clanton Leads World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingent Into This Weekend’s Prestigious World 100 At Eldora Speedway

ROSSBURG, OH – Sept. 4, 2008 – Shane Clanton is on a hot streak with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series – and earlier this year, he was a serious contender for victory in the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream event at Eldora Speedway.

So is Clanton a favorite to win this weekend’s (Sept. 5-6) UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned World 100 at Tony Stewart’s famed Eldora half-mile? You bet he is.

Of course, Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., has never ridden into dirt Late Model racing’s most prestigious event with such high expectations swirling around him. But that’s the lot of a driver who’s become a major force on the nation’s premier tour and flashed head-turning speed on a big Eldora stage.

“I go into every race thinking I can win it, but I definitely feel better about the World this year than I ever have,” said Clanton, who is coming off a dominating half-lap triumph in the WoO LMS Oil Region Labor Day Classic finale on Aug. 31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. “We do have a good car there and our program has picked up there, so yeah, we have confidence going back to Eldora.

“We’re taking the same (RSD Enterprises Rocket) car that we had at the Dream (on June 7) and the World of Outlaws race (at Eldora on July 25). It has two thirds there already, and if we come out of there with at least a third again, we’ll be happy.

With Clanton a relative newcomer to the national dirt Late Model scene – he’s in just his seventh season as a fulltimer in the division – he doesn’t have a long history at the storied Eldora high banks. He’s only qualified for the World 100 twice, finishing 11^th in both 2004 and 2005; last year he ended up with a DNQ after cutting a tire while bidding for a transfer spot in a B-Main.

But Clanton has been bad-fast in both of his Eldora appearances in 2008. He set quick-time and led laps 4-23 in the 100-lap Dream A-Main before finishing third, and he might have had the best car in July’s WoO LMS show but settled for another third-place finish after he damaged his machine’s right-rear spoiler with a slap of the turn-two wall while in a battle for the lead.

Clanton doesn’t profess to having figured out how to win at Eldora, but he feels like he’s getting closer.

“The pace at Eldora is so demanding, if you don’t save your tires just enough, you’re no good,” said Clanton, who sits third in the 2008 WoO LMS points standings with a career-high three victories, including two wins in the last five events. “I’ve been trying my best to learn how to save my tires and I ain’t mastered it yet, but I followed Scott (Bloomquist) at the Dream for a long time and I think I learned some stuff. After he passed me I ran behind him for 70-some laps (Bloomquist went on to win the race), so now I feel like I know how fast you can go and still save your tires.

“Scott was better than us (at the Dream), but I had never finished on the same straightaway as him at Eldora until that race so that’s a good sign,” he continued. “If we go back and gain a little bit and he slows down a little bit, maybe we can win the race.”

What would a World 100 victory mean to Clanton? He has a long list of positives – the $41,000 top prize; the joy it would bring his car owner Ronnie Dobbins, who has been fielding a car in the event for two decades without a win; the increased stature he would receive in the dirt Late Model world for capturing a crown-jewel event; and, last but not least, that coveted globe trophy that goes to the race winner.

“I’ve got a special place reserved for that trophy right above my fireplace,” smiled Clanton. “It’s just waiting to go up there.”

Eight of the top-10 drivers in the current WoO LMS points standings have plans to compete in this weekend’s 38^th annual World 100 festivities, including former event winners Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.

Defending WoO LMS champion STEVE FRANCIS will carry plenty of momentum into the World 100. The tour’s winningest driver this season (six victories) captured two of the three series A-Mains that were run last weekend in Pennsylvania.

Francis won the World 100 in 1999, but he followed that with a dismal seven-year stretch in the event that saw him not even make the starting field three times. He rebounded nicely last year with a second-place finish to Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., after leading laps 18-86.

This weekend Francis, who sits second in the WoO LMS points standings, goes to the post in one of the Dale Beitler-owned Rocket cars that he’s driven throughout the 2008 season. Beitler has never enjoyed a memorable World 100 finish as a car owner, but he did win the 2007 Dream with Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., behind the wheel of his car.

Francis, who turns 41 on Sept. 10, failed to qualify for the Dream earlier this year after blowing a tire while challenging for a heat transfer spot. He put on a car owner’s hat for the Dream A-Main to watch 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., steer his familiar Valvoline No. 15 to a fifth-place finish, but Francis will be leaving his own equipment home this weekend because McCreadie has entered the World 100 with his normal Sweeteners Plus ride.

CHUB FRANK, who won the World 100 in 2004, will bring his Lester Buildings Rocket car to the event sporting a limited-edition graphics and color scheme for the second consecutive year.

Last year Frank’s machine carried a ‘Chubzilla’ motif, complete with bright green ‘scales’ and menacing Day-Glo orange ‘eyes’ for headlights. This weekend he’ll break out a ‘Chub’s Army’ graphics package, saluting U.S. troops with orange camouflage and headlights that resemble eyes looking through a gun’s crosshairs.

Win or lose, Frank, 46, will sell loads of t-shirts, diecasts and other merchandise associated with his themed World 100 car. But he’d also like to stuff his pockets with the race’s $41,000 winner’s check, which would go a long way toward helping him right a 2008 season that hasn’t been extremely successful for the Pennsy veteran.

Frank, who missed last year’s World 100 A-Main field after slamming the first-turn wall during his heat race, finished ninth in June’s Dream at Eldora. He wasn’t as strong in this year’s WoO LMS event at the Big E, however, placing a quiet 12^th.

DARRELL LANIGAN of Union, Ky., would like nothing more than to punctuate what is looking like his first-ever WoO LMS championship season with a victory in the sport’s most prestigious event.

With his impeccable consistency in 2008 giving him a commanding lead in the WoO LMS points standings with just six events remaining on the schedule, Lanigan will attempt to extend his success to the World 100. The 38-year-old has a Dream victory on his resume but is among the group of drivers with the most World 100 starts who has yet to win the Big One; he’s made all but four World 100 A-Mains since 1990 with a top finish of second, in 1999.

Lanigan, whose Rocket No. 29 will carry the colors and logo of his new sponsor Fusion Energy, finished third in last year’s World 100. But his 2008 starts at the half-mile haven’t been memorable: he failed to qualify for the Dream after blowing a motor during heat action and finished a quiet eighth in the track’s WoO LMS ‘Subway 50.’

Perhaps no driver is on more ‘Most Likely To Win A Major Event Soon’ lists than JOSH RICHARDS of Shinnston, W.Va. He’s just 20 years old but is already looking to start the World 100 for the fourth time.

The youngest World 100 qualifier ever when he made the 2005 field at the age of 17, Richards was in the mix for the win in 2006 before settling for fourth place. He only managed a 19^th-place finish in last year’s event, but he returns this weekend with his Mark Richards Racing Rocket No. 1 with memories of his July ‘Subway 50’ performance at Eldora still fresh in his mind. Richards, who is fourth in the 2008 WoO LMS points standings with four victories, finished fourth in Eldora’s WoO LMS show but felt he could’ve challenged for the win if he hadn’t picked the wrong lane on a mid-race restart.

SHANNON BABB of Moweaqua, Ill., knows what it feels like to cross the finish line first in a World 100 after doing just that in 2005.

Unfortunately, the 34-year-old doesn’t know the joy of holding aloft the globe trophy in Victory Lane. His apparent triumph three years ago was stripped from him because his car weighed in light following the race.

Babb, who has officially finished as high as second in the World 100 (2006) and placed sixth in last year’s event, will try to finally complete the job in the World 100 this weekend driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer. The first-time WoO LMS regular has been strong in 100-lap events this season, including a victory in the $40,000-to-win Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., but he failed to qualify for this year’s Dream and managed only a 13^th-place finish in the Eldora’s WoO LMS event.

RICK ECKERT of York, Pa., has won the Dream at Eldora, but his best finish in nine career World 100 feature starts is fourth, in 1999. Last year he qualified for the World 100 through a B-Main and finished 20^th.

Eckert, 42, has struggled in his two Eldora appearances this season, failing to qualify for the Dream and finishing 14^th in the WoO LMS event. But he enters this weekend’s action running as formidably as he has all season, with top-five finishes in three of his last four starts on the WoO LMS, including a pair of thirds last weekend in Pennsylvania.

CLINT SMITH of Senoia, Ga., will strive to recapture the Eldora speed he flashed in 2006, when he finished a late-charging sixth in the World 100.

Smith, 43, hasn’t enjoyed much success at Eldora this season. He failed to qualify for the Dream after being swept up in a heat-race tangle, and he placed 10^th in the WoO LMS show.

The driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ feels confident entering this weekend’s competition after his reworked GRT car performed well in holiday-weekend WoO LMS events in Pennsylvania.

TIM FULLER of Watertown, N.Y., and VIC COFFEY of Leicester, N.Y., who sit ninth and 10^th, respectively, in the WoO LMS points standings, do not plan to enter this year’s World 100.

Fuller, who won the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award, has opted to stay close to home to spend some time retooling his equipment for the fall events (he hasn’t yet decided where he’ll race). Coffey, the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year points leader, plans to enter a Saturday-night dirt Late Model event at Little Valley (N.Y.) Speedway – the site of his first career full-fender victory a year ago.

Time trials and non-qualifiers events for the World 100 are scheduled for Fri., Sept. 5. Heat races, last-chance events and the World 100 final will be run on Sat., Sept. 6.

Visit www.worldofoutlaws.com this weekend for an update on the results of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series drivers in the World 100, and visit www.eldoraspeedway.com for more information on the huge dirt Late Model event.

New York’s Mike Knight Leads Battle For $10,000 Prize With Less Than Week Remaining In Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star Voting

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 3, 2008 – Young dirt Late Model driver Mike Knight is leading the pack heading down the homestretch of a $10,000-to-win race.

But this is one victory that the 21-year-old from Ripley, N.Y., can’t secure with his talent alone. He’ll need help from fans, family and friends to get him to the finish line first.

Knight is the current leader of the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star contest, an on-line poll at www.AlltelAllStar.com that ends on Tues., Sept. 9, at 11:59 p.m.

The top vote-getter at the close of the contest, which features the 15 drivers who scored a top-five finish during the four World of Outlaws Late Model Series Alltel Ohio Speedweek events in late July, will receive a $10,000 check from Alltel Wireless.

“It’s going to be a nerve-racking week,” said Knight, a rising star who punched his ticket to the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star contest with a fifth-place finish in the July 27 event at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. “I’m really hoping that I can hold on and win the deal. We’ve been spreading the word about the contest the best we can because we sure could use that money.”

As of Sept. 3, Knight is atop the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star standings with 24 percent of the vote. He has slightly increased his lead in recent days over his good buddy Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., who sits second with 19 percent of the vote.

Fans can vote for their favorite driver once per day at www.AlltelAllStar.com, so there’s still time for Knight’s pursuers to round up votes and make a last-ditch bid for the 10 grand.

And that’s why Knight isn’t letting up with his campaign. He continues to talk about the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star contest at every opportunity, always mindful that he could win more votes.

For instance, during Sunday’s WoO LMS Oil Region Labor Day Classic at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., Knight was a very willing participant in an autograph session held in front of the grandstand after time trials because it gave him a chance to “ask more fans to vote for me,” he said with a smile.

A top dirt Late Model prospect who has dreams of heading out on the road to chase the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award as soon as the 2009 season, Knight has mentioned that he would even letter his No. 9K with Alltel Wireless colors and logos for a special appearance if he’s fortunate enough to win the contest.

“I’d do it to say thanks to Alltel for putting up some real good money for us dirt Late Model racers,” said Knight, who stands to collect the biggest paycheck of his short racing career if he secures the $10,000 prize.

Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, currently is third in the contest standings with 13 percent of the vote, followed by former WoO LMS champions Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (11 percent), Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. (7 percent) and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (7 percent).

Rounding out the standings is Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla. (5 percent); Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del. (4 percent); Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (2 percent each); and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va. (1 percent each).

Fans that log on to www.AlltelAllStar.com to vote for their favorite driver through Sept. 9 at 11:59 p.m. will also be entered in a contest to win a $500 Alltel Wireless gift card.

The next action for the WoO LMS is a Midwest doubleheader – the Pepsi Nationals on Sat., Sept. 13, at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., and the Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals on Sun., Sept. 14, at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The Labor Day Weekend Tripleheader In Pennsylvania

COOL HARDWARE: Steve Francis and Shane Clanton certainly loved the $10,000 checks they earned for their victories in last weekend’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Oil Region Labor Day Classic’ A-Mains at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

But the tour regulars also were unusually “pumped” about the hardware they received for their triumphs.

For the second straight year Tri-City co-promoters Mike Graham and Roger Crick presented unique, event-themed trophies to their holiday-weekend WoO LMS winners – specially-made vintage gas pumps – that were big hits with Francis and Clanton.

“There’s only three trophies I keep in my living room downstairs at my house – the World 100 (globe), the Dirt Track World Championship trophy and the gas pump trophy I won here last year,” said Francis, who captured Tri-City’s Saturday-night A-Main for the second consecutive season. “I told Dale (Beitler, his car owner) we’re gonna have to win again tomorrow (Sunday’s race) to get another gas pump because I’m gonna set this one alongside the other one I already have in my house.”

Clanton, meanwhile, was pretty sure where his gas pump was going to be placed upon his return to Georgia.

“I’d say it’s gonna go in Ryan’s room,” said Clanton, thinking of his five-year-old son. “Jennifer (his wife) and I already told him I won him a gas pump, so he’s just waiting for me to get it home.”

END IS NEAR: Francis finished ahead of WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan in six of the seven tour A-Mains contested in August, including all three of last weekend’s events.

Alas, the run of success has provided Francis little help in his pursuit of a second consecutive WoO LMS title. The Ashland, Ky., driver has seized firm control of second place in the standings, but he’s gained a mere 18 points on Lanigan, cutting his deficit from 146 to 128 points.

Lanigan, who maintained solid command of the points race because he finished just one spot behind Francis in four A-Mains during the month of August, is clearly in the driver’s seat for his first career WoO LMS championship. Just six races remain on the 2008 schedule – and one, the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown on Oct. 8 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., will offer only show-up points because it is not being run under the normal tour format.

The numbers say that even if Francis wins the five remaining full-points races, Lanigan can clinch the title by finishing 12^th in each race. That gives Lanigan quite a bit of room for error, albeit not enough for him to feel any sense of comfort.

When asked following a fifth-place finish on Sunday night at Tri-City if he can now taste the $100,000 WoO LMS crown, Lanigan quickly responded, “I don’t feel nothing yet. I won’t until this thing is over.”

GETTING STRONGER: After breaking a streak of 16 consecutive finishes outside the top five when he placed fifth on Aug. 23 at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, Rick Eckert came back with third-place runs at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway on Friday night and Tri-City on Sunday night.

“Clint (Smith), me and (GRT’s) Joe Garrison have been talking and we made some changes to our cars,” Eckert said following Sunday night’s action. “They’re definitely working better. We’re not there yet, but at least we’re finally back in contention.”

Eckert’s Raye Vest-owned car also is sporting a new Jay Dickens engine, which the York, Pa., star credits with helping him improve his qualifying performance.

“It’s all about qualifying– you gotta qualify good to run good (in the A-Main),” said Eckert, who earned his first WoO LMS fast time honor since April 18, 2006, on Friday night at Bedford. “You can’t keep coming out of the B-Main or missing he (A-Main) redraw and starting 14^th or 16^th. These guys (WoO LMS regulars) are too good to spot them positions every night.

“Lately we’ve qualifying better and getting better starting spots, and that’s the main reason why our finishes have been better.”

Smith, meanwhile, emerged from some summer doldrums as well last weekend. He finished third in Saturday night’s A-Main at Tri-City and placed seventh on both Friday night at Bedford and Sunday night at Tri-City.

Smith was behind the wheel of the same GRT car that NASCAR star Jeff Gordon drove under Smith’s watchful eye in June’s Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. ‘Cat Daddy’ pressed the machine, which sports a new black-dominated graphics scheme that Smith plans to use on all his cars in the future, back into service in August and got it rolling with some hard work in the garage prior to last weekend’s Keystone State swing.

“We did a Winston Cup-style squaring job on it at the shop,” said Smith, whose car still sports the ‘Dunn Benson Ford’ logo that he added to honor his former car owner, Carlton Lamm, during the Aug. 15 WoO LMS show at Lamm’s hometrack in Fayetteville, N.C. “We got all the suspension right and did all the little fine-tuning we haven’t had time for, and it seems to be paying off.”

BEAT-UP MACHINE: Getting swept up in a multi-car tangle early in Bedford Speedway’s A-Main last Friday night left 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie with plenty of repair work before Saturday night’s program at Tri-City Speedway.

McCreadie, who ended up in the wreck after returning to the track following a pit stop to clean mud out of his Sweeteners Plus car’s rear wheels (he had been running second), rebuilt the machine on Saturday in Tri-City’s pit area. The 34-year-old driver spent almost two hours smashing bent body pieces back into shape, and his chief mechanic, Al Stevens, received assistance from several fellow WoO LMS drivers and crewmen, including Francis and Clanton, to get the car ready for competition.

Racing the rest of the weekend with the car’s front clip apparently bent, McCreadie managed finishes of fourth and sixth at Tri-City.

* Francis and car owner Dale Beitler have found a good-luck charm – at least when they race at Bedford Speedway.

Friday night’s victory was Francis’s second in as many visits to the half-mile oval this season. On both occasions Beitler’s two-year-old grandson, Blake, was in attendance and joined the winning team in Victory Lane.

* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year points leader Vic Coffey, whose fifth-place finish at Bedford marked his first top-five run of the 2008 season and the second of his WoO LMS career, debuted a new t-shirt on Saturday at Tri-City. The shirt features his new nickname, ‘The Captain,’ which was pinned on him by WoO LMS crewmembers.

* JIR Motorsports owner Jeff Isabell Sr., who has fielded three cars in most of this season’s WoO LMS events, got behind the wheel of one of his machines on Friday night at Bedford. The upstate New York DIRTcar big-block Modified veteran didn’t qualify in his first stab at Outlaws action.

The elder Isabell planned to race again on Saturday night at Tri-City, but he gave up the seat of his car to his 17-year-old son, Jeff Isabell Jr., whose own mount was sidelined when he crashed into the turn-one wall during hot laps. Isabell Sr. spent the rest of the weekend watching his sons Jeff Jr. and Joe and team member Sean Beardsley.

* Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., and Robbie Blair of Titusville, N.Y. – the top two vote-getters to date in the Ohio Speedweek All-Star on-line contest, which runs through Sept. 9 at www.alltelallstar.com – participated in Tri-City’s doubleheader.

Knight, who leads the contest with 21 percent of the vote to Blair’s 19 percent, had the $10,000 Alltel All-Star first prize on his mind. He was a willing attendee of Sunday’s driver autograph session following time trials because it gave him a chance to “ask more fans to vote for me,” he said with a smile.

Clanton Rolls To Convincing Half-Lap Victory In Sunday’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic Finale At Tri-City Speedway

FRANKLIN, PA – Aug. 31, 2008 – Shane Clanton turned Sunday night’s finale of the Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend presented by Armstrong Cable into a runaway.

The Locust Grove, Ga., star dominated the caution-free 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Tri-City Speedway, leading from flag-to-flag without receiving a single challenge.

“Tonight we had a dominant car,” bottom-lined Clanton, who earned $10,250 for his third WoO LMS victory of the season. “I knew from lap one, when it didn’t spin the tires, that this thing was pretty good and we were gonna be tough to beat.”

Clanton, 32, simply blew out the field at the half-mile oval. He grabbed the lead at the initial green flag from the outside-pole starting spot and never looked back, lapping up to the 10^th-place finisher and crossing the finish line a commanding 11.284 seconds – more than a half-lap – ahead of Waterford, Pa.’s Dave Hess Jr.

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., finished third, followed by Saturday-night winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Clanton’s ninth career WoO LMS win came after he fell to Francis in the previous night’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic opener. He finished a distant second following a strong charge forward from the ninth starting spot.

“We did a little bit different tire prep tonight versus last night and it made all the difference,” related Clanton, who used Hoosier rubber on his Custom-powered RSD Enterprises Rocket car. “We ran the same compound we did last night, but we just worked on them a little different and they worked all 50 laps this time.”

With no caution flags to close up the field, Clanton raced no one but himself for the entire distance. He never relaxed even though his advantage grew larger every lap.

“I think I looked at the scoreboard for the first time when it was lap 47, and I said, ‘Dang, I’ve been riding a long time,’” recalled Clanton. “I was just staying focused to hit my marks and hit my line so I didn’t push.

“I’m always on the edge every lap, driving as hard as I can,” he added. “I don’t know how to save a race car, so I’m just glad it lasted.”

After completing what he called “the most dominant World of Outlaws win” of his career, Clanton felt a sense of satisfaction and looked toward the future with confidence. His strong weekend at Tri-City moved him to third in the WoO LMS points standings, past Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who went down a lap to Clanton near the halfway mark of Sunday’s A-Main and finished a dismal 18^th.

“There’s no ifs, ands or butts about whether I should’ve won this one or not,” said Clanton, who also won Tri-City’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic finale in 2006. “I know I earned this one.

“We’ve had two wins with the Outlaws the last two years (2006-2007), but this year we have three now,” he continued. “Hopefully things will just keep rolling and we get six more this year. I know that if me and the guys keep making the right tire choices and right adjustments on the car, we’re gonna keep winning.”

There was plenty of close competition behind Clanton, including a spirited battle for second between Hess, Eckert and Francis.

Francis, who started seventh, steered Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket forward to take the runner-up spot from Hess on lap 17. The steady advance appeared to put the 40-year-old in position to bid for a third straight WoO LMS victory, but he never got close to Clanton and ultimately faded to fourth at the finish.

A loss of power steering just a handful of laps into the A-Main hampered Francis, who ceded second place to Hess on lap 30 and third to Eckert on lap 37.

“I started running wider in the turns because it was easier to make that arc without power steering,” said Francis. “I lost a couple spots because of it, but we’re still happy with our weekend.

“I got to second tonight and I think I could’ve stayed there if we didn’t lose the power steering, but I don’t think we had anything for Clanton. He was real good tonight.”

Hess, 24, earned a loud post-race reception from the western Pennsylvania fans who know him well after securing a career-best WoO LMS finish of second. The run earned him the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings.

“When my right-rear tire got working, we could get down there on the bottom (groove) in the moisture,” said Hess, who started third in his family-owned Rocket car. “I used that traction to get back by Francis and hold off Eckert.

“I’m real happy, but I’m also kinda surprised we had this kind of run here. I haven’t been as good at big tracks like this, but I guess we found something.”

Eckert, 42, was able to pull his Raye Vest-owned GRT car underneath Hess’s machine with seven laps remaining, but he couldn’t complete a pass and settled for third place. It was his third top-five finish in the last four WoO LMS A-Mains after he had gone without a top-five for 16 consecutive races.

“We never got where we needed to be, but we were definitely better tonight than last night,” said Eckert, who started fifth. “We just made a whole bunch of changes today and gradually got better as the night went on.

“I think we probably needed about five more laps to get by (Hess). He said he got tired at the end from all the green-flag laps, and that’s why he kept missing the lane down there in (turn) one. I got up beside him there once, but he started coming down (in turn two) so I had no choice but to go up on the (inside) hill or we would’ve hit each other hard.

“I lost some ground there and just didn’t have enough time to come back up and really challenge him.”

Lanigan, 38, was drawing close to Francis when the race ended, flashing under the checkered flag less than a second behind the defending WoO LMS champion in fifth place. He started eighth in his Fusion Energy Rocket car but lost several positions on the race’s opening lap when he slowed to avoid polesitter Rick Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., who nearly spun between turns one and two.

“A caution would’ve really helped me,” said Lanigan, who reached fifth place with a lap-27 pass of Titusville, Pa.’s Robbie Blair. “The car was good, but I had to play catch-up the whole race.”

Francis finished in front of Lanigan for the fourth race in a row, but not by enough positions to significantly cut into Lanigan’s points lead. Lanigan is 128 points ahead of Francis with six WoO LMS events remaining on the 2008 schedule, putting him in position to clinch his first-ever tour title by finishing 12^th or better in each A-Main.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were 12^th-starter Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who lost several spots on the opening lap when he took evasive action to avoid Briggs but came on strong during the race’s late stages; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who started 15^th; Robbie Blair; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who surged from the 17^th starting spot to seventh place in just 10 laps before falling two positions later; and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who was the first driver one lap down at the finish.

Forty-six cars were entered in Sunday’s action – a three-car increase from the previous night’s turnout.

Richards registered his fourth fast time of the 2008 WoO LMS, sliding around a sun-baked qualifying surface with a lap time of 19.662 seconds.

Heat winners were Francis, Hess, Lanigan and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Frank and Jared Miley of South Park, Pa.

The WoO LMS will have a week off before heading to the Midwest for a doubleheader, on Sat., Sept. 13, at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., and Sun., Sept. 14, at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Oil Region Labor Day Classic’ Night 2 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Briggs, Drown, Richards, Barton, Frank, Fuller, Lyle, Rasey, Tackett, Fox, Gasser

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Hess, R. Blair, Coffey, Stone, Davies, Bossard, McGarvey, Wright, Bradley, Farrell, Satterlee

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Babb, Lux, C. Smith, Rhebergen, Markham, M. Blair, M. Johnson, Lombardi, Lunger, Fronhapel

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Eckert, McCreadie, Knight, Miley, King, Beardsley, Close, Volpe, Joe Isabell, Jeff Isabell Jr.

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Fuller, Barton, Davies, Wright, Bossard, Satterlee, McGarvey, Rasey, Lyle, Bradley, Tackett, Fox, Gasser, Farrell

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Miley, M. Blair, Rhebergen, King, Close, Markham, M. Johnson, Volpe, Joe Isabell, Beardsley, Lunger, Jeff Isabell Jr., Lombardi, Fronhapel

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 31 - 38 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Francis Romps To Second Straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory In Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend Opener At Tri-City Speedway

FRANKLIN, PA – Aug. 30, 2008 – Steve Francis was simply unbeatable on Saturday night at Tri-City Speedway.

The defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion romped to his second consecutive victory on the national tour, dominating the 50-lap opener of the Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend presented by Armstrong Cable.

“This car was just unbelievable tonight,” said Francis, who earned $10,250 for his series-leading sixth triumph of the 2008 season. “This is the car that I got to the point I didn’t like a little while ago, and now all of a sudden it’s become unbelievable.”

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., surged off the outside-pole starting spot to lead the A-Main’s entire distance. He was never seriously challenged in a race that was taped for broadcast by the SPEED cable network on Sept. 21 from 6-7 p.m. ET.

With the final 41 laps running without a caution flag, Francis drove his Dale Beitler-owned Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19 to a resounding 8.276-second victory over Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., finished third, followed by Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who maintained a healthy 130-point edge over Francis with just seven events remaining on the 2008 schedule.

“We just had one of those nights that you can’t wait to have,” said Francis, who captured the opening half of Tri-City Speedway’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic for the second consecutive year. “I just had an unbelievably comfortable race car. You could do anything in the world you wanted to do with it.

“As a race car driver, you look for nights like this because they don’t happen too often.”

Francis and Co. hit on a perfect combination for the half-mile oval, meshing a well-handling car with a powerful Cornett engine and American Racer tires.

“We’re not doing too much drastically different from when we were so bad a couple months ago,” said Francis, who has won five of the last 11 WoO LMS events. “We’ve just fine-tuned and gotten comfortable with everything, and we’re just going out and trying to win every race because we’ve fallen so far behind Darrell in the points.

“We’re not being conservative at any point with anything. Like tonight, we had different tires on from anybody else here on American Racers – a completely different tire. It’s the same (compound) tire we won on at Zanesville (Ohio’s Muskingum County Speedway) last month and Robby (Allen, a well-known mechanic who helps Beitler’s team) was pretty sure about it for this place, but I kept trying to question him. He finally put it on the ground and said, ‘This is what you got.’”

The rubber helped propel Francis to one of the most convincing triumphs of the ’08 WoO LMS campaign. McCreadie and Clanton drew within a few car lengths of Francis when lapped traffic came into play around lap 30, but Francis proceeded to find a higher lane and used it to effortless glide away late in the distance.

“I gotta give Kevin (Miller, who received the Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race Award) and Robby (Allen) a lot of credit,” said Francis, whose 20^th career WoO LMS victory increased his lead atop the tour’s win list since 2004. “I drove us over here last night (after a Friday-night win at Pennsylvania’s Bedford Speedway) and then I slept in a little this morning while they got up and changed the motor. They worked hard to get this car ready.”

Clanton, 32, made a steady advance forward from the ninth starting spot in his RSD Enterprises Rocket car, finally reaching second place on lap 36 when he used the outside lane off turn four to overtake McCreadie. But he never threatened Francis.

“I would’ve liked to have had a caution with about five (laps) to go to cool the tires off and make a run at (Francis) one more time,” said Clanton. “I don’t know if we could’ve got him or not, but I would’ve liked to see if I could’ve run with him.”

A WoO LMS winner at Tri-City in 2006, Clanton acknowledged that Francis likely had a tire advantage.

“The American Racers are good in this area and his car is good,” said Clanton, who used Hoosier tires. “If his tires are a tenth of a second better than everybody else’s and he also has a good car, it makes him look like a hero like he’s been the last two nights.

“The bottom line is that he works his butt off and we work our butt off – and he’s just a little better right now, so we gotta work a little harder.”

The 43-year-old Smith, meanwhile, was very satisfied with a third-place finish after starting sixth in his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT car. He passed McCreadie for third on lap 37 and spent the remainder of the distance trying to find a way past Clanton.

“I slipped back to seventh but got back up to third, so I’m tickled to death,” said Smith. “We passed some good cars – (Tim) Fuller, Josh (Richards), Lanigan and McCreadie. I found that bottom (lane) lower than everybody else was running in (turns) one and two and when they slipped down there, I did all my passing.”

McCreadie, 34, slid from the fourth starting spot to second at the initial start of the race and chased Francis for more than 30 laps. He watched Clanton and Smith drive by him in the span of a lap, however, and felt fortunate to hold off Lanigan for a fourth-place finish.

“I just got tight once the track wasn’t icy-slick anymore,” McCreadie said of his Sweeteners Plus Rocket car. “When it started taking some spotty rubber I just couldn’t steer anymore.”

Lanigan, 38, settled for his series-best 24^th top-five finish of the season, continuing his march to a first career WoO LMS title. He started and finished fifth, but his hard tires came on too late for him to make a serious bid for his third victory of 2008.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who struggled with a car that was “too free” entering the corners; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who made little headway from the 10^th starting spot; Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa., who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings; and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., who returned to the site of his emotional upset victory in last year’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic finale.

Two caution flags slowed the event. The first came on the opening lap when Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., spun between turns three and four while battling for third place, and on lap nine Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who used a provisional to start the A-Main after cutting a tire while leading the first B-Main, stopped in turn two with what he thought was a deflating tire.

Forty-three cars were signed in for the first night of the Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend.

Dutch Davies of Warren, Pa., was fastest in time trials with a lap of 19.365 seconds. It was his second career WoO LMS fast time honor.

Heat winners were Richards, Fuller, McCreadie and Lanigan. The B-Mains were captured by Davies and Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio.

The WoO LMS will remain at Tri-City Speedway to complete the fourth annual Oil Region Labor Day Classic on Sunday night (Aug. 31). Another 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win will headline the program.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Oil Region Labor Day Classic’ Night 1 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

42. 32R-Jim Rasey/Southington, OH N/T
43. 6x-Jeff Isabell Sr./Pennellville, NY N/T

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, R. Blair, Clanton, Drown, Davies, Barton, M. Blair, Jeff Isabell Jr., McGarvey, Farrell (DNS) Shingledecker

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Francis, Frank, Briggs, Babb, Andrews, Close, Rhebergen, Henry, Lyle (DNS) Rasey

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): McCreadie, C. Smith, Stone, Hess, Knight, Covert, Beardsley, Bradley, Fox, Lombardi (DNS) Jeff Isabell Sr.

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Dodd, Lux, Eckert, King, Harper, Coffey, Joe Isabell, Wright, Lunger

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Davies, Andrews, Barton, Close, M. Blair, Lyle, McGarvey, Rhebergen, Henry, Babb, Jeff Isabell Jr., Farrell (DNS) Shingledecker, Rasey

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): King, Knight, Covert, Coffey, Harper, Wright, Joe Isabell, Bradley, Lunger, Beardsley, Fox, Lombardi (DNS) Jeff Isabell Sr.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 30 - 37 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean

Francis Becomes Winningest Driver On 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series With Friday-Night Victory At Bedford Speedway

BEDFORD, PA – Aug. 29, 2008 – Steve Francis became the winningest driver on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series with a triumph in Friday night’s 50-lap A-Main at Bedford Speedway.

But the defending tour champion from Ashland, Ky., gained little ground on points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who moved another step closer to a first career WoO LMS title with a second-place finish.

Francis, 40, still trails Lanigan by 140 points with just eight events remaining on the ’08 schedule – a hefty deficit that has him thinking more about checkered flags than defending his championship.

“Our goal is to win every race for the rest of the year,” said Francis, who has driven Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19 to victory in four of the last 10 WoO LMS shows. “That’s the only thing we can do. We’re not gonna catch (Lanigan) if he finishes right behind us every night, so we’re focusing on going for wins and having fun.”

Francis, who earned $10,150 for his fifth WoO LMS win of the season, broke a tie atop the 2008 victory list with four-time winners Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. It was his 19^th career WoO LMS win – the most of any driver on the tour since 2004.

It was a convincing win for Francis, who was never seriously challenged after passing Rick Eckert of York, Pa., for the lead on lap 17. He easily handled two restarts during the race’s second half, defeating Lanigan by a margin of nearly a full straightaway on the big half-mile fairgrounds oval.

Eckert settled for third place after leading laps 1-16. Polesitter Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., took fourth and Rookie of the Year points leader Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., registered a season’s-best finish of fifth.

A winner of a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Bedford one month ago, Francis attributed his success at the facility to the rubber on his Cornett-powered machine.

“I think we had a tire advantage here tonight,” said Francis, who uses American Racer tires in a field dominated by drivers from the Hoosier camp. “These tires seem to really like this place.”

Lanigan, 38, didn’t dispute Francis’s assessment. The ultra-steady competitor managed to race toe-to-toe with Francis inside the top five early in the event with Hoosier shoes on his Rocket No. 29, but after losing second to his prime championship rival on a lap-10 restart he couldn’t keep pace.

“Tires were the difference,” said Lanigan, who started fifth and held the runner-up spot from lap 17 to the finish. “I ran with (Francis) a little bit early, but when the track got crusty the American Racers were better.”

Lanigan fell short of victory in his first start carrying sponsorship from Fusion Energy Drink. He will sport the product’s logo and colors on his car for the remainder of the 2008 season and is in negotiations to extend the pact to 2009.

“It would’ve been nice to win one for Fusion the first time out,” said Lanigan, who changed his car’s familiar look as part of the Fusion deal.

Francis, meanwhile, had some worries even as he was pulling away from Lanigan during the race’s late stages.

“We had something going on with the motor there,” said Francis, who started fourth. “It was getting real, real flat, so I ran a little conservative for the last 10 or 15 laps.

“It wasn’t something serious, but Kevin (Miller), Robby (Allen) and Dale (Beitler) will change motors and we’ll go after ‘em again tomorrow (Saturday) at Tri-City (Speedway in Franklin, Pa.).”

Francis hailed Bedford Speedway, which hosted the WoO LMS for the second consecutive year.

“Obviously I like this place this year because we’ve won twice,” grinned Francis. “But in general, the surface is so much better than it was (over 600 truckloads of new clay were applied prior to the 2008 season thanks to a state grant). There’s not even a comparison to last year. You can race two- or three-wide all the way around it, and that’s all you can ask for from a track.”

Eckert, 42, had hoped to keep his Raye Vest-owned GRT car in front of the field from flag-to-flag at a track where he won four consecutive Super Late Model titles from 1989-1992, but he couldn’t hold off Francis and Lanigan. He was strong racing off the outside pole to assume command at the initial green flag, but he lost a step after a multi-car tangle in turn one that triggered red-flag conditions on lap 10.

“I didn’t need that red flag,” said Eckert, who had a new Jay Dickens-built engine under the hood of his car. “I knew that the (Hoosier) tires we had on would cool off during the red and then seal up, and that’s what happened. I struggled for a few laps after the restart and that’s when Francis and Lanigan got by me.”

Babb, 34, couldn’t take advantage of starting from the pole position for the second straight WoO LMS A-Main and third time in the last four races. He slipped backward immediately and could never quite recover, leaving him a distant fourth at the finish in his Traeger Grills Rocket mount owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer.

“I’m disappointed that we couldn’t finish better,” said Babb. “But this was our first time here and I know we got murdered on tires. I knew we were in trouble when I stepped on the gas for the original start and just spun my wheels all the way down the front straightaway.”

Coffey, 37, recorded a morale-boosting finish in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket. His first top-five finish of the WoO LMS campaign came after he slid by Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., for fifth on lap 40.

“I felt like my car just kept getting better and better,” said Coffey, who started 11^th in his first-ever start at Bedford. “It seemed like nobody else wanted to run the bottom of (turns) three and four, so I stayed down there and made a lot of ground on everyone.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who charged from the 22^nd starting spot after qualifying through the B-Main because a malfunctioning ground wire caused his car to shut off during heat action; Smith, who ran fifth for much of the distance but was beaten in the final circuits by “two drivers (Coffey and Clanton) on harder tires”; Richards, who was hampered by a well-worn motor that was down on power; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., whose car sustained right-rear bodywork damage when he slapped the outside wall during the event; and Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa., who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., started third in the Sweeteners Plus No. 39 and appeared to be a serious contender, but he slowed to bring out a caution flag on lap 10 while running second because his car’s rear wheels were filled with mud. He returned after a quick pit stop but was eliminated on the ensuing restart when he slid into a multi-car tangle in turn one that also forced out Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., Nick Dickson of Lewistown, Pa., and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa.

In addition to the red flag on lap 10, four caution flags slowed the event. Two were for D.J. Myers of Greencastle, Pa., who spun in turn two on the third lap while running sixth and later stopped with driveline problems on lap 37.

Thirty-two cars were signed in for the evening’s action, which ran under clear skies after Friday dawned with drizzle falling.

Eckert set a new track record in qualifying, blazing around Bedford’s new-for-2008 surface in 19.632 seconds. He beat the existing one-lap standard of 19.779 seconds held by Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa.

The fast time was Eckert’s first on the WoO LMS since April 18, 2006, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

The WoO LMS will remain in Pennsylvania for the remainder of the holiday weekend, contesting a pair of $10,000-to-win events as part of the fourth annual Oil Region Labor Day on Saturday (Aug. 30) and Sunday (31) at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Labor Day 50’ at Bedford Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Eckert, Myers, C. Smith, Richards, Stuhler, Dickson, Stone, Everhart, Claar, Martz, Zembower

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Lanigan, Francis, Frank, Coffey, Haus, Fuller, W. Johnson, Rhodes, Beardsley, Jeff Isabell Jr., J. Miller

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Babb, McCreadie, Joe Isabell, Rine, Friese, Hershey, Burkholder, Jeff Isabell Sr., Parks, Clanton

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Stone, Burkholder, Rhodes, Clanton, W. Johnson, Everhart, Beardsley, Claar, Parks, Martz, Jeff Isabell Jr., J. Miller, Zembower (DNS) Jeff Isabell Sr.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 23 - 35 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Firmly Entrenched As Headliner Of Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend At Pennsylvania’s Tri-City Speedway

Tour Visits Half-Mile Oval For Fourth Straight Year This Saturday & Sunday (Aug. 30-31)

FRANKLIN, PA – Aug. 27, 2008 – When Tri-City Speedway co-promoters Mike Graham and Roger Crick were looking for an act to headline a big holiday weekend spectacular at their Keystone State oval in 2005, they discovered a Labor Day opening on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule.

Though Super Late Models ceased being a regular division at the half-mile oval in 1997, Graham and Crick jumped at the chance to bring in the WoO LMS – and with that, a new end-of-summer tradition was born for western Pennsylvania race fans.

The WoO LMS has become firmly entrenched atop the marquee of Tri-City Speedway’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic presented by Armstrong Cable, a steadily-growing event that will grab the region’s spotlight this Saturday (Aug. 30) and Sunday (Aug. 31). A 50-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Main will be the main attraction each night of the fourth annual program.

“We always looked at Labor Day weekend as the perfect time for us to have a special show because we could run on our regular Sunday-night date and everyone would have off from work and school on Monday,” said Graham, who is in his 13^th season operating the track with Crick. “Once we saw an opportunity to get on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule on Labor Day weekend (in 2005), we decided to build a big weekend around them.

“It seemed like people were really happy for the World of Outlaws to come in here. A Late Model race is something different for the fans, and with the drivers nobody has a real hometrack advantage because it’s been so long since we ran (Super) Late Models weekly.”

After debuting at Tri-City in 2005 with a one-day show won by Rick Eckert of York, Pa., the WoO LMS was invited back in 2006 for two full programs. The expansion to a two-day show – and the memorable WoO LMS races that have been contested for the past two years – have combined to quickly establish the Oil Region Labor Day Classic as one of the select red-circle “events” on the Northeast short-track calendar.

“We’re real pleased with the growth of the weekend,” said Graham. “We can tell how it’s grown just by looking at the number of campers we’ve had each year. We had 75 camping units with us the first year, 225 the second year and 250 last year – and this year we’re expecting even more with the response we’ve been getting.”

Helping to draw all those campers – and thousands of additional fans – to the Oil Region Labor Day Classic is the off-track entertainment and excitement that makes the weekend stand out from the crowd. For starters, there’s the big-race aura created by the presence of the SPEED television cameras, which will surround the track to tape Saturday night’s WoO LMS program for a tentative air date of Sept. 21 from 6-7 p.m. ET. There’s also a WoO LMS driver autograph session in front of the grandstand following time trials each evening; an expanded kids’ fun area; and the wildly popular Engles Trucking/Ray’s Racing Specialties ‘South Ghetto Party,’ a parking-lot bash following Saturday night’s racing program that features a huge bonfire, a live band and – new this year – a mechanical bull.

And of course there’s the WoO LMS competition to lure the fans to western Pennsylvania. The last two Oil Region Labor Day Classics have produced some unforgettable A-Mains – witness Bear Lake, Pa., WoO LMS star Chub Frank’s final-lap pass of Billy Moyer to win a 2006 headliner; a last-circuit run-in with a lapped car that stole a 2006 win from Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and handed it to Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; and last year’s upset-for-the-ages authored by Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., in the Sunday-night finale.

Tri-City’s bleachers are still shaking from the multiple standing ovations the crowd gave Stone, an unheralded good-guy racer who passed every WoO LMS regular in the field en route to a smashing triumph last year. Stone’s victory created a festive post-race atmosphere, with crews rushing forward to congratulate the driver known as ‘Big Brother’ and fans clamoring for his autograph and a t-shirt.

“I knew something special was happening when I saw all the fans moving around and pointing at (Stone) moving up,” Graham said of last year’s Sunday-night race. “It was pretty exciting watching the crowd get into rooting for him. I was cheering for him up in the tower!”

Stone will be back this weekend to try to catch lightning in a bottle once again. He’ll face off with the tough roster of WoO LMS regulars that includes Lanigan, who leads the points standings; Eckert, Frank, Clanton and defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who have all won at Tri-City; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

Regional standouts expected to enter the weekend doubleheader include Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who won his first career WoO LMS A-Main earlier this year at Virginia Motor Speedway; 1997 Tri-City Super Late Model champion Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., who has finished as high as second in WoO LMS action at the oval; Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., who leads the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star voting (www.AlltelAllStar.com); Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa.; David Scott of Garland, Pa.; and Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.

The WoO LMS will run a complete program – time trials, heat races, B-Mains and a 50-lap A-Main – on both Saturday and Sunday. Support divisions include the crate Late Models (heats on Saturday, B-Mains and 30-lap FASTRAK Northeast Series feature on Sunday), ULMS E-Mods (20 laps on Saturday, All-Star 30 on Sunday) and Pro Stocks (20-lappers both nights).

Gates open each day at 2 p.m. No fans will be allowed to reserve seats with blankets until Saturday at that time.

On-track action will begin daily with hot laps for the WoO LMS at 4 p.m., followed immediately by time trials. Once time trials are completed the track crew plans to work on the surface before hot laps are held for the crate Late Models, E-Mods and Pro Stocks, and then the first heat races are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

Adult grandstand admission will be $30 each night, with a cost-saving two-day ticket available for $50. Pit admission will be $35 each night or $60 for a two-day combo ticket.

For more information, contact the track office at 814-473-4038 or visit www.tricityspeedway.com.

Tri-City Speedway is located seven miles north of Franklin, Pa., off State Route 417.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Returns On Friday (Aug. 29) To Continue Bedford Speedway’s Emergence

BEDFORD, PA – Aug. 25, 2008 – Last year’s inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Bedford Speedway served as a hallmark moment for the historic track’s promotional team of J.R. Keifer, Jim Maybury and Dr. Dave Horne.

The renowned national tour’s return engagement this Friday night (Aug. 29) promises to take the half-mile Keystone State oval to even loftier heights.

DKM, Inc.’s Keifer, who began operating Bedford with Maybury seven years ago and added Horne to the mix last season, said last year’s blockbuster WoO LMS program has built anticipation for Friday’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win special to an unprecedented level.

“There’s a lot of excitement about the World of Outlaws coming back to Bedford,” said the 50-year-old Keifer, a former dirt-track driver whose facility drew a huge crowd and a field of over 40 dirt Late Models for the 2007 WoO LMS show. “Last year’s race was one of those nights where the sun, the moon and stars all line up and everything works out great – there was a good surface, good car count, good racing and a good crowd. It definitely got us some respect and it’s the reason why so many people are talking about this Friday’s show.

“Now we’re going to try to make this year’s show even more special. We know all the drivers will do a great job on the track, but it’s up to us promoters to add to the ambiance so fans will have an even better time than they did last year.”

In that vein, Keifer and Co. have added a fireworks display to Bedford’s 2008 WoO LMS spectacular, which has been moved to the attractive Labor Day holiday weekend as opposed to last year’s late-September date.

Adding another element of freshness to Friday’s Outlaws competition, the speedway is sporting a new racing surface since most of the WoO LMS regulars last visited. DKM, Inc. applied for and received grant money from the state to obtain 600 truckloads of clay, which was laid down following the 2007 season in what was the first complete resurfacing of the fairgrounds track in two decades.

The resurfacing continued the steady capital improvement project undertaken by DKM, Inc., which has overseen the erection of a bright-as-day Musco lighting system and an almost entirely new outside wall since arriving as Bedford’s promoters.

“We’re real proud of what we’ve accomplished in seven years at Bedford,” said Keifer. “We’ve gotten the track to the point where we can bring in a nationally-known series like the World of Outlaws and give our fans a big show.”

WoO LMS regular Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., will lead the tour to Bedford, hoping to repeat his victory in last year’s first-ever event. He emerged triumphant after dueling for the lead with Bo Feathers of Winchester, Va., and Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa. – two drivers who are expected to enter Friday’s program.

No WoO LMS driver, of course, has more experience at Bedford than Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who won four consecutive Super Late Model titles (1989-1992) at the track before becoming a touring professional. He finished fifth in last year’s WoO LMS event.

Other WoO LMS travelers returning to the track for the second straight year include points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who finished sixth in the 2007 A-Main after losing three spots on the final lap due to a blown tire; defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who finished seventh last year but won a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at Bedford last month; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (finished third in ’07); Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (fourth); Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (eighth); and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (ninth).

WoO LMS followers who will make first career starts at Bedford are Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drives NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer’s dirt Late Model, and Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

The field is also expected to include an array of regional and local standouts, including Bedford regulars Steve Everhart of Hollidaysburg, Pa., who will clinch the 2008 track title simply by entering Friday’s program; Jeff Rine of Danville, Pa., who owns a track-best four wins, including the last two in a row, this season at Bedford; four-time Bedford champions Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., and Jack Pencil of Bedford, Pa., whose 10^th-place finish in last year’s WoO LMS A-Main was the best among the track regulars; three-time track titlist Scott Rhodes of Somerset, Pa.; and Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa., who enjoyed plenty of success at Bedford during his Hall of Fame career.

Friday’s program, which also includes a $1,000-to-win event for the Limited Late Model division, carries an admission price of $30. Tickets for kids 5-12 are $5, while youngsters 4-and-under will be admitted free and pit passes will be $40.

Pit gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. and the spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Hot laps are set for 7 p.m., followed by WoO LMS time trials and racing.

The WoO LMS will remain in Pennsylvania following Friday night’s checkered flag, heading to Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., for the a pair of $10,000-to-win cards on Saturday (Aug. 30) and Sunday (Aug. 31) as part of the track’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Alltel Wireless Distributes $4,000 To Drivers & Fans At Volunteer Speedway’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Scorcher’

CONCORD, NC – Aug. 25, 2008 – Alltel Wireless made five drivers and five fans very happy last Thursday night at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn.

As part of a special ‘My Circle 5’ promotion on the second night of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltel Wireless, a total of $4,000 was divided among the top-five finishers in the 60-lap A-Main and five fans who were paired with the racers by a random distribution of marked Alltel hats.

The lion’s share of the cash was collected by race winner Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Jonathan Holt of Morristown, Tenn., who was “riding” with Clanton after finding the WoO LMS star’s name inside the Alltel hat that gained him entry to the contest. Both Clanton and Holt received $1,000 during the Victory Lane ceremonies.

“Thanks for winning for me!” a happy Holt told Clanton when the two men were brought together for a photo following the race.

“You’re welcome,” responded Clanton, who earned his second WoO LMS victory of the season. “Maybe you brought me some good luck.”

Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., finished second, earning himself and fan Tex Teixeira of Marshall, N.C., bonuses of $400 from Alltel. Third place was worth $300 to 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and his contest partner Deana Lopez of Endicott, N.Y.; fourth place produced $200 prizes for WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and David McCarter of Sevierville, Tenn.; and fifth place brought $100 payoffs to 2007 ‘Scorcher’ winner Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., and Josh Williams of Maryville, Tenn.

The ‘My Circle 5’ contest was part of a major sponsorship initiative by the wireless technology giant, which also entertained Alltel customers in the Alltel FanZone during both nights of the ‘Scorcher’ and brought Alltel’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Ryan Newman, to the track for an autograph session prior to Thursday evening’s action.

Alltel’s association with the WoO LMS extends beyond last week’s ‘Scorcher’ at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile Volunteer Speedway. The company will soon present $10,000 to the winner of the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star contest, an on-line poll that runs through Sept. 9.

Fifteen drivers who scored top-five finishes in last month’s Alltel Ohio Speedweek events are eligible for the 10-grand Alltel All-Star prize. Fans can vote for their favorite driver – and put themselves in the running to win a $500 Alltel gift card – once a day through Sept. 9 by logging on to www.AlltelAllStar.com.

As of Mon., Aug. 25, Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., continues to lead the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star standings with 17 percent of the vote. He’s trailed by Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa. (15 percent), Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (13 percent), Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa (12 percent) and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (10 percent).

The WoO LMS returns to action this weekend with three events in Pennsylvania. Bedford Speedway hosts the tour on Friday night (Aug. 29), and Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., has $10,000-to-win programs scheduled for Saturday (Aug. 30) and Sunday (Aug. 31) as part of the Oil Region Labor Day Classic.

Ohio Veteran Rod Conley Celebrates First Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Saturday Night At K-C Raceway

ALMA, OH – Aug. 23, 2008 – Rod Conley gave a simple answer when asked how he felt after scoring his first career World of Outlaws Late Model Series triumph on Saturday night at K-C Raceway.

While standing in front of his car in Victory Lane following the 50-lap A-Main, the veteran racer from Wheelersburg, Ohio, looked up at his cheering hometown crowd and exclaimed, “Wow!”

Conley, 46, was flawless en route to becoming the 19^th different winner on the 2008 WoO LMS. He inherited the lead when Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., spun on lap 16 and then kept defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., at bay for the remainder of the distance.

Francis settled for second place, 0.644 of a second behind Conley. Lanigan was close behind in third at the finish, followed by Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa.

“That was very exciting,” said the emotional Conley, who was joined in the A-Main’s starting field by his father Delmas, 66, and brother R.J., 44. “This is the biggest win I’ve ever gotten.

“I’ve won the Hillbilly (100) at Pennsboro (W.Va.), but this is a World of Outlaws race. This is the best of the best.”

Conley, who drove a family-owned Rocket car powered by a Draime engine, understood the magnitude of what he accomplished.

“It’s really hard to beat any of these guys,” said Conley, who earned $10,650, including the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who had never won a WoO LMS event and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the tour’s points standings. “Everything’s gotta go your way to win one these shows – like qualifying good (fifth-fastest), which we usually don’t do, and drawing the number two to start up front (on the outside pole) in the feature.

“You need some good luck too, and we got it when Shannon got together with that lapped car.”

Babb, 34, led the race’s first 16 laps from the pole position, but his bid for a third WoO LMS win in 2008 unraveled after he got into the rearend of the slower car driven by Chris Combs of Isom, Ky., while crossing the start/finish line on the 16^th circuit. Damage to the nosepiece of Babb’s Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket caused him to spin out of the top spot between turns three and four later that same lap.

“Shannon went above those lapped cars up by the flagstand and they got him in the left front,” described Conley. “When he went in the turn I saw him turn the wheel and the plastic (bodywork) done caught, so I knew he was in trouble.

“When he went into turn three he started getting sideways, so I let off and turned right. I just knew he was gonna wreck.”

With his steering compromised, there was nothing Babb could do to get through the corners unscathed.

“I just ran into the back of (Combs) and hit the (front) t-bar into the left-front tire,” said Babb, who restarted at the rear of the field after his spin but finished a dismal 21^st. “I made it through (turns) one and two, but I couldn’t counter-steer so when I tried to turn right to set up for turn three the car just kept sliding and sliding.

“It’s too bad, because I think we would’ve been able to stay up there (in the lead) with the car we had.”

Conley’s march to victory was slowed by just one more caution flag, on lap 17 when Doug Dodd of Cambridge, Ohio, slid over the berm in turn one after restarting in fourth place. He never let Francis draw closer than a couple car lengths during the long green-flag stretch that closed the race.

“I never heard anybody and didn’t know where anybody was at,” said Conley. “I was just focused on my marks. I was kind of babying the car around.

“I just kept thinking, Something’s gonna fall off the car. With the season I’ve had, with all the bad luck I’ve had, that’s all I could think. This is my first win this year.”

Conley’s machine stayed together – and Francis, who started third, couldn’t mount a serious challenge.

Francis, 40, struggled just to reach the finish after losing the power steering in his Dale Beitler-owned Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket car on lap two.

“I was actually glad this one was over,” said Francis. “My arms had had all they could stand (from wrestling the steering wheel).

“I was afraid to drive in there beside (Conley) hard, because I was worried the thing would lock and I’d take us both out. (The power steering problem) was locking the wheel in different directions and I never knew which way it was gonna go.

“I’m not making any excuses, though. Rod ran an excellent race. I don’t know whether we would’ve been able to pass him even if we had power steering.

“Rod deserves this as much as anybody,” added Francis, who often raced with Conley in STARS/Renegade Series events earlier this decade. “I don’t think he’s got anybody here with him except his wife and his little boy. That’s the way he’s been racing.

Conley’s wife, Jackie, won the night’s Integra Shocks ‘Crew Chief of the Race’ award, earning $50 for becoming the first female recipient of the honor. His five-year-old son, Chase, was also part of the winning team.

“Jackie has been my only crewman pretty much all year and my little boy has been going to the races with us,” said Conley. “We’ve doing it like this all year, going racing together. It’s been real fun.”

Lanigan, 38, spent the final 32 laps of the A-Main virtually glued to Francis’s rear bumper, but he couldn’t find a way by his closest pursuer in the points standings.

“Our car was pretty good, but it was tough to pass,” said Lanigan, who started seventh in his GottaRace.com Rocket car. “If we could’ve gotten into the lead, I think we would have been fine.”

The 20-year-old Richards, meanwhile, was done in by the race’s only caution flags, which came back-to-back on laps 16 and 17. He moved forward from the eighth starting spot to sit third after Babb’s spin, but he lost the position to Lanigan on the lap-17 restart and ran fourth for the remainder of the event.

“Me and Babb were both on 40 (Hoosier compound) right-side sides and we were both real good early,” said Richards, who drove his father Mark’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. “But that caution just killed us. I was rolling the tires during the caution and I could feel them starting to grease up, so I was like, ‘Oh, no.’

“I guess the tires just sealed up or something. My car got so loose that it was hard to drive. I was pretty much holding on.”

Eckert, 42, was pleased with his fifth-place finish in Raye Vest’s GRT car. It was his first top-five finish on the WoO LMS since a fifth on June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa. – a span of 16 races.

“The way we’ve been running, a fifth is like a win for us,” said Eckert, who started 10^th. “If I could’ve passed Babb for second in the heat to get in the redraw, then maybe we could’ve gotten a little better starting spot and finished higher.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who slipped backward from the fifth starting spot; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who started 18^th after a broken driveshaft on his first time-trial lap forced him to play catch-up all night; Ben Adkins of West Portsmouth, Ohio, who clinched the 2008 K-C Raceway dirt Late Model championship by starting the WoO LMS A-Main; and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.

A field numbering 35 cars was entered in the evening’s action, which was run in warm, clear summer weather.

Smith whipped around the oval in 14.313 seconds during qualifying to register his third fast time honor of the 2008 season.

Heat winners were Rod Conley, Richards, Lanigan and Fuller. The B-Mains were captured by Smith and Clanton.

The WoO LMS will spend the Labor Day weekend in Pennsylvania. Bedford Speedway hosts the tour on Fri., Aug. 29, and Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., will hold a pair of $10,000-to-win programs on Aug. 30-31 as part of the annual Oil Region Labor Day Classic.

Results of WoO Late Model Series at K-C Raceway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Rod Conley, Dodd, Berner, Drown, Davey Johnson, C. Smith, R.J. Conley, Balzano, Jeff Isabell Jr.

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Babb, Eckert, Delmas Conley, Lux, Carrier, Blankenship, Montgomery, Stewart

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Francis, Moran, Frank, Hess, Clanton, Beardsley, Joe Isabell, Flannary

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Adkins, McGuire, M. Miller, Blair, Combs, Coffey, Wilson

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): C. Smith, R.J. Conley, Lux, Balzano, Carrier, Blankenship, Montgomery, Stewart, Davey Johnson, Jeff Isabell Jr.

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Blair, Combs, Hess, Coffey, Joe Isabell, Wilson, Beardsley (DNS) Flannary

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 23 - 35 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Clanton Finishes The Job In Thursday Night’s Finale Of Fifth Annual ‘Scorcher’ Presented By Alltel Wireless At Volunteer Speedway

BULLS GAP, TN – Aug. 21, 2008 – Shane Clanton wasn’t about to suffer the same fate twice.

Twenty-four hours after having a victory slip through his fingers thanks to some problems with lapped traffic, Clanton made all the right moves on Thursday night to capture the 60-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main that closed the fifth annual ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltel Wireless at Volunteer Speedway.

Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., slipped by Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., to take the lead on lap 19 and never looked back. He repelled several challenges from Madden and survived some hairy moments racing with slower cars to post his second WoO LMS triumph of the 2008 season.

“I know I should’ve won the race last night, but what do you do?” said Clanton, who settled for a third-place finish in Wednesday night’s ‘Scorcher’ opener after losing the top spot to eventual winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., while negotiating slower traffic on lap 50. “Lapped cars dictate the race most of the time – especially at this place – and if you don’t choose the right line, you’re not gonna win the race.

“Last night we chose the wrong line and tonight we chose the right line. Hopefully tonight pays for last night.”

Clanton certainly picked the best night to win. The booty for his eighth career WoO LMS victory was $11,150, including a $1,000 bonus from Alltel Wireless.

Alltel Wireless put up a total of $4,000 in bonus money on Thursday night, divided evenly between the top-five finishers and five fans paired with them by a random distribution of marked Alltel hats.

Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., finished second, worth a $400 bonus from Alltel. He crossed the finish line 0.930 of a second behind Clanton after sliding into the runner-up spot on lap 57 when Madden slapped the outside wall between turns one and two.

Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., placed a close third, pocketing an extra $300 from Alltel. WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., was fourth ($200 from Alltel) and the polesitting Madden settled for fifth (worth $100 from Alltel) after leading laps 1-18 and running second until three laps remained.

Clanton, who started second, executed his takeover of the lead in much the same way he lost the top spot on Wednesday night, seizing the moment when the pacesetter lost his momentum.

“When (Madden) got to lapped traffic and they wouldn’t move, he slid just a little bit off turn four and pushed,” said Clanton, recalling the 19^th lap. “I stuck it in there (on the inside off turn four) and passed him getting into turn one.

“Then I got to lapped traffic and had to let up, and I looked over and saw him beside me again. I was like, ‘Oh, man, I just gotta get back to running my line.”

Memories of a disappointing defeat the previous evening continually flashed through Clanton’s head as he fought to steer his RSD Enterprises Rocket No. 25 past slower cars on the high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval.

“When we got to lapped traffic and I couldn’t get by them, I said to myself, ‘Man, I know he’s gonna roll me on the outside. He’s got to,” Clanton said of Madden. “But I moved up a little bit and got loose, so I figured, ‘If I can’t pass them, I don’t think anybody can pass me.’

“I knew I had an awful good car, so I just said, ‘Keep your rhythm here, keep your pace, and keep your distance from the lapped car. When you get wide open, you just spin the tires.’”

Madden, 33, got his Bloomquist Chassis mount close enough to threaten Clanton several times during the 34-lap stretch of green-flag racing that closed the A-Main. But his last-ditch bid to regain command from Clanton fell short when he skated high between turns one and two on lap 57 and slapped the steel guardrail, costing him three positions.

“I was better than (Clanton) in (turns) three and four, so I thought if I could be on his bumper coming off two I’d have a chance to pass him at the other end,” said Madden, who won last year’s 100-lap ‘Scorcher’ headliner. “I went in one and two as hard as I could to try and get on his bumper, but I got too high, hit the wall, and that was it.

“I didn’t come here to run second, so I tried to do something to win the race.”

It was Clanton who made the winning moves, giving him a milestone triumph at Volunteer Speedway.

“I’ve heard about this racetrack for my whole career,” said Clanton, who reached Victory Lane for the first time at the track. “Everybody’s always said, ‘You gotta win at The Gap,’ so it’s pretty exciting to finally get one here.”

Smith, 31, never had a chance to bid for the lead after sliding his Amsoil Bloomquist Chassis car into second place with three laps remaining. He would have liked a few more circuits to play with.

“I feel like I would’ve been able to give (Clanton) a run,” said Smith, who started fifth. “We were a tenth (of a second) quicker than he was when we got to second, so I think we could’ve gotten up to him in a few more laps.

The 40-year-old Fuller started fourth and ran in the top five for the entire distance, quietly chugging to a turnaround finish in his Gypsum Express Rocket car. His third-place run came one night after he dropped out early and finished 24^th.

“The only thing we did different from last night was run different compound tires in time trials,” said Fuller, who qualified seventh-fastest and started fourth in the A-Main. “What helped us the most tonight was the track getting black and slick and slowing down.

Lanigan, meanwhile, continued his relentlessly-steady march toward the 2008 WoO LMS championship, advancing from the 10^th starting spot to finish fourth in his GottaRace.com Rocket. It was his series-best 21^st top-five finish in 34 A-Mains this season.

With Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finishing ninth, Lanigan extended his points lead, to 146 markers, at a track that he doesn’t consider one of his best.

“To come out of here with a top-five, I’m happy,” said Lanigan, 38. “I’ve never been very good here, so to actually run pretty good and gain some more points on Francis is real satisfying.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., whose charge from the 15^th starting spot stalled at sixth place with just over 20 laps remaining; Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who has never won a tour event and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings; ninth-starter Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who climbed as high as sixth before losing two spots on lap 21 when he became boxed in behind the slower car driven by Vic Hill of Morristown, Tenn.; Francis; and Eric Jacobsen of Sea Cliff Beach, Calif., who was behind the wheel of the fourth Bloomquist ‘Team Zero’ chassis in the top 10 at the finish.

Just two caution flags slowed the A-Main – on lap one for Hill’s turn-four spin and lap 26 for the stopped car driven by Chad Ogle of Sieverville, Tenn., who was running sixth when he ran into trouble.

A field of 49 cars was assembled for the evening’s action, which drew a large crowd to The Gap.

Tommy Kerr of Maryville, Tenn., recorded his first career fast time honor with the WoO LMS, leading all qualifiers with a lap of 12.879 seconds. He drove his backup Rocket car after his primary machine was sidelined by mechanical trouble on Wednesday night.

Kerr’s time-trial performance earned his chief mechanic, Gary Winger, the $100 NASCAR Technical Institute ‘Fast Crew Chief’ Award. He went on to win a heat race, but after drawing the eighth starting spot for the A-Main he last only three laps before retiring with a broken left-front suspension.

Joining Kerr as heat winners were Hill, Madden and Brady Smith. The B-Mains were captured by Mark Vineyard of Powell, Tenn., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Ryan Newman was an addition to Thursday night’s field driving the Alltel No. 12 from the stable of Steve Francis Racing. He was added to the A-Main and finished 21^st after managing to continue racing following a 360-degree spin in turn two on lap 44.

Wednesday-night winner Jimmy Owens was unable to duplicate his success. His night ended early when his car was sidelined by a blown motor during his time-trial run.

The WoO LMS makes its next stop on Saturday night (Aug. 23) at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio. It will mark the first tour event since 2006 at the three-eighths-mile oval, which had its 2007 scheduled race washed out by rain.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Scorcher’ Night 2 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Provisional Starters: Eckert, Blankenship, Coffey (WoO); Newman, Buckingham (track)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Kerr, Clanton, McCreadie, Rogers, Vineyard, Babb, Marlar, Coffey, Dillon, Maupin, M. Smith, Beardsley (DNS) Hubbard

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Hill, B. Ogle, Lanigan, Francis, Douglas, Neat, McDowell, Blankenship, Cook, Eller, Mays (DNS) Buckingham

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Madden, Fuller, Jacobsen, Bloomquist, Armes, Flannary, Joe Isabell, Eckert, Jeff Isabell Jr., Hendrix (DNS) Owens, Weaver

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): B. Smith, C. Ogle, Richards, Kinzer, Frank, C. Smith, Newman, Henry, Wells, King, Breazeale, Caswell

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Vineyard, Douglas, Babb, Neat, Marlar, McDowell, Blankenship, Coffey, Dillon, Beardsley, M. Smith, Eller, Cook, Mays (DNS) Maupin, Buckingham, Hubbard

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, C. Smith, Flannary, Armes, Eckert, Joe Isabell, Wells, Hendrix, Caswell, Henry, King, Newman (DNS) Jeff Isabell Jr., Weaver, Breazeale, Owens

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 21 - 34 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Chub Frank Looking For Another Big Win At K-C Raceway When World of Outlaws Late Model Series Visits On Saturday Night (Aug. 23)

Pennsy Star Returns To Ohio Track For First Time Since Capturing Last Fall’s $50,000 Dirt Track World Championship

ALMA, OH – Aug. 21, 2008 – Chub Frank will have a smile on his face when he drives through K-C Raceway’s pit gate this Saturday night (Aug. 23) for a $10,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series spectacular.

The sight of the three-eighths-mile oval, after all, will bring back all the happy memories of Frank’s last visit to the Buckeye State track – a $50,000 victory in last fall’s Dirt Track World Championship 100.

And considering Frank’s frustrating recent racing fortunes on the nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour, a stop at a track that’s treated him well in the past just might be a perfect tonic for his troubles.

“We’re looking forward to going anywhere we’ve had some success,” said Frank, who also has a 2001 STARS/Renegade Series triumph at K-C Raceway on his resume. “We need some kind of positive right now, so maybe a track I know I’ve been good at will get us going in the right direction.”

Frank, 46, of Bear Lake, Pa., is mired in a summer-long slump on the WoO LMS. Coming off a career-best season in 2007 that saw him lead the tour in A-Main victories (six) and finish second in the points standings, the popular driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ has just a single win on his ’08 ledger and enters this week’s action ranked fifth in the points battle, over 200 points behind leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Prior to a fifth-place finish in Wednesday night’s WoO LMS event at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., Frank had gone seven consecutive tour events since his last top-five finish, on July 20 at Belleville (Kans.) High Banks. What’s more, since his lone victory on May 18 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, he has uncharacteristically been out of the mix at the front of the field more often than not, registering just five top-five finishes in 22 events.

Frank’s doldrums saw him fall from a tie for second in the points standings – just six points out of first – after his triumph to his current status, scrapping just to remain in the top five. For a WoO LMS stalwart who stands as the only driver to improve his final finishing position in the tour’s points standings every season since 2004, this development is certainly unacceptable.

“We came into this season hoping to win the championship,” said Frank. “We’re definitely disappointed to be where we’re at now, but all we can do is try to finish the season the best we can.”

Frank would like that late-season push to include a strong performance at K-C Raceway, which is acknowledged as one of the raciest tracks on the WoO LMS schedule. The tour did not compete at the track last season because Mother Nature washed out the scheduled late-August show just before qualifying was set to begin, so Frank, his fellow racers and thousands of fans are anxious to return on Saturday night.

“If we could have a night like we had at the Dirt Track (World Championship) last year, we’ll be real happy,” said Frank, who fields his own equipment with primary sponsorship from Lester Buildings. “We had a good car that night, but the big thing was that everything went our way. We happened to qualify good, we won our heat, we drew the pole (for the feature), and we were good enough at the end to beat Josh (Richards).”

Frank is hopeful that he can tune his Rocket No. 1* to perform over Saturday night’s 50-lap as well as it did in last fall’s 100-lapper at K-C Raceway.

“We’ve seemed to go a little better in 100-lap races at K-C than we have in 50-lappers,” said Frank, who finished 10^th in the last WoO LMS A-Main run at K-C Raceway, a 50-lap show on July 22, 2006, that was run by 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. “If we can get the setup right and qualify well, then I like our chances there.”

Frank will have plenty of competition at K-C, which figures to attract a field bulging with top-notch talent.

Lanigan will bring his points lead to K-C in hopes of taking another step toward his first career WoO LMS title. He’s being pursued by defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who lives just over an hour’s drive from K-C and has won multiple events at the track during his career, and the Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards, a 20-year-old who finished second in last year’s DTWC at the track.

Other WoO LMS regulars headed to K-C include Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who won the 2006 DTWC at the oval; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

The field will be accented by such names as McCreadie; 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who won a 50-lap event earlier this season at K-C; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., who finished second in the 2006 WoO LMS event at K-C; Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va.; Tim Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va.; Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa.; and K-C regulars like points leader Ben Adkins of West Portsmouth, Ohio, Jason Montgomery of Jackson, Ohio, and the Conley family of Wheelersburg, Ohio (father Delmas, 66, and brothers Rod, 46, and R.J., 44).

K-C’s gates are scheduled to open at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, with action set to get underway at 7 p.m.

General admission is $27 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-12, with kids 6-and-under admitted free of charge. Pit passes are $35.

For further information, visit www.kc-raceway.com or call the track office at 740-289-4114.

K-C Raceway is located 12 miles south of Chillicothe, Ohio, in Alma, two miles off SR 23 on Blain Highway.

Additional information on the WoO LMS can be obtained by visiting www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Owens Captures First Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory On Opening Night Of ‘Scorcher’ Presented By Alltel Wireless At Volunteer Speedway

BULLS GAP, TN – Aug. 20, 2008 – One year after coming oh-so-close to victory in World of Outlaws Late Model Series action at Volunteer Speedway, Jimmy Owens got the job done on Wednesday night.

The standout from Newport, Tenn., shined in front of his hometrack fans, passing Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., late in the distance to register his career-first tour triumph in the 60-lap A-Main that opened the fifth annual ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltel Wireless.

Owens, 36, erased the memories of his heartbreaking defeat in the 2007 ‘Scorcher,’ which was run over the 100-lap distance at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval. Problems in lapped traffic with just five laps remaining in last year’s event cost him dearly, allowing Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., to slip by him for a dramatic triumph.

This time it was Owens who benefited from slower cars. When Clanton had trouble lapping Eric Jacobsen of Sea Cliff Beach, Calif., Owens grabbed the lead on lap 50 and sped to a victory worth $10,750.

“For once, lapped traffic worked in our favor here,” said Owens, who finished second in last year’s ‘Scorcher’ headliner. “I usually get in big trouble when I get to lapped traffic, but tonight all the breaks went our way.

“Clanton was being pretty patient behind those (slower) guys, taking his time and trying not to make any mistakes. But then he lost his momentum (behind Jacobsen in turn two) at the same time I got some good drive off the corner, and I just shot right by him on the bottom.”

Three of the race’s four caution flags flew during the final 10 laps, but Owens mastered each restart. He drove his Mike Reece-owned Bloomquist Chassis across the finish line with a 3.113-second advantage over 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who snatched second place by overtaking Clanton’s slowing car racing to the white flag.

“I was exceptionally glad to see the restarts inside 10 laps to go because that kept the lapped traffic out of the equation for us,” analyzed Owens, who scored his second win of the season at Volunteer. “We had a clear track, so it was my race to lose then.”

Clanton settled for third place after leading laps 35-49 in the RSD Enterprises Rocket. Fourth place was claimed by Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who led laps 1-16 after starting from the pole position in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Traeger Grills Rocket, and third-starter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., completed the top five in his Lester Buildings Rocket.

Owens, who started fifth, was excited to finally add a WoO LMS checkered flag to his ever-growing resume. A four-time UMP DIRTcar Modified national champion, Owens became a true dirt Late Model star during a 2007 season highlighted by a victory in the prestigious UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Wednesday night’s program marked his sixth WoO LMS start of 2008. He had finished as high as fourth twice, on Feb. 16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., and April 19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

“It seems like we’ve just come up a little short when it comes to the Outlaw events, so it feels great to finally win one,” said Owens, who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who had never won a WoO LMS A-Main and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 of the points standings. “It’s a real privilege to race with these guys and to bring home a win is real special.

“It’s especially cool to win here with the Outlaws because it’s my hometrack,” he added after becoming the 18^th different winner this season on the WoO LMS. “But we’re supposed to run good here, so I’d like to win one at Babb’s racetrack or Clanton’s racetrack, someplace like that.”

McCreadie, 34, hustled his Sweeteners Plus Rocket to the front quickly, advancing from the fourth starting spot to the lead by lap 17. But he lost the top spot to Clanton’s turn-two slider on lap 35 and spent the remainder of the distance battling to secure a podium finish.

Owens drove by McCreadie for second with a powerful outside move on lap 45, but McCreadie regained the position on the final circuit when he snuck by Clanton. He conceded that Owens was the class of the field.

“I saw Owens a couple times below me and I tried to stay on the bottom, but he baited me and just drove right by me on the top,” said McCreadie. “I might’ve stayed ahead of him a little longer if I stayed on the top, but I think the outcome was still gonna be the same.

“I probably should’ve had a different tire on. We were a little soft (with Hoosier compound choice) – and the only reason I went that way was because I didn’t know if you’d be able to pass. The track actually got pretty wide, though, probably the raciest I’ve seen it in the four or five times I’ve been here in the last couple years.”

Clanton, 32, could only mourn his latest missed opportunity for a second 2008 victory on the WoO LMS.

“I’m really disappointed,” said Clanton, who started from the outside pole. “I took the lead and didn’t win the race. I can’t really complain about another top five, but once again we couldn’t finish it off and get a win.”

“Jacobsen wouldn’t get out of the way, but you’re running so fast here, how do you know the leader’s there?” he continued. “I guess he went to the bottom (on lap 49) and I went around the top, and then he met me at the back gate (in turn two) and I was like, ‘Oh, no!’ I lost my momentum for a second and that’s when Jimmy stuck it in there to pass me.”

Clanton actually felt fortunate to hang on for a third-place finish after sliding high on lap 55 and contacting the cushion between turns one and two.

“I think I bent the bottom of the right-front A-frame when I jumped that cushion with a few laps to go,” said Clanton, who registered a career-best finish at Volunteer. “It might have broken a right-front shock too, and for the last few laps I was terrible. The car wouldn’t steer in. It was bottoming out. I was just hoping to get to the finish.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; local standout Jeff Maupin of Greenville, Tenn.; Vic Hill of Morristown, Tenn.; defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; and Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga.

Francis gained six points in the WoO LMS championship battle on points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., whose quiet 12^th-place finish marked just his third time finishing outside the top 10 in 33 events this season. Lanigan now leads Francis by 136 points.

The 40-year-old Francis had to recover from a jumping penalty he received from WoO LMS officials during the night’s second heat race. He started from the pole position but was deemed to have stepped on the gas too early at the initial green flag, so officials set him back to third for the restart. A fourth-place finish left him saddled with the 14^th starting spot for the A-Main, during which he was unable to climb higher than ninth.

The event’s four caution flags were all caused by minor incidents. Jacobsen brought out cautions with spins on laps 50 and 51, while Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., slowed on lap 25 with a right-rear flat tire and Rick Rogers of Knoxville, Tenn., lost a wheel on lap 54.

Hill was fastest in qualifying, blistering his hometrack with a lap of 12.265 seconds. His performance earned his chief mechanic Shawn Gage, who has been working with Hill for the past month, the $100 NASCAR Technical Institute Fast Crew Chief Award.

Heat winners were McCreadie, Maupin, Clanton and Babb. The B-Mains were captured by Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Mark Vineyard of Powell, Tenn.

The ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltel Wireless continues on Thursday night (Aug. 21) with another complete $10,000-to-win program. Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will be on hand to sign autographs in the Alltel FanZone from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. before getting behind the wheel of his Alltel No. 12 dirt Late Model to compete in the evening’s action.

Fans in attendance on Thursday night will have a chance to share in $4,000 in bonus money that Alltel Wireless has posted for the A-Main. After 24 spectators are paired with drivers in the A-Main starting field by a random distribution of Alltel hats, the fans holding the hats marked with the numbers and names of the drivers who finish in the top-five at the end of the headline race will be invited to participate in the Alltel ‘My Circle 5’ Victory Lane ceremonies and receive cash prizes.

The A-Main’s winning driver and the fan paired with him for the event will receive $1,000 apiece from Alltel Wireless. The remaining driver/fan pairings will earn payoffs of $400 each for second place, $300 each for third, $200 each for fourth and $100 each for fifth.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Scorcher’ Night No. 1 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): McCreadie, Hill, Buckingham, Richards, Bloomquist, Vineyard, C. Ogle, Neat, Armes, B. Ogle, Beardsley, King, Hubbard (DNS) Kerr

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Maupin, Frank, Rogers, Francis, Marlar, C. Smith, Cook, Fuller, Mays, Wells, S. Smith, Hendrix, Henry

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, B. Smith, Lanigan, Weaver, Jacobsen, Madden, Kinzer, Blankenship, Dillon, Eller, Joe Isabell, Jackson, Caswell

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Owens, Flannary, McDowell, Coffey, Jones, Douglas, Eckert, M. Smith, Jeff Isabell Jr., Goddard, Breazeale (DNS) James

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Coffey, Madden, Jacobsen, Kinzer, Eckert, M. Smith, Blankenship, Caswell, Eller, Joe Isabell, Breazeale, Jones, Douglas, Jackson, Jeff Isabell Jr. (DNS) Dillon, Goddard, James

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Vineyard, C. Smith, B. Ogle, Neat, Hendrix, C. Ogle, Wells, Mays, Henry, Hubbard, Marlar, Cook, Beardsley, Fuller (DNS) Bloomquist, Armes, S. Smith, King, Kerr

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 20 - 33 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Big Bucks On The Line For Drivers & Fans During This Week’s Fifth Annual ‘Scorcher’ Presented By Alltel Wireless At Volunteer Speedway

$10,000-To-Win World of Outlaws Late Model Series Events Set For Wednesday & Thursday (Aug. 20-21)

BULLS GAP, TN – Aug. 18, 2008 – Big bucks will be on the line during this week’s fifth annual ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltel Wireless at Volunteer Speedway – for both drivers and fans.

The drivers, of course, will have two chances to fill their pockets at the four-tenths-mile oval. World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Mains paying $10,000 to win are scheduled for Wednesday (Aug. 20) and Thursday (Aug. 21), marking the first time in the history of the ‘Scorcher’ that complete shows will be contested both nights on the blazing-fast, high-banked track.

Alltel Wireless, meanwhile, has posted an additional $4,000 to be divided among five drivers and five fans following Thursday night’s show, which will also feature an appearance by Alltel-sponsored NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Ryan Newman.

Thursday night’s Alltel Wireless promotion will see 24 fans paired with drivers in the A-Main starting field by a random distribution of Alltel hats. The fans holding the hats marked with the numbers and names of the drivers who finish in the top-five at the end of the headline WoO LMS race will be invited to participate in the Alltel ‘My Circle 5’ Victory Lane ceremonies and receive cash prizes.

Thursday night’s contest is just part of the interactive fan experience that Alltel Wireless representatives have planned for the ‘Scorcher,’ a huge event that figures to draw in the neighborhood of 50 cars as well as thousands of race fans who will invade eastern Tennessee for the weekend’s NASCAR events at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Alltel FanZone will be in operation both nights behind Volunteer Speedway’s main grandstand. Fans can gain entry to the FanZone for themselves and a guest by showing their Alltel phone at the check-in table.

There will be plenty of action in the Alltel FanZone. Food and drink will be provided each night, and fans will receive commemorative ‘Scorcher’ posters and have an opportunity to win special prizes.

The FanZone intensity will be pumped up even more on Thursday night. The first 100 fans to check in with their Alltel phones will receive a free pit-pass upgrade to get an up-close look at the stars and cars of the WoO LMS, and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will visit the area at 5 p.m. to sign autographs before beginning his night of racing behind the wheel of the Alltel No. 12 dirt Late Model prepared by defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will lead the WoO LMS contingent to the ‘Scorcher’ as the tour’s points leader in search of his first championship. He is being chased by Francis, who has won three of the last six WoO LMS events, including the last A-Main on Aug. 16 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., and 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

The WoO LMS roster also includes such standouts as Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who won the ‘Scorcher’ at the 100-lap distance in 2005; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., whose car is owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

A host of talented national, regional and local drivers have the two-day spectacular on their schedules, including 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; 2006 Scorcher winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.; 2007 Scorcher victor Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C.; Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.; Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C.; Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill.; Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga.; Austin Dillon of Lewisville, N.C.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Vic Hill of Morristown, Tenn.; Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn.; Randy Weaver of Crossville, Ten..; and Rick Rogers of Knoxville, Tenn.

Adult grandstand admission is $25 for each night of the ‘Scorcher,’ which also sports sponsorship from Rusty Wallace Toyota of Morristown, Tenn. Youth tickets (ages 6-15) are $10 each night, with children 5-and-under admitted free. Pit admission and backside tier-parking is $35 for each program.

Reserved two-night seats for Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 20-21) are currently on sale for $45. For more information on reserved seats, which include the orange-backed seats in turn one and turn four and the aluminum bleacher seats with backs along the front straightaway, contact Ginger Light at 423-349-6520.

The pit gate will open daily at 3 p.m. and the grandstand gate will open each day at 4 p.m. Hot laps are “tentatively” scheduled to start each evening when the sun begins to go down – around 7:45 p.m.

For more information on the ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltell Wireless, visit www.volunteerspeedway.com or call 423-235-5020 or 423-378-5942.

Francis Resumes World of Outlaws Late Model Series Hot Streak With Weather-Beating Victory At Screven Motor Speedway

SYLVANIA, GA – Aug. 16, 2008 – Steve Francis knows he’s running out of time to catch Darrell Lanigan in the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points standings.

But judging by his triumphant performance in Saturday night’s 50-lap A-Main at Screven Motor Speedway, the defending WoO LMS champion isn’t going down without a fight.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., continued his summer hot streak in the first-ever WoO LMS visit to the three-eighths-mile oval, roaring forward from the sixth starting spot to grab the lead for good with a lap-11 pass of Swainsboro, Ga.’s Jeremy Faircloth.

It was Francis’s third win in the last six tour events, and his fourth overall victory of 2008 tied him with Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., as the season’s top winner.

The only down side to Francis’s $10,250 score? He gained little ground on Union, Ky.’s Lanigan, who finished second and remained atop the points by a commanding 142-point margin over Francis.

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., made a late-race charge to finish third, while Faircloth placed a head-turning fourth after leading laps 6-10 in his first career WoO LMS start and the 20-year-old Richards completed the top five.

“I can’t catch up four points at a time,” Francis said when asked about his pursuit of Lanigan, noting the slight points difference between a first- and second-place finish. “Unless there’s a hundred races left that I don’t know about, it just isn’t going to happen.

“The way Darrell’s been running all year, it’s just going to be real hard to make up anything on him.”

Facing that hard reality about his prospects for a WoO LMS title repeat, Francis is heading down the homestretch of the 2008 season with his mind focused on checkered flags rather than points.

“If we can’t win the championship, maybe we can keep this momentum up and win the most races (on the tour),” said Francis, whose 18^th career WoO LMS victory increased his lead atop the tour’s modern-era (2004-present) win list, to two over Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. “I’d like to string together some wins and I think we’re in good position to do that. We struggled some with our car for a while, but I’m real happy with how it’s working now.”

Driving Dale Beitler’s Cornett-powered Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket machine, Francis and Co. made all the right calls on a night that was threatened by rain. He pulled off a clean sweep of the program, setting fast time, winning a heat race and bagging the A-Main, which was run with lightning flashing in the sky and a strong wind and periodic drizzle signaling an approaching storm.

“We had the car a little tight all night,” said Francis, standing near his team’s trailer after the Victory Lane ceremonies as a steadily-intensifying rain began to fall. “That doesn’t always work out, but we left it that way because we figured that once the track slowed down our car would get faster.

“That’s really what happened. When I got to second (with a pass of Lanigan on a lap-seven restart) I saw that 4 car (Faircloth) running awfully good up front and I thought, ‘Uh-oh, we might have our hands full.’ But our car just kept getting better and better.

“I think this might have been one of those nights where our tires (American Racers) gave us an advantage too,” added Francis, who has a top-five finish in six of the last seven WoO LMS A-Mains. “Tracks like this that have some sand and grit and wear tires a little – our tires just seem to really like that kind of condition.”

The 38-year-old Lanigan, who started second in his GottaRace.com Rocket car but never led a lap, could offer little difference between his car and Francis’s No. 19 other than the tires bolted on them. Lanigan registered his series-leading 20^th top-five finish of the season – and joined Francis as the only drivers to break $100,000 in 2008 earnings – using Hoosier rubber.

“Our cars were pretty much equal on setup,” said Lanigan, who crossed the finish line 1.272 seconds behind Francis. “I really don’t think I would’ve done anything different. (Francis) just used a different tire brand than we did.”

Clanton, 32, ran fifth for much of the distance, but he slid by Richards and Faircloth to grab third on lap 43 and finished in the position. He never had a chance to challenge Lanigan for second, however, because the race ran caution-free from lap 27 to the checkered flag.

“I needed a caution to cool my tires off,” said Clanton, who drove the RSD Enterprises Rocket. “But I managed to come from ninth (starting spot) and I passed two cars in one lap (to reach third), so I’m pretty happy about that.”

The story of the race was Faircloth, who battled with the tour’s top stars while making just his second career appearance in a full-blown Super Late Model event. The race’s polesitter was penalized one row by WoO LMS officials after jumping the last of three aborted original starts, but he rallied to grab the lead from early pacesetter Chesley Dixon of Swainsboro, Ga., on lap six.

Faircloth, who drove a Clements-powered Rayburn car, finished just 0.234 of a second behind Clanton. His fourth-place run earned him the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who has never won a tour event and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.

Richards, meanwhile, actually slipped by Faircloth for third on lap 39, but he slid high high in turn one moments later and shortly thereafter watched Faircloth and Clanton overtake him.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who spent the final laps in the battle for third place; Scott Shirey of Swansea, Ga.; Jeff Fortner of Vidalia, Ga.; John Henderson of Aiken, S.C.; and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who used a provisional to start 23^rd after his car’s left side sustained significant damage in a heat-race scrape.

A field of 34 cars was entered in the program, which was contested in front of a standing-room-only crowd at James ‘Redd’ Griffen’s facility. Action took place simultaneously throughout the evening at the adjoining Savannah River Dragway, with fans allowed to enjoy the competition at both tracks and enter the pit areas for a $20 admission charge.

During qualifying Francis established a new track record of 14.261 seconds around the three-eighths-mile oval, which Griffen lengthened and widened prior to the 2007 season.

Heat winners were Francis, Faircloth, Fortner and Dixon, who went on to lead laps 1-5 of the A-Main before spinning out of third-place while negotiating turn two on a lap-16 restart. Eckert and Ed Basey of Evans, Ga., topped the B-Mains.

The next action for the WoO LMS is the fifth annual ‘Scorcher’ presented by Alltel Wireless, which is scheduled for Aug. 20-21 (Wednesday/Thursday) at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Separate $10,000-to-win programs will be run each evening.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Wood, Clanton, Thomas, Eckert, Frank, Sharpe, Kellum, Fletcher

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Faircloth, Riner, Fuller, Henderson, Griffis, Babb, Akeson, C. Taylor, Howard

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fortner, Lanigan, Richards, C. Smith, B. Smith, Basey, Deason, A. Taylor

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Dixon, Shirey, Coffey, Fitzgerald, Joe Isabell, Beardsley, Barrow, Jeff Isabell Jr.

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Eckert, Frank, Fletcher, Sharpe, Kellum, Griffis, Akeson, C. Taylor (DNS) Babb, Howard

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Basey, B. Smith, Beardsley, Barrow, A. Taylor, Joe Isabell, Jeff Isabell Jr. (DNS) Deason

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 16 - 32 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Rain During B-Main Pushes Remainder Of World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At Fayetteville Motor Speedway To Tues., Oct. 7

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Aug. 15, 2008 – The completion of the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Fayetteville Motor Speedway will have to wait until Tues., Oct. 7.

Rain struck the four-tenths-mile oval during the first of two B-Mains on Friday night, forcing track and series officials to postpone the remainder of the program until the fall.

The new date sets up a mid-week doubleheader in North Carolina for the WoO LMS, which is scheduled to contest the Armour Vienna Sausage Southern Showdown on Wed., Oct. 8, at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord.

Thirty-eight cars were signed in for Friday night’s action, which began with storms dancing around the area but narrowly missing FMS. The threat of rain prompted WoO LMS officials to institute one-lap time trials in order to speed up the program.

With a big crowd looking on, Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., blistered the track in qualifying, turning a lap of 17.697 seconds to register his series-leading fourth fast-time honor of the season. He picked up a $100 bonus for his efforts from Sugar Bear’s Property & Mobile Home Sales in Green Sea, S.C.

Heat winners were WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who passed Clanton on the final lap; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and Dean Bowen of Whiteville, N.C.

Precipitation began to fall after a multi-car tangle sent Michael Ray Mason of Spring Lake, N.C., into the turn-four wall on the second lap of the first B-Main. Officials waited out the weather for approximately 45 minutes before making the decision to postpone the remainder of the card to Oct. 7.

WoO LMS racing will pick up on Oct. 7 where it left off on Friday night. The program will include the final 10 laps of the first B-Main, which was led by G.R. Smith of Cornelius, N.C., when the rain arrived; the complete second 12-lap B-Main; and the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Main.

The top-16 starting positions in the A-Main are already set. Lanigan drew the pole position and will share the front row with Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga.

All rainchecks and pit bands from Friday night’s program will be honored for admission on Tues., Oct. 7.

The WoO LMS will continue its weekend in the Southeast on Saturday night (Aug. 16) with a first-ever visit to Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga.

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Clanton, Coffey, Eckert, Mason, Clint Smith, Neighbors, Lucas, Jeff Isabell Jr., Madden

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Beasley, C. Blackwell, Babb, G.R. Smith, Weeks, Tucker, Joe Isabell, Fitzgerald, Taylor

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Davenport, Frank, Robinson, Hubbard, Gibbons, Richards, Chuck Smith Jr., Labonte

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Bowen, Autry, T. Blackwell, J. Smith, Blankenship, Shuffield, Boahn, Mitchell, Beardsley

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Georgia’s Clanton & Smith Look To Extend World of Outlaws Late Model Series Success In Homestate To Screven Motor Speedway On Saturday (Aug. 16)

SYLVANIA, GA – Aug. 14, 2008 – If history is any indicator, then this Saturday night (Aug. 16) Shane Clanton or Clint Smith should win the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Screven Motor Speedway.

The three-eighths-mile oval is located, after all, in Georgia – and the two WoO LMS regulars from the Peach State have combined to capture all three tour events previously held in their homestate.

Yes, Clanton and Smith have defended their territory well when they get the rare opportunity to run a WoO LMS show in their backyard. Clanton was victorious in Georgia WoO LMS A-Mains on May 1, 2004, at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth and Oct. 26, 2005, at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, and Smith was best in a season-opening program on Feb. 4, 2006, at Golden Isles.

With the tour returning to Georgia for the first time in over two years, Clanton and Smith hope they can continue their unblemished homestate record.

“I want to win every race, so it’s not like we put any special focus on World of Outlaws races in Georgia,” said Clanton, a 32-year-old from Locust Grove, Ga., who ranks fifth in the current WoO LMS points standings. “I think it’s more of a coincidence than anything that me and Clint have won all the Outlaw races (in Georgia), but it sure would be nice to win another one in our homestate.”

“I think it’s my turn to win one,” smiled Smith, the 43-year-old veteran from Senoia, Ga., who sits eighth in the tour’s points standings. “If Clanton’s won two of the three Outlaw races in Georgia, I guess I need to even things up with him.”

Of course, while Screven Motor Speedway is just over a three-hour drive from the residences of both Georgia Outlaws, their first-hand knowledge of the track isn’t what you might expect. Both drivers have made just one career start at SMS – a Southern All-Stars Series event on July 7, 2007. Smith finished a quiet seventh in the feature, while Clanton failed to finish after marching from 14^th to fourth in 10 laps and then being swept up in a tangle with the top-two runners.

Why haven’t Clanton and Smith made annual pilgrimages to Screven for special events? Well, the speedway has simply not been a destination for fulltime professional money racers like Clanton and Smith.

That’s now changing under James ‘Redd’ Griffen, who owns Screven Motor Speedway and the adjoining Savannah River Dragway. He has aggressively worked to make the track a prominent player on the Southeast dirt Late Model scene over the past two seasons, improving the facility and scheduling more lucrative races for the full-fender division.

Griffen’s project reaches its zenith on Saturday when the WoO LMS comes to town for a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win from a purse of nearly $50,000 – the most eagerly anticipated, talent-filled event in track history.

Clanton and Smith will lead an invasion of superstar drivers that includes points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

The crowd’s biggest cheers should be directed toward Clanton and Smith, who will have plenty of familiar faces supporting them at the track.

“What’s great about running close to home is that my wife and kid (a five-year-old son) and car owner (Ronnie Dobbins) can all be there to watch,” said Clanton, who after a very busy summer stretch of racing spent part of the recent two-and-a-half week break from WoO LMS action relaxing with his family in Panama City, Fla. “My wife and kid haven’t seen me run a World of Outlaws since Florida (in February) and my car owner hasn’t seen a World of Outlaws race this year, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Screven Motor Speedway is located between Mile Markers 6 and 7 on GA Route 21 in Screven County, GA.

Admission to Saturday night’s program is just $20 and includes entry to the pit area and admission to the dragstrip’s action that runs simultaneously. Children 12-and-under will be admitted for $5.

Gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and on-track action is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The WoO LMS will visit Screven after competing on Friday night (Aug. 15) at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Pennsylvania Outlaws Rick Eckert & Chub Frank Know How To Win At Fayetteville Motor Speedway

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Regulars Hope To Rekindle Past Success In Tour’s First Visit To North Carolina Track On Friday Night (Aug. 15)

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Aug. 12, 2008 – There’s two World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars who enter Fayetteville Motor Speedway’s first-ever tour event this Friday night (Aug. 15) as proven big-show winners at the four-tenths-mile oval.

And interestingly, both drivers hail from the same state north of the Mason/Dixon Line.

Pennsylvanians Rick Eckert and Chub Frank hold a special distinction among their traveling WoO LMS brethren, standing as the only drivers from the group with national touring-series feature wins at Fayetteville on their resumes.

It’s been a while, but Eckert and Frank return to Fayetteville for Friday night’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win spectacular as accomplished FMS winners. Eckert was triumphant at Fayetteville on April 20, 2000, in an event that was part of the defunct Hav-A-Tampa/Xtreme DirtCar Series, and Frank scored a victory on April 21, 2001, in another HAT/Xtreme program.

Whether their past successes stamp them as pre-race favorites in 2008, however, is open for discussion.

“I’ve only raced at the place a handful of times,” said Eckert, a 42-year-old from York, Pa. “I haven’t even been there since the last Hav-A-Tampa race (in 2001), so for all I know the track could have a totally different surface now. We’ll just go in there and try to do the best we can.”

“I can’t take much from that race I won there,” said Frank, 46, of Bear Lake, Pa. “That’s the only time I’ve ever raced there, so I’m not sure what to expect.”

Eckert’s Fayetteville victory in 2000 was actually one of the most memorable checkered flags in his career. He crossed the finish line second behind 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., but was handed the top prize when Bloomquist’s car weighed in 42 pounds light at the scales.

“I remember getting into a hole and bending the front bumper down while I was leading,” said Eckert, who is still driving the Raye Vest-owned No. 24 that he steered to his Fayetteville win. “Bloomquist passed me with a few laps to go, but I felt happy to hold on and finish second with the way my front end was bent.

“Then I pulled up behind Bloomquist at the scales and they disqualified him for being light. That put a big smile on my face. It’s still the only time I ever won a race like that.”

Eckert, who also won an A-Main at Fayetteville with the regional STARS/Renegade Series on Aug. 6, 1994, hopes his ’08 visit to the Tar Heel State facility is another positive one. A winner just once in his last 88 WoO LMS starts, Eckert is in dire need of a strong run after experiencing myriad problems during the grueling 13-race stretch of tour competition from July 9-29.

“I think we have everything back in good shape now,” said Eckert, who tumbled from third to seventh in the WoO LMS points standings during July’s rush of racing. “We spent the last couple weeks getting our stuff back together and we’re ready for this next swing.”

Frank, meanwhile, made his trip to Fayetteville’s promised land in ’01 with a nearly flawless performance.

“We qualified good, won our heat, started up front in the feature and picked the right tires,” bottom-lined Frank, who remains an owner-operator like he was when he triumphed at Fayetteville. “It was just a night where everything went our way. I know that for a fact because (Steve) Francis (the 2007 WoO LMS champion) passed me for the lead with a few laps to go when his tires were coming on, but then a yellow (flag) came out to let my tires cool down and keep my in front.”

If there’s one thing that stood out to Frank about his Fayetteville win, it’s that he was a bit anonymous to the southern fans when he took the checkered flag.

“At that time they didn’t really know who we were yet,” quipped Frank, who was a STARS/Renegade Series regular in 2001 and decided to enter the Fayetteville HAT/Xtreme event only because he had an opening on his schedule. “We were still just starting to get out there and run some more places.”

Frank has, of course, become one of the country’s most recognizable dirt Late Model drivers. Last year he was the winningest driver on the WoO LMS, and this season he sits fourth in the tour’s points standings entering this weekend’s Southeastern swing at Fayetteville and Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. (Sat., Aug. 16).

On Friday night, Fayetteville Motor Speedway’s pit gates are scheduled to open at 12 noon and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 2 p.m. On-track action for the show, which also includes five weekly divisions, is tentatively set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: Fayetteville Motor Speedway on Aug. 15 & Screven Motor Speedway on Aug. 16

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series kicks back into high gear this weekend following a two-and-a-half-week break, heading below the Mason/Dixon Line for a Southeastern doubleheader.

A pair of tracks will host the nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour for the first time – Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Friday night (Aug. 15), and Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., on Saturday night (Aug. 16). Both events will be run over the 50-lap distance and pay $10,000 to win.

* On Friday night, Fayetteville Motor Speedway’s pit gates are scheduled to open at 12 noon and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 2 p.m. On-track action for the show, which also includes five weekly divisions, is tentatively set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

* Screven Motor Speedway’s gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. on Saturday night, with competition set to get the green flag at 7 p.m. The program will also include competition for the track’s Moonrunner, Mini-Stock and Renegade divisions.

* Fayetteville Motor Speedway is a historic four-tenths-mile oval in its 38^th year of operation. Pat Longhany is in her fourth season at the helm of the track.

* Screven Motor Speedway is an emerging three-eighths-mile oval owned by James ‘Red’ Griffen, who also operates the adjoining Savannah River Dragway. Griffen made major improvements to the entire motorsports complex prior to the 2007 season, including a widening and resurfacing of the dirt track and the erection of a 6,000 sq. ft. cafeteria between the oval and dragstrip.

To reach Screven Motor Speedway, take Georgia Exit 109 off Interstate 95 and merge onto GA-21 North. The track is located on the left between Mile Markers 6 and 7 in Screven County.

* At Fayetteville, grandstand general admission is $30 and pit admission is $40.

* Screven management has posted a $20 general admission price for Saturday night’s WoO LMS spectacular. As an added bonus, the ticket also includes admission to the Savannah River Dragway action that will be taking place simultaneously.

Fayetteville Motor Speedway will become just the second track in North Carolina to hold a WoO LMS event. The tour has previously run five times at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. – four times in 2007 and once so far in 2008.

The WoO LMS will make its fourth appearance alltime in the state of Georgia when it visits Screven Motor Speedway. The tour has previously run Peach State events at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick (Feb. 4, 2006, and Oct. 26, 2006) and North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth (May 1, 2004).

* After extending his points lead to 146 points during a grueling stretch of 13 tour events from July 9-29, Union, Ky.’s Darrell Lanigan will begin his homestretch drive toward a first career WoO LMS championship. He is authoring arguably the most consistent season in series history, rolling up a remarkable 19 top-five (including two wins) and 29 top-10 finishes in 31 starts.

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., appears primed to make a last-season run to unseat Lanigan. He has five top-five finishes (including two wins) in the last six tour events, pulling him into a tie with 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for second in the points standings.

It’s been quite a while since Francis last raced at Fayetteville, but he’s enjoyed success there in the past. He finished second in an Xtreme DirtCar Series/Hav-A-Tampa Series event held at FMS on April 21, 2001.

* Interestingly, the only WoO LMS regulars with national touring series victories at Fayetteville both hail from Pennsylvania. Xtreme/Hav-A-Tampa events at FMS were won by Bear Lake, Pa.’s Chub Frank (April 21, 2001) and York, Pa.’s Rick Eckert (April 20, 2000).

Both Frank and Eckert have been prolific WoO LMS winners in the past – Frank was the tour’s winningest driver in 2007 and Eckert is tied for second on the overall series win list since 2004 – but each has visited Victory Lane just once in 2008.

* Two WoO LMS travelers figure to be pre-race favorites in Saturday night’s: Shane Clanton and Clint Smith.

The Peach State duo – Clanton is from Locust Grove, Ga., and Smith hails from Senoia, Ga. – live over 200 miles from Screven, but the track will nonetheless represent one of the closest WoO LMS events to their homes in 2008.

Clanton and Smith have also proven very adept at defending their homestate turf when the WoO LMS visits – they are the only drivers who have won WoO LMS A-Mains run in Georgia. Clanton won in October 2006 at Golden Isles Speedway and May 2004 at North Georgia Speedway, and Smith captured the February 2006 show at Golden Isles.

* Smith and fellow WoO LMS regular Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., have driven for a former car owner who’s well-known to Fayetteville Motor Speedway fans: North Carolina’s Carlton Lamm, who fielded the Dunn-Benson Ford dirt Late Model for many years.

Babb also happens to currently drive a North Carolina-based car – the Traeger Grills/Chevy No. 18 owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., will make his first career start at both Fayetteville and Screven, but that just might be a good omen for the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year. All three of Fuller’s career WoO LMS victories – including two this season – have come in his first visit to the respective track.

* Another WoO LMS regular set to make a first-ever appearance at both Fayetteville and Screven is John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

* Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., will look to pad his lead in the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year points standings in the Southeastern events. He’ll be joined in the fields at both tracks by fellow rookie contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

* A strong contingent of Fayetteville Motor Speedway regulars will look to turn back the WoO LMS invaders on Friday night, led by defending track champion Jeff Smith of Kings Mountain, N.C. Smith captured a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at FMS last year, and he has only one finish worse than third in seven FMS starts this season.

Other FMS steadies eyeing the event include David Turner of Fayetteville, N.C., who is coming off a win in Saturday night’s Super Late Model feature at FMS; Scott Autry, also of Fayetteville, who is tied with Smith for the track points lead; former Carolina Clash Series champ Ed Gibbons of Manning, S.C.; and Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C.

* Jason Fitzgerald of Jacksonville, Fla., has the Fayetteville and Screven events listed on his schedule, while 17-year-old Dillon Wood of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., has the Screven date marked down on his sked. Wood won the first Super Late Model event of his young career on May 3.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 29 - 31 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Young Australian Racer Jay Cardy Enjoyed His Time As Crewman For Clint Smith On World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – Aug. 7, 2008 – Clint Smith found some extra manpower for the recent World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ from an unlikely place.

Young Australian dirt Late Model racer Jay Cardy flew in from the Land Down Under to spend a whirlwind two-and-a-half weeks helping the Georgia born-and-bred Smith, who welcomed the Aussie with open arms and provided him a memorable introduction to professional American short-track racing.

And consider this – Smith landed the 21-year-old Cardy’s mechanical assistance for the season’s most grueling stretch of WoO LMS action by simply answering an e-mail.

“I saw that the Wild West Tour was scheduled for my holiday (vacation), so I thought it might be a perfect time to come to the U.S. and see some racing,” said Cardy, a native of West Perth, Australia, who teaches metal- and wood-working at a high school near his home. “So I went to the (WoO LMS) driver websites and sent out e-mails asking if they would like any help (for the swing).

“The only driver I heard back from was Clint. His sister sent me an e-mail that said Clint would be interested, and then I spoke with Clint three times on the phone before coming over.”

After watching the energetic Cardy hard at work on Smith’s equipment, no WoO LMS regular will ever again be quick to dismiss an overture of assistance from an unknown Aussie. The son of a veteran Australian car builder and speed-shop owner as well as a dirt Late Model driver for two years, Cardy had sufficient experience and mechanical know-how to jump right in and get his hands dirty.

And make no mistake – Cardy stayed busy throughout his “vacation.” With Smith fielding a second car for his good buddy Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., in six of the eight Wild West Tour events, there was never a shortage of work to be done.

“We worked pretty hard,” smiled Cardy, whose presence took some pressure off Smith’s lone fulltime crewman, Darrell (‘Don Vito’) Cooper. “Clint always said, ‘Hey, this is your holiday, so you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.’ But I wanted to do everything I could to help out.

“Clint took this bloke in and let me travel with him for two weeks without even knowing me, so working hard for him was the least I could do to thank him for the opportunity.”

Cardy, who runs his dirt Late Model on an October-April schedule at the gorgeous Perth Motorplex track in Australia, landed in Minneapolis on July 6 following an all-day flight. He spent two days by himself visiting the city’s famed Mall of America before a WoO LMS official picked him up at his hotel on July 9 and brought him to the Wild West Tour opener at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., where he met Smith for the first time.

The remainder of Cardy’s visit to the United States was a blur of racetracks big and small, late-night and scorching-afternoon wrench-turning, some sleep in Smith’s house-on-wheels hauler, and a healthy dose of American landscape and culture. He saw races in seven states (in order, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Ohio) and one Canadian province (Saskatchewan) and partook in some off-track fun in several locales – including side trips to Mount Rushmore and the legendary old-west town of Deadwood, S.D. – before flying home on July 25 following the Alltel Ohio Speedweek lidlifter at Muskingum County Speedway.

“It’s been an outstanding trip,” Cardy said as the Wild West Tour wound down. “Clint’s done everything he could to look after me and make sure I had a good time. He’s just been fantastic.

“And I’ve quite enjoyed the racing. It’s just so exciting to see these World of Outlaws guys racing so hard, night after night, and to meet all the guys you’ve always read about on the internet.”

The personable Cardy certainly had no trouble making friends with the members of the traveling WoO LMS fraternity. When his visit was finally over, he seemingly said goodbye to every driver and crewman in the pit area.

Topping off Cardy’s excellent WoO LMS adventure were two entirely unexpected experiences. First, on July 12, he was named the Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race at Estevan (Sask.) Motor Speedway when he ended up as Smith’s lone mechanic because Cooper was denied entry to Canada. (Smith and Purkey finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Energy City 50.) And one week later, in the Wild West Tour finale on July 21 at Boone County Raceway in Albion, Neb., Smith let Cardy go racing in his backup car.

While Cardy failed to qualify for the A-Main at Boone County, the chance to experience a WoO LMS event from behind the wheel left him flabbergasted.

“Clint told me to bring along my gear (driver’s uniform and helmet), but I had no expectation of racing,” said Cardy, who became the first Australian to enter a WoO LMS event. “It says a lot about Clint that he would let me drive his car. I can’t thank him enough.”

Cardy’s travels with the Outlaws made him front-page news in a local newspaper back home – and a bloke who will be very popular among his Australian brethren for quite awhile.

“I have a lot of stories to tell everybody at home,” the always-smiling Cardy said before leaving the U.S. “My Dad and my uncle want to talk to me every day, and they’re telling everybody at home what I’m doing. I know everybody is going to want to hear about my trip.”

Will Cardy return for another WoO LMS excursion in 2009? You bet. He might even bring along some friends to disperse to other help-needy teams.

“I can’t wait to come back next year,” said Cardy. “I just hope I’m on holiday the same time as the Wild West Tour again.”

The driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ will gladly take Cardy on the road again. Even if his ‘Georgianese’ lingo is a stark contrast to Cardy’s Aussie accent.

“He’s got an open invitation to come back with us,” said Smith. “He’s a heckuva bloke.”

The WoO LMS returns to action next weekend with a Southeastern doubleheader, visiting Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Friday night (Aug. 15) and Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., on Saturday night (Aug. 16).

A Final Push: Can Steve Francis Rally To Defend His World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship?

But with momentum finally on his side, the defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion is ready to make a final push for a $100,000 repeat.

“This is about the time we got on our roll last year,” said Francis, recalling how a strong close to the 2007 season resulted in his first career WoO LMS points title. “Hopefully we can do it again.”

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., is arguably the hottest Outlaw entering the national tour’s upcoming Southeastern doubleheader, on Aug. 15 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 16 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. He won two of the four A-Mains that made up the recent Alltel Ohio Speedweek, and he’s registered a top-five finish in five of the last six WoO LMS events.

The problem for Francis, of course, is that, unlike a year ago, his late-season surge isn’t padding his points lead. He’s playing catch-up on Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., whose amazing campaign has him on course to beat the series record championship points margin of 126 points, established in 2007 by Francis.

With 31 A-Mains completed and 14 events currently remaining on the 2008 WoO LMS schedule, Francis sits tied with 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for second in the points standings, a healthy 146 points behind Lanigan.

What kind of uphill climb does Francis face in his pursuit of the ultra-steady Lanigan, who owns 19 top-five finishes in his last 21 starts? Consider that during his run of success over the last six events, Francis has made up exactly zero points on Lanigan.

“A bad night for Darrell right now is fifth (place),” Francis said in admiration of Lanigan’s rock-solid performance on tracks big and small, banked and flat, slick and tacky. “You don’t beat that kind of consistency, so really, for us to beat him for the championship, he’s gonna have to default to us a few times.

“Darrell is on the ride that I was on last year,” he continued. “You’re just on an even keel. You’re not necessarily winning a lot of shows (Lanigan has two victories versus three for Francis), but you’re third, fourth, fifth, second – you run that way every night, and that’s hard to beat.”

Driving Rocket cars fielded by Maryland’s Dale Beitler this season after steering his own Valvoline-sponsored equipment to the 2007 championship, Francis finds himself racing from behind thanks to some uncharacteristic lulls and bad luck. His worst stretch was the six-race ‘Great Northern Tour’ in June – he tumbled from a tie for the points lead with Lanigan to 70 points behind in fourth place – but he also lost significant ground during July’s eight-race ‘Wild West Tour,’ hitting a season-low sixth in the standings early in the swing and dropping 146 points in arrears of Lanigan by the end of it.

“We struggled on the Northern Tour and were hit-and-miss out west,” analyzed Francis. “We did a lot of testing with Dale before we really got into the season and we thought we had everything figured out, but when we got into the heat of summer we were off a little bit.

Francis is the leader in one very important WoO LMS category: money won. He’s the only driver who’s cracked six-figures in earnings this season, with $127,450 to date thanks to his $50,000-plus victory in April’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

But Francis would also like to add a 100-grand championship check to his take at the conclusion of the season-ending Vault Outlaws World Finals on Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He knows that the only way he can make that happen is to be absolutely perfect for the remainder of the tour’s schedule – and achieving that type of ’07-like consistency has been elusive.

“We won Zanesville (Ohio’s Muskingum County Speedway on July 24) then went to Eldora (the following night) and had everything in the world go wrong,” said Francis, whose victory in the Alltel Ohio Speedweek finale on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., made him the winningest WoO LMS driver since 2004 (17 wins). “We can’t afford to follow up a good night with a bad one any more.

“Clint Smith always says, ‘When you’re dial’s right, you’re dial’s right, and when it falls off, it falls off.’ Hopefully we can keep that dial pegged the right way for the rest of the year.”

Birkhofer Overtakes Lanigan To Pocket $41,419 Firecracker 100 Victory At Lernerville Speedway

SARVER, PA – July 29, 2008 – Brian Birkhofer might hail from Iowa, but he had plenty of like-minded individuals to celebrate with after winning Tuesday night’s second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway.

The four-tenths-mile oval in western Pennsylvania, after all, is always crawling with Pittsburgh Steelers fans – and no one loves the NFL team more than Birkhofer, whose black racing helmet sports the familiar Steelers logo.

“This is a big deal for me,” said Birkhofer, who pocketed $41,419 (including lap money) for his first-ever victory at a track that’s located a short drive from the Steel City. “I’ve won big races before, but this one has some extra special meaning because this place is so close to Pittsburgh. I usually come out here a couple times a year to see Steelers home games, so it’s cool to finally win a big race out in this area.

“The only thing that could’ve topped off tonight was if somehow Troy Polomalu (the Steelers’ star safety) was here to present me the trophy,” he added with a smile – not long after waving a Steelers ‘Terrible Towel’ in Victory Lane.

Birkhofer, 36, of Muscatine, Iowa, employed a patient approach to capture the postponed World of Outlaws Late Model Series event, which had its final night of action rained out on both June 28 and 29. He calmly filled the role of pursuer until turning up the wick halfway through the A-Main, passing defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., for second on lap 50 and points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., for the lead on lap 70.

Lanigan, who led laps 1-69 after starting from the outside pole, finished a distant 4.226 seconds behind Birkhofer in second place. Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., advanced from the 13^th starting spot to place third, with Francis settling for fourth and three-time WoO LMS titlist Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., placing fifth after overtaking Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., on lap 97.

Driving his Daufeldt Transport Mars/Birkhofer car, the driver known as ‘Birky’ simply waited until the time was right to make his move.

“I had a long-race car,” said Birkhofer, who recorded his third triumph of the season and the seventh of his career on the WoO LMS. “I was just trying to maintain for the first half of the race and not wear the tires out, so if there was a late caution I could fire back up again.

“I’ve watched Scott Bloomquist (the winner of the inaugural Firecracker 100 in 2007) do it in a lot of 100-lap shows – just sit there and bide his time, and then at the end of the race he’s won again. I was able to do that tonight.”

Birkhofer, who started fourth, carefully measured Lanigan’s GottaRace.com Rocket machine before sweeping by on the inside to assume command for good with 30 laps remaining.

“I saw how he was driving the car,” Birkhofer said of Lanigan. “He had to drive the wheels off of it up there on the cushion, so I just figured, ‘He’s gonna have to keep making good laps to stay up there,’ which isn’t easy. Me personally, I know I couldn’t make that many perfect laps if I had a guy right there running second.”

Birkhofer was dominant once in front, pulling away to a commanding advantage during the 39-lap stretch of green-flag racing that closed the 100. His harder-compound Hoosier tire selection proved to be perfect for the event’s late stages.

“It was kind of a tire game for a couple hours before the feature,” said Birkhofer, who finished a quiet 13^th in last year’s Firecracker 100. “I made my (compound) decision in hot laps and just stuck with it. You gotta have a car that can handle the tires too, but I think our tire choice was a big key to our success.”

Lanigan, 38, would certainly agree. He was clearly frustrated with the performance of his tires after leading 69 laps but falling short of a signature win for his amazingly steady season on the WoO LMS.

“We ran (the tires) you normally run here,” said Lanigan, shaking his head as he glanced at Birkhofer celebrating in Victory Lane. “These 1425s (Hoosier tires) almost always work here, but (Birkhofer) had on a little harder tire and that was the difference. He could stick a little better on the bottom and the middle.

“I just got too loose – tire-loose. About halfway through the race I knew I was in trouble. I was sliding too much getting in (the corners) and I had to run the top.”

Though $2,467 in lap money boosted Lanigan’s runner-up earnings to a robust $17,667 and his points lead continued to grow, he craved a victory.

“Any time you get up there and lead more than 50 laps, falling back to second kind of hurts,” said Lanigan. “You’d almost rather run second the whole race and not win it.”

Babb, 34, made a strong charge forward in his Traeger Grills/Chevy Rocket owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer, reaching third place on lap 59. He never seriously threatened Lanigan for second, however.

“We passed some real good cars to get up there, so we’re happy,” said Babb, who did not enter last year’s Firecracker 100. “As the race wore on I got a little too tight, so I was just trying to maintain at the end.”

The 40-year-old Francis also suffered from a slight tight condition with his Dale Beitler-owned Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket. He challenged Lanigan for the lead just before the halfway mark, but he steadily lost ground over the race’s second half and crossed the finish line nearly eight seconds behind Birkhofer in fourth place.

Moyer, 50, was almost five seconds in arrears of Francis at the checkered flag in fifth place. He started ninth in his Victory Circle mount and ran around that spot for nearly three-quarters of the race before making a late surge.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Frank, who reached fifth on lap 66 but couldn’t move any higher; Bloomquist, who earned the race’s $100 Hard Charger Award for improving from the 20^th starting spot but made little headway for the final 80 circuits; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who raced as high as sixth; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., who ran in the top five for the first half of the 100; and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.

Four caution flags slowed the event, including a lap-19 incident that effectively ended the hopes of pre-race favorites Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.

Richards, who started from the pole position, made contact with Clanton in turn one as the pair battled for third place. The two cars hooked together and slid to a stop at the top of the track.

Clanton, who had just pulled a ‘slider’ on Richards in turn four to nose ahead for a moment, angrily climbed out of his car at the accident scene and leaned into Richards’s cockpit to offer his thoughts about the tangle. The two drivers exchanged words again after Richards exited his car.

“I wanted to bump him in the back and just let him know I didn’t appreciate (the ‘slider’),” admitted the 20-year-old Richards. “But my right-front wheel just caught his left-rear tire. It climbed up the side of his car and couldn’t come back down off it, and I ended up taking us both out.”

Richards continued to finish 12^th, while Clanton raced on with left-side bodywork damage until retiring on lap 61 after he rode the homestretch wall.

“Up until the accident I had a real good car,” said Clanton, who started fifth. “Then I hit the fence and took myself out. I was trying too hard.”

A huge crowd turned out for the completion of the Firecracker 100 weekend, which began on June 27 with a thrilling night of heat-race competition for 62 cars.

Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., was the only qualified driver who did not return on Tuesday night. He was forced to skip the event after suffering a rash of engine problems in the preceding days.

Ken Schaltenbrand of Sarver, Pa., won Tuesday night’s C-Main, and the 20-lap B-Mains were captured by David Scott of Garland, Pa., and Bloomquist.

Mike Knight, 21, of Ripley, N.Y., pocketed $3,000 for winning the ‘Uncle Sam 30’ Non-Qualifiers’ Race. He grabbed the lead from Ron Davies of Warren, Pa., on lap nine and never looked back en route to his first-ever victory at Lernerville.

Dutch Davies of Warren, Pa., slid off the backstretch and rolled his car on lap eight of the Uncle Sam 30, but he escaped the accident without injury.

After contesting 13 events in eight states and one Canadian province over the past 20 days, the WoO LMS will be idle for more than two weeks. The tour’s next action is a Southeast doubleheader on Aug. 15 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 16 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Hard Charger (sponsored by Ms. Area Auto Racing News Alyssa Sharman): Bloomquist ($100)

Hard Luck (sponsored by Ms. Area Auto Racing News Alyssa Sharman): Clanton ($100)

Uncle Sam 30 Non-Qualifiers’ Race Finish (30 laps): 1. Mike Knight ($3,000); 2. Ron Davies ($2,000); 3. Rick Briggs ($1,500); 4. Brent Rhebergen ($1,200); 5. Dave Hess Jr. ($1,000); 6. Russell King ($800); 7. John Flinner ($700); 8. Keith Barbara ($600); 9. Gary Lyle ($500); 10. Chuck Kennedy ($400); 11. Tony Burke ($300); 12. Clate Copeman ($300); 13. Bump Hedman ($300); 14. Todd Bachman ($300); 15. Chad Valone ($300); 16. Nick Reges ($300); 17. Jared Miley ($300); 18. Dutch Davies ($300); 19. Ryan Scott ($300); 20. Doug Horton ($300); 21. Robbie Blair ($300); 22. Ken Schaltenbrand ($300) – DNS: Davey Johnson ($200); Jimmy Owens ($200); Dane Laraway ($200)

B-Main No. 1 Finish (20 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. David Scott, 2. Rick Eckert, 3. Vic Coffey, 4. John Mollick, 5. Davey Johnson, 6. Dave Hess Jr., 7. Doug Horton, 8. Mike Knight, 9. Dutch Davies, 10. Chuck Kennedy, 11. Clate Copeman, 12. Todd Bachman, 13. Jared Miley, 14. Ken Schaltenbrand, 15. Robbie Blair, 16. Dane Laraway, 17. Alex Ferree

B-Main No. 2 Finish (20 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Dan Stone, 3. Matt Lux, 4. Ron Davies, 5. Rick Briggs, 6. John Flinner, 7. John Blankenship, 8. Brent Rhebergen, 9. Gary Lyle, 10. Russell King, 11. Chad Valone, 12. Tony Burke, 13. Nick Reges, 14. Keith Barbara, 15. Lynn Geisler, 16. Clint Smith, 17. Jimmy Owens

C-Main Finish (8 laps – Top 4 Transfer to B-Mains): 1. Ken Schaltenbrand, 2. Russell King, 3. Jared Miley, 4. Rick Briggs, 5. Ryan Scott, 6. Bump Hedman

Entered drivers who did not return for rescheduled date: Jeremy Miller, Danny Johnson, Sean Beardsley, Joe Isabell, Jason Covert, Bob Close, Josh McGuire

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 29 - 31 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Francis Sets Modern-Era World of Outlaws Late Model Series Win Standard With Victory In Alltel Ohio Speedweek Finale At Eriez Speedway

HAMMETT, PA – July 27, 2008 – Steve Francis made World of Outlaws Late Model Series history on Sunday night at Eriez Speedway.

With a victory in the 50-lap finale of Alltel Ohio Speedweek, Francis set a new modern-era (2004-present) WoO LMS win standard. His 17^th career triumph on the tour broke him out of a three-way tie atop the win list with Scott Bloomquist and Rick Eckert.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., earned $10,250 for his second win in four Alltel Ohio Speedweek events. The defending WoO LMS champion also captured the opening event, on July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio.

It was the third WoO LMS victory of 2008 for Francis, who started from the outside pole and led all but three laps of Sunday’s A-Main. He swapped the lead twice with polesitter Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., just before the race’s halfway mark but maintained firm control of the top spot from lap 21 to the checkered flag.

Francis drove his Dale Beitler-owned Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19 across the finish line with a 0.379-second margin over Blair, who used the outside lane to draw close to Francis in the waning moments.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished third after losing the runner-up spot to Blair on lap 37. Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., ran predominantly the outside groove to charge from the 22^nd starting spot to a hard-earned fourth-place finish, and 21-year-old Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., registered a career-best WoO LMS placing of fifth at the track where he is the reigning Super Late Model champion.

Blair, McCreadie and Knight scored their first top-five finishes of the four-race swing, making them the final entries in the battle for the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star’ honor. The top-five finishers in each event became eligible for a $10,000 top prize that will go to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling at AlltelAllStar.com.

On-line Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star voting began at 12 midnight ET following the Eriez Speedway show.

Francis scored a top-five finish in three of the four Speedweek events and is ready to start campaigning for votes at AlltelAllStar.com.

“The Alltel deal would be neat to win, especially with our association with Ryan Newman,” said Francis, who maintains a dirt Late Model that the Alltel-sponsored NASCAR Sprint Cup star runs in selected events. “Hopefully the fans appreciated what we’ve done here, and we certainly appreciate what Alltel has done for us.”

The most stirring stretch of the race came after the second caution flag flew, on lap 13 for a flat tire on the car driven by Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. Blair shot by Richards for second on the restart and proceeded to mount a serious assault on Francis.

Blair was scored the lead of laps 16-17 and also lap 20, but Francis was too strong on the bottom of the flat one-third-mile oval and gradually opened some breathing room after the halfway mark.

“When we were running side-by-side, I’m there hoping that he makes a mistake sooner or later,” Francis said of his battle with Blair. “He had an excellent car running out there (in the outside groove). I just didn’t realize you needed to be that wide out on the cushion. I was running through the slick part of the racetrack and didn’t realize you needed to be out there.

“We were able to get our wits back about us, get our car back under us and we were able to get back by him. It was just a fortunate deal that it happened the way it did.

“We pretty much focused on hitting our marks all night,” he continued. “The racetrack was very, very physical. It had icy-slippery spots, wet spots, rough spots – just really, really physical. You had to make sure you hit all of your marks. If you missed one you could kill your whole lap.

“We just tried to stay in our lane. If somebody was going to get us high and wide then they were going to get us and we were going to have to get up on the wheel and try to get back by them on the bottom.”

Blair, 37, was satisfied to match his career-best finish on the WoO LMS. He also finished second on Sept. 4, 2006, at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

“I was hitting those holes (early in the race) and my car was actually shutting off because the floats were too high or whatever,” said Blair, who drove his self-owned Rocket machine. “I just decided on that one restart, ‘It still looks like there’s traction up there (on the outside). I don’t know why nobody is running up there.’

“I was just trying to throw one lap up there and there was traction, so I stayed up there.

“I was having a ball (racing with Francis),” he continued. “I got ahead of him a couple of times. He was probably better in turns one and two and I was probably better in turns three and four, so it kind of evened out by the time we got back to the flagman.

“Then I got to racing Josh and it took me a while to get back by him – or maybe I would have had a shot at it. Who knows?”

The 20-year-old Richards, meanwhile, fell short of repeating his victory in last year’s inaugural WoO LMS event at Eriez Speedway. He moved up to second on a lap-three restart and swapped the position twice with Blair before settling for third in his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket.

“I was a little bit softer on tires than Steve and Blair were, but for a little bit I could run with them,” said Richards. “I kept watching my dad tell me to run the top or the bottom. I hate it sometimes when I’d miss just a little bit, but our tires started to give up at the end so it was good for us to get third.”

No driver authored a more exciting drive than the 34-year-old McCreadie, who discovered that there was indeed an outside lane and used it to charge forward. He moved his Sweeteners Plus Rocket by Knight for fourth place heading to the white flag.

“It’s just sometimes mind over matter,” said McCreadie, who qualified poorly but came alive in the feature. “We struggled all night long with the car. Finally we hit on something.

“I owe it to Al Stevens, Tommy Grecco, Vic Coffey, Johnny Cocco and ‘Frog’ – everybody who was on this deal. We struggled all night, and finally when you throw enough things at it you’re going to get lucky and that’s what we did.

“The long green flag hurt me at the end,” added T-Mac. “I needed more restarts. I wish I had done my job as a driver earlier to get it further up so we wouldn’t have had to work so hard, but it is what it is.”

Knight slipped back two positions from his third starting spot, but the rising young star was ecstatic over his best run to date with the WoO LMS.

“I usually run up top at this track,” said Knight, who drove his family-owned Mobilia Farms Rocket car. “I won a couple of races up top, but I was maintaining in the top five and I decided to stay on the bottom and just maintain. I wanted a good top five. I had never been in the top five with the Outlaws. I was just trying to be smart about it.

“If we get some money coming our way, we’d probably end up going on tour with the Outlaws,” he added, looking toward the future. “I’d like to get out there and do some more traveling and run with these guys. Hopefully we can get things going. That would be great.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who earned the $250 Rookie of the Race bonus; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Ron Davies of Warren, Pa.; and Rich Gardner of Waterford, Pa.

Ron Davies recorded the fastest lap in time trials, rounding the oval in 16.400 seconds for his first career fast-time honor on the WoO LMS.

Heat winners were Francis, Blair, Knight and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by David Scott of Garland, Pa., and Greg Oakes of Franklinville, N.Y.

Among the non-qualifiers were WoO LMS regulars Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who finished second the previous night at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.

The busy month of July for the WoO LMS will draw to an end on Tuesday (July 29) with the rescheduled $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. The entire second night of Firecracker 100 action is set for the midweek date, including a C-Main, B-Main, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the 100-lap headliner.

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

Lap Leaders: Francis (1-15); Blair (16-17); Francis (18-19); Blair (20); Francis (21-50)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Lanigan, R. Davies, Valone, D. Scott, Lobb, Briggs, Eckert, S. Johnson, Morell, Barton, Lunger

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Blair, Coffey, Stone, Hess, Hackett, Fuller, C. Smith, Frank, Joe Isabell, Volpe, Maxim, Beardsley

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Knight, Boozel, Gardner, Moran, D. Davies, Hedman, Rhebergen, Kania, Dupont, R. Scott, Elliott, Halpainy

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Clanton, Babb, Eck, Oakes, McCreadie, Wright, Urban, Terry, Blankenship, Jeff Isabell Jr., Hordusky

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): D. Scott, Frank, Lobb, Briggs, Eckert, C. Smith, Barton, Morell, Fuller, Volpe, Beardsley, Lunger, Joe Isabell, Maxim, S. Johnson, Hackett

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Oakes, D. Davies, McCreadie, Hedman, Kania, Wright, Hordusky, Rhebergen, Urban, Terry, R. Scott, Dupont, Elliott, Jeff Isabell Jr. (DNS) Blankenship

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 27 - 30 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Moran Benefits From Moyer’s Misfortune To Capture Rain-Delayed World of Outlaws Late Model Series Alltel Ohio Speedweek Stop At Sharon Speedway

HARTFORD, OH – July 26, 2008 – Donnie Moran caught the breaks he needed to win Saturday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Sharon Speedway.

On an evening that saw two rounds of rain delay the racing action for over four hours, Moran benefited from Billy Moyer’s misfortune and survived heavy track conditions that exacted a toll on his equipment en route to capturing the third leg of Alltel Ohio Speedweek.

Moran, 45, of Dresden, Ohio, inherited the lead on a lap-44 restart when Batesville, Ark.’s Moyer slowed with mechanical trouble. The driver known as the ‘Million Dollar Man’ went on to triumph by 0.814 of a second over Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., whose runner-up placing matched his career-best WoO LMS finish.

It was the first WoO LMS win of the 2008 season for Moran, who pumped his career victory total on the tour to four. He also continued his longtime penchant for success at Sharon, a Buckeye State track where Moran has shined on both its former half-mile configuration and current three-eighths-mile layout.

“This is like a second home to me,” said Moran, who earlier this year also topped an Independent Racing Series (IRS) event at Sharon. “Even before Dave (Blaney) was involved here (as a co-owner) and the track was real big, I always liked coming to Sharon. But since they changed it to a smaller oval, for some reason the configuration really fits my driving style.”

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., settled for a second consecutive third-place finish on the tour after bidding for the lead midway through the race in the RSD Enterprises Rocket. Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished tight to Clanton’s rear bumper in fourth after starting 11^th in Dale Beiter’s Rocket, and polesitter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., was fifth in a J.P. Drilling GRT car that ended the race with its suspension at less than 100 perfect functionality.

The top-five finishers became eligible for the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star’ honor. A

$10,000 top prize will go to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling that begins at AlltelAllStar.com at 12 midnight ET following the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event, on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

Moran acknowledged afterward that the sudden departure of Moyer, whose Victory Circle car tossed its fan belts after he had led laps 17-44, was ultimately the key to his win. The 50-year-old Moyer had advanced from the fourth starting spot to grab the lead from Moran on lap 17 and appeared primed to register his series-leading fifth victory of the season.

“On a couple late restarts (laps 36 and 44), Billy couldn’t open (distance) up on me like he could earlier,” said Moran, who drove his Donnie Moran Racing MasterSbilt car. “But if he didn’t have a problem (on the second of three lap-44 restarts), I’d say he probably would’ve won. We won, though, and that’s the story.”

Moran still had a major worry following the rough-and-tumble race’s ninth and final caution flag, on lap 44. His car’s left-rear suspension was left out of whack, likely as a result of the blazing-fast track conditions.

“The top four-link bolt came out there on the birdcage,” said Moran, who started third. “It never come out completely, though. It just ripped the threads out of the nut, which was real fortunate for us.

“It’s not surprising that something like this happened the way the track was tonight. There’s such severe loads on the cars anymore from trying to get as much traction as possible, and then when you get a racetrack with Mother Nature coming into play, it just creates that much more stress and fatigue on everything on the cars.

“When I first started racing these cars sat real flat and you had to baby the gas,” he added. “Now this is my 30^th year of racing and I call these things ‘Traction Monsters.’ You just get in there, hike up, and go. You better be elbows up or you’re gonna get beat, and you better hope your stuff survives the conditions.”

Moran seized the lead for the first time on lap six from 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who paced laps 1-5 off the outside pole before fading and eventually retiring his overheating Sweeteners Plus machine on lap 17. Moran lost the top spot to Moyer in lapped traffic on lap 17 and watched Clanton overtake him for second on a lap-22 restart, but Clanton’s miscue on lap 31 allowed Moran to slip back into the runner-up slot and position himself for later glory.

Clanton, 32, appeared capable of threatening Moyer until his slap of the turn-two wall cost him two positions and left his car with too much damage to seriously challenge for the win.

“I just got above that cushion into the fluff and got sucked right into the wall,” said Clanton, who started sixth. “I hit it pretty hard. We’re just lucky it stayed together the rest of the race.”

Making his first appearance in New Yorker Joe Beyea’s Rocket No. 121 since last month’s WoO LMS Great Northern Tour, the 42-year-old Elliott also slipped by Clanton on lap 31. But he couldn’t summon enough speed to pass Moran for a first-ever tour win.

“He had on a little bit softer tires than us and just fired better (on the final restart),” said Elliott, who used American Racer rubber as opposed to Moran’s Hoosier tires. “The longer we went, the better we were, but Moran was good and deserved to win.

“I’m real happy with a second. I think it shows that this (Beyea) deal we have here is working out pretty well. This was only the fourth Late Model race for Randy (Kisacky, a noted DIRTcar big-block Modified crew chief who is wrenching the Beyea car), and you can see how well he’s working together with my regular (Late Model) crew chief Wayne Benson to get this car going right.”

WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., padded his advantage with a sixth-place finish – an outing that had “championship material” written all over it. He fell behind at the start of the night when a flat left-rear tire during his time-trial run forced him to start scratch in his heat, but he rallied to qualify and then quietly marched forward from the 15^th starting spot in the A-Main.

Finishing in positions 7-10 were Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who came from the rear of the field after pitting on lap three to change a flat left-rear tire; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who pitted for servicing on lap 17.

Eckert’s ninth-place run came after he played musical cars during the night. He time-trialed his Rayburn; fell in at the back of the pack for his heat after switching to his GRT mount; won a B-Main with the GRT but developed engine woes; and went back to the Rayburn for the A-Main.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who sits second in the WoO LMS points standings, took a bit hit in his pursuit of Lanigan for the title. He was racing for sixth place on the final lap with Lanigan, Matt Miller and Babb when a scrape with Miller sent the 20-year-old sensation spinning in turn two.

The last-lap incident, which also collected Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., left Richards with a 16^th-place finish.

Thirty-nine cars were entered in the night’s competition, which was taped for later broadcast on the SPEED cable network.

Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., recorded the quickest lap of the time-trial session, rounding the oval in 16.116 seconds. It was his second career fast-time honor on the WoO LMS.

Miller, who led last year’s WoO LMS event at Sharon until the final laps, saw his fortunes go south in the A-Main. He was running sixth on lap 44 when a broken connecting rod bolt in his car’s engine caused him to stop on the homestretch in a cloud of smoke.

Heat winners were Moyer, Matt Miller, Elliott and McCreadie. The B-Mains were captured by Frank and Eckert.

Rain hit the struck minutes after the heat races were completed, delaying the action. The strongest storms initially missed Sharon Speedway, but a heavy downpour did come around 10 p.m. to further delay the program.

With a large crowd and the SPEED television cameras on hand, officials waited out the weather and got the track surface ready for the resumption of competition shortly after midnight. The A-Main was completed an hour-and-a-half later.

The Outlaws’ busy month of July will draw to an end on Tues., July 29, with the rescheduled $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Moran, J. Miller, Richards, Frank, Rhebergen, King, Ferree, Porter, Joe Isabell

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): M. Miller, Clanton, Babb, Francis, Covert, Wright, Lunger, Morell, R. Scott, Supplee

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Elliott, C. Smith, Fuller, Lanigan, Eckert, Blankenship, Satterlee, Jeff Isabell Jr., Coffey, Knight

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): McCreadie, Birkhofer, D. Scott, Davies, Stone, Briggs, Barbara, Beardsley, Horton

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Rhebergen, Wright, Joe Isabell, King, Lunger, Morell, Supplee, Ferree, Porter, Covert (DNS) R. Scott

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Eckert, Stone, Satterlee, Blankenship, Horton, Knight, Beardsley, Coffey, Barbara, Briggs, Jeff Isabell Jr.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 25 - 28 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Rising Star Mike Knight Anxiously Awaiting Sunday Night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At Eriez Speedway

HAMMET, PA – July 26, 2008 – Mike Knight has visions of traveling with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series dancing in his head.

That would explain why the rising young star from Ripley, N.Y., is so excited about the national tour’s visit to Eriez Speedway on Sunday night (July 27) as part of Alltel Ohio Speedweek.

“We definitely would like to work toward running on the road with the Outlaws in a few years,” said Knight, a 21-year-old who ranks among the brightest talents to hit the dirt Late Model scene in recent years. “Our goal is to build our Late Model program to where we can race on a fulltime basis.”

Coming off a 2007 campaign that saw him win his first career Super Late Model points championship at the one-third-mile Eriez Speedway, Knight has increased his family-owned team’s traveling schedule this season. He’s gotten a taste of adapting to different tracks by following most of the Independent Racing Series (IRS).

Knight has turned some roads with his efforts away from home – and the experience has certainly made him even tougher on his own turf. He enters Sunday’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS program with victories in two of the last three features at Eriez, stamping him as arguably the top local challenger for the invading Outlaws stars.

“Everybody here from around town has been stopping by our shop and talking about the Outlaw show at Eriez,” said Knight, who lives just a short drive from the Northeast Pennsylvania track. “They all keep telling us that with the way we’ve been running at Eriez, we just might be able to win on Sunday.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to pull it off against all those great Outlaw drivers, but I’m pretty confident about how our car has been running at Eriez. We’ve been able to run a (high) line that nobody else has been running, so hopefully the track will be the way I like it.

Knight, who is known as ‘Hollywood’ among his buddies, has developed a close relationship with WoO LMS star Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. He’s met several other Outlaws while making selected tour appearances this season – and he hopes that a strong performance on Sunday night will help him earn recognition from all of the traveling stars.

“I think some of the Outlaw guys are starting to realize who we are,” said Knight, who drives a Rocket Chassis machine sponsored by Arrowhead Wine Cellars and Mobilia Fruit Farm. “If we can keep running well and maybe get a real good finish in the Outlaw show at Eriez, hopefully all those guys will say, ‘He’s not too bad.’”

Frank, who counts Eriez as one of the tracks that launched his spectacular career, will lead the WoO LMS contingent into Sunday’s action. Joining him will be 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who won last year’s WoO LMS event at Eriez; defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

With the addition of many other well-known national and regional names drawn to Eriez by Alltel Ohio Speedweek, Sunday’s program promises to feature one of the most talented dirt Late Model fields ever assembled at the track.

Adding more luster to the event, the top-five finishers in Sundays A-Main will become eligible for the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star’ honor. They will join the top-five finishers from the other Speedweek events in a battle for a $10,000 top prize, which goes to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling that begins following Sunday’s event.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Pearson Captures World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Subway 50’ At Eldora Speedway For Second Consecutive Year

ROSSBURG, OH – July 25, 2008 – Earl Pearson Jr. is still the only winner the World of Outlaws Late Model Series has ever known at Eldora Speedway.

The standout driver from Jacksonville, Fla., repeated his triumphant performance in last year’s inaugural tour event at NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s famed half-mile oval, rolling to a flag-to-flag victory in Friday night’s ‘Subway 50.’

This time, however, Pearson didn’t have to survive any last-lap challenges. He surged off the outside pole to assume command at the initial green flag and never looked back, turning back mid-race pressure from Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, en route to his fourth career WoO LMS checkered flag.

“Last year there were cars everywhere in this race and that slide job Shannon Babb gave me (on the final lap) was tough to handle,” said Pearson, who earned $10,150. “This year was just a good race for us. We started off strong and the car just came to me late in the race.”

Pearson, 36, drove his Bobby Labonte Enterprises/LifeLong Locks MasterSbilt car across the finish line 1.820 seconds ahead of Birkhofer, who started 12^th and ran in the runner-up spot for the final 20 laps of a race that was taped by the SPEED television cameras. The event will be broadcast by the cable network on Sat., Aug. 23, at 4 p.m. ET.

Clanton finished third after making several bids for the lead near the halfway mark, while Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., completed the top five. Both Richards and Bloomquist started and finished in the same position.

The top-five finishers became eligible for the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star’ honor. A $10,000 top prize will go to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling that begins at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event, on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

Pearson’s most worrisome moment came on lap 26, when Clanton, who started 11^th but reached second place by the 19^th circuit, used a slider to pull ahead in turn two. But a caution flag moments later for the slowing car driven by Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., negated the move and allowed Pearson to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Luckily the caution came out when Shane Clanton put a run on me,” conceded Pearson. “He was all the way ahead of me, and I don’t know if I would’ve ever got back by him.

“When that happened, I knew I had to go somewhere else and try something different. We started off good right up against the (outside) wall and then we moved down in the mid-part of the race, on the restart I got right back up against the wall and it handled good after that.”

With Pearson going with a harder UMP DIRTcar Hoosier tire compound choice than many of his rivals, the 24-lap green-flag stretch that closed the race was perfect for his setup. He was never threatened while handling lapped traffic with ease.

“Down in (turns) three and four it would just go around that top as pretty as you please,” Pearson said of his machine – the same car that his car owner Bobby Labonte drove in last month’s Old Spice Prelude to the Dream event at Eldora. “It was just a little bit rough on the cushion, but I could just hold it wide open and go.”

Birkhofer, 36, also stuck the nose of his Mars/Birkhofer mount under Pearson, but he couldn’t summon enough speed on the bottom to accomplish a winning pass.

“All I did was speed Earl up,” Birkhofer said of his bids for the lead. “He had more in that car than what he thought.

“I really couldn’t move up there to the top like I needed to. I don’t race the cushion very well, so I stayed on the bottom. I’m happy, though. I got a good feel for what we need here when we come back in September.”

Clanton, 32, saw his hopes effectively dashed when he clipped the backstretch wall on lap 30, ceding second to Birkhofer. The WoO LMS regular spent the remainder of the distance racing with the right-rear spoiler damaged on his RSD Enterprises Rocket and felt fortunate to hold off Richards for third.

“I was trying to run that fine line on the cushion,” said Clanton. “When you’re on that lip and it’s a foot from the wall, it’s a real fine line. I was just driving too hard and got over that lip and hit the wall. It tore the spoiler and tore the nose off.

“I don’t know if I could’ve got (Pearson), but think I could’ve stayed with him if I didn’t mess my car up.”

The 20-year-old Richards climbed as high as second in his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket early in the event, but he put himself in a hole from which he never recovered on a lap-13 restart.

“I should’ve picked the outside (lane) for that restart,” said Richards. “(Donnie) Moran got the jump on me and then a couple other guys put me back to fifth, so I had to drive so hard to catch back up.”

Bloomquist, 45, salvaged a fifth-place finish after a rock poked a hole in his self-built car’s radiator early in the A-Main.

“I had fluid shooting back in my face for almost the whole race,” said Bloomquist, who slipped backward at the start but ran fifth from lap 28 to the finish. “I used up all my tearoffs and the red (temperature) light came on.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill.; WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; 20^th-starter Scott James of Greendale, Ind.; and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who used a provisional and started 23^rd.

Among the race’s casualties were Babb, who was forced to make a pit stop on lap 26 after a broken right-rear wheel cover caused his wheel to pack with mud; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who was knocked from a top-10 spot on lap 23 when his car’s right-rear tire blew up and wrapped around its suspension; and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., who spun in turn four on lap 13 and was involved in a lap-20 tangle with Aaron Scott of Newark, Ohio.

Pearson led all drivers in qualifying, turning a lap of 15.521 seconds. It was his second fast-time honor of the season with the WoO LMS.

Heat winners were Pearson, Bloomquist, Richards and Francis. The B-Mains were captured by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Brian Ruhlman of Clarklake, Mich.

One year after tangling with Frank while bidding for the lead in the first-ever WoO LMS event at Eldora, track owner Stewart returned for another engagement and experienced a very eventful evening.

Driving the Old Spice/Bass Pro Shops No. 20 prepared by the Rocket Chassis team, Stewart was attempting to pass VanWormer for the final transfer spot in the first heat when he ran into the back of the slowing car driven by Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. He returned after a quick pit stop to patch up heavy right-side damage, but another tangle with VanWormer on a restart forced him out.

Stewart fell one spot short of qualifying in the first B-Main after trading slide-jobs with VanWormer. He got a second chance, however, when he won the Alltel Fan’s Choice Provisional, earning the loudest cheer of the five Eldora drivers who were picked for the competition.

Aaron Scott was the runner-up in the Alltel Fan’s Choice voting – and Stewart decided to add him to the A-Main as well as a track provisional. Stewart went on to finish 17^th and Scott was 20^th.

The night’s wildest accident occurred on the opening lap of the second B-Main. Bobby Kitchen of Grove City, Ohio, flipped in the middle of a multi-car tangle on the backstretch, but he emerged from his upside-down racer unhurt.

Alltel Ohio Speedweek continues on Saturday night (July 26) at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, and Sunday night (July 27) at Eriez Speedway.

The Outlaws’ busy month of July will conclude on Tues., July 29, with the rescheduled $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

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

Provisional Starters: C. Smith, Fuller, Blankenship (WoO); Stewart (Alltel Fan Choice); A. Scott (track)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Pearson, McCreadie, Adkins, C. Ruhlman, Noonan, VanWormer, Stewart, Fuller, Blankenship, Baker, Scott, Chinn, Keltner (DNS) Beardsley

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Bloomquist, Moran, Lanigan, Eckert, Frank, Claycomb, Miley, Schlenk, Harper, D. Johnson, Stone, Jameson, Marlar, Rattliff

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, D. Miller, Clanton, B. Smith, B. Ruhlman, M. Miller, Bowersock, Satterlee, Kitchen, C. Smith, Ramey, Isabell, Shaver

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Babb, Birkhofer, Moyer, James, Buckingham, Coffey, Neat, Bland, Schlieper, Maffett, Mayes, Hapka

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Claycomb, VanWormer, Stewart, Blankenship, Miley, Schlenk, Rattliff, Stone, D. Johnson, Chinn, Noonan, Jameson, Beardsley, Fuller, Scott (DNS) Harper, Baker, Keltner, Marlar

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): B. Ruhlman, James, M. Miller, Neat, Bowersock, Shaver, Bland, Schlieper, Satterlee, Ramey, Maffett, Mayes, Buckingham, Hapka, Coffey, Kitchen, C. Smith, Isabell

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 25 - 28 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Makes Fifth Annual Visit To Sharon Speedway For Alltel Ohio Speedweek Date On Saturday Night (July 26)

HARTFORD, OH – July 25, 2008 – It just wouldn’t be a normal World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign without a stop at Sharon Speedway.

One of just four tracks that have hosted a WoO LMS event every year since the tour’s reincarnation in 2004, the three-eighths-mile Buckeye State oval is ready for a fifth annual visit by the nation’s premier dirt Late Model series on Saturday night (July 26). A 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win will highlight the progam.

The WoO LMS will blow into the eastern Ohio facility owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star and former Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Dave Blaney for the third of four programs that comprise Alltel Ohio Speedweek, a multi-day extravaganza of speed that offers exciting opportunities for fans and racers alike.

“Racing at Sharon Speedway in July has become a tradition for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series,” said tour director Tim Christman. “Dave Blaney and his staff have one of the top facilities in the country and everyone with the series always looks forward to our annual visit.”

Perhaps no WoO LMS traveler is more anxious to hit Sharon’s surface than Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who has an unmatched record of success in the track’s WoO LMS competition. A winner of last year’s A-Main, Frank also owns finishes of second (2006) and fifth (2005 and 2004).

“We’re hoping that running at Sharon helps us get back on track,” said Frank, who lives within a couple-hour drive of the speedway. “The place has been really, really good to us in the past, so hopefully we can continue that success.”

Other former WoO LMS victors at Sharon include Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (2006), Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2005) and Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa. (2004). Eckert will be in the field as a WoO LMS regular, while McCreadie and Johnson are expected to make the event part of their special-show schedule.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will drive through Sharon’s pit gate as the WoO LMS points leader – and anyone who thinks Sharon might be a track where he’ll cede some of his advantage is mistaken. The 38-year-old standout owns finishes of fifth (2007) and fourth (2006) in his last two WoO LMS starts there.

Sharon has been a hot-and-cold track for defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who won the opening event of Alltel Ohio Speedweek on Thursday night at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio. Francis has strong runs of third (2005) and fourth (2007), but also has absorbed disappointing finishes of 18^th (2004) and 21^st (2006).

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., meanwhile, has the look of a driver who’s on the verge of a first-ever triumph at Sharon. The 20-year-old sensation finished a strong third at the track in 2006 and charged forward from deep in the field (thanks to a heat-race accident) to finish seventh last year.

Sharon hasn’t been kind to several other WoO LMS travelers, including Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (a sixth in 2007 is his only top-10 finish in four career starts), Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (ninth in 2007 is his lone top-10 in three appearances) and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (no runs better than 16^th in three starts). Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished eighth last year in his only previous appearance at Sharon, while Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., will be making their first-ever dirt Late Model starts at the track.

With the addition of many other well-known national and regional names drawn to Sharon by Alltel Ohio Speedweek, Saturday’s program promises to feature one of the most talented dirt Late Model fields ever assembled at the track.

Drivers expected to challenge the WoO LMS regulars include three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who led last year’s WoO LMS event until being overtaken with five laps remaining by Frank; and David Scott of Garland, Pa.

Adding more luster to the event, the top-five finishers in Sharon’s A-Main will become eligible for the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star’ honor. They will join the top-five finishers from the other Speedweek events in a battle for a $10,000 top prize, which goes to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling that begins at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

Sharon’s pit gates will open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 4 p.m. Time trials are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with racing to follow immediately afterwards.

Adult general admission is $25, with teens (ages 9-13) priced at $10. Pit Admission is $35.

Sharon Speedway is located at the intersection of Routes 7 and 305 in Hartford, Ohio, and is just a short drive from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

For additional information, visit www.sharonspeedway.com or contact Kate at the Speedway office at 330-772-5481.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Francis Breaks Out Of Victory Drought In Alltel Ohio Speedweek Opener At Muskingum County Speedway

ZANESVILLE, OH – July 24, 2008 – Steve Francis let out a giant sigh of relief after capturing the Alltel Ohio Speedweek opener on Thursday night at Muskingum County Speedway.

The ‘Pepsi 40’ victory, after all, snapped a 19-race winless streak for the defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion.

“We needed this like nobody knows,” said Francis, whose only previous WoO LMS triumph this season came on April 19 in the Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. “We’ve just been off for awhile – making dumb decisions, missing stupid things. We finally were able to put it all together tonight.”

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., was the class of the field in the first-ever WoO LMS event at Ronnie Moran’s three-eighths-mile oval. He steered his Dale Beitler-owned Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket car forward from the fifth starting spot to take the lead from Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., on lap 14 and was never threatened thereafter.

A caution flag for a multi-car tangle on lap 35 gave Francis some pause since it put the hard-charging, 18^th-starting Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., on his rear bumper, but he easily glided away on the restart to defeat the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year by nearly a half-straightaway margin.

“The car was real good tonight from the start, like it was on a rail,” said Francis, who earned $7,150 for his first touring-series victory at Muskingum County since a UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series score in 2003. “I was just able to drive into the corner and stick to the bottom like we were on glue.

“Tires could’ve been an advantage for us tonight – they definitely performed flawless, there’s no doubt about that,” he added, singling out his American Racer rubber. “But more than anything, we really got our car good again. It was kind of a combination of the two – when the two come together, it’s a good night.”

Pearson settled for a third-place finish after leading laps 12-13 in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Bobby Labonte’s LifeLong Locks MasterSbilt car. He went with a “safer” Hoosier Tire choice than Francis and Fuller and couldn’t quite match their speed.

WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., advanced from the seventh starting spot to take fourth in the GottaRace.com Rocket – his 17^th top-five finish in the last 18 tour events – and polesitter Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., placed fifth in the Cosgrove Racing Rocket. Lanigan overtook Shaver for fourth with just four laps remaining and extended his points lead to 120 points over 13^th-place finisher Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who started fourth but faded dramatically as a result of an incorrect tire-compound choice.

Shaver collected the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash 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 tour points standings.

The top-five finishers became the first drivers eligible for the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star’ honor. A $10,000 top prize will go to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling that begins at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

Fuller, 40, appeared to be the only driver capable of stopping Francis from reaching Victory Lane, but his stirring drive through the pack in the Gypsum Express Rocket following a B-Main victory stalled at second place.

A two-time winner on the recent WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour,’ Fuller reached the runner-up spot on lap 32 without the benefit of a caution flag after one for an opening-lap spin between turns three and four by Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. His full straightaway deficit to Francis was wiped out by a lap-35 caution flag, but he was unable to take advantage of the break on the restart.

“If that caution period had lasted a couple less laps, then maybe I would have had a shot at Francis,” said Fuller, who made his first-ever start at Muskingum County. “But he was just real good. That car of his was hooked. I know, because I had a front-row seat to see it.

“We just picked the right tire tonight – that’s it in a nutshell,” added Fuller, who went with a harder tire (a Hoosier UMP 40-compound) on his car’s right-rear corner. “I had nothing to lose starting so far back, so we gambled with our tire choice and it worked.”

Fuller’s tire selection was on Francis’s mind during the race’s final caution period, which was triggered by an incident between turns three and four that involved Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio.

“I knew what tire Fuller had on and I knew he was second,” said Francis. “That did worry me because I knew he had gone harder than everybody else. I thought he might be able to come at me right there at the end.”

A challenge from Fuller never materialized, however, and Francis cruised to his 16^th career WoO LMS victory. He’s now tied with Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., for the status of the tour’s winningest driver since 2004.

“Hopefully we can get on a little bit of a roll now,” said Francis. “This is about the time last year that I started on my roll, so we’ll try to build on this to do it again.

“I think Lanigan might be too far ahead this year (in the points standings) for us to win the championship again, but there’s still second place (on the WoO LMS) and there’s still a lot of money to win in big races. We’re concentrating on getting our cars to where we want them for Lernerville (Speedway’s $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 on July 29) and other big races coming up.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, whose father owns and operates Muskingum County Speedway; Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, who drove over the track’s berm to avoid the lap-35 accident; Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., who faded after leading laps 1-12; Marlar; and Shane McLoughlin of Nashport, Ohio.

Among the early retirees was Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was working his way forward from the 19^th starting spot when a broken panhard bar mount eliminated him on lap 35. He fell to fourth in the WoO LMS points standings behind Francis thanks to the DNF.

Blair was quickest in time trials, turning a lap of 16.955 seconds. He earned a $100 prize from promoter Ronnie Moran for his third career WoO LMS fast-time honor.

Heat winners were Blair, Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., and Lanigan. Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Fuller captured the B-Mains.

Doug Dodd of Cambridge, Ohio, suffered a heartbreaking fate on the last lap of the first heat race when he slipped off the track in turn one while leading. But he later received a pick-me-up from the crowd, which put him into the A-Main starting field as an Alltel/Track provisional by giving him the loudest cheer of five local non-qualifiers who were brought to the homestretch following the B-Mains.

Alltel Ohio Speedweek continues on Friday night (July 25) at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, with the ‘Subway 50’ paying $10,000 to win. NASCAR Sprint Cup star and Eldora owner Tony Stewart will drive his Old Spice/Bass Pro Shops Rocket No. 20 in the event.

The swing also includes stops on Saturday night (July 26) at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, and Sunday night (July 27) at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The Outlaws’ busy month of July will conclude on Tues., July 29, with the rescheduled $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Pepsi 40’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Blair, Moran, Conley, M. Miller, Frank, Blankenship, Balzano, Parker, Fritter, Banal, Jeff Isabell Jr., Beaschler, Dodd

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Shaver, Babb, Hartman, C. Smith, Aukland, Miley, Markham, Bates, Scott, Hapka (DNS) Joe Isabell

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Carrier, Pearson, Marlar, Eckert, Satterlee, McLoughlin, Noonan, Burdette, Hutchison, Clewell, Ramey, Beardsley

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Francis, Clanton, Elson, Coffey, Fuller, D. Johnson, B. Smith, Stone, Devoll, Boyd (DNS) Drown

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): C. Smith, Frank, Aukland, Blankenship, Dodd, Balzano, Fritter, Miley, Parker, Joe Isabell, Markham, Beaschler, Bates, Scott, Banal, Hapka (DNS) Jeff Isabell Jr.

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Fuller, Coffey, McLoughlin, D. Johnson, Stone, Noonon, Burdette, Clewell, Boyd, Hutchison, Ramey, Beardsley, Satterlee, B. Smith (DNS) Drown

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 24 - 27 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner

One Year After Wild Late-Race Tangle, ‘Chubzilla’ & Tony Stewart Return To Eldora Speedway On Friday Night (July 25) For Another ‘Subway 50’ Battle

ROSSBURG, OH – July 24, 2008 – Last year dirt Late Model standout Chub Frank and NASCAR Sprint Cup star Tony Stewart battled for the lead in the ‘Subway 50’ at Eldora Speedway and neither of them emerged as a winner.

The rematch comes this Friday night (July 25) when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series Alltel Ohio Speedweek visits Stewart’s famed half-mile oval. Will one of the hard chargers gain a dose of redemption?

Frank, 46, of Bear Lake, Pa., would certainly relish the opportunity to finish the job in WoO LMS competition at Eldora. The former World 100 winner, after all, was leading last year’s Subway 50 with 10 laps remaining when Stewart’s attempt to grab the top spot with a ‘slider’ in turn four resulted in both drivers spinning into the homestretch wall and out of contention.

Though Frank professes that he long ago put the controversial incident in his rearview mirror, it’s clear that he hasn’t totally forgotten the tangle when someone asks him a simple question: “If Tony Stewart is leading coming out of turn four for the checkered flag this year and you’re alongside him, who’s going to win?”

“The guy that’s running in third place,” Frank quipped with a devilish smile crossing his face.

A veteran racer who enjoys throwing verbal darts to stir the pot, Frank tossed out another one when discussing the likelihood of a second showdown with Stewart on Friday night. Stewart will be there to drive his Old Spice/Bass Pro Shops Rocket No. 20 against the Outlaws after completing his afternoon NASCAR commitments at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“It’s not gonna be the same racetrack as last year so I don’t think Stewart is gonna be anywhere near us,” Frank said with another sly grin on his lips. “It just isn’t gonna happen like it did last year – the rain last year is what got us together where we were at.

“I don’t think there’s gonna be any issues between us. Everybody would just like it to be an issue, but it just isn’t gonna be.”

Stewart, who won the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream on June 4 in his last dirt Late Model start at Eldora, and Frank have talked since the incident left both sulking over their fates. That discussion came less than a month after the tangle, when they competed against each other in a special NASCAR Night event at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

“(Ken) Schrader was a needler that night,” said Frank, who fielded a dirt Late Model for Schrader at Lernerville. “He was busting Tony’s balls pretty good about our Eldora deal all night.

“At the time (the tangle happened) I was a little upset, but I just moved on to the next race. It’s over and done with. I’ve lost more than the $10,000 that race paid, so I don’t worry about it.”

Frank, who rallied to finish seventh in last year’s WoO LMS event at Eldora despite racing the final circuits with his car’s rear clip bent, said he’ll be more prepared for any potential Stewart assault this year.

“I had never really raced him (before last year’s WoO LMS show at Eldora) so I didn’t know how he raced,” said Frank. “I should’ve known he was going to do everything he could to win the race. That’s all he was there for – to win the race.

“Trust me, if we’re out of the (WoO LMS) point race, I’d be racing the same way. Sometimes when you’re points racing you go for the win, but you might not do crazy things to try to win it.

“Now I know how he races, so it’s not a problem. I don’t plan to be anywhere near him (on Friday), but if we are, we’ll race him just as hard as he races us.”

Frank and Stewart will face plenty of competition in the Subway 50, which promises to boast one of the most talented fields of any WoO LMS event this season.

The all-star roster of WoO LMS regulars will include Frank; defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who nearly made a dramatic run from the rear to win last year’s Subway 50; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who captured back-to-back tour wins last week in Williston, N.D., and Gillette, Wyo.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who is coming off his first WoO LMS victory of the season in the ‘Wild West Tour’ finale on July 21 in Albion, Neb.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

Also expected to compete are former WoO LMS champions Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., who won last year’s scintillating Subway 50; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.

Gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m., with hot laps set for 6:30 p.m. and racing for 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for ages 16-and-over, $12 for ages 12-15, $6 for ages 7-11 and free for kids 6-and-under. Pit passes will cost $30.

For more information on the Subway 50, visit www.eldoraspeedway.com or call 937-338-3815.

The WoO LMS Alltel Ohio Speedweek will also make stops on July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 26 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The top five finishers each night of Alltel Ohio Speedweek will qualify to become the ‘Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star,’ making a possible 20 different drivers eligible for the title. Voting for the drivers will begin online at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event July 27 at Eriez Speedway.

Alltel will have an interactive display at each Speedweek event which fans can visit to meet WoO LMS drivers and receive hero cards and posters.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Heads To Donnie Moran’s House On Thursday (July 24) To Start Alltel Ohio Speedweek At Muskingum County Speedway

ZANESVILLE, OH – July 23, 2008 – The Million Dollar Man is waiting for the Outlaws.

When the World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes a first-ever visit to Muskingum County Speedway on Thursday night (July 24) to kick off Alltel Ohio Speedweek, dirt-track legend Donnie Moran will enjoy a true hometrack advantage.

“Just because it’s a family-owned racetrack doesn’t mean a thing,” said Moran, a 45-year-old veteran whose Dresden, Ohio, home sits within walking distance of Muskingum County Speedway. “The Outlaws have a bunch of guys who can win anytime, any place, anywhere, so it doesn’t matter how much experience I have at Muskingum.”

The three-eighths-mile oval has been owned by Moran’s father, Ronnie Moran, since 1980. The elder Moran leased the facility to several different promoters during the ‘80s, but he’s operated it himself since 1992 when he shortened the track from a half-mile to its present length and reopened it following a short period of dormancy.

Not surprisingly, Donnie Moran has come to know Muskingum County Speedway unlike any other track. He’s “made that walk up the hill” from his house to the track countless times over the years, and he’s been winning traveling series events there since 1985, when he captured a feature with the defunct All-Star Circuit of Champions Series. In all, he’s won 11 touring programs at the track, including races with the UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series, STARS/Renegade Series and Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS).

Moran, who also holds his dirt Late Model driving school at the track, scored his last victory at Muskingum County just days ago, on July 19 when he tuned up for the WoO LMS invasion by winning a regular 20-lap feature.

“I’d like to say that win on Saturday night means I’m ready for the Outlaw show,” said Moran, who fields his own MasterSbilt cars. “But when you run against the kind of competition that follows the World of Outlaws, you’re never ready.”

Of course, Moran, who this season has backed off his normal busy traveling schedule to focus on well-paying events closer to home, is anxious to take on the WoO LMS regulars in his backyard. The 40-lap, $7,000-to-win A-Main will be one of the biggest, most talent-laden races in Muskingum County’s history.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Moran, whose three career WoO LMS wins include one in last year’s Vault Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and two during the first incarnation of the tour (1988-1989). “Muskingum is a track where you’ll see plenty of two-, three- and even four-wide racing, with some guys hanging their right-rears over the outside edge and some guys hugging up to the bottom. It makes for a great show.

“There’s a lot of interest around here about the Outlaws coming to town. I hope it’s the start of a long-running tradition at Muskingum.”

Among the WoO LMS regulars whom Moran will battle are defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. Both drivers have won touring-series events at Muskingum County in the past – Francis in 2003 (UDTRA/Xtreme) and 1997 (STARS/Renegade), and Eckert in 2001 (UDTRA/Xtreme).

Moran singled out WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., as being high on his list of Outlaws drivers to watch on Thursday night. Lanigan is on a run of 16 top-five finishes in his last 17 A-Mains, while Richards sits second in the points standings and is tied with Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., for the tour’s 2008 win lead with four victories to his credit.

Other WoO LMS regulars headed for Muskingum County after spending nearly two weeks (July 9-21) running the ‘Wild West Tour’ are 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who captured back-to-back tour wins last week in Williston, N.D., and Gillette, Wyo.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who is coming off his first victory of the season in the ‘Wild West Tour’ finale on July 21 in Albion, Neb.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

The Muskingum County field is also expected to include a host of other well-known national and regional names, including 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series titlist Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, who won STARS/Renegade Series events at Muskingum County in the past; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., another former STARS/Renegade winner at MCS; and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who won back-to-back WoO LMS A-Mains during the ‘Wild West Tour.’

MCS’s pits gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and the spectator gates at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Racing is set to begin at 7 p.m.

General admission is $23, with kids 6-11 admitted for $5 and children 5-and-under free of charge. Reserved seats are an additional $5, and pit passes will be $40.

For more information, visit www.mcspeedway.20m.com or call 740-754-9199 (track) or 740-763-3991 (office).

Alltel Ohio Speedweek will also pay visits on July 25 to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 to Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The top five finishers each night of Alltel Ohio Speedway will qualify to become the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star, making a possible 20 different drivers eligible for the title. Voting will begin online at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event July 27 from Eriez Speedway, and fans each night will receive hero cards and posters.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Clanton Finally Breaks Through In World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ Finale At Nebraska’s Boone County Raceway

ALBION, NE – July 21, 2008 – Nothing was going to stop Shane Clanton from finally breaking into Victory Lane on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series in the ‘Wild West Tour’ finale at Boone County Raceway.

Not the series points leader. Not lapped traffic. And certainly not an overheating engine.

Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., fought through all the obstacles to score a very satisfying win in Monday night’s 50-lap A-Main at the three-eighths-mile Nebraska oval.

“Finally!” Clanton exclaimed after becoming the last driver ranked among the top nine in the WoO LMS points standings to score a win this season. “We’ve been close so many times this year but just couldn’t get the job done, so it feels good to win again – real good.”

After crossing the finish line 1.249 seconds ahead of Muscatine, Iowa’s Brian Birkhofer, Clanton celebrated his first WoO LMS triumph since July 20, 2007, at Virginia Motor Speedway – a winless stretch of 42 races. It was his seventh career win on the tour.

Points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finished third after leading laps 1-13, polesitter Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., placed fourth and eighth-starter Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished fifth. Lanigan, who started second, passed Francis for third on lap 48 after the trio of WoO LMS regulars – all driving Rocket cars – battled for position throughout the race’s late stages.

While Clanton swept the night (he also set fast time and won a heat race) and dominated the action after passing Darrell Lanigan for the lead on lap 14, he experienced plenty of anxious moments.

No problem was more worrisome to Clanton than the steaming engine he battled for the race’s final circuits.

“I thought our luck was gonna bite us again,” said Clanton, who started fifth in his RSD Enterprises Rocket car. “With 10 laps to go I started puking water again (out of the powerplant) like I did in the heat race. The water started covering me up, and I thought we were gonna have to pull in when I saw the temperature (gauge) get up to 220, 230 (degrees).

“The last two laps it got to 240, but it was two laps to go. What do you do at that point? You gotta go for it. If that motor didn’t break to pieces, I was gonna win it.

“It’s time for the motor to go back (to Custom) anyway,” he added, “so we’ll just put a new one and send this one back to get freshened.”

Clanton, who used the track’s outside line to sweep by Francis and Lanigan in a four-lap span, used the top side to preserve his winning run. When the slower cars driven by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and John Kaanta of Elk Mound, Wis., dulled Clanton’s momentum enough to let Birkhofer draw within striking distance with less than five laps remaining, the standout racer known as ‘Coconut’ tossed his No. 25 around the outside of turns one and two on lap 47 and disposed of both potential nuisances.

“I finally said, ‘I can’t ride behind these guys no more,’” remarked Clanton, who earned $10,150. “I thought they (his pursuers) were probably catching me because I was getting held up, and I was thinking, ‘If they slide me the last two laps and cost me this race, I’m gonna be mad.’

“So I just got back up on the wheel and drove by them in one and two. I drove it harder than I had all night and cleared them, and then I felt like I was in pretty good shape.”

Clanton’s hard charge effectively ended Birkhofer’s hopes of pulling off a dramatic victory.

“He was better running the top than me,” Birkhofer said of Clanton, “and when he got by those two lapped cars in one shot, that was it for me. My only shot was to get him in traffic.

“I’m just happy we got close to him,” added Birkhofer, who started third in his Mars/Birkhofer car but didn’t reach second place until lap 28. “After that caution (the race’s only slowdown, on lap 27 for the disabled car of Leicester, N.Y.’s Vic Coffey) it felt like my rear tires gave up. They just weren’t jiving with each other the rest of the race.”

The show simply belonged to Clanton, who took an immediate liking to Boone County Raceway.

“I love the racetrack,” said Clanton, whose chief mechanic, Mark ‘Head’ Lloyd, was named the Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race. “This is probably the closest I could get to Talladega (Short Track in Alabama), which is a place I always seem to go good at.

“I thought, ‘Talladega’ as soon as I pulled in and looked at this place. The size of the corners, the way the banking is – it reminds me of Talladega. Talladega has red clay and this place has black dirt, but if you have a good car, the surface don’t matter.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who started 10^th; John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash 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 tour points standings; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who started 18^th; and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who slipped by Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for the 10^th spot in the final laps.

Thirty-three cars were signed in for the first WoO LMS event in Nebraska since May 14, 2004, when the tour visited Eagle Raceway. A big crowd also filled the historic covered grandstand at the track, which was operating in conjunction with the Boone County Fair.

Clanton ripped around the oval in 15.062 seconds during qualifying to register his third fast-time honor of the season.

Heat winners were Clanton, Birkhofer, Anderson and Andrew McKay of Edina, Minn. The B-Mains were captured by Chris Simpson of Oxford, Iowa, and Eckert.

Blankenship had his car’s motor expire during hot laps, forcing him to miss qualifying action while a spare powerplant was installed. The WoO LMs regular used a provisional spot to start the A-Main.

With the ‘Wild West Tour’ complete, the WoO LMS travelers have two days to travel nearly 1,000 miles east to Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, for the start of Alltel Ohio Speedweek on Thursday night (July 24). The swing also includes stops on Fri., July 25, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; Sat., July 26, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and Sun., July 27, at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The Outlaws’ busy month of July will conclude on Tues., July 29, with the rescheduled $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Babb, Richards, Coffey, D. Johnson, Mike Collins, Osborne, Coover (DNS) Blankenship

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Birkhofer, Kaanta, Fuller, Isabell, Simpson, Berck, J. Johnson

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Anderson, Francis, Frank, Grady, Eckert, Heckenast, Hapka, Cardy, Wiarda

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): McKay, Lanigan, C. Smith, Beardsley, Eckrich, Schaller, Kosiski, Mollee Collins

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Simpson, D. Johnson, Berck, Mike Collins, J. Johnson, Osborne, Cardy, Coover (DNS) Blankenship

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Eckert, Heckenast, Eckrich, Kosiski, Wiarda, Schaller, Hapka, Mollee Collins

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 21 – 26 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Belleville High Banks Crowd Cheers Adopted Son Kelly Boen To First Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory

BELLEVILLE, KS – July 20, 2008 – After Kelly Boen drove to his first career World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory on Sunday night at the Belleville High Banks, there was no doubt that he’s the favorite adopted son of the tiny Kansas town.

Boen, 44, of Henderson, Colo., simply lit up the famed half-mile oval’s fans with a performance for the ages.

“These race fans here have always been so good to me over the years,” said Boen, who has been the most prolific dirt Late Model winner at Belleville for the past decade despite living nearly 450 miles from the historic track. “A lot of these people have been waiting a long time for a night like this from me. I’ve under-produced here the last couple years when the big races come, so I finally got to pay back all these people who have been watching me for so long.

An excited crowd of Belleville faithful swallowed up Boen following the 35-lap A-Main, which Boen captured by 0.538 of a second over WoO LMS star Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. He inherited the lead on lap 13 when Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., slowed with mechanical trouble and controlled the remainder of the distance on the blazing-fast speedway.

WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finished third, followed by Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.

“This has been a long time coming,” said an emotional Boen while receiving congratulatory handshakes and hugs as he stood on the homestretch of the High Banks following the Victory Lane ceremonies. “It’s kind of like a lifelong dream fulfilled to win a World of Outlaws race.

“This is the biggest race I’ve ever won, and it means a lot more to me to win it at Belleville. I just love this place.”

There’s no racetrack that gets Boen’s juices flowing more than the historic High Banks.

“This is my favorite racetrack,” said Boen, who received the loudest cheers of the night whenever he was introduced. “You can’t really race here every weekend because the car takes so much abuse and you’d wear out too much stuff, but when you get a lot of people together on a special night like this, then this is the only place to be.”

Boen, who finished seventh in last year’s inaugural WoO LMS event at Belleville, started fourth in his Jay Dickens-powered Rocket car. He reached second behind Richards on lap five when he slid ahead of Frank in turn two and then cooled his jets to save his equipment for a later assault.

“I might’ve been just a little quicker than Josh,” analyzed Boen. “But we were really about the same speed, so I figured I’d settle in for about 15 or 20 laps and let it shake out because there’s no sense in trying to go crazy and run the right-rear (tire) off early.”

Boen never had to test himself against Richards, who slowed on lap 13 when his Rocket car’s rearend broke to bring out the race’s second and final caution flag. He was never seriously challenged during the 22-lap green-flag run that closed the race, although Frank did draw within several car lengths on the last lap thanks to some lapped traffic that slowed Boen’s pace.

“After Josh broke, I was really focused on trying not to make any mistakes the rest of the race,” said Boen, whose head mechanic, Doug Hoffman, received the $50 Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race Award. “The car got tight and that kinda made it interesting a few times – sometimes the right-front would stay under me, and sometimes it would drift up and I’d have to brake to get it back.

Boen’s triumph – worth $10,650, including the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who had never previously won a WoO LMS A-Main and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings – came after he spent much of the past week racing with the Outlaws on the ‘Wild West Tour.’ He asserted that his stint on the WoO LMS road, which included a then career-best finish of fourth on July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., played a big role in his breakthrough at Belleville.

“These Outlaw guys raced me hard all week and taught me a lot,” said Boen. “I couldn’t have won this race without the help that so many of these guys gave me.

“The guys from Rocket are so good to me. Brian (Daugherty) from Integra Shocks has helped me so much. (Tim) Fuller helped me. Clint Smith is such a good guy and helps me all the time. Rick Eckert even helped me out right before the feature tonight – I don’t think I would’ve won this race if Rick didn’t get me to change my right-front tire and go with a hard one at the last minute.

“I can’t thank everybody enough,” concluded Boen, who arrived at Belleville hot off a Friday-Saturday sweep of an NCRA program at Mid-Nebraska Speedway in Doniphan, Neb.

Frank, 46, started from the pole position, but Richards was faster off the outside at the initial green flag and grabbed the lead. Boen snared second place several circuits later with a ‘slider’ that Frank said “about wrecked us both” – and then the Keystone State veteran decided to get conservative.

“I tried to take it easy when I was running second,” said Frank, who drove his Lester Buildings Rocket car. “I got off the gas a little bit to let (the engine) breathe.

“Right there at the end Kelly got hung up behind a lapped car, though, so I started pushing it pretty hard. I knew that was my only shot, but it probably would’ve been ugly if we got close and ran side-by-side so I’m happy with a second.”

Lanigan, meanwhile, was in a good mood after surviving the treacherous High Banks in his GottaRace.com Rocket. He slipped by Pearson for the position on lap 15 and ran alone for the much of the remaining distance.

“I’m real happy to get out of here with a third,” said the fifth-starting Lanigan, who rolled up his 16^th top-five finish in the last 17 events. “Whenever you run wide-open for 35 laps, you just hope nothing breaks.”

Pearson tied the existing dirt Late Model track record with a lap of 16.187 seconds (111.200 mph) in time trials and won a heat race, but drawing the sixth starting spot doomed him. He climbed as high as third but struggled when running his LifeLong Locks/Bobby Labonte Racing MasterSbilt car in close quarters.

“When you get behind someone on a high-speed track like this the air gets up under your car and the front end gets real light, like a jack is underneath it,” said Pearson. “That’s not a feeling you like to have going in the corner.”

Babb made some high-side moves on the race’s two restarts to hustle forward from the eighth starting spot for a fifth-place finish in his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket. The run came after he scored his second WoO LMS win of the season on Friday night at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.

“We were a little off on gear early in the night so we kept putting more to it,” said Babb, who spent the closing laps in a tight battle with Pearson and sixth-place finisher Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. “The track slicked off a little in the feature, though, and that made the motor turned a few too many RPMs and got a little too tight.

“I’m happy that we came out of here with a good finish. Last year we had to change a motor here and were way off in the feature.”

Finishing in positions 7-10 were Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who charged from the rear after pitting on lap one to change a left-rear tire that was cut from contact with another car in turn two; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who wasn’t a factor after winning last year’s WoO LMS event at Belleville; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.., who faded from the third starting spot with a loose car; and top-finishing rookie Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.

The 20-year-old Richards finished 15^th after running around the track at reduced speed for the final 22 laps due to his mechanical woes. He was seven laps down at the checkered flag – the first time this season that he did not complete the entire distance of a WoO LMS A-Main

“We put a brand-new rear in the car just for tonight and it broke,” said Richards, who remained second in the WoO LMS points standings but fell to 86 points behind Lanigan. “I don’t know if we would have won it, but when I was out front I wasn’t even running hard. It was just so easy to drive.”

Pearson’s blazing lap of 16.187 seconds in time trials precisely matched the one-lap standard established by Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., on June 17, 2007.

Heat winners were Pearson, Boen and Eckert, and Dean Moore of Grand Junction, Colo., captured the B-Main.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ concludes on Monday night (July 21) with a first-ever visit to Boone County Speedway in Albion, Neb.

Results of WoO Late Model Series at Belleville High Banks (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (8 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Pearson, Frank, Clanton, Blankenship, Purkey, Conkwright, Moore, Hapka, Kinderknecht, Petrie

Heat No. 2 (8 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Boen, Lanigan, Babb, Fuller, Anderson, D. Johnson, Beardsley, Wiarda, Foster (DNS) Law

Heat No. 3 (8 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Eckert, Richards, C. Smith, Fuller, Coffey, Isabell, Kuchar, Koons, Dunn

B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Moore, Beardsley, Kinderknecht, Kuchar, Koons, Wiarda, Petrie, Law, Foster (DNS) Hapka, Dunn

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 20 – 25 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Pennsylvania’s Chub Frank Will Be Focus Of Special Lester Buildings Promotion On Monday Night (July 21) At Nebraska’s Boone County Raceway

Pennsylvania Star’s Fans Have Chance To Win Valuable Prizes At World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event

ALBION, NE – July 20, 2008 – Chub Frank lives nearly 1,100 miles from Boone County Raceway, but the veteran driver will be a featured attraction when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series visits the three-eighths-mile Nebraska track on Monday night (July 21).

On an evening that will close the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ with a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Main, Frank’s primary sponsor, Lester Buildings, will reach out to the star racer’s fans by beginning a multi-event, prize-filled promotion.

Fans will have an opportunity to stop by the Lester Buildings display in the Boone County Raceway spectator area on Monday night to meet Frank, obtain free ‘Chubzilla’/Lester posters, inquire about special discounts on Lester Buildings orders and enter free drawings to win valuable prizes, including BP gas cards and Chub Frank items.

With interest in the first-ever WoO LMS event at Boone County Raceway running sky-high and the annual Boone County Fair operating simultaneously on the grounds, the Chub Frank/Lester Buildings promotion will add even more luster to an exciting program.

“We really appreciate Chub’s passion, professionalism and his consistent high

performance level,” said Lester Buildings Marketing Director Tom Borgman. “We couldn’t ask for a better spokesperson and look forward to solidifying our relationship with him and this growing grassroots sport.

“With that in mind, we thought it was high time that we did something special for Chub’s legion of fans, so that’s why we’re offering this special promotion at selected events throughout the remaining 2008 schedule.”

Frank, 46, is well known as one of the most popular dirt Late Model drivers in the nation. A regular on the WoO LMS since 2004, he’s carried sponsorship from the Lester Prairie, Minn.-based Lester Buildings for several seasons.

“I’m proud to be associated with a company like Lester Buildings that keeps the fans in mind,” said Frank, who enters Monday’s event in the thick of the 2008 WoO LMS points title battle. “We always try to talk with the fans and sign autographs at all the tracks we visit on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series because they’re the ones who make it possible for guys like me to do what I do for a living, so I think it’s great that they’re going to have a chance to win some prizes at Boone County.

“I’ve only raced in Nebraska once before (a fifth-place finish in the WoO LMS event on May 14, 2004, at Eagle Raceway), so I’m hoping we pick up some more fans with this promotion. I’ll enjoy the night even more if we can pull off a win in our first time racing at Boone County.”

Frank will make himself available at the Lester Buildings display to meet fans and sign autographs for one hour before the start of the night’s racing action. A winner in WoO LMS competition in the Midwest earlier this year at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, Frank will also pick the names of 10 contest winners during the draw for A-Main starting spots that will be held on the track’s homestretch after the heat races.

Three ‘Grand Prizes’ – BP gas cards worth $500, $250 and $100 – will be awarded to fans. Three second-prize winners will receive 1/24^th-scale diecasts models of Frank’s familiar No. 1* dirt Late Model, and five third-prize winners will receive Chub Frank Racing caps.

Lester Buildings will continue its special Chub Frank promotion in the coming months. Identical contests will be held at Lester Buildings displays during WoO LMS events on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.; Aug. 30-31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. (Oil Region Labor Day Classic); and Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (Vault Outlaws World Finals).

Frank will lead an all-star roster of WoO LMS drivers to Boone County Raceway on Monday night. He’ll be joined by defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

Other standouts who plan to join the field at Boone County include Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who won the opening event of the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ on July 9 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Kyle Berck of Marquette, Neb.; John Anderson of Omaha, Neb.; and Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D., who has followed the entire ‘Wild West Tour’ schedule.

Clint Smith Ready To Chase Another World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory At Blazing-Fast Belleville High Banks On Sunday Night (July 20)

BELLEVILLE, KS – July 19, 2008 – 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. (10^th); Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (13^th); Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (16^th); and 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (18^th).

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.

Babb Back On Track After Friday-Night World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory At South Dakota’s Brown County Speedway

ABERDEEN, SD – July 18, 2008 – 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.

“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 34^th 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 48^th 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):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Francis, Richards, Lanigan, McNeil, Gelling, Bitz (DNS) Halverson, Williamson

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Frank, C. Smith, Blankenship, Arment, Fritzsche, Winge, Johanneck, Chenoweth

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Eckert, Mars, Coffey, Purkey, Hapka, McDonald, Beardsley, Mueller

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Joe Isabell, Becker, Malsam, Weisgram, Peterson, Jeff Isabell Jr., Fuller

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Gelling, Fritzsche, Johanneck, Williamson, Halverson, McNeil, Winge (DNS) Bitz, Chenoweth

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Hapka, Beardsley, Weisgram, McDonald, Peterson, Mueller (DNS) Jeff Isabell Jr., Fuller

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 18 – 24 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Fuller’s Second Straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Comes Over Mars In Thrilling ‘Cowboy 50’ At Gillette Thunder Speedway

GILLETTE, WY – July 16, 2008 – 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 13^th 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 16^th (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 11^th lap to reach the top five – and with Richards finishing 13^th, 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 15^th 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):

Lap Leaders: Fuller (1-39); Mars (40); Fuller (41); Mars (42-48); Fuller (49-50)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Mars, Babb, Lanigan, Boen, Weiss, Winge, Schmer, Robertson

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Frank, Mass, Waldo, Stadel, Henrikson, Sheesley, Renken, Jeff Isabell Jr.

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Blankenship, Kirchoff, Francis, Beardsley, Joe Isabell, McKenney, Horn, Eckert, Botts

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): C. Smith, Richards, Coffey, Purkey, Bey, Hapka, Hample, Oberle, Rosorelli

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top Transfer): Boen, Weiss, Stadel, Winge, Jeff Isabell Jr., Henrikson, Sheesley, Renken, Robertson, Schmer

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top Transfer): Bey, Eckert, Joe Isabell, Hapka, McKenney, Horn, Oberle, Botts, Hample, Rosorelli

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 16 – 23 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series 50 On Wednesday Night (July 16) At Gillette Thunder Speedway Provides Colorado’s Kelly Boen Another Chance To Visit With Relatives

GILLETTE, WY – July 15, 2008 – The first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Gillette Thunder Speedway on Wednesday night (July 16) presents an interesting opportunity for Henderson, Colo.’s Kelly Boen.

Boen, 44, will have some extra incentive when he takes to the one-third-mile track for the 50-lap A-Main that pays $10,000 to win. He’ll be performing in front of relatives he doesn’t get to see very often.

“I have an uncle and a great-uncle who live in Gillette,” said Boen, a standout racer who makes selected appearances on the WoO LMS each season. “I’m excited to go run there so they’ll have a chance to see me race.”

Boen, 44, last competed at his uncles’ hometown facility last year in a Colorado Late Model Association event. He finished second in the feature to Eddie Kirchoff, a Gillette resident whose father, Ed, operates the track.

That single visit gives Boen more experience at Gillette Thunder Speedway than any of the invading WoO LMS drivers, who will all lay eyes on the track for the first time on Wednesday night. He doesn’t expect his limited knowledge of the track to give him any special advantage, however.

“Not against these World of Outlaws guys,” said Boen. “They’ve seen so many tracks, it won’t take them long at all to figure out a new one.”

In fact, Boen suggested that Gillette is much like a track that the WoO LMS travelers already visited one week ago at the start of their ‘Wild West Tour.’

“I think it’s a little similar to Deer Creek (Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., which hosted the WoO LMS on July 9),” Boen said of Gillette Thunder Speedway. “It’s a pretty racy track.”

The event at Gillette Thunder, which is located about 335 miles due north of Boen’s home outside Denver, will continue Boen’s busy stretch of racing with the WoO LMS – and with his relatives in attendance. He joined the ‘Wild West Tour’ last Friday night (July 11) at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., and entered the ensuing shows on Saturday at Estevan (Sask.) Motor Speedway and Sunday at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D.

Boen had the ‘Wild West Tour’ red-circled on his calendar as soon as the WoO LMS scheduled was released. That’s because he not only has family members in Gillette, but also in North Dakota.

“My grandmother lives about 35 minutes from Estevan in Columbus (N.D.),” said Boen, who was born in Powers Lake, N.D., just south of the Canadian border in the western portion of the state. “I have second-cousins in the Fargo area (near River Cities Speedway) and I have cousins in Williston too, so running this ‘Wild West Tour’ is like a family reunion for me.”

Boen has had his own cheering section at each of his stops on the WoO LMS swing. His 89-year-old even came out to attend Sunday night’s program at Williston Basin Speedway – just the second time she had ever seen her grandson in action during his racing career. The only other event she had attended to watch Boen was nearly a decade ago when he ran an open-wheel Modified at Williston Basin.

Boen entered the stretch of racing with one thought on his mind: “I hope I’m competitive and don’t disappoint all my relatives who come to see me.”

The veteran racer certainly produced for his kin at River Cities, placing fourth in the 50-lap A-Main to record a career-best finish on the WoO LMS. An opening-lap accident knocked him out of Estevan’s feature before he could even warm his tires, but he repaired his car and finished 11^th on Sunday at Willison Basin.

Boen will arrive at Gillette after spending two days at his grandmother’s home in North Dakota. He had plans to do some work on the roof of her house and enjoy a barbeque with family.

Boen will place plenty of competition on Wednesday night at Gillette Thunder Speedway, which will host the most talented field of dirt Late Model drivers in its history.

Leading the WoO LMS charge will be points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who is riding an amazing streak of 14 consecutive top-five finishes. He holds a 48-point edge over 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., whose four wins this season are tied for the series lead.

Other WoO LMS regulars with Gillette Thunder in their crosshairs for the first time include 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who is coming off his first win of the season on Sunday night at Williston Basin; defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

Several drivers who have been following the ‘Wild West Tour’ are also expected, including Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., Gary Webb of Bluegrass, Iowa, 19-year-old Ricky Wright of Winnipeg, Manitoba, 25-year-old Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D., and Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., who has been running WoO LMS regular Clint Smith’s backup car.

Gillette Thunder Speedway’s gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. MT on Wednesday, with on-track action set to begin at 7 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets are $30 and $15 for kids 10-and-under and can be purchased at Pat’s Hallmark in Gillette. At the gate on race day, both spectator tickets and pit passes will be $35.

For more information on Wednesday night’s WoO LMS show at Gillette Thunder Speedway, visit www.gillettespeedway.com or call 307-682-7290.

Fuller Runs The Outside To Victory In First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At North Dakota’s Williston Basin Speedway

WILLISTON, ND – July 13, 2008 – 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 11^th 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.

Lanigan, 38, started and finished in the fourth spot, registering his 14^th 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 24^th 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 12^th.

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.

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):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Redraw): Coffey, Richards, Eckert, Heupel, Blankenship, Beardsley, Hapka, Mars, Joe Isabell

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Redraw): Lanigan, Babb, Boen, C. Smith, Clanton, Seng, Webb, Winge

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Redraw): Fuller, Frank, B. Smith, Purkey, Weiss, Waldo, Jeff Isabell Jr., Francis

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 12 – 22 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and Super Clean.

Brady Smith Powers To Second Straight Win In World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Energy City 50’ At Saskatchewan’s Estevan Motor Speedway

ESTEVAN, SK – July 12, 2008 – 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 14^th 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 13^th-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 13^th 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.

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):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Redraw): Mars, Blankenship, Purkey, Clanton, C. Smith, Frank, Jeff Isabell Jr., Weiss, Beardsley

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Redraw): Lanigan, Babb, Francis, Fuller, B. Smith, Turnbull, D. Smith, Winge, Webb

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Redraw): Richards, Eckert, Boen, Balcaen, Seng, Hapka, Heupel, Joe Isabell

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 12 – 21 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikline and Super Clean.

Brady Smith Squeezes Out World of Outlaws Late Model Series Win Over Babb In Thrilling Finish At River Cities Speedway

GRAND FORKS, ND – July 11, 2008 – Brady Smith will always remember his first career victory on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

The Solon Springs, Wis., driver came out on top of a classic 50-lap A-Main on Friday night at River Cities Speedway, holding off a frenetic last-lap bid by Shannon Babb that had the quarter-mile oval’s big crowd holding their collective breath.

Concluding a battle that raged for virtually the entire distance, Smith and Moweaqua, Ill.’s Babb crossed the finish line straddling a lapped car. Babb blew off the outside of turn four with a head of steam and attempted to squeeze between the slower machine and the outside wall, but he ran out of room and flashed under the checkered flag with the right-front wheel of his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports car climbing the concrete wall.

The 31-year-old Smith hit the stripe on the inside of the track a scant 0.121 of a second before Babb – while rubbing doors with the lapped car driven by Joey Pederson of East Grand Forks, Minn.

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., finished less than a second behind the leaders in third, and Kelly Boen of Henderson, Colo., registered a career-best WoO LMS finish of fourth after overtaking Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., on the final lap. Lanigan’s fifth-place finish pushed his streak of consecutive top-five runs to 12 and padded his points lead a bit more.

“That race had to be exciting for the fans,” said Smith, who earned $10,650, including the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who had never won a tour event and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings. “I know it was an exciting race for me. I worked hard for it.”

Smith started from the pole position, but he was outgunned for the lead at the initial green flag by front-row mate Babb. It took Smith until lap 26 to slip by Babb for the lead, steering his Amsoil-sponsored Bloomquist Chassis to the front of the pack with an inside move in lapped traffic.

Though Smith never officially relinquished the lead for the remainder of the race, he nearly handed it to Babb on lap 40. Smith bobbled between turns three and four and watched Babb slide under him to move ahead, but he yanked his car hard to the inside and crossed Babb off the corner to maintain command at the start/finish line.

“I jumped the cushion that one time,” said Smith. “I got my right front just a little too high and lost my momentum. My car was just a tick tight, and I didn’t hit it quite right that one lap.”

With the A-Main ending with 14 consecutive laps of green-flag racing, Smith found himself running three-wide for the lead off turn two on lap 43 with Babb and an inside-hugging Clanton. The following circuit Clanton, who started seventh, cleared Babb to seize second place.

But Babb refused to give up. Tossing his Traeger Grills Rocket car around the track’s outside groove, he inched by Clanton’s RSD Enterprises Rocket to reclaim second on lap 48 and drew up to Smith’s rear bumper as the white flag was displayed.

On the final lap Smith dived low through turns three and four to pass the lapped Pederson, presenting Babb an opening to take a last-ditch shot at the lead on the top. Babb appeared to have sufficient momentum to reach the finish line first as he exited turn four, but his charge was thwarted because he didn’t have quite enough space between the lapped car and the homestretch wall.

“I knew Shannon was there,” said Smith, remembering the final lap. “I saw him underneath me a couple times, and I thought if I just rode high, I’d be O.K. to win the race.

“But as I was sizing that lapped car up down the backstraightaway, I saw him start creeping to the middle (into turn three) so I committed to the bottom. I had to go low because I figured Shannon would be coming. I didn’t know he’d get that good of a run off of four on the outside.”

With Smith, Pederson and Babb racing to the finish line under a blanket, there was only so much real estate available. Babb was the one who lost out, hitting the wall just yards shy of the finish line and thus scrubbing off enough speed to stop him from beating Smith.

“It could’ve got real ugly there,” described Smith, whose best previous WoO LMS finish was a third on July 29, 2006, at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. “I don’t know if (Babb) lifted or not, but I know I was rubbing together with the lapped car and I could see him out there too.”

Babb’s car bounced across the finish line and he immediately drove it off the track in turn one. He limped back to the pit area with damage to the left-side bodywork of the machine and a broken right-front spindle.

“A door opened up and I went for it – and then it closed,” said Babb. “We ran out of racing room there.

“Coming out of four I was just gonna try to beat (Smith) to the line off the outside, but I saw that lapped car move up a little and I was just thinking, ‘I’m done.’”

It was the second straight year that Babb put on a show but fell short of victory in WoO LMS action at River Cities. In June 2007 he started 23^rd after moving into a backup car for the A-Main and finished a fast-closing third.

“I got into traffic that one time (on lap 26) and he got by me,” said Babb, recalling how he lost the lead. “I was thinking I was still gonna get back by him, but every time I was setting him up a caution came out. There were like three cautions one after another (laps 27, 31 and 36) after the first half of the race ran non-stop, and that hurt me. I just needed to race more.

“Right now this is the second favorite win of my career,” said Smith, who ranks his $35,000 Knoxville (Iowa) Late Model Nationals victory in 2007 as his greatest triumph. “To win against this level of competition – man, these guys are the best of the best.

“I’m just proud that we finally won a World of Outlaws race. It’s been a long time coming.”

Clanton, meanwhile, was in the mix at the end, but he fell short of grabbing his elusive first WoO LMS win of the season.

“I was good on the bottom for a few laps after the restarts because that part of the racetrack got packed down under caution,” said Clanton, 31. “But after a few laps it would get dirty and I’d get to bouncing through the corners, so I couldn’t make any ground up on them.

“I think if there had been a caution with about five laps to go, we could’ve won the race.”

Boen, 43, was the race’s surprise, pulling off a fourth-place finish in his first WoO LMS start of the season. He got as high as third midway through the A-Main in his Rocket car.

Lanigan also moved his GottaRace.com Rocket as high as third early in the event before finding himself in a multi-car battle for fourth. Losing fourth to Boen on the final lap didn’t sit well with Lanigan, who made it clear to Boen following the race that he took exception to the physical pass.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who cracked the top five briefly; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who was never a factor at the track where he won his first career WoO LMS A-Main in 2007.

Ricky Weiss, 19, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, upset the star-studded assemblage by setting fast time with a lap of 12.179 seconds.

Heat winners were Clanton, Babb, Boen and Lanigan. The B-Mains were captured by Pederson and Mike Balcaen of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ continues on Saturday night (July 12) with a first-ever visit to Estevan (Saskatchewan) Motor Speedway.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, B. Smith, Eckert, Mars, Jeff Isabell Jr., Weiss, Joe Isabell, Olmstead, B. Fuller, Ryan Corbett

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Frank, Richards, Seng, Pederson, Beardsley, Winge, Anderson, Webb

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Boen, Blankenship, Francis, T. Fuller, Balcaen, Hapka, Sangrait, Halvorson, Hart

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Purkey, Coffey, C. Smith, Corcoran, H. Schill, Erickson, Chad Corbett, T. Schill

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Pederson, Weiss, Jeff Isabell Jr., Joe Isabell, B. Fuller, Anderson, Beardsley, Winge, Olmstead, Webb (DNS) Ryan Corbett

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Balcaen, Hapka, H. Schill, Erickson, Chad Corbett, T. Schill, Sangrait, Halvorson, Corcoran, Hart

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 11 – 20 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner

Town Abuzz With Anticipation Over Williston Basin Speedway’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event On Sunday Night (July 13)

WILLISTON, ND – July 11, 2008 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is the talk of the town in Williston, N.D.

That’s because the renowned national tour is coming to the small community (population: just over 12,000) in the western part of the state on Sunday night (July 13), paying a first-ever visit to Williston Basin Speedway as part of the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour.’

“Everyone around town is pretty excited about the race,” said Jack Blotsky, president of the roughly 150-member Williston Basin Racing Association (WBRA) that operates the one-third-mile oval. “There’s definitely a buzz about the Outlaws coming in here.”

The stars of the WoO LMS will headline the biggest show ever run at Williston Basin Speedway, a track that normally features open-wheel Modifieds on Saturday nights. Robust advance ticket sales for Sunday’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win program point to the likelihood of a record crowd at the facility.

“We’ve gotten calls from fans as far away as Minnesota,” said Blotsky, who has presided over the WBRA since 1994. “We’re planning on the race being standing-room-only in the stands.”

Bringing in the Outlaws is a huge undertaking for the WBRA, which has been promoting dirt-track races in Williston for 35 years, including the last nine with the speedway in its current location on the Upper Missouri Fairgrounds. The club operates the track using an all-volunteer workforce – not a single person is on the payroll – and has never posted a purse as hefty as Sunday’s will be, but its membership decided that the time was right to step up and present a mega-show.

“We thought it would be exciting to bring something to Williston Basin that the fans from this area have never seen before,” said Blotsky. “Fortunately we were able to line up some sponsors to help make this race possible for all our fans.”

Local businesses DC&B Hotshot & Trucking, Triple B Construction and Mr. Gutter threw their support behind the race several months ago, setting the stage for a blockbuster card at the track located 18 miles from the Montana border.

Williston Basin Speedway will be a blank slate for the invading WoO LMS drivers and most of the event’s other entrants as well. That sets up a neutral playing field sure to provide plenty of competition.

“It’s better when we all go to a track for the first time,” said WoO LMS regular Rick Eckert of York, Pa., whose 16 series wins since 2004 has him tied with Scott Bloomquist as the tour’s winningest driver over that period. “We’re all even when we get there and it comes down to who can figure out the track first.”

A WoO LMS traveling roster that boasts the top dirt Late Model talent in the nation will accompany Eckert to Williston Basin. The group includes defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who entered the Wild West Tour as the WoO LMS points leader; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drives a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

A talented group of drivers from across the region also have plans to compete, including Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Kelly Boen of Henderson, Col., Gary Webb of Bluegrass, Iowa, and 25-year-old Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D. WoO LMS regular Clint Smith is also contemplating the possibility of fielding his backup car for Al Purkey, a veteran standout from Coffeyville, Kan., who is accompanying Smith on the ‘Wild West Tour.’

Tickets for the event are $35 and are still available for pre-sale by calling 701-774-8008.

Gates are scheduled to open at 5 p.m., with racing set to begin at 7 p.m. The track’s IMCA Modifieds will also be part of the program.

Williston Basin’s WoO LMS date will come the day after the series races north of the border at Estevan Motor Speedway in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Williston is 100 miles south of Estevan.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Enhances 2008 Schedule With Addition Of Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals On Sept. 14 At La Salle Speedway

LA SALLE, IL – July 11, 2008 – The 17^th annual Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals on Sun., Sept. 14, at La Salle Speedway will return to the World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule in 2008, tour and Track Enterprises Inc. officials have announced.

A fixture on the dirt Late Model scene in the ‘Land of Lincoln’ for nearly two decades, the Illinois Fall Nationals will be run over the 40-lap distance and offer a $7,000 top prize.

The La Salle date will create a WoO LMS doubleheader with I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., which is scheduled to run its annual Pepsi Nationals under the national tour’s banner on Sat., Sept. 13.

“Making the Illinois Fall Nationals part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series sets up a great weekend in the Midwest for fans and racers,” said Bob Sargent, whose Macon, Ill.-based Track Enterprises Inc. will continue its longtime promotion of the event. “Last year’s race at La Salle produced a great field and exciting racing on an action-packed bullring, and we’ll use the same formula again on September 14.”

Following a 15-year run at the one-mile Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill., Sargent moved the Illinois Fall Nationals to the quarter-mile La Salle oval for the first time last season. It served as the first-ever WoO LMS event at La Salle Speedway.

Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., made history in last year’s event, becoming the first driver from the Wolverine State to capture the Illinois Fall Nationals. It was also his first career WoO LMS A-Main triumph.

VanWormer joined an all-star list of drivers who have won the prestigious Illinois Fall Nationals since 1992, including 2005 WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer (four times), Brian Birkhofer (three times), 2004 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist (twice), John Mason (twice), Charlie Swartz, Shannon Babb, Darrell Lanigan and Darren Miller.

On Sept. 14, La Salle’s pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 4 p.m. Practice is scheduled to get the green flag at 5 p.m., followed by WoO LMS time trials at 5:30 p.m. and racing action at 6 p.m.

For more details, including ticket information, about La Salle’s Illinois Fall Nationals, contact Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200 or visit www.trackenterprises.com.

La Salle Speedway is centrally located on US Rt. 6 in La Salle, Ill., 60 miles west of Joliet, 60 miles north of Bloomington, 70 miles south of Rockford and 80 miles east of the Quad Cities.

Deluge From Storms Forces Cancellation Of Thursday Night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ Event At North Central Speedway

BRAINERD, MN – July 10, 2008 – A deluge from morning thunderstorms forced the cancellation of Thursday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ event at North Central Speedway.

Scheduled as the second stop of a nine-race swing through six states and one Canadian province, the WoO LMS visit to the three-eighths-mile oval was doomed by heavy rain that swept across Minnesota early on Thursday and swamped the track. With no immediate relief from the precipitation, the racing surface and grounds were left unsuitable for a night of competition.

A suitable makeup date to run the event this season is unavailable, so North Central track owner Cliff Sasker is already making plans to bring the WoO LMS back to his track in 2009.

“The constant pounding from the rain was just too much for the track to handle,” said Sasker. “We’re disappointed that our fans won’t be able to see the World of Outlaws Late Model Series this season, but we’ll look forward to hosting an event next year.”

The event was to mark the first appearance of the WoO LMS at North Central Speedway since May 31, 2006, when Rick Eckert of York, Pa., emerged victorious in an action-packed 50-lap A-Main.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ will resume on Friday night (July 11) at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND. Also part of the swing are dates on July 12 at Estevan (Saskatchewan) Motor Speedway; July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D.; 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.

Birkhofer Dominant In Featherlite Trailers Gopher 50 Victory At Deer Creek Speedway To Open World of Outlaws Late Model Series Wild West Tour

SPRING VALLEY, MN – July 9, 2008 – 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 29^th 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 10^th 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 11^th 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 10^th 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 11^th 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 10^th 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 24^th-place finish.

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):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Clanton, Richards, Eckert, McKay, Provinzino, Webb, Beardsley, Winge, T. Bloom, Altenburg, Chris Schroder

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Birkhofer, Lanigan, Fuller, Coffey, Isabell, Chenoweth, N. Herrick, Peterson, Kramer, D. Herrick, Curt Schroder

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Eckrich, C. Smith, Frank, Chris Simpson, Hapka, Bruening, Sass, Brand, Underdahl, J. Bloom, D. Johnson

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Mars, Hansen, Prochnow, B. Smith, Noble, Reeh, Foss, Blankenship, Chad Simpson, Hillson, Ludemann

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): McKay, Provinzino, Coffey, Chenoweth, Webb, Isabell, Peterson, D. Herrick, Beardsley, T. Bloom, Kramer, Winge, Altenburg, N. Herrick (DNS) Chris Schroder

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): D. Johnson, Bruening, Hapka, Blankenship, Noble, J. Bloom, Sass, Reeh, Hillson (DNS) Underdahl, Foss, Brand, Chad Simpson, Ludemann

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 9 - 19 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Saskatchewan’s Estevan Motor Speedway Bursts Onto Scene With Inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event On Saturday Night (July 12)

ESTEVAN, SK – July 9, 2008 – Are you a dirt Late Model fan who’s unfamiliar with Estevan Motor Speedway?

Well, you’re probably not alone – the track has, after all, never run the full-fender division as a regular attraction in its nine-year existence.

But this Saturday night (July 12) the three-eighths-mile oval in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan will burst onto the dirt Late Model scene full force by hosting the nationally-renowned World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which makes its fourth and final appearance of 2008 north of the border.

“It’s going to be the biggest race we’ve ever had at Estevan – by far,” said Pat Boyle, a member of the Estevan Auto Racing Association that operates the speedway. “The whole town is buzzing about it.”

Saturday’s WoO LMS ‘Energy City 50’ – named for the town of Estevan’s links to the energy industry – will pay $10,000 to win from a purse of nearly $50,000. It’s the richest payoff ever offered by the management at Estevan, a modern facility with a distinctly down-home atmosphere.

The track, which sits just 10 miles north of the western North Dakota border and headlines open-wheel Modifieds for most of its Saturday programs, is an “all-volunteer deal,” said Boyle. “There’s one paid person on the staff – the accountant.”

Led by promoter Dave Mack, members of the Estevan Auto Racing Association tend to all the duties at the track. The club owns the concessions, but a different local community group – the Boy Scouts, Rotary Club, high-school sports teams, etc. – mans the stands at each event as a fundraising project. A local church group, meanwhile, handles security.

The track was born in 2000 after the town of Estevan went 13 years without a speedway. The second of three tracks that have operated in the town closed in 1987 and had its land mined by a local coal company, which obtained the property in a unique deal with the Estevan Auto Racing Association.

“They said, ‘We’ll take the land – and if you ever need land back to build another track, we’ll accommodate you,’” said Boyle. “We finally put together a deal to build a new track, and the coal company came through with new land for us in a better location.”

Situated on nearly 100 acres of bald southern Saskatchewan prairie, the track was built by a local contractor. “It’s a phenomenal facility,” said Boyle.

The most talented field ever to assemble at Estevan Motor Speedway will compete in the Energy City 50, which will be the northern-most event on the nine-race WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ that visits six states and one Canadian province from July 9-21.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., will lead the tour’s charge across the border. Francis, of course, won the first-ever WoO LMS event held in Canada, on June 23, 2007, at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que. – a track that’s roughly 2,000 miles from Estevan.

Other members of the traveling WoO LMS pack headed for Estevan include Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who entered the Wild West Tour as the WoO LMS points leader; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who captured the last WoO LMS event in Canada (on June 22 at Ontario’s Cornwall Motor Speedway); Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who won at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond on June 21; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. Smith also has plans to field his backup car for Coffeyville, Kan., veteran Al Purkey, who is accompanying Smith on the ‘Wild West Tour.’

A talented group of drivers from across the region also have plans to compete, including Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Kelly Boen of Henderson, Col., Gary Webb of Bluegrass, Iowa, Mike Balcaen of Winnipeg, Manitoba, 19-year-old Ricky Wright of St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba, and 25-year-old Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D.

For more information on Estevan Motor Speedway’s milestone WoO LMS event, visit www.estevanmotorspeedway.com or call 306-636-7500.

Tim Fuller Returns To Scene Of First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory On Friday Night (July 11) At North Dakota’s River Cities Speedway

GRAND FORKS, ND – July 8, 2008 – Tim Fuller had never been in the state of North Dakota until he competed in last year’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at River Cities Speedway.

After punctuating that visit with his first-ever victory on the national tour, the resident of Watertown, N.Y., can’t wait to return on Friday night (July 11) for the high-banked, quarter-mile oval’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS A-Main.

“I have real good memories of that place,” Fuller said with a smile when asked about the site of his milestone triumph. “You never forget the track where you get your first big win.”

A veteran Northeast DIRTcar big-block Modified star who switched his focus to dirt Late Model racing last season, Fuller made his River Cities trip the highlight of his run to the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year title. He pulled off a dramatic win, passing Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., for the lead with just four laps remaining in a whirlwind 50-lapper that was widely acknowledged as one of the most exciting races on last year’s tour.

“It was a dream to win the way we did,” recalled the 40-year-old Fuller. “It was just one of those nights when the stars and the moon lined up right – the racetrack was good, we picked the right tires, and I was in the right place at the right time to get by Carrier in lapped traffic.”

Fuller still admits that the triumph came much quicker than he ever expected. He won in just his 19^th career WoO LMS start – and just three races after he cracked the top five for the first time on the tour.

“With the level of competition on this series, the amount of time it took us to win one was real good,” said Fuller. “Was I surprised we won as soon as we did? Yeah, pretty much.”

Of course, if you also ask Fuller if he’s surprised that he’s still looking for his second WoO LMS victory, you’ll get a simple answer that leaves no uncertainty about his feelings: “Yes.”

Fuller was one of the circuit’s top performers in the months after he broke into Victory Lane, rolling up nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his next 20 starts. He entered the 2008 season with his confidence sky high, but so far this year he has just three top-five and five top-10 finishes in 18 events and ranks a distant ninth in the points standings.

“Everybody says that your second year is always your worst,” said Fuller. “The sophomore slump – I never believed in that, but man, it sure seems like it’s true. We can’t do anything right now.

“I feel like we’ve actually been running better this year than we were at the end of last year, but we can’t get a finish to save our life. That’s it in a nutshell. I’ve messed up a few times on tires this year when we had good starting spots and then backed it up to (finish) 10^th, but there’s a couple races I was up front in too and stupid stuff happened and we dropped out.

“That win last year took all the questions out about whether we could do it or not,” he added. “But you have to build on that by taking the next step and becoming a consistent top-five runner, like (defending champion Steve) Francis and other guys who are always in the hunt, and right now we’re simply not there yet.”

Fuller is hoping that maybe, just maybe, another visit to River Cities Speedway might the tonic for his doldrums so far this season. He followed his victory with runner-up finishes in two of the next three WoO LMS events, so why can’t he do it again?

With Friday’s event at River Cities part of the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ that will visit nine tracks in six states and one Canadian province between July 9 and July 21, Fuller will have ample opportunity to turn around his campaign.

“It’s gonna snowball one way or the other for us,” said Fuller, looking at his long road trip ahead. “Either what we do works and we’ll go good and be happy, or it won’t and we’ll be down in the dumps. Hopefully it’ll go good.”

Fuller will be part of arguably the most talented group of WoO LMS travelers ever to invade River Cities Speedway, which is hosting the tour for the third consecutive year.

Other WoO LMS travelers headed for River Cities include Ashland, Ky.’s Francis; points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who won the 2006 tour stop at River Cities; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who enters the Wild West Tour with a series-leading four victories this season; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drove a backup car from the 24^th starting spot to a fast-closing third-place finish in last year’s 50-lapper at River Cities; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and ’08 Rookie of the Year candidates Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

A host of regional stars have plans to enter the event, including Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Adam Hensel of Barron, Wis.; John Anderson of Omaha, Neb.; and Kelly Boen of Henderson, Col.

Standouts from River Cities’ weekly Super Late Model division who will look to defend their home turf include points leader Joey Pederson of East Grand Forks, Minn., Mike Balcaen of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Tom Corcoran of East Grand Forks, Minn., Steve Anderson of Grand Forks, N.D., and Brad Seng of Grand Forks, N.D.

Adding a new element to the big program, this will mark the first time that River Cities runs its WoO LMS event on its regular Friday-night date. The track’s previous shows were contested as midweek specials.

In addition, the card will also include River Cities’ regular 410 Sprint Car division and will run in conjunction with the Grand Forks Fair.

General admission is $25 on race day, with kids 12-and-under $15. Reserved seats are available for $28 in advance and $30 on race day.

Pennsylvania’s Rick Eckert Looking Forward To Thursday Night (July 10) World of Outlaws Late Model Series Return To North Central Speedway

BRAINERD, MN – July 7, 2008 – Rick Eckert is undefeated at North Central Speedway.

The superstar driver from York, Pa., is also currently on the best World of Outlaws Late Model Series hot streak he’s enjoyed since winning in his only career start at North Central in 2006, so it’s no surprise he’s looking forward to the national tour’s return to the track after a one-year hiatus on Thursday night (July 10).

“I won there a couple years ago and we’ve been running good lately,” said Eckert, who leads the Outlaws charge to North Central for a 50-lap feature paying $10,000 to win. “That makes me feel pretty good about our chances when we go back.”

Eckert, 42, has nothing but fond memories of North Central Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval that owner Cliff Sasker has built into one of the top facilities in Minnesota during his seven-year reign. The veteran professional known as ‘Scrub’ captured the only WoO LMS event previously run at the track, on May 31, 2006.

“It was an excellent racetrack,” Eckert said when asked for his impressions of the North Central layout. “It’s fairly flat and shaped like a paper-clip, but they had some really good dirt (clay surface) and you could race all over it. It’s the kind of track you love to race on.”

Eckert certainly used every inch of the oval in the 2006 ‘North Central 50,’ which ranked as one of the most competitive A-Mains of that WoO LMS campaign. He battled his way forward from the sixth starting spot, outdueling fellow tour travelers Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., to assume command for good on lap 29.

“We had a real good battle for the lead,” recalled Eckert, who controlled the race’s late stages after Clanton slowed with a flat tire and Francis was unable to challenge while nursing his car to a second-place finish with a broken header. “The track was a few grooves wide, so that made for great racing.”

Eckert’s victory at North Central came in the midst of a downright torrid stretch on the WoO LMS for the veteran racer. It was his fourth checkered flag of the 2006 season and first in a record-setting four-race win streak – an explosion of success that would leave Eckert with eight wins in the first 17 races of the campaign.

But Eckert’s win spigot ran dry after he registered his eighth triumph of ’06, in July at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. He struggled to a seventh-place finish in the 2006 points standings and didn’t win again until last month in Canada.

The long victory drought certainly frustrated Eckert, so he’s relieved that he doesn’t have to answer the irritating question – “When will you win again?” – anymore. He actually will arrive at North Central this Thursday night on a certified roll, with one win, one second-, one third- and two fifth-place finishes to his credit in the last five events of the recent WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ that visited Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario and Quebec. He’s solidly positioned third in the series points standings, 50 points behind leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Considering that Eckert owns wins at North Central as well as Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., which kicks off the nine-race WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ on Wednesday night (July 9), he’s bursting with confidence.

“Hopefully things will keep going the way they’ve been going,” said Eckert, who will hit the North Central Speedway clay with the same Raye Vest-owned team he put in Victory Lane in 2006. “If we can run as well on this western swing as we did on that northern tour, we’ll be happy.”

The only WoO LMS regulars hotter than Eckert entering this week’s action are Lanigan (10 straight top-five finishes) and 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (a winner in two of the last three events and ranked second in the points standings). But neither driver can match Eckert’s performance record at North Central – Richards finsihed eighth and Lanigan was 10^th in the 2006 WoO LMS event.

Other WoO LMS travelers who competed in the 2006 event at North Central include defending champion Francis; Clanton, who led laps 10-25 of the A-Main before the flat tire relegated him to a 12^th-place finish; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (finished third); Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (fifth); and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (sixth). First-time WoO LMS visitors to North Central will include Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and ’08 Rookie of the Year candidate Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.

A host of regional stars have plans to enter the event, including Justin Fegers of Mound, Minn., who set fast time and finished seventh in the 2006 WoO LMS North Central 50; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Adam Hensel of Barron, Wis.; Chad Simpson of Oxford, Iowa; and John Anderson of Omaha, Neb.

Interest is sky-high in the WoO LMS stop at North Central, which does not run Super Late Models on a regular basis.

“Everyone is excited about the Outlaws coming back,” said North Central general manager Peggy Jensen, whose track will also host the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Oct. 3. “We’re expecting a big night.”

Pit gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. and spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. on Thursday night. An autograph session with several WoO LMS drivers is set for 5:30 p.m., and time trials are scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m.

General admission to the program, which also includes a $1,000-to-win Midwest Modified special, is $30 for adults, $15 for kids (7-14) and free for children 6-and-under. Reserved seats are available for $35, and pit passes are also $35.

North Central Speedway is located on Business Rt. 371 in Brainerd, Minn., about 60 miles north of St. Cloud and 130 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

For more information on North Central Speedway, visit www.racencs.net or call 218-828-1545 (track) or 218-829-2231 (ticket information).

The North Central date is part of the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour,’ which also runs on July 9 at Deer Creek Speedway; July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.; July 12 at Estevan (Saskatchewan) Motor Speedway; July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D.; 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.

A Perfect Match: World of Outlaws Late Model Series, Prestigious Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ & Deer Creek Speedway

29^th Annual Charity Late Model Race Set For Wed., July 9, At Showplace Minnesota Track

SPRING VALLEY, MN – July 6, 2008 – The nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour. One of the division’s most unique, longest-running events. A showplace Minnesota facility.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns for the fourth straight year to sanction the 29^th annual Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ Charity Late Model Race on Wednesday night (July 9) at Deer Creek Speedway, a spic-and-span, three-eighths-mile oval that draws rave reviews from racers and fans alike.

An event that serves as one of the biggest fundraisers each year for the 50-member Blooming Prairie (Minn.) Lions Club International, the $10,000-to-win Gopher 50 has only grown more prestigious since it joined the Deer Creek and WoO LMS schedules in 2005.

“Moving the ‘Gopher’ to Deer Creek Speedway and running it as part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series has just been great for the event,” said Jerry Ingvalson, the Blooming Prairie Lions Club member who has overseen all aspects of the Charity Race since its inception in 1980. “The Queensland family (who own Deer Creek Speedway) have a beautiful racetrack and really help promote the race, and the World of Outlaws bring national attention and great drivers to the race.

“Last year’s ‘Gopher’ (won by WoO LMS star Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.) was one of the best we’ve had in years – and I think if the weather cooperates this year, we’re gonna have the biggest crowd ever for the race.”

“We’re real excited about the race,” said Ryan Queensland, the p.r. and marketing director of Deer Creek Speedway. “Pre-race ticket sales are ahead of last year’s pace, so we’re expecting a great turnout.”

Ingvalson is especially bullish about the new date for the Gopher 50, which was founded and is still promoted by the Blooming Prairie Lions Club. The race has been run in early- to mid-June for the last three years, but this season it shifts into the prime summer months to kick off the nine-race WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ that visits tracks in six states and one Canadian province.

“We always used to run the race the week after the Fourth (of July),” said Ingvalson, whose club promoted the Gopher 50 at Chateau Speedway in Austin, Minn. (1980-81) and the Steele County Fairgrounds in Owatanna, Minn. (1982-2004) before settling in at Deer Creek in 2005. “I think getting back to the time of year we used to have it is gonna be real good.

“By moving to July, we’ve gotten away from (high school) graduations and the busiest time of year for the people in the area who work in agriculture – and we just have a longer time to get the word out about the race.”

There’s plenty of exciting news to spread about the Gopher 50, which is far from just another dirt Late Model race. The event, which benefits the Blooming Prairie Lions Club’s youth and elderly programs, boasts a top-notch field of driving talent but also includes the extracurricular trappings of a true special.

Thanks to sponsors like Featherlite Trailers, which is headquartered about a half-hour south of Deer Creek Speedway in Cresco, Iowa, and Miner’s Outdoor & Rec, the Gopher 50 sports racer-friendly programs that produce plenty of positive pit-area word-of-mouth.

To encourage the participation of Deer Creek’s dirt Late Model regulars and other regional standouts, the ‘Team Sponsorship Program’ offers free entry to the event to the top-20 drivers in Deer Creek’s WISSOTA points standings; the top-10 drivers in the 2007 WISSOTA national points; and the top-10 drivers in all current national touring series points standings. The novel promotion helped draw a 42-car field to last year’s Gopher 50 – including most of Deer Creek’s weekly warriors – and is expected to attract even more entrants on Wednesday night.

The event’s now-traditional ‘pre-race feed’ will also take place, providing all dirt Late Model teams on hand a complimentary meal during the afternoon. Held in the track’s hospitality area, this year’s feast will feature Windsor Chops.

In addition, the Gopher 50 will be taped for broadcast on the SPEED cable network at 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 16 – another aspect of the event’s growth that just blows Ingvalson’s mind.

“When we started this race we didn’t know if we’d make it through the first year,” said Ingvalson, who sees the milestone 30^th running of the Gopher 50 just one year away. “I remember we put up a whopping $12,000 purse and $3,000 to win for that first race at Chateau Speedway.

“Nobody would have thought the race would get this large to where it’s on national television.”

Wednesday’s field will be led by four WoO LMS title contenders who own Gopher 50 victories: defending race winner Frank; Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (2006); current points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (2005); and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (2002, when the event was part of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour).

The traveling WoO LMS roster also includes defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (top Deer Creek WoO LMS finish: second twice); Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (a win on July 29, 2006); 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (third on June 6, 2005); Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (second on July 28, 2006); Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (16^th in 2007); John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (14^th on June 1, 2006); and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leiciester, N.Y., who will make his first career start at Deer Creek.

A host of regional stars have plans to enter the event, including 2004 Gopher 50 winner Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Justin Fegers of Mound, Minn.; 2006 Deer Creek Speedway Late Model titlist Adam Hensel of Barron, Wis.; Chad Simpson of Oxford, Iowa; and John Anderson of Omaha, Neb.

The Deer Creek contingent will be headed by points leader Nick Herrick of West Concord, Minn., Keith Foss of Winona, Minn., and Mike Prochnow of Menomonie, Wis.

Deer Creek’s pit and grandstand gates are scheduled to open at 2 p.m. for the mid-week special. Time trials will start at 6:30 p.m.

Adult pre-sale tickets are available for $25 through July 7 at 5 p.m. Ticket prices at the gate will be $30 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under, and pit passes are $30.

Reserved seats are available on-line at www.deercreekspeedway.com or by calling 877-DCS-RACE or 507-754-6107.

Deer Creek Speedway is located 15 miles south of Rochester, Minn., on Highway 63.

Alltime ‘Gopher 50’ Event Winners (1980-81 at Chateau Speedway in Austin, Minn.; 1982-2004 at Steele County Fairgrounds in Owatanna, Minn.; 2005-present at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.):

Critical Nine-Race World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ Kicks Off July 9 At Deer Creek Speedway

Swing Will Visit Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas & Nebraska

That’s the directive for the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which is about to embark on an unprecedented summertime odyssey across six states and one Canadian province located in the western half of North America.

Beginning with the 29^th annual Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ on Wed., July 9, at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ will contest nine $10,000-to-win events over a 13-day period. The swing features two shows in Minnesota, two in North Dakota and one each in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

The 2008 WoO LMS will still have 19 shows remaining following the Wild West Tour, so the trip isn’t do-or-die for the drivers chasing the $100,000 series points championship. But the grueling stretch of racing that will keep teams far from their home shops for an extended period of time will certainly put an indelible stamp on the points battle.

“You can’t win the championship on the swing,” said Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who ranks third in the WoO LMS points standings and enters the Wild West Tour as one of the hottest drivers on the trail. “But you can definitely lose it. If you have problems and start dropping out of races, you’re going to be in big trouble.”

There will be little time to rest for the WoO LMS travelers, who figure to log over 2,250 miles in their haulers hustling between the tracks on the Wild West Tour. The swing is the most ambitious in the history of the WoO LMS, both in number and frequency of dates (races in five consecutive nights to start the tour will be a first for the series) as well as geography (the series is making its biggest penetration ever into the west).

“You don’t want to have the ‘snowball effect’ start happening to you out there,” said defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who is hoping the western excursion gets him back on track after a subpar ‘Great Northern Tour’ dropped him from the points lead to 70 points behind in fourth place. “If you happen to crash out a car at Deer Creek or one of the early races, we’re too far out west to do much other than try to patch it up so you’ll basically be behind for the rest of the trip.”

Preparation, preparation, preparation – that’s going to be the key to success on the Wild West Tour.

“We’re just gonna go out there with our stuff as ready to go as we can get it,” said WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who heads west carrying an amazing streak of 10 consecutive top-five finishes in series events. “We’re gonna keep doing the same things we’ve been doing, but at the same time you know you have to be extra prepared to be out on the road for a few weeks.”

The Wild West Tour kicks off with a rush, running five nights in a row starting on July 9 at Deer Creek Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval that is the most senior host of WoO LMS events on the swing. The Queensland family’s track will hold its fifth series event since 2006.

Following Deer Creek on the busy opening-week schedule are stops on July 10 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn., which returns to the WoO LMS for the first time since 2006 and will have its action taped for broadcast on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 16; July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., which is part of the series for the third consecutive season; July 12 at Saskatchewan’s Estevan Motor Speedway, which brings the Outlaws across the Canadian for the fourth time this season; and July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D.

Two well-deserved off-days (July 14-15) precede the second half of the Wild West Tour, which features stops 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, which drew a standing-room-only crowd for its inaugural WoO LMS event in 2007; and July 21 at Boone County Raceway in Albion, Neb., where the Outlaws action will be part of the annual Boone County Fair.

The WoO LMS will make first-ever visits to Estevan, Williston Basin, Gillette, Brown County and Boone County, and eight of the nine A-Mains will be run over the 50-lap distance. Only the event at the wicked-fast Belleville half-mile will be shorter.

Francis, Lanigan and Eckert are among the WoO LMS regulars who will headline the Wild West Tour. The series roster also includes 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who is tied with three-time series champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., atop the trail’s 2008 win list with four victories; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who won last year’s Gopher 50 at Deer Creek; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.

An array of top regional racers will challenge the Outlaws throughout the Wild West Tour, including Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (the entire swing is on his schedule); Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who plans to enter the first five shows; Kelly Boen of Henderson, Col. (slated to join the tour at River Cities and continue for the ensuing five events); John Anderson of Omaha, Neb. (the first three shows plus tentative appearances at Belleville and Boone County); and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa.

Immediately following the Wild West Tour, the WoO LMS will head back east for the Alltel Ohio Speedweek to continue the furious month of July. Speedweek events are scheduled for July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 25 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The tour’s postponed $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., will close out the month on Tues., July 29.

When the flurry of July racing is finally completed, WoO LMS teams will have traveled anywhere from 4,800 to 5,600 miles from their shops and back.

* North Central Speedway on Thurs., July 10: Visit www.racencs.net or call 218-828-1545.

* Williston Basin Speedway on Sun., July 13: Visit www.basinspeedway.com or call 701-774-8008.

* Gillette Thunder Speedway on Wed., July 16: Visit www.gillettespeedway.com or call 307-682-7290.

* Brown County Speedway on Fri., July 18: Visit www.browncountyspeedway.net or call 605-225-0762.

* Belleville High Banks on Sun., July 20: Visit www.highbanks.org or call 785-527-2488.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 25 - 18 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Looking Back At The ‘Great Northern Tour’

SUPER SWING: From the massive 55-car field that opened the swing on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway to the spectacular heat-race action that ended up closing it on June 27 during the Firecracker 100 weekend at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Great Northern Tour’ was a smashing success.

Yes, the ‘Great Northern Tour’ did end in anticlimactic fashion when two days of showers forced the postponement of the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 to Tues., July 29, but the six races that were completed provided plenty of memorable moments for the Northeast’s fans.

The WoO LMS visited five tracks for the first time during the ‘Great Northern Tour’ and it was embraced warmly by spectators at every stop. The only facility that wasn’t packed to capacity was Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway on June 20, but beaming track promoter Glenn Styres pointed out that the turnout for a rare dirt Late Model event at the three-eighths-mile oval would have likely filled Ohsweken’s old bleachers (new stands that were completed just in time for the WoO LMS show have more than doubled Ohsweken’s seating, to 8,000) and was more than enough for him to begin planning a return engagement for 2009.

Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., which hosted the first-ever WoO LMS program in Canada last year, returned on June 21 as the middle event in an expanded three-race trip north of the border and once again enjoyed a stellar crowd. The vocal fans gave ‘Quebec 50’ winner Rick Eckert a rousing ovation during the wild Victory Lane ceremonies, which included a fireworks display set to music that had been planned for pre-race driver introductions before approaching weather forced a hasty start to the A-Main.

“That’s a great crowd,” Eckert said of the French-speaking Drummond faithful. “They cheer and holler. I’m not sure what they’re saying, but those are the kind of fans you want to race in front of.”

The WoO LMS headlined one of the biggest events ever presented at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway, which drew a standing-room-only crowd for its ‘Triple Crown of Racing’ program on June 22 that also included the Empire Super Sprints and DIRTcar 358-Modifieds. There was nary an open space left in the tight pit area of the quarter-mile oval, a spic-and-span facility owned by Ron Morin.

Mid-week shows at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway (June 24) and Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa. (June 25) maintained the tour’s momentum. Both tracks are mainstays of Northeast dirt Modified racing, but they drew large, electric crowds for dirt Late Model events.

BEFORE THE DELUGE: Not a single car hit Lernerville Speedway’s racing surface on Saturday night nor Sunday’s raindate before officials postponed the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend, but Saturday’s off-track activities were completed.

Eight drivers were paired with fans for the second annual Firecracker 100 Horseshoes Tournament. Held in the parking lot behind the main grandstands, the tourney was the centerpiece of the afternoon ‘weenie roast’ and pre-race concert featuring singer Sarah Wilson.

Emerging victorious in the horseshoes competition for the second straight year was Lernerville dirt Late Model star Lynn Geisler. Teamed with Rich Friberg of Forest Hills, Pa. – a Geisler fan who, ironically, works for Geisler’s sponsor, #1 Cochran – Geisler defeated WoO LMS standout Rick Eckert and his partner in the championship round to capture the $200 first prize.

First-round losers in the tournament were the pairings headed by drivers Shane Clanton (the tourney’s runner-up last year), Brian Birkhofer, Alex Ferree and Josh Richards, and falling in the semi-finals were the teams led by dirt Late Model stars Clint Smith and Scott Bloomquist.

The driver/fan interaction continued from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., when every driver ready for action on Saturday night participated in an autograph session underneath the main grandstand.

WHO’S HOT: The ‘Great Northern Tour’ was a great time for Darrell Lanigan, Josh Richards, Rick Eckert and Tim McCreadie. Each driver made a Victory Lane visit – Richards picked up two wins – and were solid contenders virtually every night.

Lanigan, of course, enjoyed the steadiest swing, rolling up a top-five finish in all six events (including a win at Big Diamond) to build a 36-point lead in the WoO LMS standings by the time he headed home to Union, Ky.

Richards, meanwhile, captured back-to-back wins at Cornwall and Canandaigua and ran off four straight top-five finishes to close the tour; Eckert ended a 71-race winless slump on the WoO LMS with a victory at Drummond and was a top-five finisher in every A-Main except the tour opener at Port Royal; and McCreadie captured the Ohsweken event for his first WoO LMS win since his 2006 championship season and didn’t finish outside the top-three in his other three starts.

WHO’S NOT: Steve Francis entered the swing in a tie for the points lead with Lanigan, but he ended it in fourth place (70 points behind) after failing to crack the top-five after a runner-up finish in the tour opener at Port Royal. He called the ‘Great Northern Tour’ “one of the worst trips I’ve ever had.”

Shannon Babb ended the ‘Great Northern Tour’ with a pair of sixth-place finishes as his best runs – not satisfactory for the hyper-competitive star from Moweaqua, Ill., who fell to seventh in the points standings, 120 points behind Lanigan. He did put on a memorable show at Big Diamond when he used the high side of the track to grab the lead late in the distance, but a flat tire with six laps remaining ended his bid.

Tim Fuller started off strong with fourth-place finishes at Port Royal and Ohsweken, but a 10^th-place finish at Canandaigua was the best he could manage for the rest of the trip. Especially frustrating to Fuller was the fact that he guessed wrong on his A-Main combination at Cornwall and Canandaigua, two ovals he ran often during his days as a DIRTcar Modified regular.

WILD RIDE: The first-ever hot-lap session for Super Late Models at Cornwall Motor Speedway was a little too spectacular for Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., who gave everyone a scare when he executed a wild series of flips after his car dug into the track surface in turn three as soon as he throttled up.

Briggs, who won the 2004 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Award while working for his cousin Chub Frank, took at least two parts-shedding rolls before his car came to rest on its wheels. He was conscious but clearly disoriented when safety crews reached him, but he gingerly climbed out of his demolished machine with some assistance and walked back to his trailer under the supervision of WoO LMS director Tim Christman. After changing into street clothes, Briggs was convinced to visit a local hospital for a checkup.

Doctors put him through a CAT scan and conducted other tests, but he was diagnosed with nothing more serious than a concussion and released around 2 a.m. He was hanging out soon afterward with the Frank and Jeremy Miller teams in the parking lot of a Cornwall truck stop, complaining mostly of a sore shoulder while trying to remember exactly what happened on his first practice lap at the quarter-mile oval.

Briggs had a long list of people to thank after the first flip of his racing career: “My wife for allowing me to race and mom and dad for providing the finances for me to race…Mary (Frank, Chub’s wife) for staying at the hospital with me the whole time…Chub (who joined his wife at the hospital after Cornwall’s program) for the help…Rick Eckert and Mark Richards for getting to me first and getting me out of the car…Rocket chassis for a safe car, Simpson for the safety equipment and Kirky for building a safe seat…and the track safety crew for their assistance and the World of Outlaws officials for their help and concern.”

After making a follow-up visit to his home doctor, Briggs was told that he must not race for three weeks. He plans to be action, however, as soon as his doctors says it’s O.K. – and he’ll be behind the wheel of a new Rocket car he ordered the day after his wreck.

* The rain that postponed Ohsweken Speedway’s WoO LMS event from Thursday (June 19) to Friday (June 20) wiped out a scheduled travel day for the teams running the remainder of the Canadian swing, setting up a challenging overnight haul of roughly eight hours to Drummondville, Que.

* Making an impressive cameo appearance on the WoO LMS for the Canadian shows was Neil Baggett, a 25-year-old from Shannon, Miss., who accepted Clint Smith’s offer to drive his second car. He timed second-fastest – right behind top-qualifier Smith – his first night out at Ohsweken, and he scored a WoO LMS career-best finish of seventh at Drummond.

* Northeast standout Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., and several members of his Buckler Motorsports team arranged their vacation days well in advance in order to follow the entire ‘Great Northern Tour,’ but he didn’t enjoy the results he would have liked.

Miller, who won his first career WoO LMS A-Main in April at Virginia Motor Speedway, managed just a single top-10 finish on the swing (eighth place at Drummond). He had a potential seventh-place finish at Port Royal wiped out by a flat tire on the final lap, and his other four starts resulted in a top run of 20^th.

The talented driver chalked up his trip as a learning experience, noting that it was the first time he’s truly been able to think nothing but racing for two full weeks.

* Seaford, Del.’s Ricky Elliott ran the events in Canada and at Canandaigua in the Rocket No. 121 fielded by New Yorker Joe Beyea, a DIRTcar Modified driver who is becoming well known for his Beyea Custom Headers enterprise. The machine was wrenched by champion DIRTcar Modified crew chief Randy Kisacky, who has taken on the job of maintaining Beyea’s dirt Late Model as a mechanical challenge.

Elliott scored finishes of seventh (Ohsweken) and 10^th (Drummond) before struggling at Cornwall and Canandaigua. His Cornwall effort was behind the eight-ball from the start after the car’s rearend blew in hot laps.

* Tyrone, Ga.’s Tony Knowles got a taste of the WoO LMS road by running the entire ‘Great Northern Tour’ except the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville.

Part of the same RSD Enterprises team as WoO LMS regular Shane Clanton, the 21-year-old Knowles flashed his potential with a tour-best finish of ninth at Canandaigua after starting 19^th. His 17-year-old chief mechanic, Jared Morris, was that night’s surprised recipient of the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award.

UP NEXT: The WoO LMS will embark on the ‘Wild West Tour,’ a swing of nine races in 13 days beginning on July 9 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. The tour then continues on July 10 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn.; July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.; July 12 at Estevan Motor Speedway in Estevan, Saskatchewan; July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D.; July 16 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway; July 18 at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.; July 20 at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks; and July 21 at Boone County Speedway in Albion, Neb.

Rain-Postponed Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway Rescheduled For Tues., July 29

SARVER, PA – June 30, 2008 – All 180 laps of the rain-postponed final night of the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway have been rescheduled for Tues., July 29, officials announced on Monday.

Continuous waves of showers hit the four-tenths-mile track on Saturday and again on Sunday’s raindate, preventing the conclusion of the blockbuster $150,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. The weekend had kicked off in spectacular fashion on Friday night with a huge crowd watching 62 dirt Late Model superstars do battle in what many fans proclaimed to be “the best six heat races of the year.”

“Friday night’s action had everyone so pumped up to see what those guys were going to do when the big money was on the line that it was really hard to take the fact that the weather just wouldn’t cooperate and allow us to run the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend as scheduled,” said Lernerville Speedway general manager Gary Risch Jr. “All the teams and fans hung in there with us as our crew did all they could to make the show happen on Saturday and Sunday, but we just couldn’t catch a break from Mother Nature.

“Now the anticipation of who will make the show and who will be crowned the Firecracker 100 champion will build for another month until July 29th.”

Firecracker 100 rainchecks and pit bands will be honored on Tues., July 29. The full program scheduled to close the weekend will be run on the midweek date, including a 10-lap C-Main, a pair of star-studded 20-lap B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.

Fans who purchased reserved camping spots should also contact the speedway office by Fri., July 25, in order to re-confirm as spots will be provided at no additional charge and general camping will once again be free.

The new date will feature all of the pre-race pomp and pageantry fans are coming to expect from the Firecracker 100, including fireworks, the Firecracker Girls and adrenalin-pumping driver introductions delivered by ‘Uncle Sam’ himself.

Eighteen drivers are already locked into the Firecracker 100 A-Main following Friday night’s preliminary program, including heat winners Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa. Many of the best drivers in the country, including Rick Eckert, Clint Smith, Scott Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens as well as local favorites Alex Ferree, Lynn Geisler, John Flinner and Jason Covert, will square off in B-Main action as they have yet to claim a starting spot in the main event.

The July 29 date fits snugly into the WoO LMS schedule, which will bring the tour’s stars through Ohio for the Alltel Ohio Speedweek in the preceding days. Alltel Ohio Speedweek includes events on July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 25 at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 at Dave Blaney’s Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway just across the Buckeye State’s border in Hammett, Pa.

The rescheduled Firecracker 100 will also close out a mammoth stretch of July competition at Lernerville Speedway, which also hosts the $40,000-to-win Cleveland Brothers Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Tues., July 15.

Some Firecracker 100 reserved seats are still available at $34 each, with General Admission priced at $32.50 and, as always at Lernerville, kids 10 and under are admitted free. Senior and Student pricing is also available.

For more information on the Firecracker 100 or Cleveland Brothers Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, visit www.lernerville.com, www.worldofoutlaws.com or call the track office at 724-353-1511.

CONCORD, N.C. — June 30, 2008 — World Racing Group (OTCBB: WRGI) and Alltel Wireless (NYSE: AT) are excited to announce their second major event partnership of 2008.

Alltel, the official wireless provider of fans and America’s largest network providing coverage across the nation, will be the title sponsor of the Alltel Ohio Speedweek featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. This four-race event follows the highly successful Alltel DIRTcar Nationals partnership that opened the 2008 racing season.

“We were very pleased by the fan support during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals in February, so expanding our partnership with the World Racing Group was a very easy decision,” said Samira Zebian, director of sponsorship marketing for Alltel Wireless. “Becoming title sponsor of the Alltel Ohio Speedweek is another great way to reach hard core racing fans and introduce them to Alltel’s products and services. Like we did in February at the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, we will have the Alltel Fan Zone, the Alltel Wireless NASCAR Stock Car and hospitality at all four events during the Alltel Ohio Speedweek.”

Alltel also intends to crown an Alltel All-Star for the event, which features races July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 25 at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 at Dave Blaney’s Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway just across the border in Hammett, Pa.

The top five finishers each night will qualify to become the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star, making a possible 20 different drivers eligible for the title. Voting will begin online at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event July 27 from Eriez Speedway, and fans each night will receive hero cards and posters.

“We are excited Alltel Wireless experienced so much success in February that it wants to expand its involvement with the World Racing Group as the title sponsor of the Alltel Ohio Speedweek,” said World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler. “From the Fan Zone to the show car to the Alltel All-Star contest, Alltel is once again taking a very proactive role in the activation of its partnership with us, which will no doubt benefit fans and racers alike.”

For more information on the Alltel Ohio Speedweek and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.

World Racing Group, Inc. (OTCBB: WRGI), a sports entertainment company, is a world leader in the sanctioning and promotion of dirt track auto racing. WRGI, based in Concord, N.C., owns and operates the three highest profile national touring series for dirt track racing in the United States:

World Racing Group sanctions more than 4,900 local and regional dirt track racing events in the United States and Canada at 126 tracks each year under the DIRTcar™ Racing brand. In addition, World Racing Group owns and/or operates seven premier dirt track speedways. WRG races can be heard online at DIRTVision.com®.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

Continuing Showers On Sunday Force Postponement Of Firecracker 100 Weekend Finale At Lernerville Speedway

SARVER, PA – June 29, 2008 – Mother Nature wouldn’t allow the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com to be completed on Sunday.

With showers continuing to hit Lernerville Speedway in waves and more still on the way, officials made a late-afternoon decision to postpone the blockbuster $150,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event.

A new date for the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend will be announced soon by track and series officials.

The $40,000-to-win event kicked off in spectacular fashion on Friday night with a huge crowd watching six memorable qualifying heat races for 62 dirt Late Models, building the anticipation for the main event. But rain arrived just before race time on Saturday evening and refused to let up long enough for competition, pushing the scheduled program of a C-Main, two B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 and the Firecracker 100 to Sunday.

A late-afternoon start time was planned on Sunday, but thunderstorms began to strike the four-tenths-mile oval again before a car was able to hit the racing surface. Several strong storms followed, deluging the track and forcing the ultimate postponement of the Firecracker 100.

When a new date is announced for the Firecracker 100 finale, the action will pick up with the last-chance events that have already been aligned and end with the pomp, pageantry and excitement of the rich 100-lap A-Main.

The WoO LMS will be idle until embarking the ‘Wild West Tour,’ a series of nine events over a 13-day period that will visit Minnesota, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The ‘Wild West Tour’ begins on July 9 with the ‘Gopher 50’ at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

Sunday’s Postponed Finale Of Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway Scheduled To Start At 4 p.m.

SARVER, PA – June 29, 2008 – The postponed final day of the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday (June 29), track and World of Outlaws Late Model Series officials have announced.

Gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps set for 3:15 p.m. and racing scheduled to get the green flag one hour later. The complete card that was scheduled for Saturday night before rain arrived will be contested on Sunday, including B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 main-event.

Single-day tickets are still available for Sunday’s program. Reserved seats cost $34, and general admission is $32.50 for adults, $31 for seniors, $30 for students 11-17 and free for kids 10-and-under.

Persistent Showers Force Postponement Of Firecracker 100 Weekend Finale To Sunday At Lernerville Speedway

SARVER, PA – June 28, 2008 – A strong thunderstorm that struck just prior to race time was followed by persistent showers, forcing the postponement of Saturday night’s second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway.

The blockbuster $40,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series event was rescheduled for Sunday (June 29).

In order to provide racers and fans the best possible scenario for the $150,000 program, officials announced that Sunday’s raindate will use a ‘flex’ start time. Officials will announce a start time for the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend at noon on Sunday, with the first green flag expected to be waved between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The start-time news will be available at 12 noon on Sunday by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com and www.lernerville.com or by calling the track office at 724-353-1511.

The complete card scheduled for Saturday night will be contested on Sunday, including a C-Main, two B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the Firecracker 100 main-event.

Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway Opens With Spectacular Friday-Night Qualifying Program

SARVER, PA – June 27, 2008 – If Friday night’s qualifying program at Lernerville Speedway is any indication, the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com is going to be a show to remember.

Western Pennsylvania’s blockbuster $150,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event opened in spectacular fashion on Friday, with a 62-car field providing fans an endless supply of action during six breathtaking heat races.

Side-by-side battles for the lead. Last-lap drama. A storybook comeback from near-disaster by a local hotshoe. Emotions boiling over.

Yes, the preliminary night had it all, setting the stage for Saturday night’s $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.

The most thrilling heat-race victory was authored by 20-year-old WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who went to the outside of the four-tenths-mile oval to pull off a three-wide pass for the lead on lap 12 of the fourth 15-lap qualifier.

As if a daredevil move to assume command wasn’t exciting enough, the two drivers Richards sailed by for the lead added even more luster to his performance. He overtook dirt Late Model legends Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., in one deft sweep.

“I knew the only chance I had to start up front (in the Firecracker 100) was if I won the heat, so I got my elbows up and drove as hard as I could,” said Richards, aware that the six heat winners will redraw on Saturday for the top-six starting spots in the 100-lapper. “I didn’t get off to a very good start, but I kept packing the top (groove) during the cautions and I kept getting better and better up there.

“The top has always been my preferred line around this place, so I knew I could make it work. I just had to get it done.”

Bloomquist, who won last year’s inaugural Firecracker 100, tumbled to a fifth-place finish after losing the lead to Richards’ Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. He’ll have to run a B-Main on Saturday night to make the feature.

Dramatic heat-race competition actually began with the first prelim, when WoO LMS regular Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., passed upstart Coleby Frye of Dover, Pa., on the final lap to emerge triumphant. Frye fell one lap short of an upset, flag-to-flag victory, settling for second when he left the door open for Clanton by bumping the homestretch wall with the white flag waving.

The sixth heat was another barnburner, with Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, winning over Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., following a side-by-side duel that raged for virtually the entire distance.

Other heat victors included defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who dominated the second prelim; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; and WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who enters the weekend hot off a tour victory on Wednesday night at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.

The drive of the night was turned in by Mike Blose of New Bethlehem, Pa., who became the darling of the crowd with an amazing rally in the second heat.

Blose, 50, was bidding for the third and final transfer spot on lap nine of the heat when contact with Brandon Kinzer of Allen, Ky., sent him spinning wildly over the third-turn bank at a high rate of speed. A red flag was thrown after he disappeared from the fans’ view, but moments later he drove his car back onto the racing surface and decided to continue racing.

With the fans cheering his every move, Blose slid by Keith Barbara of South Park, Pa., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., on the 13^th lap to snare a third-place finish and transfer to the Firecracker 100. He had started the heat from the last spot after being disqualified from his time-trial run because his car weighed in 18 pounds light.

“I’m too damn old for this,” Blose smiled amid a large crowd of well-wishers at his trailer following the night’s action. “When I went over the bank backwards, I was thinking, Man, this is gonna hurt! But the car stayed on its wheels and all we bent was a left-front tie-rod and a wheel.

“I guess we finally lucked into something,” added Blose, who credited WoO LMS star Chub Frank with providing him valuable setup help.

The close-quarters racing got a little too tight during the third heat, resulting in a confrontation between John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. After Blankenship rubbed his way past Mars for third place on lap 12, Mars retaliated by running into the left-rear corner of Blankenship’s car and spinning the WoO LMS regular between turns three and four.

As the angry Mars retired to the pit area, Blankenship restarted at the rear of the field and limped to an eighth-place finish.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., piloted his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket to the fastest lap in time trials, roaring around the finely-manicured track in 15.228 seconds. He went on to finish third in the first heat while trailing smoke from an apparent oil overflow.

The Firecracker 100 weekend continues on Saturday with a full day of activities, starting at 12 noon with a driver/fan horseshoe tournament, ‘Best Burger’ and ‘Best Banner’ contests, a ‘weenie roast’ and music by Sarah Wilson. A driver autograph session is scheduled for underneath the grandstand from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the main event — the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on this weekend’s event, visit www.lernerville.com and www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Heat No. 1 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Frye, Babb, Horton, Eckert, Knight, Flinner, McGuire, Ferree, Isabell, King

Heat No. 2 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Francis, Kinzer, Blose, Owens, Barbara, Burke, Bachman, Carrier, Covert, Marlar, Miley

Heat No. 3 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Pearson, Moyer, Satterlee, D. Scott, Copeman, Kennedy, Valone, Blankenship, Mars, Geisler

Heat No. 4 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Moran, Madden, Lux, Bloomquist, Stone, Mollick, Danny Johnson, Reges, Schaltenbrand

Heat No. 5 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lanigan, Fuller, Miller, Davey Johnson, Dutch Davies, Blair, Rhebergen, Coffey, Laraway (DNS) Musolino

Heat No. 6 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Birkhofer, Frank, McCreadie, Ron Davies, Hess, Clint Smith, Lyle, Beardsley, R. Scott (DNS) Close

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Qwikliner and SuperClean.

At 40 Pounds, Newly Unveiled Firecracker 100 Trophy
Honors Lernerville’s 40^th Anniversary, $40k Winner’s Haul

SARVER, PA — June 27, 2008 — The World of Outlaws Late Model Series $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 Presented By Gottarace this weekend at Lernerville Speedway is one of the must-see Dirt Late Model races in the country.

An event of this magnitude deserves a trophy that carries its weight. Nothing could be closer to the truth than the trophy this year’s winner of the Firecracker 100 winner will attempt to hoist following 100 laps of wheel-banging, fender-rattling and mud-slinging on Saturday night at Lernerville.

While Pittsburgh is renowned for its fireworks displays, it has never seen a pack of firecrackers like this one. Commemorating Lernerville’s 40^th anniversary season with the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100, the winning trophy is a 40-pound tower of nine custom fabricated steel firecrackers with a USA blue powder coat finish mounted on a 16-inch square, 1-inch thick black lacquer base.

“A big event deserves a big trophy, and this trophy is so big I can’t wait to see the winner try to lift it after 100 laps on Saturday night,” World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler said. “This trophy truly honors the history of Lernerville Speedway and all the fans who make this event and the track so spectacular.”

The unique event begins Friday with time trials and heat races in addition to fireworks and a concert. Saturday afternoon includes a weenie roast, best burger and banner contests, a horseshoe tournament and driver autographs before getting to the B-mains, Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the main event — the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.

Pit gates open at 3 p.m. on Friday with grandstands opening at 4 p.m. and hot laps at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, the pits open at 3 p.m. with a driver autograph session from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on this weekend’s event, make sure to visit Lernerville.com and WorldofOutlaws.com.

Dirt Late Model Superstar Driver Dale McDowell
Joins World of Outlaws Late Model Series Broadcast Team

CONCORD, NC — June 27, 2008 — When the World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes its television debut at 5 p.m. Eastern July 13 on SPEED with the two-hour super-sized Firecracker 100 Presented By Gottarace from Lernerville Speedway, an experienced broadcast team will bring fans all of the action.

Shane Andrews and long-time Dirt Late Model superstar Dale McDowell will call the race as Sarah Jane Hunt, who brought viewers the Late Model stories from the Vault World Finals last season, will cover all of the fast-breaking action in the pits.

New to the World of Outlaws Late Model Series broadcast team in 2008, McDowell is a former World of Outlaws Late Model Series competitor and the 2005 World 100 champion who can deliver a unique perspective only somebody who has wheeled one of these 2,300-pound machines around a dirt track can provide. McDowell, a native of Chickamauga, Ga., has more than 25 years of racing experience and now instructs rising stars on the intricacies of dirt track racing.

“We are very exciting to have Dale McDowell join Shane Andrews and Sarah Jane Hunt on our broadcast team,” World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler said. “Dale will bring a unique perspective to the broadcasts that has been missing in coverage of Dirt Late Model racing. He will be able to explain to viewers not only what the drivers are experiencing as they turn lap after lap, but also what the cars are going through as they battle toward the checkered flag.”

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will feature not only the two-hour special Firecracker 100 event July 13 on SPEED, but will have four consecutive weekends of coverage this summer, including broadcasts from Deer Creek Speedway airing at 4 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 16; Eldora Speedway at 3 p.m. on Aug. 23; Sharon Speedway at Noon on Aug. 31; and Tri-City Speedway at 6 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 7.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will also star in the live three-hour super-sized special Vault World Finals at 8 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 1.

Shane Clanton Eyeing $40,000 Top Prize In This Weekend’s Firecracker 100 At Lernerville Speedway

SARVER, PA – June 26, 2008 – Shane Clanton has experienced the painful side of racing at Lernerville Speedway.

But lately the Locust Grove, Ga., star has made some very enjoyable visits to the western Pennsylvania track – the kind of appearances, in fact, that have him eyeing a $40,000 victory in this weekend’s Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com, which is part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series that Clanton follows as a regular.

“The first few times I raced at Lernerville it seemed like I had bad luck,” said Clanton, whose worst outing at the Action Track came in April 2005 when an on-track incident left him with a separated left shoulder that sidelined him for nearly two months. “But that’s changed. We’ve hit the right combination the last few times we’ve been there, so hopefully we’re due for a win.”

Clanton, 32, nearly pulled off a dramatic late-race pass to win last year’s inaugural Firecracker 100 before settling for a sixth-place finish. He backed that up this year with a second-place finish on April 15 in the four-tenths-mile oval’s WoO LMS ‘Showdown in Sarvertown 50.’

So make no mistake – Clanton deserves to be listed as a pre-race favorite in this weekend’s second annual Firecracker extravaganza. Time trials and qualifying heats are scheduled for Friday night (June 27), and last-chance events and the blockbuster 100-lapper are set for Saturday night (June 28).

“We came close last year, so I’d like to win it this time,” said Clanton, who is still searching for his first WoO LMS checkered flag of 2008 but has been knocking on the door to Victory Lane in recent weeks. “Winning a big show sure would be nice.”

Clanton certainly remembers how close he was to grabbing the Firecracker 100 trophy one year ago. He made a stirring bid for victory following a lap-74 caution flag, tossing his RSD Enterprises No. 25 through the track’s thick cushion on the extreme outside of the track to pass Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., for third, on lap 87, and Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., for second as lap 88 was scored.

Moments later Clanton appeared set to simply blow by leader Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. He drove into turn three on the outside with a head of steam behind him – and then Bloomquist suddenly shot to the cushion, taking Clanton’s lane and effectively propelling the dirt Late Model legend to victory.

With his momentum killed, Clanton lost several spots over the ensuing circuits and finished a disappointing sixth.

“He kinda caught me off guard there,” Clanton remembered of Bloomquist’s groove-switch. “He just moved right up the racetrack in front of me, so I had to get on the brakes. As fast as I was closing on him, if I would’ve hit him it probably would’ve taken me and him out and that wouldn’t have been good.

“I thought I was gonna take the lead right then, but I lost all my momentum and rhythm when he shot in front of me. Rhythm is a big key (at Lernerville), and I had a good rhythm going at the time.

“I don’t know if there’s certain ‘circumstances’ why I didn’t take the lead,” added Clanton, harkening back to his post-race comment that Bloomquist “miraculously” changed lanes at just the right time. “If we get in the same situation this year, though, maybe I will take the lead.”

Clanton, who ranks sixth in the current WoO LMS points standings, has reserved his newest Custom-powered Rocket car for duty in the Firecracker 100. He’s very excited about his chances with the machine, which he debuted earlier this month with a fast-time award and third-place finish in the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

“Every year we run the Firecracker at Lernerville it’s going to get bigger and bigger,” analyzed Clanton. “I’d love to be one of the first guys to win it.”

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., considers Lernerville Speedway one of his favorite tracks and his results show it. He’s won several features at the oval, including WoO LMS events in 2004 and 2005.

The 46-year-old star surprisingly wasn’t a major factor in last year’s Firecracker 100, however, finishing a quiet fifth after starting 10^th.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who owns a WoO LMS A-Main win at Lernerville in 2006, finished 16^th (one lap down) in the ’07 Firecracker but brings plenty of momentum into the race’s second edition. He broke a nearly two-year WoO LMS winless streak on June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond and has strung together five consecutive top-five finishes.

* The tour’s hottest driver – points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. – enters the weekend coming off a victory on Wednesday night at Pennsy’s Big Diamond Raceway and riding a 10-race streak of top-five finishes. He finished 14^th (one lap down) in last year’s Firecracker 100.

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., is hoping the Firecracker 100 snaps him out of a ‘Great Northern Tour’ funk that he calls “one of the worst trips I’ve ever had.” He was seventh in last year’s Firecracker.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., has been fast at Lernerville but is still searching for his first win at the track. A ninth-place finisher in last year’s Firecracker, he won back-to-back WoO LMS events earlier this week and sits second in the points standings.

* The 2007 Firecracker 100 was a nightmare for Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. He finished 28^th after completing only 11 laps due to mechanical trouble – a disastrous DNF that was a huge hit to his ’07 title hopes.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., raced to a respectable eighth-place finish in the 2007 Firecracker en route to the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. Struggling this year, he could use a similar outing to get him back on the right track.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., won last year’s April WoO LMS event at Lernerville, but he dropped off the tour in late June and didn’t enter the Firecracker 100. He’s a series regular this season, however, and will take his first stab at the event.

* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., failed too qualify for last year’s Firecracker.

* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leiceister, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., have plans to make their first starts in the Firecracker.

A 60-car field assembled for last year’s Firecracker 100 and a similarly large and talented gathering is expected once again.

Bloomquist, who won the 2004 WoO LMS title, will be back to defend his Firecracker 100 title.

“Any race over $30,000 (to win) gets a lot of extra attention from me,” said Bloomquist.

Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who won the tour’s April event at Lernerville, is scheduled to run the Firecracker for the first time. Ditto for 2006 WoO LMS titlist Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who will be behind the wheel of the Sweeteners Plus No. 39 this weekend.

A host of other well-known dirt Late Model names have the Firecracker 100 in their crosshairs, including Chris Madden, who finished second in last year’s event; Earl Pearson Jr. (third last year); Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. (fourth); Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa.; Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va.; and Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.

Lernerville’s healthy dirt Late Model contingent will also be well represented with such standouts at Alex Ferree, Lynn Geisler, Gary Lyle and Matt Lux.

The Firecracker 100 begins Friday with time trials and heat races in addition to fireworks and a post-race concert. Saturday afternoon includes a weenie roast, best burger and banner contests, a horseshoe tournament and driver autographs before getting to the B-mains, Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the main event — the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.

For more information on this weekend’s event, visit www.lernerville.com and www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Lanigan’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Roll Continues With Eventful Victory In Inaugural ‘Coal Country 40’ At Big Diamond Raceway

MINERSVILLE, PA – June 25, 2008 – Everything is going Darrell Lanigan’s way on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

Proof positive came on Wednesday night at Big Diamond Raceway, where Lanigan continued his surge to the top of the tour’s points standings with an eventful victory in the inaugural Jack Rich Inc. ‘Coal Country 40.’

Angry after being penalized two spots from his outside-pole starting position because officials ruled he jumped the race’s original green flag, Lanigan came back to secure his second WoO LMS triumph of 2008 thanks to a little assist from Lady Luck.

Lanigan, 38, of Union, Ky., appeared headed to a runner-up finish in his GottaRace.com Rocket when Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., saw his thrilling high-side charge to the front end with a flat left-rear tire on lap 34, putting the ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ in the lead for good.

“I figured we’d run second and be happy with that,” said Lanigan, who earned $7,150 for his 10^th career win on the WoO LMS. “We got behind when (officials) put us back (to fourth) on that start, but it came back to us.”

Polesitter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., chased Lanigan for the final six circuits but never offered a serious challenge, finishing second, 0.741 of a second behind his fellow WoO LMS traveler. It was his best outing in the J.P. Drilling GRT car since opening the ‘Great Northern Tour’ with a victory on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished third in the Mark Richards Racing/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. He led laps 1-29 before losing the top spot – and two additional positions – when a scrape with Babb momentarily sent him sliding off the track in turn two, effectively ending his bid for a third straight WoO LMS win.

Completing the top five was eighth-starter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., in the RSD Enterprises Rocket and sixth-starter Rick Eckert of York, Pa., in Raye Vest’s GRT mount.

The 34-year-old Babb, meanwhile, finished 10^th – a tough pill to swallow for the driver who got the evening’s near-capacity crowd jumping with a show-stopping, cushion-pounding run to the front.

Driving NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rocket No. 18, Babb found the outside lane of the three-eighths-mile oval to his liking and used it to hustle forward from the seventh starting spot. He seemingly had completed his march when he slipped underneath Richards and nosed ahead at the start/finish line to lead lap 30.

After Babb executed a power-slide that forced Richards over the turn-two bank moments after the A-Main’s first lead change, the first-year WoO LMS regular found himself with a healthy edge over Lanigan and ready to snap out of a recent funk on the tour.

But Babb slowed to bring out the race’s sixth and final caution flag on lap 34, the victim of a flat left-rear tire. He ceded the lead to Lanigan while making a pit stop for new rubber.

“I went into (turn) one, got into the (rough) stuff at the top and pulled the left-rear tire off the rim,” Babb said of his heartbreaking misfortune on lap 34. “It was real disappointing after we got going so good on the outside, but actually our day was doomed anyway. Our right-rear (tire) had a rock hole in it and was losing air, so we probably wouldn’t have made it to the finish.”

Lanigan gladly stepped into the void left by Babb. He controlled the remainder of the distance to extend his streak of top-five finishes to 10 in a row – a run that has taken him from fifth place in the points standings (64 points out of first) to a 36-point lead over Richards through 18 events.

“I didn’t know if we’d be able to hold on for the last few laps,” said Lanigan, who had a coal-miner’s helmet placed on his head for Victory Lane photos. “I thought I could hear somebody back there a few times, but you always hear something when you’re leading.

“I was married to the bottom (lane),” said Smith, who slipped as far back as fifth during the A-Main. “I didn’t have the gear to run the top, so I basically had to follow Lanigan around at the end.”

“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of hard racing to get this finish,” said Smith.

For starters, Smith drove a car that needed extensive repairs after he was involved in an accident on Saturday night at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond. He also dropped in his smaller 412 cubic inch engine after hurting his stronger piece the previous night at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway, and he had to survive some metal-rubbing exchanges with Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., during the A-Main.

Richards, 20, was unable to recover after his run-in with Babb knocked him from the lead. He didn’t blame Babb for his fate, however.

“During the caution (on lap 29 for Danny Johnson’s flat tire) my dad showed me ‘elbows up,’ which means, ‘Go to the top,’” said Richards. “He only meant to run the top in one and two, but I thought he meant to run the top in three and four too. I went to the top in three and four and that let Babb get under me.

“I saw Babb lead that lap (30), so I just tried to drive in there (turns one and two) as hard as I could. I got outside of him, but he slid up into me and pushed me over the bank.

“I don’t hold anything against him for it,” he added. “It was just hard racing. He’s extremely competitive and wanted to win just like I did, and I know he didn’t do it on purpose.”

Clanton, 32, was the race’s early outside hustler, moving from eighth to third in just five laps. But he slid high in turn two on a lap-17 restart, fell to fifth and never fully recovered.

“When the (top) started getting rough, I was done,” said Clanton. “I didn’t have the right shocks on to get through the holes, so I’m happy to get a fourth out of it.”

The 42-year-old Eckert quietly recorded his fifth consecutive top-five finish on the ‘Great Northern Tour.’

“I was too tight in (the corners),” said Eckert. “Some of those guys could run wide-open through the middle, but I had no traction.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who latest unspectacular run prompted him to call the Northeast swing “one of the worst trips I’ve ever had”; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., whose run forward from 19^th helped earn his crew chief, Brian Imler, the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ award; Covert, who 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; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; and Babb.

The race’s most serious incident came on lap three when several cars stacked up in turn two, including 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa.; and Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., who drove the Tracy Seymour-owned No. 17H. All three drivers had their cars towed off with significant damage.

Thirty-four cars were signed in for the first-ever WoO LMS event at Big Diamond Raceway, which is promoted by Buddy Biever, Barry Bashore and Dave Dissinger.

Marlar registered the first WoO LMS fast-time award of his career, lapping the oval in 16.235 seconds.

Heat winners were Babb, Lanigan, Richards and Francis. Jeff Rine of Danville, Pa., and Jimmy Bernheisel of Lebanon, Pa., captured the B-Mains.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Coal Country 40’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Covert, Marlar, Yoder, Rine, Jeremy Miller, Jason Miller, Hollenbeck, Snyder

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Clanton, Myers, Haus, McClellan, Knowles, Blankenship, Zona, Isabell

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Eckert, Frank, Fuller, Bernheisel, Coffey, D. Johnson, Stokes

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, C. Smith, Elliott, Stone, Shuey, Strunk, Beardsley, Young

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top Transfer): Rine, Blankenship, McClellan, Jeremy Miller, Jason Miller, Knowles, Snyder, Zona, Hollenbeck (DNS) Isabell

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top Transfer): Bernheisel, Coffey, D. Johnson, Stokes, Strunk, Shuey, Young (DNS) Beardsley

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 25 - 18 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Richards Rolls To Second Straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory In First-Ever Visit To Canandaigua Speedway

CANANDAIGUA, NY – June 24, 2008 – This time Josh Richards made it look easy.

Two days after pulling off a dramatic, come-from-behind victory in Canada, Richards rolled to a dominant flag-to-flag win before a standing-room-only crowd in Tuesday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Turner Automotive 40 presented by Ferris Mowers at Canandaigua Speedway.

The 20-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., raced off the pole position to register his second straight triumph on the WoO LMS, following up his score on Sunday night at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway. It was his fourth overall win this season, tying him with Billy Moyer for the tour lead in that category.

“I’ve seen everybody else get on these little waves and run really good, and it’s so fun when it happens to you,” said Richards, who has already matched his career-high single-season WoO LMS win total achieved in 2007. “Everything is just going our way – we’ve been fast, and of course I’ve been lucky.

“I just want to keep riding this wave through Lernerville (Speedway’s Firecracker 100 this weekend) and the rest of the year, and hopefully we can catch Darrell (Lanigan) in the points. If we keep running like this, I think we’ll be alright.”

Richards drove his Mark Richards Racing/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1 across the finish line with a commanding edge of 2.753 seconds – nearly a full straightaway – over Rick Eckert of York, Pa. Eckert challenged Richards briefly early in the A-Main, but his Raye Vest-owned GRT car wasn’t quick enough to keep pace with ‘Kid Rocket’ as the race wore on.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who spent several years as a DIRTcar big-block Modified regular at Canandaigua, advanced from the 11^th starting spot to finish third in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket, while WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finished fourth after steering his GottaRace.com Rocket by the Lester Buildings Rocket driven by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., on the final lap.

There were few worries during the event for Richards, who maintained a consistent speed from start-to-finish.

“The car was just awesome,” said Richards, who earned $7,150 for his 10^th career win on the WoO LMS. “The only real problem I had was on the initial start. I drove (turns) three and four a little easier than I should have and I kinda pushed up the racetrack, so Chub was able to get by me. Luckily the caution came out (for a multi-car tangle between turns three and four) – and I didn’t do the same thing the next time.”

Richards essentially clinched the checkered flag when he executed a breathtaking explosion by three lapped cars in turn two on lap 21. The slower cars had allowed Eckert to draw close, but he never got a sniff of the top spot again after Richards gained some breathing room with his maneuver.

“When I caught up to them (the pack of three lapped cars), I was so zoned in that I just drove right in between them,” described Richards, who picked the pole position in the pre-race draw for the third consecutive A-Main. “The car just stuck like glue, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I don’t think I could’ve done that too many more times, though.”

The move was a telltale sign of how comfortable Richards was at Canandaigua Speedway, a sweeping half-mile oval that hosted the WoO LMS for the first time.

“I like tracks like this where you can just focus, hit your marks every lap and keep up your momentum,” said Richards, who closed within 30 points of Lanigan in the WoO LMS standings. “This place races a lot like Volusia (Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.), and we’ve always been real good there. There’s less bank here, but the way the backstretch is shaped and the way you drive into one, you can refer to Volusia a lot.”

Eckert, 42, slid from the third starting spot to second on the opening-lap restart and stayed there for the race’s entire distance, but Richards was too much for him.

“I was too loose the whole race,” Eckert said of his orange machine’s handling. “I thought I might have a chance when I caught (Richards) in lapped traffic, but he made some good moves to get around those cars and I got stuck behind them.”

The 34-year-old McCreadie – a crowd favorite thanks to his days in Canandaigua’s big-block Modified ranks – made the biggest move forward. But his charge stalled after he reached third place on lap 18.

“My car just got too tight,” said McCreadie, who initially closed in on Eckert after taking third but steadily lost ground over the final third of a race that ran caution-free from lap 11 to the finish. “When you get tight here you can’t keep your momentum up when you run the top through the corners.

“I’ve run this place enough that I should’ve known better than to tighten up (the car) before the feature, but what’s done is done.”

Lanigan, 38, continued his sterling run of consistency, quietly moving from the eighth starting spot to a fourth-place finish. He slipped underneath Frank rounding turns three and four on the last lap and beat the Pennsy star back to the finish line by a scant 0.039 of a second.

It was the ninth consecutive top-five finish for Lanigan, whose streak has taken him from fifth place in the points standings (64 points out of first) to a 30-point lead.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who ran in the top five for the first 17 laps; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who rallied after falling to 11^th when he clipped the inside wall in turn two on lap 11; defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; 21-year-old Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., who came from the 19^th starting spot to register his first-ever WoO LMS top-10 finish; and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., a former Canandaigua big-block Modified regular.

A 34-car field assembled for the event, which was run on a brilliantly clear early-summer evening.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who led the WoO LMS in Fast Time awards last season, earned his first quick-qualifier honor of 2008. He flashed around the sweeping fairground oval in 18.351 seconds.

Heat winners were Babb, Francis and Clint Smith, and Knowles captured the B-Main in his RSD Enterprises mount.

The program marked the dirt Late Model driving debut of Larry Wight, a 15-year-old DIRTcar Modified talent from Baldwinsville, N.Y. Wight, whose father John owns the dirt Late Models driven by Fuller and Decker, missed the cut for the A-Main.

The WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ continues on Wednesday night (June 25) with the Jack Rich Inc. ‘Coal Country 40’ at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., before ending with the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com on Friday and Saturday (June 27/28) at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Babb, Frank, Fuller, Elliott, Scott, Blankenship, Isabell, Ricotta, Oakes, Zona, Gardner, Wight

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Francis, Richards, Lanigan, McCreadie, Decker, D. Johnson, Stone, Knight, Ferri, Helton, Bradley

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): C. Smith, Eckert, Clanton, Coffey, Marlar, Rhebergen, Miller, Knowles, Beardsley, Rine, Carley

B-Main (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Knowles, Stone, Oakes, Gardner, Rine, Ferri, Beardsley, Zona, Isabell, Carley, Bradley, Wight, Miller, Ricotta (DNS) Knight, Helton

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 24 - 17 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: Canandaigua Speedway (June 24) & Big Diamond Raceway (June 25)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Great Northern Tour’ continues with midweek events on Tuesday night (June 24) at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway and Wednesday night (June 25) at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.

Both tracks will present 40-lap A-Mains for the touring stars that pay $7,000 to win. Canandaigua hosts the ‘Turner Automotive 40 presented by Ferris Mowers,’ and Big Diamond’s program will be topped by the Jack Rich Inc. ‘Coal Country 40.’

* Canandaigua Speedway’s pit gates will open at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, with grandstand admission beginning at 4 p.m. Racing is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.

* Big Diamond Raceway’s gates will be unlocked at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, with hot laps scheduled to commence at 7:15 p.m.

* Canandaigua Speedway is a half-mile oval located on the Ontario County Fairgrounds. A longtime DIRTcar big-block Modified track known as the ‘Land of Legends,’ it sits on County Road 10, 1.5-miles east of SR 21 and two miles north of Routes 5 and 20.

* A high-banked, three-eighths-mile oval that headlines 358-Modifieds on Friday nights, Big Diamond Raceway has undergone a dramatic facelift in recent years under the direction of co-promoters Buddy Biever, Barry Bashore and Dave Dissinger. To reach the track from Interstate 81, take Exit 116 (Minersville), follow Rt. 901 East for four miles and then turn right on Primrose; the track is two miles down the road on the left.

* For Canandaigua’s inaugural WoO LMS event, reserved-seat tickets are set at $27. General admission is $25 for adults, $23 for seniors (ages 65 and over), $8 for children (ages 10-14) and free for kids under the age of 9.

* General admission at Big Diamond is $25, with children 12-and-under admitted free.

* Canandaigua Speedway Info: www.canandaiguaspeedway.com or call the DIRTcar Northeast office at 315-834-6606.

* The hottest driver on the WoO LMS is Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who enters Canandaigua’s event riding a streak of eight consecutive top-five finishes. His amazing consistency – the longest top-five streak by a WoO LMS driver in 2007 was five straight races – has helped him build a points lead of 38 markers over Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

* Richards, 20, recorded his third WoO LMS win of 2008 on Sunday night at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway. He will attempt to tie Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., as the tour’s winningest driver of 2008 with one more victory.

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., will attempt to continue his uncanny success in WoO LMS events held at central New York tracks. He’s won four tour A-Mains in the area over the past three years, including two in 2005 (Fulton Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway) and the 2006 and 2007 shows at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport.

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., needs to snap out of an uncharacteristic funk. His Canadian-swing finishes of 14^th (Ohsweken), 16^th (Drummond) and 10^th (Cornwall) have dropped him to fourth in the points standings, 50 points behind Lanigan.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., kicked off the ‘Great Northern Tour’ with a victory on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, but he didn’t bid for another win during the Canadian events.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., enters the Canandaigua/Big Diamond doubleheader as a hot – and certainly the most relieved – WoO LMS driver. With a triumph on Saturday night at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond, he snapped a winless streak that had reached nearly two years and 71 races.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., is knocking on the door to Victory Lane. He led both the Ohsweken and Cornwall events and scored a top-five finish in all three Canadian shows.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., will race in New York for the first time in his career when he takes to the track at Canandaigua.

* Tuesday’s program in New York should bring back fond memories for John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., whose lone career WoO LMS victory came in the Empire State – in 2005 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y.

* Canandaigua’s DIRTcar big-block Modified fans will have plenty of rooting interest on Tuesday night. Several drivers who have won big-block features at the oval will be behind the wheel of dirt Late Models, including WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (one career Canandaigua Mod triumph); 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (14 wins); Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y. (14 wins); and 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (16 wins) and Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y. (66 wins).

The Big Diamond faithful are also very familiar with Fuller, McCreadie, Decker, Coffey and Johnson – all of whom have made a handful of starts in special big-block Modified events at the Keystone State track.

* Several other drivers with big-block Modified backgrounds will be in action at both tracks, including Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., and Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y.

* Regional talents who are following the ‘Great Northern Tour’ include Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., and 21-year-old Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga.

* Jeff Rine of Danville, Pa., who competed in last week’s Port Royal event, plans to enter both the Canandaigua and Big Diamond shows.

* Canandaigua’s field will be enhanced by a number of racers from dirt Late Model tracks around the western Pennsylvania region, including David Scott of Garland, Pa., Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., and Brett Rhebergen of Clymer, N.Y.

* Multi-time Big Diamond 358-Modified champion Jeff Strunk of Mohnton, Pa., will take on the WoO LMS stars on his hometrack after landing a Super Late Model ride in a car fielded by division veteran Jim Bernheisel of Lebanon, Pa. Bernheisel, who was a Limited Late Model regular at Big Diamond more than a quarter-century ago, will also be in Wednesday night’s field.

* Top regional chauffeurs expected to tackle the Diamond banks on Wednesday include Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., who raced regularly at the track in small-block Modifieds during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s before moving fulltime to dirt Late Models; two-time MACS tour champion Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa.; Alan Sagi of Hagerstown, Md.; and teenager Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

The WoO LMS teams will head to western Pennsylvania to close the ‘Great Northern Tour’ with the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com on Friday and Saturday (June 27-28) at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. The blockbuster weekend event offers a $40,000 first-place prize and a total purse of over $150,000.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

Tuesday’s WoO LMS show at Canandaigua will be broadcast live over the internet as part of the DIRTVision Cybercast Series. Pay-Per-View subscribers will witness a full night of racing.

For more information on the DIRTVision Cybercast, which is presented by BUTLERbuilt professional seating systems, visit www.dirtvision.com.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 22 - 16 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Richards Overtakes McCreadie For Dramatic World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory At Ontario’s Cornwall Motor Speedway

CORNWALL, ONT – June 22, 2008 – Josh Richards is now an international superstar.

The young sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ achieved a personal goal on Sunday night, winning on Canadian soil for the first time with a memorable rally in the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series portion of the First Americans IGA ‘Triple Crown of Racing’ at Cornwall Motor Speedway.

Richards, 20, of Shinnston, W.Va., slipped back to third early in the A-Main after starting from the pole, but he came on to grab the lead from Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., on lap 40 and roll to his third WoO LMS victory of the season.

“One of my goals was to win a race in Canada this year,” said Richards, who earned $10,150 for his ninth career triumph on the WoO LMS. “It’s so cool to race in front of these fans up here. As a driver, you love it when the fans get into the racing.”

Richards also loved the way he pulled out a victory on the high-banked, quarter-mile oval, a longtime DIRTcar-sanctioned track that drew a standing-room-only crowd for the first-ever visit by the WoO LMS.

“It’s awesome to win like that,” Richards said of his come-from-behind effort in the Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket car. “We started on the pole, but we didn’t just lead every lap like we have in the past. It’s so much more fun to actually race your way to the front and beat the best guys in the country.”

Richards battled through some lapped traffic in the race’s closing moments to defeat McCreadie’s Sweeteners Plus Rocket No. 39 by 0.612 of a second. McCreadie, who started third and led laps 18-39, recorded his second runner-up finish in as many nights on the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour.’

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., finished third in the RSD Enterprises Rocket after racing off the outside pole to lead laps 1-17. WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., continued to rack up top-five finishes with a fourth-place run in the GottaRace.com Rocket, and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., place fifth in Raye Vest’s GRT car one night after posting his first WoO LMS victory of the season at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond.

Though known more his long-track expertise, Richards demonstrated his growing acumen for shorter ovals at Cornwall after some troubles early in the night.

“We were too tight hot-lapping, too tight qualifying,” said Richards. “I drove off the track qualifying (time trials), and I was thinking, This is gonna be a long night. But the track conditions just got to where I’m always comfortable – it was just a momentum deal, and we have a pretty good package for tracks like this where you have to keep your speed up.”

Richards got off to slow start in the A-Main, losing the lead to Clanton at the initial green flag and watching McCreadie slide by him on lap six. But he regained second from Clanton on lap 31 and proceeded to run down McCreadie, who built nearly a straightaway edge.

With no caution flags slowing the race after lap 23, Richards took advantage of McCreadie’s momentary stumble in lapped traffic to assume command for good exiting turn four on lap 40.

“I knew I could get Clanton back, but I wasn’t sure if I could catch McCreadie,” analyzed Richards. “He was a good bit ahead at one point, but our car just kept getting better and better. I knew I could catch him, but I just wasn’t sure exactly how I was gonna get by him.

“Everything just went our way (on lap 40). He ducked down at the last minute to go under (Tim) Fuller, and it just broke his momentum. I had plenty of momentum and I just went around him.”

McCreadie, a 34-year-old who scored the first major win of his career in a 1996 DIRTcar 358-Modified event at Cornwall, suggested that his undoing was a tire choice.

“I just couldn’t steer any more on the right-front (corner),” said McCreadie. “We had on a softer right-front (Hoosier) tire than (Richards) did, so I knew the longer (green-flag) run was tailored more to him.

“I think if the cautions fell a little different (there were only two, on laps five and 23) – if we would’ve gotten one late in the race when I got to lapped traffic – it would have helped me. But Josh just had a better car at the end of the race, so he deserved to win.

“We’re still happy,” added McCreadie, whose sterling Canadian trip also included a win on Friday night at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway and second-place finish on Saturday night at Autodrome Drummond. “If you can’t win all three races or at least two them, then we’ll take two seconds to go with a win.”

“They were a little softer on the right-front and a little harder on the left-rear,” Clanton said of Richards and McCreadie. “That made me too tight, and their cars were more balanced.”

Clanton did complete a strong Canadian swing, registering a top-five finish in all three events.

“If we keep leading these things, we’ll win one eventually,” said Clanton. “We’ve got a good race and we’re running up front, so our time is coming.”

Lanigan, 38, overtook Eckert for fourth on lap 36 and raced in the position to the finish. It was his eighth consecutive top-five finish on the WoO LMS – an impressive run that has helped him build a significant points lead in pursuit of his first career tour title.

The 42-year-old Eckert persevered through a loss of power-steering to close the Canadian swing with a top-five finish in each A-Main.

“I had the power steering give out about halfway through,” said Eckert, who started sixth. “I about fell out of my seat running the rest of the race without it. Every lap I just hit the brake and turned the steering as hard as I hard, so I just couldn’t make a good corner.”

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished sixth after finally passing Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., late in the distance. Decker settled for seventh, followed by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., whose Canadian swing struggles continued with a quiet outing.

A field of 24 assembled for the huge night of racing, which also included action for the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints tour and Cornwall’s headlining DIRTcar 358-Modified division.

Decker, who has won at Cornwall in DIRTcar big-block Modified competition, set fast time in the evening’s qualifying session with a lap of 13.017 seconds. It was his first fast-time honor on the tour since he turned the quickest lap on June 20, 2004, at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., where he made his first career WoO LMS start.

Fuller, who also has been victorious in DIRTcar Modified action at Cornwall and was racing less than two hours from his home, didn’t translate his prelim speed to the A-Main. He went too soft with his tire choice and was never a factor, finishing one lap down in 13^th after pitting on lap 23 to change a flat left-front tire.

The night’s action was marred by a grinding crash during hot laps involving Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa. His car dug into the track surface when he slid into turn three for the first time, sending him into a wild series of flips.

Briggs, who won the 2004 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Award when he worked for Chub Frank, was shaken up by the rough ride. He climbed from the cockpit with some assistance from safety workers and walked back to his trailer, but he was later transported to a local hospital and released several hours later after tests revealed no serious injuries.

The WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ takes a day off on Monday before making midweek stops on Tuesday night (June 24) at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway and Wednesday night (June 25) at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa. Both tracks will host the tour for the first time.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps): Fuller, Eckert, Decker, Blankenship, Frank, Knowles, Mantha, Ferri

Heat No. 2 (10 laps): Clanton, McCreadie, Babb, Baggett, Miller, Stone, Oakes, Elliott

Heat No. 3 (10 laps): Lanigan, Richards, Francis, C. Smith, Beardsley, Isabell, D. Johnson

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 22 - 16 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom.

Eckert Finally Snaps Long World of Outlaws Late Model Series Winless Streak With Victory In ‘Quebec 50’ At Autodrome Drummond

DRUMMONDVILLE, QUE – June 21, 2008 – Rick Eckert doesn’t have to answer the questions anymore.

With his frustrating winless streak on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series approaching two full years, Eckert finally broke through with a flag-to-flag victory in Saturday night’s second annual ‘Quebec 50’ at Autodrome Drummond.

“It’s been a long time between wins and a lot of grief,” said Eckert, who had gone without a win in 71 straight races since his last WoO LMS triumph, on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. “I’m just glad it’s over now – and hopefully the next one won’t take nearly so long to come.”

Eckert, 42, of York, Pa., surged off the outside pole to grab the lead at the start of the A-Main and never looked back. He built an edge of as large as a full straightaway before turning back a final-lap challenge from Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who settled for runner-up money in an event that was contested in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the four-tenths-mile oval for the second consecutive year.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., extended his WoO LMS points lead with a third-place finish, while Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., placed fourth and polesitter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., was fifth.

Driving a Raye Vest-owned GRT car that he debuted in the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ opener on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, Eckert was flawless from start-to-finish. His only real scare came when he reached a pack of lapped traffic on the 48^th circuit.

“The first half of the race the racetrack was nice and you could pass lapped cars without a problem, but then it sort of one-laned up – and that’s terrible for the leader,” said Eckert, who used a Custom engine in his familiar orange No. 24. “I was dreading the lapped cars, so when I caught them with two to go I was like, ‘This is not gonna happen.’”

McCreadie, who advanced from the sixth starting spot to second in 10 laps, quickly erased a half-straightaway deficit when Eckert found his momentum dulled behind young Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga. McCreadie closed up behind Eckert entering turn one on the final circuit, but Eckert played his cards right down the backstretch to maintain control.

“When ‘Waldo’ (a nickname for Knowles) slipped a little off of two (on the last lap), I knew if I could get inside him and he could see me, that would cover both lanes into three and I’d be O.K.,” said Eckert. “That’s exactly what happened. It worked out perfect.”

The 34-year-old McCreadie, who scored his first WoO LMS win since August 2006 the previous night at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway, had a front-row seat for Eckert’s race-saving move.

“With about 10 to go (Eckert) pulled out a bunch, and I was thinking, ‘Let’s just stay in the rubber (lane) and hold on to to second,’” said McCreadie, who drove his Sweeteners Plus Rocket car. “But when he got held up by that lapped traffic, I got behind him heading into turn one on the last lap.

“Going down the backstretch I thought that the lapped car (Knowles) was coming left when Rick was right up in there, so I thought I could go around them both on the outside. But they didn’t even touch and kept both lanes blocked, so I was hung up there trying to make a move. I just got back down there before somebody passed me.”

Eckert pocketed the race’s $10,150 top prize – the biggest race purse he’s collected since slipping into a two-year slump that had tested his mettle.

“It’s hard to keep your morale up when you go through a stretch like we did,” said Eckert, who finished in last year’s inaugural WoO LMS event at Drummond. “That’s the first thing everybody mentions as soon as they see you – when are you going to win a race? Man, that starts to eat at you, but I understand it.

“Maybe I can stop that for a little bit now. Maybe I can go ahead tomorrow night and start a winning streak.”

Eckert, who won eight of the first 17 WoO LMS A-Mains in 2006 before losing the key to Victory Lane, made some history with his checkered flag. It was his 16^th career WoO LMS win, tying him with 2004 champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., for the most victories on the tour since 2004.

“Hopefully things will go a little smoother now,” said Eckert, while hailing car owner Raye Vest for “sticking with us” through the struggles of the past two years. “A win makes you a lot happier and makes you feel like you’re making progress.”

Lanigan, meanwhile, felt that his GottaRace.com Rocket No. 29 was “as good as Eckert’s car” early in the race, but he couldn’t maintain his speed as the track surface changed.

“As soon as it rubbered up, I was way too tight,” said the 38-year-old Lanigan, who registered his seventh consecutive top-five finish on the WoO LMS.

Clanton, 32, registered his second straight top-five finish on the tour’s three-race Canadian swing. He fell back as far as fifth after starting third, but kept firm control of fourth place once he drove his RSD Enterprises Rocket past the 20-year-old Richards’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket on the 13^th circuit.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who made a quiet rise from the 11^th starting spot; Neil Baggett of Shannon, Miss., who drove Clint Smith’s backup car to the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash; 17^th-starter Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa.; Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.; and Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who recorded his second straight top-10 finish in the Rocket No. 121 owned by New Yorker Joe Beyea and wrenched by noted DIRTcar big-block mechanic Randy Kisacky.

The event was slowed by five caution flags, including one for a multi-car tangle in turn one on the 13^th lap. Among the drivers involved was Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., whose machine sustained significant body and suspension damage that forced him out of action shortly thereafter.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and top ’08 title contender Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., suffered similar fates in the A-Main – both drivers clipped the inside wall while bidding for top-five spots, breaking their cars’ left-front spindles.

Babb hit the barrier in turn two while running sixth on lap 10, forcing him to pit his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports No. 18 and finish a dismal 23^rd. Francis, meanwhile, slowed to bring out a caution flag on lap 33 and retired from further action after damaging the left-front corner of his Beitler Motorsports mount when he caught the turn-four wall while holding fifth place.

Twenty-five cars were signed in for the ‘Quebec 50,’ which once again was a resoundingly successful program for the longtime DIRTcar-sanctioned track promoted by Yan Bussiere.

Bussiere, who races regularly in the DIRTcar 358-Modified division, drove Chub Frank’s backup dirt Late Model in his event for the second consecutive year but completed only 12 laps of the A-Main after being involved in two tangles.

Lanigan was fastest in time trials, turning a lap of 18.222 seconds for his first fast time honor of the season.

Heat winners were Lanigan, McCreadie and Clanton. No B-Main was run, but Lanigan earned $500 for winning a 5-lap dash that pitted the top-six drivers in the WoO LMS points standings.

The A-Main was rushed to the track by officials as lightning flashed from menacingly-dark clouds surrounding the facility. Autodrome Drummond’s dramatic pre-race driver introductions, which were to include a fireworks display, had to be scrapped in the interest of time, but the fireworks were set off during Eckert’s Victory Lane celebration.

The Canadian portion of the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ concludes on Sunday night (June 22) at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps): Lanigan, Eckert, Francis, Decker, Baggett, D. Johnson, Briggs, Bussiere, Beardsley

Heat No. 2 (10 laps): McCreadie, Babb, Blankenship, Frank, Stone, Miller, Mantha, Oakes

Heat No. 3 (10 laps): Clanton, Richards, C. Smith, Fuller, Elliott, Knowles, Ferri, Isabell

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 21 - 15 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

McCreadie Returns To World of Outlaws Late Model Series Limelight With Powerful ‘Six Nations 50’ Victory At Ohsweken Speedway

Tim McCreadie reached Victory Lane in World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition for the first time in nearly two years on Friday night, powering to a convincing victory in the Arrow Express ‘Six Nations 50’ at Ohsweken Speedway.

The 34-year-old from Watertown, N.Y., slid underneath Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., for the lead on lap 20 and never looked back. He sailed away from the pack to defeat Clanton by 4.901 seconds – a full straightaway margin – in the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ event, which was postponed one day by rain.

How much did the $10,150 triumph mean to McCreadie? The 2006 tour champion showed his joy to the big crowd that gathered for the first-ever WoO LMS show in Ontario, performing a couple celebratory 360s in turn four with his Sweeteners Plus Rocket No. 39 and pounding his fists on the roof of his car as he exited it in Victory Lane.

“I was fortunate enough to win a Lucas (Series) race earlier this year, but to beat these boys – man, they’re the best on the planet,” McCreadie said after his first WoO LMS win since Aug. 4, 2006, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. “It’s so satisfying to come back in here and win an Outlaw race.”

McCreadie, who parlayed his ’06 WoO LMS title into a Richard Childress Racing Driver Development deal that included several NASCAR Nationwide Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series starts last season, has returned to the dirt Late Model wars in 2008 with his pavement aspirations in limbo. He feels he’s picking up some steam as he puts his focus back on dirt-track action.

“We did some testing a week ago in Michigan,” said McCreadie, who won an unsanctioned special on June 12 at Merritt (Mich.) Speedway. “I had to put the pavement stuff in the past. If I never get back there again, that’s O.K. It’s damn nice to race in front of these people (dirt fans) like this.”

McCreadie had nothing but praise for Ohsweken Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval owned by 360 Sprint Car racer Glenn Styres.

“What an phenomenal facility,” raved McCreadie, who registered his 11^th career WoO LMS win. “You can’t hold anybody back here. If you’re a little bit better, you just gotta work at it.

“These are the types of tracks we live for, and we appreciate (promoter Styres) having us up here.”

McCreadie gave plenty of credit to his chief mechanic Al Stevens, who received the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award. He also cited help he received on Friday night from his former crew chief Tommy Grecco, who earlier in the week left his position as the chief mechanic of Shannon Babb’s Bowyer Dirt Motorsports car and has reunited with McCreadie for the ‘Great Northern Tour.’

Clanton, 32, started second and led laps 1-19 but was no match for McCreadie. He spent the race’s second half nearly a straighaway behind McCreadie, fighting hard to keep his RSD Enterprises Rocket car ahead of York, Pa.’s Rick Eckert and Watertown, N.Y.’s Tim Fuller to land a runner-up finish worth $5,100.

Bidding to end a WoO LMS winless streak that has reached nearly two years and 71 races, Eckert made a strong surge forward from the 11^th starting spot to sit third by lap 15. But while he got his Raye Vest-owned GRT car inside Clanton several times, he couldn’t complete the pass and settled for a third-place finish.

Fuller, who started eighth, raced with Clanton and Eckert late in the distance but crossed the finish line fourth in his Gypsum Express Rocket. It was the second consecutive top-five run for the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., moved forward from the 13^th starting spot to place fifth in his GottaRace.com Rocket. He ran his streak of consecutive top-five finishes to six races.

Lanigan also grabbed sole possession of the WoO LMS points lead for the first time this season. He overtook defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who made several pit stops during the A-Main and finished one lap down in 14^th place.

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; polesitter Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., 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; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., who recorded his first-ever top-10 finish in WoO LMS competition.

Four drivers who were on hand Thursday did not return for the raindate, led by Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa. He returned home to attend his daughter’s graduation party, but was planning to head north again for weekend WoO LMS events in Quebec and Ontario.

Other drivers who weren’t back for Friday’s program were Brent Rhebergen of Clymer, N.Y., who suffered a blown engine during hot laps on Thursday; Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.; and Paul Rivait of Tilbury, Ont.

Friday night’s time trials were dominated by Clint Smith Racing – Smith registered his second fast time of 2008 with a lap of 16.094 seconds, and Neil Baggett of Shannon, Miss., drove Smith’s backup car to the second-fastest time of 16.181 seconds.

Heat winners were Smith, Elliott, Fuller and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa.

The Canadian swing of the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ continues this weekend, visiting Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., on Saturday night (June 21) and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on Sunday night (June 22).

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): C. Smith, Richards, J. Miller, Lanigan, Frank, Beardsley, Glassford, A. Reaume, Baker, Coulter

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Elliott, D. Johnson, Carley, Baggett, Valone, Authier, B. Reaume, Haskell, Ferry (DNS) Close

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, McCreadie, Eckert, Ross, Oakes, Stone, Dayman, Lewis, Vanderlinden, Ricotta

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Fuller, Blankenship, Babb, Isabell, Knowles, Giroux, West, Mantha, Mackenzie

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Ferri, Valone, Beardsley, A. Reaume, Coulter, Glassford, Authier, B. Reaume, Haskell, Baker (DNS) Close

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Stone, Knowles, Isabell, Oakes, Dayman, Giroux, West, Vanderlinden, Lewis, Ricotta (DNS) Mantha, Mackenzie

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Standings (as of June 20 – after 14 A-Mains):

Showers Postpone World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Six Nations 50’ To Friday Night (June 20) At Ohsweken Speedway

OHSWEKEN, ONT – June 19, 2008 – Fans will have to wait one more day to see the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Ohsweken Speedway.

Pesky showers refused to dissipate on Thursday night, forcing officials to postpone the ‘Six Nations 50’ to Friday night (June 20).

A banner field of 43 dirt Late Models descended upon the three-eighths-mile oval for the historic inaugural WoO LMs program in Ontario, but Mother Nature wouldn’t allow it to be completed on schedule. Light rain fell periodically during hot laps and then intensified after eight drivers had taken time-trial laps, bringing an early end to the action.

With Friday slated as an off day on the ‘Great Northern Tour’ for WoO LMS teams, the decision was made to keep the WoO LMS participants in town for the $10,000-to-win event. The tour will headline a Friday-night card that includes the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints Series and Ohsweken’s regular divisions.

The WoO LMS is scheduled to continue the ‘Great Northern Tour’ on Saturday night (June 21) at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., so series and track officials will work together to complete the WoO LMS portion of Friday night’s show as quickly as possible to get teams on the road.

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., was the fastest qualifier of the eight drivers who took to the track before the rain red-flagged the competition, turning a lap of 15.439 seconds. A brand-new qualifying session will be held on Friday night, however, with time trials set to begin at 6 o’clock.

The postponement was a godsend for 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who didn’t register a time because he cut a left-rear tire at the start of his time-trial effort. He would have been forced to start last in a heat race if the show had continued.

Thursday Night’s Ohsweken Speedway World of Outlaws Late Model Series Driver Entries:

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: Canadian Swing At Ohsweken Speedway (June 19), Autodrome Drummond (June 21) & Cornwall Motor Speedway (June 22)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is making a run for the northern border to contest an unprecedented three-race swing through Canada.

One year after making its historic Canadian debut with a single event at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., the WoO LMS is returning to our northern neighbor’s soil for an extended stay as part of the seven-event ‘Great Northern Tour.’

The Canadian action begins on Thursday night (June 19) with the ‘Six Nations 50’ at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway, then continues on Saturday night (June 21) with the second annual ‘Quebec 50’ at Autodrome Drummond and Sunday night (June 22) with the First Americans IGA ‘Triple Crown of Racing 50’ at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.

* Action is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. at Ohsweken; 6:30 p.m. at Drummond; and 6:30 p.m. at Cornwall.

* Ohsweken Speedway is a 13-year-old, one-third-mile track that sits on the Six Nations Indian Reserve, about 65 miles southwest of Toronto and 75 miles west of Niagara Falls. Promoter Glen Styres literally built the facility in the backyard of his home.

* Autodrome Drummond – once a big five-eighths-mile oval, but shortened several years ago to its current three-eighths-mile length -- is located about 45 minutes northeast of Montreal, off Exit 177 of Autoroute 20.

* Cornwall Motor Speedway is a high-banked, quarter-mile oval off Highway 401 exit 786 (westbound travelers) and exit 789 (eastbound travelers).

* Ohsweken Speedway Info: www.ohswekenspeedway or call 888-720-7223/519-542-2116.

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., won last year’s inaugural tour event at Autodrome Drummond. He’s returning this week as the driver of Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting No. 19 – not his self-owned Valvoline No. 15 that French Canadian fans saw him run a year ago.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., heads to Canada hot off his first WoO LMS win of 2008 in Tuesday night’s ‘Great Northern Tour’ opener at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. He finished sixth in last year’s event at Drummond after losing two spots on the final lap due to a broken spindle.

Smith also plans to enter a second car in some of the Canadian events with Neil Baggett of Shannon, Miss., behind the wheel. A dirt Late Model racer in the Deep South, Baggett is accompanying Smith on the ‘Great Northern Tour’ to lend mechanical help and will get a chance to make his first career start in Canada.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., was a strong second-place finisher in last year’s Drummond event, buoying his hopes that this will be the swing during which he ends a frustrating WoO LMS winless streak now stands at nearly two years and 70 races.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., is the hottest driver on the WoO LMS, carrying a string of five consecutive top-five finishes across the border. He finished seventh last year at Drummond after pitting on lap 32 of the ‘Quebec 50’ to change a flat tire.

* At 20 the youngest fulltime driver on the WoO LMS, ‘Kid Rocket’ Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., will look to flash the speed he showed the Canadian fans last year at Drummond. He led the first 20 laps before slowing with rear suspension trouble that ultimately cost him several circuits while making repairs in the pit area.

* The wildly popular Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., arrives in Canada sitting right in the thick of the WoO LMS championship battle – third in the standings, just 22 points behind leader Steve Francis. He was strong in last year’s Drummond show, finishing fourth.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., brings plenty of momentum across the border. The fifth-place finisher in last year’s ‘Quebec 50,’ he set fast time and finished third in the recent $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and beat the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regulars to score a win on June 12 at Tennessee’s Duck River Speedway.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., will race in Canada for the first time in his spectacular career when he climbs into his No. 18 car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer. His crew chief is Tommy Grecco, who has visited Drummond and Cornwall numerous times over the past 15 years as a mechanic for several DIRTcar big-block Modified drivers.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., needs no introduction to Canadian fans – especially at Drummond and Cornwall, where he’s stood in Victory Lane after winning DIRTcar Modified events. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year finished a solid third in last year’s Drummond program.

* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., will tow his Bloomquist Chassis machine across the border to make his first-ever start in Canada.

* Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., will continue his pursuit of the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award during the Canadian swing. He’s run DIRTcar Modified events in the past at both Drummond and Cornwall.

* Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was unable to enter last year’s historic WoO LMS event at Drummond due to the commitments he had as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver, but he’s planning a return to Canadian turf as a Sweeteners Plus teammate of Coffey. The 2006 WoO LMS champion has won DIRTcar Modified features at both Drummond and Cornwall.

* Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., is well known to Canadian fans for the DIRTcar Modified success he’s enjoyed at Drummond and Cornwall. A 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender, he’ll try to transfer his open-wheel legend to the full-fender action by running the Canadian tripleheader in the JIR Motorsports dirt Late Model.

* Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., is another WoO LMS Rookie of the Year aspirant who comes from the DIRTcar Modified ranks. The 18-year-old is a JIR Motorsports teammate of Johnson.

* A third entrant from the JIR Motorsports operation will be Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y., a DIRTcar Modified veteran who has made seven WoO LMS appearances in his first season of dirt Late Model competition.

* Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa. – a top regional dirt Late Model who captured his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main two months ago at Virginia Motor Speedway – arranged for vacation from his job at Miller Fabrication to join the WoO LMS for the ‘Great Northern Tour.’ He will race in Canada for the first time in his career with the Buckler Motorsports No. 24.

* Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del. – another driver with DIRTcar Modified roots who has raced at Drummond and Cornwall – will run the three Canadian events in a new No. 121 dirt Late Model fielded by central New York’s Joe Beyea. The car will be wrenched by champion DIRTcar Modified crew chief Randy Kisacky.

* Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., made the long haul to Drummond last year to run the ‘Quebec 50’ and finished 11^th. The upset winner of a WoO LMS A-Main last year at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., will stay out on the road a bit longer this season and enter all three Canadian events.

* Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., who won the 2004 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Award while working for his cousin Chub Frank, will caravan to Canada for the swing with Frank. He’s become a force as a driver on the Stateline/Eriez circuit in western Pennsylvania and western New York.

* Rising young star Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., will get a taste of some serious traveling by visiting Canada as part of his assault on the ‘Great Northern Tour.’ The talented racer competes under the same RSD Enterprises banner as Clanton.

* Greg Oakes of Franklinville, N.Y., has plans to enter all three Canadian events. He’s one of the few drivers with prior experience at Ohsweken, having finished fourth in a 2006 Ontario Dirt Late Model Series event there.

* Bob Close of Eldred, Pa., is set to attack the Canadian swing. He’s a top dirt Late Model talent at tracks around the western Pennsylvania area.

* DIRTcar Modified star Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., is expected to enter the Drummond and Cornwall events. He’s won Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series races at both tracks.

* French Canadian fans will have one of their own to cheer on in Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que., who is in his second year of entering selected dirt Late Model events.

* Jipp Ortiz of Ransomville, N.Y., is expected to appear in the dirt Late Model owned by Canadian Stan Miskin, who fielded last year’s Ontario Dirt Late Model Series championship-winning car.

* The field for Ohsweken Speedway’s ‘Six Nations 50’ will be enhanced by competitors from the Ontario Dirt Late Model Series (the event will offer series points) and the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned South Buxton (Ont.) Raceway, which is just over a two-hour drive from Ohsweken. The group of drivers will include Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ont., and Chris Ross of Wallaceburg, Ont., who has won at Ohsweken in Limited Late Model competition.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

The WoO LMS teams will complete the ‘Great Northern Tour’ with $7,000-to-win events on June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway and June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., and the huge, $40,000-to-win second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com on June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

Clint Smith Gets On Track With First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Of Season Tuesday At Port Royal Speedway

PORT ROYAL, PA – June 17, 2008 – Clint Smith brought his recent World of Outlaws Late Model Series struggles to a resounding end as the ‘Great Northern Tour’ opened on Tuesday night.

With one of the most dominant performances on the tour this season, Smith cruised out front from flag-to-flag to record his first victory of 2008 in the 40-lap A-Main at Port Royal Speedway.

“The car was back good again,” a relieved Smith said after steering his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT mount to a slump-busting triumph worth $7,150. “It was just idling around great. Tonight it wouldn’t do anything wrong.”

Smith, 43, of Senoia, Ga., started from the pole position and led the entire distance, but seizing that top spot on the first lap was anything but easy. He was actually outgunned for the lead twice by fellow front-row starter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., but a caution and a red flag on the opening circuit negated Frank’s passes and allowed Smith to assume command for good when the third attempt to start the race was successful.

No one was able to seriously challenge Smith, who built a full-straightaway victory margin over the Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket driven by defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

Frank settled for a distant third-place finish in his Lester Buildings Rocket. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., improved two positions to finish fourth in the Gypsum Express Rocket – just his second top-five finish of the season – and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., started and finished fifth in the GottaRace.com Rocket to run his WoO LMS consecutive top-five streak to five races.

Smith credited his Hoosier tire selection with propelling him to his 11^th career WoO LMS triumph.

“I was on the right rubber,” said Smith, whose last WoO LMS win was on Sept. 15, 2007, at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. “Chub beat me the first couple (attempted) starts because he was softer on rubber, so I wasn’t panicking. I figured my car was plenty good and we were gonna pass him back if the race stayed green.

“On that third start, I finally got some heat in the tires. I didn’t spin the tires when I got to the flagman, so I stayed alongside Chub into the corner and I pulled him off (turn) two.”

Smith simply perched his car on the strip of rubber that formed along the inside of the half-mile oval and pulled away from the field.

“We’re usually good in this type of (surface) condition,” said Smith, who finished fifth in last year’s WoO LMS inaugural at Port Royal Speedway. “I could run as fast as I wanted to ride. I just ran three-quarter throttle most of the time. I wasn’t hardly using the brakes in the corner, I was just rolling right through there.

Indeed, Smith’s scariest moment came on lap 35 as he was lapping WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y. Contact between the two cars on the backstretch peeled up the left-front corner of Smith’s hood.

“The ‘Doctor’ (Johnson) was just hugging the bottom so I went to the outside, and then he went straight to the wall,” recalled Smith. “I slammed the brakes on and he hit me. It almost got ugly for both of us, but I know he didn’t hit me intentionally. The World of Outlaws don’t use the move-the flag, so he didn’t know I was there.”

The victory moved Smith to seventh in the WoO LMS points standings. He overtook Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who salvaged a 10^th-place finish despite using a provisional to start the A-Main (he was knocked from the lead in his heat by a broken stud-bolt on his car’s water pump) and pitting on the opening lap of the feature to change a right-front tie-rod that was bent in a scrape with Jere Wierman of Stewartstown, Pa.

“We needed to get a win,” said Smith, whose only previous victory this season came in a UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned event on Feb. 15 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. “We’ve been struggling a little bit, so I know I need a good road trip if I have any hope of getting back in the points race. This is a good start I guess.”

Francis, 40, grabbed sole possession of the WoO LMS points lead with his runner-up finish. He entered the night tied for the top spot with Lanigan.

“We had a good car, but it wasn’t as good as Cat’s car (Smith),” said Francis, who surged forward from the fourth starting spot to take second from Frank on lap two. “We were just a little bit off and finished second.”

Frank, 46, wondered what might have been if his intial-start passes of Smith hadn’t been erased, but he still wasn’t satisfied with his car’s performance.

“Maybe if I got ahead of him I could’ve gotten into a rhythm and held him off,” said Frank. “But for some reason I couldn’t steer my car for like eight or 10 laps, so it probably would’ve been tough to stay up there.”

Clanton brought out the first caution when he stopped on the opening lap. Subsequent cautions flew on lap four for Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who slowed and then pitted for quick service, and on lap 25 for Kirk Ryan of Lewisberry, Pa., whose strong run ended with mechanical trouble as he ran in sixth.

The red flag was needed for a multi-car tangle between turns one and two on the race’s second attempted start. Lanigan and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., got together near the front of the field, setting off a scramble that involved Eckert, among others, and left the car of Selinsgrove, Pa.’s Jim Yoder balanced on the side of the Sweeteners Plus machine driven by WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.

Both Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., lost potential top-10 finishes to flat tires. Richards was running sixth when his car’s deflated right-rear tire forced him to pit during the lap-25 caution period (he rallied to finish 13^th), while Miller tumbled from seventh to 15^th in the finish because his car’s bald right-rear tire went flat on the final circuit.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Babb; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; Matt Parks of Three Springs, Pa., 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; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; and Clanton.

Richards recorded his third fast-time of the season, lapping the track in 20.052 seconds. He received a $100 bonus from B&B Mulch.

Heat winners were Richards, Clint Smith, Fuller and Lanigan. The B-Mains were captured by Jeff Smith of Blain, Pa., and Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., who was towed off the track with a broken spindle during a caution period on the opening lap of the A-Main.

The WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ heads for the border on Thursday (June 19) to begin a three-race Canadian swing at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway. Additional international events are scheduled for Sat., June 21, at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond and Sun., June 22, at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Frank, Moran, Haus, Fedder, Wierman, Wampler, D. Johnson, Stitt, Clanton, Frye, Casner, Hack, Jason Miller

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): C. Smith, Ryan, Jeremy Miller, Coffey, J. Smith, Adams, Stone, Schadel, Dickson, Flickinger, Dunn, Thornton, Isabell, Stuhler

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Francis, Eckert, Parks, Wagner, Sagi, Myers, Rine, LeBarron, Snook, Zembower, Wilson, Stokes (DNS) McGarvey

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Babb, Blankenship, Yoder, Covert, Knowles, Hershey, Atherton, Gray, Beardsley, Kerstetter, Lupfer, Friese

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): J. Smith, Fedder, Wierman, Adams, D. Johnson, Clanton, Wampler, Stuhler, Stone, Stitt, Schadel, Flickinger, Hack, Dunn, Thornton, Isabell, Frye (DNS) Dickson, Casner, Jason Miller

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Covert, Wagner, Sagi, Knowles, Rine, Hershey, Myers, LeBarron, Gray, Zembower, Snook, Wilson, Lupfer, Atherton, Stokes, Beardsley (DNS) Friese

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 17 - 13 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Canandaigua Speedway’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series 40 On Tues., June 24, Is A Homecoming For Dirt Late Model Drivers With Big-Block Modified Roots

CANANDAIGUA, NY – June 17, 2008 – Call it Homecoming Night for the DIRTcar big-block Modified drivers who have gone dirt Late Model racing.

When the World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes a first-ever stop at Canandaigua Speedway on Tues., June 24, for the Ferris Mowers 40 presented by Turner Automotive, the half-mile oval’s fans will get a chance to watch a bunch of Empire State stars they’ve seen turn many laps around the sweeping track.

The only difference from a regular Saturday night at the Ontario County Fairgrounds facility? All the New Yorkers will be driving full-fender machines in the $7,000-to-win mid-week special, not the DIRTcar big-block Modifieds in which they endeared themselves to the Canandaigua faithful.

Five drivers who have been DIRTcar big-block Modifieds regulars at Canandaigua will be prominent participants in upstate New York’s only WoO LMS event of 2008. Three of them are following the far-flung WoO LMS schedule this season (2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller, ’08 Rookie aspirants Vic Coffey and Danny Johnson); one is a former tour champion who is a semi-regular in ’08 (Tim McCreadie); and one has proven to be a solid dirt Late Model contender while remaining focused primarily on DIRTcar big-block Modified action (Billy Decker).

Put the quintet together, and they own a combined 111 DIRTcar big-block Modified feature wins and possess untold experience at the track that’s known in Modified circles as the ‘Land of Legends.’

“There’s really no hometrack advantage when you’re racing against the best of the best (in national dirt Late Model racing) with the Outlaws,” said Fuller, who drives a Gypsum Express dirt Late Model as a teammate to Decker. “But all of us have run Canandaigua plenty of times before, so at least we’ll go into the race knowing what to expect when we get there.

“And we’re all gonna see a lot of people we haven’t seen in years. That will probably be the neatest part about coming back to Canandaigua for an Outlaw show.”

The 40-year-old Fuller said he “learned a lot racing at Canandaigua” as an upstart big-block Mod driver. From the mid-1990s to the early-2000s he made a weekly three-hour-plus one-way haul from his native Edwards, N.Y., to compete with the division’s top talents at Canandaigua.

“It’s a real unique racetrack,” said Fuller, whose single career DIRTcar big-block Modified win at the track came on May 19, 2001. “It’s real fast and racy. I’m sure the Late Model racing there is going to be real good.”

McCreadie, meanwhile, has a special place in his heart for Canandaigua. It is, of course, the track where he made his first-ever DIRTcar Modified start (in 1996, when he ran his underpowered 358-Modified against the big-blocks to gain some experience), and he rolled up 14 feature triumphs there from 1999-2003 to place him in a tie for 10^th on the track’s alltime win list. But it’s also the place where he spent much of his youth watching his legendary father, ‘Barefoot’ Bob McCreadie, compile 99 career DIRTcar big-block Modified victories (second on the track’s alltime win list).

“I love Canandaigua,” said McCreadie, who unabashedly calls the oval “one of the best tracks in the country.” “I tell everybody that I lived in Watertown, but I grew up in Canandaigua. As soon as I could go to the races with my Dad, that’s where I went every week.

“I remember spending so many Saturday nights at the Econo Lodge hotel in town. It’s what I did every weekend.”

McCreadie, 34, expects to see plenty of familiar faces during Canandaigua’s WoO LMS show.

“The fan support will probably be phenomenal for me, Vic, Fuller, Decker, Danny,” said McCreadie, who will be behind the wheel of the Sweeteners Plus No. 39. “We’re all from New York and we spent a lot of years at Canandaigua, so it’ll be a night for all of us where we see all the friends we grew up with.”

Tuesday will an especially memorable evening for Coffey, McCreadie’s Sweeteners Plus Racing teammate. The 36-year-old with 16 career DIRTcar big-block Modified wins at Canandaigua lives just down the road in Leicester, N.Y., and the Sweeteners Plus shop is barely 20 minutes away in Avon, N.Y., so his cheering section will include, among others, his wife Jillian, his three children, his mother Ann and his step-father Carl Myers, who owns the Sweeteners Plus business and backs the two-driver team.

“They don’t get too many chances to see me run the Late Model,” bottom lined Coffey, who is making plans to step up his dirt Late Model involvement by following the remainder of the 2008 WoO LMS.

The 48-year-old Johnson – a four-time Canandaigua points champion who’s fourth on the track’s alltime win list, with 66 victories – is the newest addition to the dirt Late Model ranks from the DIRTcar big-block Modified world. An entrant in the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year battle, the resident of Phelps has been taking his lumps with the JIR Motorsports team but is hoping some home cooking helps get him on track.

“We’ve been struggling to figure out the Late Model,” said Johnson, “but we did some testing the last few weeks at Brewerton (N.Y.) and Fulton (N.Y.) and hopefully we found some things. Maybe running somewhere I know will help me get going a little bit.”

Decker, 43, of Unadilla, N.Y., has one track title and 14 career DIRTcar big-block Modified wins at Canandaigua, including a victory in the 2008 season opener on April 19. The winningest big-block driver on the DIRTcar Northeast circuit this season, Decker has proven himself in WoO LMS competition over the past four years, finishing as high as fourth in an A-Main.

Several other drivers with big-block Modified backgrounds will be in the Canandaigua field, including Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who finished second in an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series event at Canandaigua in 1992 en route to winning the DIRTcar big-block Modified Rookie of the Year award; 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.; and Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y.

All the big-block boys will have to work hard to turn back the invading WoO LMS contingent – a roster filled with the country’s brightest dirt Late Model names.

Leading the WoO LMS charge to Canandaigua will be Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who has made himself well known to upstate New York fans in recent seasons. He’s won four WoO LMS events in the area over the past three years, including two in 2005 (Fulton Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway) and the 2006 and 2007 shows at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport.

Other WoO LMS stars headed to Canandaigua for the first time are defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; 20-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who will drive a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

The field will be boosted by several top dirt Late Model drivers from the Northeast, including Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who won his first-ever WoO LMS event in April at Virginia Motor Speedway; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., an upset WoO LMS victor last year at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.; Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; and Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.

Pit gates are scheduled to open at 2 p.m. and the grandstands at 4 p.m. on June 24. On-track action is set to start at 7 p.m.

The program will also include a full program for the BRP CanAm 360 Late Model Series.

Reserved seats in the top-two rows of the grandstands are available for $27. Reserved-seat ticketholders will also have an opportunity to participate in a pre-race pit tour at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.canandaiguaspeedway.com or call the DIRTcar Northeast headquarters at 315-834-6606.

The Canandaigua event is part of the seven-race WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour,’ which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing begins at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on June 17 and also includes stops on June 19 at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

Cornwall Motor Speedway Owner Ron Morin Hosts World of Outlaws Late Model Series As Part Of Huge Racing Program This Sunday Night (June 22)

CORNWALL, ONT – June 16, 2008 – Cornwall Motor Speedway owner Ron Morin has long dreamed of hosting the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at his spic-and-span track.

That day will finally come this Sunday night (June 22) when the far-reaching tour visits the high-banked, quarter-mile oval for a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event that completes an unprecedented three-race Canadian swing for the Outlaws.

“I can’t wait to see the Outlaw boys at Cornwall,” said an obviously jazzed Morin, who has built the Ontario facility into a spectacularly successful DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned Sunday-night operation over the past quarter-century. “I know how exciting Late Models are, so I’ve always talked about having a Late Model race. It finally worked out where we could get a World of Outlaws date and we jumped at it.”

A big fan of all dirt-track racing who often attends dirt Late Model events during his track’s off-season, Morin also knows how to put on a show that fans want to see. That’s the case with Sunday’s First Americans IGA Triple Crown of Racing, a race fans’ delight that joins the headlining WoO LMS program with companion events for the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints tour and Cornwall’s weekly DIRTcar 358-Modifieds.

The tripleheader is a true event, one of the biggest short-track extravaganzas that will be run anywhere in Canada this season. Morin has posted a purse of over $80,000 for the night’s action, topped by the $50,000 total payout that the WoO LMS competitors will chase.

“I figured, ‘Let’s just go all out,’” Morin said when asked what prompted him to schedule such a gargantuan, don’t-dare-miss-it program. “The World of Outlaws Late Models, ESS and the 358-Modifieds have never been run together on the same night, so it’s something to get everyone talking.”

With a record-breaking crowd expected, Morin and his staff have arranged extra bleachers and increased parking to handle the throng. The shuttle service that Cornwall boasts to ferry fans from the farthest reaches of the parking lots to the front gate will even be enhanced to make the night’s experience more convenient.

Several drivers who have become prominent followers of the WoO LMS will be very familiar to Cornwall’s fans, including 2007 tour Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who is chasing the entire WoO LMS this season; 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; and ’08 Rookie of the Year contenders Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.

Fuller, McCreadie and Johnson have all won DIRTcar Modified events at Cornwall. McCreadie, in fact, registered the first major event victory of his career at Cornwall when he captured a 358-Modified Super DIRTcar Series 100 in 1996 – one reason why he’s a big fan of the track.

“I’ve always liked Cornwall,” said McCreadie, who will make his first Cornwall appearance in several seasons when he takes to the track in his Sweeteners Plus No. 39. “It’s tight, but it’s usually haul-ass, and if you’re good you go to the front.”

Fuller, meanwhile, has another reason to look forward to Cornwall’s show: the track is just a short drive across the St. Lawrence River from Hogansburg, N.Y., where his valued sponsor, John Lazore, happens to reside.

Cornwall’s talented WoO LMS field will feature nearly a half-dozen drivers with DIRTcar Modified rootes, including Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., who has been victorious in Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series action at Cornwall; 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.; 1992 DIRTcar big-block Modified Rookie of the Year Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., whose Joe Beyea-owned dirt Late Model is wrenched by well-known DIRTcar Modified crew chief Randy Kisacky; Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y.; and Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que.

Fuller is part of a fulltime WoO LMS traveling roster led by defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who last year became the first winner of a tour event in Canada when he was triumphant at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond.

Other WoO LMS stars headed to Cornwall for the first time are Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who through 12 events is tied for the tour points lead with Francis; Chub Frank, the Pennsy veteran known as ‘Chubzilla’; 20-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who will drive a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

General admission (in Canadian currency) to the three-star show is $45 for adults; $25 for students 13-17, senior citizens 65-and-over and children 5-12; and free for kids 4-and-under.

The Cornwall event is part of the seven-race WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour,’ which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing begins at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on June 17 and also includes stops on June 19 at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: ‘Great Northern Tour’ Opener On Tues., June 17, At Port Royal Speedway

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series swings back into action for the first time in nearly three weeks on Tuesday night (June 17) at Port Royal Speedway, where the second annual ‘Great Northern Tour’ kicks off with a 40-lap A-Main paying $7,000 to win.

Port Royal Speedway opened last year’s ‘Great Northern Tour’ in fine fashion, attracting a stellar field of 46 dirt Late Models and one of the track’s largest crowds of the season. A similarly strong turnout is expected once again, buoyed by the division’s strong representation and popularity in the central Pennsylvania area.

The WoO LMS teams will head for the border following Port Royal’s program for the three-race Canadian portion of the ‘Great Northern Tour,’ visiting Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway on Thurs., June 19; Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond on Sat., June 21; and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on Sun., June 22. The invasion of the Northeast then continues on June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

* Port Royal Speedway’s gates are set to open on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Warmups are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and qualifying starts at 7 p.m.

* A historic half-mile fairgrounds oval, Port Royal Speedway literally sits in the middle of the town of Port Royal. A line of houses is just across the street from the backstretch, providing a down-home feel to the competition.

The track is 50 miles northwest of Harrisburg off the Rt. 75 exit of US Rt. 322.

* General admission to the show, which also includes a complete program of Limited Late Model racing, is $25 for adults and $15 for students ages 12-17. Pit passes are $30.

* Last year’s inaugural WoO LMS event at Port Royal, on June 20, 2007, was won by Darrell Lanigan.

* Union, Ky.’s Lanigan enters the event as the hottest driver on the WoO LMS. He has four consecutive top-five finishes – including his first victory of the 2008 season in the tour’s last event, on May 29 at Delaware International Speedway – and is tied for the points lead with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

* Francis, who captured his first career WoO LMS points title in 2007, had an off-night in last year’s tour stop at Port Royal, finishing a quiet eighth. He returns on Tuesday not with his self-owned No. 15 that he steered to last year’s championship but driving the Reliable Painting No. 19 owned by Dale Beitler, who enjoyed success at Port Royal in the past with former driver Gary Stuhler.

The 40-year-old Francis enters the busy upcoming stretch of the WoO LMS relaxed and ready to go. He took the past weekend off from racing, instead getting in a little R&R with his teenage daughter – he took her to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game and the Kings Island amusement park.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who finished sixth last year at Port Royal, will look to continue the momentum he’s built over the past two weeks. He debuted a new Rocket car in the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream event on June 6-7 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and promptly drove it to the fast-time award and a third-place finish in the 100-lapper. He followed that up with a super three-race swing of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events near his home last weekend, winning on June 12 at Duck River Speedway in Wheel, Tenn., and registering third-place finishes on June 13 at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga., and June 14 at Talladega (Ala.) Short Track.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., would love to make Port Royal the place where he snaps his uncharacteristically long WoO LMS winless streak, which now stands at 69 races.

Winless on the tour since July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, Eckert will have ample support from family and friends at Port Royal, which is just an hour-and-a-half drive from his home. He finished second in last year’s WoO LMS event.

* Twenty-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished third in last year’s Port Royal A-Main after running second for much of the distance. He’ll take the green flag on Tuesday hot off an off-weekend victory last Friday night at Winchester (Va.) Speedway, where he was triumphant driving the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 he runs in most non-WoO LMS events.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., would like to erase memories of his miserable career-first appearance at Port Royal one year ago. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year had to use a provisional to start the A-Main after slapping the wall during time trials and finished a dismal 22^nd, completing only three laps.

* Other WoO LMS regulars who will look to improve upon their ’07 outings at Port Royal include Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (finished fourth last year), Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (fifth) and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (23^rd).

* WoO LMS travelers Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., will make their first-ever visits to Port Royal.

* Regional standouts expected include 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., coming off a victory in an unsanctioned special Super Late Model event in Michigan last Thursday night; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who did not enter last year’s WoO LMS show at Port Royal; two-time MACS tour champion Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., who failed to qualify for the track’s ’07 tour event; and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., who has two early-season feature wins at Port Royal.

* Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., will lead the healthy contingent of Port Royal regulars into battle against the Outlaws. He is dominating the oval’s 2008 season, with five wins in seven events to date, including the last four in a row.

Haus saw a potentially good night go bad in last year’s WoO LMS event at the Port. He was running sixth in the A-Main when he was sent spinning off turn two on lap three, triggering a multi-car crash that knocked him from further action.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 29 - 12 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Defending Champion Steve Francis Leads World of Outlaws Late Model Series Back To Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond On Sat., June 21

DRUMMONDVILLE, QUE – June 14, 2008 – There was a very obvious reason why Steve Francis got a huge thrill out of his victory in last year’s historic World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond.

And it wasn’t merely because the triumph ended a frustrating winless streak of over a year for the driver who would go on to become the 2007 WoO LMS champion.

It had a lot to do with the huge crowd and electric aura of the first-ever WoO LMS race held in Canada – an adrenalin-pumping combination that will great Francis and Co. again when the nomadic tour returns to Drummond on Sat., June 21, for the second annual ‘Quebec 50’ paying $10,000 to win.

“The whole atmosphere up there was just so different,” said Francis, thinking back on his history-making victory in front of a raucous standing-room-only crowd. “The stands were packed, the fans were into it, they had rock music playing in the grandstands – it was just such a unique situation.

“We had a whole lot of fun up there last year, and I’m looking forward to going back.”

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., was the star of last year’s blockbuster WoO LMS show at Drummond – and make no mistake, it was a true show. Drummond co-promoter Yyan Bussiere, a 358-Modified driver who competed in last year’s WoO LMS event behind the wheel of Bear Lake, Pa., standout Chub Frank’s backup car, orchestrated an event that entertained the influx of fans in memorable fashion.

From the house D.J. spinning pulse-pounding music in his personal tower room to the highjinks of the Autodrome Drummond mascot to the Bud Girls peppering the stands with giveaway items to the elaborate pre-race driver introductions that included a spotlight, cannon shots, sirens, fireworks and mood-setting music, the inaugural ‘Quebec 50’ was far more than a race.

It was an event – a go-home-and-tell-your-friend-about-it event that, yes, had WoO LMS drivers spreading the word about the excitement they experienced.

“I tell everybody that racing up there (at Drummond) is like going to a carnival or a circus – there’s just so much going on to get the fans into it,” said Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who is currently tied for the WoO LMS points lead with Francis. “They put on a better show than anywhere I’ve ever been.”

“Some of the promoters in the states can take some lessons from a track like (Drummond),” added Francis, who will go for a second straight win at the three-eighths-mile oval driving Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting No. 19 rather than the self-owned No. 15 he put in Victory Lane last year. “Promoters have to make their show a little more entertaining for the fans if they want to survive, and (Drummond) is an example of the way to do it right.”

With Drummond part of a three-race WoO LMS Canadian swing this year (the tour also visits Ontario’s Ohsweken Speedway on June 19 and Cornwall Motor Speedway on June 22), a trip north of the border has been made more attractive for teams. As a result, French Canadian fans are destined to see an even stronger field than was on hand a year ago.

Francis and Lanigan headline the roster of WoO LMS regulars headed to Drummond. Joining them in the tour’s entourage will be Frank, the Pennsy veteran known as ‘Chubzilla’; 20-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who will drive a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer in his first career appearance in Canada; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who finished second in last year’s ‘Quebec 50’; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

Fuller, Coffey and Johnson are well-known to the Drummond faithful – they’re all DIRTcar big-block Modified stars who have competed in past Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series events at Drummond. Fuller and Johnson, in fact, own big-block Modified tour victories at the track.

Drummond fans will also get a chance to see two more big-block Modified veterans wheeling dirt Late Models on June 21: Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won a Super DIRTcar Series show at Drummond before going full-fender racing and capturing the 2006 WoO LMS championship, and Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., a four-time winner of the prestigious Rite Aid 200 big-block Modified classic at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.

Other top dirt Late Model drivers from the Northeast with plans to compete at Drummond include Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who won his first-ever WoO LMS event in April at Virginia Motor Speedway; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., an upset WoO LMS victor last year at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.; Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who has run a big-block Modified at Drummond in the past; Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; and George Lee of Loudonville, Ohio.

The French Canadian crowd will even have a home-province driver to root for in Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que., who is in his second season entering selected dirt Late Model events.

Action at Autodrome Drummond on Sat., June 21, is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. The track’s DIRTcar 358-Modifieds, Sportsman and Pro Stocks are also on the program.

Tickets for the race (in Canadian currency) are $45 for adults, $22 for students 13-17 and free for children 12-and-under.

For more information on the ‘Quebec 50’ visit www.autodrome-drummond.com or call the track office at 819-474-2222.

Autodrome Drummond is located about 45 minutes northeast of Montreal, off Exit 177 of Autoroute 20.

The Drummond stop is part of the seven-race WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour,’ which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing begins at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on June 17 and also includes stops on June 19 at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

Coming Off Historic 50^th Career Victory, Lonnie Parker Jr. Looks To Make More Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series History Saturday At USA Race Park

CONCORD, N.C. — June 13, 2008 — Lonnie Parker Jr. made history the last time the Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series was in action.

The 32-year-old standout from El Mirage, Ariz., will try to make some more when the tour resumes competition this Saturday night (June 14) with a visit to USA Race Park in Tucson, Ariz.

A four-time Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series champion and the tour’s alltime winningest driver, Parker reached a personal milestone when he swept both nights of the recent Memorial Day Weekend spectacular at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. The pair of victories gave him 50 for his career on the series – although he had to be reminded of that fact.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t even realize I was at 50 wins,” said Parker, who drives family-owned equipment. “When I found out I was like, ‘O.K., that’s cool.’ It’s something to be proud of, but I don’t really think about the number of wins and championships I have.”

Parker’s doubleheader sweep came in the first events for the series under the auspices of DIRTcar Racing, the brand name for the sanctioning body run by the World Racing Group of Concord, N.C. The popular Southwest Dirt Racing Association tour –a stalwart on the region’s dirt Late Model scene since 2001 – was rechristened the Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series following an agreement reached on May 24 by DIRTcar Racing and SWDRA officials.

After enjoying more success than any other driver during the tour’s SWDRA era, Parker is intent on continuing his regional supremacy with DIRTcar Racing now governing the series. A second-generation racer who still competes against his father Lonnie Sr., Parker is excited to be part of a series that will only grow larger under the nationally-known DIRTcar Racing organization.

“There’s quite a few tracks that are interested in dirt Late Model racing out here,” said Parker. “Things are moving forward, and I think (DIRTcar Racing’s arrival) will make everything even better – especially with DIRTcar taking over the Western Allstars (Super Late Model Series) as well.

“I think the possibility is there to set up some bigger special races for everybody out here, the kind of races that will have guys from California and Arizona racing against each other.”

Parker enters Saturday’s program at USA Race Park riding high – and not merely because of his holiday-weekend sweep. He’s been nearly perfect this season on the Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series, building up a healthy points lead with five wins in the tour’s six A-Mains contested to date.

“It’s probably the best start of a season we’ve ever had,” said Parker, who has driven dirt Late Models off-and-on for most of the past 15 years. “Earlier this year we had some Ohlins Shocks revalved for our GRT (car) and put them on for (a show at) Vegas (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), and they just made the car drastically better. We’ve been running great ever since.

Parker, who graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in history but works in his family’s concrete business (“Construction pays a little better than teaching history,” he quipped), has certainly developed into the Southwest’s top talent over the past decade. He spent several years on the sidelines after suffering a serious foot injury in an accident at Arizona’s Manzanita Speedway when he was just 21 – he underwent surgery and couldn’t walk without crutches for a year – and hasn’t missed a beat since returning.

But even as Parker chases a fifth Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series title in 2008, he’s not thinking about how many championships he can put on the board before his career is done many years down the road.

“I don’t have any goal of winning seven or eight or 10 championships,” said Parker, who is married and has two young boys (Dillon, who turns 5 on Sunday, and Noah, 22 months). “I just wanna go fast and win races.”

For more information on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing, visit DIRTcar.com.

Pennsylvania Modified Star Jeff Strunk Lands Ride With Bernheisel To Challenge World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars On June 25 At Big Diamond Raceway

MINERSVILLE, PA – June 12, 2008 – Eastern Pennsylvania 358-Modified star Jeff Strunk has always wanted to test his considerable skills behind the wheel of a Super Late Model.

He’ll get his chance at full-fender action on a very big stage – and at one of his hometracks – when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes a much-anticipated first-ever visit to Big Diamond Raceway on Wed., June 25, for the Jack Rich Inc. ‘Coal Country 40.’

Strunk, a 39-year-old from Mohnton, Pa., who is one of the most accomplished 358-Modified drivers in the Northeast, will drive a Lazer Chassis car fielded by veteran dirt Late Model driver and car builder Jim Bernheisel.

“I’m real excited to give it a shot,” said Strunk, who drives well-known Keystone State car owner Glenn Hyneman’s familiar No. 126 Modifieds on a regular basis. “I’m just glad for the opportunity to try Late Model racing at a track I know pretty well. There’s a lot of guys around here that can drive a race car, so I’m thankful that Jim (Bernheisel) feels like I can do a good job.”

A four-time and defending 358-Modified track champion at Big Diamond, Strunk made his one-and-only career dirt Late Model start in a 2002 event at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa., where 358 Late Models are a support class to the headlining small-block Modifieds. He came back from an early spin and fought through power-steering trouble to finish a respectable eighth.

Though Strunk talked about doing some dirt Late Model racing a few years ago with his former car owner Chad Sinon, a deal never materialized. He’s anxious to finally jump in a full-blown dirt Late Model and get a feel for the division – one in which an ever-growing number of Northeast Modified drivers are making a mark, including 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie and 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller, two stars from Watertown, N.Y., who have the Big Diamond special on their schedules.

“In motorsports, the more versatile you are, the more of a chance you have to do this for a living,” said Strunk, a fulltime professional driver for much of his career. “Late Model racing is huge all over the country and it’s definitely something I’d like to pursue if I got a chance, so I’m looking forward to getting in a car and racing against the best competition.”

Strunk, who will likely run a test session with Bernheisel at Big Diamond to get comfortable in the car before the midweek event, has realistic goals for his WoO LMS debut.

“I just want to get in the show,” Strunk said of the $7,000-to-win ‘Coal Country 40’ A-Main. “Just running 40 laps with those guys will be great for me. Hopefully I can show some people I can do it.”

Bernheisel certainly is confident about Strunk’s ability to wheel a dirt Late Model around the three-eighths-mile Big Diamond oval.

“I’ve known Jeff for a long time and he’s always said he’d love to drive a Late Model,” said Bernheisel, who will buckle Strunk in the No. 119 that his son, Bryan, has been campaigning this season. “He got to talking with my son Brandon (Bernheisel’s chief mechanic) about this Big Diamond race back in January at the Motorsports show (in Atlantic City, N.J.), and we decided to put a deal together with him.

“He’s a great driver, so I’m excited to see what he can do in a Late Model.

“Having him in a Late Model will also hopefully draw in more Modified fans for the show,” he added. “I feel like Modified fans haven’t always given Late Models a chance, but I know that if they come to Big Diamond and check out (the WoO LMS event) they’re gonna be impressed.”

Bernheisel is also anxious to hit the Big Diamond clay himself. He’s only entering selected dirt Late Model events this season so he can focus on business and his son Bryan’s burgeoning driving career, but Diamond’s show is one he can’t miss.

Not only is Big Diamond a short drive from his shop, it’s also a track that he raced at often early in his career.

“I used to race at Big Diamond back in the Chevelle and Nova days,” smiled Bernheisel, who competed in the track’s old Limited Late Model division (before the track was enlarged slightly in the mid-‘90s). “The first time I ran there was 1979. I ran there a little the next year and was a regular in 1981 and 1982.”

Bernheisel never won a Big Diamond, however, so he’d love to change that with an upset of the WoO LMS big boys.

“I finished second there like eight times in 1982,” said Bernheisel. “I thought I’d have plenty more chances to win there, but then they dropped the Late Models so I’ve only been back for a few specials since then.

“Back in the late ‘90s I was leading a special there when I broke on the white-flag lap. That one was tough to take.”

For more information on Big Diamond Raceway’s WoO LMS ‘Coal Country 40,’ visit www.bigdiamondraceway.com or call 570-385-0744.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Makes First-Ever Visit To Ontario For ‘Six Nations 50’ On June 19 At Ohsweken Speedway

OHSWEKEN, ONT – June 11, 2008 – Now it’s southern Ontario’s turn to get a taste of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

Following a blockbuster inaugural Canadian event last year in Quebec, the tour will increase its international footprint by racing in Ontario for the first time when it visits Ohsweken Speedway for the ‘Six Nations 50’ presented by Arrow Express on Thurs., June 19.

The $10,000-to-win event is not only the biggest dirt Late Model race ever run in the province of Ontario but also a unique addition to the schedule of the three-eighths-mile oval, an emerging track that headlines 360 Sprint Cars on a weekly basis. Several dirt Late Model shows have been contested at the facility since its birth in 1996, but none boasting the top-level talent that will arrive with the WoO LMS.

“We’re entering into uncharted territory here,” said Ohsweken Speedway track manager Ken Pelkie, highlighting the true special-event aura surrounding the Six Nations 50. “We’ve never attempted a dirt Late Model race of this magnitude, but we’re excited about the possibilities. People around here are already very familiar with the World of Outlaws Sprints, and we know that once they see the World of Outlaws Late Models they’ll love them too.”

A major event for the full-fender set is the latest sign of growth at Ohsweken, which gained notoriety in recent years for its fall 360 Sprint Car Nationals and became firmly established on the short-track map with a wildly successful first-ever Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series program last season.

The track is a bona fide Field of Dreams for its owner Glenn Styres, a 360 Sprint Car driver who literally built the facility in his backyard on the Six Nations Indian Reserve. Styres’s home sits just off the second turn of the oval, which he has steadily improved in each year of its existence. He’s in the process of adding more bleachers to bring the track’s seating capacity to over 8,000 and recently completed a project to install Musco lighting, illuminating the speedway in stellar fashion in time for the WoO LMS invasion and next month’s WoO Sprint Car doubleheader that will be taped for broadcast on the SPEED cable network.

“Glenn wants Ohsweken Speedway to be one of the best tracks in the U.S. and Canada,” said Pelkie. “He puts so much effort into making the track better and better, and he knows that bringing in big series like the World of Outlaws brings more attention.”

A star-studded group of American dirt Late Model stars is planning to cross the border for the WoO LMS debut at Ohsweken, which sits about 65 miles southwest of Toronto and 75 miles west of Niagara Falls.

The WoO LMS roster will be led by defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who enters the Six Nations 50 as the tour’s only driver with a victory in Canada under his belt. He won last year’s first-ever WoO LMS in Canada, triumphing at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que.

Francis will be joined by his barnstorming WoO LMS compatriots, including Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who is currently tied for the points lead with Francis; 20-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drives a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

The talented field will by buoyed by a host of other top drivers from across the region – including 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., and Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa. – and a strong contingent of home-province dirt Late Model racers.

The Six Nations 50 will draw participants from the Ontario Dirt Late Model Series championship by offering points toward the tour’s championship. In addition, perhaps a dozen or more dirt Late Model regulars at the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned South Buxton (Ont.) Raceway are expected to compete, including Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ont., and Chris Ross of Wallaceburg, Ont., who has won at Ohsweken in Limited Late Model competition.

The winner of the Six Nations 50 will receive a unique trophy in addition to the 10-grand top prize: a stone carving of a turtle, which represents part of the tribe’s heritage.

In addition, Ohsweken’s management plans to provide the dirt Late Model teams a post-race meal in the pit area to show appreciation for their long hauls to take part in the event.

Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. on June 19, with race time set for 7:45 p.m.

General admission to the program, which also includes the track’s regular 360 Sprint Car class, is $20 and $10 for kids 12-and-under. Reserved seats are available for $30 and $20 for kids 12-and-under.

As an added bonus for fans attending the WoO LMS event, Ohsweken management has posted an attractive $5 admission price to the track’s Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints Series show on Friday night (June 20) for those presenting a Thursday-night ticket stub.

For more information on Ohsweken Speedway, visit www.ohswekenspeedway or call 888-720-7223/519-542-2116.

The Ohsweken stop is part of the seven-race WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour,’ which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing begins at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on June 17 and also includes stops on June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

Red-Hot Darrell Lanigan Is Driver To Watch When World of Outlaws Late Model Series Visits Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway On Tues., June 17

PORT ROYAL, PA – June 9, 2008 – Darrell Lanigan has become the hottest driver on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

So do you think he’s happy to see the tour’s next race come up at Port Royal Speedway on Tues., June 17? You bet he is.

“I’m looking forward to going back there,” said the low-key Lanigan, a resident of Union, Ky., who turned 38 on June 3. “You always like running at a track where you’ve had success in the past – and we have a real good car right now, which makes us feel better about our chances.”

Lanigan, of course, was the winner of last year’s inaugural WoO LMS event at the venerable fairgrounds track in central Pennsylvania – one of the highlights of a disappointing 2007 season in which he was already effectively out of title contention by the time the tour hit the Port. He returns for this year’s 40-lap, $7,000-to-win mid-week show in a position of much more strength, sitting in a tie for the points lead with defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

“Everything is going right for us right now,” bottom-lined Lanigan, who finished seventh in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings. “It can all turn around and go the other way real quick, though, so we have to just keep at it. There’s a lot of racing left this year.”

Lanigan enters Port Royal’s program with four straight top-five finishes to his credit on the WoO LMS, including his first win of the 2008 season when the tour was last in action, on May 29 at Delaware International Speedway. Last year the best streak of consecutive top-fives achieved on the series was just five (by Francis and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.), making it clear that Lanigan is on an impressive run.

With Lanigan being an unabashed lover of big, fast tracks, it would be no surprise to see him continue his streak by becoming the second driver in 2008 to capture back-to-back A-Mains. Port Royal Speedway, which sits right in the middle of town, is a sprawling half-mile oval – one of the largest tracks on the WoO LMS schedule – that plays right into Lanigan’s style.

Lanigan, who runs a family-owned Rocket car, had no trouble finding the prime setup for Port Royal’s layout last year. He dominated the headliner, leading from flag-to-flag.

“The car was perfect all night long,” recalled Lanigan, who has nine career WoO LMS victories. “We barely made any changes to it. Hopefully we’ll be able to pull out those notes and get the car running the same way again this year.”

Lanigan will have plenty of competition to deal with at Port Royal, starting with his traveling WoO LMS brethren. The tour’s roster includes Francis; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who won twice at Port Royal early in his career and finished second in last year’s WoO LMS event; Shannon Babb, who drives a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who scored a third-place finish in last year’s WoO LMS visit to Port Royal; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., also hold plans to compete at Port Royal.

The Tuesday WoO LMS event is the biggest dirt Late Model show of the season at Port Royal, which runs the division on a weekly basis but headlines 410 Sprint Cars, so Port’s regulars and a host of other area talents are expected to turn out in force. Last year’s spectacularly successful first-ever WoO LMS program at Port Royal drew a field of 46 cars – as well as one of the track’s largest crowds of the season – and a repeat is anticipated.

The hometrack contingent will be led by veteran Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., who sits atop the track points standings with four wins to his credit already this season. Regional standouts with plans to enter the Port Royal card include former WoO LMS A-Main winners Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa. (who has won twice this season at Port Royal) and Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa.

Port Royal Speedway’s gates are scheduled to open on Tues., June 17, at 5 p.m. Warmups are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and qualifying starts at 7 p.m.

General admission to the show, which also includes a complete program of Limited Late Model racing, is $25 for adults and $15 for students ages 12-17. Pit passes are $30.

Port Royal Speedway will host the kickoff event of the seven-race WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour,’ which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing continues on June 19 at Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Clanton Is Top Outlaw In Saturday’s Dirt Late Model Dream Event At Eldora Speedway

After driving to a solid third-place finish in Saturday night’s 100-lap Dirt Late Model Dream XIV at Eldora Speedway, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series standout from Locust Grove, Ga., had nothing but praise for his RSD Enterprises machine.

“It’s the best car we ever had here,” Clanton said in the pit area of the legendary Buckeye State track after emerging as the highest-finishing WoO LMS regular in the talented 24-car A-Main field. “We worked two solid days on it this week to get it ready, and we put a new (Custom) motor in it when we got here.

“The combination worked real good, so we’re pumped up to come back here for the World of Outlaws race next month (Subway 50 on July 25) and the World 100 (on Sept. 5-6) – and heck, we’re pumped up for the rest of the (WoO) series. We’ve got a good car.”

Clanton, 32, demonstrated just how tough he would be during Friday night’s Dream qualifying program. He actually set fast time twice – yes, twice.

The driver known as ‘Coconut’ was entrenched atop the time-trial board as the first round of time trials wound down, but the entire session was wiped out because rain from the outer edge of a severe storm that blew through the area fell with 21 of the event’s 123 entrants still left to qualify. Following a nearly two-hour delay and more hot laps to work in the surface, Clanton came out fastest (with a lap of 16.580 seconds) in the ensuing single round of time trials that was used to set Saturday’s heat lineups.

Clanton started fifth in Saturday night’s first 15-lap heat after drawing a five-car invert, but he won the prelim to earn the sixth starting spot in the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Dream 100. He proceeded to surge straight to the front when the feature began, taking the lead from 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., on lap four. But Clanton wasn’t a match for 2004 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who grabbed the lead on lap 24 and went on to capture the event’s $100,000 top prize for the fifth time in his career.

Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, was able to overtake Clanton for second on lap 62, but Clanton hung on to secure a career-best Dream finish of third.

“I was a little too free,” said Clanton, who earned $10,000. “At the beginning of the race (the car) turned too good and had too much traction. It wasn’t pushing not one bit, so I knew I was in trouble.

“I thought to myself, ‘If I can get out (to a lead) as far as I can get and it goes green-to-checkered, maybe they won’t catch us.’ But that didn’t happen.

“(Bloomquist) was a little tighter right in the middle (of the corners),” added Clanton. “He could drive it a little straighter through the turns. That was the difference.”

Clanton claimed that he never allowed visions of the 100-grand check – the biggest single-event paycheck of the 2008 dirt Late Model season – to creep into his mind before the start of the race. But he did concede that a victory in the Dream would have prompted a post-race celebration unlike any other in his career.

“My car owner (Ronnie Dobbins) has never won here and it would have been my first win here, so it would’ve been thrilling,” said Clanton, who wife and mother flew up from Georgia on Friday to attend the race. “I might’ve tried to do a backflip like Carl Edwards if I had won this race tonight.”

Clanton will try to carry his Eldora momentum into the upcoming heart of the WoO LMS schedule. He returns to series action on Tues., June 17, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, which kicks off the seven-race ‘Great Northern Tour’ that continues on June 19 at Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

Though Clanton sits seventh in the points standings – 98 points out of first – through 12 WoO LMS events, he feels like he’s ready to make a charge.

“We got a lot of confidence coming here and running as good as we did,” said Clanton. “There’s a lot of races to go (on the WoO LMS), so if we run as good as we did tonight – heck, you never know. We might be leading the thing in another month.”

FEATURE STARTERS: Every driver in the top 10 of the current WoO LMS points standings entered the Dream, but only four were fortunate enough to avoid bad luck and make the A-Main field.

Outlaw regulars who joined Clanton in the headliner were Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (finished ninth after starting 16^th); John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (won a heat race in impressive fashion but faded from the third starting spot in the A-Main to finis 18^th); and 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (pulled off on lap 27 and finished 22nd in his first-ever Dream start).

DRIVER-TURNED-CAR OWNER: Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., had high hopes for his first Eldora appearance with car owner Dale Beitler, whose Reliable Painting car was driven to victory in the 2007 Dream by Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind.

But Francis drew a late time-trial number and could only manage the 39^th-fastest lap – thus missing the heat-race invert – and later saw his bid come to an end when his No. 19 blew a right-rear tire while challenging for the final transfer spot with two laps left in the third heat.

Francis, 40, missed the Dream’s starting field for just the second time in its 14-year history. His previous DNQ came in 2005.

Nevertheless, Francis still had a horse in the race. He fielded his own Valvoline No. 39 for Tim McCreadie, who won the fifth heat race to earn the outside-pole starting position for the A-Main.

Francis found himself in the unusual spot of car owner, standing atop his trailer in street clothes as McCreadie went to the post. McCreadie led the race’s first three laps but didn’t have the correct setup for the track conditions and slipped to a fifth-place finish.

“I knew what he was feeling, what was happening to his car,” said Francis. “We geared up for the speed to be way down from what it was, so we had Timmy a little messed up. We had him geared up for what the track was like for last year’s World or Dream, but the racetrack was faster than that. We misjudged it a little bit.”

HEARTBREAKER: Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., entered the weekend as the hottest driver on the WoO LMS, but he couldn’t transfer his good luck to Eldora.

A former Dream 100 winner, Lanigan was running a solid second in the first heat when his Rocket No. 29 belched a huge puff of smoke. He limped into the pit area and was done for the day – only the fourth time he’s missed a Dream starting field.

OVER THE EDGE: Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., was bidding for the final qualifying spot in the fifth heat when his ‘slider’ to overtake John Mason sent him up the hill and into the turn-two wall with the right-rear corner of his Clint Bowyer-owned Rocket. He held on to finish fifth despite the bodywork damage, but managed only a 14^th-place finish in the B-Main.

The DNQ continued Babb’s tough run of luck in the Dream. It marked the third straight year he’s failed to qualify.

ALL BEAT UP: Coming off his career-first win at Eldora in the ‘Johnny Appleseed Classic’ on May 25, Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., carried plenty of momentum into the weekend. He proceeded to prove he was ready to be a contender by timing fifth-fastest on Friday.

But Richards’s hopes went down the drain on the opening lap of the fifth heat. He clipped Brad Neat’s car as it bounced off the wall between turns three and four, crushing the right-rear bodywork of his Rocket No. 1. Richards pitted for a hasty patch-up job and returned, but a couple more scrapes as he attempted to rally caused virtually the entire rear deck of his car to flap loose and his right-rear tire to go flat, forcing him out of action for the night on lap 11.

FRUSTRATING WEEKEND: Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., had Dream experiences they’d prefer to forget.

A former Dream winner, Eckert was a non-qualifier for the second consecutive year. He never threatened to grab a transfer spot, finishing sixth in the second heat and 12^th in the B-Main.

Smith, meanwhile, was off slightly as well, placing ninth in the sixth heat and then having his weekend end with an eighth-place finish in the C-Main.

Stewart’s Prelude Victory Prompts Josh Richards To Make A Celebratory Climb Of Eldora’s Fence

ROSSBURG, OH – June 5, 2008 – Josh Richards is normally one of the most reserved, cool-headed drivers on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

But NASCAR star Tony Stewart got him to let loose a little more than usual on Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway.

After Stewart drove the Rocket Chassis No. 20 wrenched by Richards to a convincing victory in the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream feature event, good old ‘Smoke’ enticed the 20-year-old racing sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., to join him in a celebratory climb of Eldora’s homestretch catch fence that whipped up the sold-out crowd estimated at over 23,000.

“Tony said, ‘I’m not climbing the fence alone this year. Let’s go have some fun,’” related Richards. “So we all climbed it with him.”

Stewart’s group of Spidermen also included Richards’s father, Mark, and the rest of the crew that assists Richards on the WoO LMS. Stewart, after all, credited the entire Mark Richards Racing Enterprises team with providing him a brand-new car that performed flawlessly in the Prelude, a unique charity event that pitted 25 world-renowned drivers against each other in dirt Late Models on Stewart’s famed high-banked, half-mile oval.

Though donning a crew shirt and serving as Stewart’s chief mechanic for the night felt a bit strange to Richards, he certainly enjoyed the experience.

“This was the second year we’ve won the Prelude with Tony (Stewart captured the second annual event in 2006), but it felt like this one was a lot bigger,” said Richards, whose team has spent the last three years fielding a dirt Late Model that Stewart runs in selected events. “It looked like the crowd was even bigger, and of course this time it was (telecast) live on Pay-Per-View.

“And the competition level from the first (Prelude) to now has gone way up. All the guys (the field was comprised predominantly of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars) were having fun, but they’re pretty serious about it too. Everybody was out there to win.”

There’s no doubt that Stewart had a checkered flag – and bragging rights in the Cup garage – on his mind. Richards wasn’t surprised that Stewart manhandled the car around Eldora’s treacherous top side to score the win.

“He just knows how to run on dirt,” said Richards. “You could bring him back here on Saturday and put him in a heat (for this weekend’s $100,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream event) and he’d be tough to be.”

Richards and Co. prepared a car for Stewart that proved to be unbeatable. The machine, which sported a sharp Day Glo-orange/camouflage graphics combo along with sponsorship from Old Spice and Bass Pro Shops, didn’t miss a beat after the team corrected some early carburetor-jetting issues, allowing Stewart to dominate the 30-lap race.

“The car was new and we changed some stuff around on it,” said Richards, who ranks third in the current WoO LMS points standings with two victories to his credit this season. “Tony said he really liked it, so we’re gonna change some things on our car to make it the same (setup) this weekend.”

A first-ever win in the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Dream 100 would be a great cap to a week at Eldora for Richards, who enters the Friday-Saturday extravaganza coming off a career-first Eldora win in the Johnny Appleseed Classic on May 25.

“Hopefully we can climb that fence again on Saturday night,” smiled Richards, the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year.

Lernerville Speedway’s $40,000-To-Win Firecracker 100 Will End World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Great Northern Tour’ With A Big Bang

Seven-Race Swing Through Pennsylvania, Canada & New York Culminates With Lernerville’s Huge Event On June 27-28

And most notable of all, the 2008 edition of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Great Northern Tour’ is going to end with an even bigger bang than last year’s inaugural.

The seven-race swing across Pennsylvania, upstate New York and two Canadian provinces that begins on June 17 will culminate in grand fashion at western Pennsy’s Lernerville Speedway, where the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com takes center stage on June 27-28.

Already the richest dirt Late Model event ever run in the Keystone State when it paid out a whopping $30,000 top prize to 2007 winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., World Racing Group officials are upping the ante for this year’s Firecracker 100 by posting a $40,000 first-place check from a total purse of over $150,000. Lap money – a new addition in 2008 – could push the winner’s take several thousand dollars higher.

“Summer is going to start with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series dominating the headlines in the Northeast,” said WoO LMS director Tim Christman. “Our goal is to make the ‘Great Northern Tour’ an extended showcase for the series in a region that has so many great fans, and the schedule we’ve put together this year definitely accomplishes that.

“We’re returning to two tracks that had super turnouts for first-ever World of Outlaws shows last year. We’re visiting four tracks for the first time. We’re running three races in Canada this year instead of just one.

“And we’ll top off the whole trip with the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville, which has already become one of the most anticipated races of the season for the dirt Late Model division.”

The WoO LMS will commence its invasion of the Northeast on Tues., June 17, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. Subsequent events leading to the Firecracker are scheduled for Thurs., June 19, at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway; Sat., June 21, at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que.; Sun., June 22, at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; Tues., June 24, at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; and Wed., June 25, at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.

One of the longest-running tracks in the racing-rich central Pennsylvania area, Port Royal Speedway is set to host the WoO LMS for the second consecutive year on June 17. The 40-lap, $7,000-to-win event will be the biggest dirt Late Model show of the season at the fast, half-mile fairgrounds oval, which hosts the division on a weekly basis but headlines the 410 Sprint Cars.

The ‘Great Northern Tour’ then makes a break for the border, beginning an expanded tripleheader in Canada with the $10,000-to-win ‘Six Nations 50’ on Thurs., June 19, at Oshweken Speedway. A three-eighths-mile oval located on the Six Nations Indian Reserve about 65 miles southwest of Toronto and 75 miles west of Niagara Falls, Ohsweken will be the site of the first-ever WoO LMS event held in the province of Ontario.

Autodrome Drummond, which last year made history as the first Canadian track to receive a visit from the WoO LMS, is back on the schedule to reprise the $10,000-to-win ‘Quebec 50’ on Sat., June 21. The longtime DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned track that sits 45 minutes outside Montreal drew a standing-room-only crowd for the 2007 tour event won by Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. – and there’s once again an incredible buzz for this year’s installment among the French Canadian fans, all of whom will experience Drummond’s trademark pre-race pageantry along with some hard-core World of Outlaws action.

The Canadian portion of the ‘Great Northern Tour’ concludes on Sun., June 22, at Cornwall Motor Speedway, a spic-and-span quarter-mile oval that sits 140 miles to the southwest of Drummondville. Cornwall promoter Ron Morin has an enormous, never-before-attempted program planned – a 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main paying $10,000 to win headlines the First Americans IGA ‘Triple Crown of Racing,’ which also includes the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints tour and a complete show for Cornwall’s regular DIRTcar 358-Modifieds.

The only appearance of the WoO LMS in central New York – the heart of DIRTcar big-block Modified racing – comes on Tues., June 24, at Canandaigua Speedway. A sweeping half-mile oval that carries the moniker ‘The Land of Legends,’ Canandaigua will offer a $7,000 first-place prize for the mid-week Ferris Mowers 40 presented by Turner Automotive.

Another mid-week event follows on Wed., June 25, at Big Diamond Raceway, a three-eighths-mile oval in eastern Pennsylvania that headlines 358-Modifieds on a weekly basis. The evening’s ‘Coal Country 40’ will pay $7,000 to win and bring the WoO LMS to the track for the first time.

The tour’s traipsing across the Northeast then ends on June 27-28 in true blockbuster fashion at Lernerville Speedway. A high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval well known for its side-by-side racing, Lernerville will attract a star-studded field of drivers from across the country for the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com.

A full weekend of racing and entertainment is in store for attendees of the Firecracker 100, which last year quickly became established as more than just a race.

Time trials and heat races are set for Fri., June 27, with B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win ‘Uncle Sam 30’ (for the top 24 drivers who fail to make the A-Main) and the Firecracker 100 comprising the Sat., June 28, card. On-track action begins at 7:15 p.m. on Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The weekend’s fan-friendly activities include a post-race fireworks display and concert by national recording artist Vanessa Campagna and local country/rock band Nomad on Friday night; the second annual Driver/Fan Horseshoe Tournament and Weenie Roast on Saturday afternoon that also features music by Sarah Wilson; an autograph session underneath the grandstands with all the drivers prior to the start of Saturday’s program; and an adrenalin-boosting introduction of the Firecracker 100 A-Main starters.

All the Firecracker action will also be taped for broadcast by SPEED as part of a two-hour special on Sun., July 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

Advance two-day tickets and reserved camping spots for the Firecracker 100 are selling fast. General admission for the two days of action is $39 for adults, $36 for seniors, $34 for students 11-17 and FREE for children under 10; reserved seats are just $42 for adults, $40 for seniors and $37 for kids 17 and under; and two-day pit passes are $45 for DIRTcar Members and $50 for non-members.

As an added bonus, purchasing reserved seats in advance provides fans free entry to the pit area on Friday night and priority access to Saturday’s driver autograph session.

For more details and to see the complete driver entry list, log on to www.lernerville.com and click on the Firecracker 100 logo.

To purchase advance tickets and reserved camping spots, call the track office at 724-353-1511.

Ohsweken Speedway Info: www.ohswekenspeedway or call 888-720-7223/519-542-2116.

Francis Looks To Join Car Owner Dale Beitler As A Winner Of Eldora Speedway’s $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream

ROSSBURG, OH – June 3, 2008 – Veteran car owner Dale Beitler has something on his very accomplished driver Steve Francis.

Beitler, of course, has experienced the thrill of a $100,000 victory in the Dirt Late Model Dream event at Eldora Speedway. Francis has not.

With the 14^th annual UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Dream set for this weekend (June 6-7) at Tony Stewart’s famed half-mile oval, Beitler has been good-naturedly suggesting that the time has come for his superstar hired-gun to join him on the race’s winner’s list.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., plans to do all he can to please his boss, who won last year’s 100-lap Dream with Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., behind the wheel of his familiar blue-and-white Rocket No. 19. The defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion and current co-points leader of the tour would love to add a Dream checkered flag to a bulging resume that already features a 1999 World 100 triumph at Eldora.

“Dale won it last year and we’re gonna go try and do it again for him,” said Francis, who parked his own equipment this season to run fulltime for Beitler. “But you know, to win one of those (major) Eldora races, you have to have everything go right all weekend long. The truly fastest guy doesn’t always win those races.”

Francis knows that from experience. Back in 1999, he led nearly three-quarters of the Dream before a cut tire ended his hopes for a six-figure payday.

The ‘Kentucky Colonel’ also understands how meaningful last year’s Dream victory was to Beitler. Francis, you see, was parked alongside Beitler’s hauler in the pit area and, after retiring from the A-Main early, he got a first-hand view of his future car owner’s emotions as the race wound down.

“I got to stand there on my truck and watch him,” Francis said of Beitler. “He was just pacing back-and-forth, walking from one end of the trailer to the other. When Casebolt won that race for him, you could see how happy he was.

“He was the same way at Charlotte this year,” added Francis, referring to his drive to a $50,000 victory for Beitler in the WoO LMS Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. “I’d actually watch him at Charlotte under the cautions, pacing up there on that trailer in the pits.

“I’m sure it’s harder for (car owners) standing up there than it is for us in the car. They don’t know everything that’s going on in the car.”

Beitler, 51, of West Friendsville, Md., points out that the path he wore out on the roof of his trailer during last year’s Dream 100 didn’t mean he was nervous.

“Everybody says I was nervous because I was walking up-and-down the trailer,” smiled Beitler, a proprietor of Reliable Painting and an owner of dirt Late Models for two decades. “But I’ve been a lot more nervous at other big races. Last year, I was just saying to myself, ‘It looks like we’re gonna run at least second here, and that ain’t bad. But maybe this kid can pull it off.’

“Well, he did. When (Casebolt) won, I was just like, ‘Wow! It really happened!’”

Beitler still struggles to find the right words when he’s asked about his Dream triumph.

“Unbelievable. Indescribable,” he said, shaking his head in amazement. “I still kind of think it’s a dream sometimes – just like it’s called. You think of the people who’ve won that race, the class of people who’ve won it – the best of the best is there, and we did it last year.”

Beitler has acknowledged that winning the Dream gave him a new-found confidence as a car owner. It officially put his Beitler Enterprises outfit on the map as a serious, big-time team, an operation that didn’t have to prove it belonged among the sport’s elite.

Now partnered with an established superstar in Francis and contending for a coveted WoO LMS title – an accomplishment also worth $100,000 – Beitler’s national profile has been raised even more. But the race-loving businessman remains grounded and approachable – just thrilled, really, to employ a champion driver and have his team considered one of the best.

While he jokes about it being Francis’s turn to win the Dream, Beitler isn’t holding a heavy hand over his driver to bring home the money.

“There’s no pressure with me and Steve,” said Beitler. “He does the best he can in every race and I know that.”

“More than anything, I think we’re having fun,” said Francis, whose Dream ride will be the Rocket machine he drove earlier this year in Georgia and Florida (Beitler’s mechanical consultant, Robby Allen, has handled its preparation). “Our consistency isn’t exactly where we want it, but we kinda know why. I feel like we’re still getting better, but we’ve already won some races and we’re up there in the points.

“He’s just put a good group of people with me and given me everything I need to go racing. I couldn’t be happier about racing with Dale.”

Eldora’s Dream week will certainly be busy for both Beitler and Francis. Both men will also field cars for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars in Wednesday night’s (June 4) Old Spice Prelude to the Dream event, which pits 25 world-renowned drivers against each other in dirt Late Models on the Eldora high banks. Beitler is teamed with recent Sprint Cup All-Star race and Coca-Cola 600 winner Kasey Kahne for the Prelude, while Francis will field the Alltel No. 12 that Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman will drive in the special event that is available live to home television viewers through HBO Pay-Per-View. (Francis will also have 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie drive one of his Valvoline-sponsored cars in the Dream.)

Beitler relishes the opportunity to participate in the Prelude with Kahne for a second consecutive year. Kahne will actually drive the same Rocket car that Casebolt steered to victory in last year’s Dream, albeit with a Budweiser red-dominated paint scheme and Kahne’s No. 9 on its body.

“The Prelude is a bunch of fun for me,” said Beitler. “Kasey’s fun and easy to deal with, and he tells you what you need with the car. It’s just an enjoyable night for me.”

Beitler is even making a family weekend out of the Prelude and Dream. All three of his daughters (ages 20-25) will attend the events with him – “the first time I’ve had all three of them at Eldora,” he said.

For more information on the Dirt Late Model Dream and the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream, visit www.eldoraspeedway.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Lanigan Erasing Memories Of Subpar ’07 Season; Tour Regulars Readying Cars For Old Spice Prelude To The Dream

BIG TURNAROUND: Darrell Lanigan’s subpar 2007 campaign on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series is quickly becoming a distant memory.

With his first tour victory of 2008 last Thursday night (May 29) at Delaware International Speedway, Lanigan elevated himself into a tie with defending champion Steve Francis for the WoO LMS points lead after 12 events – a lofty position he no longer could even sniff at this same point last season.

Lanigan, who turns 38 on June 3, got off to an awful start last year. He compiled an average finish of 15.5 in the first four A-Mains of the season, and 12 races into the schedule he was mired in ninth in the standings (140 points behind the leader) with zero top-fives, six top-10s, two DNFs, one DNQ and just $15,930 in earnings – deflating stats for a driver coming off a 2006 WoO LMS campaign in which he led all drivers in top-five finishes and finished a career-high fifth in the points chase.

Fast forward to ’08. The Union, Ky., star got out of the box much stronger with an average finish of 7.5 in the first four A-Mains of the season, and he’s just continued to pick up steam. Through 12 events he boasts one win, four top-fives, 10 top-10s and $31,800 in earnings.

Tellingly, Lanigan hasn’t dropped out of a full points race this season. His only DNF came in the Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway – a race that offered show-up points – and he was running second with 10 laps remaining when the rare mechanical malfunction occurred.

“Last year we had a couple DNFs right off the bat and that got us behind,” said Lanigan, who finished seventh in the 2007 points standings. “This year we didn’t start the season with any breakdowns so we’re right up there. If we can avoid DNFs, we can be there (in the points) at the end.”

Lanigan, who last week added Thomas McDowell to work alongside his new-for-’07 chief mechanic Chris Burton, enters the upcoming WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ (seven races in Pennsylvania, Canada and New York from June 17-28) as arguably the hottest Outlaw. He has an active streak of four consecutive top-five finishes – the longest such streak on the WoO LMS last season was five in a row, by Francis and Shannon Babb – and holds a share of the points lead for the first time in his five years as a tour regular.

In addition, the next WoO LMS stop, on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, happens to be a favorite of Lanigan’s. He won the tour’s first-ever event there last year, one of his two victories in an otherwise disappointing 2007 season.

MENTORS FOR A NIGHT: Five of the top-10 drivers in the WoO LMS points standings will step out of the cockpit and assume the role of crew chief this Wednesday night (June 4) at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, where the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream event pits 25 world-renowned drivers against each other in dirt Late Models.

Eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars will compete in the blockbuster event behind the wheel of cars associated with regular WoO LMS drivers and/or teams. The list includes:

* Tony Stewart. The Eldora track owner and organizer of the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream will drive a Rocket car prepared by 20-year-old WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and the rest of the Mark Richards Racing Enterprises/Rocket Chassis team. The No. 20 will sport a unique Day-Glo orange paint scheme that is designed to resemble a hunting vest in honor of sponsor Bass Pro Shops.

* Matt Kenseth. The former Sprint Cup champ will also receive dirt-track driving pointers from young Richards; he’s scheduled to run a Rocket car owned by Ernie Davis, who fields the No. 25 machines that Richards drives in most non-WoO LMS events.

* Jeff Gordon. NASCAR’s mega-star will make his second consecutive Prelude to the Dream appearance in a GRT car from Clint Smith’s stable. Last year Senoa, Ga.’s Smith provided Gordon a slick machine painted to resemble Gordon’s famed Dupont No. 24 and watched the four-time Sprint Cup champion steer it to a third-place finish in his first start on Eldora’s dirt since 1991.

* Ryan Newman. The reigning Daytona 500 champion will team up with defending WoO LMS titlist Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who maintains the Alltel No. 12 that Newman runs in selected dirt Late Model events.

* Kasey Kahne. A recent winner of both the Sprint Cup All-Star event and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Kahne is set for Prelude to the Dream action in a car owned by Dale Beitler, who fields the No. 19 machines that Francis campaigns on the WoO LMS. Kahne will drive the Beitler Motorsports Rocket car that Steve Casebolt used to win last year’s $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream event at Eldora.

* Clint Bowyer. The rising Sprint Cup star and former dirt racer will run a Jack Daniel’s-sponsored Late Model from his own Bowyer Dirt Motorsports team, which employs Shannnon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., as its chauffeur on the WoO LMS.

* Jimmie Johnson. Bowyer’s dirt Late Model crewmen Tommy Grecco and Jay Hunt are preparing a second car in which the defending Sprint Cup champion will make his dirt Late Model debut.

* Dave Blaney. A former Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, the driver of the Caterpillar No. 22 on the Sprint Cup Series is teamed with 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., for the Prelude to the Dream. Blaney tuned up for the Prelude by getting some laps in Fuller’s Gypsum Express car during last Thursday night’s WoO LMS event at Delaware International Speedway.

In addition, three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer, who leads all tour drivers this season with four wins, will field a dirt Late Model in the Prelude for fellow Batesville, Ark., native Mark Martin, and 2004 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., is providing Robby Gordon a ride in one of his Team Zero mounts.

Only a small number of general-admission tickets remain for the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream, but fans can still catch all the action live by purchasing the HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast of the event. The commercial-free broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT) on Wednesday, with an immediate replay and subsequent replays throughout the week and the following weekend.

HBO Pay-Per-View’s racing telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at www.hbo.com or through your local cable company.

Proceeds from the HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast will go toward raising $1 million to support construction of Victory Junction Gang Camp – Kansas City, as well as the Tony Stewart Foundation.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 29 - 12 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Strong Thunderstorms Force Cancellation Of Saturday Night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Conococheague 50’ At Hagerstown Speedway

HAGERSTOWN, MD – May 31, 2008 – A torrential morning thunderstorm and a forecast of more heavy rain to come forced the cancellation of Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Conococheague 50’ at Hagerstown Speedway.

It was the first rainout of the 2008 season for the WoO LMS. The national tour had completed 12 A-Mains without a weather-related postponement or cancellation.

With the 27^th annual ‘Conococheague 50’ set to be part of the WoO LMS for the third consecutive season, tour and speedway officials are discussing a date to reschedule the event.

“Hagerstown Speedway is one of the top tracks in the nation for dirt Late Model racing and promoter Frank Plessinger has always been a key supporter of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series,” said WoO LMS director Tim Christman. “Everyone with the series –from the teams to the officials – looks forward to a race at Hagerstown, so we’re all disappointed that the weather took a turn for the worse this weekend.”

Hagerstown Speedway, of course, holds a historic place in the WoO LMS record books. It is the only track that has held a WoO LMS event in each of the tour’s first six seasons – 1988-1989, and 2004-2007.

The WoO LMS will return to action on Tues., June 17, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, which hosts the opener of the seven-race ‘Great Northern Tour’ that barnstorms Pennsylvania, New York and two Canadian provinces. The swing continues on June 19 at Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

Lanigan Claims First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Of 2008 With Flawless ‘First State 50’ Effort At Delaware International Speedway

DELMAR, DE – May 29, 2008 – Darrell Lanigan has taken a liking to Delaware International Speedway.

The Union, Ky., standout scored his second win in four career World of Outlaws Late Model Series starts at the half-mile oval on Thursday night, rolling to a flag-to-flag victory in the caution-free ‘First State 50’ that moved him into a tie for the tour’s points lead.

“I’d say this is a place I like,” Lanigan quipped after holding off Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., to record his first WoO LMS triumph of the season. “We like big tracks like this – and we do run good here.”

Lanigan, who turns 38 on June 3, surged forward from his starting spot on the outside of the front row when the race began to immediately grab the lead from polesitter Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del. He proceeded to steer his gottarace.com Rocket car flawlessly around promoter Charlie Cathell’s well-manicured track, capturing the tour’s first non-stop A-Main of 2008 in a blistering time of 17 minutes, 39.962 seconds.

Babb, 34, made several runs at Lanigan during the final circuits, but he settled for a second-place finish in his Traeger Grills Rocket car. He raced with his car owner, NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer, looking on from the pit area after riding down from nearby Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who started sixth, finished third in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting Rocket. Elliott’s bid to give his legion of local fans a Victory Lane celebration fell short with a fourth-place finish in the Seaside Builders Rocket, and 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was fifth after starting third in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket.

Lanigan’s triumph, worth $10,150, continued his recent hot streak on the WoO LMS. He’s registered four consecutive top-five finishes and now is atop the points standings for the first time in his five years as a tour regular, albeit tied with Francis.

“We changed cars about four, five weeks ago – we brought out a new car – and it really picked up our program,” said Lanigan, who failed to crack the top-five in the season’s first eight events but did score six top-10 finishes during the stretch. “This car has just turned everything around for us.”

Lanigan certainly had his Cornett-powered No. 29 humming from start-to-finish at DIS. He built an edge of as much as a half-straightaway midway through the A-Main before Babb closed in late to finish just 0.377 of a second behind.

Babb, who started fifth and finally reached second place with a lap-33 pass of Elliott, nosed underneath Lanigan through turns one and two on lap 46, but he couldn’t complete the pass.

“I got right up beside him one time, but he had the momentum off the top,” said Babb, who recorded his second runner-up finish of the WoO LMS campaign. “It was a good, fun race, especially in that lapped traffic.

“There were a couple times that I thought the door was open to make a move under a lapped car, and then it closed and I was like, ‘Crap!’”

Lanigan was hampered by the slower traffic, but didn’t experience any close calls.

“That lapped traffic got a little hairy at the end, but we got through it so it worked out,” said Lanigan. “I seen a black car (Babb) there inside me at the end, but I wasn’t sure who was there. I knew I had just passed (John) Blankenship (to put him a lap down), so I thought it might have been him coming back under me.”

Lanigan earned his ninth career win on the WoO LMS. It was his first victory since June 20, 2007, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway – and his third in a race that ran caution-free.

“I just get into a rhythm out there,” Lanigan said when asked about his knack for winning non-stop events. “As a driver you don’t like to break your rhythm, and you don’t have to when the race goes non-stop.

Francis, 40, drew close to Lanigan and Babb after grabbing third from Elliott on lap 35 but lost ground to them over the final 10 laps. He had Elliott on his rear bumper at the checkered flag.

“I got up close to them but then just got to over-driving a little bit,” said Francis. “We were pretty good, but just not as good as those two guys ahead of us. We were just too free the whole race.”

Elliott, 42, missed slightly on his tire combination and it cost him a shot at a coveted WoO LMS win.

“I’m not sure we were too hard on tires as much as we should’ve worked them over a little bit more,” said Elliott, who joined Francis in running American Racer tires. “I think we should’ve siped and grooved them more so they would’ve fired better.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who picked up three spots over the final 20 laps in his Rayburn car; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who went too soft with his tire choice; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who was the race’s top rookie contender; and last year’s DIS winner Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.

Thirty-nine cars were entered in the event, including NASCAR Sprint Cup standout Dave Blaney. The former Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, who drove WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller’s second car, timed 10^th-fastest in qualifying and finished 25^th after dropping out of the A-Main.

Heat winners were Babb, Richards, Lanigan and Francis. John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Donald Lingo Jr. of Millsboro, Del., captured the B-Mains.

The WoO LMS continues its East Coast doubleheader on Saturday night (May 31) with the ‘Conococheague 50’ at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Elliott, Fuller, Lathroum, Callaway, Lingo, D. Pettyjohn, Schirmer, Beardsley, King

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Coffey, Eckert, C. Smith, Hills, Davis, Blaney, Wharton, Geiger, Whaley

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, McCreadie, J. Miller, Hill, Cross, Mann, Isabell, Ormsbee, Short (DNS) Jarvis

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Frank, Clanton, Covert, Blankenship, D. Johnson, M. Pettyjohn, Scott, Warrington

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lingo, Hills, D. Pettyjohn, Davis, Schirmer, Wharton, Callaway, Beardsley, Geiger (DNS) Blaney, King, Whaley

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Blankenship, Cross, M. Pettyjohn, D. Johnson, Mann, Scott, Ormsbee, Isabell, Warrington, Short (DNS) Jarvis

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

The DIRT Radio Network, presented by BUTLERbuilt Travels to Ohio with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and to Delaware and Maryland with the World of Outlaws Late Model series this week.

On Friday May 30th, the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series travel to Attica Raceway Park in Attica, OH. On Saturday May 31st, the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws make their second stop at the famed Eldora Speedway located in Rossburg, OH. Listeners can tune in each night at 7 p.m. for LIVE audio from the “Voice of the Outlaws,” Johnny Gibson.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes their return Delaware International Speedway located in Delmar, DE on Thursday May 29^th for a 50 lap feature. On Saturday May 31st, the Advance Auto Part Late Models stops at Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, MD. All the action can be heard LIVE by Rick Eshelman beginning at 7 p.m.

To tune in visit www.dirtvision.com, click on the race you want to hear, and you’re off to the races. Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher, and internet explorer 6 to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. Users with Mac computers need flip4Mac to listen. For help e-mail [email protected].

The Dirt Radio Network is presented by BUTLERbuilt professional seat systems. BUTLERbuilt is the leader in custom seating. Call 704-784-1027 and Let BUTLERbuilt build you an advantage!!!

Thursday 5/29 (7pm ET) Delaware International Speedway/ Delmar, DE- World of Outlaw Late Models

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: East Coast Doubleheader At Delaware International Speedway (May 29) & Hagerstown Speedway (May 31)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series heads east for an end-of-the-month double-dip at Delaware International Speedway on Thursday night (May 29) and Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Saturday night (May 31).

Delaware International’s midweek ‘First State 50’ comes at the start of the big NASCAR weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, which is just 45 minutes north of promoter Charlie Cathell’s dirt track. The scheduling will allow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standout Dave Blaney to return to his dirt-track roots at DIS, where he’ll drive 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller’s second car on Thursday night.

The WoO LMS caravan will travel 170 miles to the northwest for Saturday night’s show at Hagerstown Speedway. Headlining the program is the 27^th annual ‘Conococheague 50,’ which is part of the WoO LMS for the third consecutive year.

Each WoO LMS event will pay $10,000 to win from a purse totaling nearly $50,000.

* Delaware International Speedway’s gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. on Thursday, with hot laps set for 7 p.m.

* Hagerstown Speedway’s pit gates will open on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. On-track action is set to begin at 7 p.m.

* Delaware International Speedway is a semi-banked, half-mile clay oval owned by Charlie Cathell, whose family has operated a racing complex on the track’s current site since 1963. It is located on U.S. Route 13, one mile north of the Delaware/Maryland border.

* Hagerstown Speedway is a well-known semi-banked, half-mile clay oval owned by veteran promoter Frank Plessinger. The track sits just south of the Mason-Dixon Line, 5.3 miles west of Interstate 81.

* Reserved seats for Delaware International’s ‘First State 50’ are $30 for adults and $9 for children 7-13, while general admission will be $26 for adults, $5 for children 7-13 and free for kids 6-and-under. Pit passes will be $35 for adults, $10 for children 7-13 and free for kids 6-and-under.

* General admission for Hagerstown’s ‘Conococheague 50’ is $30, with children 12 and under admitted free. Reserved seats, which can be ordered on-line at www.hagerstownspeedway.com, and pit passes are $35.

* For more information on the Delaware International Speedway event, visit www.delawareracing.com or call 302-875-1911.

* For more information on the Hagerstown Speedway program, visit www.hagerstownspeedway.com or call 301-582-0640.

* Delaware International Speedway will host the WoO LMS for the fourth time. Scott Bloomquist was victorious on July 21, 2004; Darrell Lanigan triumphed on July 6, 2005; and Chub Frank visited Victory Lane on May 31, 2007.

* Hagerstown Speedway has hosted the WoO LMS a total of nine times, including twice during the tour’s first incarnation (1988-89) and five times since its resumption in 2004. It is the only track that has held a WoO LMS event in every season of the tour’s existence.

Victors of Hagerstown’s WoO LMS events include Les Hare (April 24, 1988), Gary Stuhler (May 7, 1989), Rick Eckert (April 24, 2004, and July 24, 2004), Tim McCreadie (July 8, 2005, and July 9, 2005), Clint Smith (Aug. 5, 2006), Shannon Babb (June 2, 2007) and Josh Richards (July 21, 2007).

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., carries a narrow points lead into the East Coast swing, where he’ll be in search of his first tour win at both tracks.

Of course, Francis has knocked on the door to Victory Lane at both ovals. He scored personal-best finishes of second at both tracks in 2004, and he hasn’t finished worse than seventh in seven A-Main runs at Hagerstown.

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., feels like he might have karma working for him. Last year he won his first of a series-leading six WoO LMS A-Mains on May 18 and then made Delaware International’s late-May event his second straight victory. This year he won his first WoO LMS feature on May 18 once again, at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, and, lo and behold, his next race comes up at Delaware International.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., will take another shot at snapping his frustrating 68-race winless streak on the WoO LMS – and there might not be a better back-to-back swing for him than this one.

Hagerstown, of course, is one of Eckert’s home tracks, and in 2004 he swept a pair of WoO LMS events there. He hasn’t finished better than 12^th in his last three WoO LMS starts at Hagerstown (2006-2007), but he did win two unsanctioned features at the half-mile in March.

Delaware International, meanwhile, was the site of Eckert’s biggest win in 2007 (the unsanctioned Camp Barnes Benefit Race), and he finished second in last year’s WoO LMS A-Main.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., enters the weekend on a hot streak after scoring a win and second-place finish in the last two WoO LMS events. He’s proven he can get around both Delaware International and Hagerstown – last year he led DIS’s WoO LMS A-Main until spinning to avoid a slowing lapped car, and he captured the tour’s ‘60^th Anniversary Classic’ in July at Hagerstown.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will look to extend his streak of three consecutive top-five finishes. He has a strong track record at Delaware International – three top-10 finishes in as many starts, including a win in 2005 – but Hagerstown hasn’t been very kind to him. Though he loves big tracks, his second-place finish in August 2006 was one of only two top-10 runs he’s enjoyed in seven WoO LMS starts at Hagerstown.

* Hagerstown has become a favorite venue for Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. His last three WoO LMS starts there have resulted in a win (August 2006), a third (June 2007) and a second (July 2007).

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., has been steady, if not spectacular, at Delaware International and Hagerstown. He owns a pair of seventh-place finishes in his two previous WoO LMS appearances at DIS, and he hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in his last four starts at Hagerstown (top finish: fourth in August 2006).

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., is undefeated at Hagerstown – he won last year’s Conococheague 50 in his first-ever visit to the track. He struggled last year at DIS, however, finishing 17^th after suffering an engine meltdown.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., didn’t enter last year’s WoO LMS event at DIS because he ran an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified show at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., but he’s visited the track in the past for Super DIRTcar Series action.

The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year scored finishes of 20th (June) and sixth (July) last year at Hagerstown, where he’s been victorious in Super DIRTcar Series competition.

* Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who plans to enter his Sweeteners Plus No. 39 in both events, has a history of running very well at DIS and Hagerstown. The 2006 WoO LMS champion swept a two-day WoO LMS program at Hagerstown in 2005, and his DIS finishes include a second (2005), fifth (2004) and 14^th (2007, after mechanical trouble knocked him out of the lead with just three laps remaining).

* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., has a career-best finish of 11^th at DIS (2007) and ninth at Hagerstown (July 2005).

* The tour’s three Rookie of the Year contenders – all New Yorkers who are products of the DIRTcar big-block Modified ranks – plan to enter both events this weekend. Vic Coffey leads the standings over Danny Johnson and Joe Isabell.

* Top regional drivers expected to enter both events include Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who won his first career WoO LMS A-Main on April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway, and reigning MACS tour champion Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., who scored finishes of second and third in last year’s WoO LMS events at Hagerstown.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

* The WoO LMS will take a two-week break and then embark on its first extended road trip of the season – the seven-race ‘Great Northern Tour’ from June 17-28.

The swing through the Northeast begins on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway and then continues on June 19 at Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 18 - 11 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: First-Ever Eldora Win For Richards Highlights Off-Weekend Outings By Tour Regulars

RESUME BUILDER: What did Josh Richards do on his weekend off from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series?

Let’s just say that the 20-year-old sensation enjoyed himself immensely – a byproduct of his first career win at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Richards captured Sunday’s 39^th annual ‘Johnny Appleseed Classic’ at the high-banked, half-mile oval. The event, which was part of the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Sunoco American Late Model Series, was a short 25-lap sprint and paid a modest $2,000 to win, but it gave him a coveted Eldora victory and got him dreaming even more seriously about triumphing in one of the track’s major dirt Late Model shows.

“It wasn’t a big race, but any win at Eldora is special,” said Richards, who dominated the feature after grabbing the lead from Matt Miller on lap 15. “I love going to Eldora – I have ever since I ran my first race there. It seems like we’ve always been fast there and we’ve been close to winning so many times, but we just couldn’t quite get it done.

Adding more luster to Richards’s performance, his score gave his father/car owner Mark Richards a first career win at Eldora as well. Mark has tasted victory there many times in his role as a car builder (he co-owns Rocket Chassis), but until Sunday night he had never prepared or fielded a car that had won a race at Eldora.

And Mark has been entering dirt Late Model races at Eldora as a mechanic or car owner for a long time – since 1974, in fact.

Now the question is: can ‘Kid Rocket’ turn his breakthrough win at the Big E into a checkered flag in the upcoming UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream event on June 6-7, the WoO LMS Subway 50 on July 25 or the prestigious UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 on Sept. 5-6?

“I hope so,” said Richards, who in 2005 became, at the age of 17, the youngest driver in history to qualify for both the Dream and the World 100 at Eldora. “I grew up going to watch all the big races at Eldora and I’d love to win one.”

‘SHOW-ME’ THE MONEY: Richards arrived at Eldora with his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1 after making a nine-hour overnight haul from West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway, where he was one of six drivers among the top 10 in the WoO LMS points standings to compete in the weekend’s prestigious Show-Me 100 that paid $42,000 to win.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., had the best Show-Me run of the Outlaw boys, finishing fifth in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rocket No. 18 to pocket a $5,500 check. He started in the same position and ran steadily near the front for the entire 100-lap distance on Saturday night.

Other WoO LMS regulars in the Show-Me feature field included Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who started and finished ninth; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who set fast time on Friday night and placed 12^th in the headliner; and Richards, who started and finished 14^th in his first career Show-Me A-Main start.

In addition, 2004 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., came from the last (24^th) starting spot to win the Show-Me 100 for the fifth time in his career; 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., scored a 10^th-place finish; and three-time tour champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who leads the WoO LMS in A-Mains wins this season, was never a factor and finished 21^st.

WoO LMS regulars failing to qualify were Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (fourth in the first B-Main) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who placed eighth in the second B-Main after a tangle forced him to pit to change a flat tire.

HE WAS FAST: Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who is tied for second in the WoO LMS points standings, joined Richards in the ‘Johnny Appleseed’ field at Eldora and made a statement that he’ll be a threat in the upcoming Dream event.

The ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ experienced driveshaft woes early in the program, but he stormed forward from the 17^th starting spot in the feature to cross the finish line third. He was credited with a fifth-place finish, however, because officials ruled that he jumped the final restart and thus penalized him two spots after the checkered flag.

OPEN-WHEEL VICTORY: Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., stayed close to home during his off-weekend and made a successful return to his DIRTcar Modified roots.

The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year drove to victory in a DIRTcar 358-Modified feature on Saturday night at Mohawk International Raceway in Hogansburg, N.Y. He beat his sponsor, John Lazore, to the finish line.

Fuller jumped in his big-block Modified on Sunday night and finished fourth in the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series ‘Hall of Fame Classic’ at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y.

Joining Fuller in Sunday’s DIRTcar big-block Modified field at CCFS were WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who secured his first career Super DIRTcar Series Integra Shocks Fast Time Award but only managed an 11^th-place finish in the 76-lap A-Main; Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., who registered a strong second-place finish in the headliner driving a JIR Motorsports Modified; and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., who failed to qualify.

NEAR WINS: Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who is tied for second in the WoO LMS points standings, came close to a pair of victories during his weekend racing on the home front.

The 46-year-old star finished second in both ends of the twin 30-lap ‘Double Nickel’ Super Late Model features on Saturday night at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., a one-third-mile oval just minutes from Frank’s shop. He led the opening race until late in the distance when a scrape with eventual winner David Scott knocked him from the top spot, and his bids to overtake finale victor Matt Lux in the nightcap fell short.

Frank also registered a fifth-place finish in Friday night’s 50-lap Independent Racing Series (IRS) event at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio.

LONG TRIP: Rick Eckert and his Raye Vest crew made a 14-hour, 900-mile overnight haul after missing the Show-Me 100 field to compete in Sunday night’s Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) event at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway, a track he dominated in the early ‘90s.

NEXT UP: The WoO LMS returns to action this week with an East Coast doubleheader on Thursday night (May 29) at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., and Saturday night (May 31) at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

First State Favorite Ricky Elliott Riding A Hot Streak At Delaware International Speedway Entering Thursday’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event

DELMAR, DE – May 25, 2008 – Ricky Elliott can’t wait for Thursday to arrive.

But who can blame him? After all, he’s the hottest driver at Delaware International Speedway, where the World of Outlaws Late Model Series will contest the $10,000-to-win ‘First State 50’ this Thursday night (May 29).

Elliott, 42, of Seaford, Del., has two wins and a second-place finish in the half-mile oval’s last three weekly events, which he’s used to gear up for the arrival of the WoO LMS stars.

“We’ve been working hard and testing stuff for the last couple weeks,” said Elliott, whose successful month of dirt Late Model action at promoter Charlie Cathell’s motorsports complex includes wins on May 3 and May 17 and a runner-up finish on May 24. “We think we’ve found something pretty special (with the car’s setup), so we’re really looking forward to the World of Outlaws show.”

Elliott, of course, is a regional standout who’s considered a serious threat to reach Victory Lane whenever he enters a WoO LMS event – especially one held at Delaware International, where he hasn’t competed regularly since 1992 but nonetheless has won more than 50 career big-block Modified features and a growing number of dirt Late Model headliners. He’s come close to a WoO LMS triumph on several occasions, finishing as high as second – on July 8, 2005, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway – and leading laps in a handful of other A-Mains.

Last year’s WoO LMS ‘First State 50’ at Delaware International ranks as one of Elliott’s biggest heartbreakers running with the Outlaws. He was bidding to overtake eventual winner Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., for second on lap seven when he clipped an inside marker tire and bent his car’s front end, effectively ending his hopes for a big win.

“We had a real good car last year,” said Elliott, who hung tough in third until a lap-21 scrape with 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., sent him over the track’s bank and tumbling to a disappointing eighth-place finish. “I think we had something for ‘em until I hit that tire.

“We’re going to give it another shot. One of my goals as a driver is to win a World of Outlaws race – because when you do that, you can say you’ve beaten the best.”

Elliott, who began focusing on dirt Late Model racing late in the 2004 campaign, has started 23 WoO LMS A-Mains since 2004, including two this season. He owns four top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

Last year marked the first time in three WoO LMS events at Delaware International that Elliott had scored a top-10 finish, but don’t think for a minute that he’s struggled. In 2004, for instance, he finished 14^th in a pick-up ride with local Lou Johnson that came before he got serious about dirt Late Model competition, and in 2005 he started from the pole position after winning the dash and paced the field early before encountering problems and again finishing 14^th.

The bottom line: Elliott is supremely confident about his chances to win Thursday night’s ‘First State 50.’ He’ll go to the post with fresh, top-notch equipment fielded by Delaware’s Charles Jarvis – a Rocket car with just three races on it and a ProPower engine that has been run only 80 laps since being rebuilt – and an innate knowledge of the track that’s less than 20 miles from his home, including its 2008 characteristics.

“From what I’ve seen so far this year,” Elliott said of Delaware International Speedway, “I think it’s going to take an 18.50 or 18.60 (second) lap to get fast time (in WoO LMS qualifying. We’ve been as low as 18.80 this year running a spec (track-mandated) tire, so I figure that with an open tire (rule for the WoO LMS event) and us putting a little more gear to it, our speed should be up a couple tenths.”

“Usually you can step up your program a little bit when you run your hometrack,” said Elliott, whose 11-year-old son, Cole, and his step-children, Dalton and Chace, will have a rare opportunity to see him battle the national WoO LMS standouts. “That’s what we’re planning to do. There’s going to be a lot of my family, friends and customers (he runs the Advanced Autosports speed shop) there, so we want to have a good night for them.”

Elliott is actually planning to be a very familiar face on the WoO LMS for the next month. Starting with DIS on Thursday night, he has eight of the next nine tour events on his schedule, including all but one stop of the ‘Great Northern Tour’ that hops across Pennsylvania, New York and Canada from June 17-28.

After running Jarvis’s No. 45 at DIS, Elliott is slated to make his next seven WoO LMS appearances in a Cornett-powered Rocket No. 121 fielded by upstate New Yorker Joe Beyea, a DIRTcar big-block Modified driver who is well-known for his Beyea Custom Headers business. The car is being prepared and wrenched by Randy Kisacky, a resident of New York’s Southern Tier who is regarded as one of the brightest mechanical minds on the DIRTcar big-block Modified circuit.

Elliott is expected to make his first start with Beyea and Kisacky this Saturday night (May 31) in the WoO LMS ‘Conococheage 50’ at Hagerstown Speedway. He then plans to hit WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ shows on June 19 at Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).

Thursday night’s ‘First State 50’ at Delaware International Speedway will see Elliott face off with a star-studded field featuring the WoO LMS travelers, including ’07 event winner Chub Frank; points leader and defending Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

Other WoO LMS names expected to compete include 2006 tour champion Tim McCreadie; ’08 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y. (a former big-block Modified winner at DIS) and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.; and Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., a regional star who won his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main on April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway.

In addition, with Thursday’s program situated at the start of the big NASCAR weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway just 45 minutes north of DIS, Sprint Cup Series standout Dave Blaney will make a special appearance behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model. The former Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion will drive Fuller’s backup car.

Tickets for the fourth WoO LMS event in the last five years at Delaware International Speedway on May 29 are now available by calling the speedway office at 302-875-1911.

Reserved seats are $30 for adults and $9 for children 7-13, while general admission will be $26 for adults, $5 for children 7-13 and free for kids 6-and-under.

Pit passes will be $35 for adults, $10 for children 7-13 and free for kids 6-and-under.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: ‘Kid Rocket’ Really Coming Of Age; Frank Following Script From ‘07

He also isn’t performing like the 20-year-old his birth certificate reveals him to be.

Yes, the sensational young driver known as ‘Kid Rocket’ is truly coming of age this season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. The spectacular weekend he just enjoyed – a victory on Friday night (May 16) at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park and second-place finish on Sunday night (May 18) at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway – point to a racer who is taking the next step and becoming a serious national championship contender.

Even Richards understood that his near-sweep of the tour’s Midwestern doubleheader meant something in the big picture. After all, Richards has admittedly excelled on big, fast tracks and struggled on small, tight ovals – and both Attica and Lincoln fit the description of bullrings that have been his Achilles Heal.

“This is what it takes to win a championship,” said Richards. “We’ve always been fast at certain tracks and struggled at others, but I feel like we’re turning the corner. The little tracks normally aren’t my deal – especially ones like (Lincoln) where it’s not a momentum type of deal – so finishing second definitely gives me some confidence.

“Hopefully we can carry this all year and keep getting solid finishes everywhere we go. If you can adapt to most places, you can be in the hunt for a championship.”

Richards is significantly ahead of the pace he set en route to a distant sixth-place finish in the 2007 points standings. Through 11 events last season he sat fifth in the standings (52 points behind) with one win, three top-fives, six top-10s, two heat wins and $25,290 in earnings; this year after 11 races he’s fourth in the standings (-10 behind leader Steve Francis) with two wins, six top-fives, eight top-10s, eight heat wins and $47,510 in earnings.

The weekend trip to the Midwest was a great tonic for the veteran from Bear Lake, Pa., who climbed back behind the wheel of his favorite car and promptly returned to Victory Lane.

Frank, 46, competed at both Attica and Lincoln with the car he calls ‘Old Faithful’ – the Rocket machine he’s run in a majority of his appearances since debuting it in September 2006 – for the first time since he flipped it last month at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The result was a second-place finish at Attica (after he led the first 43 laps of the 50-lap A-Main) and a win in Sunday night’s ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ at Lincoln.

When informed that his first WoO LMS triumph of 2008 came exactly one year to the day that he had won his first tour race of ’07, Frank produced one of his sly smiles.

“Good,” he said of the date symmetry. “I hope it works out the same way.”

Indeed, after scoring his initial WoO LMS victory of 2007 on May 18 at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., Frank went on to win the tour’s next race at Delaware International Speedway – which happens to be the next stop on the 2008 schedule, on Thurs., May 29. He also ended up as the tour’s winningest driver last season, with six triumphs.

Frank’s victory was the 14^th of his career on the WoO LMS, moving him out of a tie with Billy Moyer to seize sole possession of fourth on the tour’s ‘modern-era’ (2004-present) win list. He’s now just one win behind Rick Eckert and Steve Francis and two behind Scott Bloomquist.

HE EARNED IT: Darrell Lanigan might have cemented his status as a WoO LMS title threat with an impressive rally on Sunday night at Lincoln.

After being involved in a heat-race tangle that forced him to pit for quick repairs to his Rocket No. 29, Lanigan was a man on a mission when he tagged the rear of the field. He shrugged off a bent spindle and roared through the pack, grabbing the fourth and final transfer spot with a last-lap pass of Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey.

Lanigan, who turns 38 on June 3, went on to record a fourth-place finish from the 14^th starting spot in Lincoln’s A-Main. It was his third straight top-five finish and left him tied for second in the points standings with Frank, just six points behind Francis.

“We’re happy to get out of here with a top-five after the way the night started,” said Lanigan, who has three top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 11 WoO LMS events so far this season. “We ended up having a good points night.”

What a difference a year makes for Lanigan. After 11 WoO LMS races in 2007 he was already effectively out of the championship hunt, sitting ninth in the standings (142 points out of the lead) without a single top-five finish and just five top-10s.

BUZZ IN TOWN: When Shannon Babb did a live pre-race interview with a local radio station Sunday at Lincoln Speedway, he was asked about his 2008 season on the WoO LMS – and all the commotion going on in his nearby hometown of Moweaqua, Ill. (estimated pop. 1,852).

See, Moweaqua is one of several central Illinois locations where the movie The Informer is being filmed, creating plenty of talk among the locals. The movie stars well-known actor Matt Damon, who plays Mark Whitacre, a former employee of Archer Daniels Midland Co. who agreed to act as an inside informant for the FBI to help build a case against ADM for conspiring to fix the price of the corn-based product lysine. Whitacre lived in Moweaqua during his time at ADM and his former home there is being used for filming.

Of course, Babb hasn’t seen too much of the big action in his town. That’s because he hasn’t been home much for the past month; he’s either been in North Carolina working hard with crewmen Tommy Grecco and Jay Hunt to gear up NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s dirt Late Model team for a WoO LMS championship run or on the road racing.

Lincoln’s WoO LMS show provided Babb an opportunity to sleep in his own bed and race in front of family and friends. He was frustrated, however, by his subpar performance on Sunday night, finishing a quiet 11^th in his Rayburn car.

MIA: Steve Francis went racing on Sunday night at Lincoln without his car owner Dale Beitler, who rarely misses an event in which his team competes.

Beitler attended Friday night’s show at Attica, but he returned home to Maryland to take care of business commitments. He was happy to learn that Francis finished a strong third at Lincoln, snapping a string of three consecutive WoO LMS starts without a top-five.

RETOOLING: Tim McCreadie joined the fields at both Attica and Lincoln as he continues working to bring his portion of the Sweeteners Plus dirt Late Model team back to its 2006 WoO LMS championship level.

McCreadie’s effort currently consists of just one Rocket car and mechanic Al Stevens. He does have four engines at his disposal as he rebuilds his operation with Sweeteners Plus team owner Carl Myers, who has given the O.K. for McCreadie to go dirt Late Model racing as much as he’d like with the New York star’s NASCAR Nationwide Series action as a Richard Childress Racing development driver currently in limbo.

Finishes of ninth (Attica) and eighth (Lincoln) provided a solid but not spectacular WoO LMS weekend for McCreadie, who did win his first dirt Late Model feature in over a year on Saturday night when he invaded La Salle (Ill.) Speedway for a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event.

McCreadie plans to enter upcoming WoO LMS events at Delaware International Speedway (May 29) and Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (May 31) and is a good bet to compete in the seven-race WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour’ that visits Pennsylvania, Canada and New York from June 17-28. The swing includes a June 24 date at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway, a track that McCreadie called home during his DIRTcar big-block Modified days and is located just a half-hour from the Sweeteners Plus racing shop in Avon, N.Y.

LONG LAP: Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey could only laugh when he heard his official lap time during qualifying on Friday night at Attica – a rip-roarin’ 1 minute, 50.855 seconds around the one-third-mile oval.

Why did the Leicester, N.Y., driver have to sit on that unusually lengthy time? After his Sweeteners Plus No. 32c suddenly shut off during his first time-trial lap and he rolled to a stop before the start/finish line, he got the machine to refire and smartly drove backwards around the track and then turned around so he could get his momentum up for one fast lap. Alas, he drove over the cushion in turns one and two on his second lap, forcing him to be satisfied with his long initial circuit.

Coffey rallied nicely in his heat, coming from the rear to earn a transfer position. He went on to finish 14^th in the A-Main and placed 15^th on Sunday night at Lincoln.

The DIRTcar big-block Modified veteran noted during the weekend that while his initial plan for WoO LMS action this year was to run the minimum of 30 races that will be used to determine the tour’s Rookie of the Year, he is contemplating running more events.

OLD-TIME TRAVELER: Danny Johnson – another DIRTcar big-block Modified star chasing the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award – towed to Attica and Lincoln in a manner that turned the clock back 20 years or more.

The 48-year-old from Phelps, N.Y., pulled into the pit area with his JIR Motorsports No. 27J on an open trailer. He used a motorhome owned by JIR’s Jeff Isabell as his tow vehicle, while the cars of Johnson’s JIR Motorsports teammates Joe Isabell and Sean Beardsley were transported to the tracks in the operation’s big yellow hauler.

Johnson brought along his girlfriend Tracy, three of their children and two dogs on the trip. He ran well at Attica where he qualified through a heat for the first time in WoO LMS competition, but he was a DNQ at Lincoln.

NEXT UP: The WoO LMS will have the Memorial Day holiday weekend off and then return to action with an East Coast doubleheader on Thurs., May 29, at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., and Sat., May 31, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Standout Dave Blaney Planning World of Outlaws Late Model Series Assault In Fuller’s Car On May 29 At Delaware International Speedway

DELMAR, DE – May 19, 2008 – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standout Dave Blaney will face off with the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on Thurs., May 29, when the national tour visits Delaware International Speedway.

An Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion before moving to the NASCAR stock car ranks, Blaney has secured a ride in 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller’s backup Gypsum Express car for the mid-week 50-lap event.

Blaney, who drives the Bill Davis Racing Caterpillar No. 22 on the Sprint Cup Series, will make a 40-minute trip south from Dover (Del.) International Speedway to compete at promoter Charlie Cathell’s half-mile clay oval. The WoO LMS show at DIS is scheduled to lead into Dover’s NASCAR race weekend for the second consecutive year.

With Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series action taking place nearby at the Monster Mile, there’s a possibility that one or more NASCAR drivers might join Blaney in climbing behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model for DIS’s WoO LMS program.

Blaney’s appearance at DIS will serve as a tuneup for his participation in the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream on June 4 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. He will drive a Rocket car from Fuller’s stable in the Prelude, which pits more than two-dozen world-renowned drivers in a unique, down-home dirt Late Model race.

Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., is excited to team up with Blaney for the WoO LMS event at DIS as well as the Prelude.

“We’ll give him a great car to run,” said Fuller, a regular on the WoO LMS. “With his dirt experience, there’s no doubt he’ll be a contender.”

Blaney has one career WoO LMS A-Main start under his belt. He finished 16^th on June 26, 2004, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, the three-eighths-mile oval that he owns.

Blaney’s Sharon Speedway will host a WoO LMS event on Sat., July 26, that will be taped for broadcast on the SPEED cable network.

Tickets for the fourth WoO LMS event in the last five years at Delaware International Speedway on May 29 are now available by calling the speedway office at 302-875-1911.

Reserved seats are $30 for adults and $9 for children 7-13, while general admission will be $26 for adults, $5 for children 7-13 and free for kids 6-and-under.

Pit passes will be $35 for adults, $10 for children 7-13 and free for kids 6-and-under.

Chub Frank Holds Off Richards For First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Of 2008 Sunday Night At Lincoln Speedway

Chub Frank got the better of Josh Richards on Sunday night, holding off the 20-year-old sensation to capture the ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ before a standing-room-only crowd at Lincoln Speedway.

It was the first World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of 2008 for Bear Lake, Pa.’s Frank, who two nights earlier watched Richards pass him late in the distance to win the tour’s 50-lap A-Main at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park.

“I wasn’t giving up the top this time,” said a smiling Frank, recalling Richards’s high-side pass at Attica. “Losing two nights in a row would’ve been real tough to take.”

Frank, 46, led the race from flag-to-flag after starting from the outside pole in the Lester Buildings Rocket car he calls ‘Old Faithful’ – the same 2006-vintage machine that he flipped last month at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and has since repaired. He survived an early-race scrape with Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and heavy pressure from Richards to pocket the top prize of $7,150.

“I’m happy to have it back,” Frank said of his favorite car. “It’s still gonna need a little work – it’s not quite the same as it was before – but it got the job done.”

Richards settled for second place in his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket, crossing the finish line a couple car lengths behind Frank.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished third in Dale Beitler’s Rocket after starting sixth, driving what he called “probably the third-best car on the track.” He maintained his tour points lead with the run.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finished fourth in the gottarace.com Rocket, salvaging what started off as a miserable night. He was involved in a heat-race accident that forced him to the pit area with a bent spindle, but he returned and rallied from the rear of the field to qualify through the prelim and then charged forward from the 14^th starting spot to claim his third consecutive top-five finish.

The battle for the win boiled down to a virtual replay of the event at Attica, with Frank setting the pace from the initial green flag and Richards stalking him as the race wound down. Richards reached second when he passed polesitter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., on a lap-14 restart.

“It was almost like déjà vu again from Friday night,” said Richards, who started fourth. “Chub was up top, and I was underneath him, underneath him, trying to pass him.”

Frank actually didn’t feel very confident about his chances of repelling Richards.

“He was faster than I was,” Frank said of Richards. “I figured I had a bad car even before they dropped the green. When I was trying to warm the tires up, it didn’t feel good.

“I thought (Richards) was just gonna drive around me on the outside of (turns) one and two because I was so slow down there. But everybody was slow down there because it was so slick, so I was better off than I had expected to be.”

Richards made several strong bids for the lead, including one run off turn four on lap 30 that saw him fall inches short of nipping Frank at the start/finish line. But Frank had too much momentum off the outside and maintained command.

“The top had a rough spot (in turn four) where you could just gas it up hard and come off the corner hard, but it was a handful to drive,” said Frank. “It would shoot the thing up in the air, but it was fast. I just kept it up there and kept my speed up.”

“I felt like my car was real maneuverable, but I couldn’t quite clear him,” said Richards. “One time I thought I had him. I was clear up beside him, and I think if I was just another six inches farther ahead, I could’ve beat him down into one. But there was just enough room where he could still come down and keep me behind him.”

The outcome might have been decided in Frank’s favor when the race’s second and final caution flag flew on lap 36, for last year’s Lincoln WoO LMS winner Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who was running fourth when he terminally damaged his car’s nosepiece by clipping an inside marker tire in turns one and two. The slowdown kept Frank out of heavy lapped traffic – and left Richards with a restart he didn’t want

“I knew he was a little bit softer tire on the left-rear (tire) and he fired a little bit better on the restart,” said Richards. “I probably would’ve been better off without it.”

Nevertheless, a runner-up finish at the tight, quarter-mile oval put a smile on Richards’s face.

“I feel like I won it,” said Richards. “A track like this normally isn’t my kind of deal. I was just hoping for at least a top 10 tonight.”

Frank’s first-ever triumph in the state of Illinois didn’t come without a dose of controversy. He was involved in an incident on lap 14 that sent Erb spinning into the infield entering turn one.

Erb, who won the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals and Super Late Model national titles as well as two WoO LMS events in 2008, had caught Frank and was making a bid for the lead when the contact occurred. He nosed underneath Frank just past the starter’s stand and went sideways a split second later.

A caution flag flew and Erb restarted at the rear of the field. He pulled alongside Frank during the caution period to make known his displeasure with the turn of events.

“I never seen him,” Frank said of the tangle with Erb. “He said I should’ve seen him, but he has to understand a few things: my car was rocking up, plus I was off the edge of the banking. And I wear a head-and-neck restraint, so I’m not real mobile turning my head.”

Ironically, Frank’s 14^th career WoO LMS victory came exactly one year to the day since he captured his first win of the 2007 season, at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich. He went on to win a series-best six A-Mains last season.

Frank also moved into a tie for second in the WoO LMS points standings with Lanigan, just six points behind Francis. He was the runner-up in last year’s points race.

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Clanton, who faded from serious contention after sealing up his tires; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; 19^th-starter Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.; and Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour A-Main and wasn’t ranked among the top-12 in the points standings.

Forty-three cars were entered in the event, which was run on a cool, clear spring evening.

Heat winners were Erb, Frank, Francis and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.

Daren Friedman of Forest, Ill., rode out the night’s roughest accident, rolling his car once on the homestretch after tangling with Nick Bauman of New Berlin, Ill., during the third heat. He emerged from his car uninjured.

The WoO LMS will have the Memorial Day holiday weekend off and then return to action with an East Coast doubleheader on Thurs., May 29, at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., and Sat., May 31, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Erb, Clanton, E. Smith, Birkhofer, VanWormer, B. Smith, B. Sheppard, C. Smith, Isabell, Tomlin, S. Sheppard

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Frank, Steidinger, Lance, Lanigan, Coffey, Blankenship, D. Johnson, Little, Beardsley, Zidar, Diveley

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Eckert, Shirley, McCreadie, Kloos, Bull, Dick, Chandler, Friedman, Bauman (DNS) Unzicker

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Taylor, Babb, Casey, Fuller, Feger, Heckenast, Beadles, Walden, Dehm

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): B. Smith, VanWormer, Coffey, S. Sheppard, Blankenship, Diveley, C. Smith, D. Johnson, Little, Zidar, Isabell, B. Sheppard, Beardsley, Tomlin

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Fuller, Feger, Kloos, Dick, Heckenast, Bull, Chandler, Walden, Beadles, Dehm (DNS) Friedman, Bauman, Unzicker

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 18 - 11 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Richards Pulls Off Late-Race Pass Of Frank To Capture Friday Night’s Inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At Attica Raceway Park

ATTICA, OH – May 16, 2008 – Josh Richards was pretty excited about the way he won Friday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Attica Raceway Park.

Flashing a veteran’s poise, the fast-rising 20-year-old superstar from Shinnston, W.Va., patiently chased Chub Frank until finally grabbing the lead from his seasoned rival with a high-side pass on lap 44. He then marched away to register his second tour victory of 2008 behind the wheel of his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1.

“That was one of the most fun races I’ve ever run,” the smiling Richards said after capturing the first-ever WoO LMS event run at the high-banked, one-third-mile oval. “I just kept trying and trying to find a way to get by Chub, and finally I was able to get him.”

Richards, who started from the pole position but was overtaken by front-row mate Frank at the initial green flag, earned $10,150 for his eighth career triumph on the WoO LMS. He became the second repeat winner in 10 tour events this season, joining four-time victor Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.

The driver known as ‘Kid Rocket’ also completed a clean sweep of the night’s action. Earlier in the program he set fast time in qualifying with a lap of 14.587 seconds and won his heat race.

“It was just a great night,” said Richards, whose previous WoO LMS win this season came in the tour’s opener on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. “We worked hard all week – until midnight a couple nights – trying to get this car dialed in and ready to go.

“We’ve been experimenting the last couple weeks, and we decided to get back to just bone-stock, old stuff, and it worked out for us all night.”

Adding even more luster to his win was the fact that it came on his mother Tina’s birthday. She was not at the track, but she spoke to her son by cell phone minutes after he returned to the pit area following the checkered flag.

Frank, 46, settled for his second runner-up finish of the season, ending the race 2.113 seconds behind Richards after leading laps 1-43 in his Lester Buildings Rocket car.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., placed third in his gottarace.com Rocket after holding off the late-race challenges of Moweaqua, Ill.’s Shannon Babb. It was the best WoO LMS finish of the 2008 season for Lanigan, who has secured consecutive top-five finishes after going without one for the first eight events of the campaign.

Babb crossed the finish line fourth in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Traeger Grills Rocket, and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., repelled the dogged bids of Wooster, Ohio’s Doug Drown to complete the top five in his RSD Enterprises Rocket.

The race was centered upon Richards’s pursuit of Frank, who appeared primed for his first victory of the season after climbing back in his favorite car. Frank drove the machine he calls ‘Old Faithful’ – the same 2006 Rocket he repaired after flipping it wildly on April 19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Though the A-Main was slowed by only three caution flags – on laps seven (for a spin by Tyler Boggs of Warsaw, Ind.), 17 (for the disabled machine of York, Pa.’s Rick Eckert) and 18 (for an off-track excursion by Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich. – Frank wasn’t able to use the extended green-flag stretches to distance himself from Richards.

“My car felt really good the whole race,” said Richards. “I knew (Frank) couldn’t pull away, so I thought if I just maintained, there would be a chance that I could get by him.”

That opportunity came with the event winding down. After having several bids turned back by Frank, Richards was able to toss his car outside of the Pennsylvanian’s mount rounding turns three and four and he surged ahead to assume command as lap 44 was scored.

“He looked a little too tight to run the top, and my car was just balanced well,” analyzed Richards. “I don’t know if he was fading just a little to where he had to search (for a line), but when he moved down I snuck around the outside of him and got the lead.”

“We were probably a little softer on the left-rear tire (than Richards), and I’d say it probably gave up the last eight or 10 laps,” said Frank, whose previous second-place finish in WoO LMS action this season came on Feb. 16 at Volusia Speedway Park. “I tried to run as high as I could in (turns) three and four without getting against the cushion, but I got too tight to drive in there and run the top like he could – and when I tried to move down, I just didn’t have enough traction.

“Josh did a very good job,” he added. “He was very patient. He didn’t do anything that would’ve wrecked either one of us. He took his shots when he thought he had ‘em, and when he couldn’t clear me on those ‘sliders’ he got out of the gas and let me go.

“I think that was very good for him to see that patience sometimes is better than being aggressive.”

Echoing Frank’s thoughts, Richards viewed his triumph as a sign of increased maturity behind the wheel.

“The last couple years I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more patient and a lot more comfortable in certain conditions that I hadn’t been before,” said Richards, the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year. “It’s tough to be patient. You get close to the lead in one of these races and you just want to go for it, but I’ve learned that you just have to stay smooth.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Drown, who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour A-Main and wasn’t ranked among the top-12 in the points standings; 14^th-starter Tim Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va.; defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; 2006 tour titlist Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.; and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.

Despite being unhappy with his quite eighth-place run, Francis was able to take over the WoO LMS points lead. He entered the event 10 points behind Moyer, who did not have plans to follow the tour this season and thus made Friday night’s program the first he’s missed in 2008.

Eckert, who was tied with Francis for second in the standings entering the Attica show, fell to sixth after a broken driveshaft left him with a 23^rd-place finish.

A healthy field of 52 cars was signed in for the historic WoO LMS visit to Attica Raceway Park.

Heat winners were Richards, Lanigan, Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by VanWormer and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

The WoO LMS concludes a Midwestern doubleheader on Sunday night (May 18) with the ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

Results of WoO Late Model Series at Attica Raceway Park (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Frank, Dodd, Maffett, Owens, VanWormer, Eitniear, Harper, Stiltner, Missler, Schlenk, Wirt, Fleming

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Babb, Eckert, Dohm, Boggs, K. Hahn, Esbenshade, Shiels, Hummer, Eddleblute, Isabell, Fuller (DNS) Potts

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moran, C. Smith, Carrier, Coffey, Blankenship, Ruhlman, Haynes, Moore, Deisenroth, Kingseed, B. Hahn, Scott, Ross

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, McCreadie, Francis, D. Johnson, Noonan, Bowersock, Marteney, Markham, Kester, Bores, Roelle, Perkins (DNS) Beardsley

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): VanWormer, Owens, Boggs, Esbenshade, Schlenk, Missler, Isabell, K. Hahn, Shiels, Hummer, Wirt, Stiltner, Eddleblute, Harper, Eitniear (DNS) Fleming, Fuller, Potts

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Blankenship, Ruhlman, Bowersock, Noonan, Deisenroth, Haynes, Moore, Marteney, Kester, Kingseed, Ross, Scott, B. Hahn, Bores, Roelle, Perkins, Markham (DNS) Beardsley

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 16 - 10 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner

One Year Later, Brian Shirley Returns To Scene Of First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory

Tour Visits Shirley’s Homestate Of Illinois For Sunday (May 18) Show At Lincoln Speedway

LINCOLN, IL – May 15, 2008 – One year later, Brian Shirley will return to the scene of his greatest moment on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

And the young star from Chatham, Ill., is hoping that the ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ on Sunday night (May 18) at Lincoln Speedway will be a repeat of 2007 – some home-cooking to shake him from his early-season doldrums on the WoO LMS.

Shirley, 27, blew out the field to win last year’s WoO LMS event at the quarter-mile oval. It was his first-ever – and still only – victory on the national tour, so he remembers May 13, 2007, very fondly.

“It was pretty exciting,” Shirley said of his triumph at the Don Hammer-promoted track. “Obviously, as a driver, you always want to know you’re capable of winning a big race against the best competition, and that win proved we could do it. But what made it so much more special was that the track is only a half-hour away from my house, so everybody who means the most to me was there to see it.”

The former flat-track motorcycle racer dominated Lincoln’s inaugural WoO LMS show, grabbing the lead from Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., on lap 21 and storming away to nearly a half-lap margin of victory in the 40-lapper. There was simply no stopping Shirley’s Petroff Towing/J&J Steel No. 3s.

“They said we kicked their butts pretty good,” smiled Shirley, who had no idea he had driven to such an enormous lead. “It’s not like I had some sort of hometrack advantage, though – Lincoln is probably the closest track to my house, but last year was only the second time I had ever run there.

“We just made all the right decisions and everything went our way. You don’t get many nights like that when you can do no wrong. The car just drove perfect and made me look like Superman.”

Shirley could certainly use a dose of his ’07 Lincoln Speedway magic when he pulls onto the track to chase Sunday night’s $7,000 top prize. He’s in the midst of a frustrating sophomore slump on the WoO LMS, leaving him in dire need of an uplifting performance to propel him into the tour’s busy, far-flung upcoming schedule.

After following most of the WoO LMS last season for the first time in his six-year dirt Late Model career and finishing ninth in the points standings, Shirley and car owner Ed Petroff committed to running the entire schedule in 2008. But he’s gotten off to a slow start, sitting 11^th in the points standings with only two top-10 finishes (eighth-place runs on Feb. 16 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park and April 15 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.) in nine tour A-Mains to date.

“Right now, I feel like I’m letting down everybody who supports me,” Shirley said of his subpar finishing record on the ’08 WoO LMS. “We definitely have no lack of equipment or cars and I know we can win races (on the tour), but we’re not getting the results. We’ve had so much bad luck, and we’re also not making the right decisions.”

Despite having little to get excited about so far this season, Shirley remains upbeat.

“I’m not going to worry about it and get myself down,” said Shirley, who travels the WoO LMS with his longtime friend Zach Pointer serving as his chief mechanic. “If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. You can’t control destiny. You just gotta keep going and giving it your best, try to do better preparing the car.”

Shirley is buoyed by the fact that he’s been a notoriously slow starter in recent years. Last year, in fact, he entered Lincoln’s WoO LMS event with tour stats that are startling similar to what he’s put up so far this season: two top-10 finishes – both eighth-place runs just like in ’08! – in seven A-Mains (he also didn’t qualify for two other events).

Maybe this Sunday is shaping up as a replay of 2007 for Shirley. The driver known as ‘Squirrel’ would love to once again hug his family and friends through Lincoln’s catch fence during a raucous Victory Lane celebration.

“There will definitely be a lot of people there that I know,” said Shirley. “I’ll have no shortage of fans, so hopefully we’ll give them something to be happy about.”

Gates will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lincoln Speedway, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and qualifying commencing at 6:30 p.m.

Also on the program will be complete shows for the UMP DIRTcar Modified and Sportsman divisions, plus a demonstration event for the new ‘Kid Modz’ class that is designed to bring youngsters into the sport.

General admission is $25 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6-15 and free for children 5-and-under with a paying adult.

Lincoln Speedway sits in an easily-accessible central Illinois location, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, 35 miles southwest of Bloomington/Normal and 45 miles southeast of Peoria.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: Midwestern Doubleheader At Attica Raceway Park (May 16) and Lincoln Speedway (May 18)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series rolls across the Midwest this weekend for a pair of events – on Friday night (May 16) at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park and Sunday night (May 18) at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

Attica’s first-ever WoO LMS show will be headlined by a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win. Virtually all of the tour’s regulars have never previously raced at the track, so the speedway will be an open book for the travelers.

Lincoln, meanwhile, offers the ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ on Sunday night, with a $7,000 check earmarked for the winner.

The Midwest swing was originally scheduled for three straight nights of racing, but Saturday’s program at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway was postponed indefinitely earlier in the week. A major reconstruction project to enlarge the track from a quarter-mile oval to a high-banked, three-eighths-mile layout is not yet totally completed, forcing the forcing the decision.

* At Attica Raceway Park on Friday, pit gates will open at 3:30 p.m., with grandstands gates unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing action heating up at 8 p.m.

* Lincoln Speedway’s gates will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and qualifying commencing at 6:30 p.m.

* Attica Raceway Park in a high-banked, one-third-mile oval located in central Illinois. It sits northeast of the intersection of SR 4 and US 224 at the Attica Fairgrounds.

* The quarter-mile Lincoln Speedway is in central Illinois, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, 35 miles southwest of Bloomington/Normal and 45 miles southeast of Peoria.

* Adult general admission for Attica’s show – which also includes a full program for Attica’s regular 410 Sprint Car class, setting up a spectacular doubleheader – is $30 for adults, $15 for students 11-15 and free for kids 10 and under. Pit passes will cost $35.

* Lincoln’s general admission is $25 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6-15 and free for children 5-and-under with a paying adult. The card will also include the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds and Sportsman plus a demonstration race of the new ‘Kid Modz’ division.

* Attica Raceway Park: visit www.atticaracewaypark.com or call the track office at 419-680-5606.

* This will be the inaugural WoO LMS visit to Attica. The tour was scheduled to race at the track on July 25, 2007, but rain washed out that event and it was not rescheduled.

* Lincoln Speedway has hosted the WoO LMS once previously. Brian Shirley was victorious in the 40-lap event held on May 13, 2007.

* Fans planning to attend Sunday’s show at Lincoln have a chance to enjoy a high-speed ride around the quarter-mile oval with their favorite WoO LMS driver.

In a unique ‘Ride With An Outlaw’ promotion, fans can bid on a spin in the new Farmer City Raceway/Lincoln Speedway two-seat dirt Late Model. An on-line eBay auction lasting from 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Wed., May 14, to 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Sat., May 17, has been set up (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220234924217) for fans to place bids on a ride in the two-seater machine at Lincoln.

The highest bidder will be allowed to select the WoO LMS regular of their choice to take them for a ride around the track during the program.

* Brian Shirley, a 27-year-old WoO LMS regular who lives in nearby Chatham, Ill., enjoyed one of the most memorable moments of his career when he won last year’s tour event in front of his family and friends at Lincoln.

Can the driver known as ‘Squirrel’ pull off a repeat? He’s hoping that a return visit to a track in his backyard – albeit an oval that he’s only raced on twice in his six-year dirt Late Model career – will help him turn around the frustration he’s experienced so far on the 2008 WoO LMS.

* Shannon Babb is another central Illinois product who will have plenty of local support at Lincoln. His diehard fans will be anxious to get a close look at a driver who is red-hot driving NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Traeger Grills/Chevy dirt Late Model, coming off his first WoO LMS win of the season on May 3 at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway and an off-week triumph worth $40,000 in last Sunday’s Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.

Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., won the 2005 UMP DIRTcar Summernationals event at Lincoln, but he finished 17^th in last year’s WoO LMS A-Main after being forced into a spin on the backstretch while battling for a top-five spot.

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa.., enter the weekend tied for second in the points standings, 10 points behind leader Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. They are also tied for second on the WoO LMS ‘modern-era’ win list (2004-present), at 15 triumphs, and have an opportunity this weekend to tie or pass Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., as the tour’s winningest driver since 2004.

Neither driver has competed at Attica, but they authored similar performances in their first visits to Lincoln last year. Francis finished seventh and Eckert was 10^th in the 40-lapper.

Eckert, who is mired in a 66-race winless streak on the WoO LMS, would love to enjoy the same type of success on Sunday that he’s experienced at another Lincoln Speedway close to his Keystone State home. He started his racing career at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.

* The 50-year-old Moyer, who has four wins in nine WoO LMS events this season, finished fifth in last year’s tour event at Lincoln.

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., took an immediate liking to Lincoln last year, timing third-fastest in qualifying and finishing a solid fourth in the A-Main. The tour’s winningest driver in 2007 is still looking for his first win this season – but of course, his initial triumph last year didn’t come until the 14^th race on the schedule.

Lanigan, who finished eighth in last year’s WoO LMS event at Lincoln, enters the weekend ranked fourth in the WoO LMS points standings, just 24 points out of the lead. Last year he was ninth and already 130 points behind through nine events.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., will look to get back on track this weekend after tumbling from second to a tie for sixth in the points standings after the May 3-4 doubleheader in Missouri. He finished a quiet 11^th in last year’s event at Lincoln.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who won all four of his 2007 WoO LMS A-Mains at tracks in the Midwest, will look for his first checkered of ’08 during another visit to the region. He finished ninth last year at Lincoln.

* Lincoln’s 2007 WoO LMS was one to forget for tour stalwart Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. He earned a transfer spot in the night’s fourth heat but had to scratch his car because of engine woes and start at the rear of the A-Main field in a backup; he finished 15^th.

* Coming off his first top-five finish of the 2008 tour on May 4 at Monett (Mo.) Speedway, 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., will arrive at Attica and Lincoln reenergized about his prospects. He finished 12^th last year at Lincoln after timing fifth-fastest in qualifying.

* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., returns to Lincoln hoping to improve on his 22^nd-place finish in last year’s event.

* Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., has plans to enter both events. The 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year finished a then career-high third in last year’s A-Main at Lincoln.

* Considering that the WoO LMS travelers don’t have notes about Attica to draw upon, two drivers to keep an eye on in Friday’s event are Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., and Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio.

VanWormer, who won his first career WoO LMS show last September at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway, was victorious twice at Attica in 2006 in Sunoco American Late Model Series events. Moran, meanwhile, was the winner the last time a regional series other than the ALMS visited Attica, capturing a Northern Xtreme DirtCar Series (formerly Renegade/STARS DIRTcar Series) race in 2004.

* Top regional drivers expected to enter Attica’s program include defending Sunoco ALMS champion Brian Ruhlman of Clarklake, Mich.; 2007 ALMS Rookie of the Year Tyler Boggs of Warsaw, Ind.; Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich.; and Doug Drown of Wooster, Ohio.

* The ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ on Sunday will attract some top-notch regional talent as well, led by defending UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model Summernationals and national champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill. Erb finished second in last year’s WoO LMS stop at Lincoln after leading the race’s first 20 laps.

Other regional and local standouts expected include former UMP DIRTcar Summernationals champion Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Terry Casey of New London, Wis.; defending Lincoln Speedway champion Matt Taylor of Springfield, Ill.; Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., a recent feature winner at Lincoln; Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.; Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill.; Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill.; Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.; and Tim Lance of Brimfield, Ill.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

* The tour will have the Memorial Day Weekend off before heading east for a pair of races to close out the month of May – on Thurs., May 29, at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., and Sat., May 31, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 4 - 9 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Busy Promoter Don Hammer Continues Growth Of Lincoln Speedway With
Sunday Evening’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Land of Lincoln 40’

LINCOLN, IL – May 13, 2008 – The steady emergence of Lincoln Speedway on the dirt Late Model scene takes another big step this Sunday night (May 18).

Promoter Don Hammer is bringing in the nationally-renowned World of Outlaws Late Model Series for a return engagement, continuing his quest to make the quarter-mile oval a solid part of the Midwest’s dirt Late Model landscape.

Sunday’s ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ will mark the second straight year that the WoO LMS visits Lincoln Speedway, which drew a packed house for its inaugural tour event on May 13, 2007. The 40-lap A-Main will pay $7,000 to win from a purse of nearly $40,000.

Regarded as more of a home to open-wheel and Limited Late Model racing in recent years, Hammer has made dirt Late Model competition the priority since taking over the track’s operation in June 2006.

“Lincoln doesn’t have the notoriety for dirt Late Model racing like other tracks in central Illinois, but we’re trying to build it,” said Hammer, who added Lincoln (a Saturday-night track) to a personal promotional portfolio that he began with Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway (Friday nights) in 2005. “We have to get it in the minds of the racers and fans that Lincoln Speedway is first-and-foremost a Late Model track.

“Having a World of Outlaws race gets the kind of attention we need for Lincoln. Everybody knows that when you bring these (traveling WoO) guys in to your track, you’re serious about dirt Late Model racing.”

Hammer, 35, of Clinton, Ill., has proven to be a pretty serious racetrack promoter himself over the past four years. A dirt Late Model racer for a decade (he still competes periodically when his schedule permits), he decided to enter the promotional side of the sport in 2005, leaving his job overseeing his grandfather’s construction business to lease and operate the venerable Farmer City quarter-mile oval. One year later he took over Lincoln, doubling his workload but also giving himself an opportunity to do some cross-promotion between the two nearby central Illinois tracks.

“It’s an experience,” Hammer said when asked about running a pair of racetracks. “Every day is different. I knew what it was like from the racer’s side, but I’ve learned a whole different side of it now.”

There’s certainly no doubt that Hammer’s current occupation is a labor of love. His life revolves around racing – his family is right there alongside him at the tracks, with his wife Bonnie handling the behind-the-scenes operational duties and his two children, daughter Jordan, 14, and son Kyle, 8, lending their parents a helping hand.

Kyle Hammer is also a budding racer, making his daddy proud with his success in Quarter-Midget racing and now behind the wheel of a ‘Kid Modz’ car, a new division created by dirt Late Model legend/car builder Bob Pierce in which youngsters drive UMP DIRTcar Modifieds equipped with four-cylinder engines. Kyle won his first ‘Kid Modz’ feature last weekend at Kentucky’s Soggy Bottom Raceway and will have an opportunity to race in front of Lincoln’s big WoO LMS crowd on Sunday night, thanks to a 15-lap race for the class that has been added to the special program.

The ‘Kid Modz’ demonstration is just one added attraction Hammer has in store for fans on Sunday night. Another is the two-seater dirt Late Model that will offer a unique way for fans to experience Lincoln Speedway from inside a race car; Hammer is setting up an eBay internet auction that will last the remainder of the week in which fans can bid on rides with one of three WoO LMS drivers.

Hammer’s main attraction on Sunday night, of course, is the ‘Land of Lincoln 40,’ which promises to feature arguably the most talented field of dirt Late Model drivers ever to assemble at Lincoln Speedway.

Leading the WoO LMS contingent will be two tour regulars from central Illinois: 27-year-old Brian Shirley of Chatham, whose victory in last year’s WoO LMS event at Lincoln was his first-ever on the tour, and 34-year-old Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, who drives for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer and scored his first WoO LMS win of 2008 just two weeks ago in Lebanon, Mo.

The WoO LMS drivers’ roster also includes points leader Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who won last month’s Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway; defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; ’07 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leiceister, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

An strong array of regional and local drivers are expected to challenge the WoO LMS superstars, including Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.; Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Terry Casey of New London, Wis.; defending Lincoln Speedway champion Matt Taylor of Springfield, Ill.; Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill.; Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill.; Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.; Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill.; and Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.

Lincoln Speedway’s weekly competition is not sanctioned by UMP DIRTcar Racing, but the May 18 program has been designated a UMP DIRTcar special event. The WoO LMS card, which will run under UMP DIRTcar’s four-compound Hoosier tire rule, will offer UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model points, as will the companion Modified and Sportsman events.

Gates will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and qualifying commencing at 6:30 p.m.

General admission is $25 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6-15 and free for children 5-and-under with a paying adult.

Lincoln Speedway sits in an easily-accessible central Illinois location, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, 35 miles southwest of Bloomington/Normal and 45 miles southeast of Peoria.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: WoO Stars Babb & Clanton Enjoy Victory Lane Trips During Off Weekend; Get Well Wishes For Gulf Coast Standout Chris Wall

SHINING BRIGHT: The Show-Me State has been very good to Shannon Babb in the month of May.

After scoring his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of 2008 – and his initial triumph since becoming the driver of NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s dirt Late Model team – on May 3 at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway, Babb added more Missouri money to his bank account with a win in Sunday night’s SuperClean Diamond Nationals 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland.

With no WoO LMS events scheduled for the past weekend, Babb and his Traeger Grills/Chevy teammates spent the week following the May 3-4 WoO LMS doubleheader in Missouri preparing their equipment for the Diamond Nationals at the home of Bowyer’s parents in Emporia, Kans. They also made a side trip on Wednesday night (May 7) to compete in a special event at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans., where Bowyer returned to his former hometrack to enjoy an evening of dirt Late Model racing. (Bowyer finished fifth and Babb settled for 20^th at Lakeside.)

Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., dominated the Diamond Nationals, which was postponed to Sunday by heavy storms. He led the 100-lap distance from flag-to-flag and pocketed a cool $40,000 top prize.

“This is the kind of (result) we’ve been working hard for,” Babb said after his win, which came behind the wheel of the Rocket car he debuted the previous week at Lebanon I-44. “Clint’s been really pushing us hard, and we want to make him proud.”

The Diamond Nationals was the second big-money dirt Late Model event in a row that was won by a WoO LMS regular, following up a $50,000 victory by Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., in the WoO LMS-sanctioned Circle K Colossal 100 on April 19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Babb, who is tied for sixth in the current WoO LMS points standings, will try to continue his May success this weekend when the tour visits Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on Friday night (May 16) and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on Sunday night (May 18). The Lincoln Speedway event, of course, will provide Babb a chance to race in front of his family, friends and fans from his native central Illinois.

DOUBLING UP: Rather than join the majority of his traveling WoO LMS brethren at the Diamond Nationals, Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., opted to head home after the tour’s Show-Me State swing and race in his native Southeast over the weekend.

The decision paid off for the 32-year-old standout – to the tune of $6,500, the combined cash he accumulated for winning an O’Reilly Southern All-Stars Series event on Friday night at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., and a weekly 25-lapper on Saturday night at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga.

Clanton’s richest victory came at North Alabama, where he passed David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss., for the lead heading to the white flag to snare the win. He earned $5,000 for his first-ever score at NAS, which is scheduled to host a WoO LMS event on Sun., Oct. 12.

But Clanton’s most satisfying triumph might have been his success at Dixie, a three-eighths-mile oval located just an hour’s drive from his shop. The $1,500 first prize wasn’t head-turning, but he did enjoy a rare opportunity to race in front of his car owner Ronnie Dobbins.

“He doesn’t get to see us race too often because we’re on the road so much, so if there’s an opportunity for us to run close to home we try to take advantage of it,” Clanton said of Dobbins. “It nice that he could come watch us race – and getting a win for him made the night even better.”

DIAMOND CUTTERS: The top-three and five of the top-10 finishers in Sunday’s Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway were drivers ranked among the top-six in the current WoO LMS points standings.

Finishing behind Babb was WoO LMS points leader Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (second place); Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (third after rallying from a lap-11 pit stop to change a flat left-rear tire); Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (seventh); and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (10^th).

Other WoO LMS followers in the Diamond Nationals field included Steve Francis, who quickly advanced from the 20^th starting to sixth place before bringing out a lap-37 caution flag and finishing 12^th; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (finished 13^th); and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (21^st).

WoO LMS regulars Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., failed to qualify for the 100-lap A-Main. Smith missed transferring by one spot and Shirley by five in the first B-Main.

MOD MEN: WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., made a very profitable return to the big-block Modified division in which he’s carved out his legend in the Northeast.

Driving a Modified for the same JIR Motorsports team that fields his dirt Late Model, the 48-year-old Johnson rolled to a $10,000 victory in Sunday’s Victoria 200 at Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, N.Y. His triumph came 24 hours after engine problems had sidelined him as he was bidding for the lead in a DIRTcar big-block Modified event at Fulton (N.Y.) Speedway.

Other WoO LMS travelers who competed in the Utica-Rome event were 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who finished fourth in his John Lazore-backed Modified, and Johnson’s JIR Motorsports teammate and fellow Rookie of the Year contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., who failed to qualify for the A-Main.

In addition, 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., entered the event in a Sweeteners Plus Modified, but he experienced problems in his heat race and failed to gain a transfer spot in a B-Main.

GET WELL SOON: World of Outlaws Late Model Series officials and teams send their best wishes to popular Gulf Coast dirt Late Model star Chris Wall of Holden, La., who was injured after flipping wildly during hot laps for Friday night’s Southern All-Stars event at North Alabama Speedway.

A 39-year-old standout known as the ‘Intimagator’ who has finished as high as second in a WoO LMS event, Wall suffered three fractured vertebra in his neck and a mild concussion in the accident. Doctors do not expect that surgery will be necessary, but they will require Wall to wear a neck brace for a minimum of six weeks – keeping the alligator farmer out of the cockpit of his familiar No. 71 for at least that long.

Words of cheer can reach Wall at 26192 Hwy 42, Holden, La., 70744, or through his website at www.intimagatorracing.net.

Continued Track Reconstruction Work Forces Indefinite Postponement Of Saturday’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At Lawrenceburg Speedway

LAWRENCEBURG, IN – May 12, 2008 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series event scheduled for this Saturday night (May 17) at Lawrenceburg Speedway has been postponed indefinitely, track and series officials have announced.

The decision was made because a major off-season reconstruction project to enlarge the eastern Indiana track from a quarter-mile oval to a high-banked, three-eighths-mile layout is still in its final stages.

“We’re certainly disappointed that this Saturday night’s show had to be called off,” said WoO LMS director Tim Christman. “We saw last year when we raced on the quarter-mile for the first time that Lawrenceburg Speedway is one of the top short-track facilities in the country, so we were very excited to come back to an even bigger and better track.

“But we fully understand the situation. There’s still some work left to do to finish the job, and (Lawrenceburg promoter) Dave Rudisill and his staff don’t want to run a national event at a facility that isn’t 100 percent ready to go because that wouldn’t be fair to the teams or the fans.”

Virtually all of the physical reconstruction work on the speedway has been completed, including the redesign of the track; the erection of an outside wall and catch fence; and the addition of nearly 1,700 new bleacher seats in turn two. But just one-third of the new clay surface had been applied by the end of last week – and with a flurry of rain delaying the completion of the surfacing, a date for a planned open practice to work in the track prior to the grand re-opening could not be solidified.

The huge Lawrenceburg Speedway construction project began last November, shortly after the 2007 season ended. Financed to the tune of $3.5 million by the City of Lawrenceburg, the work promises to enhance the oval’s reputation as a dirt-track showplace.

Christman and Rudisill would like to reschedule the WoO LMS event at Lawrenceburg for later in the 2008 season, but an announcement will be made only if a suitable date can be found.

Rudisill is now looking toward Sat., May 24, for the first action on Lawrenceburg’s new configuration. An Open Wheel Night featuring a $2,500-to-win King of Indiana Sprints (KISS) feature plus events for the AMSA Mini-Sprints and the UMRA TQ Midgets has been scheduled for the Memorial Day Weekend date.

Lawrenceburg’s Saturday-night event was slated to be the middle stop of a three-race weekend in the Midwest for the WoO LMS. The tour will now contest two events – on Friday night (May 16) at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park and Sunday night (May 18) at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Eager To Run Tour’s First-Ever Event At Attica Raceway Park This Friday Night (May 16)

ATTICA, OH – May 11, 2008 – Most of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series stars got their first glimpse of Attica Raceway Park last year.

But their first chance to race on the popular one-third-mile clay oval will come this Friday night (May 16) when the barnstorming national tour makes its inaugural visit to the Buckeye State facility for a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win.

Mother Nature prevented the first attempt by Attica’s management to run a WoO LMS event, washing out last July’s scheduled mid-week date. All of the Outlaws travelers were already parked at the track when the cancellation was made, though – and to a man they were disappointed to miss an opportunity to tackle a speedway they not only had heard so many good things about, but also appeared to be so inviting.

“The first time I ever saw the place was last year in the rain,” said defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who enters the Attica program tied for second in the trail points standings and still relishing a $50,000 victory in last month’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. “It looked like it could be a real racy track, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”

Yes, Friday’s stop is one of the most eagerly anticipated shows on this year’s WoO LMS. Attica Raceway Park possesses a well-deserved reputation for producing action-packed competition, and the country’s best dirt Late Model drivers want to experience it for themselves.

Traditionally a home for open-wheel racing, the high-banked oval will continue to build the full-fender side of its program with the visit by the WoO LMS.

“We’re really excited about the World of Outlaws race,” said Rex LeJeune, the operations manager of Attica Raceway Park. “We’re working to bring up our weekly Late Model program and having the World of Outlaws come in here will really get the division some attention.”

Attica has hosted the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Sunoco American Late Model Series several times per season for the past decade and is back on the tour’s schedule again in 2008. The speedway has also sanctioned its weekly dirt Late Model competition under the UMP DIRTcar Racing banner for the first time this season, helping attract such young Midwestern talents as Tyler Boggs of Warsaw, Ind., and Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., to early-season events.

Boggs and Schlenk are among the regional standouts expected to challenge the invading WoO LMS stars at Attica, which has not hosted a touring dirt Late Model series event other than the Sunoco ALMS since a 2004 Northern Xtreme DirtCar Series (formerly Renegade/STARS DIRTcar Series) show won by Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio.

The 40-year-old Francis leads the traveling WoO LMS contingent, which features a 2008 driver roster that is arguably the most talented ever to follow the tour. He’s in the early stages of a points battle for the $100,000 tour championship that has the makings of a thriller, with the top-seven drivers separated by a mere 38 points through nine events.

Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., sits atop the tour’s current points standings, with four victories already to his credit. Francis and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., will tow to Attica tied for second (10 points behind Moyer), followed by Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (-24), Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (-34) and the dead-locked Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (both -38).

A bit further back in the standings are WoO LMS regulars Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

Friday’s field is also expected to include 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

Joining Boggs and Schlenk on the list of regional standouts planning to enter Friday’s action are 2007 WoO LMS A-Main winner Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., who captured two Sunoco ALMS features at Attica in 2006; defending Sunoco ALMS champion Brian Ruhlman of Clarklake, Mich.; and 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.

Friday night’s program will certainly be “a dirt-track race fans dream,” said LeJeune. That’s because Attica’s regular 410 Sprint Car division will run a complete show on the WoO LMS undercard.

Adult general admission for the rare WoO LMS/410 Sprint Car doubleheader is $30 for adults, $15 for students 11-15 and free for kids 10 and under. Pit passes will cost $35.

Pit gates will open on Fri., May 16, at 3:30 p.m., with grandstands gates unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing action heating up at 8 p.m.

The WoO LMS 50-lapper continues the ‘Month of Mayhem’ at Attica Raceway Park, which concludes on Fri., May 30, when the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series visits the track for the 40-lap Kistler Engines Classic.

For more information log onto www.atticaracewaypark.com or call the track office at 419-680-5606.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Babb/Bowyer Pairing Picking Up Steam; Points Race Tightens

COMING TOGETHER: If last Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway revealed anything, it’s this:

With his first WoO LMS victory of the 2008 season, Babb served notice that his deal driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team is coming together very nicely.

“I think we’re finally getting all our ducks in a row,” said Babb, who accepted Bowyer’s ride offer in late December and has been working alongside crewmen Tommy Grecco and Jay Hunt to essentially build a big-time dirt Late Model operation from scratch. “It’s been a lot of hard work in a short amount of time, but we’re getting everything close, real close, to being in line. That’s what makes a real successful team.”

Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., and his mechanics pulled through the Lebanon I-44 pit gate riding in Bowyer’s brand-spanking-new hauler and trailer for the first time – they had been using a rig borrowed from J&J Steel’s Johnny Johnson while Bowyer’s was being built – and unloaded a new Traiger Grills Rocket car that had literally been finished the previous night.

Making just his fourth career start behind the wheel of a Rocket Chassis machine, Babb authored a flawless performance to reach Victory Lane.

“We had a whole new piece that I had a lot of confidence in,” said Babb. “I can’t tell (Rocket’s Mark and Josh Richards) thanks enough for all their help tonight. They’re trying to help me get running better, and they gave us all their setups and everything else you can imagine. We listened to them and the car just drove like a dream.”

After adding a seventh-place finish on Sunday night at Monett (Mo.) Speedway – he closed strong by picking up four spots over the final 13 circuits of the 40-lap A-Main – Babb ended the doubleheader tied for sixth in the points standings with Josh Richards.

UNDER A BLANKET: Thanks to the flat tire that forced WoO LMS points leader Billy Moyer to the pit area late in Sunday night’s A-Main at Monett, the tour’s points standings tightened considerably.

Through nine events on a 2008 schedule that currently boasts 47 dates, seven drivers are separated by a mere 38 points. Moyer leads the standings by 10 points over defending champion Steve Francis and Rick Eckert, followed by Darrell Lanigan (-24), Chub Frank (-34) and the deadlocked Babb and Richards (-38).

TOUGH WEEKEND: The 20-year-old Richards tumbled from second to a tie for sixth in the points standings after two frustrating evenings in the Show-Me State.

Saturday night at Lebanon I-44 was especially rough for Richards. He slapped the homestretch wall hard early in his heat race, forcing him to limp into the pit area with a heavily damaged car that his crew worked to repair right until the start of the A-Main’s pace laps.

Richards’s appearance on the starting grid was delayed because his team discovered a problem with the car’s driveshaft as they were finishing repair work, prompting the hasty installation of a new one. He managed to salvage a 13^th-place finish in the 40-lap A-Main despite racing with his car’s tow-in bent about four inches.

‘Kid Rocket’ appeared primed to get back on track at Monett after setting fast time and winning a heat, but he fell to fifth early in the event with a setup that was slightly off and later suffered a flat right-rear tire with just five laps remaining. He finished a dismal 20^th.

Notably, Richards’s use of a provisional at Lebanon I-44 marked the first time he had failed to qualify for a WoO LMS event through a heat or B-Main since April 16, 2006, at Virginia Motor Speedway.

NO-NAME CAR: Brian Birkhofer’s flag-to-flag win at Monett brought him a double-dose of satisfaction.

For starters, Birky got himself back in Victory Lane on the WoO LMS after a year’s absence. He was one of seven drivers who won at least one WoO LMS A-Main in each of the tour’s first three ‘modern-era’ seasons (2004-2006), but he failed to hit paydirt in 17 feature starts in 2007.

The Muscatine, Iowa, star also felt the personal accomplishment of winning for the first time with a car that he designed with fellow racer Jimmy Mars and Mars’s brother Chris.

“Jimmy and I have been talking the last few years that we wanted to build cars,” said Birkhofer. “At the end of last year Chris said, ‘You go half with me and Jimmy on the tubing bender and we’ll do it.’ I had a pretty decent year money-wise, so I invested with them guys and Bailey Industrial helped us out on the equipment.

“We’ve been working our tail off on it. Chris, Jimmy, myself – we put a lot of hours in over the winter to build these cars.

“I kinda want to concentrate on this (racing) a few more years,” added Birkhofer, 36. “But I don’t really want to travel up-and-down the road anymore when I’m 45, so I’d like to maybe get my kid behind the wheel and build race cars.

“We don’t want to be a big player in the chassis business. We just want to have something that we’re proud of and we can sell.”

“Right now we call it the ‘Three Fs’ – but I can’t tell you what that means,” quipped Birkhofer. “We haven’t figured out a name yet. We just want to work on ‘em and get ‘em better.

“We’ll be sitting around b.s.’ing one night and it’ll come to us, but right now it’s just another race car.

DISAPPOINTING OUTINGS: Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., entered the weekend hoping to make WoO LMS history.

With a victory at one of the tracks in his backyard, he would have joined his legendary late father Larry Phillips to become the first father-and-son tandem to win WoO LMS events in the six-plus seasons (1988-89, 2004-present) of the tour’s existence. Larry won the first-ever WoO LMS event of the tour’s first incarnation, on April 22, 1988, at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

But the 41-year-old Phillips struggled in both events. He finished 19^th at Lebanon I-44 after retiring early because he car wasn’t handling well on a track surface that kept more bite in it than he had anticipated, and he placed 21^st after another early drop-out at Monett.

MAGIC BUMP: Can contact from another car make a driver’s machine suddenly go faster?

It did in the case of Chub Frank, who credited his late-race surge at Monett to a hit he absorbed in his Rocket car’s left-rear corner from Vic Coffey. After surviving the contact that left Coffey spun out in turn one on lap 27, Frank burst forward from the 13^th spot to finish fifth.

“I actually don’t know what happened,” said Frank. “I was just wallowing around out there, and then Vic Coffey got into my left-rear and something happened.

“I guess the hit bent something and freed the car. We gotta look at it and see what it was, but I know that the car really felt good at the end of the race.”

STILL STRUGGLING: WoO LMS regular Brian Shirley’s miserable early-season luck continued at Lebanon I-44.

Holding high hopes for the Saturday event after finishing second in last year’s WoO LMS show there, the Chatham, Ill., was running fifth on lap 12 of the A-Main when he slowed with a flat right-rear tire. It was the fourth flat tire of the night for the snakebit Shirley, who also returned to the pits with deflating shoes after hot laps, time trials and his heat race.

Shirley was even more frustrated with his performance on Sunday at Monett. He was second-fastest in time trials and started third in the A-Main, but he fell backward when the initial green flag flew and managed just a 15^th-place finish in his Petroff Towing mount.

* Clint Smith wasn’t happy about finishing fifth at Lebanon I-44 after leaving his car “too loose” for the A-Main, but he took some solace in his sterling qualifying effort earlier in the night.

“I’m pretty proud about setting a new track record,” said Smith. “I’m not known for my qualifying, so I only have a few of them.”

* Last year Darrell Lanigan scored his first top-five finish in the 18^th WoO LMS A-Main of the season.

The Union, Ky., driver won’t have to wait that long again in ’08 after breaking into the top five for the first time on Sunday at Monett, finishing a solid fourth in the season’s ninth event. He already has seven top-10 finishes this year – tied with Steve Francis and Rick Eckert for the tour lead in that category.

* Francis wasn’t happy with his performance in the weekend events, which included a quiet sixth-place finish at Lebanon I-44 and an 11^th at Monett (after he slid off the track during his heat and used a provisional to start the A-Main).

So what did Francis do after Monett’s checkered flag? When he noticed that Darren Miller had gotten permission from promoter Randy Mooneyham to do some post-race testing, Francis kept his driver’s suit on and joined Miller on the track to try some things out.

* Tim Fuller hopes his third-place run at Monett – his first top-five of the season and only his second top-10 – gets him headed in the right direction.

The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year entered both races in his backup car after blowing the motor in his primary machine in a Thursday-night show at Virginia Motor Speedway.

* Both Vic Coffey and John Blankenship sported new bodies and graphics on their cars for the weekend events.

Coffey appeared headed to a top-10 finish at Lebanon I-44 until a broken left-front control arm forced the Rookie of the Year contender out of action while running seventh on 26.

* Coffey, Eckert and Shane Clanton enjoyed some straight-line competition on Friday night, stopping at Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis to watch qualifying for the weekend’s NHRA national event.

NEXT UP: The WoO LMS returns to action with a three-race swing through the Midwest that stops at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on May 16; Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on May 17; and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on May 18.

Birkhofer Rolls To Flag-To-Flag Victory In First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event At Monett Speedway

MONETT, MO – May 4, 2008 – Brian Birkhofer still doesn’t have an official name for the new car he built with Jimmy and Chris Mars.

But the Muscatine, Iowa, standout can certainly call the machine a winner after rolling to a flag-to-flag victory in Sunday night’s 40-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Monett Speedway.

Birkhofer, 36, started from the pole position and was never seriously challenged en route to the $7,100 win, which came in the first-ever WoO LMS event at Randy Mooneyham’s three-eighths-mile oval. It was his fifth career triumph on the tour but first since July 25, 2006, at Lebanon I-44 Speedway, where he finished 18^th in the previous night’s WoO LMS show after blowing a tire while running fifth.

“I’m pretty pumped about this car now,” said Birkhofer, who won in his fifth start of 2008 behind the wheel of the Daufeldt Construction/J&J Steel No. 15b that he designed with the Mars brothers. “We started on the pole so it’s not like we drove through the field, but a win’s a win – and against these guys, nothing comes easy.”

Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., raced closest to Birkhofer, running in second place from lap eight to the finish. But the GRT house car driver, who started fourth, was unable to threaten Birkhofer on several restarts and crossed the finish line about two seconds behind the winner.

Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished third in the Gypsum Express Rocket, followed by Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., in the gottarace.com Rocket and 16^th-starter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., in the Lester Buildings Rocket.

Birkhofer actually didn’t realize that he was able to build a comfortable edge on Wallace after each of the race’s restarts.

“I figured Wendell was close,” said Birkhofer. “I really thought he was on my back bumper pushing me around there, so I just tried not to make any mistakes and stay on the bottom.

“After the first restart my tires felt like I didn’t cut (groove) ‘em up enough, so I was really nervous. I was just trying to drive straight and hit the traction off the corners so when I got the car turned it didn’t bind up.”

Birkhofer ended up victorious in his first career visit to Monett, a venerable 38-year-old track known as the ‘Grand Old Lady.’ He felt right at home as soon as he eyeballed the facility.

“It’s got some long straightaways and tight corners – kinda like I grew up (racing) on, only a little shorter than I like,” said Birkhofer, a product of the long, fast half-miles near his home in the Hawkeye State.

“(Scott) Bloomquist (the 2004 WoO LMS champion) always told me he had such a good record (of winning) the first time he rolled into a track,” added the driver known as ‘Birky.’ “I don’t have a record like his, but I am proud of what I have accomplished.”

Wallace’s runner-up finish bettered his fourth-place run the previous night at Lebanon I-44. It was worth a cool $4,100, including the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who’s never won a tour A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top-12 in the current points standings.

Fuller, meanwhile, scored a season’s-best finish after starting sixth. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year was in dire need of a strong run to staunch his early-season struggles and he got it.

“I never would’ve thought a third would make me feel so good,” said a relieved Fuller, who slid inside Lanigan for third on a lap-35 restart and challenged Wallace in the closing circuits. “I thought we were good enough to get second.”

Lanigan also registered his top finish of the season after starting fifth. He had rung up six top-10 finishes in the first eight events of 2008 but couldn’t break into the top five until visiting Monett.

“We needed a good run like this,” said Lanigan, who made a bid to pass Wallace early before fading slightly.

The 46-year-old Frank turned in the most stirring drive of the night, charging from outside the top 10 to fifth over the final 13 laps. He said his car seemed to come on after he absorbed a hit in the left-rear corner from Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who spun in turn one after the contact on lap 27.

WoO LMS points leader Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., failed to finish after cutting a right-rear tire while running fourth on lap 27, and defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., managed only an 11^th-place finish after a slip over the turn-four berm during his heat forced him to use a provisional starting spot.

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who lost fifth to Frank on the final lap; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who made a late charge; Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; and Rick Eckert of York, Pa.

Richards recorded his first fast time of the 2008 WoO LMS season, turning a new-track-record lap of 15.711 seconds during time trials.

Heat winners were Richards, Moyer, Birkhofer and Brady Smith. The B-Mains were captured by Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and MARS regular Will Vaught of Crane, Mo.

The WoO LMS will be idle this weekend and then return to action with a three-race swing through the Midwest, visiting Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on May 16; Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on May 17; and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on May 18.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Wallace, Owens, Casey, Mars, Phillips, Rushin, Turner, Looney, Frye

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Shirley, Clanton, Babb, C. Smith, Wells, Francis, Vaughn, Purkey, L. Jones

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Birkhofer, Fuller, D. Miller, Blankenship, Vaught, Sullivan, Anderson, McCormick, C. Jones (DNS) Collins

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): B. Smith, Lanigan, Eckert, Frank, Coffey, Dukes, Stovall, Johnston, Payne (DNS) Essary)

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): C. Smith, Phillips, Mars, Francis, Turner, Purkey, Vaughn, L. Jones, Looney, Wells, Frye, Rushin

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Vaught, Coffey, Stovall, Anderson, Sullivan, Payne, McCormick, Dukes, C. Jones (DNS) Collins, Johnston

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 4 - 9 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Babb Makes Car Owner Clint Bowyer’s Saturday Night Even Better With First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Of ’08 At Lebanon I-44 Speedway

LEBANON, MO – May 3, 2008 – Shannon Babb gave his boss even more reason to smile on Saturday night.

On the same night that his famous car owner Clint Bowyer was triumphant in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition at Richmond International Raceway, Babb authored a flawless drive to victory in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘All-State Insurance 40’ at Lebanon I-44 Speedway.

Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., advanced from the fourth starting spot to pass Rick Eckert of York, Pa., for the lead on lap 12 and then never looked back. Driving a new Traiger Grills/Chevrolet Rocket car that had never before seen action, Babb repelled a late-race challenge from Eckert and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., to score his first WoO LMS win of the 2008 season.

Mere moments after hoisting an oversized novelty check commemorating his $10,000 victory in an event that was co-sanctioned by the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series, Babb learned that his high-profile car owner had also scored a big Saturday-night short-track win.

“We got back here to the trailer just in time to watch Clint run the last lap and win at Richmond,” said Babb, who is in his first season as the hired-gun of Bowyer’s fledgling dirt Late Model team. “He’s gonna be tickled to death when he hears that we won him a Late Model race tonight too.”

Eckert, who started from the outside pole and led laps 1-11, settled for a $5,100 runner-up finish in Raye Vest’s GRT car, 1.423 seconds behind Babb.

Moyer finished third in his Victory Circle M1 chassis, followed by 11^th-starter Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., in the GRT house car and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., in the Cliburn Tank Lines GRT, who started eighth but had to gather himself after losing several spots in the race’s early laps.

With Babb’s Clements-powered car purring along to perfection once he gained command, the WoO LMS title contender correctly felt that the race was his to lose.

“Not very often do you get a car that feels that good,” said Babb, who registered his seventh career WoO LMS A-Main win. “Tommy (Grecco) and Jay (Hunt) did a great job putting it together and I had 100 percent confidence in it.”

Babb’s only anxious moment came following a lap-26 restart, when Eckert and Moyer stayed close for several circuits. Eckert came within inches of leading lap 28 before Babb gradually opened up some breathing room.

“During that (lap-26) caution those guys probably caught their breath a little and got up on the wheel to try to go for it one last time,” said Babb. “So I had to get back going again hard too.”

After Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, slowed on lap 36 with a flat tire while running fifth to bring out the race’s fifth and final caution flag, Babb wasn’t threatened when the green flag returned.

“That last restart, I wasn’t gonna let nobody by me,” smiled Babb, who registered his first career win at Lebanon I-44 Speedway after running well but experiencing bad luck in several previous appearances. “I just put it on the floor.”

Eckert, 42, was close enough to taste his first WoO LMS victory in nearly two years, but he fell short.

“I left my car just a little bit too free,” said Eckert, whose last WoO LMS win came 65 races ago, on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. “I tightened up some for the feature, but I still left myself just a little bit too free on exit. If I got in the corner hard and got back in the gas, I got loose.

“After that long (lap-26) caution the racetrack came back, and I got four good laps and was even able to get door-to-door with (Babb) for two laps. But then his (harder) tire got going again and I was done.

“I tried everything I could try to win,” he added, “but I just couldn’t get ‘er done.”

The 50-year-old Moyer, meanwhile, remained atop the WoO LMS points standings with a steady, solid run to third place. He sniffed the lead in the battle after the lap-26 restart, but he wasn’t quite good enough to win for the fifth time in eight events this season.

“Shannon was commited to the top and Eckert to the bottom more or less,” said Moyer, who started seventh. “I could run through the center of one and two real quick, but Eckert was swinging way out wide there so I had to let him in a couple times or we would’ve crashed.

“If I could’ve just got a little bit farther up, I might have been able to get by him. But really, we were just a little bit off.”

The race’s five caution flags were all for minor problems, including a turn-two spin by Jeremy Payne of Springfield, Mo., on lap seven; right-rear flat tires on the cars of Chatham, Ill.’s Brian Shirley (as he ran fifth on lap 12) and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (lap 25); Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (left-front suspension woes on lap 26); and Birkhofer.

Finishing in positions 6-10 was defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who slipped backward after starting from the pole position; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the season; MARS standout Will Vaught of Crane, Mo.; Lebanon I-44 dominator Brad Looney of Republic, Mo.; and Payne, who recovered from his early spin.

Clint Smith established a new track record during time trials, rounding the three-eighths-mile oval in 13.626 seconds for his first WoO LMS fast-time of the season.

Heat winners were Smith, Babb, Francis and Eckert. Five-time MARS champion Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., and Clanton captured the B-Mains.

Clanton scrambled to get on the track for the A-Main, however, after his car’s engine developed a broken rocker arm on the final lap of the B-Main. His crew hastily pulled out the team’s backup car and got it fired up for competition as the feature field was taking its pace laps.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who entered the event ranked second in the WoO LMS points standings, had to use his first provisional since 2006 to start the A-Main after slapping the homestretch wall during the first heat. His crew worked up until the start of the A-Main pace laps to repair the car.

The WoO LMS weekend in Missouri continues on Sunday night (May 4) at Monett Speedway, which hosts the tour for the first time ever.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘All-State Insurance 40’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): C. Smith, Frank, Blankenship, Payne, Smyser, McCormick, Rushin, C. Jones, Johnston, Richards

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Birkhofer, Lanigan, Sullivan, Frye, Anderson, Looney, Woodworth, Harris, L. Jones

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Moyer, Wallace, Coffey, Clanton, Dukes, Millard, Westling, Mars, Collins

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Eckert, Shirley, Purkey, Vaught, Fuller, Phillips, Turner, George, Wells

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frye, Looney, Woodworth, Smyser, McCormick, Anderson, Johnston, L. Jones, C. Jones, Rushin (DNS) Harris, Richards

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Fuller, Phillips, Turner, Collins, Millard, Wells, George, Westling, Dukes (DNS) Mars

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 3 - 8 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: Show-Me State Weekend At Lebanon I-44 Speedway (May 3) and Monett Speedway (May 4)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series invades Missouri for a doubleheader this weekend, visiting Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Saturday night (May 3) and Monett Speedway on Sunday night (May 4).

The Show-Me State swing features a pair of 40-lap A-Mains for the national tour. Saturday’s show at Lebanon I-44 offers a $10,000 top prize, and a $7,000 check will go to the winner of Sunday’s headliner at Monett.

With sunny skies in the forecast for both days, the weekend is shaping up as the biggest ever at veteran promoter Randy Mooneyham’s pair of racetracks.

* At both speedways, gates are scheduled to open at 4:30 p.m. and on-track action will begin at 7:30 p.m.

* Lebanon I-44 Speedway is a high-banked, three-eighths-mile clay oval located in southwestern Missouri, off Exit 135 (Sleeper) of Interstate 44.

* A 100-mile drive to the southwest of Lebanon is Monett Speedway, a semi-banked, three-eighths-mile clay oval that is known as the ‘Grand Old Lady.’ To reach the track, go 1 mile east of SR 37 on US 60, then north on Chapel Drive.

* General admission for both events is $30 for adults, $10 for juniors (ages 13-15) and free for kids 12-and-under. Pit passes will be $35 at both tracks.

* More information can be obtained by visiting www.lebanoni44speedway.net or www.monettspeedway.net, or calling 417-224-7074 (Randy Mooneyham), 417-532-2060 (Lebanon I-44 raceday hotline) or 417-236-0600 (Monett raceday hotline).

* This will be the fourth consecutive year and the fifth time overall that the WoO LMS has raced at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. The track hosted a tour event won by Billy Moyer on Aug. 27, 1988, during the first two-year incarnation of the WoO LMS under the direction of late Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson, and has been part of the tour’s ‘modern-era’ (2004-present) with events won by Clint Smith on July 3, 2007; Brian Birkhofer on July 25, 2006; and Steve Francis on July 26, 2005.

* Monett Speedway is hosting a WoO LMS for the first time – making Sunday’s program the biggest in the track’s 38-year history.

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., brings a strong performance record to Lebanon I-44 – along with his 2005 win, he has tour finishes of fourth (2007) and ninth (2006) – and an eye on moving up in the WoO LMS history books.

Following his victory on April 19 in the Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Francis is tied with Rick Eckert of York, Pa., for second on the WoO LMS ‘modern-era’ win list, at 15 triumphs. He has an opportunity this weekend to tie or pass Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., as the tour’s winningest driver since 2004.

* Eckert has been stuck on 15 wins since July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio – an uncharacteristically long winless streak of 64 races for the star driver. He has high hopes of ending his absence from Victory Lane at Lebanon I-44, where he finished third in last year’s WoO LMS stop.

* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., will enter the weekend doubleheader as the tour’s points leader and top winner of 2008 (four wins in seven events) – and likely possessing more experience at Lebanon I-44 and Monett than any of the WoO LMS travelers.

The 50-year-old dirt Late Model legend did, of course, win a WoO LMS event at Lebanon in 1988, and he’s entered each of the tour shows run there over the past three years (finishing 18^th in 2005, fifth in 2006 and sixth in 2007). Monett, meanwhile, is a track where Moyer has enjoyed plenty of success, including eight O’Reilly MLRA series wins from 1989-93, two MARS DIRTcar Series triumphs (2001 and 2002) and a victory on the old USAC Late Model Series in 1988.

* A visit to Lebanon I-44 Speedway might be just what the doctor ordered for WoO LMS traveler Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who has been plagued by bad luck in four of his last five tour starts. The 27-year-old talent known as ‘Squirrel’ has developed a knack for getting around the fast track, as evidenced by his victory in the 2006 Larry Phillips Memorial and a second-place finish in last year’s WoO LMS event.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., will certainly like the smell of the Midwest air this weekend. After all, the southerner won all four of his 2007 WoO LMS A-Mains in the region, including a victory in last year’s tour stop at Lebanon I-44.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., enters the weekend ranked second in the WoO LMS points standings – the highest he’s ever been this far into the season. He’s never raced at Monett, but he has three starts under his belt at Lebanon I-44 with a top finish of sixth in the 2006 WoO LMS event.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., hopes his steady improvement in WoO LMS shows at Lebanon I-44 continues this Saturday night. He finished 23^rd in 2005, seventh in 2006 and fifth in 2007.

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. – the winningest driver on the 2007 WoO LMS but still looking for his first win this season – has been steady, if not spectacular, at Lebanon I-44. He has two eighth-place finishes (2005 and 2007) and an 11^th (2006).

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drives for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer, flashed plenty of speed in last year’s WoO LMS event at Lebanon I-44, leading the first 15 laps of the A-Main. But a blown left-rear tire annihilated his car’s bodywork, forcing him to retire.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., missed last year’s WoO LMS event at Lebanon I-44 to work on his engine program – the only race in the five-year ‘modern-era’ of the WoO LMS that he has not entered. He’ll be back this Saturday looking to run like he did when he finished second in the track’s 2005 tour stop.

* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., likes Lebanon I-44. He had one of the best runs of his WoO LMS career there in 2005, finishing fourth.

* There will be an invasion of WoO LMS travelers from New York at this weekend’s events. Leading the group will be 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who missed last year’s event at Lebanon I-44 to run an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified show in the Empire State.

Other New Yorkers planning to travel halfway across the country to compete this weekend are Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leceister, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.

* With the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series co-sanctioning the weekend events, the Midwestern tour’s top drivers will be in the field, including five-time champ Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark.; three-time titlist Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo.; Will Vaught of Seneca, Mo.; and Jeremy Payne of Springfield, Mo.

This quartet of MARS drivers has proven they can get the job done at Lebanon I-44 and Monett. Last year Vaught won a MARS show at Monett while Payne was victorious in MARS action at Lebanon I-44. And in MARS and MLRA events, Phillips has won 14 times at Monett and seven at Lebanon while Frye has captured 15 races at Monett and six at Lebanon.

* Other top regional drivers expected to compete in the weekend events include Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who finished fourth in the 2006 WoO LMS A-Main at Lebanon I-44; Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kans., who won the season-opening DLRA event at Monett on April 20; David Turner of Adrian, Mo.; John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., who won an MLRA event at Lebanon last season; and Lebanon I-44 dominator Brad Looney of Republic, Mo.

* Several drivers have plans to join the WoO LMS action on Sunday night at Monett, including Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who won last year’s UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., who owns four MARS and four MLRA wins at Monett and two MARS triumphs at Lebanon; and Terry Casey of New London, Wis., who finished second in last year’s UMP DIRTcar Summernationals event at Lebanon I-44.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

* The tour will have a weekend off before embarking on a three-race, three-state swing the weekend of May 16-18, visiting Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on Fri., May 16; Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Sat., May 17; and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on Sun., May 18.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 19 - 7 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

DIRTVision.com is pleased to announce the release of its first 2008 on-demand video productions. Users now have instant 24/7 access to a wide variety of exciting race footage from across the country. Users can log on and watch on-demand archive events at any time, giving them the ability to pause and rewind with the push of a button. Plus with the on-demand archives, there’s no set schedule, users have the advantage of choosing what they want to watch and when they want to watch it. To access the on-demand section of the site, simply log in, click on the archive tab, and choose an event you wish to view. (Live broadcast archives still require a subscription to view.) You must be a registered user in order to view archive races. To register for your free account simply click on sign up for free.

The first four videos of 2008 are now featured on the site. Users can watch every lap from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series events at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, MS and the Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, IL, as well as Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car events at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, MO, and Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH. Make sure to check back every week as DIRTVision.com will be posting new videos from the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, The World of Outlaws Late Model Series and The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series. Most videos will be posted within two weeks of the original events date.

Users must have high speed internet (DSL/Cable/T1), and windows media player 9 or higher to view archived videos. For technical questions visit our FAQ Section, or e-mail [email protected] for help.

DIRTVision.com Archive Videos are brought to you by ButlerBuilt. Call ButlerBuilt today and let them build you an advantage.

Momentum Builds In DIRTcar’s Western Region With Addition Of Barnett Harley DIRTcar Modified Series

Casa Grande, AZ — May 1, 2008 — By Bobby Gerould — Opportunities abound for the racers of the Barnett Harley DIRTcar Modified Series that blankets the Southwestern portion of the United States.

“In so many words, we, as the Border Racing Association, had outgrown ourselves”, said Royal Jones, owner of Southern New Mexico Speedway and El Paso Speedway Park. “Going forward we took what was a really good deal for the racers and made it even better by merging and turning over the administrative duties to the largest dirt car organization. DIRTcar has had success with the World of Outlaws, UMP in the Midwest and others so why not turn it over to people who know how to get the job done?”

DIRTcar is the brand name for the sanctioning body run by World Racing Group of Concord, N.C. DIRTcar is responsible for nearly 5,000 local and regional dirt track racing events in the United States and Canada at 126 tracks each year.

DIRTcar has assumed the administrative duties for weekly modified racing at each track that competes in the Barnett Harley DIRTcar series. In addition to weekly programs is the touring Barnett Harley DIRTcar Modified Series. Racing regionally, the series unites seven tracks in three states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) and showcases the best drivers in the southwest at each event.

Manzanita Speedway General Manager Steve Dunn believes the new agreement is fantastic. “It’s good to be a part of an organization like DIRTcar,” he said. “It enables us to do something positive, with big races at the end of the year, for the racers of Arizona.”

The 2008 affiliation between DIRTcar and the former B.R.A. presents new opportunities for the racers with a structured regional and national point fund, insurance advantages and greater marketing options.

“Bringing the DIRTcar family to the West is great for the hundreds of competitors that are passionate about grassroots racing”, DIRTcar Western Region Director Chris Morgan said. “We have already made strides in getting all parties comfortable with the transition. Now we can concentrate on providing the benefits of DIRTcar’s marketing muscle to the Barnett Harley series.”

The next events on the touring Barnett Harley DIRTcar Modified Series schedule are set for May 24-25 at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Ariz. Weekly racing action continues this weekend at several DIRTcar member facilities (Manzanita on Friday; Casa Grande on Saturday; Thunder Raceway in Show Low, Ariz., on Saturday). For more information on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing, visit DIRTcar.com.

Missouri’s Terry Phillips Chasing History As World of Outlaws Late Model Series Visits His Backyard This Weekend

Show-Me State Star Looking To Join His Legendary Father As A World of Outlaws Winner During Doubleheader At Lebanon I-44 & Monett Speedways

CONCORD, NC – April 30, 2008 – Ask Show-Me State star Terry Phillips what winning one of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series events being run in his Missouri backyard this weekend would mean to him, and you get a typical hard-nosed racer’s reply.

“It would be a great accomplishment,” Phillips said matter-of-factly. “You always want to win against the better cars and drivers.”

Remind Phillips, though, that a WoO LMS victory this Saturday night (May 3) at Lebanon I-44 Speedway or Sunday night (May 4) at Monett Speedway would forge him a historic common bond with his legendary late father Larry Phillips, and his tough exterior softens a bit.

“I didn’t even think about my dad having a World of Outlaws win,” said Phillips, a 41-year-old racing veteran from Springfield, Mo. “That would make winning one pretty cool for me.”

How cool? Consider this: Larry and Terry Phillips would become the first father-and-son tandem to win WoO LMS events in the six-plus seasons (1988-89, 2004-present) of the tour’s existence.

Larry Phillips, a Midwestern mega-talent who passed away in September 2004 at the age of 62 after a four-year battle with lung cancer, won just a single WoO LMS event during his memorable dirt and asphalt Late Model career, but it was an important one. He captured the first WoO LMS A-Main ever contested, on April 22, 1988, at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

The elder Phillips’s triumph launched the short-lived first incarnation of the WoO LMS, which was directed by late Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson. The full-bodied off-shoot of the established WoO Sprint Car Series lasted just two seasons before it was discontinued by Johnson, but its results are part of the history of the WoO LMS, which was rekindled in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner and is now in the fifth season of its modern era.

The ‘original’ WoO LMS didn’t travel as far-and-wide or boast as many events as the current version, but it was “a pretty tough series,” said Terry Phillips. He knows this first-hand because he actually followed the inaugural schedule in 1988.

Phillips became a dirt Late Model driver in ’88, at the age of 21, and got an education by going on the WoO LMS road with his father. He showed some flashes of his future brilliance during that rookie campaign, registering four top-five finishes – including third-place runs at Badlands Raceway in Yates Center, Kans., and Colorado National Speedway in Denver (two) – and finishing a respectable seventh in the points standings. (Larry Phillips finished third in the ’88 points race.)

Both Phillips and his father were part-timers with the WoO LMS in 1989 (Larry and Terry placed 11th and 14^th, respectively, in the points standings), and the younger Phillips has entered only selected tour events since its resumption in 2004. In eight A-Main appearances during the WoO LMS ‘modern-era’ Phillips has a top finish of third, on July 22, 2005, at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla., but he’s had a couple legitimate shots at victory ripped from him by bad luck, including last year at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans. (a broken brake caliper sent him into the wall while running fourth and gaining ground) and Lebanon I-44 Speedway (he was in the top five when he got a flat tire).

A three-time champion of the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series that is co-sanctioning the WoO LMS events at Lebanon I-44 and Monett, Phillips enters this weekend’s doubleheader with plenty of confidence. He’s only run two dirt Late Model shows since making a January trip to Arizona – the testy spring weather has scuttled most of his planned starts with his Andy’s Frozen Custard GRT No. 75 – but he’s in racing shape thanks to the half-dozen open-wheel Modified appearances he’s made in recent weeks.

And of course, Phillips knows the Lebanon I-44 and Monett ovals as well as anyone.

With plenty of laps around both tracks under his belt over two decades behind the wheel, Phillips has enjoyed spectacular success in regional-series competition at the speedways. He’s won seven MARS and two O’Reilly MLRA series features at Lebanon I-44, and he owns six MARS and eight MLRA triumphs at Monett.

Considering that most of this weekend’s invading national stars have only limited experience at Lebanon I-44 (Saturday will mark the fourth WoO LMS visit to the track) and next to none at Monett (Sunday is the tour’s first-ever stop there), Phillips would appear to have a technical edge. He’s not counting on his knowledge of the distinctly different three-eighths-mile ovals to carry him, however.

“I guess we’ll have a little experience advantage,” said Phillips, who will also field a car from his stable this weekend for his 21-year-old protégé Jeremy Payne, a native of Arizona who now calls Springfield, Mo., home. “But these guys coming in are so good, it doesn’t take them long to figure a track out.

“And the tire-rule deal (the UMP DIRTcar Hoosier tire mandate will be in effect at both tracks) hurts us a little because we’re not used to running the softer tire, but I feel like I should still be able to pick the right compound. I’ve been doing this long enough so I should know what to do.”

Saturday’s program at Lebanon I-44 Speedway will feature a 40-lap WoO LMS A-Main paying $10,000 to win, and Sunday’s card 100 miles to the southwest at Monett will be headlined by a 40-lap A-Main with a $7,000 top prize.

At both tracks, gates open at 4:30 p.m. and on-track action is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Richards Starts Weekend With DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Debut; Frank Repairs Favorite Car

MOD MAN: When the Mark Richards Racing Enterprises hauler shoves off from Shinnston, W.Va., on Thursday to begin an 800-mile trip to Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway, driver Josh Richards won’t be sitting on his usual seat inside it.

Instead, the 20-year-old star will delay his departure to the weekend’s pair of World of Outlaws Late Model Series events in the Show-Me State to make his debut behind the wheel of a DIRTcar big-block Modified on Thursday night (May 1) at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.

Richards is scheduled to enter VMS’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series season opener as a teammate to big-block Modified supernova Brett Hearn of Vernon, N.J. Both drivers will chase a $10,000 top prize in the evening’s 60-lap Paul Sawyer Memorial.

The Hearn-Richards big-block Modified pairing completes a gentleman’s agreement that Hearn made with Richards’s father back in August 2005 when the Garden State veteran drove one of Mark Richards’s Rocket Chassis house cars in a WoO LMS event at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. Hearn pledged that he’d someday give ‘Kid Rocket’ a shot to run a big-block Mod – and that time will come at Virginia Motor, a half-mile oval where Richards just scored a third-place finish on April 11 in a WoO LMS A-Main.

“I’m pretty excited to drive a Modified,” said Richards, who will pull double-duty on Thursday night at VMS by running the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 dirt Late Model in the companion $5,000-to-win event for the division. “It’ll be real fun.”

Richards will fly into St. Louis on Saturday morning to meet his dirt Late Model team, which will already be at the Petroff Towing shop outside the city preparing to head out with fellow WoO LMS driver Brian Shirley for tour events on Sat., May 3, at Lebanon I-44 and Sun., May 4, at Monett Speedway.

Richards and Shirley will enter the weekend’s action buoyed by the two days they spent practicing last week at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

WEEKEND RACERS: Richards authored the best performance of the WoO LMS regulars who went racing during the past weekend’s idle-time from the tour, finishing a close second to Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., in Sunday night’s UFO series ‘Area 51’ feature at Challenger Raceway in Indiana, Pa.

Driving the Ernie Davis No. 25 that is his stead for most non-WoO LMS events, Richards led twice for 13 laps but fell short in a late-race battle with Blair.

Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., also competed at Challenger. He finished 10^th driving Dale Beitler’s No. 19.

Georgia residents Shane Clanton and Clint Smith, meanwhile, headed to the Talladega (Ala.) Short Track for Saturday night’s O’Reilly Southern All-Stars show that was held in conjunction with the NASCAR weekend across the street. Clanton advanced from the eighth starting spot to finish third in the 50-lap A-Main, while Smith settled for a 14^th-place finish.

INDESTRUCTABLE: It’s going to take more than a wild, high-flying series of flips to put Chub Frank’s favorite race car out to pasture.

Most observers who witnessed Frank’s tumble midway through the Circle K Colossal 100 on April 19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., probably thought the machine was a write-off, but that wasn’t the case. Frank left most of the car’s crushed bodywork in the pit area for fans to scavenge, but he said the damage was otherwise to bolt-on parts rather than the frame.

Frank, who calls his Rocket mount ‘Old Faithful’ for its consistent speed and strength since a debut run in September 2006, had the car back rolling by the end of last week. He won’t have the car along for this weekend’s WoO LMS shows in Missouri – “We’re giving it a rest,” he smiled – but expects to have a new body on the machine and a freshened motor bolted inside it for the tour’s next swing, to Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park (May 16), Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway (May 17) and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway (May 18).

The Bear Lake, Pa., standout, by the way, will stop in Charleston, Ill., on Friday (May 2) en route to Missouri to make an appearance at his sponsor Lester Buildings’ plant. Frank will tour the Lester Buildings service center, visit with employees and display a brand-new Rocket car – complete with a slightly different graphics scheme – from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., welcomed a new member to his family on April 23, when his wife Jillian gave birth to the couple’s first child – a bouncing baby boy named Kasey.

Kasey Coffey arrived almost exactly one month ahead of schedule, but the 6 pound, 1 ounce baby was pronounced healthy by doctors and sent home after the weekend.

Coffey, who also has two teenage children (Shelby, 12, and Kyle, 11), will try to win a WoO LMS event for his new son when he travels to Missouri with his Sweeteners Plus team for this weekend’s Lebanon I-44/Monett doubleheader.

July 13 Date At North Dakota’s Williston Basin Speedway Added To World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’

CONCORD, NC – April 28, 2008 – This summer’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ has gotten even bigger.

A visit to Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D., on Sun., July 13, has been added to the ‘Wild West Tour,’ a busy stretch of racing that now features nine $10,000-to-win events in six states and one Canadian province over a 13-day span.

Williston Basin’s 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main will be the biggest show ever contested at the one-third-mile clay oval in the western portion of North Dakota, 18 miles from the Montana state line.

“The whole area here is buzzing about a World of Outlaws race coming to town,” said Jack Blotsky, president of the roughly 150-member Williston Basin Racing Association (WBRA) that operates the track. “We’re already looking at moving in some more bleachers to handle the crowd we expect that night.”

Blotsky said the WBRA has already secured sponsorship for the WoO LMS event from local businesses DC&B Hotshot & Trucking, Triple B Construction and Mr. Gutter. No reserved seats will be sold, but fans can obtain information about purchasing general-admission tickets in advance by visiting www.basinspeedway.com or calling 701-774-8008.

The WBRA has been promoting dirt-track races in Williston for 35 years, including the last nine with the speedway in its current location. The track’s normal night of operation is Saturday with open-wheel Modifieds serving as the headline attraction.

Williston Basin’s WoO LMS date will close a string of five consecutive race nights that kick off the ‘Wild West Tour,’ and it will come the day after the series races north of the border at Estevan Motor Speedway in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Williston is 100 miles south of Estevan.

The WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ is scheduled to begin on July 9 with the ‘Gopher 50’ at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. The swing then continues on July 10 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn.; July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.; July 12 at Estevan; July 13 at Williston Basin; July 16 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway; July 18 at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.; July 20 at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks; and July 21 at Boone County Speedway in Albion, Neb.

The 2008 WoO LMS schedule now stands at 47 confirmed events at 40 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces.

In other WoO LMS schedule news, the tour’s event set for Sun., Aug. 17, at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, Ga., has been canceled, track and series officials have announced.

Golden Isles promoter Frankie Lloyd made the decision that the track will no longer schedule events or raindates for Sundays, leading him to cancel his planned Sunday-night WoO LMS program.

Weekend At Randy Mooneyham’s Show-Me State Tracks Set To Usher In May For World of Outlaws Late Model Series

Tour Returns To Lebanon I-44 Speedway On May 3, Makes First-Ever Visit To Monett Speedway On May 4

CONCORD, NC – April 25, 2008 – One track has become a staple on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

The other, meanwhile, has never before played host to the nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour.

It will be a mix of the familiar and the unknown for most of the WoO LMS stars when the trail invades Missouri the first weekend in May to contest two nights of action at veteran promoter Randy Mooneyham’s tracks – Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Sat., May 3, and Monett Speedway on Sun., May 4.

“It’s going to be one of the biggest weekends of the year for racing in Southwestern Missouri,” said Mooneyham. “Two World of Outlaws shows back-to-back sets up a perfect weekend for the fans and racers.”

Lebanon I-44 Speedway, a high-banked, three-eighths-mile oval that was paved in the ‘90s before switching back to a clay surface, is on the WoO LMS schedule for the fourth consecutive season. But there’s something different about this year’s 40-lap, $10,000-to-win event – it’s the first time that the Outlaws visit on the fast track’s regular night of operation.

The WoO LMS has made its annual stop at Lebanon I-44 on summer mid-week dates for the past three years – July 3, 2007 (winner: Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.), July 25, 2006 (Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa) and July 26, 2005 (Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.).

“We’re excited to have the Outlaws coming to Lebanon on a Saturday night,” said Mooneyham, who has operated the facility for six years. “Running on our regular night could make this our best World of Outlaws show ever.”

Following Lebanon’s checkered flag the WoO LMS will shift its action 100 miles to the southwest on Sunday night (May 4) for a first-ever stop at Monett Speedway, a 38-year-old track known as ‘The Grand Old Lady’ that Mooneyham has promoted for the last 28 years.

“Without a doubt this is the biggest race ever run at Monett,” Mooneyham said of the 40-lap WoO LMS A-Main that offers a top prize of $7,000. “With the great names that are coming, it’s going to be a show like no one has ever seen at Monett.”

While at three-eighths-of-a-mile Monett is similarly-sized to Lebanon I-44, drivers will face a different set of challenges at Mooneyham’s longer-running oval.

“Monett is a little flatter and the turns are a little tighter than Lebanon,” said Mooneyham. “It takes a little more of a slick-track style, but it’s good and wide. The drivers always love to race at Monett.”

Plenty of nationally-known all-stars will be invading Monett – many for the first time in their careers – as well as Lebanon.

Former Lebanon I-44 WoO LMS winners Smith and Francis will lead the charge to the sister tracks, hitting town as returning tour regulars. Francis is the defending WoO LMS champion, while Smith is coming off a career-high third-place finish in the 2007 points standings.

Birkhofer has also indicated that he plans to be in the field to chase another WoO LMS win at Lebanon I-44 as well as a triumph at Monett.

And three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who won a WoO LMS event at Lebanon I-44 in 1988 during the tour’s first incarnation (1988-89) under late Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson, has plans to take a shot at extending his early-season hot streak on the WoO LMS (four wins in seven events so far and the points lead) at two tracks where he’s enjoyed plenty of success of the years.

Also part of the talented roster of WoO LMS regulars who have Lebanon and Monett in their crosshairs is Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who won the 2006 Larry Phillips Memorial event and finished second in last year’s WoO LMS A-Main at Lebanon I-44; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drives a dirt Late Model owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who sits second in the current tour points standings; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

With both events co-sanctioned by the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series, that tour’s top talents will join the battle at two tracks they have run at often in recent years. Reigning series champion Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., heads the MARS contingent, which also includes former titlist Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., Will Vaught of Seneca, Mo., and Jeremy Payne of Springfield, Mo.

Other drivers expected to compete in the weekend events include Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kans., who won the season-opening DLRA event at Monett on April 20; David Turner of Adrian, Mo.; John Anderson of Omaha, Neb.; and Lebanon I-44 dominator Brad Looney of Republic, Mo.

Gates are scheduled to open at 4:30 p.m. at both tracks, with race time set for 7:30 each evening.

General admission for both events is $30 for adults, $10 for juniors (ages 13-15) and free for kids 12-and-under. Pit passes will be $35.

For more information visit www.lebanoni44speedway.net, www.monettspeedway.net or call Randy Mooneyham at 417-224-7074. Lebanon I-44’s raceday track hotline is 417-532-2060, while Monett’s is 417-236-0600

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The Circle K Colossal 100 At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

HITTING HIS STRIDE: Before the 2008 season started, Steve Francis estimated that he’d be completely comfortable and rolling with Dale Beitler’s team by Memorial Day Weekend.

Well, after Francis cruised to a convincing $50,000 victory in Saturday night’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, he could probably move up that performance time-table.

“To win a race like this for Dale, as early as we are here with this new team, is just a great accomplishment,” said Francis, who decided to park his own team after winning the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship and chase a second title driving for Beitler. “We haven’t gotten our consistency exactly where we want it yet, but our cars are getting closer and closer.

“We’re really starting to jell as a team. We’re getting everything where we really want it.”

Francis is actually still getting accustomed to using American Racer tires, which he rode to victory in the Colossal 100.

“I have worn them American Racer guys out since I took this ride,” said Francis. “We did a bunch of testing before the season started, and they’ve been sending some engineers to the races with us to help us out. We’ve been working on development, but we’re still not 100 percent there.”

Francis, 40, credits West Friendship, Md.’s Beitler with providing him all the tools for success.

“The group of guys that Dale has put together behind me – Robby Allen, Kevin Miller, Jeff, Jeremy – they’ve given me excellent equipment every time I’ve gone on the racetrack,” said Francis. “I can’t ask for anything more.”

Francis has especially enjoyed working with Allen, a former WoO LMS traveler as Rick Eckert’s chief mechanic who serves as a consultant to the Beitler team.

“Me and Robby are able to talk and he understands when I’m trying to explain things to him now,” said Francis. “It’s very similar to the relationship I had with Lee (Logan, Francis’s ’07 crew chief) last year, and my brother (the late Chris Francis) in the past.

“I’ve been real fortunate to be able to work with excellent crew chiefs my whole career – my brother, Ronnie Stuckey, Ronnie Hackworth, Lee – and then for Dale to put Robby in there…it’s phenomenal to work with guys like that. It makes my job a lot easier because it just adds that much experience.”

Beitler, meanwhile, is just enjoying the magic-carpet ride that Francis is giving him.

“This is great, as good as it gets,” a smiling Beitler said in the pit area after the Colossal 100. “It’s just an awesome feeling to win this race.

“I’ve got a great team, a great driver. I couldn’t be any happier right now.”

KNIGHTS OF THE OUTLAWS TRAIL: One of the spoils of victory in the Circle K Colossal 100 is the ceremonial Medieval knight's helmet and 50-inch Macleod Medieval sword that is presented to the race winner.

Francis, of course, donned the helmet and waved the sword during the Victory Lane ceremonies. But the whole time he posed in the full regalia he just wanted to find Robby Allen and hand the headgear over to the mechanic known affectionately as ‘Hog Head.’

“When we started racing this year Robby Allen said, ‘I wanna put that Colossal hat on at Charlotte,’” said Francis. “That’s why I was trying to find him after the race.”

When Allen came to the stage to try the helmet on for size, announcer Ozzie Altman asked him, “Is it big enough to fit you?”

Allen answered quickly, saying with a smile over the p.a. system, “I saw (Scott) Bloomquist wear it (after winning in 2006 and 2007), and if it fits on his head, I know it’ll fit on mine.”

Francis enjoyed joining Bloomquist as the only other winner of the Colossal helmet and sword, but he might have actually been a bit more excited about becoming the featured driver on the huge banner that will be hung from the back of The Dirt Track’s tower to promote the 2009 Circle K Colossal 100.

“It’s a pretty unique situation to be on the second winner of the race,” said Francis. “But when (Ryan) Newman (the NASCAR star who is friendly with Francis) drives by over here (for a Sprint Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway), he gets to look at my picture now (on the banner) – plus everybody who drives through Charlotte will see it too!”

DOUBLE-DUTY: Francis also claimed a seventh-place finish in the Colossal 100 as the owner of the car driven by 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie, who made his debut in Francis’s Valvoline No. 15.

McCreadie led Francis across the finish line in heat action on Friday night, finishing second to Francis’s third. But McCreadie had to fight through several problems during the 100 to score a top-10 finish.

McCreadie had to pit to change a left-front flat tire on lap 40 after a scrape with Jackie Boggs that also left his car with a bent spindle. He returned to the pits later to make more adjustments and work on his mud-caked helmet, which was out of tearoffs, and he finished the race with a right-rear tire that was deflating thanks to a piece of metal stuck in its side.

WILD RIDE: Chub Frank had never flipped a car during his 30-year racing career – until Saturday night.

While biding his time running 11^th on lap 45 of the 100, Frank’s machine bicycled onto its right side between turns three and four and went flipping. He got some serious air time before the car landed on its wheels in turn four.

“I came in (the corner) on a bad angle,” said Frank. “Instead of going in high, I kinda come in a little bit off the cushion and slid to it. But I was in there so hot, the whole right side just caught and bicycled over, and then it just took off.

“It felt like when you’re watching a crash on those in-car cameras, when the camera is behind the driver. At one point I was standing on my nose and looking right at the ground, and I’m thinking, ‘This ain’t gonna be good.’”

Frank, who has worn an R3 head-and-neck restraint from Safety Solutions all season, quickly emerged from his cockpit without injury. He even jogged back to the pits.

Frank’s car – his favorite Rocket since he debuted it in September 2006 – had its bodywork mangled and plenty of suspension parts broken, but Frank didn’t think it sustained significant frame damage.

HE’LL TAKE IT: After losing several spots in the first-lap jam-up that occurred when outside-polesitter Eddie Carrier Jr. spun in turn four, Josh Richards thought he might be stuck racing just outside the top 10 for the entire Colossal 100.

But the 20-year-old broke free late in the distance and finished third, his personal-best run in the event.

Richards spent the race battling a push condition (his right-front tire choice was too hard), visibility problems due to the large amount of flying mud during the race (he ran out of tearoffs and actually changed helmets during the red flag for Frank’s wreck) and perhaps some unexpected handling issues that resulted from the thick mud that was caked all over the nose of his car.

“On that first lap the front of my car just got covered with mud,” said Richards. “I didn’t know the nose was so bad with mud, but I know the car drove kind of sluggish so maybe it was affected by all that extra weight on the front.”

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: While Francis thought that Darrell Lanigan had run out of fuel due to the excessive number of caution circuits when Lanigan slowed and fell from second place on lap 90, Lanigan’s fuel tank actually wasn’t dry.

The culprit: rearend problems on Lanigan’s car, which he said felt strong throughout the race.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Rick Eckert didn’t know if he “had anything for Francis,” but he certainly appeared to have enough speed in his GRT No. 24 to contend for a second-place finish.

Those hopes went down the drain, however, when Eckert’s car began billowing smoke on a lap-82 restart, seconds after he took fourth place. He pulled off two circuits later, done in by an oil line that had come loose.

* Shannon Babb struggled on Friday night, but he turned his weekend around in the Colossal 100.

Guaranteed the 11^th starting spot even though he failed to transfer in Friday’s heats because he won last October’s Jani-King Southern Showdown at The Dirt Track, Babb drove his Clint Bowyer-owned car straight to the front in the 100. He ran second for much of the distance, but after losing the spot when he slipped high in turn two on lap 86 he never recovered and settled for sixth place.

* Clint Smith had to rely on a WoO LMS provisional to start the A-Main after breaking a jackshaft in a Friday heat and sliding into the wall between turns three and four during Saturday’s B-Main, which was run with the track still slick in spots following a two-hour rain delay.

There were more problems in the 100 for Smith, who pulled out his backup car after the B-Main incident. He was an early retiree after a tangle smashed in his car’s right-side door.

* WoO LMS traveler John Blankenship persevered through several mid-race pit stops to claim eighth at the finish, just inches behind a slowing McCreadie at the checkered flag.

* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year aspirant Vic Coffey was forced out of his heat race with damage to his Sweeteners Plus No. 39, but he came from deep in the field of the B-Main to transfer to the 100. He was an early dropout, however, after being involved in several incidents.

* WoO LMS followers who failed to qualify were Shane Clanton, who broke a wheel during time trials, was involved in a couple heat-race scrapes and pulled out of the B-Main early; Tim Fuller, whose hopes ended when he slid into the wall between turns one and two on a slick track at the start of the first B-Main, causing him to fall from fourth to near the back of the pack; Brian Shirley, who dropped out of his heat and retired early from the second B-Main; and Rookie of the Year contenders Danny Johnson (blew motor on Friday) and Joe Isabell (did not return for a B-Main).

* With the Colossal 100 offering only WoO LMS show-up points to all entered drivers because the tour’s normal format was not used, the top of the points standings didn’t change.

Billy Moyer, who wasn’t allowed back in the race by Lowe’s Motor Speedway officials after he stopped on the track to draw a caution flag on lap 64 while running sixth because his car’s hood was flapping up, remains the points leader heading to a Missouri doubleheader on May 3 (Lebanon I-44 Speedway) and May 4 (Monett Speedway).

* The Sirius satellite radio NASCAR racing show Tradin’ Paint, which is hosted by MRN pit reporter Steve Post and former RCR gas-man ‘Chocolate’ Myers, beamed out live interviews with three WoO LMS stars – Josh Richards (Thursday), and Steve Francis and Shannon Babb (Friday) – who have affiliations with Sprint Cup drivers in advance of the Colossal 100.

* WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman reluctantly relinquished his race-calling duties to tour race director Bret Emrick – a longtime announcer himself – on Friday night after spending Thursday night in a local hospital.

Eshelman feared that he might be having a heart attack when he experienced chest tightness and shortness of breath upon arriving at The Dirt Track on Thursday afternoon, but tests he underwent on Thursday and Friday found no heart problems. He was released late Friday afternoon and told to rest that night, so he wasn’t at his usual spot behind the microphone.

Feeling much better on Saturday, Eshelman was in The Dirt Track’s announcer’s booth and called the Colossal 100.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 19 - 7 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Francis Flawless In Flag-To-Flag Circle K Colossal 100 Victory At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, NC – April 19, 2008 – There was simply no stopping Steve Francis in Saturday night’s Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

With a flawless performance behind the wheel of Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19, Francis dominated the entire distance to score his first career win in the $200,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event.

“The car was just absolutely phenomenal tonight,” said Francis, who earned $50,000 for breaking Scott Bloomquist’s two-year ownership of Victory Lane in the blockbuster race. “We never even had to run a lap hard. We had a lot left if we needed to go.

“That’s just unbelievable to get a car that good against this level of competition.”

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., picked the pole position in the pre-race draw among heat qualifiers and used it to his advantage, leading from flag-to-flag virtually without a challenge. He pulled away at will from such pursuers as Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., holding firm control of a marathon race that was slowed by 16 caution flags and one red flag.

“I was so impressed when I drove my car in the corner the first lap, I just thought, ‘Well, if we can just keep from breaking something, we can win this,’” said Francis, who beat Madden to the finish line by a comfortable 3.007 secoonds. “Actually, it’s probably the best car I’ve ever had in a 100-lap race. It just never changed a characteristic the whole race.

“I could run right around the bottom, I could go around the top, and we got to running the best when I’d just run through the middle, let the car kinda float up and not bind it up any.

“The only time I’d run into (turn) one as hard as I could was on a restart,” added Francis, “By the time I got to (turn) three I’d just start letting it float in.

Madden, 32, settled for a $20,000 runner-up finish in the Colossal 100 for the second straight year in his Bloomquist ‘Team Zero’ car. He started 25^th and finally gained possession of second place on lap 90, when Lanigan, who started third and never ran worse than fifth, relinquished the spot because his Rocket machine’s fuel tank ran dry thanks to the excessive number of caution circuits.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., marched forward from the 13^th starting spot to finish third in his father Mark’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1. It was a career-best finish in the Colossal 100 for Richards, who was sixth when the race restarted for the final time on lap 82.

Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., ended an up-and-down run with a fourth-place finish in the Reece Monuments Bloomquist car. He climbed up to fourth from the 16^th starting spot early in the race, fell out of the top 10 and then rallied late to register his second consecutive top-five in the event.

Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., completed the top five, finishing in the same position that he started after a steady drive in the Hamrick Racing Bloomquist Chassis No. 97.

The only anxious moments for Francis came as the race neared its conclusion. With the event’s seemingly endless series of caution periods creating dozens of extra laps around the four-tenths-mile oval, he became very concerned about his car’s fuel situation.

“It was the race that didn’t want to end,” said Francis, who scored his first career win at The Dirt Track. “I’ve led a lot of these (caution-plagued) things and usually something happens to me right at the end, so when I seen Darrell (Lanigan) coasting down through there I figured he was out of fuel and I was worried I might be next.”

Francis had his car’s fuel-pressure light blinking on down the straightaways with the checkered flag in sight.

“The last five laps were probably the scariest of the race for me because I was watching the fuel-pressure gauge rather than what I should’ve been watching at that point,” said Francis, who nearly got into some scrapes with lapped traffic during the A-Main’s longest stretch of consecutive green-flag action (laps 82-100). “The motor was running lean at the end of the straightaway. It would start to slow down, so as soon as I felt that I’d let off the gas and let it coast into the corner.”

“It would surprise me if it makes it back over to the truck (in the pits),” Francis said with a smile after donning the Colossal 100’s traditional Medieval knight's helmet and waving a 50-inch Macleod Medieval sword during the Victory Lane ceremonies.

The defending WoO LMS champion recorded his first win of 2008 on the tour and the 15^th of his career, tying him for second on the tour’s modern-era (2004-present) win list with Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who dropped out while running fourth on lap 84 due to a broken oil line.

“We have probably five marquee (dirt Late Model) events a year and this is one of them,” said Francis, who used American Racer tires on his Cornett-powered machine. “There’s about three more (races) that are a little below these, and in order to have a very successful season, you gotta win at least one of these races, a combination of ‘em, or the Outlaw championship that pays $100,000.

“We got one, and it’s just an awesome feeling. As a driver, you just want to keep winning these big ones.”

Francis’s triumph topped a program that had its start delayed more than two hours by rain that swept across the Charlotte area early in the evening. The precipitation caused the track surface to remain wet around the inside and stack up a thick cushion, which contributed to the outbreak of caution flags for flat tires and damaged race cars.

“A lot of the cautions,” analyzed Francis, “came from guys hitting the slime (along the inside), sliding across into someone and knocking the guy’s tire off, or from guys sliding up across the cushion and knocking their own left-rear tire off.

“If they had the time to run in that last six foot of (wet inside lane) before the race, we would’ve probably had a third of the cautions we had.

“You gotta give Roger (Slack, who oversees The Dirt Track) and Randy (Grove, who directs surface prep) a lot of credit,” added Francis. “It did build a cushion out high that was a little hairy, but it wasn’t rough and the middle of the racetrack was still shiny.

“Had we not got that rain today, the cushion would’ve blown out more and they would’ve had more time to work with things.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Babb, who grabbed second from Lanigan on the lap-82 restart but then slid high in turn two the following circuit to begin a late-race fall out of the top five; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who made several pit stops with Steve Francis’s Valvoline No. 15; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., the last driver on the lead lap at the finish; outside polesitter Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who went to the rear of the field after executing a 360-degree spin in turn four on the first lap; and Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C.

Bloomquist’s status as the only Colossal 100 winner in history ended quietly. After nearly being knocked out of action in the first-lap scramble caused by Carrier’s spin, the race’s 17^th starter failed to crack the top 10 before pitting on lap 38 to fix right-front damage on his No. 0. He pitted several more times before his hopes ended for good when he was involved in a lap-82 tangle off turn four with Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.

Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who entered the event with four wins in his last five WoO LMS starts, finally had his luck run out. He was running sixth on lap 64 when he stopped on the track to draw a caution flag because his car’s hood began to flap up.

The 50-year-old Moyer did not continue, but he retained the WoO LMS points lead because the event, which was not run using the regular tour format, offered only show-up points towards the championship.

The event’s most serious crash, on lap 45, involved WoO LMS star Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. He was running in 11^th place when he slid into turns three and four too hard and bicycled onto his car’s right side, sending him into a wild, gyrating series of flips that he escaped without injury.

Two B-Mains kicked off the night’s program, with Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., and Eckert taking wins.

The WoO LMS is idle until visiting the Midwest the first weekend in May for events at Lebanon I-44 Speedway (Sat., May 3) and Monett Speedway (Sun., May 4).

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Circle K Colossal 100’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Yellow Flags: 16 (Laps 3, 5, 6, 14, 23, 30, 36, 38, 40, 42, 49, 54, 58, 64, 80, 82)

Provisional Starters: Donnie Moran (Fast Time); G.R. Smith (early-entry); Clint Smith (WoO)

B-Main No. 1 (25 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Brady Smith; 2. John Blankenship; 3. Doug Horton; 4. Dennis Franklin; 5. Steve Lucas ($500); 6. Dean Bowen ($500); 7. Al Shawver Jr. ($500); 8. Brent Robinson ($500); 9. Stacy Holmes ($500); 10. Norman Short Jr. ($500); 11. Luke Roffers ($500); 12. Tim Fuller ($400); 13. April Farmer ($400); 14. Clint Smith; 15. Cody Sommer ($400); 16. Ricky Elliott ($350); 17. Shane Clanton ($350); 18. Shannnon Babb; 19. Chuck Harper ($350)

B-Main No. 2 (25 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Rick Eckert; 2. Mike Marlar; 3. Vic Coffey; 4. Jeff Smith; 5. B.J. McCammon ($500); 6. Damon Eller ($500); 7. Jordan Bland ($500); 8. Mark Pettyjohn ($500); 9. Shanon Buckingham ($500); 10. Chris Knight ($500); 11. Rob McLaughlin ($500); 12. Ed Gibbons ($400); 13. Jill George ($400); 14. Jonathan Davenport ($400); 15. Tim Allen ($400); 16. G.R. Smith ($350); 17. Eric Jacobsen ($350); 18. Brian Shirley ($350); 19. Donnie Moran

Did Not Start A B-Main: Sean Beardsley, Danny Johnson, Brad Neat, Joe Isabell, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, Jason Dupont, Mike Duvall

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Moyer Continues Hot Streak With New Track Record & Heat Win On Opening Night Of Circle K Colossal 100 At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, NC – April 18, 2008 – Billy Moyer is ready to extend his early-season hot streak for the ages to ‘colossal’ proportions.

The 50-year-old racing legend from Batesville, Ark., continued to roll on Friday night, setting a new track record and winning a heat race to kick off the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 weekend at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

A winner of four World of Outlaws Late Model Series events in six starts entering the weekend’s action, Moyer began his pursuit of the tour’s richest first-place prize with a flawless performance. His lap of 14.672 seconds in the 69-car time-trial session erased Steve Shaver’s 2007 standard of 14.905 seconds, and he built up one of the night’s biggest victory margins in winning the first of eight 10-lap qualifying heats.

Driving his vaunted Victory Circle M1 Chassis for the first time at The Dirt Track, Moyer served notice that he’s a major threat to end his longtime rival Scott Bloomquist’s stranglehold on Victory Lane in the $50,000-to-win Colossal 100, which is set for Saturday night. Mooresburg, Tenn.’s Bloomquist, who won the event in both 2006 and 2007, was the last driver to arrive at the track on Friday and finished second to Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., in the hotly-contested sixth heat.

Moyer’s track-record qualifying lap marked the second time in three weeks that he’s established a new speed standard at a major WoO LMS event. He also set a NTR record on April 4 during time trials for the ‘Illini 100’ at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway – and then went on to win the inaugural event in dramatic fashion.

Joining Moyer and Frank as heat winners were Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis.; Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.; Vienna, W.Va.’s Shaver, who passed Ray Cook of Brasstown, W.Va., for the lead on the final lap of the fourth prelim; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who held on to win despite racing with a broken left-front shock and deflating right-rear tire; and John Gill of Mitchell, Ind.

The night’s most memorable battle was waged between Frank and Bloomquist. The dirt Late Model veterans raced side-by-side for the lead in the closing laps of the sixth heat, with Frank powering off the outside of turn four to nip Bloomquist at the finish line by less than a half car length.

The second heat saw 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., drive the Valvoline No. 15 of reigning tour titlist Steve Francis to a second-place finish – just ahead of Ashland, Ky.’s Francis, who earned the final transfer spot in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting No. 19.

It was a tough evening for WoO LMS regulars Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who both dropped out of the sixth heat, and Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who retired from the seventh qualifier after his Sweeteners Plus car suffered damage in a scramble.

Friday night’s 24 heat-race qualifiers will redraw on Saturday night for starting positions 1-10 and 12-25 in the Circle K Colossal 100. The 11^th starting spot is reserved for Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who finished fourth in the fifth heat but moved on to the 100 because he was guaranteed the 11^th position by virtue of being the highest-finishing driver in last October’s Jani-King Southern Showdown at The Dirt Track who entered the Colossal 100 by Feb. 23.

Action continues on Saturday night (April 19) at The Dirt Track with last-chance B-Mains and the running of the Circle K Colossal 100. Racing begins at 7 o’clock.

A special autograph session in the grandstand area with all drivers entered in the event kicks off Saturday’s activities at 4:30 p.m. Fans must have tickets and an empty Full Throttle can from Circle K to gain entry to the affair.

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moyer, Boggs, Pearson, Lucas, Marlar, Davenport, Beardsley, Duvall, Roffers

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Schlieper, McCreadie, Francis, Eckert, Blankenship, Elliott, J. Smith, Isabell, Knight

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): VanWormer, Mars, Gordon, Sommer, Gibbons, Moran, Holmes, Pettyjohn (DNS) Hollingsworth

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shaver, Cook, McDowell, Buckingham, Franklin, McCammon, McLaughlin, Farmer (DNS) Robinson

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Madden, Lanigan, Babb, Eller, Horton, Clanton, Bland, G.R. Smith

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Bloomquist, Carrier, B. Smith, Shawver, George, Shirley, C. Smith

Heat No. 7 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Owens, Weeks, Chupp, Jacobsen, Allen, D. Johnson, Neat, Coffey

Heat No. 8 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Gill, J. Miller, Birkhofer, Fuller, Harper, Short, Dupont, Bowen

LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Eye Big Money In This Weekend’s Circle K Colossal 100 At Lowe’s Motor Speedway

CONCORD, NC – April 16, 2008 – The Circle K Colossal 100 is only in its third year of existence at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but it already stands as one of the most coveted races on a dirt Late Model driver’s to-do list.

A $50,000 top prize, $200,000 total purse and big-time atmosphere certainly make the event larger-than-life – not to mention the richest show on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

Grabbing that cash would provide a nice boost into the busy touring schedule ahead for the stars of the WoO LMS, a group of top dirt Late Model talents who are geared up for Circle K Colossal 100 action this weekend. Time trials and heat races are scheduled for Friday night (April 18), and last-chance events and the 100-lapper are set for Saturday night (April 19)

Perhaps the WoO LMS regular most likely to break 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist’s two-year stranglehold on the Colossal 100 Victory Lane ceremonies is defending tour titlist Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who has enjoyed as much success in the event as anyone not named Bloomquist.

Francis, 40, is one of two ’08 WoO LMS regulars with a top-10 finish in both previous Colossal 100s. He started from the pole position and placed third in the 2006 inaugural after losing the runner-up spot to Donnie Moran with just three laps remaining, and last year he steered Tim Logan’s No. 11 to a sixth-place finish after starting 20^th.

This weekend Francis returns to The Dirt Track behind the wheel of Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket No. 19. He’s third in the WoO LMS points standings but still looking for his first tour win of the season driving for Beitler.

“Hopefully they’ll have the track (surface) the same way they had it for the last night of the ‘World Finals’ last (November),” said Francis, who finished a close second in that 50-lap WoO LMS event. “The track was absolutely the best I’ve ever seen it that night and we were really good.”

Francis won’t just be busy with Beitler’s equipment this weekend. He’ll also make his debut as a car owner, bringing out his familiar Valvoline Rocket No. 15 for the first time since moving to Beitler’s team and putting 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., in the seat for the weekend.

And Francis will also have an opportunity to hang out with his famous friend Ryan Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500 winner who enters selected dirt Late Model events in a car prepared by Francis. With a weekend off from NASCAR Sprint Cup action, Newman is planning to return from a vacation in time to attend Saturday’s program.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., is the other ’08 WoO LMS traveler with a pair of Colossal 100 top 10s – sixth in 2006, fifth in 2007. He was a contender both years driving a Billy Moyer Sr.-owned car; in ’06 he set fast time, won a heat and led until being overtaken by Bloomquist on lap 51, and last year he moved from 14^th to second in just 25 laps but then clipped an inside marker tire while challenging Bloomquist for the lead, damaging his car’s left-front corner enough to end his hopes for victory but not a decent finish.

Babb, 34, will try again this weekend driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer, who has formed a new dirt Late Model team for the 2008 season.

“I’m excited about it,” said Babb, who plans to run his Rayburn car at The Dirt Track. “We’ve run good there in the Colossal in the past and last year we won the October race (at Lowe’s), so we feel like we’ll have a good shot at it.

“Racing close to our shop (in the Richard Childress Racing complex in Welcome, N.C.) will be fun. It’ll be neat for the (RCR) team to come out and see us race.”

A little luck might be all it takes to propel 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., to the promised land in the Colossal 100. After failing to qualify for the inaugural event, he was running a strong second last year when power-steering woes forced him to retire on lap 25.

“We’ve always had a fast car there, even though the track’s been different just about every time,” said Richards, who also looked like a potential winner in last October’s WoO LMS show at The Dirt Track before his Rocket Chassis house car sustained suspension damage when he slammed the track’s cushion. “We just haven’t been able to finish up front.

“I’d really like to win a big show,” he added. “We’ve been close in some of these big races, so it would be nice to finish one off and win one.”

The Colossal 100 has been a source of frustration for Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who has finishes of 36^th in 2006 (he lasted just four laps) and 15^th in 2007 (after using a provisional to start the A-Main).

But the 32-year-old nearly broke through and won the second event of last year’s ‘World Finals,’ blasting into the lead at mid-race before a scrape caused him to fall back several spots. He hopes the conditions he took a liking to in November are rekindled this weekend.

“If they make (the surface) like the ‘World Finals,’ we can race all over,” said Clanton, who covets a Colossal 100 victory so he can “have my picture up (on a huge billboard) on the back of the grandstand next year.”

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will go to the post with plenty of Cornett Thunder under the hood of his Rocket No. 29 in hopes of bettering his 10^th-place finish in last year’s Colossal 100. He didn’t qualify for the first event in 2006.

“We got a new motor we’re gonna take down there,” said the 37-year-old Lanigan, who is coming off a strong fifth-place finish in the second event of last November’s ‘World Finals’ at The Dirt Track. “And we’re gonna take our four-link car. A lot of guys run their swing-arm stuff (at Lowe’s), but we’re sticking with our four-link.”

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., would like his 2008 Colossal 100 outing to last quite a bit longer than his run a year ago.

The 42-year-old driver known as ‘Scrub’ lasted a mere three laps in the race’s ’07 edition. When he slowed for a caution flag, a shove from behind sent him into the backstretch wall, damaging his car’s right-front suspension and even slightly bending its frame.

“You always want to go there because it’s such a nice place, such a nice facility,” said Eckert, who plans to enter his Raye Vest-owned Rayburn car. “The racetrack has struggled in the past to get the surface right, but maybe they’ve got a handle on it now. The track we had for the ‘World Finals’ last year was the condition everybody was hoping for.”

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., would like to be around at the finish of this year’s Colossal 100 – a feat he hasn’t accomplished in the race’s two previous runnings.

In ’06 Smith, 42, won a heat race but finished 33^rd after retiring seven laps into the A-Main, and last year he completed 60 laps and finished 20^th.

“We’ll proably run our swing-arm (GRT) stuff again,” said Smith. “We’re a little bit smarter with it now than I was the first time I went there with it. I feel like we learned even more about (swing-arm setups) when we tested at (sponsor) Don Cliburn’s track (in Jackson, Miss., on March 31); we worked about 10 hours on stuff.

“You better come with some heat (to Lowe’s), so I’ll have my biggest cubic-inch (RaceTek) piece in for that race,” he added.

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., finished fifth in the inaugural Colossal 100, but last year he was forced out after just three laps when his car’s engine lost oil pressure.

‘Chubzilla’ is counting on a smooth racetrack for this weekend’s program similar to last November’s ‘World Finals’ conditions. He said with a smile that he’s also “looking forward to seeing Roger Slack (who oversees The Dirt Track’s operation).”

Frank and Slack have developed an ongoing back-and-forth, throwing out little verbal one-liners to jokingly bust on each other. They last engaged in some barb-dishing during the WoO LMS awards banquet in December.

Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., will take to the track this weekend with a bit more confidence than he did in his first Colossal 100 attempt last year. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year was still learning the ropes as a dirt Late Model driver back then and didn’t qualify.

The 40-year-old driver, who has won an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified event at The Dirt Track, proved he can get around the four-tenths-mile oval in a dirt Late Model on the last night of the 2007 ‘World Finals’ when he came from deep in the field to finish third. He returns to Charlotte with his Gypsum Express team’s gun blazing.

“We’re putting a freshened Enders motor in for the Colossal,” said Fuller. “You need everything you got (in the engine department) and then some. You’re stuck down there hard, wide-open.”

The 2007 Colossal 100 marked the first-ever start at The Dirt Track for Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. – and it was eventful. Driving NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader’s familiar No. 99 in a one-shot deal, he experienced a flat tire in time trials and brake problems in his heat, but he still advanced through the C- and B-Mains and completed 75 laps of the headliner to finish 19^th.

“I’m looking forward to going back with my own stuff,” said Shirley, who returns with his usual Petroff Towing mount that he had in contention during The Dirt Track’s October and November WoO LMS events last year. “I’ll be just a little more comfortable.

“We get to go there and be in a Rayburn car, which is more familiar to me. The Rocket cars are still a learning process for me. I’m having my ups and downs with them. We ran the same car (Rayburn) for five years and won races, but then you change your agenda a little (add a Rocket to the team) to get better in certain areas and there’s more decisions to make.”

Shirley has already won a major dirt Late Model event – the 2006 Knoxville Late Model Nationals – but he doesn’t want to stop there.

“You don’t want to go without winning another big one in your career,” he said. “That’s kinda how you mark your territory, so people know you can do it again.”

John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who has plans to follow the WoO LMS this season, started from the outside pole in last year’s Colossal 100 but finished 18^th. A non-qualifier for the inaugural event, the 26-year-old heads to Charlotte this year knowing that he’ll be behind the wheel of a proven ‘Team Zero’ car built by Scott Bloomquist, whose mounts swept the top-three finishing positions in last year’s Colossal 100.

And then there’s three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who has won four of six tour events this season and leads the points standings but hasn’t committed to following the entire schedule.

No driver in the country is hotter right now than the 50-year-old Moyer, so everyone is looking at him as a favorite to unseat Bloomquist.

“We’ve been rivals for a long time,” Moyer said of Bloomquist. “He’s got a head start on me there (at the Dirt Track), because I’m taking this kind of car (a Victory Circle Chassis he helped design rather than a swing-arm Rayburn) I’ve never run there before.

“I have no notes to go by…but sometimes I might work better with no notes because it keeps my head thinking.”

The Circle K Colossal 100 will be run over two days (April 18-19) at the four-tenths-mile Dirt Track @ Lowe’s.

The Friday-night (April 18) portion of the weekend features group time trials and heat races. The top-two finishers in each heat will secure a spot in the 100-lap finale and a draw will determine the starting lineup.

Saturday night's program begins with a driver autograph session and the on-track action includes at least four additional qualifying races prior to the main event. The race is part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, but The Dirt Track's traditional format, including the extremely popular Delaware-style restarts, will be utilized.

If purchased in advance, reserved tickets for both Friday and Saturday nights are just $39 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and

Tickets and pit passes for the April 18-19 Circle K Colossal 100 can be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.

The Fleetwood RV Camping Resort is located adjacent to The Dirt Track and full-service camping spots can be reserved by calling (704) 455-4445.

The Circle K Colossal 100 is the first of four WoO LMS events at The Dirt Track this season. The tour returns on Oct. 8 for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Mowers and Oct. 30-Nov. 1 for the second running of the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ that also includes the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ At Lernerville Speedway

WILL HE DO IT?: Billy Moyer did not make a pre-season commitment to follow the entire World of Outlaws Late Model Series this year, but his red-hot start (four wins in six events and the points lead) has fueled growing speculation about whether he just might decide to chase a fourth career tour title.

After winning Tuesday night’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ at Lernerville Speedway, Moyer didn’t summarily rule out pursuing the $100,000 championship prize during a post-race gathering with the media.

“It’s still early in the year to think championship if I was running for it,” said Moyer, who has led 227 of a possible 400 WoO LMS A-Main laps this season. “I didn’t have intentions of running for it from the beginning (of the campaign), but I’m gonna leave it up to my guys who work for me. They’re a big part of my program, and if them guys don’t want to do it (go for the points title), I’m probably not. If they do, I’ll have to think about it.”

Of course, Moyer noted that his BMR team members are feeling energized and ready to race every night of the week thanks to his sizzling start.

“The attitude’s better with the whole crew when we’re winning like this,” smiled Moyer, who is currently receiving WoO LMS touring-driver benefits that are available to two drivers outside the 10 who made pre-season commitments to follow the series. “I can even tell that at home with my wife and son, when we’re running better, everything goes better for some reason. I don’t know why it affects them, but it hurts them worse than it does me sometimes.

“We’ve had two or three years where we’ve been off and only won five or six races all year long, and everybody kinda drags down because of it. When we do what we’re doing now, everybody’s happy and everything goes so much better.”

HANGING ON: Rick Eckert didn’t say that he might have been able to prevent his frustrating WoO LMS winless streak from reaching 63 races at Lernerville, but he does know that a late-race mechanical problem in his Raye Vest-owned GRT car cost him some positions in the final finishing order.

The York, Pa., star salvaged a fifth-place finish despite racing the final 16 laps without the fifth-coil in his No. 24. He said the coil spring fell onto the track and was removed by the safety crew during the final caution period, on lap 34.

“With the fifth-coil gone, it takes all the traction out of the car,” said Eckert. “I know that even without it we were challenging them guys (in the top five), so I would have liked to see what we could’ve done if we didn’t have that problem.”

GOOD NIGHT GONE BAD: A solid top-10 run transformed into another agonizing DNF for Tim Fuller in a matter of minutes on Tuesday night.

As Fuller was rolling along in eighth place on lap 33 of the 50-lap A-Main, he suddenly spun in turn four. He said he “caught the inside lip of the track and just went right around.”

Fuller restarted at the rear of the field after no one collected him, but when the green flag returned his race came crashing to an end. He ran into the rearend of Dave Hess Jr.’s slowing car on the backstretch, thoroughly crunching the nosepiece of his Gypsum Express No. 19 and necessitating a trip back to the pits behind a wrecker.

“I was a full-song when I saw (Hess) turn right like he was going into the pits,” said Fuller. “I hit him good.”

Fuller and his Gypsum Express teammate Billy Decker ran on Tuesday night in front of car owner John Wight, who flew in to catch the event. Wight was accompanied by his 15-year-old son Larry, a rising racer coming off a $5,000 DIRTcar Sportsman-Modified win in upstate New York on April 5. ‘Lightning’ Larry plans to run DIRTcar big-block Modifieds in 2008 but is expected to make his dirt Late Model debut later this season.

ABOUT TIME: Brian Shirley probably never felt as good about an eighth-place finish as he did at Lernerville.

“Man, we really needed this,” said Shirley, the 27-year-old WoO LMS regular from Chatham, Ill. “We had three last-place finishes in a row.”

Actually, Shirley wrapped last-place (24^th) finishes at Mississippi’s Pike County Speedway and Virginia Motor Speedway around a 19^th-place DNF at Farmer City, Ill., but what’s the difference? ‘Squirrel’ wasn’t around at the end of three straight races, and that doesn’t cut it.

“I was telling (car owner Ed) Petroff today, ‘We gotta finish races,’” said Shirley, whose recent starts had been hampered by a buster radiator (Pike County), a broken shock (Farmer City) and a broken power-steering pump/brake issues (Virginia Motor). “That’s the key. We’re not getting better if we’re always in the pits.”

Darrell Lanigan’s hauler was the last to arrive for Tuesday’s action, but after scrambling to get unloaded and ready for action he ended up with his fifth top-10 finish in six events this season.

Lanigan climbed as high as third before settling for a sixth-place run – and his mechanic, Chris Burton, received the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award.

* Shannon Babb never threatened to duplicate his April 2007 WoO LMS victory at Lernerville. His Clint Bowyer-owned Rayburn mount was simply not up to its usual standards as he languished to a 16^th-place finish.

* Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey looked strong in winning a heat race, but he faded from the outside-pole starting spot in the A-Main to finish a quiet 11^th in one of his teammate Tim McCreadie’s Sweeteners Plus No. 39 cars.

* It was another rough night for Rookie of the Yea aspirant Jeff Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., who got upside down for the second time in the last four WoO LMS programs.

The 17-year-old’s Lernerville crash wasn’t nearly as wild as his barrel-rolls last month at Pike County, but the rollover on the inside of turn three during the second heat still exacted a heavy price on his JIR Motorsports Rayburn. The car, which his team purchased from an Illinois driver two weeks ago to replace the mount that was destroyed in Mississippi, was left with a bent rollcage.

* Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., went from the bright lights of Victory Lane after capturing his first-ever WoO LMS win at Virginia Motor to a dejected non-qualifier at Lernerville. He dropped out of the second B-Main.

* Up-and-coming Mike Knight, a 21-year-old from Ripley, N.Y., who won the 2007 Super Late Model title at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., in his second full year racing in the division, got some help from WoO LMS regular Chub Frank on Tuesday night.

After qualifying through a B-Main despite being hampered by carburetor woes, Frank, who was parked alongside Knight, gave the youngster a carb to bolt on his Rocket car for the feature. Knight installed Frank’s carburetor and went on to finish 14^th in the A-Main – even after bringing out a caution flag on lap three and then pitting to tighten a loose throttle linkage.

Moyer Resumes World of Outlaws Late Model Series Winning Ways In Lernerville Speedway’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’

SARVER, PA – April 15, 2008 – Billy Moyer didn’t take long to get back on track.

After seeing his three-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series win streak snapped four days earlier, the short-track legend from Batesville, Ark., roared back into the tour’s limelight with a convincing victory in Tuesday night’s 50-lap ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ at Lernerville Speedway.

The 50-year-old Moyer, who started third, overtook polesitter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., for the lead on lap four and never looked back. He raced virtually unchallenged to his fourth win in six WoO LMS events this season, erasing memories of his rare loss on April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway.

“We all know that you can’t win them all,” said Moyer, thinking back to his 17^th-place VMS run that was dulled by a blown left-rear tire as he battled for the lead. “We had a tire problem (at Virginia Motor), but I don’t know if I’d have beat (eventual winner Jeremy Miller) anyway because he did a heckuva job.

“We just chalked it up as one of those nights, then went back to work and tweaked on the car a little more before coming here. We just keep making some small changes, playing with the whole chassis part of it, and keep getting it a little bit better.

“I think for the condition here tonight,” he added, “it felt pretty good.”

There’s no doubt that Moyer’s Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle M1 Chassis looked good on the four-tenths-mile oval, which opened its 2008 season with the mid-week WoO LMS event. He pulled away following restarts on laps 21, 33 and 34 and handled late-race lapped traffic with ease en route to a victory margin of 1.663 seconds over Clanton, whose runner-up finish in the RSD Enterprises Rocket was his season-best on the WoO LMS.

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., marched forward from the 10^th starting spot to place a close third in his Lester Buildings Rocket. Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., started and finished fourth in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket, and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from the seventh starting position to complete the top five in Raye Vest’s GRT.

Once in command, Moyer seemed to have his car, which he famously helped develop in collaboration with the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Victory Circle shop, set on cruise control.

“It’s a big tire game, a tire war going on out there, so I was trying to make sure I had (some tires) left if I really had to get after it,” said Moyer, who used Hoosier rubber on his Clements-powered car. “The car was good enough that I could run around there at 70, 80 percent and have something left if somebody got to pressuring me with 10, 15 laps to go.

“I didn’t want to run too hard and have my tires all sealed up if somebody challenged me. I was trying to keep that in mind.”

Of course, there was no true challenger to Moyer’s throne. Clanton, 32, led the first three laps of the race, but, while he put up a good fight, he wasn’t a match for Moyer’s speed.

“When you get to a place like this it’s easier to follow than it is to lead,” said Clanton. “(Moyer) followed me for three laps, saw where my weak spots were, and then he went by me.

“When I changed my line and started driving in as hard as he was, it didn’t seem like he pulled me that bad. But he was a little bit better than I was – and on every restart, it took my car four of five laps to get going.”

Moyer pocketed $10,150 for the victory, his 10^th overall of the young 2008 season. It tied him with Frank for fourth on the modern-era (2004-present) WoO LMS win list, with 13 victories, and was his alltime-best 35^th career WoO LMS win (including the original 1988-89 seasons).

In addition, Moyer registered his second career WoO LMS win at Lernerville. He previous triumph came in a rain-shortened event on April 29, 2005 – early in a season that saw him capture his third tour title.

“Everything’s going good and we’re making the right decisions,” bottom-lined Moyer, who leads the WoO LMS points standings and has already earned $64,000.

Clanton knows that Moyer is on top of his game, but he doesn’t see the veteran driver as being unbeatable.

“I think he’s just got momentum and confidence,” said Clanton, who beat Frank to the finish line by less than half of a second. “Confidence is so important. I know, because my confidence is building. I’m finishing races now – and finishing up front.

“Maybe I can carry some confidence to Charlotte this weekend (for the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway) and run up front. I know that’s what Billy is gonna do.”

Frank, 46, nearly swept around the outside of both Francis and Clanton to snag second off turn four on lap 35, but Clanton held on to the position. That might have been the end of Frank’s hopes for a victory at his favorite track.

“I was going by Clanton, and then (Francis) shoved him out of the way and (Clanton) took my lane away,” quipped Frank. “I got into Clanton a little bit on the frontstraightaway when I slid up.

“Maybe if I would’ve gotten by Clanton there (for second) I would’ve had something for Moyer. I don’t know, but I would’ve liked to try. With clear racetrack, my car was good.”

“We gambled and went a little softer on tires than everybody else and it didn’t work out,” said Francis, who took second from Clanton on lap 23 before ceding the spot back a few circuits later. “That’s just the learning curve I have with the (American Racer) tires.”

Eckert, 42, grabbed fifth from 13th-starter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., on lap 30 and held the position to the finish. But he felt fortunate to maintain the spot during the race’s late stages because he ran the final 16 laps without his car’s fifth-coil, which fell off his car during a lap-34 caution period and left him devoid of traction for the remaining distance.

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Lanigan, who climbed as high as third; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who struggled with a push condition after five consecutive green-flag laps; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who ended a string of three straight finishes of 19^th and worse; Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ for being the highest-finishing driver who’s never won a tour event; and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.

Among the race’s casualties were Gypsum Racing teammates Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.

Decker was the race’s first retiree, while Fuller’s promising run deteriorated quickly after his turn-four spin on lap 33 knocked him from eighth place. One circuit later Fuller ran into the back of the slowing Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., on the backstretch, crushing his car’s nosepiece and forcing him out of further action.

Fifty cars entered the program, which was run on a cool but sparklingly clear evening.

Francis was fastest in time trials for the first time this season, rounding the track in 15.433 seconds.

Heat winners were Moyer, who pulled off a last-lap pass to nip Francis at the finish line by 0.032 of a second, Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa., Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Hess and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

Following his B-Main triumph, Hess was honored trackside for winning the ‘Alltel DIRTcar All-Star’ contest. He received a check for $12,000 after coming out on top of on-line and text-message voting among all the drivers who won features during February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

The WoO LMS now heads south for the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on Friday and Saturday (April 18-19) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

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

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Francis, Shirley, Lanigan, C. Smith, D. Davies, Hess, Satterlee, Briggs, Hackett, Garvin, J. Smith, Laraway

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lux, Eckert, Frank, D. Scott, Knight, Dellinger, Ferree, Banal, Miley, Mollick, Barbara, Isabell (DNS) Kitchen

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Horton, Fuller, Babb, J. Miller, Blankenship, Stone, Stile, McGarvey, Schaltenbrand, Geisler, Beardsley

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Coffey, Richards, Balzano, VanWormer, Davey Johnson, Flinner, Decker, Lyle, Danny Johnson, R. Scott, Hedman, S. Wilmoth

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Hess, C. Smith, Knight, Ferree, Briggs, D. Davies, Hackett, Mollick, Garvin, Satterlee, Miley (DNS) Dellinger, Banal, Barbara, J. Smith, Isabell, Laraway, Kitchen

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Blankenship, Davey Johnson, Decker, Flinner, Lyle, Danny Johnson, Schaltenbrand, Beardsley, S. Wilmoth, R. Scott, Stone, Miller, Geisler, Stile, McGarvey (DNS) Hedman

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 15 - 6 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

CONCORD, N.C. — April 14, 2008 — DIRTcar Racing is heading West. The largest sanctioning body for dirt track racing in the United States established a DIRTcar Racing base for the western region of the country in Southern California under the direction of experienced motorsports manager and developer Chris Morgan.

Like UMP DIRTcar Racing in the Midwest and DIRTcar Racing Northeast, DIRTcar Racing Western Region brings significant benefits to member competitors and track operators, from insurance to point funds.

“We recognize the passion of racing fans in the western region of the country, and while we are a national company we realize that solidifying weekly and grassroots racing creates benefits for competitors and fans,” World Racing Group President Tom Deery said. “The time has come for us to bring that to the West Coast, where dirt racing fans are some of the most passionate in the country.”

Headquartered in Concord, N.C., the World Racing Group now has an operational base west of the Rockies from which it can expand its membership and maintain its relationships with facilities, tracks, competitors and media in the western region of the United States.

“I’m excited to represent the World Racing Group and DIRTcar Racing in the western United States,” said Chris Morgan, who’s managed a diverse set of motorsports programs for NASCAR and USAC as well as facilities including Irwindale Speedway. “I have seen the many benefits of DIRTcar Racing’s programs for promoters and racers in the Midwestern and Eastern sections of the country. This program will replicate these successes and bring this proven formula to our racing partners across the West.”

For more information on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing, visit DIRTcar.com.

Pairing Of Champions: Tim McCreadie Ready To Make Debut In Steve Francis No. 15 At This Weekend’s Circle K Colossal 100

CONCORD, NC – April 14, 2008 – O.K., Steve Francis, so it’s the final laps of the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 this Saturday night (April 19) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and you have Dale Beitler’s No. 19 dirt Late Model up front battling for the lead with a familiar-looking car.

Yeah, that would be your No. 15 car, with Tim McCreadie behind the wheel.

With a $50,000 top prize on the line, what’s going to be racing through your mind, ‘Kentucky Colonel?’

“At that point, I’ll be thinking, ‘Don’t make a mistake and take us both out,’” smiled Francis, considering the scenario he could experience during his first event fielding a car from his stable for McCreadie. “That would be an ideal situation, though, especially with how well the Colossal pays back.

“I just hope I’m leading and he’s running second.”

Francis will begin an interesting big-show experiment at this weekend’s Circle K Colossal 100. With the Ashland, Ky., driver stepping out of his own top-notch equipment this season to chase a second straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series title with Beitler’s West Friendsville, Md.-based team, he’s hired fellow WoO LMS titlist McCreadie to steer his well-known No. 15 in several major events.

Why did Francis, 40, seek out the 34-year-old McCreadie to fill the seat of his Steve Francis Racing machine?

“Who else would you pick if you’re looking for a driver?” Francis asked rhetorically. “Getting Timmy to drive my stuff a few times is just the right situation for him and me. It keeps all my sponsors happy and gives me something to do – hopefully not too much – to keep my shop active and everything up-to-date while I’m running for Dale.”

Back in early December when the pairing of former WoO LMS champions was announced, McCreadie, who won the title in 2006, was very uncertain about how much dirt Late Model racing he would be able to do in 2008. He was hopeful that his deal as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver would result in a schedule heavy with NASCAR Nationwide Series starts – a direction that would likely curtail his appearances with the Sweeteners Plus team – so a limited arrangement to run on dirt with Francis seemed very attractive.

Of course, a lack of sponsorship for RCR’s No. 21 Nationwide Series team has left McCreadie in limbo with his pavement aspirations and he’s continued to drive the Avon, N.Y.-based Sweeteners Plus dirt Late Models. But he’s upholding his commitment to race the Francis No. 15, a car he feels honored to buckle up in.

“One day a few months ago, when I was looking to do some races with different people, I was talking with Francis on the phone and he said, ‘I want you to come drive my stuff,’” said McCreadie. “I was like, ‘Sure.’ Any time one of the top guys thinks enough of you to ask you to drive their car, it’s flattering.

“The fact that he wanted me to drive for him, when it could take money out of his pocket, because he likes me or thinks I can get the job done or whatever, that’s cool.

“It helps both of us,” continued McCreadie. “He’s got sponsors and product sponsors that now he can give some races, and he can keep his equipment up-to-date just in case something ever happens where he has to run it. You just can’t let stuff sit dormant and expect it to say top-notch.”

McCreadie knows he’ll have a “top 10” car at his disposal when he climbs into Francis’s Custom-powered Valvoline Rocket for the Colossal as well as his other tentative assaults with Francis, including the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned ‘Dream’ and ‘World 100’ at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

“It’s the exact same car he ran last year and won with, so hopefully I can get in there, be comfortable and get it up to speed,” said McCreadie. “Just seeing how he races, he knows what it takes for a race team to win, and that gets me excited.

“He thinks he can give me a chance at winning some of the bigger races – and I’m all for that. I haven’t gotten (a win in) any of these big races yet, so that’s something I’d love to do. We’ve been up front in them, but we just haven’t hit on what we need to win one yet.”

McCreadie has “a lot of respect” for Francis, a rival he knows well from their three years of traveling the WoO LMS together.

“We’ve always been straight with each other and had a good relationship,” said McCreadie. “I remember that when we were winning all those Outlaws races a few years ago (2006, when he led the tour with eight victories), Steve was struggling a little bit. We talked and kinda showed him what we were doing, he started doing it, and then he started winning again. I told him, ‘If we didn’t give you that stuff, we could’ve probably won a bunch more shows because we ran second to you a bunch of times.’

“I think we’ve had a respect for each other, and I think he does more with a race car and is a lot smarter than people think.”

Francis has similar thoughts about McCreadie.

“Me and Timmy have always been friends, always got along real well,” said Francis. “I’m looking forward to putting him in my car. It’s gonna be something different, something kind of fun for me – my first deal as a car owner.”

In last year’s Circle K Colossal 100, McCreadie piloted the Sweeteners Plus No. 39 to a fourth-place finish and Francis finished sixth driving Tim Logan’s No. 11.

They’re hoping to be even closer to each other at the finish of Saturday’s event – and a few spots higher as well.

The Circle K Colossal 100 will be run over two days (April 18-19) at the four-tenths-mile Dirt Track @ Lowe’s.

If purchased in advance, reserved tickets for both Friday and Saturday nights are just $39 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and

under. Two-day pit passes are $60 in advance.

Tickets and pit passes for the April 18-19 Circle K Colossal 100 can be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.

The Fleetwood RV Camping Resort is located adjacent to The Dirt Track and full-service camping spots can be reserved by calling (704) 455-4445.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Attached is a photo of Steve Francis and Tim McCreadie posed together for use with this story. (Kevin Kovac/WoO LMS photo)

Car Owner Charles Buckler Walking On Air After Winning First World of Outlaws Late Model Series Race With Driver Jeremy Miller

CONCORD, NC – April 13, 2008 – Everyone who knows car owner Charles Buckler would say he has a very, uh, animated personality.

So the big question has always been: Just how wildly would Buckler celebrate if he won a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event?

The answer came on Friday night at Virginia Motor Speedway, where Buckler’s driver, Jeremy Miller, captured the 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River IV’ to bring Buckler the Outlaws checkered flag he’s long coveted.

“I did flips all the way to the front straightaway,” the 50-year-old Buckler said of his walking-on-air jaunt through the infield to meet Miller in Victory Lane. “Nah…I’m only kidding. But I was close.”

Actually, Buckler, who hails from Maryland, pumped his fists, flexed like a posing bodybuilder, yelled “We beat the Outlaws!” over and over, and hugged anyone who crossed his path. After saying a few quick, emotion-draped words to WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman over the track p.a. system, he gave his driver the warmest greeting he’s ever dished out.

As Miller later reported when asked about Buckler’s post-race excitement: “He always gives the hugs (after a race), but tonight he wanted to give the kisses.”

Yes, Buckler planted a warm, wet one on Miller, a cool, calm and collected 37-year-old regional star from Gettysburg, Pa.

“I said, ‘Kid, you’re my hero,’” Buckler related when asked how he congratulated Miller, “and then I just kissed him right on the cheek. I didn’t go no further than the cheek!”

A former racer-turned-car owner who is in his 31^st year involved with the sport, Buckler saw Miller come close to winning him a WoO LMS show several times last year but Lady Luck wouldn’t let them complete the deal. Particularly disappointing was Miller’s loss in the A-Main on the first night of last year’s inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals’ at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., where Buckler watched Miller relinquish the lead to mechanical trouble while he partied with friends, family and sponsors in a tower suite he had rented for the evening.

The heartbreaking near-misses were forgotten, however, when Buckler and his wife, Genny, stood with Miller for Victory Lane photos at VMS.

“Oh, man,” Buckler said in his distinctive southern-fried accent, “this is the best race I’ve ever won. We beat the best! We beat the Outlaws!

“The World of Outlaws is the best series to run with,” he continued. “They have a good series, they treat everybody equal. I’m just tickled to death that we can run with ‘em.

“When you run with these Outlaws, and you beat ‘em, you beat the best in the country. As far as I’m concerned, there ain’t nobody better than (the WoO regulars).

“It’s a big, big, big deal in my career that now I can put in my books that I’ve won a World of Outlaws race. I just can’t say it enough.”

The grand triumph led Buckler to reflect on his years in the sport, especially his successful run with Miller behind the wheel of his No. 24 cars. Since Miller joined Buckler Motorsports late in the 2002 season, he’s captured 52 dirt Late Model feature wins.

“We picked up little Jeremy here six years ago,” said Buckler. “My wife really wanted him to drive the car, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to us. He’s a top-notch racer, he wants to win, he races clean, and you never hear him holler.

“It’s just so much fun to race with him against the guys we do in this division.

“I’ll tell you this – me and my wife have been in this (sport) so long, and we still enjoy it. It’s just a wonder that I have the luck to be with a woman who just wants to race…that’s all she wants to do.

“Win or lose,” he added, “we enjoy ourselves. It’s just fun to be at the racetrack.”

Buckler certainly enjoyed himself famously in the VMS pit area following Friday’s race. “It’s going to be a long night,” he smiled.

Being his usual fun-loving, joking self, Buckler basically held court with the crowd that gathered to congratulate him and Miller on their accomplishment. He had a barb for everyone who stopped by.

For instance, when Shannon Babb’s longtime mechanic, Jay Hunt, visited to shake Buckler’s hand, Buckler chirped, “I want to thank Jay Hunt, because he’s the one who told me to buy those Bullock motors (that powered Miller to victory).”

Then Buckler noticed that WoO LMS star Chub Frank was standing a couple feet away and he chimed up again.

“Look at Chub, he’s over there laughing,” quipped Buckler. “But he don’t realize that he’s the next victim.

“I got the one legend, Billy Moyer (whom Miller passed to take the lead), and now my next one is Chub Frank.”

Frank chuckled and shook his head. Buckler smiled and slapped Frank on the back.

Oh, what a fun night at the speedway it was for a car owner who just loves racing.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ On Tuesday (April 15) At Lernerville Speedway

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series makes its first appearance of the 2008 season in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night (April 15), visiting Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

The mid-week ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ sponsored by Y108 Radio will be run over the 50-lap distance and offers a $10,000 top prize.

Adding more luster to the event, it will serve as the 2008 season opener at the wildly popular Lernerville Speedway. Wet weather has washed out the track’s first three Friday-night programs, but sunny skies are in the forecast for Tuesday, setting up a blockbuster night to celebrate the start of the facility’s 40^th anniversary campaign.

* Lernerville’s pit gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Time trials are set for 7:15 p.m., followed by racing at 8 o’clock.

The night’s undercard will feature the first-ever UMP Pro (crate) Late Model program at Lernerville.

* Lernerville Speedway is a four-tenths-mile oval that sits one hour northeast of Pittsburgh International Airport. One of the top facilities in the country, the track has been accented for 2008 with a new clay surface and a slight reconfiguration of turn two.

To reach the track, take SR 28 to exit 17, then travel 4.6 miles north on SR 356.

* Reserved-seat tickets are on sale for $27 (adults), $24 (seniors) and $22 (ages 17-and-under). General admission is $25 (adults) and $22 (seniors and students), with children 10-and-under admitted free of charge.

* Pittsburgh’s Best Country Y108 will have ‘Wookie,’ the producer of the station’s ‘Country Crew’ morning show, on hand from 5:30–7:30 p.m. to meet-and-greet fans and hand out samples from McDonald’s & Twizzlers to the kids.

In addition, the folks from Anheuser Busch will be on hand to entertain the adults.

* Young dirt Late Model standout Dave Hess Jr. will receive a $12,000 check on Tuesday night for winning the ‘Alltel DIRTcar All-Star’ balloting surrounding February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Hess earned the honor after his supporters made him the top vote-getter of the drivers who won features during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. He became eligible for the contest by winning a UMP DIRTcar Modified headliner at Volusia.

* To learn more about the ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ at Lernerville Speedway, visit www.lernerville.com or call the track office at 724-353-1511.

* Eight WoO LMS events have been run at Lernerville Speedway since 2004 – only Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park has held more tour shows (12).

Chub Frank has two wins (April 23, 2004, and Aug. 12, 2005), and single victories have been claimed by Dale McDowell (Aug. 13, 2004), Billy Moyer (April 29, 2005), Rick Eckert (April 18, 2006), Tim McCreadie (Aug. 4, 2006), Shannon Babb (April 17, 2007) and Scott Bloomquist (June 30, 2007).

* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., will enter Tuesday’s action hot off his scheduled national-television interview on Sunday night’s Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain show on SPEED. The hottest dirt Late Model driver in the nation has won three of five WoO LMS events this season and holds the tour points lead.

A 50-year-old dirt Late Model legend, Moyer won a WoO LMS event at Lernerville in 2005. He didn’t enter a race at the track in 2007.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., rolls into Tuesday’s program batting 1.000 at Lernerville, thanks to a victory in last year’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ that came in his first-ever – and still only – start at the oval.

Babb returns this season as a WoO LMS championship contender behind the wheel of the Chevy/Traeger Grills dirt Late Model fielded by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer.

* No WoO LMS star enjoys visiting Lernerville more than Chub Frank – and not only because the track is only a couple hours away from his shop in Bear Lake, Pa. ‘Chubzilla’ has had more special-show success at Lernerville in recent years than any other driver, including a pair of WoO LMS victories (2004 and 2005).

* What WoO LMS driver is probably the most likely to become the next winner of a tour event at Lernerville? How about defending tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who has six top-five finishes (including three runner-up outings) in eight career WoO LMS events at the track.

Francis will be trying to erase memories of his 16^th-place finish in last year’s ‘Showdown at Sarvertown’ – one of just two DNFs he experienced in 44 WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007.

* Lernerville figures to provide Rick Eckert of York, Pa., a prime opportunity to snap his 62-race winless streak on the WoO LMS. He owns a win and five top-five finishes in the eight tour shows that have been run there.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., has come close to victory in WoO LMS competition at Lernerville, finishing second twice (both in 2005).

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., has only one top-five finish in eight career WoO LMS starts at Lernerville, but that fourth-place run came in last year’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown.’

* Lernerville has been a site of many frustrating WoO LMS outings for Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

Clanton’s six tour starts at Lernerville show just two top-10 finishes, including a personal-best of sixth in last year’s ‘Firecracker 100.’ He knows the track as the place where he suffered a shoulder injury in April 2005 that sidelined him for two months of the WoO LMS campaign, but he does have some confidence after contending for victory in the inaugural ‘Firecracker 100.’

Richards, meanwhile, owns one top-five finish in his eight WoO LMS appearances at Lernerville – a third place as a 17-year-old rookie in April 2005. The track was the site of the first flip of his racing career, in August 2006 when he jumped the berm in turn three and went rolling.

* Last year’s WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Tim Fuller of Watertown of Watertown, N.Y., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., performed very similarly in their first dirt Late Model visits to Lernerville last year. Fuller scored WoO LMS finishes of 11^th (April) and eighth (Firecracker 100), while Shirley was 10^th and 12^th in the events.

* WoO LMS traveler John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., has never finished better than 18^th in four tour A-Main starts at Lernerville.

* The 2008 WoO LMS Rookie aspirants – New Yorkers Vic Coffey, Danny Johnson and Joe Isabell – plan to enter Tuesday’s meet.

* Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., will enter Tuesday’s action just days after winning his first career WoO LMS event at Virginia Motor Speedway.

* Fifty cars were entered in last year’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ and a similar number – perhaps even more – are expected to fill Lernerville’s pit area on Friday.

Some of the top regional and local names expected include Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.; Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.; David Scott of Garland, Pa.; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa.; Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa.; Dick Barton of Ashville, N.Y.; Keith Barbara of South Park, Pa.; reigning Lernerville champ Alex Ferree of Saxonburg, Pa.; former Lernerville champs Lynn Geisler of Cranberry Twp., Pa., John Flinner of Zelionople, Pa.; Gary Lyle of Hyde Park, Pa., and Ron Davies of Warren, Pa.; Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa.; and young guns Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa., Jared Miley of South Park, Pa., and Greg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa.

* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the event will be chasing some WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks.’

The highest-finishing driver who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award.

* The tour heads south for the richest WoO LMS event of the 2008 season – the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. A $50,000 top prize from a total purse of $200,000 will be on the line in the much-anticipated program at the four-tenths-mile oval.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

Fans can also watch Tuesday’s Lernerville event live on the internet as part of the DIRTVision Cybercast schedule. The event can be purchased for $8.99 on a pay-per-view basis, or fans can purchase a ‘DIRT Track Ticket’ subscription for $59.99 to gain access to Lernerville’s video feed and all other live ‘Cybercasts’ offered in 2008.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 11 - 5 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Leader Billy Moyer
Appearing Tonight on SPEED’s ‘Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain’

Moyer, who was attempting to tie the World of Outlaws Late Model Series record for consecutive victories on Friday night before a shredded tire in a battle for the lead with five laps to go cut short his hopes, has three series victories — and nine overall wins — in 2008 and is leading the championship standings. He’ll begin another shot at the record on Tuesday night (April 15) in the “Showdown in Sarvertown” at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

The 2005 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion, Moyer has tour wins this season at the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Pike County Speedway and the inaugural Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway. In addition to his three World of Outlaws Late Model Series victories, Moyer also has three UMP DIRTcar Late Model triumphs.

With three wins during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals in February, Moyer also earned the overall Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Late Model championship.

SPEED is the exclusive home for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series television broadcasts in 2008. The first event will air LIVE on Friday, May 23, from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway featuring the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The World of Outlaws Late Models will be featured this summer on SPEED, including a super-size two-hour Firecracker 100 broadcast July 13.

For more information on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, visit WorldofOutlaws.com. To find more information on SPEED and “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain” visit the all-new SPEEDtv.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The ‘Rumble on the River IV’ At Virginia Motor Speedway

HE DID IT: There’s not much debate – entering the 2008 season, Jeremy Miller was considered by most observers to be the regional driver most likely to become a first-time World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main winner.

And why not? Last year the 37-year-old from Gettysburg, Pa., showed repeatedly that he was on the verge of breaking through on the national tour. He led WoO LMS events at Virginia Motor Speedway and The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway until mechanical trouble sidelined him. He lost a July race at Ohio’s Sharon Speedway to series star Chub Frank after an ill-timed caution flag late in the distance wiped out his healthy lead. He also finished a career-high second at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway, nearly stealing the top spot from Frank in the closing laps.

All those near-misses steeled him for his full-bore assault on a 2008 WoO LMS victory, which he secured for car owners Charles and Genny Buckler in his tour season debut on Saturday night at the half-mile Virginia Motor Speedway.

Miller brought a focused outlook to VMS, where he ran a brand-new Bullock-powered Rocket car that he and his crew worked overtime to prepare just right during the off-season.

“Maybe if we would’ve won one of the (WoO LMS) races we could have last year, it would’ve come too easy,” Miller said when asked if he felt he had to lose some tour events before he could finally win one. “Those disappointments we had last year were a big reason why we really worked hard over the winter. We paid attention to a lot of little details, and hopefully that paid off tonight.”

Miller’s mind was so clear on Saturday night, he didn’t even worry about bad luck striking him again as he led the closing stages of VMS’s 50-lap A-Main.

“That (misfortune) was last year,” said Miller. “A lot of people said, ‘You gotta let it go,’ so when I got the lead I really was just concentrating on trying to run a smooth line – and that was the best thing for me. It was getting a little rough in (turns) one and two, and when I slowed down to run smoother, I was actually going faster.”

When Miller reached Victory Lane for a raucous celebration with his team, family and friends, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

“I feel like last year we had so many chances to make people (who support him) happy, but instead we came out disappointed because we ended up a victim of circumstance,” said Miller. “So I just wanted to make all them people happy this year, and I think we did.”

A talented driver who has twice (2004 and 2006) led the Northeast in dirt Late Model feature wins, Miller plans to be a very familiar face on the WoO LMS this season, entering virtually every tour event within a reasonable driving distance of his central Pennsylvania home base. He has nearly 20 WoO LMS events on his schedule, including all seven of the shows that make up the Outlaws’ ‘Great Northern Tour,’ which visits Canada (Ontario and Quebec), New York and Pennsylvania.

Miller and several crewmen have already set aside vacation time from the jobs to make the entire ‘Great Northern Tour’ swing. “We’re all really looking forward to that trip,” smiled Miller.

BATTLING BRANDS: With the ‘Rumble on the River IV’ the second WoO LMS event of 2008 running under an open tire rule, some intrigue developed on the rubber front.

Miller and runner-up Steve Francis both used American Racer tires, as did Chub Frank, who finished eighth but ran in the top five before a slide sideways in turn four on lap 14 forced him to restart at the rear of the field sans his car’s hood.

Moyer, meanwhile, had his car shod with Hoosiers and was surprised to learn that his tussle up front with Miller and Francis was actually a study of tire manufacturer contrasts.

“I didn’t know (Miller) was on American Racers until after they told me, so there was two of them ganged up on me,” Moyer said of Miller and Francis. “They were on different rubber than me – and sometimes that can make you feel better in your mind about how you ran. With the tire war going on, I was the first Hoosier car by a long ways, so that makes me feel good.”

CLOSE CALL: Josh Richards saw his hopes for a good finish flash in front of his face on lap 14.

“When I saw Chub (Frank) spun in front of me I was like, ‘Oh, no,’” said Richards. “(Shane) Clanton and I were racing side-by-side, and by time I got to the corner Chub was sitting there spun out and there was nowhere to go. My right-rear tire bounced up over his nose.”

Fortunately for Richards, he escaped the encounter virtually unscathed (“It might have bent my (car’s) j-bar,” he said) and marched on to a third-place finish that kept him second in the WoO LMS points standings. He closed within 12 points of Moyer.

“The car was actually really good,” said Richards, who registered his career-best finish at VMS. “But about a third of the way into the race it picked up a real bad stumble, so I couldn’t be smooth through the middle of the corner. I ended up losing a lot of time every lap unless I hit it exactly perfect, which was almost impossible to do.”

WHAT A RELIEF: After getting lapped in each of the tour’s 100-lap A-Mains preceding Friday’s visit to VMS, Clint Smith was very happy with a solid fourth-place finish at the track where he was victorious in 2005.

“We didn’t need a late caution,” said ‘Cat Daddy.’ “I needed long (green) runs, so I was just gettin’ up on those guys (the leaders). When Moyer blew that tire (on lap 45), I had already passed Josh for third but the yellow came out.”

* Shane Clanton continued to climb back into the WoO LMS title race after suffering DNFs in the season’s first two events. His fifth-place finish at VMS moved him to a ’08-high ninth in the points standings.

* For a portion of Friday’s time trials Rick Eckert sat atop the leaderboard, but Moyer’s blistering lap kept Eckert from his first WoO fast-time honor since April 18, 2006, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. The Pennsy driver drove his Rayburn mount to a steady sixth-place finish in the A-Main.

* Driving one of the No. 39 cars normally steered by his Sweeteners Plus Racing teammate Tim McCreadie (who didn’t enter Friday’s action), 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey advanced from the 17^th starting spot to finish seventh in the 50-lapper. He salvaged a night that began badly during hot laps when he slid into the outside wall between turns one and two on a still-slick track, damaging his car’s right-rear corner.

* With Moyer finishing 17^th and Darrell Lanigan placing 12^th, there are now no drivers with a top-10 finish in all WoO LMS A-Mains this season.

* Shannon Babb and his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports crew found themselves scrambling to repair their No. 18 after the Illinois driver slapped the outside wall between turns three and four during his heat. He skipped the B-Main and used a provisional to get in the headliner, which he started moments after completing a hasty patch job on the suspension and other problems resulting from his trip into the guardrail.

Babb attempted to run the outside groove forward in the A-Main, but he only reached 11^th place by the checkered flag.

* Second-year WoO LMS traveler Brian Shirley’s early-season frustration continued at VMS. He started ninth but slid backward before a lap-21 scrape sent him spinning in turn four and, a couple circuits later, out of the race with damage to the right-rear corner of his Petroff Towing machine. He was saddled with his second 24^th-place (last) finish in the last three WoO LMS events.

* Tim Fuller had his hot-lap session curtailed by an ignition problem, but after changing his Gypsum Express car’s distributor cap, plug wires and MSD box he managed to score his first top-10 finish of the season (ninth).

* John Blankenship hustled his Bloomquist ‘Team Zero’ car from the 18^th starting spot to the brink of the top 10 in just a couple laps, but he faded to an 18^th-place finish. He battled vision problems for most of the distance – he ran out of helmet tear-offs very early and by the end of the race was racing with his visor open.

* It was a morale-boosting night for the JIR Motorsports team of WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Danny Johnson and Joe Isabell. Both New Yorkers qualified through a B-Main, putting each of them in a tour feature for the first time.

The WoO LMS rolls back into action this week with the ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ on Tuesday, April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and the Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Moyer’s Streak Ends As Jeremy Miller Races To Emotional First Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory At Virginia Motor Speedway

JAMAICA, VA – April 11, 2008 – Jeremy Miller had just one thought racing through his mind after winning Friday night’s 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River IV’ at Virginia Motor Speedway.

“I just said to myself, ‘We finally did it!’” remarked Miller, a 37-year-old regional star from Gettysburg, Pa., who made the 50-lap event his long-awaited first career World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory. “I know for a fact – because I’ve been through plenty of disappointments – that a win on this series doesn’t come easy, so it’s an awesome feeling to do this.”

A hard-luck WoO LMS A-Main loser on three occasions last year, Miller got the job done in truly memorable fashion at Bill Sawyer’s pristine half-mile oval. He overtook red-hot dirt Late Model legend Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., for the lead on lap 36, and then repelled late-race pressure from Moyer and defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., to emerge triumphant to the tune of $10,650, including the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hadn’t previously won a tour event.

The pole-sitting Francis settled for a second-place finish in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket, 2.051 seconds behind Miller. Moyer, meanwhile, plummeted to 17^th in the final rundown after his Victory Circle M1 Chassis suffered a blown left-rear tire on lap 45 as he was attempting to mount a last-ditch bid to regain command.

Josh Richards, 20, of Shinnston, W.Va., finished third in the Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket after starting eighth, moving him within 12 points of Moyer’s WoO LMS points-leading total. Fifth-starter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., placed fourth in his JP Drilling GRT car and third-starter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., was fifth in the RSD Enterprises Rocket.

Moyer, who led a majority of the distance, saw his three-race WoO LMS win streak come to an end, adding even more luster to Miller’s emotional victory. A Moyer triumph would have allowed him to match the WoO LMS modern-era (2004-present) consecutive-win record of four in a row set by Rick Eckert of York, Pa., in 2006.

No one was more aware of the halting of the Moyer win streak than Miller’s car owner Charles Buckler, who literally bounded to Victory Lane to greet his driver.

“We beat a legend!” exclaimed Buckler, one of the most excitable personalities in the dirt Late Model pit area. “We beat Billy Moyer!

“Oh, man,” Buckler continued, “this is the best race I’ve ever won. We beat the best! We beat the Outlaws!”

The preternaturally calm Miller was far more reserved than his car owner, but he nonetheless was amazed by his accomplishment.

“My dream in racing was always to race with the best drivers,” said Miller, whose previous best WoO LMS was second, on Sept. 21, 2007, at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway. “Billy Moyer, Steve Francis and all these guys with the Outlaws – they are the best. I have a lot of respect for all these guys, and I’m just very fortunate to be racing up there with them.”

Miller passed the drivers he so admires. After starting fourth in a brand-new Complete Flooring/USA Spares, Inc. Rocket car powered by a Bullock Racing Engine, he slipped by Francis for second on lap 13 and chased Moyer’s pacesetting machine until nosing into the lead for the first time on lap 34.

Moyer, who started second and led from the initial green flag, managed to surge back ahead on lap 35. But Miller came off the inside of turn four to grab the top spot on the 36^th circuit.

And that, for all intents and purposes, was the race. There was no mechanical failure while leading like Miller experienced last year in WoO LMS events at VMS and The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, or a late-race caution flag to allow a regular Outlaw to pass him for the lead like in his heartbreaking defeat to Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., last season at Ohio’s Sharon Speedway.

Actually, there was a late caution flag in Friday’s A-Main, on lap 45 for Moyer’s exploded tire. But it was a welcomed sight for Miller, who at the time was feeling pressure from Francis while racing through lapped traffic.

“The fans like to see that heated-battle stuff, but as a driver, you’re thinking what’s best for you,” Miller said when asked his thoughts on the race’s seventh and final caution flag. “And it was definitely best for me to have a clean racetrack (for the last five circuits).

“There’s no doubt about it, when you get to lapped traffic, they’re probably better racers than I am because they do it for a living and they race so much. They have 20-some races in already this year and I had 20-some laps in all year until tonight, so it definitely benefited me to have the last caution come out.

Miller paused, and then added, “I love racing with the Outlaws. Just to be up there battling with them is all I ever dreamed of – and hopefully now that we got the first win, maybe we can get another one.”

“We had a shot (to take the lead) a few different times,” said Francis, who, like Miller as well, ran American Racer tires. “I think my car was probably more maneuverable in traffic than his was, but he drove a good race. He did what he had to do and got the win.

“I know what it means to him (to win a WoO LMS event),” he added. “It’s something you always try to do your whole life, and it’s definitely no surprise that he was able to do it. Especially in this part of the country, there’s quite a few guys who have a legitimate shot to win one of these shows when we roll in.”

The 50-year-old Moyer, meanwhile, was searching for answers for his tire problem.

“The way it’s blistered-up looking, I think it may have been getting low (on air) before it blew out,” said Moyer, eyeballing his destroyed Hoosier tire alongside his trailer after the race. “The car sorta changed around on me a little bit there (at mid-race), went away from how good it was at the beginning.

“(Miller) did a good job,” he added. “I ain’t making any excuses, but something happened there and we’re trying to figure it out. I would’ve liked to been able to finish the thing. It would’ve been interesting.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Eckert, who made his second consecutive start behind the wheel of his new Raye Vest-owned Rayburn car; top-finishing WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., who drove a Rocket No. 39 normally steered by his Sweeteners Plus teammate Tim McCreadie; Chub Frank, who rallied from the rear of the field after he spun in turn four on lap 14 and was clipped by Richards while in the top five; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who scored his first top-10 finish of 2008; and Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished 11^th after starting 23^rd because a heat-race slap of the wall between turns three and four forced him to use a provisional to gain entrance to the A-Main.

Thirty-eight dirt Late Models were signed in for the event, which was run on a warm, comfortable spring evening.

Moyer was the fast-timer for the second time in five events this season, turning a lap of 17.338 seconds.

Heat winners were Moyer, Clanton, Francis and Richards, and the B-Mains were captured by Coffey and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

The WoO LMS returns to action on Tuesday night (April 15) at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., where the 50-lap ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ will pay $10,000 to win.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Rumble on the River IV’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

NOTE: Keith Jackson, Jamie Lathroum and Kenny Pettyjohn were penalized to the rear of the field for the start after reporting late to the lineup

Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Keith Miller, Gary Deese, Randy Hurley, Derrick Hurley (Jeremy Miller team)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Frank, Shirley, Decker, Coffey, Hills, Williams, Beardsley, Cohick, Babb

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Eckert, Covert, Fuller, Jarvis, Lathroum, Isabell, Powell, Stine (DNS) R. Robinson

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, C. Smith, Lanigan, Hubbard, Blankenship, D. Johnson, B. Robinson, Guy, Culpepper

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, J. Miller, Elliott, Myers, Jackson, Pettyjohn, Teegarden, Mann, Short

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Coffey, Lathroum, Isabell, Williams, Hills, Powell, Stine, Cohick, Beardsley (DNS) Jarvis, Babb, R. Robinson

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Blankenship, Jackson, D. Johnson, Mann, B. Robinson, Pettyjohn, Guy, Teegarden, Short, Culpepper

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 11 - 5 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: Tour Heads East To Virginia Motor Speedway On Friday Night (April 11)

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series heads east on Friday (April 11) for the ‘Rumble on the River IV’ at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.

Friday’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event will mark the WoO LMS’s only appearance of the 2008 season at Bill Sawyer’s pristine Virginia Motor Speedway, which has been a tour staple for four consecutive years.

* On Friday at Virginia Motor Speedway, competitor gates will open at 3 p.m., with spectator gates unlocked at 5 p.m. On-track activities will begin at 7 p.m. with hot laps.

On the WoO LMS undercard will be VMS’s Truckin Thunder Sportsman and Budweiser Modifieds, with both divisions competing in hot-lap time trials and 25-lap features.

* Already one of the top dirt-track facilities in the nation, the half-mile Virginia Motor Speedway underwent more improvements during the off-season with the addition of a high-rise grandstand section and the application of new clay.

The track is located on U.S. Route 17, just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland and the Hampton Roads area.

* Adult tickets are $30, with seniors and military members $25, students 13–17 admitted for $12, children 7–12 years old $5 and kids 6-and-under free. VMS will also offer a ‘Family Pack’ ticket – two adults and two children 12 and under – for $60.

Fans can visit the track’s website at www.vamotorspeedway.com to print out $5-off discount coupons good for adult, senior and military tickets.

VMS INFO: For more information about the ‘Rumble on the River IV,’ check www.vamotorspeedway.com or call the track office at 804-758-1VMS.

* This will be the fifth visit to Virginia Motor Speedway since 2004 by the WoO LMS.

Winners include Clint Smith (April 9, 2005), Rick Eckert (April 15, 2006), Shannon Babb (April 14, 2007) and Shane Clanton (July 20, 2007).

* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., will bring the tour points lead and a three-race win streak to VMS. The 50-year-old dirt Late Model legend will attempt to match the WoO LMS modern-era (2004-present) consecutive-win record of four established by Rick Eckert in 2006.

* Defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., will make his first start of the season in his new car owner Dale Beitler’s general ‘neck of the woods.’ Beitler, who hired Francis to drive his Reliable Painting No. 19 car during the off-season, hails from West Friendsville, Md.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., returns to VMS after enjoying great success there in last year’s two WoO LMS appearances. He finished second in the April event and won the summer show.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., is hoping to find the magic that brought him a victory in the track’s first-ever WoO LMS event three years ago. He’s struggled in his last three VMS starts – finishing 21^st in 2006 and 16^th (April) and eighth (July) last year – and hasn’t finished on the lead lap in the last two WoO LMS events (in Mississippi and Illinois).

* Like Smith, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was the WoO LMS points runner-up in 2007, hasn’t run especially strong at VMS since finishing fourth in the ’05 inaugural. His finishing position has fallen in each of his last three starts at VMS – eighth in ’06, and 10^th (April) and 11^th (July) in ’07.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., has been one of the most successful special-show invaders in recent years at VMS, not only winning the ’06 ‘Rumble on the River II’ but also several other events. The track figures to be a prime place for Eckert to snap his frustrating 61-race WoO LMS winless streak.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., loves racing at big, fast tracks, so VMS should be a great venue for him. But he’s still looking for his first top-five finish there in a WoO LMS event, having placed seventh (’05), 12^th (’06), sixth (April ’07) and 14^th (July ’07).

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., looks to be on the verge of breaking into VMS’s Victory Lane. A big-track specialist, he finished second in last July’s WoO LMS event there after engaging in a memorable battle for the lead with Clanton.

* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year, showed he can get around the VMS oval last year, finishing a strong third in the July WoO LMS event.

* Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., is excited to return to VMS after making his first career visits to the track last year. He improved from an 18^th-place finish in the April show to ninth in July – and feels the experience he gained will help him climb even higher this year.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., was victorious last April at VMS in his first-ever competitive start in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He didn’t enter the July event and returns this year as the driver of NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team.

* Also expected to compete in the event are such drivers as John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who is planning to travel with the Outlaws again in 2008; WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who led last July’s WoO LMS event at VMS before suffering mechanical trouble in his Charles Buckler-owned car; two-time defending MACS tour champ Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa.; Bo Feathers of Winchester, Va.; Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.; and Delaware drivers Ricky Elliott, Austin Hubbard and Norman Short Jr., a veteran big-block Modified driver who plans to make his dirt Late Model debut in a car formerly driven by Jeremy Miller.

In addition, 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., is undecided about entering the event, and 15-year-old Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., whose father John fields the Gypsum Racing cars driven by, among others, Fuller and Decker, is tentatively scheduled to make his dirt Late Model debut hot off a $5,000 DIRTcar Sportsman-Modified victory on April 5 at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, N.Y.

* The WoO LMS moves north for the ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ on Tues., April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., then heads south for the grand finale of a three-race Eastern swing – the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. A $50,000 top prize from a total purse of $200,000 will be on the line in the much-anticipated program at Lowe’s.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 5 - 4 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Virginia Motor Speedway Like A Home Away From Home For World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Shane Clanton

Tour Visits Bill Sawyer’s Gorgeous Track For ‘Rumble on the River IV’ This Friday Night (April 11)

JAMAICA, VA – April 8, 2008 – Last year Virginia Motor Speedway was like a home away from home for Shane Clanton.

The driver known as ‘Coconut’ hopes he’ll once again get comfortable at Bill Sawyer’s gorgeous track when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns there this Friday night (April 11) for the ‘Rumble on the River IV.’

Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., scored a victory and a second-place finish in the two WoO LMS events held in 2007 at the half-mile oval, so there’s obviously no track on this year’s schedule that he’s more enthused about visiting.

“I’m definitely looking forward to going there,” bottom-lined Clanton. “Something clicked there for us last year and hopefully we’ll be able to carry it over. We sure could use a good run.”

After his two previous starts at VMS brought him pedestrian finishes of eighth (2005) and 10^th (2006), Clanton certainly discovered the fast way around the track in ’07, coming very close to sweeping the pair of 50-lap A-Mains. He finished second to Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., in the ‘Rumble on the River III,’ on April 14, after setting fast time, winning a heat and leading laps 1-21, then outdueled Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., to capture the memorable ‘Summer Sizzler 50’ on July 20.

Clanton’s triumph came in one of last season’s most exciting WoO LMS events. He was involved in all six of the race’s lead changes, including the deciding move on lap 45 when he criss-crossed lanes with Lanigan amid lapped traffic off turn four to gain command. Clanton’s final victory margin over Lanigan was a mere 0.539 of a second.

What was the secret to Clanton’s success at VMS last year? Just look under the hood.

“I think the key is that we have a real good motor program,” said Clanton, whose Ronnie Dobbins-owned team uses Custom Racing Engines. “At (Virginia), motor helps a lot. It’s got long straightaways, and you carry speed into the corners.

“We got a brand-new piece we’re gonna carry back there (on Friday), so we hope it’s better than the one we ran last year and we can run up front again.”

Calling VMS a top-notch facility that’s run by “the nicest people in the business,” Clanton would like nothing better than to use his trip there as a springboard for his ’08 WoO LMS season. He’s been a contender in all four tour events run so far, but he has only one top-five finish to show for his speed and thus ranks 10^th in the points standings.

Clanton will pull into VMS on Friday as part of a talented 2008 WoO LMS driver roster that boasts Babb, Lanigan, defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller; and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.

Current WoO LMS points leader Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who owns three tour championships, also plans to enter the event in search of his fourth consecutive series victory.

Other drivers expected include John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who is planning to return as a WoO LMS fulltimer this season; ’08 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who was a contender to win last July’s WoO LMS event at VMS; defending MACS tour champ Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa.; and Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del.

VMS’s competitor gates will open at 3 p.m. on Friday, with spectator gates unlocked at 5 p.m. On-track activities will begin at 7 p.m. with hot laps.

On the WoO LMS undercard will be VMS’s Truckin Thunder Sportsman and Budweiser Modifieds, with both divisions competing in hot-lap time trials and 25-lap features.

Adult tickets are just $30, with seniors and military members $25, students 13–17 admitted for $12, children 7–12 years old $5 and kids 6-and-under free. VMS will also offer a ‘Family Pack’ ticket – two adults and two children 12 and under – for $60.

Fans can visit the track’s website at www.vamotorspeedway.com to print out $5-off discount coupons good for adult, senior and military tickets.

Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway is located on U.S. Route 17, just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland and the Hampton Roads area.

For more information, check www.vamotorspeedway.com or call the track office at 804-758-1VMS.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The ‘Illini 100’ At Farmer City Raceway

WHAT A SHOW: A 55-car field teeming with top-notch talent. A record, standing-room-only crowd. A racy, multi-groove track surface.

And, best of all, a dramatic 100-lap A-Main that will be remembered as one of the best dirt Late Model races of this or any other season.

Roll all that up, and there’s no doubt that the inaugural ‘Illini 100’ at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway was a smashing success.

The excitement of the biggest dirt Late Model event ever run in the state of Illinois impressed virtually everyone, including World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular Shannon Babb, a native of nearby Moweaqua, Ill., who grew up racing at the quarter-mile oval.

“I knew this would be a good place to have a big show, but honestly, I didn’t think it would be that good,” a smiling Babb said after engaging in an A-Main battle for the ages that saw him finish second by scant feet to his racing mentor Billy Moyer. “It was awesome, and hopefully it’ll be a yearly deal now and just get bigger and bigger.”

That’s the plan for the ‘Illini 100,’ says Farmer City promoter Don Hammer. He was thrilled with the competitor and fan support for the first-time, $20,000-to-win event and envisions the weekend developing into a must-see early-season show on the dirt Late Model calendar.

GOOD REVIEWS: Hammer and his Farmer City track crew whipped up a racing surface that produced fast speeds (witness Moyer’s new track record lap of 11.973 seconds during Friday’s time trials) and entertaining action with a minimum of roughness.

“It had a hole or two in the track, but heck, it’s springtime,” said Moyer, who credited Hammer with doing “a good job” on the surface. “Myself, I think every track should have a bump or two. It doesn’t bother me any. It gives you something to do.”

SMART DECISION: Babb had second thoughts about his tire-compound choice when he rolled onto the track for the pre-race driver introduction.

So what did he do? He conferred with crewmen Tommy Grecco and Jay Hunt and then changed the left-rear and right-front tires of his Clint Bowyer-owned Rayburn car, giving him three soft 20-compound tires and a hard 40-compound shoe on the right-rear.

By WoO LMS rules, the tire change on the racetrack forced Babb to the rear of the 24-car field for the start. But he was scheduled to start 19^th, so moving back five spots wasn’t a major problem.

“I walked out there (for the pre-race festivities) and seen how much traction was left on the bottom,” said Babb. “Right there I thought we should go softer on tires. If you have the same thing as everybody else you’re gonna be equal, so we made the change and it worked real good for us.”

Babb came close to becoming only the second driver in the WoO LMS’s modern era (2004-present) to win a tour event after starting last. Tim McCreadie holds the last-to-first distinction, accomplishing the rare feat on June 5, 2005, at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.Dak.

WANTED MORE: Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis summed up the ‘Illini 100’ with a couple simple phrases.

“It was a helluva race,” he said. “That’s about all you can say about it.”

Francis, who briefly led the race on two occasions, finished third, just a few car lengths behind the lead Moyer/Babb pair. He felt his outcome could have been a little better.

“We were a little tight getting in to the middle of the corner,” Francis said of his Dale Beitler-owned No. 19. “But what kinda buried us was when Moyer got into us (with a slide-job for second place on lap 82). We lost a lot of ground there.

“Really, we were lucky to hold on to third, so I was happy with everything. It came down to where we needed track position, and we didn’t have it.”

WRONG PLACE: Francis was able to survive without losing a position when Moyer’s slide up in front of him on the 82^nd lap forced him to check up, but the chain-reaction jam-up behind him cost WoO LMS regulars Chub Frank and Josh Richards.

Frank, who was running fourth at the time, slowed to avoid Francis and was hit by Tim McCreadie. The contact bent Frank’s left-side bodywork into his tire, leaving him with a blown tire on lap 88 that relegated him to a 12^th-place finish.

“I was just trying to keep my car in one piece and get a good finish out of it,” said Frank. “The line I was using wasn’t the fastest, but I ran it because I was trying to stay out of the holes so I wouldn’t tear a left-rear tire off like I saw so many guys doing.

“We were just hoping for a good points night, but we got caught anyway and got a flat.”

Richards, meanwhile, ran in the top five for much of the distance. But his ill-fated positioning in the Moyer/Francis aftermath cost him three spots and he only recovered enough to finish sixth.

The 20-year-old Richards had high hopes for the 100 after timing second-fastest, winning a heat and capturing the 8-lap dash on Friday night, but his Rocket No. 1 was off just a little on Saturday night. He said changing the machine to a four-link from a swing-arm setup just before the A-Main and going too hard with their tire choice hampered his effort.

NICE RUN: Former Farmer City champ Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., came on late in the ‘Illini 100’ to place fifth – his best finish ever in WoO LMS competition.

The 25-year-old Steidinger, who finished second in the 2007 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings, earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour event and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points. He wondered afterward, however, if he could have advanced even further forward from the 17^th starting spot if he hadn’t gone too hard with his tire choice by bolting four 40-compound tires on his Rayburn mount.

* Darrell Lanigan had to use a provisional to start the A-Main after being unable to recover from a slide back in his heat race, but he persevered through a mid-race pit stop to finish eighth in the 100. He remained one of only two drivers (Moyer is the other) to score a top-10 finish in all four WoO LMS events contested this season.

* Racing at a track where he cut his teeth and just three days after celebrating his 27^th birthday, Brian Shirley was feeling good about his chances. But after running in the top five early he slipped back and ultimately slowed on lap 62 with a broken j-bar on his Ed Petroff-owned Rayburn.

* Rick Eckert debuted a new Rayburn car with a seventh-place finish in the 100. He slipped into the top five momentarily in the shakeup that accompanied the Moyer/Francis action on lap 82, but, with his car’s tow knocked out from hitting a rut, he wasn’t able to stay there for the remainder of the distance.

* Tim Fuller’s hopes were quickly dashed in the 100 when a broken right-rear axle forced him to the infield on lap five. He returned many laps down to collect some extra points.

* After spending a mid-week day testing his swing-arm car at his sponsor Don Cliburn’s Jackson (Miss.) Speedway (along with Eckert and Fuller), Clint Smith was primed and ready for the ‘Illini 100.’ But he struggled in the A-Main, spinning on the homestretch on lap 26 and finishing one lap down in 14^th.

* Shane Clanton spent most of the distance as a fringe top-five runner, but he faded to 11^th at the finish after an apparent sealed right-rear tire hampered him in the closing laps.

NEXT UP: The WoO LMS heads to Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va., on Fri., April 11, for the 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River IV’ and then visits Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for the 50-lap ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ on Tues., April 15.

Late model fans that won’t be able to attend the World of Outlaws Late Model Series Showdown at Sarvertown at Lernerville Speedway on April 15th, DIRTVision.com has the remedy. For only $8.99 users can purchase the Showdown at Sarvertown cybercast subscription. By purchasing the subscription users will be able to catch all the action through LIVE streaming video. Users will also have access to DIRTVision.com’s live chat rooms as well as up to date race notes. Don’t miss your chance to see late models biggest names exclusively on the DIRTVision cybercast. To purchase a subscription simply register at www.DIRTVision.com, activate your account and click on the subscription tab. Users can sign-up using a Visa or MasterCard on our secure payment server at DIRTVision.com.

The DIRTVision cybercast is the exclusive live video streaming broadcast of the World Racing Group. To purchase all 2008 live video events users can sign up for the DIRT Track Ticket for only $59.99, a savings of over $100 Dollars. All users must have high speed internet (DSL, Cable, T1) with a 400kb download to view live streaming video. Make sure to sign up early to avoid any technical problems.

The DIRTVision Cybercast is presented by BUTLERbuilt professional seating systems. Call 704-784-1027 and Let BUTLERbuilt build you an advantage.

Red-Hot Billy Moyer Has Shot At World of Outlaws Late Model Series Consecutive Win Record During Upcoming East Coast Swing

$10,000-To-Win Tour Shows At Virginia Motor Speedway On April 11 & Lernerville Speedway On April 15 Precede Big Circle K Colossal 100 On April 18-19

CONCORD, NC – April 7, 2008 – Billy Moyer has a chance to make World of Outlaws Late Model Series history when the tour begins a three-race East Coast swing this Friday night (April 11) at Virginia Motor Speedway.

The hottest dirt Late Model driver in the nation is riding a three-race WoO LMS winning streak, giving him a shot at tying Rick Eckert’s modern-era (2004-present) tour record of four consecutive victories in Friday night’s 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River IV’ event at the pristine half-mile VMS oval owned by Bill Sawyer.

A $10,000 triumph at VMS would set Moyer up to gain sole possession of the consecutive-win standard on Tues., April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., which hosts the 50-lap ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ that offers another 10-grand top prize.

Of course, Moyer, 50, of Batesville, Ark., is a veteran of more than three decades behind the wheel, so he knows that he’s best served enjoying his three straight wins rather than talking about the possibility of four – or more – in a row.

“We’re just riding it out,” Moyer said of his streak, which includes nine overall dirt Late Model wins to date. “You just never know what tomorrow is gonna bring in this sport.

“For sure, we’re not gonna continue to win every race. I hope we can, but I know everything is just going our way right now.”

Calling himself “rejuvenated” running new Victory Circle M1 Chassis cars that he helped design, Moyer has strung together WoO LMS wins in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals finale on Feb. 16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.; the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.; and the inaugural ‘Illini 100’ on April 5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. His only loss in four tour events this season was a third-place finish in the opener on Feb. 14 at Volusia, leaving him in the points lead with $53,450 in earnings.

Though he hasn’t committed to following the 2008 WoO LMS in pursuit of a fourth career points title, Moyer has plans to come east for Virginia Motor, Lernerville and the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Moyer might have to make some creative travel arrangements for himself, however, because his father, Billy Moyer Sr., is scheduled to undergo a medical procedure on his heart this Wednesday in Iowa. Moyer plans to travel to his native Hawkeye State to be with his father, who attended Saturday night’s ‘Illini 100’ at Farmer City. It’s possible that doctors could determine the elder Moyer needs more serious heart surgery such as a bypass, so Moyer is uncertain whether he’ll drive east with his team or have to fly in to meet them at VMS.

The WoO LMS modern-era consecutive win record of four in a row that Moyer is chasing was established in 2006 by York, Pa.’s Eckert. In late-May and June Eckert rolled to successive victories at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn., Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., Western Kentucky Speedway in Nebo, Ky., and East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala.

Demonstrating the degree of difficulty associated with stringing together consecutive wins on the ultra-competitive WoO LMS, Moyer is only the fourth driver who has registered three straight triumphs since 2004. He joins Eckert, defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (the first to win three in a row, in 2005) and 2006 WoO LMS titlist Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2005).

During the 2007 season, the longest winning streak was two races, accomplished three times – by Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.

Moyer does hold the alltime WoO LMS consecutive-win record when the 1988 and 1989 seasons, which were overseen by late Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series founder Ted Johnson, are included. The legendary driver known as ‘Mr. Smooth’ won five straight tour races in both ’88 and ’89.

Virginia Motor is a track that remains on Moyer’s Victory Lane hit-list. He owns a record 34 career WoO LMS wins (12 since 2004), but he’s come up empty in three previous visits to the track in Jamaica, Va.

Moyer’s best VMS run with the Outlaws came in 2006, when he finished third. He was 11^th in the 2005 event and a dismal 21^st in the April 2007 show, which saw him use a provisional to start the A-Main after a heat-race accident.

The four-tenths-mile Lernerville oval has treated Moyer a bit better. He has one WoO LMS victory there, on April 29, 2005.

On-track activities are scheduled to begin this Friday night at 7 o’clock at Virginia Motor Speedway, which is located on U.S. Route 17 just a short drive from the Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland and Hampton Roads areas.

For more information on VMS, call 804-758-1VMS or visit www.vamotorspeedway.com, where $5-off discount coupons are available for adult, senior and military tickets to Friday’s WoO LMS ‘Rumble on the River IV.’

Lernerville Speedway, which is located north of Pittsburgh, has time trials scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. start on Tues., April 15.

More information on Lernerville is available by calling 724-353-1511 or logging on to www.lernerville.com.

Moyer Blazing Fast In ‘Illini 100’ Qualifying, But Richards Pulls Off Impressive Victory In Dash On Friday Night At Farmer City Raceway

FARMER CITY, IL – April 4, 2008 – Billy Moyer continued his scorching early-season tear by setting a new track record and winning a heat during Friday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Illini 100’ qualifying program at Farmer City Raceway.

But 20-year-old Josh Richards gave Moyer – and the big crowd on hand for the start of the history-making weekend – something to think about when he overtook the 50-year-old dirt-track legend to win the 8-lap Douglas Pontiac-GMC-Dodge Dash.
Batesville, Ark.’s Moyer, who enters the weekend riding a two-race WoO LMS win streak and leading the tour points standings, shattered the two-year-old dirt Late Model track record during Friday’s 55-car time-trial session. His qualifying lap of 11.973 seconds – the first sub-12-second circuit in the history of the quarter-mile oval – lowered the standard of 12.348 seconds that Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill., had established on April 14, 2006.

Moyer also rolled to victory in the first of six 10-lap heat races driving his battle-tested Victory Circle M1 Chassis. He had spent the previous night practicing exclusively with his other Victory Circle car, which had just one race on its ledger, but decided to run the machine that has carried him to seven of his eight wins this season.

“The newer car felt good last night,” said Moyer, “but I just couldn’t keep this one in the trailer. I just feel too good in this car.

“I think I probably ran the wrong tires in the heat, but we hung on. I think we’ll have a good shot at (Saturday’s ‘Illini 100’).”

Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards, who won the WoO LMS season opener and sits second in the tour points standings, was second-fastest in time trials and won the second heat. He then pulled off the move of the night in the dash for the night’s heat winners and two fastest qualifiers, squeezing between Moyer and the outside wall off turn four to seize the lead and march to victory.

“When I got up there (Moyer) started to squeeze me, but I was like, ‘I’m already committed now,’” described Richards. “I stayed up there and had barely enough room to get by him.”

Richards, who prefers big tracks but calls Farmer City his favorite bullring because “it’s all about momentum,” drove a Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket car with a swing-arm suspension. His pass of Moyer gave him a big-time confidence boost heading into Saturday night’s $20,000-to-win ‘Illini 100.’

“He’s definitely been on top of his game all year,” Richards said of Moyer. “I feel like if we can run with him, we can run with anybody.

“I feel pretty good about our chances. I think as long as we make the right adjustments, we should be able to get a good finish and maybe even win (the 100).”

Joining Moyer and Richards as heat-race victors was Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa.

The six heat-race winners will redraw on Saturday night for the top-six starting positions in the ‘Illini 100,’ which is billed as the biggest dirt Late Model race ever run in the state of Illinois.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who cut his teeth racing at Farmer City and won last year’s WoO LMS event at the fairgrounds track, failed to qualify in the third heat. He was outgunned for the lead at the start by Shirley and ended up at the rear of the field a few circuits later after sliding off the backstretch, but he rallied to make a bid for the final transfer spot before a flat left-rear tire caused his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports No. 18 to slow on the last lap.

No driver had a more trying night than Richie Hedrick of Urbana, Ill. He flipped his car during hot laps, then brought out a backup car and crashed it during the sixth heat in an incident that left him with a hand injury.

Saturday night’s action is scheduled to begin at 6 o’clock. The program includes two B-Mains, a 25-lap Non-Qualifiers Race paying $1,000 to win and the 24-car ‘Illini 100,’ plus an undercard of UMP DIRTcar Modified racing.

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moyer, Miller, Clanton, Blankenship, Isabell, Walden, Lanigan, Waters, Shickel, Harlan

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, S. Sheppard, C. Smith, McCreadie, Dick, Loomis, Bland, Unzicker, Bell

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shirley, Fuller, B. Smith, Bull, Babb, McCammon, Daugherty, Petersak, Friedman

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Francis, Simpson, VanWormer, Weaver, Taylor, Feger, Zidar, Izzo, Ihm

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Erb, Steidinger, Lance, E. Smith, D. Johnson, Logue, Conaway, George

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Birkhofer, Eckert, Dauber, Coffey, Dehm, Rogers, Adams, Hedrick (DNS) B. Sheppard

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Moyer Looks To Extend World of Outlaws Late Model Series Win Streak This Weekend At Farmer City Raceway

Former Tour Champ Among Two Dozen Drivers On Hand For Thursday Night’s ‘Illini 100’ Practice Session

FARMER CITY, IL – April 3, 2008 – Billy Moyer is shooting for a World of Outlaws Late Model Series hat trick this weekend.

And the dirt Late Model legend couldn’t pick a better place to go for three straight tour wins than Farmer City Raceway, a quarter-mile bullring that is high on his list of favorite tracks.

“I love Farmer City,” said Moyer, who began prepping for this weekend’s inaugural ‘Illini 100’ by participating in the oval’s open practice session on Thursday night. “It’s a neat, racy place. You start out (the night) hammer-down on the cushion against the wall and by the (feature) race it’s like an ice cube out there and you’re running everywhere, and that’s what I like.

Moyer, 50, of Batesville, Ark., was among a group of more than two dozen early-arriving drivers on hand for Thursday night’s ‘Illini 100’ warmup. Hot laps stretched for over an hour-and-a-half before rain began to fall, ending the session early.

A WoO LMS A-Main winner at Farmer City in 2006, Moyer was clocked turning some of the fastest practice circuits. He made all his laps behind the wheel of a Victory Circle M1 Chassis that he has raced only once previously this season, in a UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned event that he won on March 14 at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.

Moyer also has brought his battle-tested Victory Circle mount – the car he’s driven to seven wins already this season, including the last two WoO LMS events – to Farmer City. He hasn’t ruled out running it in the $20,000-to-win ‘Illini 100,’ which kicks off with time trials and heat races on Friday night (April 4) and concludes with last-chance events and the 100-lap headliner on Saturday night (April 5).

“I’m still debating which car I want to run,” Moyer said after climbing from his Banner Valley Hauling No. 21 amid raindrops. “This (newer) car felt pretty good and I’m already thinking of things I want to change on it, but that other car – man, I know that one’s good.

Moyer certainly has a pair of superb options for the biggest dirt Late Model event ever run in the state of Illinois. The cars he’s developed with the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Victory Circle shop have proven to be hot commodities.

“This car has been awesome ever since we unloaded it (this year),” said Moyer, who also credits his new Clements engines as a major factor in his ’08 success. “We just keep tweaking it with little things every week.

“That’s what makes it so much fun for me again. I know the car is good, so it makes me be able to concentrate on tires and stuff, instead of worrying about trying to have the right setup on the car as I have in the past. It’s awesome – it kinda lets me watch the racetrack more and worry about picking the right tires.

“The phone’s ringing off the hook with people wanting to buy these things,” continued Moyer, who plans a trip to California next week to visit with the Victory Circle gang. “I’m gonna have to draw the line here somewhere because I don’t have the time to do it all. We’re still working on things to make ‘em better, believe it or not.”

‘ILLINI 100’ PRACTICE NOTES: Joining Moyer with fast times on the stopwatch were such drivers as Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who won last year’s WoO LMS event at Farmer City; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; and Rick Eckert of York, Pa…

Eckert looked strong behind the wheel of a brand-new Rayburn car owned by Raye Vest…

Sweeteners Plus Racing teammates Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., spent time dialing in their mounts. Coffey is driving one of McCreadie’s No. 39 cars with an ‘x’ added to its door…

A car-destroying flip last Saturday night at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., didn’t force teenage WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Joe Isabell home to Pennellville, N.Y.

Isabell and his JIR Motorsports teammate, Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., were in the pits for Thursday’s hot laps. Isabell was behind the wheel of a Rayburn car that his father, Jeff, purchased on Tuesday from an Illinois team after noticing on the internet that it was for sale.

The younger Isabell and the JIR crew dropped a motor in their new car and hung a body on it during the week…

Lisa Shickel of Bloomington, Ill., saw her practice night end in rough fashion. Just as the final hot-lap session was waved off because rain was making the track surface too slick, Shickel slid over the berm between turns one and two and executed a slow rollover.

For more information on the ‘Illini 100,’ visit www.farmercityraceway.net or www.worldofoutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: Inaugural ‘Illini 100’ At Farmer City Raceway On April 4-5

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Month of Money’ continues this weekend (April 4-5) at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, where teams will compete in the inaugural ‘Illini 100.’

A $20,000 top prize from a purse of nearly $100,000 will be on the line in the blockbuster 100-lap A-Main, which is billed as the biggest dirt Late Model event ever run in the state of Illinois.

With the venerable Farmer City facility sitting in the heart of UMP DIRTcar Racing country, the ‘Illini 100’ will be co-sanctioned by UMP DIRTcar and pit the expansive weekly sanctioning body’s best drivers against the touring stars of the WoO LMS.

* A two-day WoO LMS format will be in effect for the ‘Illini 100,’ with time trials and heat races taking place on Friday night (April 4) and the B-Mains and 100-lap headliner set for Saturday night (April 5).

Added attractions for the dirt Late Model racers include a special $1,000-to-win Douglas Pontiac-GMC-Dodge Dash for heat winners and two fast-timers on Friday night, and a 25-lap Non-Qualifiers Race on Saturday night that offers Farmer City’s regular weekly UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model purse ($1,000 to win/$150 to start) as well as UMP DIRTcar points.

An open practice session – with grandstand admission free to the public – is scheduled to kick off the weekend on Thursday (April 3) from 5-9 p.m.

Farmer City’s other weekly UMP DIRTcar Racing divisions will get a chance to perform in the spotlight during the weekend as well. With Friday night being Farmer City’s regular evening of racing, the track’s UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, Sportsman and Street Stocks will race a weekly show on the April 4 undercard, and then the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds will return on Saturday night for a $1,000-to-win special.

Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday, with competition to follow.

If needed, an additional raindate of April 25-26 (with an open practice on April 24) has been announced.

* Farmer City Raceway is a high-banked, quarter-mile oval conveniently located on Route 150 just off Exit 159 of Interstate 74, at the Farmer City/Dewitt County Fairgrounds.

* Reserved seats for the ‘Illini 100’ – encompassing the top-10 rows of the covered grandstand and the south bleachers – are on sale until April 3. After that date, all remaining seats will be general admission.

Two-night weekend pass tickets are $40. Single-night tickets will be $15 for Friday and $30 for Saturday, with ages 6-15 admitted for $5 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Children 5 and under will receive free admission to the spectator area.

Two-night adult pit passes are $60. Kids 4-11 will be allowed in the pit area for $15 each day, and children 3 and under will be admitted to the pits free of charge.

* Camping on the Farmer City Raceway grounds is free for the weekend (no hookups). The 60 drive-in parking spots around the outside of turns one and two, meanwhile, can be reserved for the weekend at a price of $50.

* Fans will want to arrive early on Saturday because they’ll have an opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the drivers during a special one-hour autograph session in the grandstand area before the start of racing.

In addition, several lucky fans will have a chance to race around the quarter-mile oval alongside a WoO LMS driver with the debut of the track’s new two-seater dirt Late Model. Details about rides in the two-seater will be available at the speedway.

* The ‘Illini 100’ will be the third WoO LMS event contested at Farmer City Raceway.

Billy Moyer was victorious in the first tour event, on Aug. 14, 2006, while Shannon Babb was triumphant on April 27, 2007. Both races were run over the 50-lap distance.

* Leading the WoO LMS charge to Farmer City will be the tour’s pair of regulars from central Illinois: Shannon Babb of Moweaqua and Brian Shirley of Chatham.

Babb will make his first appearance before his home crowd since making an off-season move to the new dirt Late Model team owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer. The 34-year-old standout, whose car still carries his familiar No. 18, won last year’s WoO LMS event at Farmer City.

Shirley, who will enter the race after celebrating his 27^th birthday on Wednesday, traveled most of the WoO LMS for the first time in 2007 and scored his first career tour victory along the way. One of two series regulars this season under the age of 30, the driver known as ‘Squirrel’ is focused on following the entire schedule in search of the championship.

Babb enters the ‘Illini 100’ as the hotter central Illinois driver, coming off a third-place finish in the WoO LMS ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. Shirley experienced bad luck in that event, finishing 24^th after dropping out early with an overheating engine.

* No dirt Late Model driver in the country is hotter right now than Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who will arrive at Farmer City having won two straight WoO LMS events and eight races overall in 2008. The three-time WoO LMS champion also leads the tour’s current points standings through three events.

Moyer, 50, is very excited about bringing his Victory Circle M1 Chassis to the ‘Illini 100.’

* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., will be looking to erase memories of his subpar outing last week in Mississippi when he hits the track at Farmer City, a bullring where he’s been a contender in both tour visits.

A uncharacteristically quiet 13^th-place finisher in the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ after being unable to recover from ignition-wire trouble during Friday’s time trials that put his Beitler Motorsports team behind, Francis finished third in the 2006 WoO LMS event at Farmer City and fourth in last year’s A-Main.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., the second-winningest driver on the WoO LMS since 2004 but without a Victory Lane visit since July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, has a brand-new Rayburn car that he expects to debut at Farmer City. The Rayburn mount is an addition to his Raye Vest-owned stable that already includes two GRT cars.

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who won all four of his 2007 WoO LMS A-Mains at tracks in the Midwest and finished fifth in the Farmer City event, is hoping a return to the region helps him reclaim his ’07 form. He enters the ‘Illini 100’ ranked ninth in the points standings after a forgettable outing in Mississippi – an unusual position for a driver who never ranked lower than third in the 2007 points race after the season opener.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., the youngest WoO LMS regular (he turned 20 on March 22), admittedly is more comfortable racing on big tracks than small ovals. But he’s confident about his chances at Farmer City, where he finished third in last year’s WoO LMS A-Main.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who finished fourth in the 2006 WoO LMS 50 at Farmer City, is off to a solid start on this year’s tour. After a sixth-place run last week in Mississippi (he moved from 10^th to the top-five early before fading slightly), the ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ is tied for third with Eckert in the points standings.

Lanigan and Moyer are the only drivers who have finished among the top 10 in all three WoO LMS A-Mains run to date.

* Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., the 2006 WoO LMS champion who is now a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver, is planning to enter the ‘Illini 100’ in his familiar Sweeteners Plus No. 39. He’s finished as high as second at Farmer City, in the 2006 WoO LMS event.

T-Mac will be joined at Farmer City by his Sweeteners Plus Racing teammate Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., a 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender.

* Well-known regional drivers with plans to pursue the ‘Illini 100’ trophy include defending UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who won the 2007 UMP DIRTcar Summernationals event at Farmer City; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill.; former WoO LMS regular Eric Jacobsen of Sea Cliff Beach, Calif.; and UMP DIRTcar Summernationals regular Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.

* Farmer City favorites expected to defend their home turf against the invaders include former Farmer City titlist Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.; defending track champion and 2007 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model Rookie of the Year Scott Bull of Fairbury, Ill.; Eric Smith of Shirley, Ill.; Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.; Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill.; and Junior Shickel of Bloomington, Ill.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of March 29 - 3 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

Two World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars From Central Illinois Eye This Weekend’s $20,000 ‘Illini 100’ Prize At Farmer City Raceway

Local Heroes Babb & Shirley Primed For Biggest Dirt Late Model Race Ever Run In Illinois

FARMER CITY, IL – April 1, 2008 – Racing in front of family and friends at Farmer City Raceway has always meant a lot to local heroes Shannon Babb and Brian Shirley.

But now, with both central Illinois natives touring nationally as World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars, coming ‘home’ to compete on familiar turf takes on some extra significance.

During this weekend’s inaugural ‘Illini 100’ at the venerable quarter-mile fairgrounds oval, Babb and Shirley will be showered with attention. They are, after all, local boys who have made good, two drivers who cut their teeth racing at Farmer City and now return as fulltime professional dirt-track stars traveling the country in search of a coveted World of Outlaws championship.

Both Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., and Chatham, Ill.’s Shirley, who turns 27 on April 2, are eyeing a victory in Saturday night’s ‘Illini 100’ – not only because it would give them a chance to celebrate with people they know and love, but also because the race’s $20,000 first-place prize makes it the biggest dirt Late Model event ever run in the state of Illinois.

“It would be so cool to win that race,” Babb said of the ‘Illini 100,’ which includes time trials and heat races on Friday night (April 4) and last-chance events and the A-Main on Saturday night (April 5). “It’s gonna be a killer show – the biggest race ever in Illinois, no doubt. Considering Farmer City is a track we grew up racing at, it would be so special to win it.”

“I think it would be great to see somebody from Illinois win the biggest dirt Late Model race we’ve ever had here,” added Shirley, one of the division’s top talents under the age of 30. “I’d love it to be me.”

Babb is especially anxious for the ‘Illini 100’ to arrive. The Farmer City event will provide him a rare opportunity to check in at his residence in Moweaqua, where his mail is still delivered but he hasn’t spent much time this year.

Babb’s home-away-from-home has been Welcome, N.C., where he’s been working alongside mechanics Jay Hunt and Tommy Grecco to effectively build a new dirt Late Model team for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer. A dirt racer in his native Kansas before breaking into NASCAR, Bowyer decided to field a full-fledged dirt Late Model effort this season and hired Babb to be his driver.

“I’ve been home four days since we started this deal (with Bowyer in late-December),” said Babb, who currently works on Bowyer’s equipment in a shop at the Richard Childress Racing headquarters but will soon move into a separate facility a quarter-mile away. “I wasn’t expecting to spend as much time in North Carolina as I have, but I’m doing everything I can to help get this going.

“Last year (driving for Billy Moyer Sr.) we weren’t prepared to do this whole (WoO LMS) deal, so we’re working hard to be ready this year.”

A five-time winner and 10^th-place finisher in the points standings on the 2007 WoO LMS despite dropping off the tour as a regular midway through the season, Babb has committed to following the entire 47-date, 23-state schedule this year with his Traeger Grills No. 18. He enters this weekend’s action ranked eighth in the WoO LMS points standings following a third-place finish in the tour’s third event of 2008, the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.

Babb is simply thrilled that a big-money, two-day show is finally taking place in the ‘Land of Lincoln’ – and that it’s at Farmer City, a track that he’s “gone around a million times” and won dozens of features at during his career.

“I’m telling you, it’s long overdue for Illinois to have a race like this,” said Babb, who won last year’s 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main at Farmer City. “I’m glad to see (Farmer City promoter Don) Hammer doing it. He’s a racer and he knows what people want. A big race (in Illinois) can be done, but nobody has ever put their foot forward and tried something this big.

“Illinois has a bigger fan base than most places. We’re in the heartland of the country, with so many racers, so many fans. I know this can work, and maybe it’ll be a good start for an on-going race.”

“Farmer City is no easy place to get around, and the local guys run real good there,” said Babb. “A heat race there is pretty grueling sometimes, so you’re gonna have to play it cool. It’s gonna be tough on you to finish 100 laps there, but it’ll go faster than you think.”

Shirley, meanwhile, will be shooting to give himself a slightly-belated birthday present when the ‘Illini 100’ takes the green flag on Saturday night. A victory would bring back memories of his first career win at Farmer City, which he earned in 2004 when the track’s season opener was held on his birthday.

“The first two years I ran at Farmer City (2002 and 2003), we’d go there and get our asses handed to us,” said Shirley, a former flat-track motorcycle star who began racing dirt Late Models in 2002. “The competition there on Friday nights has always been the best of any track in the area, so running there kind of let you know where you were at competition-wise. We knew we had to get better.

“Well, that winter (before the ’04 season) I kept telling people that I was gonna win on opening night because it was on my birthday, and I did that,” added Shirley, who led Babb under the checkered in the 2004 lidlifter. “It would be cool to do the same thing again (in the ‘Illini 100’).”

Coming off a 2007 season that saw him win his first career WoO LMS A-Main (at Illinois’s Lincoln Speedway) and finish eighth in the tour points standings (he entered 37 of 45 events and placed second in the Rookie of the Year race), Shirley has committed to running the entire WoO LMS schedule this season with longtime St. Louis-area team owner Ed Petroff. Luck hasn’t been on his side in the first three events of ’08 (he’s 12^th in the points standings), but he’s focused on giving his local supporters something to cheer about at Farmer City, where he’s won a half-dozen times in his short dirt Late Model career.

“I have a lot of appreciation for my fans back home,” said Shirley. “They don’t get to see me race much anymore because we’re on the road so much, but they all support me and what I’m trying to accomplish so I want to do good for them when I come home to race.”

Making an hour-and-a-half drive from his home in Chatham to race for big bucks at Farmer City puts a smile on the face of Shirley, who is happy to see a major event being held in his backyard.

“I don’t know what’s stopped us from having a big race in Illinois,” said Shirley, whose nickname is ‘Squirrel.’ “We have great racetracks here and the fans come out, so I think Illinois deserves a big show like other states have.

“I hope this race takes off so we can have another big race to look forward to every year.”

What will it take to win the first ‘Illini 100’ trophy? Shirley has a pretty good idea.

“One-hundred laps at Farmer City is gonna be tough,” said Shirley. “It’s gonna come down to whose car is prepared the best – and who ate their Wheaties!”

The ‘Illini 100’ weekend kicks off on Thursday (April 3) with an open practice session from 5-9 p.m. Free admission to the grandstand will give early-arriving fans and intrigued locals a chance to check out the star-studded group of drivers expected to participate in the event.

The WoO LMS ‘Illini 100’ competition will be spread over two nights, beginning on Fri., April 4, with time trials, qualifying heats and a special $1,000-to-win Douglas Pontiac-GMC-Dodge Dash for heat winners and two fast-timers. Sat., April 5, is reserved for B-Mains, a 25-lap Non-Qualifiers Race offering Farmer City’s regular weekly UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model purse ($1,000 to win/$150 to start) as well as UMP DIRTcar points, and the 100-lap headliner.

Farmer City’s other weekly UMP DIRTcar Racing divisions will get a chance to perform in the spotlight during the weekend as well. With Friday night being Farmer City’s regular evening of racing, the track’s UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, Sportsman and Street Stocks will race a weekly show on the Fri., April 4, undercard, and then the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds will return on Saturday night for a $1,000-to-win special.

Fans will enjoy a host of auxiliary activities during the weekend, including a chance to experience Farmer City’s fast quarter-mile layout alongside a WoO LMS driver with the debut of the track’s new two-seater dirt Late Model and an autograph session with the ‘Illini 100’ entrants in the grandstand area before Saturday night’s program.

Hot laps are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday, with competition to follow.

Farmer City Raceway is conveniently located on Route 150 just off Exit 159 of Interstate 74, at the Farmer City/Dewitt County Fairgrounds.

For more information on the ‘Illini 100,’ visit www.farmercityraceway.net or call 217-737-7134 or 217-828-0078.

Sizzling Billy Moyer Rolls To $20,000 Triumph In ‘March Through Dixie 100’ At Pike County Speedway

MAGNOLIA, MS – March 29, 2008 – Billy Moyer added a stop in Mississippi to his spectacular 2008 victory tour, hitting paydirt in Saturday night’s inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway.

The sizzling dirt Late Model legend from Batesville, Ark., pocketed $20,150 for his convincing triumph in the first-ever WoO LMS event at promoter J.F. Gasquet’s high-banked, three-eighths-mile oval.

It was Moyer’s eighth overall win of the young 2008 campaign – all behind the wheel of the same Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle M1 Chassis he helped develop – and his second straight in WoO LMS competition. He won the last tour event run six weeks ago, on Feb. 16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

“I’m just enjoying this as long as it lasts,” said Moyer, who leads the WoO LMS points standings on the strength of two wins and a third-place finish in three events. “You just never know what tomorrow is gonna bring in this sport. The competition level is second to none, with so many great cars out here.

“Believe me, I’ve been on both ends of the wave. I’ve been on the top, like we are right now, and I’ve been on the bottom, kicking and trying to figure out how I got to the bottom as hard as I was working.”

The driver known as ‘Mr. Smooth’ led all but one lap of the extra-distance affair. He surged forward from the fourth starting spot to grab the lead from polesitter James Ward of Lettsworth, La., on lap two and never looked back, racing virtually unchallenged for the remainder of a race slowed by only three caution flags.

A three-time WoO LMS champion (1988, 1989, 2005), Moyer crossed the finish line with a 1.045-second edge on 2004 tour titlist Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. Bloomquist, who started sixth, slipped by Ward for second place on a lap-42 restart but couldn’t summon enough speed in his homebuilt ‘Team Zero’ mount to seriously threaten Moyer.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished third in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rayburn car, just over two seconds behind Bloomquist at the checkered flag.

Ward, a 37-year-old Gulf Coast standout in his second year of open-motor dirt Late Model action, held on to place fourth in Dick Allen’s MasterSbilt machine. He 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 points standings.

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., hustled his RSD Enterprises Rocket around the outside of the track to finish fifth after starting 13^th, righting a season that he started with DNFs in each of the first two events.

Competing at a track where he was last victorious in the mid-‘90s, Moyer survived an opening-lap scrape with Ward to continue his early-season hot streak.

“The 3 (Ward) got into my left front and I almost thought I was gonna sell the farm and wreck it,” Moyer said of his closest call. “Luckily Scott (Bloomquist) was behind me as well as some other guys who’ve been around the block a time or two, so they didn’t get in the back of me and cause a big melee.”

Moyer escaped the contact and grabbed the lead from Ward. He proceeded to build more than a straightaway advantage by the time the race’s first caution flag flew, on lap 42 for Ruston, La., driver Kenny Merchant’s stopped car, and didn’t have much trouble maintaining command once Bloomquist took up the chase following the restart.

Even while keeping a relatively conservative pace, Moyer kept Bloomquist at arm’s length.

“The track was pretty racy, but the last half (of the race) I was pretty much on the bottom,” said Moyer, whose car was powered by a Clements engine. “I figured (Bloomquist) was pretty darn close to me so I wanted to stay where I thought the traction was on the racetrack. I searched around a little, but I kinda played some defense because I knew the tires we had on weren’t gonna have much left at the end of the race.”

Bloomquist, 44, pegged Moyer’s Hoosier tire choice as the likely deciding factor in the 100.

“We saw what tire he ran and knew he was the only one out there with that tire, (which had) a different type of rubber,” said Bloomquist. “When he fired as good as he did (at the initial start) with that tire, I knew he’d be tough.

“I thought we might have a shot when we started gaining on him in three and four (at mid-race), but we weren’t quite good enough. We gave it a good shot – and I think for the tires we ran and the combination we had, it was a good night for us.”

Moyer registered his record 33^rd career WoO LMS victory. Eleven of his wins have come since 2004 when the World Racing Group rekindled the tour – a period during which Bloomquist’s 16 wins leads all drivers.

The one driver who appeared to have an opportunity to battle Moyer and Bloomquist for supremacy was Babb, who recovered from a difficult opening circuit to record a season-best finish.

“I don’t know what happened on the start,” said Babb, who started third. “I got bunched up behind (Ward). Maybe he had hard tires on and didn’t fire, because I kinda wanted to push him down the straightaway. That cost me some spots and I thought, We are definitely in trouble.

“But we come back there with an alright run. It’s been awhile since the last time we raced, so it’s great to get a third, especially behind Billy, who’s been phenomenal this year, and Scott, who’s no slouch either.”

Babb pulled off one of the most memorable moves of the race to seize third place, going to the outside of turns three and four on lap 44 to pass Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Ward in one deft sweep. He couldn’t run down the leaders, but his rally spiced up the event.

“The track was actually really racy,” said Babb. “They had a helluva good racetrack, but it was one of those deals where you had to hit it just right to slingshot by a guy.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 were Lanigan, who climbed as high as fourth from the 10^th starting spot; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who raced as high as third; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.; and Chris Wall of Holden, La., a top regional driver.

Two B-Mains kicked off the second night of the weekend program, with defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., scoring victories.

The night’s wildest moment came on the opening lap of the first B-Main when WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., barrel-rolled down the backstretch after a mid-pack scramble caused his JIR Motorsports car to slide sideways and dig into the track. The 18-year-old driver’s completely-demolished car came to rest with its front end over the turn-three wall and its rearend suspended on the concrete, but he escaped the wreck uninjured.

Next up for the WoO LMS is the ‘Illini 100’ on April 4-5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. The inaugural event at the quarter-mile oval will pay $20,000 to win, making it the biggest dirt Late Model show ever run in the state of Illinois.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘March Through Dixie 100’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Steve Francis, 2. Josh Richards, 3. Brian Shirley, 4. Robbie Stuart, 5. Dwight Falcon, 6. Jason Cliburn, 7. Howard Willis, 8. Joe Isabell (DNS) Kenneth Crowe

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. John Blankenship, 2. David Breazeale, 3. Rob Litton, 4. Clint Smith, 5. Justin McRee, 6. Bub McCool, 7. Danny Johnson, 8. David Ashley

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of March 29 - 3 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Fuller Sets Fast Time, Heats Go To Bloomquist, Ward, Babb & Moyer On Opening Night Of ‘March Through Dixie 100’ Weekend At Pike County Speedway

MAGNOLIA, MS – March 28, 2008 – Former World of Outlaws Late Model Series champions Scott Bloomquist and Billy Moyer, tour regular Shannon Babb and local standout James Ward scored heat-race victories during Friday night’s qualifying action for the inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway.

Thirty-six cars were signed in for competition as the WoO LMS resumed after a six-week break following last month’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park.

Mooresburg, Tenn.’s Bloomquist, who captured the WoO LMS title in 2004, registered a flag-to-flag win in the evening’s first 10-lap heat. He outgunned the night’s fastest qualifier, Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., for the lead at the drop of the green flag and never looked back.

Fuller, whose qualifying lap of 16.196 seconds gave him his first WoO LMS fast-time honor since Aug. 16, 2005, at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, N.Y., pressured Bloomquist late in the opening prelim but settled for second place in his Gypsum Express Rocket mount.

Batesville, Ark.’s Moyer, meanwhile, was triumphant in the fourth heat race. The three-time WoO LMS champ, who enters the weekend tied for the tour points lead, surged forward from the fourth starting spot to grab the lead in his red-hot Victory Circle chassis.

Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., drove his Clint Bowyer-owned Rayburn car to victory in the third heat race, outdistancing Rick Eckert of York, Pa., by more than a second at the checkered flag.

The Cinderella story of the night was authored by Ward, a 37-year-old from Lettsworth, La., who is in just his second season running open-motor dirt Late Model events. A second-place finisher in last year’s ‘Jambalaya 100’ event at Pike County, Ward cruised to a convincing win over fellow Gulf Coast standout Ray Moore of Shreveport, La.

The top-two finishers in each heat race will participate in a redraw for the top-eight starting spots in the $20,000-to-win ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on Saturday night.

Perhaps the best move of the qualifying heats was made by 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who slipped by Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., on the final lap of the fourth prelim to snare a second-place finish. Carrier went to the outside of turns three and four to pull off the dramatic pass.

WoO LMS co-points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., was involved in the wildest incident of the evening. He spun in turn one on the seventh lap of Heat 3 after coming together with Kenny Merchant of Ruston, La., as they battled for fourth place.

The twirl forced Richards to a Saturday-night B-Main, where he’ll be joined by, among other Friday non-qualifiers, defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.

Francis was set back during time trials, when his Dale Beitler-owned No. 19 suddenly shut off on his second lap due to a burnt ignition wire.

The ‘March Through Dixie 100’ weekend continues on Saturday night (March 29) with a show that features WoO LMS B-Mains and big-money 100-lap headliner. Also on the card is action for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks.

Pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and spectator gates at 4 p.m. A driver autograph session will run from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the grandstand area, and then cars will begin hitting the track.

A raindate of Sun., March 30, has been reserved for the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Bloomquist, Fuller, Frank, Clanton, Francis, Shirley, Isabell, Willis, Stuart

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Ward, Moore, Lanigan, Wall, Blankenship, C. Smith, Litton, Chandler, McDonald

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Eckert, Merchant, Boland, Cliburn, Richards, Falcon (DNS) Cummings, McRee

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Carrier, Briggs, Mars, Breazeale, Ashley, McCool, D. Johnson (DNS) Crowe

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

VP RACING NAMED “PREFERRED FUEL OF THE CIRCLE K COLOSSAL 100”

CONCORD, NC (March 27, 2008) The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway announced today VP Racing Fuels has been selected as the “Preferred Fuel of the Circle K Colossal 100.” "Given VP's long-standing and well-deserved reputation for unsurpassed quality and consistency, we're proud to recognize them as the Preferred Fuel of the Colossal 100," said Matt Long, Director-Corporate Sales for Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The prestigious dirt Late Model ‘crown jewel’ event is scheduled April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s in Concord, NC and will pay the winner $50,000.

“The Colossal 100 is one of the premier events in dirt track racing and we’re excited to be its ‘Preferred Fuel,” said Steve Scheidker, VP’s Director-Marketing & Communications. "Partnering with the Colossal allows VP to demonstrate its unique ability to develop custom fuels for optimum performance.”

“Dirt track racing, in particular, places unique demands on a racing fuel,” Scheidker continued. “More and more dirt Late Model teams have come to appreciate not only the increased horsepower and extra torque offered by VP’s Late Model Plus™ racing fuel, but also its ability to lower engine operating temperatures. The results speak for themselves when you look at the winners who choose VP, including Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens and many others.”

“The Colossal 100 also provides a great forum for the introduction of VP113™, VP’s newest racing fuel targeted at the dirt track market,” Scheidker added. “For racers who aspire to join the super Late Model ranks, VP113 offers the performance advantages and consistency they need to power their hobby stock, limited sportsman, open wheel modified and other applications with slightly lower compression and octane requirements.”

VP Racing is the Official Racing Fuel of NHRA Championship Drag Racing, American LeMans and Championship Off Road Racing (CORR), as well as sponsor of Champ Car Atlantic and Star Mazda, among many other series.

VP Racing has been manufacturing the best fuels for motorsports since 1975, currently producing nearly 70 unique blends. With these blends, VP has fueled champions in virtually every racing category and class -- from drag racing, circle track and road racing to motocross, off-road, off-shore and even airplane racing. More information can be obtained from VP’s website – vpracingfuels.com.

-30-

Contacts:

VP Racing Fuels – Steve Scheidker, 210-635-7744; [email protected]

Lowe’s – Matt Long, 704-455-4367; [email protected]

Steve Scheidker
Director-Marketing & Communications
VP Racing Fuels
PO Box 47878
San Antonio, TX 78265
T) 210.635.7744
F) 210.635.8314

CONCORD, NC – March 27, 2008 - DIRTVision.com is proud to announce the release of the 2008 DIRTVision Cybercast schedule.

With more then 20 LIVE video events, 2008 will be the best season yet for the DIRTVision Cybercast.

The DIRTVision Cybercast first hits the airwaves on April 15 at Lernerville Speedway with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, and will wrap up the year with the opening night of the World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowes Motor Speedway.

Users can catch all the action in 2008 by purchasing the DIRT Track Ticket yearly subscription. For only $59.99, users can watch all the LIVE VIDEO broadcasts on DIRTVision.com. The yearly DIRT Track Ticket subscription includes all Pay Per View events.

Users can also purchase each LIVE Video event through our Pay Per View option. Prices will vary on depending on the number of event included in the Pay Per View.

Prices and pay per view names are outlined on the schedule below, but note that purchasing the season pass will save over $100 over purchasing each event through the Pay Per View option.

Those who miss the live events will still be able to purchase a subscription to watch the live show ‘on-demand.’

All subscribers will still have access to the popular live chat as well as up-to-date race notes.

Users can sign-up using a Visa or MasterCard on a payment server at DIRTVision.com

To tune in visit www.dirtvision.com, log in, click on ‘subscription’ to order, and you’re off to the races. Viewers will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher, and internet explorer 6 or higher to view DIRTVision Cybercast. Users with Mac computers need flip4Mac to watch.

The DIRTVision Cybercast is presented by BUTLERbuilt professional seating systems. Call 704-784-1027 and Let BUTLERbuilt build you an advantage!

(All events are Live Video, DIRT Track ticket yearly subscription includes all Events

World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: ‘March Through Dixie 100’ At Pike County Speedway On March 28-29

* Following a six-week break, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series heads to the Gulf Coast this weekend (March 28-29) for the inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway.

Idle since a pair of season-opening events on Feb. 14 and 16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., the WoO LMS resumes in a big way. The ‘March Through Dixie 100’ offers a $20,000 first-place prize from a total purse of nearly $100,000.

The top-10 finishers in the 2007 points standings – Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Clint Smith, Shane Clanton, Rick Eckert, Josh Richards, Darrell Lanigan, Tim Fuller, Brian Shirley and Shannon Babb – will lead the WoO LMS charge to southern Mississippi. The drivers have committed to following the entire series in ’08 – forming arguably the strongest top-to-bottom group of championship contenders in the tour’s history – and are ready to continue jockeying for points position in the extra-distance special.

With weather forecasts calling for afternoon highs in the low 80s and nighttime temps around 60, a spectacular weekend is in the making for what just may be the biggest early-season dirt Late Model event ever run in Mississippi. It is also the only scheduled visit to Mississippi in 2008 for the WoO LMS.

* A typical two-day WoO LMS format will be in effect for the ‘March Through Dixie 100,’ with time trials and heat races taking place on Friday night (March 28) and the B-Mains and 100-lap headliner set for Saturday night (March 29).

On Fri., March 28, pit gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Cars will begin hitting the track at 6 p.m.

Saturday will see the pit gates open at 2 p.m. and spectator gates at 4 p.m., with cars beginning to pack the track at 6 p.m.

The Friday program will also include qualifying heats for Pike County’s weekly UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks and heats and features for the Limited Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Saturday night’s WoO LMS undercard will include last-chance races and features for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks.

A raindate of Sun., March 30, has been reserved for the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

* Pike County Speedway is a three-eighths-mile, high-banked clay oval that has undergone an aggressive refurbishment program since its purchase three years ago by Louisiana businessman J.F. Gasquet. The track is located directly off Exit 8 of Interstate 55 in Magnolia, Miss., about 85 miles south of Jackson, Miss.; 90 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, La.; 105 miles northwest of New Orleans; and 140 miles northwest of Gulfport, Miss.

* General admission will be $20 on Friday and $25 on Saturday, with kids ages 6-12 admitted for $10 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Pit passes will cost $35 on Friday and $40 on Saturday.

* Pike County Speedway has a limited number of overnight camping spots that can be reserved for $15 per night by calling the track office at 504-394-5530. There is no overnight charge for race teams spending the night inside their haulers in the pit area.

Track officials said that each race team will be permitted to use only two ATV four-wheelers in the pit area and children can not drive them. Teams can obtain badges that allow the use of four-wheelers for the weekend at the pit registration.

* The ‘March Through Dixie 100’ will be the first-ever WoO LMS event held at Pike County Speedway, which last hosted a national dirt Late Model touring series on July 22, 1995, when the old UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series visited the track.

The WoO LMS was scheduled to make its debut at Pike County in July 2007 for the running of the ‘Freedom 100,’ but heavy rain forced the cancellation of the event.

* How fast will the WoO LMS regulars find the prime setup at Pike County? The only driver among the 10 committed travelers who has previously raced at the track is Senoia, Ga.’s Clint Smith, who ran the 1995 UDTRA/Xtreme event there en route to a third-place finish in the tour’s points standings that season.

Of course, defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., is ready for the challenge of visiting a new track.

“I heard (Pike County) kinda resembles Baton Rouge (Raceway in Baker, La., where the WoO LMS raced in 2006 and 2007) a little bit,” said Francis, who is driving Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting No. 19 this season. “If we think that’s the case when we get there and look at the track, then we’ll put in a baseline setup and go from there.”

* Hot off victories in back-to-back unsanctioned dirt Late Model events at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway over the past month, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., will be at Pike County hoping to end his frustrating 59-race WoO LMS winless streak. His last tour victory came on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., is hopeful that a trip to Mississippi will shake him from the doldrums that have plagued his racing effort so far this season. Bad luck knocked him out of both WoO LMS events last month at Volusia – the first night as he led, the second while he was bidding for a top-five spot – and he remained snake-bit in a handful of appearances closer to home during the past month’s break from WoO LMS competition.

* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders expected to enter the weekend’s action include Heartland veteran Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., longtime DIRTcar big-block Modified superstar Danny Johnson of Rochester, N.Y., and teenager Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y. Johnson and Isabell are teammates with the JIR Motorsports team.

* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., hasn’t committed to chasing the entire tour in 2008, but he’s tied for the points lead with Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., after a victory last month in Florida and he’s planning to bring his red-hot Victory Circle Chassis machine to the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’ He finished third in last November’s ‘Jambalaya 100’ at Pike County.

* Richard Childress Racing Development Driver Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won the 2006 WoO LMS championship, plans to have his familiar Sweeteners Plus Racing No. 39 in the Pike County pit area.

* Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. – two drivers who have been WoO LMS regulars in the past – are planning to enter the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’ Both are ranked among the top-12 in the current points standings.

Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., who came out of last month’s Florida shows sitting tied for fourth in the WoO LMS points standings, is also a possible entry at Pike County.

* Chris Wall of Holden, La. – the popular Gulf Coast star known as the ‘Intimagator’ – enters the weekend’s action as the regional driver most likely to upset the invading stars. Coming off a Mississippi State Challenge Series victory at Pike County on March 15, Wall feels confident about his chances.

With his home only an hour’s drive from Pike County, Wall figures to have strong support in the grandstand from his family, friends and fans.

Other regional standouts expected to be contenders include former Jambalaya 100 winner David Ashley of Zachary, La.; David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss.; James Ward of Lettsworth, La., who finished second in the 2007 Jambalaya 100; Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala.; and Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss.

* Jimmy Mars will make the 1,130-mile trek due south from his Menomonie, Wis., home to compete at Pike County, where he won the Jambalaya 100 last November.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Tour’s ‘Month of Money’ Ready To Start; Outlaws Birthday Boys; SPEED Television Dates

HERE WE GO: They’ve had six weeks to recharge and reload since last month’s season-opening World of Outlaws Late Model Series events in Florida.

Beginning with this weekend’s inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., the WoO LMS will embark full-bore on a 31-week, map-hopping odyssey to determine its 2008 champion.

And no stretch of the campaign will be more lucrative than the ensuing four weeks, which can easily be called the tour’s ‘Month of Money.’ With three high-dollar 100-lappers highlighting the upcoming springtime schedule, there’s a robust $110,000 in first-place cash on the line over the next five WoO LMS races.

“This is a great way for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series to dive into the busiest season we’ve ever had,” said tour director Tim Christman, alluding to the heart of a schedule that currently shows 47 confirmed events at 40 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces. “In a four-week span we’ll run three of our biggest events of the year and also visit two of the top facilities in the country – and best of all, if someone gets hot, they can really build up their bank account.”

The WoO LMS version of the ‘Month of Money’ kicks off with the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at the three-eighths-mile Pike County Speedway, where a $20,000 winner’s check has been posted. Time trials and heat races are set for Fri., March 28, with the B-Mains and 100-lap headliner scheduled for Sat., March 29.

Another two-day, $20,000-to-win extravaganza is on tap for April 4-5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, a quarter-mile fairgrounds oval that will host the inaugural ‘Illini 100.’ Following an identical format to Pike County with time trials and heats on Friday night and the last-chance events and A-Main on Saturday night, the ‘Illini 100’ will be the biggest dirt Late Model event ever run in the Land of Lincoln.

Then there’s the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. A stop on the WoO LMS for the second straight season and already acknowledged as one of dirt Late Model racing’s crown-jewel events, the two-day show boasts a first prize of $50,000 from a total purse of $200,000.

Sandwiched between the weekend spectaculars are a pair of 50-lap, $10,000-to-win events on the East Coast. The WoO LMS makes its now-traditional early-season stop at Bill Sawyer’s pristine Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va., for the ‘Rumble on the River IV’ on Fri., April 11, then heads to Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for the ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ on Tues., April 15.

MAKE A WISH: WoO LMS stars Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., celebrated birthdays in recent days.

Smith, the veteran known as ‘Cat Daddy,’ had more candles on his birthday cake. He turned 43 on March 20.

Richards, meanwhile, left the ranks of “teenage sensation,” turning 20 on March 22.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Just two of the 10 drivers committed to following the 2008 WoO LMS turned competitive laps over the weekend.

Clint Smith and Locust Grove, Ga.’s Shane Clanton stayed in their homestate to enter Saturday night’s O’Reilly Southern All-Stars Series event at Lavonia Speedway. Smith scored an 11^th-place finish in the A-Main, while Clanton saw his horrid early-season luck continue as he scratched from the feature after running into trouble during his qualifying heat.

Several other drivers had their plans to go racing short-circuited by weather cancellations, including Richards and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway on Saturday) and Bluegrass State stars Steve Francis and Darrell Lanigan (Kentucky’s Florence Speedway on Saturday).

Of the 10 WoO LMS regulars, Lanigan, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., have not entered a single event since the finale of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 16 at Volusia Speedway Park.

TELEVISION TIME: Six WoO LMS events in 2008 will be televised on SPEED, World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter announced to a live television audience during Sunday night’s edition of Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain on the cable network.

As part of an exclusive broadcast agreement with SPEED that also features the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, the WoO LMS package will include five tape-delayed events and one live broadcast.

Highlighting the WoO LMS’s television package is the season-ending ‘Outlaws World Finals’ show at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. SPEED will carry a live broadcast of both the Late Model and Sprint Car action from the four-tenths-mile oval on Sat., Nov. 1, from 8-11 p.m. ET.

The ‘Outlaws World Finals’ and the WoO LMS ‘Firecracker 100’ on June 28 at Lernerville Speedway will be two of five multi-hour, ‘super-sized’ World of Outlaws programs shown on SPEED in 2008. The $40,000-to-win ‘Firecracker 100’ will be taped and then broadcast in a two-hour format on Sun., July 13, from 5-7 p.m. ET.

Other WoO LMS events that will be broadcast on SPEED include the July 9 ‘Gopher 50’ at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. (airing on Sat., Aug. 16, from 4-5 p.m. ET); the July 25 event at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (airing on Sat., Aug. 23, from 4-5 p.m. ET); the July 26 program at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio (airing on Sun., Aug. 31, from 12-1 p.m. ET); and the Aug. 31 ‘Oil Region Labor Day Classic’ at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. (airing on Sun., Sept. 7, from 6-7 p.m. ET).

NEXT UP: More information on this weekend’s ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway can be found at www.pikecountyspeedway.com.

World of Outlaws Racing Exclusively On SPEED in 2008, Broadcast Partnership Includes Three LIVE Broadcasts

CONCORD, N.C. — March 23, 2008 — World Racing Group announced today that SPEED will be the exclusive television partner for World of Outlaws racing in 2008. The partnership will be anchored by five super-sized multi-hour events, three of which will be broadcast live, including the highly successful World of Outlaws World Finals season finale.

There will be 25 hours of Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws Late Model Series action, featuring a combination of live and tape-delayed broadcasts beginning on May 23 with the super-sized three-hour Rite Aid Outlaw Showdown broadcast LIVE from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“The World of Outlaws broadcasts in 2007 showed us how exciting dirt track racing can be on television,” said Rick Miner, SPEED Senior VP of Production and Network Operations. “The success of the World Finals show from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway gave us a gameplan for ’08, and as part of that plan we will be treating the five new super-sized events just as we do any other major motorsports event on SPEED, which should significantly raise the profile of World of Outlaws racing.”

A return to SPEED in 2008 as the exclusive television outlet for World of Outlaws racing will bring consistency and awareness to the viewers.

“The broadcast agreement with SPEED continues the solid growth we realized in 2007,” said World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter. “The more than 75 million viewers on SPEED give our corporate partners, like Advance Auto Parts, as well as our teams and our promoters, the greatest opportunity to reach our fans on a consistent basis. SPEED is the home for racing on television and we’re excited to again have the World of Outlaws on SPEED this season.”

Among the 25 hours of coverage will be a three-hour LIVE event with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series to kick off the 2008 TV schedule on May 23 from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway; a two-hour Firecracker 100 special from Lernerville Speedway featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series; a two-hour Kings Royal special from Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway; a three-hour LIVE broadcast from the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway; and the three-hour LIVE season-finale from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

For more information on the World of Outlaws, visit WorldOfOutlaws.com. For the latest from SPEED, including their World of Outlaws section, visit their new Web site at SPEEDtv.com.

(‘LM’ indicates a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. All other broadcasts feature the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.)

World of Outlaws To Make Major Announcement Sunday Night on SPEED’s ‘Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain’

CONCORD, N.C. — March 20, 2008 — World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter will join “Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain” at 9 p.m. Eastern Sunday night on SPEED to make a major media announcement regarding the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

“We have some very exciting news to share with our teams, our corporate partners and our fans,” Carter said. “We wanted to announce it on a large stage, and after Dave’s terrific job during the World of Outlaws World Finals we are pleased to be able to make the announcement on his program. I hope everybody tunes into SPEED at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday for the news.”

Louisiana’s Chris Wall Hopes To Give His ‘Gator Zone’ Something To Cheer About In ‘March Through Dixie 100’ At Pike County Speedway

Popular ‘Intimagator’ Ready To Battle World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars On March 28-29

MAGNOLIA, MS – March 20, 2008 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will be in the ‘Gator Zone’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway.

And if Chris Wall – the Gulf Coast star known as the ‘Intimagator’ – puts on a show in the ‘March Through Dixie 100,’ you can take it to the bank that the grandstand section occupied by his rabid supporters will be chomp-chomp-chomping it up in glee.

With Wall expecting perhaps three-dozen family members and hundreds of his local fans to be looking on, he’s laser-focused on giving them something to cheer about in a $20,000-to-win spectacular that will boast the most talented field ever to assemble at the three-eighths-mile oval.

“I’m real excited,” said the 39-year-old Wall, whose home in Holden, La., is about an hour’s drive from Pike County Speedway. “If I could win a World of Outlaws race in front of my hometown crowd, with all my family, friends and fans watching, it would definitely be the biggest highlight of my career.”

An approachable fan-favorite whose ‘Intimagator’ nickname derives from his ownership of the C&M Gator Farm in Springfield, La. (he harvests and raises alligators for such customers as meat markets and high-end leather manufacturers), Wall has steadily risen in recent years to his current status as the Gulf Coast Region driver with the best chance of defeating the national stars of the WoO LMS. He’s finished as high as second in a WoO LMS event (on March 17, 2006, at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La.), and last year he scored seventh-place finishes in tour shows at Baton Rouge and Columbus (Miss.) Speedway (where he ran in the top five until the race’s final laps).

Wall brings his Intimagator Racing team, which he fields with his wife Missy, to Pike County riding a wave of early-season momentum. He’s already won two features in 2008, including a Mississippi State Challenge Series event on March 15 at Pike County that he earned using the same combination (MastersBilt by Stuckey car, Wall2Wall Performance open-rules engine) he’ll drive in the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

“It’s not like winning against the Outlaws, but having two wins under your belt already does boost your confidence,” said Wall, who won a career-high 23 features in 2006 but fell to seven victories in ’07 while plagued with bad luck. “Running a race at Pike County also helps a lot. We went there to try and get dialed in a little for the Outlaw show because that’s some pretty big money on the line in our backyard, and I think we learned some things.”

Wall said Pike County’s clay surface on March 15 was a “good, all-around racetrack,” the kind of surface that could produce exciting, competitive action during the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

“You never know what a dirt track will do – that’s the challenge of the sport,” said Wall. “But I think if the track is like it was for the (Mississippi) State race, the Outlaw show could be a real good race.

“And if we run like we did (on March 15), I think we can do real well (against the Outlaws). I think we can at least pull off a top-five (finish).”

Of course, Wall’s goal – as it is every time he drives onto a racetrack – is to win the race, but he understands how tough conquering the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ will be.

“I’m definitely confident that we can win, but it almost seems unrealistic that we can do it,” said Wall, hailing the talented drivers he’ll be facing. “We’re optimistic, and we’re showing up to win. But if we finish in the top 10, or top five, against that caliber of competition, that’s O.K. We won’t hang our heads.”

“Before a big race like this you have to make sure you do your homework and are prepared 110 percent,” said Wall. “And you gotta be careful not to out-think yourself when you’re at the track running against the best guys. You have to realize that these guys put on their pants one leg at a time just like you do.”

The all-star roster of WoO LMS regulars that Wall will battle features defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; ’07 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan.

Other well-known national names planning to enter the event include Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won the 2006 WoO LMS title and is currently a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver; three-time WoO LMS champ Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.; Pike County’s 2007 Jambalaya 100 winner Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.

Wall also expects to joined by a host of his fellow Gulf Coast standouts, including former Jambalaya 100 winner David Ashley of Zachary, La. (“He will be a contender,” asserted Wall); David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss. (“He’s changed chassis manufacturers this year and is still getting on track, but he’ll get it together,” said Wall); and James Ward of Lettsworth, La., who finished second in the 2007 Jambalaya 100.

The ‘March Through Dixie 100’ kicks off on Fri., March 28. Pit gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Cars will begin hitting the track at 6 p.m.

The Friday program will also include qualifying heats for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks and heats and features for the Limited Modifieds and Pure Stocks.

On Sat., March 29, pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and spectator gates at 4 p.m. A driver autograph session will run from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the grandstand area, and cars will begin packing the track at 6 p.m.

Saturday night’s card will include B-Mains and the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ A-Main, plus last-chance races and features for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks.

A raindate of Sun., March 30, has been reserved for the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

General admission will be $20 on Friday and $25 on Saturday, with kids ages 6-12 admitted for $10 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Pit passes will cost $35 on Friday and $40 on Saturday.

Farmer City Raceway promoters TruSpeed, Inc. have released
details on the April 4th and 5th World of Outlaws Illini 100!
March 14, 2008 by Racenut

World of Outlaw Late Models Invade Farmer City Raceway

Join us April 4th and 5th as the World of Outlaw Late Models invade Farmer City Raceway for the Illini 100!
This will be a two day event with the schedule of events posted below.

Thursday Night April 3rd-
Open Practice from 5pm to 9pm
Free to Spectators

Friday Night April 4th-
On track activities start at 7 pm
World of Outlaw Late Model Qualifying & Heat Races
PLUS $1000 to win Late Model Dash sponsored by Douglas Pontiac-GMC-Dodge in Clinton
Full Show for UMP Modifieds, Sportsmans & Street Stocks
Modifieds - $500 to win

Saturday Night April 5th-
On track activities start at 7 pm
World of Outlaw Late Model Semis, and Feature
Modified Qualifying
Full Show for UMP Modifieds Only.
World Of Outlaw Late Model Non-Qualifier Race Paying $1000 to win/$150 to start.
Illini 100 - World of Outlaw Late Models - 100 laps for $20,000 to win
UMP Modifieds - $1000 to win

Reserved Tickets for the WoO Show are $40 for the weekend.
The top 10 rows of the covered grandstand and the outside
bleachers to the south of the grandstand will be reserved.
The remaining seats will be general admission.

2 Day Event Tickets - $40
Single Night Tickets - $15 for Friday - $30 for Saturday
Kids 5 & Under - Free
6-15 - Friday - $5 -- Saturday - $15

Adult 2 Day Pit Passes - $60
Kids 3 & Under - Free
Kids 4-11 - $15/day

Camping is Free for the Weekend (No Hookups) Portable fire pits are welcomed.

Reserved Parking Spots along the fence in turns 1 & 2
will be $50 for the entire weekend.
We only have 60 spots, get yours now.
For a seating and parking map, check out our website at www.farmercityraceway.net

To Reserve Your Seats Send Check, Money Order,
or cashiers check (no credit cards)
along with your request to:

TruSpeed Inc.
P.O. Box 131
Clinton, IL 61727

For Questions call: 217.737.7134 or 217.828.0078

In other news, TruSpeed Inc. has also released the complete 2008 schedule, which includes highlights such as the UMP Summernationals on June 20th paying $10,000 to win for the late models, Huge Fireworks Display on July 4th
Co-Sponsored by the Farmer City Tourism Committee, Grain truck races Wednesday July 16th, The Farmer City 50, paying $5,000 to win for the late models on August 29th. The season wraps up on September 12th with
the third annual Four Cylinder Nationals paying $1,500 to win for the hornets.

Farmer City Raceway Primed To Make Illinois Dirt Late Model Racing History With Running Of ‘Illini 100’ On April 4-5

FARMER CITY, IL – March 17, 2008 – There’s never been a dirt Late Model event in the state of Illinois quite like this one.

The inaugural ‘Illini 100’ will be, plain and simple, the biggest dirt Late Model show ever run in the Land of Lincoln.

Set for April 4-5 at Farmer City Raceway, the blockbuster World of Outlaws Late Model Series program boasts a headline-grabbing $20,000 first-place prize from a total purse of nearly $100,000. It also figures to attract the most talented field and biggest crowd in the history of the venerable quarter-mile fairgrounds oval.

“There’s been a need for a really big Late Model race in Illinois for a long time,” said Don Hammer, who is beginning his fourth season as the promoter of Farmer City Raceway. “Dirt Late Model racing is incredibly popular in Illinois and every year there’s a ton of great races all over the state, but we’ve never had one major, big-money event that really stands out like you see in other states.

“Hopefully the ‘Illini 100’ can be that big event everyone in the dirt Late Model world identifies with Illinois. If the support is there – and I’m sure it is – then this year’s race at Farmer City will definitely be the start of a show that just grows bigger every year.”

With the foreseeable future for Farmer City Raceway looking bright in the wake of the town’s announcement that weekly racing will continue at the track for at least three more years, Hammer sees a season-opening spectacular like the ‘Illini 100’ as a perfect way to provide the speedway even more feel-good momentum.

“I might be a little bit prejudiced because I grew up here and raced (a dirt Late Model) here, but I believe Farmer City is one of the premier tracks in Illinois,” said Hammer. “A big race like the ‘Illini’ gives us the opportunity to attract a bunch of new fans and show them how exciting racing here can be.”

Hammer and his staff have already fielded ‘Illini 100’ ticket inquiries from fans in such varied states as Michigan, New York, North Dakota and Tennessee – not to mention neighboring states like Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin – so he has a first-hand sense of the growing interest in the event. It’s his mission to give the influx of spectators a springtime weekend to remember.

In that vein, a full slate of fun and excitement will comprise the ‘Illini 100,’ starting with an open practice session on Thurs., April 3, from 5-9 p.m. Free admission to the grandstand will give early-arriving fans and intrigued locals a chance to check out the star-studded group of drivers expected to participate in the event.

Farmer City’s other weekly UMP DIRTcar Racing divisions will get a chance to perform in the spotlight during the weekend as well. With Friday night being Farmer City’s regular evening of racing, the track’s UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, Sportsman and Street Stocks will race a weekly show on the Fri., April 4, undercard, and then the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds will return on Saturday night for a $1,000-to-win special.

The fans will be able to visit with many of the best national, regional and local drivers, including the all-star roster of WoO LMS regulars. Leading the WoO LMS contingent to Farmer City is the tour’s pair of standouts who hail from central Illinois – Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, who won last year’s WoO LMS event at Farmer City, and Brian Shirley of Chatham, who will shoot for ‘Illini 100’ glory just two days after celebrating his 27^th birthday. Both Babb and Shirley cut their racing teeth competing at Farmer City.

The WoO LMS points-chasers also includes defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., ’07 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan.

Other well-known names with plans to pursue the ‘Illini 100’ trophy include Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won the 2006 WoO LMS title and is currently a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver; defending UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who won the 2007 UMP DIRTcar Summernationals event at Farmer City; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.; Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill.; and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.

A bevy of Farmer City favorites are also expected to defend their home turf against the invaders, including former Farmer City titlist Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.; defending track champion and 2007 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model Rookie of the Year Scott Bull of Fairbury, Ill.; Eric Smith of Shirley, Ill.; 2007 Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.; Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill.; and Junior Shickel of Bloomington, Ill.

Reserved seats for the ‘Illini 100’ – encompassing the top-10 rows of the covered grandstand and the south bleachers – are now on sale. The remaining seats will be general admission.

Two-night adult pit passes are $60. Kids 4-11 will be allowed in the pit area for $15 each day, and children 3 and under will be admitted to the pits free of charge.

Camping on the Farmer City Raceway grounds is free for the weekend (no hookups). The 60 drive-in parking spots around the outside of turns one and two, meanwhile, can be reserved for the weekend at a price of $50.

Farmer City Raceway is conveniently located on Route 150 just off Exit 159 of Interstate 74, at the Farmer City/Dewitt County Fairgrounds.

For more information on the ‘Illini 100,’ visit www.farmercityraceway.net or call 217-737-7134 or 217-828-0078.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Francis Wins On A Flat; ‘Cat Daddy’ & Fuller Visit Alabama; Eckert Scores Again

THE FORTUNATE ONE: Steve Francis wouldn’t mind at all if the good luck he experienced last Thursday night (March 13) at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, Ky., carries over to his points-chasing on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

The defending WoO LMS champion emerged victorious in the opening event of KLMS’s scheduled three-night UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model ‘March Madness’ meet – with the right-rear tire on his Dale Beitler-owned No. 19 almost completely flat. He maintained just enough speed to nip 2007 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., at the finish line by inches.

“I started feeling it going down with about five (laps) to go (in the 40-lap A-Main),” Francis said of his tire. “More than anything, it was dumb luck that we were able to hold on.

“I knew Erb was coming on the bottom on the last lap, so going into (turn) three I just tried to go wide and stay against the little bit of brown (lane) instead of sliding in hard on the bottom and maybe rolling the tire under. The car was just pointed the right way when I picked the throttle back up off the corner and I was able to beat (Erb) to the line.”

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., continued his run of success in limited appearances at the three-eighths-mile oval promoted by Sherri Heckenast – he’s now won at least one race there in five straight seasons – and provided interested observers more proof that he’s easily meshed with Beitler’s team. It was his second victory of the season driving for Beitler, the veteran Maryland car owner who hired Francis in November.

“Everything’s going great,” Francis said of his deal with Beitler. “We can’t wait to go racing.”

For the next month or so, Francis will run two of Beitler’s Reliable Painting-sponsored Rocket cars out of his shop in Kentucky. The machines and Beitler’s hauler will stay based at Francis’s place to minimize travel; the team’s upcoming schedule shows events this weekend at either Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., or Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., then back-to-back, $20,000-to-win WoO LMS 100-lappers on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., and April 4-5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway.

“Robby (Allen, Beitler’s mechanical consultant) is back up in Maryland (at Beitler’s shop) going over the car we ran in all the races last month (in Georgia and Florida),” said Francis, who is tied for fourth in the WoO LMS points standings. “We’ll start racing that car and get everything back to Dale’s shop around the time of the World of Outlaws show at Lernerville (Speedway in Sarver, Pa., on April 15).”

FINDING A RACE: Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., met up last weekend and formed an unexpected caravan to Deep South Speedway, a four-tenths-mile oval between Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla.

Fuller, whose hauler and pair of Gypsum Express dirt Late Models have been parked at Smith’s shop since the end of last month’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals in Florida to help him save on gas costs and rig wear-and-tear, flew down to Atlanta last Thursday in hopes of joining Smith to run weekend events at North Georgia Speedway and Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway. Those races were washed out by the unruly weather that rolled across the Southeast, but the skies were clear at Deep South Speedway so they made a banzai run there to get in some action.

Smith, 42, ended up with the better finish in the two-day show, placing second to local driver Shep Lucas of McKenzie, Ala., in Saturday night’s unsanctioned 40-lap Super Late Model A-Main that paid $5,000 to win. He challenged Lucas, but his hopes were hampered by a track on which passing was difficult and the caution flags that prevented his harder tires from coming alive.

The 40-year-old Fuller, meanwhile, registered a new track record in Friday night’s time trials and won a heat race to earn the pole position in Saturday night’s feature, but he couldn’t shake the bad luck that plagued him last month in WoO LMS events at Volusia Speedway Park. He was the leader less than 10 laps into the A-Main when a hit from behind on a restart bent his car’s left-rear bodywork, leaving him with a cut tire two circuits later. He returned after changing the tire, but retired shortly thereafter and settled for a 13^th-place finish.

The WoO LMS traveling buddies returned to Smith’s shop at 6 o’clock on Sunday morning. Fuller spent the day cleaning and massaging his equipment before hopping on an evening flight back to upstate New York.

Fuller will enter this Saturday night’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series season opener for big-block Modifieds at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway before flying to Smith’s on March 27. Then he’ll fire up his hauler and drive to the WoO LMS ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway.

Smith, meanwhile, plans to compete at either Lavonia (Ga.) Speedway or Volunteer Speedway this weekend, then head to the Team GRT chassis shop in Greenbrier, Ark., at the beginning of the week. He’ll spend a few days at GRT getting a new rear clip put on his car that was damaged in a crash last month at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., and some updates added to his newest machine; then he’ll stop at his sponsor Don Cliburn’s Mississippi track, Jackson Motor Speedway, to do some testing before the WoO LMS weekend at Pike County.

Hoping to rebound after an uncharacteristic winless WoO LMS campaign in 2007, the York, Pa., driver continued to tune up for his busy touring schedule ahead by winning on Saturday afternoon for the second time in three weeks at Hagerstown Speedway. The $2,000 victory in the day’s 30-lap dirt Late Model feature allowed Eckert to already match his win total for the entire 2007 season.

After his trip to Volunteer Speedway was short-circuited by the cancellation of scheduled events on both Friday and Saturday, Eckert, 42, dashed back up Interstate 81 in time to enter Hagerstown’s unsanctioned show. He drove his Raye Vest-owned GRT car forward from the eighth starting spot to grab the lead from fellow WoO LMS regular Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., at the halfway mark and never looked back.

Richards, who was behind the wheel of the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 that he is running in many non-WoO LMS events this season, settled for a third-place finish.

NEW WHEELS: Chub Frank flew out to Nebraska last Friday to pick up his new hauler and trailer, which he had done by S&S.

The second-place finisher in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings drove his rig back home to Bear Lake, Pa., where he immediately began the process of stocking the conversion truck and trailer with everything he’ll need for the road.

Frank recently sold his old hauler and trailer – as well as one of his dirt Late Models – to eastern Ohio’s King Bros. Racing team. Young Russ King is making the move from big-block Modifieds to dirt Late Model competition this season.

NEXT UP: The 2008 WoO LMS gets rolling again on March 28-29 with the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway.

Arguably the biggest early-season dirt Late Model event ever run in the state of Mississippi, the big weekend will include time trials and qualifying heats on Fri., March 28, and B-Mains and the $20,000-to-win 100-lap A-Main on Sat., March 29. The first-ever WoO LMS show at the three-eighths-mile oval will also feature a driver autograph session in the spectator area from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Chub Frank Celebrating 30 Years Of Racing

Aiming For National Tour Title To Punctuate Rags-To-Riches Rise Through Sport

CONCORD, NC – March 14, 2008 – Time sure does fly when you’re having fun behind the wheel of a race car.

Just ask World of Outlaws Late Model Series star Chub Frank, who is celebrating 30 seasons as a dirt-track driver in 2008.

“The years have gone by in a hurry,” the 46-year-old Frank said wistfully. “Thirty years? I never would’ve thought I’d do this for so long.”

It’s been one heck of a motorsports journey for Frank, a down-home, hard-nosed racer from small-town Bear Lake, Pa., who embodies the rags-to-riches racing tale. He started at the absolute bottom of the sport’s ladder in a Spectator division car he got from the junkyard and has steadily risen through the ranks over three decades to reach his current status – a fulltime professional driver with an Everyman quality, a hero known far-and-wide as ‘Chubzilla,’ a winner of dirt Late Model racing’s biggest events and a favorite to capture the 2008 WoO LMS points championship.

When he ran his first race as a 16-year-old at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y. – a track then promoted by his father – did Frank envision that 30 years later he’d be campaigning top-notch equipment, working out of a spacious shop that includes a bar filled with mementos from his career, traveling the country in a gorgeous hauler and making his living as a dirt Late Model driver? Not a chance.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect it to go this far, to get to this level,” Frank said of his career. “I grew up driving packer trucks around (his father’s) track and I wanted to drive race cars, but it wasn’t like I thought I’d make a living at it.

“When I started racing, it was just something fun to do. My brother and I built a ’69 Impala and I went out there. I had like $75 in it!

The high cost of running his own race team leads Frank to joke that he’d “try to be a professional golfer” if he could start life over again as a teenager because “there’s a lot less overhead.” But, in the final analysis, he concedes that he’s very happy with his career choice. He worked, among other jobs, as a gas station attendant/mechanic, custom-trailer builder and jack-of-all-trades at his brother’s salvage yard before making dirt Late Model racing his fulltime occupation in 1990, and he wouldn’t trade his current position for any in his past.

“I don’t think there’s anything else I’d like to do,” asserted Frank. “No job is gonna get you more excited about going to work than driving a race car – the adrenalin rush is just unbelievable. Even after all these years, it’s still a lot of fun. We still enjoy traveling to different tracks, meeting new people – and driving that race car.”

Of course, there’s a good reason why Frank remains so fired up about racing: even with 30 years of it under his belt, he arguably hasn’t yet reached his peak.

“It’s taken the whole 30 years to get where we’re at right now,” said Frank, who has been an owner-operator for the bulk of his racing career. “It’s been a building process. We didn’t have anyone helping us with our Late Model stuff, so we had to build it up gradually. We bought cars, sold ‘em, and then updated the next year. Little by little, we kept updating and accumulating stuff and got to where we are today, with equipment that we feel is as good as anybody’s out there.”

Frank began driving in the Super Late Model division in 1985, while in the middle of a dominant five-year run (1983-1987) of Limited Late Model championships on his home circuit of Stateline Speedway and Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. He won his first Super Late Model title in 1989, at Stateline, and then started venturing out to bigger events across the region through the ‘90s.

“We just kept trying to better ourselves,” said Frank, who was dubbed the ‘Shoestring Traveler’ because he used a bare-bones Suburban and open trailer to haul his car until 1996 (he went to a cube van and enclosed trailer before eventually upgrading to the conversion motorhome/stacker trailer he has today). “When you run with the best guys in the country you get better or go home, and it’s actually worked out for us.”

After winning several major shows during the ‘90s, Frank gained plenty of attention by capturing four consecutive STARS/Renegade Series championships from 2000-2003. He became a WoO LMS regular when the World Racing Group re-launched the tour in 2004 – the same year he won the prestigious World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway – and has been the only driver to better his finish in the series points standings in each of the past four seasons (sixth in 2004, fifth in ’05, third in ’06, second in ’07).

Coming off a 2007 WoO LMS campaign in which he led the tour in A-Main victories, with six, but fell short in the points battle to Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Frank is confident that he can take that final step and bag a rich national title. It would certainly be a crowning achievement of a career he’s carved out his way, on his terms.

“If I had my choice, I would rather have been able to get (to national contender status) a lot earlier than we have,” said Frank, whose familiar Rocket No. 1* cars carry primary sponsorship from Lester Buildings. “I wish it wouldn’t have taken us this long to get where we are now.

“But it would definitely be satisfying to win (the WoO LMS championship) after everything we’ve done to get here. You have to be dedicated and figure out how to cut corners and save money if you’re gonna run with the big dogs with your own team, and winning a (WoO LMS) championship would probably show we’ve done it pretty well.”

Frank paused, then summed up his 30-year racing odyssey thusly: “What’s funny is sometimes, when you’re driving down the road, you’ll hear somebody on the CB say, ‘There’s a lot of Daddy’s money driving along in that hauler.’ I just laugh when I hear that, because in this case, with our deal, it’s just not that way.”

Frank, who sits eighth in the WoO LMS points standings after last month’s pair of season-opening events at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, gets back on the trail when the tour resumes on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. The inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ will pay $20,000 to win from a total purse of nearly $100,000.

For more information on the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ and the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Fuller’s Cost-Saving Move

The two Gypsum Express Racing dirt Late Models he has at his disposal, meanwhile, are nearly 1,100 miles away in Georgia.

What’s the deal? Just call it a shrewd, cost-saving logistical move by the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Rookie of the Year.

Since the end of last month’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Fuller’s hauler and red No. 19 Rocket cars have been parked at fellow WoO LMS regular Clint Smith’s shop in Senoia, Ga. They won’t return to Fuller’s garage in the Empire State’s Northcountry until after the next WoO LMS event, the $20,000-to-win ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.

“With the high price of fuel and way the weather is up here (in New York’s snow belt), we figured it’s worthwhile to leave the cars and the hauler at Clint’s for a month,” Fuller said on Monday from his shop, which was under more than a foot of snow following a weekend storm. “We’re saving a bunch of money on fuel, plus we don’t have to winterize the camper (toter-home), we won’t get it covered with salt and sand from driving it on the roads up here, and we’re just plain saving a lot of wear-and-tear on it.”

While Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., stayed in Florida the week after the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals to vacation with his family (it was his three-year-old daughter Ainsley’s first trip to Disney World), his chief mechanic, Mike ‘Smoke’ Countryman, drove the hauler to Smith’s estate. Countryman and DIRTcar big-block Modified driver Billy Dunn, who provided pit-area assistance to Fuller throughout the southern excursion, spent several days working on Fuller’s cars before heading home to New York in a Gypsum Express pickup truck that Dunn drove from Florida to Georgia.

Fuller is saving nearly 2,700 miles on his sponsor John Lazore’s race car transporter by parking it at Smith’s, taking into account trips of roughly 1,250 miles from Volusia to Watertown, N.Y. (it was 400 miles to Smith’s place) and 1,400 miles from upstate New York to Southern Mississippi (the haul to Pike County Speedway from Smith’s shop is about 475 miles).

What’s more, Fuller will get a chance to keep his dirt Late Model skills sharp during the break from WoO LMS by entering two shows this weekend within a couple-hour drive of Smith’s shop. Fuller and Countryman are flying down to Atlanta on Thursday and will run special events on Friday night (March 14) at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth and Saturday night (March 15) at Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway.

After flying back home following the weekend, Fuller will borrow a truck and trailer from Lazore and haul his DIRTcar big-block Modified to Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Sat., March 22, to compete in the season-opening Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series 100. Then he’ll hop a plane again to retrieve his dirt Late Model operation from Smith’s garage in advance of Pike County’s WoO LMS show.

STUCK AT HOME: With rain and cold weather causing the cancellation of several dirt Late Model events in Tennessee, Georgia and Maryland, no WoO LMS regulars saw action over the past weekend.

BIG HONOR: WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman took advantage of the tour’s break to attend Sunday’s 2008 regular-season opener at Talladega (Ala.) Short Track and ended up adding a memorable moment to his announcing career.

After accepting an invitation to grab a microphone as a guest announcer, Eshelman was thrilled to call 70-something short-track legend Red Farmer’s drive to victory in the oval’s crate Late Model feature.

DATE CHANGE REMINDER: WoO LMS officials have announced that a previously-scheduled tour date at Lebanon I-44 Speedway has been moved back one week, to Sat., May 3, and an event has been added at Monett Speedway on Sun., May 4, setting up two consecutive nights of Outlaws action in Missouri.

HELP THEM MAKE A COMEBACK: Josh Richards, Clint Smith and former WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer are still seeking votes from fans in the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star contest, which awards a $12,000 prize to the top vote-getter among the 18 drivers who won features during last month’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.

Victories in the Super Late Model A-Mains at Volusia put Richards, Smith and Moyer on the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star ballot. They need a final-week surge in the voting to pull out the big money.

Fans have until 11:59 p.m. ET on March 16 to vote for their favorite full-fender star at www.AlltelAllStar.com. They can vote once per day, and with each vote cast they are entered in a contest to win a $500 gift card from Alltel Wireless.

NEXT UP: The 2008 WoO LMS gets rolling again on March 28-29 with the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ at Pike County Speedway.

Lebanon I-44 Speedway Date Moved To May 3, Event At Monett Speedway On May 4 Added To World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule

CONCORD, NC – March 8, 2008 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will invade Missouri in a big way to usher in the month of May.

WoO LMS officials have announced that a previously-scheduled tour date at Lebanon I-44 Speedway has been moved back one week, to Sat., May 3, and an event has been added at Monett Speedway on Sun., May 4, setting up two consecutive nights of Outlaws action in the Show-Me State.

Lebanon I-44 Speedway, a high-banked, three-eighths-mile oval located in the south-central portion of Missouri, was originally scheduled to host the WoO LMS on Sat., April 26. Instead, the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event will be moved to Sat., May 3, and Mooneyham will open the gates of his three-eighths-mile, semi-banked Monett track on Sun., May 4, to provide teams and fans an attractive WoO LMS doubleheader.

This will mark the fourth year in a row that the WoO LMS visits Lebanon I-44 Speedway, which also hosted a series event in 1988 during the inaugural WoO LMS season directed by late Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson. Previous WoO LMS winners at Lebanon I-44 include Clint Smith (2007), Brian Birkhofer (2006), Steve Francis (2005) and Billy Moyer (1988).

Monett Speedway, a long-running oval that sits roughly 100 miles southwest of Lebanon I-44 Speedway, will be part of the WoO LMS for the first time. The Sunday-night event will feature a 40-lap A-Main that pays $7,000 to win.

Both races will be co-sanctioned by the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series and utilize the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model Hoosier tire rule.

The addition of Monett increases the current 2008 WoO LMS schedule to 47 confirmed events at 40 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces.

WoO LMS officials expect to announce several additional events in the coming days that will likely push the schedule over 50 races.

More information on both Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Monett Speedway can be obtained by visiting www.monettspeedway.com or calling Lebanon I-44 Speedway at 417-532-2060; Monett Speedway at 417-236-0600; or Randy Mooneyham at 417-224-7074.

Anticipation Building For Inaugural $20,000-To-Win ‘March Through Dixie 100’ At Pike County Speedway

Mississippi Track Set To Host World of Outlaws Late Model Series For First Time March 28-29

Combine the two and you get the most anticipated early-season dirt Late Model event ever run in Mississippi – the inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway.

The first-ever visit to the three-eighths-mile oval by the renowned World of Outlaws Late Model Series will feature a blockbuster 100-lap A-Main on Sat., March 29, that offers a $20,000 top prize and $1,500 to start from a total purse near the $100,000 mark.

Energetic Pike County Speedway owner J.F. Gasquet has hosted some big dirt Late Model shows since purchasing the track three years ago, but there’s no doubt that his pit area has never been filled with the sheer number of superstar drivers who are expected to be on hand for the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

From the touring WoO LMS standouts led by defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., to Pike County’s 2007 ‘Jambalaya 100’ winner Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., to Deep South favorite Chris (‘Intimagator’) Wall of Holden, La., the field will be dripping with top-notch talent.

Adding even more intrigue to the weekend, it will mark the first time a national touring series has visited Pike County Speedway in nearly 13 years. The old UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series ran the last of its three events over a two-year span at Pike County on July 22, 1995, with Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., emerging victorious.

“I’m real excited about this race,” said Gasquet, who had planned to host the WoO LMS for the first time last July but saw his ‘Freedom 100’ weekend washed out by rain. “The fans are going to see an unbelievable group of drivers in competition, including some great drivers who have never raced before at Pike County Speedway.

“We’re going to do whatever we can to put on a show that packs the house.”

Gasquet, a 60-year-old resident of Louisiana who owns the Tri-State Oil Co., has already been doing a bunch to put Pike County Speedway on the short-track racing map. He’s dug deep into his pockets during his short reign to refurbish the facility and entertain nationally-known series like the World of Outlaws, all in hopes of attracting attention to the track.

The renovation project Gasquet has overseen includes new cement walls all the way around the track; a doubling of the pit area’s size; a new sidewalk in front of the grandstand that seats 4,500; a 10-position scoreboard; some new lights; new catch fencing around the speedway; new concession and souvenir stands; new bathrooms in the pits; a new grader for track preparation; and the erection of a giant lighted billboard facing the traffic passing by on Interstate 55. He’s also starting work on a new two-story official’s and VIP tower and ‘clubhouse’ boxes.

“Pike County has always been a well-known track in the South, but it’s gonna be becoming one of the premier tracks in the country,” said Gasquet, laying out his vision for the future of the speedway. “It’s got a great location, right smack-dab along the Interstate, and we’re making improvements and bringing in the best drivers so the fans will want to come here.

“Hopefully a lot of fans will come down (for the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ weekend) to see everything we’re doing down here.”

The two-day program – the first action for the WoO LMS since two events during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, on Feb. 14 and 16 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park – will begin with time trials and qualifying heats on Fri., March 28. B-Mains and the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ will close out the highly anticipated weekend on Sat., March 29.

Saturday’s schedule will include an hour-long autograph session in the grandstand area from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., giving fans an opportunity to meet and greet all the drivers who enter the event.

And make no mistake – ‘March Through Dixie 100’ attendees will visit with some famous dirt Late Model names.

For starters, Francis will pace the WoO LMS traveling caravan to southern Mississippi. The ‘Kentucky Colonel’ will be joined by fellow tour regulars Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who led the WoO LMS in wins last season; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; soon-to-be 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who enters the weekend tied for the WoO LMS points lead with Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., after capturing the season opener; Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; ’07 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who drives for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won the 2006 WoO LMS title and is currently a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver, has made plans to enter his familiar Sweeteners Plus No. 39 in the weekend’s activities. Other well-traveled racers expecting to join him include Mars, Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.

Wall, who has performed well at Pike County in the past, will lead the Gulf Coast contingent into the event. Other regional standouts expected to participate include 2005 ‘Jambalaya 100’ winner David Ashley of Zachary, La., David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss., Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala., Ray Moore of Shreveport, La., and James Ward of Lettsworth, La., who finished second in the 2007 ‘Jambalaya 100.’

On Fri., March 28, pit gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Cars will begin hitting the track at 6 p.m.

The Friday program will also include qualifying heats for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks and heats and features for the Limited Modifieds and Pure Stocks.

On Sat., March 29, pit gates will open at 2 p.m. and spectator gates at 4 p.m., allowing the driver autograph session to commence at 4:30 p.m. Cars will begin packing the track at 6 p.m.

Saturday night’s WoO LMS undercard will include last-chance races and features for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks.

A raindate of Sun., March 30, has been reserved for the ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

General admission will be $20 on Friday and $25 on Saturday, with kids ages 6-12 admitted for $10 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Pit passes will cost $35 on Friday and $40 on Saturday.

Pike County Speedway has a limited number of overnight camping spots that can be reserved for $15 per night by calling the track office at 504-394-5530. There is no overnight charge for race teams spending the night inside their haulers in the pit area.

Track officials said that teams will be permitted to use only two ATV four-wheelers in the pit area and children can not drive them. Teams can obtain badges that allow the use of four-wheelers for the weekend at the pit registration.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Momentum For Eckert, West Coast Win For T-Mac

MORALE BOOSTER: It was far from the richest win of Rick Eckert’s standout dirt Late Model career, but it was incredibly satisfying.

No surprise there, though, considering that Eckert’s triumph in Sunday afternoon’s 30-lap season opener at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway marked his first visit to Victory Lane in nearly eight months.

“Oh yeah, it feels good to win again,” a relieved Eckert said after pocketing $2,000 for capturing the unsanctioned event. “Hopefully this gets us going.”

Coming off an uncharacteristically quiet 2007 campaign that saw him go winless on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series for the first time since becoming a regular traveler in ’04, Eckert is focused on returning to his usual form this season. A taste of victory at a half-mile track that’s just an hour’s drive from his York, Pa., home would seem to be a good start.

Eckert, 42, knows his Hagerstown score doesn’t mean his frustrating 59-race WoO LMS winless streak is about to become history, but experiencing a successful day after putting in so much hard work in preparation for Sunday’s program certainly buoys his confidence.

Following a three-and-a-half-week trip to Georgia and Florida that included a second-place finish (from the 24^th starting spot) in the WoO LMS season opener on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park but few other outings that pleased him, Eckert returned to his shop and spent two weeks cutting and welding on his Raye Vest-owned GRT car.

“We worked on both ends of the car,” Eckert said of the machine he entered in the Southeastern events. “We tried some things that I was hoping would make the car better, so I wanted to go somewhere this weekend to run it and see how it worked.”

Eckert originally planned to attend the Friday/Saturday ‘Spring Thaw’ weekend at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. – a high-banked track that hosts two WoO LMS events in 2008, on Aug. 20-21 and Oct. 11 – but bad weather postponed the show until March 21-22. He ended up taking his orange No. 24 to Hagerstown, an oval he knows very well.

The verdict on the reworked car? Eckert was very pleased with its performance after winning a heat race and emerging from a scrape with J.T. Spence amid lapped traffic to take the lead with two laps remaining in the feature.

“I feel like the car worked as good as any car I’ve run (at Hagerstown),” Eckert said after his 19^th career win at the speedway, which has a WoO LMS event scheduled for May 31. “The track (surface) wasn’t like a typical daytime deal – (turns) one and two was wet and had a cushion for most of the day, and three and four was dry-slick. It was sort of like a night-time track, so I would like to think we learned something we could use there when we go back (for the WoO LMS show).”

Did Eckert also find something that will boost him when the WoO LMS returns to action with the $20,000-to-win ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.?

“We’ll see about that,” said Eckert, whose last win had come on July 12, 2007, in the unsanctioned Camp Barnes Benefit Race at Delaware International Speedway. “I’m just happy to get a win. We needed it.”

WEST COAST VISITOR: A last-minute deal to run the two-night ‘Las Vegas Dirt Classic’ last Thursday and Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway turned out sweet for 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie.

After landing a ride in the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Victory Circle house car wrenched by Chris Sivesind on Wednesday, McCreadie caught a Thursday-morning flight from Rochester, N.Y., to Vegas. He finished third in Thursday night’s feature and then drove to a $3,000 victory in Friday’s night’s 30-lap headliner, outdueling Scott James of Greendale, Ind., for the top prize.

“Everybody needs a win,” said McCreadie, whose lone dirt Late Model triumph in 2007 came in an unsanctioned event in early May at Virginia Motor Speedway. “I sure needed one. I didn’t run too many Late Model shows last year, so a win gets me excited.”

McCreadie, 33, of Watertown, N.Y., is currently splitting his time between North Carolina – where he has a residence after signing as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver last year – and his native upstate New York. With his RCR schedule in limbo as the team attempts to land a sponsor for its No. 21 NASCAR Nationwide Series car, McCreadie is looking at doing more dirt Late Model racing.

In that vein, McCreadie was in Avon, N.Y., working with crewman Al Stevens on his familiar Sweeteners Plus Racing No. 39 dirt Late Models when the opportunity to race at Las Vegas presented itself. He plans to do more preparation on the Sweeteners equipment in the coming weeks before entering back-to-back, $20,000-to-win WoO LMS events – the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway and the ‘Illini 100’ on April 4-5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway.

McCreadie has also entered the WoO LMS Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. But for that event, he’ll be behind the wheel of 2007 WoO LMS champion Steve Francis’s Valvoline No. 15, which he’s scheduled to steer in several major dirt Late Model shows this season.

NO BREAKS: WoO LMS standout Shane Clanton still has a black cloud hovering over his head.

The star-crossed driver from Locust Grove, Ga., was hoping to shake his early-season bad luck with a trip to Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., for Sunday’s ‘March Madness’ event, but misfortune struck him again. He tangled with 2004 WoO LMS champ Scott Bloomquist while running third on a lap-two restart during the fourth heat race, ending his day with left-front suspension damage.

MARCH MADNESS ENTRANTS: WoO LMS regulars Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., joined Clanton in Cherokee’s field.

Babb, making his first start in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s dirt Late Model since the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, enjoyed a respectable outing. He advanced from the seventh starting spot to finish fifth in the 60-lap A-Main won by Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.

Smith, meanwhile, was unable to repeat his 2007 ‘March Madness’ victory at the four-tenths-mile oval. He started ninth but dropped out of the event, settling for a 19^th-place finish on a challenging, rough track surface.

‘KID ROCKET’: The youngest Outlaw, soon-to-be 20-year-old Josh Richards (he leaves his teenage years behind on March 22), finished third in Sunday afternoon’s dirt Late Model feature at Hagerstown Speedway.

Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards drove the Ernie Davis-owned Rocket No. 25, a machine he is running in most of his non-WoO LMS appearances this season.

NEXT UP: The countdown is on for the resumption of the 2008 WoO LMS on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway, the three-eighths-mile oval right off Interstate 55 in southern Mississippi.

Arguably the biggest early-season dirt Late Model event ever run in Mississippi, the format will feature time trials and qualifying heat races for the WoO LMS on Fri., March 28, and the B-Mains and 100-lap A-Main on Sat., March 29.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Clanton, ‘Kid Rocket,’ Clint & Best Wishes For Chadwick

LOOKING FOR SOME LUCK: Considering all the misfortune that has befallen him over the past two weeks, Shane Clanton is willing to try anything to break his bad-luck spell.

Perhaps Clanton’s call-in to the ‘Dolls of Dirt’ internet show on Wednesday night will serve as the catalyst for a turnaround.

“I hear that hopefully you two can take the monkey off my back,” a wishful Clanton told ‘Dolls of Dirt’ co-hosts Miranda Simpson and Jefra Bland at the start of his interview.

Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., was top-contender fast in the recent season-opening World of Outlaws Late Model Series events, on Feb. 14 and 16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., but he didn’t last. He broke an axle tube while leading the 50-lapper on the 14^th and saw his bid for a top-five spot ended by a busted left-rear wheel on the 16^th.

One week later, on Feb. 24 in the annual ‘Bama Bash’ event at Green Valley Speedway in Gasden, Ala., the black cloud remained over Clanton. He was knocked from second place halfway through the 75-lap A-Main by a cut left-rear tire.

Clanton said on the ‘Dolls of Dirt’ show, which can be heard every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on www.racefanradio.com, that he’s counting on better fortune when the 2008 WoO LMS schedule resumes with the $20,000-to-win ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. He has plenty of ground to make up in the points standings after his frustrating start at Volusia.

With Clanton planning to fill his break from WoO LMS action with starts at tracks throughout the Southeast over the next three weekends, he’s confident that something has to give.

“Hopefully we can either get our bad luck out of the way and win one of these races coming up,” said Clanton, who plans to compete this weekend at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., and Cherokee SuperSpeedway in Gaffney, S.C., “or at least get our bad luck out of the way before the next World of Outlaws race.”

KEEPING BUSY: WoO LMS co-points leader Josh Richards, who was a guest on the Feb. 20 edition of the ‘Dolls of Dirt’ show, plans to join Clanton in the field of this weekend’s ‘Spring Thaw’ event at Volunteer Speedway.

The soon-to-be 20-year-old Richards will enter Volunteer’s show behind the wheel of the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25, which he’s running in many non-WoO LMS events this season to increase his seat time. He’s hoping his visit to Volunteer will help him gear up for the high-banked track’s two WoO LMS shows later this season – the ‘Scorcher 100’ on Aug. 20-21 and a 50-lapper on Oct. 11.

CLOSE TO HOME: Clint Smith is taking advantage of the lull in the WoO LMS schedule to perform in front of his many fans in his native Southeast, racing each weekend in specials across the region.

Last weekend the Senoia, Ga., star finished third in the ‘Bama Bash’ at Green Valley – an event he had won three years in a row – despite being slowed by right-front suspension woes. He’ll take his J.P. Drilling No. 44 to Cherokee this weekend in search of some travel money for his WoO LMS championship assault.

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE: Richards, Smith and former WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer are still seeking votes from fans in the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star contest, which awards a $12,000 prize to the top vote-getter among the 18 drivers who won features during the recent Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.

Victories in the Super Late Model A-Mains at Volusia put Richards, Smith and Moyer on the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star ballot.

GET WELL SOON: World of Outlaws Late Model Series officials and teams send their best wishes to California dirt Late Model/open-wheel Modified driver Kellen Chadwick, who suffered serious injuries in a hard crash during a Modified race on Feb. 23 at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Ariz.

The up-and-coming, 22-year-old Chadwick, who made his first career WoO LMS A-Main start when he qualified for the 2007 Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., is currently in the Intensive Care Unit at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix. He sustained multiple broken vertebra in his neck and back, had an artery to his brain cut and suffered burns on his right arm and back. Doctors have already fitted him in a halo to immobilize his neck and placed him in an induced coma, and he is scheduled to undergo surgery on his neck on Thursday afternoon.

Chadwick, who entered last year’s Colossal 100 and several other events in a dirt Late Model fielded by fellow Californian and 2006 WoO LMS regular Eric Jacobsen, faces a long recovery.

Cards and letters can be sent to Chadwick in c/o Darlene Salazar, 2713 Bautista Street, Antioch, CA, 94509.

In addition, a Kellen Chadwick Relief Fund has been set up and donations can be sent to: Chadwick Relief Fund, c/o Bank of the West, 2195 Main Street, Suite "D", Oakley, CA, 94561 (or call 925-625-2211 for more information).

Volusia Speedway Park’s Dirt Late Model Winners Seeking Help From Fans In Pursuit Of $12,000 Alltel DIRTcar All-Star Prize

Fans Can Vote For Dirt Late Model Stars Billy Moyer, Josh Richards & Clint Smith Until March 16 At AlltelAllStar.com

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 24, 2008 – Dirt Late Model stars Billy Moyer, Josh Richards and Clint Smith have thrilled thousands of fans across the country with their daring exploits on the track.

Now, with the click of a computer mouse, their supporters can show some true appreciation for all the excitement they’ve provided.

Moyer, Richards and Smith are in a race they can’t win simply with driving talent and technical expertise. If one of them is going to pocket $12,000 as the first-ever Alltel DIRTcar All-Star, the money will reach their bank account courtesy of help from their fans, friends and family members.

Thanks to their victories in dirt Late Model features during the recent Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Moyer, Richards and Smith are among a group of 18 drivers battling it out in the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star on-line poll.

A cool $12,000 prize from Alltel Wireless will go to the driver who receives the most votes in the contest, which runs through 11:59 p.m. on March 16. Fans can vote for their favorite driver once a day at www.AlltelAllStar.com.

Each member of the triumphant Volusia trio is counting not only on support from their own core group of fans and friends, but also their division’s expansive fanbase as a whole. Each driver believes that the dirt Late Model class has the most passionate, hard-core fans in short-track racing – and propelling one of their division’s favorite sons to a 12-grand check over 410 Sprint Car, DIRTcar big-block Modified and UMP DIRTcar Modified drivers would certainly prove a little something about full-fender devotees.

“I know there’s a lot of dirt Late Model fans out there,” said Richards, the 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., who earned his ticket to the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star contest by winning the World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener on Feb. 14. “I’m sure they’ll get behind one of us. I’m just hoping it’s me!”

Richards, a low-key, approachable racer known as ‘Kid Rocket,’ has an ever-growing legion of fans to draw upon in his pursuit of Alltel DIRTcar All-Star votes. The WoO LMS Rookie of the Year in 2005 and a serious contender for the 2008 series championship, Richards is especially hopeful that he can attract the computer-savvy youth vote – after all, he’s one of them, a Generation Next member who’s still the youngest regular driver on the WoO LMS.

Senoia, Ga.’s Smith, meanwhile, has long been a household name among the dirt Late Model aficionados of his native Southeast, but he’s also cultivated an impressive national fan following thanks to his performance on the WoO LMS and in other high-profile events. Last year, in fact, ‘Cat Daddy’ scored all four of his WoO LMS victories in Midwestern states and became one of dirt Late Model racing’s most prolific t-shirt sellers.

An entrant in the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star contest after capturing the $10,000-to-win UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model 50 on Feb. 15 at Volusia, the 42-year-old Smith would love to add another $12,000 to his self-owned team’s budget in preparation for the grueling WoO LMS season ahead.

Of course, Moyer needs no introduction to dirt Late Model fans. The 50-year-old from Batesville, Ark., is a true legend of the division, a superstar with a resume that features nearly 700 career wins and dozens of event and series titles, including six UMP DIRTcar Summernationals crowns and three WoO LMS championships.

Moyer earned his Alltel DIRTcar All-Star nod by putting together the best Alltel DIRTcar Nationals of any dirt Late Model driver. He won three of the week’s five A-Mains – UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned events on Feb. 11 and 13, and the WoO LMS finale on Feb. 16 – and the overall Alltel DIRTcar Nationals points title.

The 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals concluded on Feb. 16. The two-week event featured the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series, UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models and Open Wheel Modifieds and the All-Star Circuit of Champions. Each race night included two feature events that made a driver eligible to be an Alltel All-Star.

A total of 18 drivers from 13 states won features during the marathon racing meet at the half-mile Volusia oval, making them all eligible for the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star voting.

The winner of the $12,000 Alltel DIRTcar All-Star prize will be announced at the completion of voting on March 16 and honored with a special ceremony at a date to be determined.

Voting daily at www.AlltelAllStar.com for one of the dirt Late Model winners also enters fans in a contest to win a $500 gift card from Alltel Wireless.

For more information on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series or UMP DIRTcar Racing, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com or www.dirtcar.com.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The Alltel DIRTcar Nationals

ANOTHER STEP: There was something different about Josh Richards’s victory in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park.

“This was the first time I won (a WoO LMS) race and the car didn’t really feel that great,” said Richards, who registered his seventh career triumph on the tour. “In all my other wins, I felt like we might have had the best car. Tonight I feel like we were good, but not great, and we were able to get a win.

The win also ranked as arguably the most hard-earned of Richards’s WoO LMS career, alongside the August 2006 score at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway that he bagged with a dramatic late-race pass of Tim McCreadie. He battled hard to get to second place behind Shane Clanton, who dropped out on lap 30 just as Richards was beginning to bid for the lead.

All four of Richards’s WoO LMS victories last season came in dominant, flag-to-flag fashion, and his first career win, on Aug. 15, 2005, at New York’s Lebanon Valley Speedway, came in an event that fell under his control just before the midway point when the two cars ahead of him (Scott Bloomquist and Rick Eckert) simultaneously experienced mechanical trouble.

Richards, who turns 20 on March 22, hopes his strong performance at Volusia (he also finished third in the WoO LMS on Feb. 16, sending him home tied for the points lead) is a harbinger of good things to come.

“I feel like we have a team that can contend for the championship,” said Richards. “We have a new car chief this year – Matt Barnes – Jimmy Frey is the tire specialist, and my dad (Mark) is the crew chief and the car owner. Maybe we can keep it together this year, keep it going fast everywhere we go and win some races.”

KARMA: Clint Smith would have preferred to win a WoO LMS A-Main during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, but he still happily celebrated his victory in the 50-lap UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model finale on Feb. 15.

Besides, he might have been destined to pocket the night’s $10,000 checkered flag.

Smith, 42, of Senoia, Ga., triumphed on his daughter Jenna’s 15^th birthday. “And I came from the 15th starting spot to win it, so that’s pretty cool,” he said.

Jenna wasn’t on hand for her father’s winning run, however. She remained back in the Peach State in order to attend her high-school classes and take the driving test for her learner’s permit, which her proud papa said she earned with flying colors.

Smith’s victory – and a fifth-place finish in the next night’s WoO LMS finale – came after he began the week shuttling back-and-forth between Georgia and Volusia. After his step-father, Clint Roberts, passed away on Feb. 10, Smith immediately drove home that morning to be with his family, then got a ride back to Florida on Monday to compete in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals opener for the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models. Smith flew home on Tuesday for the viewing – he didn’t miss any action at Volusia because that night’s action was rained out – and planned a return to Florida on a Wednesday flight, but a full plane forced him to jump in a car at 1 o’clock and make a banzai six-hour drive down to Volusia; he arrived just in time for his time-trial lap during the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned program.

MR. MISFORTUNE: As Smith talked with fellow Georgia driver Shane Clanton in the pit area following the Saturday-night WoO LMS finale of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, he perfectly pegged Clanton’s downtrodden outlook.

“You got the ‘dial’ in that bad spot,” quipped Smith, alluding to a racer’s mythical ‘luck’ meter. “Fortunately, there’s a whole season ahead to get it turned around.”

The 32-year-old Clanton could only nod his head in agreement with Smith after experiencing two heartbreaking WoO LMS outings at Volusia. On Thursday night he was leading on lap 30 when a broken right-rear axle tube knocked him out, and on Saturday night he was racing for a top-five spot on lap 35 when a broken left-rear wheel ended his hopes.

Back-to-back DNFs for a WoO LMS regular who’s become known for his ability to complete races – that’s not the way Clanton envisioned opening his campaign. The bad luck put him in an immediate points hole on the tour, sitting 19^th in the standings, 84 points out of the lead.

BREAKING THROUGH: There were plenty of people who wondered what former WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer was doing last summer when he hooked up with the Bakersfield, Calif.-based Victory Circle shop to debut a new Victory Circle M1 Chassis.

The 50-year-old Moyer, however, never had any doubts. His spectacular Alltel DIRTcar Nationals performance – three wins (two UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned, one WoO LMS), a second and a third – on top of three victories the previous week at East Bay Raceway Park was the kind of run he always felt was just around the corner.

“We had a bunch of seconds last year (with the Victory Circle car), just couldn’t quite get over the hump,” said Moyer. “I told these guys that build the cars, ‘We’re this close, and when it starts happening, it’s gonna take off.’ And I was right on the money, I guess.”

HAPPY OWNER: Defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis didn’t take long to impress his new car owner Dale Beitler.

When Beitler looked at his No. 19 car upon the completion of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he couldn’t have hooked up with a better driver than Francis.

You see, the Rocket car that Francis steered to a ninth-place finish in the week’s WoO LMS finale at Volusia was the same machine he ran in each of the 17 other events in Florida and Georgia over the past three weeks. Beitler was genuinely amazed that Francis had gotten through so many nights of rough-and-tumble action with only a couple minor dents in the nosepiece to show for it.

Despite ending the trip with a ninth-place WoO LMS outing that didn’t meet Francis’s expectations because a broken throttle spring hampered him throughout the A-Main, Beitler was so pumped up about ’08 that he was ready to keep racing.

“If the World of Outlaws added a race down here next week,” said Beitler, “I’d just stay all week and run it.”

NICE SAVE: Coming off a career-high second-place finish in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings, Chub Frank didn’t want to get off to a slow start on the ’08 tour.

But when the Bear Lake, Pa., veteran entered the Saturday-night finale riding a string of bad luck – a 15th-place finish in Thursday night’s WoO LMS opener due to body and suspension damage, plus two DNQs and a 27^th-place run in the three UMP DIRTcar shows – he was facing the very real possibility of falling into a big points hole.

Frank flashed the stuff of a champion, however, salvaging his visit to Volusia with a strong second-place finish from the 11^th starting spot in Saturday night’s 50-lapper. The run put him eighth in the WoO LMS standings, just 28 points out of the lead.

“At least it’ll make the ride home a little easier,” said Frank, who expects to have a new hauler and trailer ready to transport his equipment to the next WoO LMS show, the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.

UP-AND-DOWN: Rick Eckert’s mystifying winless streak on the WoO LMS reached 59 races after he failed to crack Victory Lane in two tries at Volusia, but he did enjoy arguably his strongest run on the tour since his last triumph (July 8, 2006, at Ohio’s Sharon Speedway) when he charged to a runner-up finish from the 24^th starting spot on Thursday night.

The York, Pa., star was unable to duplicate his impressive performance on Saturday night, however. He finished a quiet 13^th after using a provisional spot to start the A-Main.

CHASING THE CROWN: Shannon Babb proved at Volusia that he has a 2008 WoO LMS championship on his mind.

Committed to follow the tour for the first time after joining NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team during the off-season, Babb understands that winning the big-money title will take smarts as well as speed. He demonstrated that on Thursday night when he accepted a fifth-place finish in the 50-lap A-Main.

“We were looking at the big picture,” said the standout from Moweaqua, Ill. “We weren’t that good, so we took what we could get. That’s how you win a championship – even on a night when you’re not that good, you have to find a way to come out with a good finish.

“In the past, I probably would’ve just kept hammering the cushion to try to win the race and ended up breaking something because my car wasn’t good enough.”

Babb was looking down the road again on Saturday night, when he continued turning laps at reduced speed after an apparent electrical problem caused his car to sputter for much of the distance. He finished only 22^nd, but he picked up probably five spots by staying on the track to complete 47 laps.

MUCH BETTER: Darrell Lanigan unloaded his Rocket No. 29 in Florida focused on getting off to a better start on the 2008 WoO LMS than he did a year ago.

One of six drivers to score a top-10 finish in both WoO LMS A-Mains (10^th on Thursday, sixth on Saturday), the Union, Ky., racer ended the week a solid seventh in the points standings, 26 points out of the lead. He departed Volusia last season ranked 19^th in the standings after having to use a provisional in the opener.

I’M GOING TO…: Tim Fuller didn’t win a WoO LMS event during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, but he still headed for Disney World after Saturday night’s finale.

The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year experienced horrible luck at Volusia. On Thursday he was beginning to bid for the lead in the A-Main when a broken right-front shock forced him to the pits on lap seven (he returned laps down), and on Saturday a cut left-rear tire knocked him out of sixth place with just three laps remaining.

Fuller put the frustrating nights behind him by staying in Florida for the remainder of the week to vacation with his family at Disney World. It was to be the first Disney visit for his three-year-old daughter Ainsley.

FIRST-TIMER: The first-ever Alltel DIRTcar Nationals appearance for 26-year-old WoO LMS traveler Brian Shirley wasn’t spectacular, but he escaped the tough week with a pair of B-Main victories and a solid eighth-place finish (from the 20^th starting spot) on Saturday night.

After making the steady climb forward to nab a top-10 in Saturday’s 50-lapper, the Chatham, Ill., standout with one of the sharpest-appearing cars in the field sat 14^th in the points standings.

TOUGH WEEK: Tim McCreadie, the 2006 WoO LMS champ, was back on the dirt Late Model scene for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals driving his familiar Carl Myers-owned Sweeteners Plus No. 39, but he didn’t have a wonderful time.

Racing with his left hand wrapped in a bandage after injuring it in a tangle the previous week at East Bay, the Watertown, N.Y., star never quite found his usual form. He did get going better on Saturday night – winning a heat race and starting from the pole in the WoO LMS 50 – but a flat left-rear tire on lap 40 knocked him from a potential top-five finish.

With McCreadie still unsure about whether he’ll make any NASCAR Nationwide Series starts as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver this season due to a lack of sponsorship, he said he’s considering his options for more dirt Late Model racing in ’08.

BACK ON TOUR: John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who followed the WoO LMS from 2004 until the early portion of 2007, is looking to return to the trail this season.

Driving Bloomquist Chassis cars owned by his father, Blankenship got off to a good start at Volusia, finishing ninth in the opener. It was his first WoO LMS top-10 since July 2, 2006, at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y.

ROOKS: Four drivers submitted WoO LMS Rookie of the Year applications at Volusia.

The list includes Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., a well-respected Midwestern veteran who is planning to tour nationally for the first time in his career; Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., a DIRTcar big-block Modified standout (and Sweeteners Plus Racing teammate of McCreadie) who wants to step up his dirt Late Model efforts in ’08; Danny Johnson of Rochester, N.Y., one of the alltime DIRTcar big-block Modified greats who is entering dirt Late Model action this season; and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., a teenage Modified racer from the Northeast and teammate of Johnson’s.

Of the four, only Coffey qualified for a WoO LMS A-Main, finishing 20^th on Saturday night.

UP NEXT: The WoO LMS is idle until March 28-29, when the inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ takes center stage at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. The early-season blockbuster will pay $20,000 to win.

Veterans Billy Moyer (Super Late Models) & Ken Schrader (Modifieds) Emerge As Champions Of 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 18, 2008 – Two titans of American motorsports added Alltel DIRTcar Nationals points titles to their already bulging resumes last week at Volusia Speedway Park.

Short-track legend Billy Moyer rolled to a championship in the Super Late Model division, while NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader returned to his roots to capture the UMP DIRTcar Modified crown.

Moyer, 50, of Batesville, Ark., completed an outstanding three-week, season-opening trip to the Southeast by running roughshod on the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. He won three of Volusia’s five Super Late Model A-Mains – UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned shows on Feb. 11 and 13, and a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event on Feb. 16 – and contended for victory in the other races, finishing second in the UMP DIRTcar 50 on Feb. 15 and third in the ’08 WoO LMS lidlifter on Feb. 14.

With the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals title firmly in his grasp entering the week-ending WoO LMS 50 on Feb. 16, Moyer put on a finishing touch by scoring a triumph worth $10,150. He outdistanced 2007 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., in the final points standings by 69 points (460-391).

Moyer, who pocketed over $30,000 for his week of action at the half-mile oval, was proud to win the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals crown with his Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle Chassis.

“This has to rank high up there,” said Moyer, a winner of over 675 career dirt Late Model features who has captured the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals title six times and the WoO LMS championship three times. “The level of competition down here for this deal is just off the charts. Everybody is here, so to be able to win three races and come out on top of this points deal is an accomplishment.”

Schrader, meanwhile, emerged as the 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals UMP DIRTcar Modified champion after the Feb. 12 finale of the division’s scheduled eight-night meet was rained out. That Tuesday-night program was slated to end the UMP DIRTcar Modified series with a 25-lap feature that would have paid an Alltel DIRTcar Nationals record of $4,000 to win.

Though the 52-year-old star from Fenton, Mo., missed one night of UMP DIRTcar Modified competition (Feb. 9) at Volusia due to his NASCAR commitments at nearby Daytona International Speedway, his consistency behind the wheel of his Ken Schrader Racing open-wheel car put him on top. He recorded five top-five finishes (one second, one third, one fourth and two fifths) in his six starts, with an 11^th being his worst finish.

The key to Schrader’s championship might have been his strong recovery on Feb. 7. After arriving late to the track from Daytona, he charged from the rear of the B-Main to qualify and then advanced from the 23^rd starting spot to finish fifth in the A-Main, earning the Comp Cams Hard Charger Award in the process.

Schrader won the title by 11 points (465-454) over Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., the 17-year-old grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. Dillon didn’t win a feature, but he was the only driver who qualified for all seven UMP DIRTcar Modified events.

Both Moyer and Schrader will be recognized as 2008 UMP DIRTcar champions under the circuit’s ‘State’ points program. The two drivers, as well as the remainder of the top-10 finishers in each of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals divisional points races, are eligible to receive points-fund cash from UMP DIRTcar.

The 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals once again drew large fields in both of the UMP-sanctioned classes. A total of 87 different Super Late Model drivers competed during the week (a 79-car field was the best single-night turnout), while 115 different UMP DIRTcar Modified drivers entered at least one event (a 90-car entry list was the best of the Nationals).

All of the Super Late Model and UMP DIRTcar Modified feature winners during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are eligible to win a $12,000 bonus if they are voted the ‘Alltel All-Star’ in a special fan-participation program.

Fans can log on to www.AlltelAllStar.com to vote for their favorite Alltel DIRTcar Nationals winner. Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on March 16, which is plenty of time to cast votes for any of the 18 different drivers (including the 410 Sprint Car and DIRTcar big-block Modified divisions) who won a feature during the two-week kickoff to the 2008 racing season.

The Super Late Models produced three different winners (Moyer, Richards and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.), while the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds saw six drivers reach Victory Lane (Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., Jesse Stovall, of Brandson, Mo., Scott Drake of Webb City, Mo., Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., Tim Hancock of Mt. Olive, Ill., and Dave Groves of Morgantown, W.Va.).

For more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, visit www.dirtcar.com or www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Ryan Newman Races From Volusia Speedway Dirt On Friday To 50^th Anniversary Daytona 500 Victory On Sunday

Barberville, FL — Feb. 17, 2008 — Did Ryan Newman learn something on Friday night at the Volusia Speedway Park half-mile dirt track that helped him capture the Daytona 500 on Sunday?

The evidence is clearly there. Only two days after the NASCAR star piloted his Alltel Wireless UMP DIRTcar Late Model to a 16^th-place finish in the 37^th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Newman was standing in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway celebrating the biggest victory of his career in NASCAR’s signature event.

Newman competed on Friday night in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model feature at Volusia, where he not only climbed behind the wheel of his Alltel Wireless machine but also signed autographs and answered fans’ questions.

“It was probably one of the more relaxing and fun times I had down here other than winning the Daytona 500,” said Newman, a native of South Bend, Ind. “I wish I could have done this good over there.”

No doubt Newman’s experience on the Volusia dirt played a role in his ability to muscle his NASCAR Sprint Cup car to victory Sunday in the 50^th Anniversary Daytona 500 on a day where temperatures soared and made the racing surface a little slick, not unlike a dirt track.

“Dirt track racing is a lot of fun, and I really enjoy racing the Late Model,” Newman said Friday night. “[World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion] Steve Francis got me started doing it, and I’m just trying to get better at it. I enjoy racing with these guys, they’re class acts.”

While Newman wasn’t able to take the checkered flag on Friday night, 18 different dirt track superstars representing 13 different states did wind up in the Alltel Wireless Victory Lane during the two-week Alltel DIRTcar Nationals that concluded on Saturday night. All 18 drivers are eligible to win $12,000 from Alltel Wireless, with fans deciding the winner by voting online at AlltelAllStar.com.

The Alltel All-Star contest is open until 11:59 on March 16, and the contenders include:

Sprint Cars — Wayne Johnson, Mustang, Okla.; Craig Dollansky, Elk River, Minn.; Jason Meyers, Clovis, Calif.; Danny Lasoski, Dover, Mo.; and Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D., a two-time winner during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.

UMP DIRTcar Modifieds — Jesse Stovall, Branson, Mo.; Scott Drake, Webb City, Mo.; Dave Hess Jr., Waterford, Pa.; Tim Hancock, Mount Olive, Ill.; Dave Groves, Morgantown, W.Va.; and two-time Alltel DIRTcar Nationals winner Jared Landers, Batesville, Ark.

Dirt Late Models — Three-time winner Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.; Josh Richards, Shinnston, W.Va.; and Clint Smith, Senoia, Ga.

Advance Auto Parts Big Block Modifieds — Billy Pauch, Frenchtown, N.J.; Brett Hearn, Sussex, N.J.; Dale Planck, Cortland, N.Y.; and Jimmy Horton, Neshanic Station, N.J.

The 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals concluded Sunday night. The two-week event featured the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series™, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series™, the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™, UMP DIRTcar Racing™ Late Models and Open Wheel Modifieds, and the All Star Circuit of Champions. Each race night included two feature events that made a driver eligible to be an Alltel All-Star.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

Moyer Caps Spectacular Alltel DIRTcar Nationals With Victory In Saturday Night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series 50

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 16, 2008 – Billy Moyer put a cherry on top of his spectacular Alltel DIRTcar Nationals performance, winning Saturday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Volusia Speedway Park.

The $10,150 triumph gave Moyer three wins in five events during the busy week of racing – and, of course, the championship of the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. He earned more than $30,000 over the five nights of competition.

“I don’t know if we can ever top this,” said Moyer, who also won UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Super Late Model features on Monday and Wednesday nights. “In this day and age, with the competition that’s here, it’s a big accomplishment to have a week like this. I don’t know if I’ll ever repeat this again.”

Moyer, 50, of Batesville, Ark., worked harder than he had all week to secure his victory in the second of two WoO LMS events contested during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals. Though he started from the outside pole, the legendary driver known as ‘Mr. Smooth’ had to outduel Thursday-night WoO LMS winner Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for the lead and outrun Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., following a late-race restart to put one more flourish on his 2008 trip to Florida.

“What a race tonight,” said Moyer, who swapped the lead four times with Richards between laps 8-15. “That was fun.

“I can’t see what’s going on behind me, but Josh was on his game and we had a heckuva race. We ran each other clean and didn’t put tire marks all down the side of each other’s cars.”

Driving the Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle M1 Chassis that he helped design, Moyer grabbed the lead from Richards for good on lap 15. His Clements-powered No. 21 flashed across the finish line 0.399 of a second in front of Frank, whose advance from the 11^th starting spot in his Lester Buildings Rocket fell one position short.

Richards, who started from the outside pole, settled for third place in the Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket after nosing ahead of Moyer to lead laps 8 and 10-14. He lost the runner-up spot to Frank on lap 43 when he slid high in turn two.

Completing the top five was ninth-starter Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., in the Reece Monuments Bloomquist Chassis and eighth-starter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., in his J.P. Drilling GRT mount.

“Everything is falling in line,” said Moyer, whose visit to the Sunshine State also included three victories the previous week during the Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park, near Tampa. “The car has been exceptional, the motor has been exceptional, and my guys have done a great job.

“I guess all the midnight candles I’ve been burning all winter tinkering on this old car have paid off for me. This gives us that little shot in the arm that we needed.”

Moyer, who also scored finishes of second (Friday’s UMP DIRTcar event) and third (Thursday’s WoO LMS 50) during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, mastered the half-mile oval’s tricky conditions to push his alltime-best WoO LMS win total to 32. Ten of his victories have come since 2004, with the remainder earned during the tour’s first incarnation (1988-89).

“It’s like ice out there off (turn) two, and if you just missed it a little bit you’d get wide that lap,” said Moyer, a three-time WoO LMS champion whose last tour win came on March 24, 2007, at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway. “Josh did that (after exchanging the lead with Moyer) and I was able to get back underneath him.

“Early in the race I was trying to run above those holes, but it got to where it was so sticky in those holes that you had to run through ‘em. You just had to grit your teeth and hang on and beat your car up. If you ran in the smooth part, it was just so much slower then running through the darn holes.

“If you could hit it just right, it was like a slot car,” he added. “If you hit it wrong, you’d push and lose. You had to be on top of the wheel.”

Richards, 19, gave Moyer everything he could handle early in the distance, but he couldn’t match the veteran’s pace to the finish.

“As good as I felt early, I thought we could’ve won the race,” said Richards. “But early in the race he was having the same problem that I had later in the race – he was shoving the right-front a little bit. Late in the race I picked up that problem and started pushing up the track.

“I’m still happy with third,” he added. “It was a fun race. I haven’t had that much fun in awhile.”

The run also gave Richards a great jump on his pursuit of a first career WoO LMS championship. He headed home tied for the points lead with Moyer.

The 46-year-old Frank, meanwhile, salvaged a frustrating week with a runner-up finish worth $5,100. A caution flag with three laps left event gave him an opportunity to steal a checkered flag.

“If I wouldn’t have screwed up in turn one on the first corner (after the lap-47 restart), I thought I would’ve had a shot (to win),” said Frank, the tour’s winningest driver in 2007. “I used the hole to turn the car, and instead it pushed that lap. I lost a few car lengths there and that killed me.

“(Moyer) did screw up on the last corner, but I just wasn’t close enough to make a run on him.”

The night brought more heartbreak for WoO LMS regular Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who was hoping to erase memories of the broken axle that knocked him from the lead in Thursday night’s tour A-Main. He climbed as high as fourth from the 10^th starting spot before a broken left-rear wheel ended his bid on lap 35.

Misfortune also struck 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who started from the pole position and was running fourth on lap 40 when a cut left-rear tire forced him to pit, and 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller, another resident of Watertown, N.Y., and also a victim of a cut left-rear tire (while running sixth on lap 47).

Rounding out the top 10 was 15^th-starter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; 18^th-starter Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill.; 20^th-starter Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.; defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who was hampered for most of the distance by a broken throttle spring; and Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis.

Schlieper recorded the night’s fastest lap in time trials, touring the oval in 16.543 seconds.

Heat winners were Schlieper, McCreadie, Moyer, Richards, Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. The B-Mains were captured by Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., Shirley and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa.

Qualifying was marred by a spectacular crash involving Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., a 2006 WoO LMS winner at Volusia. During the first heat his Bobby Labonte-owned car dug into the cushion between turns three and four and flipped wildly, coming to rest upside down.

Safety crews carefully extricated a shaken Pearson, 36, from the car’s cockpit and transported him to a hospital in nearby Deland for observation. He was released several hours later, extremely sore but otherwise uninjured after x-rays and a CAT scan were negative.

The WoO LMS will be idle until March 28-29, when the tour visits Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., for the first time to contest the $20,000-to-win ‘March Through Dixie 100.’

Results of WoO Late Model Series A-Main (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Lap Leaders: Moyer (1-7); Richards (8); Moyer (9); Richards (10-14); Moyer (15-50)

Provisional Starters: Eckert, Blankenship (WoO); Erb (Alltel DIRTcar Nationals); Hammerle (UMP DIRTcar national points)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Schlieper, Rattliff, Boggs, Kinzer, Scheffler, Mantha, Leonard, Pearson, Redetzke, Hartman

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): McCreadie, C. Smith, Francis, Carrier, Elliott, O’Neal, Eckert, Erb, Geiger (DNS) Sheltra

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moyer, Owens, Lanigan, Shirley, Coffey, Briggs, D. Johnson, McBride, McKay, Millard

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Clanton, Shaver, Purkey, M. Miller, VanWormer, Hackett, Groves (DNS) Wood

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Decker, Frank, Lloyd, England, Knight, Heckenast, Chinn, Santel, Hammerle

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Babb, Fuller, D. Miller, Dillon, Stone, Hawkins, Fitzgerald, Blankenship, Isabell

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Carrier, Elliott, Eckert, Kinzer, O’Neal, Erb, Scheffler, Mantha, Leonard, Geiger (DNS) Pearson, Redetzke, Hartman, Sheltra

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Shirley, Coffey, M. Miller, Purkey, D. Johnson, VanWormer, Briggs, Hackett, Millard, McKay, Groves (DNS) McBride, Wood

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Stone, Dillon, Knight, Hawkins, England, Blankenship, Chinn, Fitzgerald, Heckenast, Isabell, Santel, Hammele

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Richards Opens World of Outlaws Late Model Series Season With Alltell DIRTcar Nationals Victory For Second Straight Year

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 14, 2008 - Josh Richards opened the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series season exactly the same way he did a year ago – with a convincing victory during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.

But the path ‘Kid Rocket’ took to the checkered flag in Thursday night’s 50-lap A-Main was decidedly different than in 2007.

A dominant flag-to-flag winner in last year’s tour lidlifter at the half-mile oval, Richards had to battle from start-to-finish this time to pocket a $10,150 top prize for his seventh career WoO LMS triumph.

“It was a lot harder tonight,” said Richards, who started third but didn’t take over the lead until lap 31 when Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., retired with mechanical trouble. “I was a nervous wreck the whole race.”

Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., had just disposed of Newport, Tenn.’s Jimmy Owens for second place and was beginning to bid for the lead when Clanton pulled up lame on the 31st circuit with a broken right-rear axle tube. He went on to build a full straightaway edge before a caution flag on lap 46 wiped it out, but he kept his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1 solidly in front following the restart.

Even Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who entered the night two-for-two in UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model action during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, was unable to stop Richards’s drive to Victory Lane. The dirt Late Model legend restarted on Richards’s rear bumper, but he spent the remaining circuits racing for second with Rick Eckert of York, Pa.

Richards crossed the finish line 1.262 seconds ahead of Eckert, who drove forward from the 24^th starting spot to earn runner-up money in Raye Vest’s GRT car.

Moyer settled for third in his Victory Circle M1 Chassis after starting 10^th, followed by defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., in Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting Rocket and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rayburn mount.

A runner-up to Moyer in the previous night’s 30-lap UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model feature, Richards was fully expecting a challenge from ‘Mr. Smooth’ after the race’s fourth and final caution flag.

“I saw that caution at the end and I was like, Oh, man!” said Richards, whose car was powered by a Cornett engine. “I figured Moyer was just gonna drive by and that would be it, but I never even saw him.

“I just tried to hold my line the rest of the race. It felt like it took me 20 minutes to get off of turn four for the win.”

“Everything’s been going our way, and tonight everything didn’t go 100 percent our way,” said Moyer. “I thought I wanted the caution (on lap 46), but we had an A-frame bent on the left-front (since around the race’s halfway point) and we just wanted to get to the checkered flag.

“Where it hurt me real bad was on a short run, before we really got going. I couldn’t turn in the corner like I needed to, so when Rick (Eckert) got underneath me, I just couldn’t stay down like I needed to.”

Eckert, 42, was a surprised – but very relieved – second-place finisher. His uncharacteristic winless streak in WoO LMS competition reached 58 races with his bridesmaid run, but he noted that it had “been awhile since we’ve had a run like this.”

“I guess we picked the right tires and the racetrack got slick enough that we could get by some of them guys when they slowed up,” said Eckert, who reached third place shortly before the final caution flag. “Once it got slippery enough to where your car needed to be pretty good, I could do something.”

Still, despite getting faster as the race wore on, Eckert didn’t even know that he had moved into contention for a slump-busting victory.

“When that caution come out, I thought we were probably 10^th or 11^th,” said Eckert. “I looked up at the scoreboard and it said the 21 (Moyer) was second, so I thought, ‘If he’s second, I gotta be third.’ We were way farther front than I thought we were.

“When they dropped the green there, I could get into one way better than most of them guys. (Moyer) turned in there wide and I filled the gap, and he couldn’t come back down.”

Could Eckert have challenged Richards with a little more time? He couldn’t say for sure.

“Until I got (Moyer) cleared, I never really got back into rhythm,” said Eckert. “I needed to run some laps to see if I had anything for Josh.”

Four caution flags slowed the competitive event, which featured five lead changes among three drivers.

Clanton and Owens were the main attractions early in the distance, swapping the top spot four times amongst themselves. Clanton, who started from the pole position, lost the lead to Owens on lap nine but regained command the following circuit, then ceded the position to Owens again on lap 18 before going back in front on the 27^th lap.

Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., who started 27^th after using a Alltel DIRTcar Nationals high-points provisional to start the A-Main, raced through the field to finish sixth. He earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who had never won a tour event.

Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who also started the race thanks to a WoO LMS provisional, advanced from the 26^th starting spot to place seventh. Owens was next, followed by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Among the WoO LMS regulars who ran into trouble were second-starter Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who was challenging Clanton for the lead on lap seven when he slowed with a broken right-front shock and pitted for repairs that cost him two laps, and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who climbed as high as seventh (from 21^st) before fading with nosepiece damage that ultimately caused him to stop in turn two on lap 46.

Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., was fastest in time trials with a lap of 16.620 seconds.

Heat winners were Fuller, Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., Terry Casey of New London, Wis., Richards, Clanton and Owens. The B-Mains were captured by Mike King of Ripley, N.Y., Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.

The WoO LMS will return to action on Saturday night (Feb. 16), closing out the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals with a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win.

The UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models take center stage during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals on Friday night (Feb. 15), running a 40-lap A-Main offering a $10,000 top prize.

Results of WoO Late Model Series A-Main (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

Lap Leaders: Clanton (1-8); Owens (9); Clanton (10-17); Owens (18-26); Clanton (27-30); Richards (31-50)

Provisional Starters: C. Smith, Carrier (WoO); D. Miller (Alltel DIRTcar Nationals points standings)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Fuller, Shaver, McCreadie, Carrier, Hartman, M. Miller, VanWormer, Fitzgerald, Coffey, Chinn, Isabell, Schwartz

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): O’Neal, Babb, Francis, Knight, Erb, Kinzer, Wallace, Stone, Redetzke, Walker, D.J. Miller, Hammerle

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Casey, Rattliff, Schlieper, Shirley, Elliott, C. Smith, Purkey, Sheltra, Hawkins, McBride, Tyrchniewicz, Geiger

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Moyer, Decker, Frank, D. Miller, Moran, James, Whiseant, Matthees, Garvin, Alsip, Julien

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Blankenship, Lloyd, Eckert, Boggs, McGuire, Briggs, Heckenast, Millard, Hackett, Mantha

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Owens, Pearson, Lanigan, B. Smith, England, Dillon, McKay, Wood, Reaume, Santel, Scheffler

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Knight, Kinzer, Carrier, M. Miller, Wallace, VanWormer, Coffey, Stone, Chinn, Redetzke, Fitzgerald, Walker, D.J. Miller, Hartman, Erb, Isabell, Hammerle, Schwartz

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Shirley, Frank, Elliott, C. Smith, James, D. Miller, Moran, Purkey, Sheltra, Whiseant, Matthees, McBride, Hawkins, Garvin, Alsip, Tyrchniewicz, Geiger (DNS) Julien

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): B. Smith, Eckert, Briggs, England, Dillon, McGuire, Heckenast, Boggs, McKay, Hackett, Reaume, Mantha, Santel, Millard, Wood (DNS) Scheffler

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 [email protected].

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Advance Auto Parts – the official auto parts store of the WoO LMS – and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Chicken Hawk Racing, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Eibach Springs, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts and Qwikliner.

Defending Champ Steve Francis Voted Favorite To Win 2008 Title In Inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series Pre-Season Media Poll

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 13, 2008 – Defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Steve Francis might have a new ride, but he’s still the man to beat in 2008.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., was voted the favorite to win the 2008 points title in the inaugural WoO LMS Pre-Season Media Poll.

Nearly two-dozen media types from across the country who cover the WoO LMS took part in the poll, which asked press members to predict the top-five finishers in the tour’s 2008 points standings. Points were distributed to each driver named on the media ballots using a 5-4-3-2-1 system.

Francis tallied 72 points in the poll, including eight first-place votes. He appeared on 19 of the 22 media ballots – the most top-five selections of any driver and a clear signal of the media’s respect for the star known as the ‘Kentucky Colonel.’

After putting together his first-ever WoO LMS championship season in 2007 driving Valvoline-sponsored equipment that he fielded himself, Francis will chase the points crown this year as the hired gun of Maryland car owner Dale Beitler. He has conceded that it might take some time for him to completely adjust to racing for a new team, but the results of the poll prove that the media believes he’ll hit his stride fast enough to repeat as champion.

While one media member said Francis “may wish he had his own car” while picking him to finish fourth in the standings, another succinctly summed up a general feeling about the reigning champ.

“Francis has proven year in and year out that he is a points chaser,” said the writer. “He is the best in the country at racing for points. Without having the ‘burden’ of running his own team on a full-time basis, he will have the opportunity to put all efforts into winning races and the championship.”

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was the runner-up in the 2007 WoO LMS points race, finished second in the Pre-Season Media Poll. The 46-year-old star was listed on 18 top-five surveys and tallied 65 points, including six first-place votes.

Finishing third in the poll was Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who plans a full assault on the WoO LMS for the first time in 2008 driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team. A winner of five tour A-Mains while running more than half of the 2007 tour schedule, Babb appeared on 16 Media Poll top-five lists and registered 52 points, including four first-place votes.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who at 19 is the youngest driver on the WoO LMS, placed fourth in the poll with 36 points. In search of his first top-five finish in the points standings, the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year received one first-place vote.

Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., ended up in tie for fifth in the poll, dead-locked with 33 points apiece. Eckert was named on more top-five lists – 13 appearances to Clanton’s 10 – but Clanton received two first-place votes versus Eckert’s one.

Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who captured the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award, earned top-five nods on nine ballots to finish seventh in the poll with 16 points. He was picked to finish as high as second by a media corps impressed with his performance as a first-time dirt Late Model traveler last season.

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who placed a career-high third in the 2007 standings, was named on eight top-five ballots and finished eighth in the poll. Pegged to finish as high as third, he tallied 14 points.

Rounding out the drivers earning votes in the poll were Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who earned two points for a fourth-place selection; Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., who also earned two points for a fourth-place vote; and 26-year-old Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., a second-year WoO LMS traveler who picked up one point for a fifth-place vote from the media.

Madden, who won two WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007, was the only driver to receive a top-five vote not among the 10 drivers who recently signed to follow the entire ’08 schedule. The respondent who selected Madden felt that the Southerner might decide to chase the series if he were to get off to a good start.

As part of the poll, media members were also asked to predict who will win the most WoO LMS A-Mains in 2008 as well as the winners of the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 on June 28-29 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

Coming off his strong ’07 season in the ‘W’ column, Babb was the top choice of the media to lead the tour in victories this season. He received 11 votes in the top-winner category, besting 2007’s winningest driver Frank (five votes), Francis (four), Clanton (one) and Smith (one).

Media members predicted that Babb will lead the tour with as many as 11 wins or as few as four.

The Media Poll favorite to win the Circle K Colossal 100 was Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who has captured the two previous runnings of the event. He received eight votes.

Other drivers selected multiple times as potential Colossal 100 winners were Babb (six votes) and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. (three). Receiving single votes were Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, Fuller, Richards, Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va. and Smith.

Bloomquist and Frank tied for the most selections in the Firecracker 100 poll, each receiving nine votes. Bloomquist won the inaugural mega-event last year, while Frank is acknowledged as a master of the four-tenths-mile track in his native western Pennsylvania.

Receiving single votes in the Firecracker 100 polling were Babb, Fuller, Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and Richards.

* On Chub Frank capturing the title: “Finishing second is always the biggest motivator to winning the next season”; “This will be Chub’s year to shake the monkey off his back and pick up the WoO title.”

* On Frank winning the Firecracker 100: “Nobody knows Western Pennsylvania dirt tracks better than Chubzilla”; “Chub Frank takes the Lernerville cash, winning a huge race on one of his favorite tracks.”

* On Shannon Babb: “In 2007 Babb proved that he can win on the tour; he has also proven that he is one of the best in the country over the past few years. With the financial backing of Sprint Cup superstar Clint Bowyer, the ‘Moweaqua Missile’ will be a force to be reckoned with in 2008”; “Clint Bowyer Racing link moves Babb up”; “Can't go wrong with an owner named Clint Bowyer.”

* On Shane Clanton: “I think he is set for a dominating performance”; “I think Clanton has learned a little bit every year, and this is the season it all comes together for him.”

* On Josh Richards: “Richards is on the brink of taking a ‘crown jewel.’ Lernerville’s ‘Firecracker 100’ is the perfect opportunity for Josh to make that leap into the elite class of dirt Late Model drivers”; “This star continues to rise through the Late Model landscape”; “One year away from dominating.”

* On Rick Eckert: “Championship form is back after a challenging 2007 season”; “Major rebound from 2007 comes up just a bit short.”

* On Darrell Lanigan: “If all WoO races were on a half-mile or more, he would be the champ.”

* On Clint Smith: “Last year it seemed Clint Smith had more strong runs than he had in previous years and he’ll continue that in 2008.”

* On Brian Shirley: “He’s one of the best young drivers in the country and he’ll prove it by becoming a serious contender this season.”

* On Scott Bloomquist winning the Colossal 100: “Bloomquist is the specialist at winning big races, and there’s no reason to think he won’t in 2008 as well”; “He’s the War Admiral of the 1930 horse-racing industry.”

The 2008 WoO LMS, which is currently scheduled to run 46 events at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces, kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Pre-Season Media Poll (Driver/first pl. votes/2^nd pl/3^rd pl/4^th pl/5^th pl/total points on 5-4-3-2-1 tabulation system):

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 11, 2008 – With a career-first World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship now finally off his to-do list, Steve Francis is ready to go for two in-a-row in 2008.

But the road to another title for the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ has already taken on a decidedly different look.

After mastering the circuit last year in his own equipment to build up the most lopsided WoO LMS championship points margin since 2004, Francis is chasing a repeat with a new team. In November he made the surprising announcement that he was parking his own racing operation in favor of a ride with car owner Dale Beitler of West Friendsville, Md.

Some might call it a risk for Francis to step out of his own stuff when he clearly had gotten it purring along perfectly, but the veteran from Ashland, Ky., doesn’t see it that way.

In fact, after running Beitler’s familiar No. 19 in several off-season test sessions and 13 events over the past two-and-a-half weeks at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., and East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., Francis feels very comfortable with his decision entering this week’s 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., where the 2008 WoO LMS schedule kicks off with events on Thursday (Feb. 14) and Saturday (Feb. 16).

“I’m a lot happier and more relaxed than I’ve ever been,” Francis said a couple days ago. “I don’t have to worry about running a team and I haven’t had to put in so many hours working in the shop, so I’ve had more time to spend with my daughter and do some other things.

“I think having that mental load off of me is going to help me be more focused on what I have to do as a driver.”

Francis, 40, has taken full advantage of the busy early-season dirt Late Model schedule to mesh with his new team, which includes crew chief Kevin Miller, team consultant Robby Allen and Beitler, a 51-year-old businessman who plans to log some serious airline miles this year in order to attend as many of Francis’s events as possible.

Of course, it’s not like Francis has to introduce himself to the members of his new team.

For starters, he’s long known Allen, a well-regarded mechanic whom Francis spent much time with on the road when Allen worked as Rick Eckert’s crew chief. Francis’s late brother/crew chief, Chris, who passed away in August 2001, also was a close friend of Allen’s.

And Francis actually drove for Beitler once before – in 2001, he won a feature at Cumberland, Md. – and told Beitler at the time to keep him in mind if he ever was looking for a driver and wanted to do some serious traveling. In that vein, when Beitler split with Indiana’s Steve Casebolt late in the 2007, he called Francis and they struck a deal in a relatively short amount of time.

Francis views Beitler as a perfect owner for him. Beitler’s low-key demeanor, his top-notch team, his love of the sport, the technical assistance he provides – combine it all, and it’s not so surprising that Francis would mothball his own equipment to chase a second straight title in someone else’s stuff.

“We kinda balance each other out,” Francis said of Beitler. “I’m pretty intense, and he’s kinda level-headed all the time.

“And he’s an owner who wants to be there to watch his car race, but he lets everybody do their job. He’s kind of the team’s resident chef, clean-up man and cheerleader, and he’s really knowledgeable about the (American Racer) tires, which has been a big help to me because I’m still learning about them.”

Running American Racer tires is probably the biggest adjustment Francis has to make with his move to Beitler’s Reliable Painting-sponsored operation. He’s run Hoosier tires for years, so the main thrust of his off-season testing was to “make sure I know the tire situation with American Racer.”

Francis also will use Cornett Race Engines with Beitler, rather than the Custom powerplants he had in his cars last year. But he’ll continue to drive Rocket Chassis Late Models, and he’s confident that he’ll figure out the right combinations for his new tire and engine programs.

“There’s gonna be a little bit of a learning curve for me with the tires,” said Francis, who does plan to enter his Valvoline No. 15 in a handful of major events (Circle K Colossal 100, Dirt Late Model Dream, World 100, etc.) with 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie behind the wheel. “We might struggle a little early in the season, especially on some of those springtime tracks. But we feel like we should be on kill mode by about the Show-Me 100 (on Memorial Day 100) and then just get stronger for the rest of the season.

“That’s about what we did last year. We got everything right with our program about halfway through the year and kept getting stronger.”

Francis, who finished second in the 2004 and 2005 WoO LMS points standings before breaking through last year, knows he can’t take too long to find his groove with Beitler. The competition among the 10 drivers committed to following the tour in ’08 will be intense.

“Winning (another championship) will be as tough to get as the first one,” said Francis. “I know Chub (Frank, the ’07 points runner-up) is gonna be on kill from the start. Clint (Smith) has everything ready to go. Josh (Richards) is ready to go.

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

Fans unable to attend the spectacular week at Volusia can still catch all the action on the DIRTVision Cybercast. For just $29.99 fans can purchase the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass’ and watch live streaming video of all 12 nights of racing action from Feb. 5-16. Log on to www.dirtvision.com for more information.

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 10, 2008 – He finished sixth in the 2004 points standings, fifth in 2005, third in 2006 and second in 2007.

So if this steady upward trend continues, Chub Frank will be your 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion.

“I sure hope we are,” Frank smiled when asked if he will cap his annual WoO LMS improvement with a title this season. “That’s what we’re always shooting for.”

There’s simply nowhere left for Frank to go on the WoO LMS except the champion’s throne, a place he’s very anxious to sit.

“We’ve won some championships in the past, but not on the scope of the Outlaws deal,” said Frank, who captured the STARS/Renegade Series title four years in a row (2000-2003). “There’s no doubt – if we were to win the Outlaw championship, it would be the biggest thing we’ve ever done.”

Bear Lake, Pa.’s Frank, who turned 46 on Jan. 22, begins his quest for the prestigious WoO LMS championship trophy in the tour’s season-opening events this Thursday (Feb. 14) and Saturday (Feb. 16) during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

And when the first green flag of ’08 is dropped, Frank will be well-positioned to make that final, difficult jump to the top spot in the standings. The only driver who has improved his final points position in each of the last four WoO LMS campaigns, Frank is coming off what was unquestionably his best season ever on the tour.

After winning one A-Main in 2004 and three in both ’05 and ’06, the popular racer known as ‘Chubzilla’ exploded for six victories last year to lead all drivers in the ‘W’ category. His checkered flags came in six different states – ranging from his home turf of Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York to new conquests in Delaware, Michigan and Minnesota – and he battled for the points title with eventual champion Steve Francis up until the next-to-last event of the season.

The difference in the points race? In 44 A-Mains, Frank had 19 top-five finishes (compared to 27 for Francis), 34 top-10s (Francis had 40) and three bad-luck DNFs (Francis suffered two early in the season before running off an amazing 38 straight lead-lap finishes).

“We couldn’t quite match Francis,” conceded Frank, who finished 126 points behind the rock-solid champ. “We didn’t have too many bad nights, but it’s hard to beat a guy when he doesn’t drop out.”

A WoO LMS stalwart who has failed to qualify for just one of the 154 A-Mains contested since the tour was reincarnated in 2004 by the World Racing Group, Frank has identified the weak points of his ’07 effort and hopes to correct them this season.

“There’s a few places where we have to pick up our program,” said Frank, whose 13 career WoO LMS victories rank him fourth on the tour’s win list since 2004. “To win a championship, you have to have everything going for you. You can’t have many off nights, and we had a few too many last year.”

Frank essentially returns to the WoO LMS grind with the same self-owned deal he operated so successfully in ’07. He has a stable of three Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber-sponsored Rocket cars (one brand-new, one he ran throughout ’07, and one with only a handful of races on it) and at least four motors built by Custom Race Engines of Knoxville, Tenn. He also continues to employ Brad Baum, who was voted to receive the 2007 WoO LMS ‘Crew Chief of the Year’ Award.

Following a short winter spent gearing up in his shop and a recent season-opening racing visit to Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., that helped him knock off any rust that might have developed from inactivity, Frank is ready to get down to business on the WoO LMS.

And make no mistake – Frank knows he must be totally focused in ’08, lest he experience his first-ever fall in the WoO LMS points standings.

“Pretty much everybody there (among the 10 drivers who have committed to following the 2008 WoO LMS) is capable of winning the championship,” said Frank, who ranks this season’s group of Outlaws fulltimers as arguably the toughest in the history of the tour. “Whoever wins it will have to be on top of their game all year.”

Considering his rivals, Frank said, “Francis had a new deal (driving for Dale Beitler), but you know he’ll be tough. (Shannon) Babb has a real good team this year (owned by NASCAR star Clint Bowyer). Clint (Smith) picked up his program a lot last year. (Shane) Clanton has been fast. I’m sure (Rick) Eckert will be back concentrating on one car. (Tim) Fuller has really stepped his program up. Josh (Richards) is getting better and better. (Darrell) Lanigan is always tough. (Brian) Shirley is fast.

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘At A Glance’: 37^th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 14 & 16

* The fifth season of World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition under the World Racing Group banner – and seventh season overall, including its first incarnation under late Advance Auto Parts WoO Sprint Series founder Ted Johnson in 1988 and ’89 – kicks off on Thurs., Feb. 14, and Sat., Feb. 16, as part of the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.

Launching the tour’s championship contenders on a grueling schedule that currently shows 46 race dates at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces, the pair of Alltel DIRTcar Nationals events will feature full programs topped by 50-lap A-Mains paying $10,000 to win from total purses of over $50,000.

The top-10 finishers in the 2007 points standings – Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Clint Smith, Shane Clanton, Rick Eckert, Josh Richards, Darrell Lanigan, Tim Fuller, Brian Shirley and Shannon Babb – will lead the WoO LMS charge into the season-opening events. The drivers have committed to following the entire series in ’08, forming arguably the strongest group of regulars in the tour’s history.

With a car count at Volusia expected to be in the neighborhood of 100, the WoO LMS stars will face what is unquestionably one of the toughest fields on the tour in 2008.

The WoO LMS shows head an action-packed week of dirt Late Model action during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, which also include four nights (Feb. 11, 12, 13, 15) of UMP DIRTcar Late Model racing. Teams will battle in 30-lap A-Mains paying $7,000 to win on Feb. 11, 12 and 13, and then go after a $10,000 top prize in the 40-lap finale on Feb. 15.

* Pit gates are scheduled to open each day of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at 2 p.m. ET, with grandstand gates set to open at 4 p.m. and hot laps tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m.

* Volusia Speedway Park, a banked, half-mile clay oval, is located just 15 miles west of Ormond Beach, Fla. From I-95, exit on State Rd. 40 and head west; from Highway 17, take State Rd. 40 and head east for five miles.

* The WoO LMS has run more races at Volusia Speedway Park than any other track – a total of 11 A-Mains, including the inaugural event of the tour’s World Racing Group era on Feb. 3, 2004.

Two drivers have won two WoO LMS events at VSP: Steve Francis (Feb. 3, 2004, and Feb. 18, 2006) and Scott Bloomquist (Feb. 8, 2004, and Oct. 29, 2005). Single winners include Bart Hartman (Feb. 2, 2004), Shannon Babb (Feb. 6, 2004), Billy Moyer (Feb. 17, 2005), Tim McCreadie (Feb. 19, 2005), Earl Pearson Jr. (Feb. 16, 2006), Chris Madden (Oct. 14, 2006) and Josh Richards (Feb. 17, 2007).

* Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., will begin his WoO LMS title defense at VSP, but he won’t be behind the wheel of his own familiar No. 15 that he drove in 2007. His number is now 19 after his off-season move to the Reliable Painting team fielded by Maryland’s Dale Beitler.

* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., is the only driver who has improved his final points position in each of the last four WoO LMS seasons. He finished second last year, so he’s a favorite to capture his first championship in ’08.

* Coming off his best WoO LMS campaign ever (third in the points standings), Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., is confident of his ’08 chances with all of his team’s sponsors back and the same chassis and engine manufacturers under him. His only adjustment is to a new chief mechanic, Melvin Welch, who replaces Johnny Cloer Jr.

* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., fell from second-place in the ’06 standings to fourth last year, so he’s primed to move back into title contention. He returns to the tour with car owner Ronnie Dobbins for the fourth consecutive season.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., enters ’08 as undoubtedly the hungriest driver on the tour. Uncharacteristically winless last year, he hopes a move to Custom Race Engines helps him snap a 57-race WoO LMS winless streak, dating back to his last victory, on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.

* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year, dominated last year’s lone WoO LMS A-Main at Volusia (a second scheduled race was rained out). ‘Kid Rocket’ led the race’s entire distance, giving him the first of his career-high four wins in ’07.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., has never won a WoO LMS event at Volusia, but last year he pocketed $10,000 for capturing Volusia’s UMP DIRTcar Late Model finale on the eve of the WoO LMS show.

* A former winner at Volusia in DIRTcar big-block Modified competition, 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., is out to reach Victory Lane in the Sunshine State behind the wheel of a full-fender machine. He figures to be a top contender on the tour this season after switching his concentration from big-block Modifieds to dirt Late Models.

* Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who at 26 is one of two WoO LMS regulars under the age of 30 (19-year-old Josh Richards is the other), is primed for a full season of touring after chasing much of the series for the first time in ’07. A first-time Alltel DIRTcar Nationals entrant, he showed his talent in ’07 when he became the second driver in WoO LMS history to win an A-Main in his rookie season.

* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who won five WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007 and finished 10^th in the points standings, plans a full season of racing on the tour in ’08 after joining NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team. He won a UMP DIRTcar Late Model event at Volusia in 2007.

* Fans who can’t make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.

To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.

In addition, fans can watch live streaming video of all the action from Volusia on the DIRTVision Cybercast by purchasing the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass.’ Log on to www.dirtvision.com for more information.

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 9, 2008 – Last year Clint Smith showed he can be a serious contender for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship.

“We have to put a complete year together,” Smith said when asked what it will take for him to jump from a career-best third-place finish in the 2007 points standings to a championship in 2008. “Last year we were good enough to win the points for most of the season, but our program fell off a little down the stretch. We just have to avoid that kind of lull and be strong all the way through the year.”

Smith, 42, of Senoia, Ga., was a fixture near the top of the WoO LMS points standings in ’07, never slipping lower than third after finishing sixth in the season opener. During the first five months of the campaign, he either led or was tied for the points lead after 17 events; only eventual champion Steve Francis sat atop the standings more often (24 events).

But the Southeastern star known as ‘Cat Daddy’ lost the points lead due to a rare broken cam that left him with a 28^th-place finish in the season’s 25^th event, the Firecracker 100 on June 30 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and he never climbed back on top. He won two of his four ’07 A-Mains after his hiccup at Lernerville, but he simply wasn’t able to maintain the consistent momentum he had demonstrated during the first half of the season.

“We had an excellent year, the best I’ve ever had with the Outlaws,” said Smith, a tour regular since its reincarnation in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. “But after we lost the point lead at the Firecracker, we couldn’t keep anything going.

“When you get behind, you get to scrambling. You get knocked out of the point lead and you start trying stuff you normally wouldn’t to try to catch up, and then stuff just snowballs. That’s what happened to us.”

While disappointed to fall short of the points crown after his lengthy stint atop the points standings got visions of the promised land dancing in his head, Smith did improve a significant six spots from his best previous WoO LMS finish (ninth, in 2005). It also continued his steady, season-by-season rise in performance on the tour, buoying his hopes for a memorable ’08 trip through the grueling Outlaws schedule.

“Our first year (2004), we struggled terribly all year,” said Smith, who finished 10^th in the points standings that season. “We switched cars (chassis) back-and-forth, we didn’t have the right (type of) trailer for traveling the tour, and we had no wins.

“We learned a lot of things that first year, though, and our second year (2005) we had two wins and our third year (2006) we got up to four wins (and 10^th in the points standings). But the middle of the year wasn’t good (in both ’05 and ’06), and that’s why we didn’t finish better in the points.

“Last year we got stronger, more consistent, but we still need to do a little better if we’re gonna beat guys like Francis and Chub (Frank) and everybody else for the championship. With guys like (Shannon) Babb coming on board (as a WoO LMS regular in 2008) it’s gonna be a tough season, so we’ll have to be on top of our game.”

Smith heads into the 2008 WoO LMS season, which kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., feeling very good about his self-operated team. He remains a stalwart in the GRT chassis camp and will continue to use RaceTek engines – and best of all, his entire roster of sponsors is back, including J.P. Drilling, Cliburn Tank Lines, J&J Steel and Steven’s Plumbing.

“The biggest concern every off-season is getting all your sponsors locked in for another year so you can run the program,” said Smith, who increased his national profile in ’07 by scoring all four of his WoO LMS victories in the Midwest (two in Missouri, one each in Indiana and Kansas). “We didn’t add any more sponsors, but we have every sponsor back. That’s a big relief when you’re trying to make a living at this.

“You gotta have money to race, and you gotta have money to pay (crewmen) because they ain’t gonna work for free like they used to a long time ago.”

The biggest change in Smith’s effort comes on the crew side, where he had to replace his well-regarded chief mechanic, Johnny Cloer Jr. of Chatsworth, Ga., who informed Smith last fall that he would be relinquishing his post to pursue his own dirt Late Model driving career with a ride on the Southern All-Stars Series. Smith hired Melvin Welch, a veteran mechanic from Alabama who had been working for Ben Thomas Race Cars, as his head wrench and brought Darrell Cooper on board to assist, with Bobby Mills planning to help Smith as well at select shows.

With the new personnel on board, Smith was glad that this year’s early-season dirt Late Model schedule included long racing meets at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., and East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., prior to the WoO LMS lidlifters at Volusia. Including three upcoming UMP DIRTcar Late Model events at Volusia (Feb. 11-13), Smith could have 16 starts already under his belt when he takes his first WoO LMS green flag of ’08 on Valentine’s Day.

“Running all these races has helped me and Melvin get on the same page,” said Smith, who has raced in all but one of the 154 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004. “We should be ready when the points start.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

Georgia Driver Believes ’08 Could Be Year His Equipment & Experience Match Up Perfectly

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 8, 2008 – Shane Clanton knows that car owner Ronnie Dobbins has provided him all the equipment necessary to win the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points championship.

But does the man behind the wheel think he has enough dirt Late Model experience to reach the tour’s summit?

Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., believes he’s thisclose to finally perfectly meshing his talent with the top-notch machinery underneath him.

“I still make mistakes (on the track) because I’m still learning,” said Clanton, who tore up the Sportsman division across the Southeast before advancing to dirt Late Model racing in 2002. “I know guys I’m racing with have 10, 12, even 20, or more, years of experience in these cars, but I’ve only been running a Late Model for six years. Some of the mistakes I’ve made because of inexperience are what have killed me.

“I’ve always been comfortable with racing up front, but it’s learning to handle different situations (in traffic) that’s been the main thing for me. When you can figure out how you can work yourself out of predicaments without tearing any stuff up, then you’re getting somewhere – and I think I’m getting there.”

Of course, if Clanton has basically been getting a dirt Late Model education on the fly with the WoO LMS for the last four years, then look out in 2008. The driver known as ‘Coconut’ has already put up some pretty impressive stats on the national tour.

One of five drivers who has won at least one WoO LMS event in each of the past four seasons, Clanton captured his first victory on the tour in 2004 when he was a regular on the UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series. He became a WoO LMS traveler in 2005, winning once and finishing 10^th in the points standings despite missing two months of action with a separated left shoulder. The 2006 campaign was his breakout – he won twice and battled for the points title down to the last race before settling for a runner-up placing – and last year he won two more A-Mains en route to a fourth-place finish in the standings.

For a driver who considers himself to still be developing as a dirt Late Model racer, Clanton has proven to be remarkably steady on the grueling WoO LMS trail. Consider that in ’06 he completed more A-Main laps than any other driver (he failed to run just three of 1,601 circuits), and last year he registered the most consecutive top-10 finishes (17, even beating the impeccably consistent ’07 champ Steve Francis in that category).

The difference between Clanton’s 2006 and 2007 WoO LMS seasons – competing for a championship versus being satisfied with a top-five finish in the points race – was a springtime lull and a few too many early departures from A-Mains. Clanton actually led the points standings after the sixth event of ’07, but then he went without a top-10 finish for eight consecutive shows, dropping him to eighth in the standings and effectively dive-bombing his title hopes. Four DNFs – four more than he had all of ’06 – cemented his fall from championship contention.

“We struggled for awhile and had too many DNFs,” Clanton said of his ’07 results. “If you’re gonna win a championship, you have to keep rolling up the top-fives, or at least top-10s. (Steve) Francis did that, but we didn’t do it for the whole season.”

Clanton heads into the 2008 WoO LMS, which kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., confident that he can erase his hiccups of a year ago.

“We feel good about our equipment,” said Clanton, who has three RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Rocket cars ready to go and an ample arsenal of powerplants built by Custom Race Engines. “Our cars are fresh. Our engines are fresh. We feel good about the people we have working with us (led by returning chief mechanic Mark Lloyd). Everything is as good as ever.

“But we still have to run good and have some good luck too. If we don’t, it won’t be for lack of effort.”

Yes, Clanton understands that he and his team will have to be totally focused from start-to-finish of the 2008 WoO LMS schedule, which currently shows 46 events at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces. With all 10 drivers committed to chasing the tour already boasting WoO LMS victories on their resumes, the talent level he’ll have to deal with is immense.

“This group (of WoO LMS regulars) is tougher than ever,” said Clanton, who has six career WoO LMS triumphs. “It’s going to be hard to finish in the top five every night.

“This is a tough business. There’s so many good guys out there running weekly shows, and then you put 10 guys out there who are proven winners – man, you can’t have an off night.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

‘Scrub’ Looks To Get Back On Winning Track After Uncharacteristic Campaign

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 6, 2008 – What does Rick Eckert want from his 2008 season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series?

Oh, a return to Victory Lane after his uncharacteristic winless 2007 campaign is certainly atop the wish list of the driver from York, Pa.

And, of course, getting back in the thick of the tour championship battle is high priority for ‘Scrub.’

But Eckert’s greatest desire just might be a smooth, steady-as-she-goes season – specifically, no mid-season changes in crew personnel or equipment. Because if he’s able to steer clear of those momentum-busters, then his on-track performance will be much more likely to fall into place.

Eckert, 42, simply wants to wash away the memories of his frustrating 2007 WoO LMS season, which saw him go through the entire schedule without a victory for the first time since the tour’s 2004 reincarnation by the World Racing Group.

“Last year is history,” pronounced Eckert. “We’re starting with a clean slate now.”

Yes, ’07 was a frustrating experience for Eckert, who never really found his usual rhythm. Though he was coming off a 2006 season in which he was the tour’s winningest driver (eight triumphs), Eckert went into ’07 with a new chassis underneath him (MasterSbilt) and a two new crewmen traveling with him. Before the season ended he changed to GRT chassis and was forced to scramble for last-minute crew help on two occasions after having mechanics suddenly quit.

Eckert did actually improve two positions in the points standings from 2006, finishing fifth, but that was little consolation for a racer who entered ’07 with more WoO LMS wins (15) than any other driver over the previous three years.

Five runner-up placings and a strong finishing record (just one DNF all year) aside, Eckert struggled more than starred in ’07 – as evidenced by the fact that he led a mere 15 laps in A-Main competition.

So Eckert heads into the 2008 WoO LMS sked, which begins on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., riding a 57-race winless streak on the tour. He last tasted victory in WoO LMS action on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.

When you also consider his annoying slump (Eckert was the only driver ranked among the top 10 of the ’07 points standings who didn’t win a race) and that Eckert was overtaken in ’07 by Scott Bloomquist as the tour’s winningest driver since 2004, do you think there’s any doubt that he just might be the hungriest racer on this year’s WoO LMS?

That hunger to get back on a winning track is what drove Eckert through a very busy off-season in his shop. He’s already well-regarded for impeccable preparation and maintenance of his machines, but Eckert stepped it up a notch to get ready for his 12^th season driving for veteran Maryland car owner Raye Vest.

“I feel like we’re in as good shape as I’ve ever been to start a season,” said Eckert, who will be looking for his first career WoO LMS victory at Volusia during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals (he’s won UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned events in the past at the half-mile oval). “Raye is giving me everything it takes to win a championship and we have it all ready to go, so I’m confident that we’ll have a great season.”

Eckert spent the winter massaging his equipment with help from Chad Curran, a 25-year-old from Conway, Ark., who began working as Eckert’s fulltime mechanic in late August 2007 and returns for his first full season traveling the tour. They built one new GRT car and freshened up the GRT mount Eckert debuted in August 2007; both cars remain Eckert’s traditional orange and carry the No. 24, but some new striping gives the machines a slightly different look. Eckert’s motor program, meanwhile, is as brand-spanking-new as can be thanks to the arrival of four powerplants from Custom Race Engines, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based shop that Vest and Eckert decided to go with for the 2008 season.

By all appearances, Eckert has a proven chassis and engine under him for 2008. He’ll be able to trade setup ideas all season long with fellow WoO LMS regular and GRT campaigner Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who won four times and finished a career-high third in the 2007 points standings driving GRT cars, and his move to Custom Race Engines pairs him with a motor builder that put together the powerplants used by the first-, second- and fourth-place finishers – Steve Francis, Chub Frank and Shane Clanton, respectively – in the ’07 standings.

A stalwart on the WoO LMS since 2004, Eckert has finished outside the top five in the final points standings just once in four years of action. But he hasn’t won that championship trophy yet (his top placing was a third, in 2004), so he’d love to add it to his resume.

Eckert would also love to win the WoO LMS title for his dedicated car owner Vest, a 74-year-old excavation company proprietor who received the 2007 WoO LMS ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Sport’ Award.

“Raye has always been behind me 100 percent,” said Eckert, one of only two drivers who has run all 154 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004 (Francis is the other). “It’s been awhile since we won a championship (UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series in 2002), and I’d like to get him one with the Outlaws.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

Fans Take Control in Alltel Wireless’ DIRTcar All-Star Contest

CONCORD, N.C. — Feb. 5, 2008 — The 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park is filled with the world’s greatest dirt track racers. Now, fans can choose the best of the best as Alltel Wireless and the World Racing Group announced the launch of the Alltel DIRTcar All-Star contest.

As if the drivers needed any more incentive to reach victory lane during one of the 12 consecutive nights of racing at the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Feb. 5-16, now they can win a $12,000 cash prize. Alltel Wireless will reward fans’ favorite driver as determined in a text message and online poll. Only drivers who win an A-main during the 12-day event are eligible to win the cash prize.

“We did not want to just put our name on the DIRTcar Nationals, we wanted to get involved with the drivers, teams and especially the fans,” said Samira Zebian, director of sponsorship marketing for Alltel Wireless. “The Alltel Wireless DIRTcar All-Star contest puts fans in control of the outcome. If the drivers want to take home the $12,000 purse, they will need a strong performance on the track and an even better campaign strategy to earn the people’s choice award!”

Beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 6 and through 11:59 p.m. Eastern on March 16, fans may cast their votes up to once a day by texting #52191 plus their favorite driver’s letter code (available at alltelallstar.com) or by visiting alltelallstar.com. The winning driver will be named in a special ceremony shortly thereafter.

The 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals features the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series™, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series™, the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™, UMP DIRTcar Racing™ Late Models and Open Wheel Modifieds, and the All Star Circuit of Champions over 12 consecutive nights from Feb. 5 through Feb. 16. Each night includes two feature events, so there is the potential for 24 different drivers to be eligible for the online poll.

“Alltel is the Official Wireless Partner of Fans, and this program allows dirt racing fans across the country the opportunity to participate in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, even if they cannot attend in person,” said World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler. “The $12,000 prize that will be awarded to one of the teams will keep Alltel’s sponsorship alive through the entire 2008 season and without a doubt make a big difference for one lucky driver.”

Reserved seat tickets for each night of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals can be purchased online by going to VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com. Fans can also call 386-985-4402 for reserved seats.

Based in Concord, N.C., World Racing Group (WRG) is a national sanctioning body, real-estate operator, and sports entertainment company serving the dirt racing industry. WRG sanctions sprint car racing as the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series™, late model racing as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series™, big block modified racing as the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™ and sanctions more than 4,000-races a year under the DIRTcar Racing™ banner. In addition, WRG owns and operates seven speedways. WRG races can be heard online at DIRTVision.com®. To learn more about World Racing Group, visit worldracinggroup.com.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 4, 2008 – Josh Richards’s days as a “teenage sensation” on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series are numbered.

But while turning 20 doesn’t mean ‘Kid Rocket’ is no longer a kid, it does reflect that he’s been around the WoO LMS for awhile now – and should be primed and ready to be a serious contender for the tour’s 2008 points championship.

When Richards enters the season-opening WoO LMS events on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., he’ll begin his fourth consecutive year as a fulltime driver on the tour. That amount of service times qualifies him for WoO LMS veteran status even though he still can’t legally enter a bar, which, not surprisingly, provides Richards the confidence that he finally has enough laps under his belt to challenge his well-seasoned competition.

A product of Shinnston, W.Va., who grew up watching some of the sport’s top stars drive his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis house car, Richards is acutely aware that no one becomes a national dirt Late Model champion overnight.

“We’re slowly getting better,” said Richards, who was 16 when he ran his first WoO LMS events in 2004 and 17 when he won the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. “I feel like we’re not too far off from being really good, but it just takes time.

“Everybody on the series who’s good, they’ve been racing for so many years and they’re just awesome at it. For a while there I thought they were so good just because they had better cars, but I’ve realized that experience is the biggest factor.”

Richards showed last season that he has learned his lessons well since becoming his father’s primary house car driver in 2005. He enjoyed a career year on the WoO LMS, winning four times – he had captured a single A-Main in both 2005 and ’06 – and finishing a personal-best sixth in the points standings.

No one led more A-Main laps in WoO LMS competition during the 2007 campaign than Richards, who registered all four of his triumphs (at Volusia Speedway Park, Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway, Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway) in flag-to-flag dominations. He also was the only driver among the top 10 of the final points standings who didn’t use a provisional starting spot all season, demonstrating his qualifying consistency.

But Richards knows that with a few breaks, his ’07 season could have been spectacular, not merely great. On at least six occasions last year, Richards was either leading or challenging for the top spot when he was done in by mechanical trouble or other bid-ending misfortune.

Correct the DNFs that often resulted from his bad luck and show improvement at the bullrings that have been his Achilles Heel, and Richards can undoubtedly become the youngest champion in the history of the WoO LMS.

Richards spent the off-season working overtime in his team’s shop to put himself in position for a title run in ’08. He enters the season with more equipment ready to go (including three new Rocket cars and a fresh Cornett engine program) than he did at the same time a year ago, and he placed a special emphasis on taking his understanding of the car’s inner-workings and setups to another level.

“We’ve been trying to look at things that we need to do better this year,” said Richards, whose familiar blue-and-yellow No. 1 machines will once again carry sponsorship from Seubert Calf Ranches, ACE Metal Works, MCB Motorsports, Petroff Towing and Tony Stewart Racing. “And I think we’ve found a few things with our setups, especially for the smaller tracks where we struggled a little bit.”

One of two current fulltime ’08 WoO LMS travelers under the age of 30 (Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., is the other), Richards has developed into one of the tour’s most popular drivers. He’s matured into that role, going from a shy high-school student who often responded to questions with one-word answers to a self-assured, laid-back young man who can conduct polished interviews over the track p.a. system.

It’s a good bet that Richards will get plenty more practice doing Victory Lane interviews after WoO LMS events in 2008.

And with a little luck, Richards just might be the driver belting out a speech as the ’08 WoO LMS champion.

“It’s going to be tough (to win the title) with all the competition there is,” said Richards, considering his prospects. “But I think we can do it. That’s what we’re shooting for.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

‘Bluegrass Bandit’ Looking To Rebound After Unsatisfying ’07 Campaign

CONCORD, NC – Feb. 2, 2008 – Darrell Lanigan has some unfinished business to take care of on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

After the momentum he built up during a strong 2006 season was dulled by an unsatisfying ’07 campaign, the ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ is laser-focused on getting back in the thick of a WoO LMS championship race he felt he should have been part of a year ago.

“We didn’t have the season we were hoping for last year,” said Lanigan, who slipped to a seventh-place finish in the 2007 points standings (from a career-high fifth in ‘06). “We broke some stuff at the beginning of the year that put us behind in the points and we never really recovered. We ran good and won a couple races in the middle of the year, but then we just fell off a little bit, didn’t maintain it.

“I’d probably rate our (’07) season a ‘B-minus,’” he added. “Being more consistent gets you an ‘A’ – and that’s what we’re shooting for.”

Lanigan, 37, of Union, Ky., is hoping to get off to a much better start in 2008, beginning with the season-opening WoO LMS events on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

There was nothing memorable, of course, about how Lanigan broke out of the gate in 2007. Coming off an ‘06 season in which he led all WoO LMS drivers in top-five finishes, Lanigan had to use a provisional to get in the tour lidlifter at Volusia (a heat-race incident hampered him) and, in an even more frustrating development, did not score his initial top-five finish until the 18^th A-Main of the year, on June 14 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

Lanigan heated up and enjoyed two wins in a four-race span in June (at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway and Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway), but he didn’t reach Victory Lane again for the remainder of the season.

How uncharacteristic was Lanigan’s ’07 campaign? Consider three telltale moments: he experienced his first DNQ on the tour in nearly two years (on May 16 at Indiana’s Brownstown Speedway); he skipped the July 3 event at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway; and he left the Sept. 2 program at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., after experiencing mechanical trouble during time trials.

What’s more, Lanigan ended the 2007 season an enormous 502 points behind champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. – one year after entering the season-finale with an outside shot at the title (he finished just 44 points behind ’06 champ Tim McCreadie).

One of five drivers who has won at least one WoO LMS A-Main every season since 2004, Lanigan is confident that ’07 will end up being an aberration. He has plenty of experience on the road – he’s entering his fifth year as a WoO LMS regular – and possesses championship-caliber equipment; in fact, there’s no team on the circuit that presents a sharper, more professional appearance than the Lanigan Autosports team.

“We have to keep the DNFs (‘Did Not Finish’) away,” said Lanigan, whose sponsors include gottarace.com and Xtreme Graphics. “We had some bad luck last year, broke some stuff that knocked us out. You can’t have that happen if you want to keep the top-fives going.”

It’s Lanigan’s hope that his first outings of 2008, during the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., aren’t a harbinger of the racing fortune he can expect in the months to come. He started the scheduled 10-night meet off with a sixth-place finish on Jan. 23, but an accident in the A-Main on Jan. 29 and another in a B-Main on Jan. 30 prompted him to head back early to his Kentucky shop to regroup for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals.

“The second wreck hurt it pretty good,” Lanigan said of his Rocket car. “We figured we’d be better off coming home, stripping it down and taking it back to Rocket (in Shinnston, W.Va.) to get it fixed.”

The crash left Lanigan with two race-ready Rocket cars, but he has another new one in the process of being built. He also has plenty of fresh Cornett motors set to go for ’08.

Lanigan’s crew situation, meanwhile, is a bit uncertain. Wayne Caskey, who has served as a fulltime mechanic for Lanigan in recent seasons, is working with him again through the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals but doesn’t plan to travel this season, so Lanigan must find a regular wrench to assist him.

Cool, calm and collected as always, Lanigan isn’t letting his search for a crewman stress him out. He’s also looking on the bright side of his early-season doldrums at Golden Isles.

“At least we got our bad luck out of the way already,” said Lanigan. “That’s what we’re hoping.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 31, 2008 – Tim Fuller knows it will be difficult for him to leap from World of Outlaws Late Model Series Rookie of the Year to tour champion in a single season.

But the Northeast DIRTcar big-block Modified star-turned-dirt Late Model standout is sure going to give it a try in 2008.

“We’re going at it wide-open,” said Fuller, who will attempt to become the first driver in WoO LMS history to capture the top rookie award and points title in successive seasons. “Look, I think a championship might be a little far out there yet. I know that winning it is gonna take the kind of unbelievable consistency that Steve Francis had last year, and I don’t know if we’re at that level of consistency yet considering how long I’ve been running a Late Model.

“But our goal is always a championship, so all you can do is try to win it.”

Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., certainly enters the season-opening WoO LMS events, on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., with loads more confidence than he did in 2007. That’s because he’s actually prepared for a grueling season on the road with the Outlaws.

Last year, Fuller entered 37 of 45 WoO LMS programs, won once (on June 12 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.), captured the $10,000 Rookie of the Year crown and finished eighth in the points standings, but it was all effectively a sideline – an ambitious sideline, but a sideline nonetheless. He was a DIRTcar big-block Modified driver first; even as his dirt Late Model program and activity grew with car owner John Wight and sponsor John Lazore, his primary focus remained the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for the big-block Modifieds.

This year Fuller, who finished second in the overall 2007 Mr. DIRTcar Modified points standings due to an engine malfunction in the season finale that knocked him from the points lead, is a true fulltime dirt Late Model chauffeur for the first time. His only big-block Modified starts will be in events that fit his dirt Late Model schedule.

As a result of his unquestioned concentration on full-fender racing for 2008, Fuller and his chief mechanic, Mike ‘Smoke’ Countryman, have had a very productive off-season in the shop. Contrast that with the previous winter, when they did little to gear up for dirt Late Model competition.

“When we went to (the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals) last year, we had one car,” said Fuller. “Not that it really mattered anyway – we still didn’t even know what we were doing with the Late Model.

“It wasn’t until after we got back from Florida that we started to get serious about running more Late Model shows. Then, over the course of the summer while we were racing, we basically built a whole Late Model team from scratch.

“This winter we’ve just accumulated more things, so we’re ready to go. We’ve come a long way in a year.”

A former Mr. DIRTcar Modified champion and victor of the $50,000-to-win Rite Aid 200 Modified classic at the Syracuse (N.Y.) Mile, Fuller heads into ’08 with two Rocket Chassis cars (one is new), a half-dozen engines constructed by well-known DIRTcar Modified builder Kevin Enders of Phoenix, N.Y., and a Custom powerplant that he obtained from Steve Francis last April.

The particulars of Fuller’s dirt Late Model effort are pretty much status-quo from ’07 – and “that’s a good thing,” he said. All the racing equipment is owned by Wight, an upstate New York trucking company magnate who also fields a dirt Late Model for Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., and several DIRTcar Modifieds (including one for his 15-year-old son Larry, who might make his dirt Late Model debut sometime in ’08). The hauler and tools used by Fuller, meanwhile, are provided by Lazore, a native American businessman and DIRTcar 358-Modified racer who backs Fuller’s DIRTcar Modified operation.

Fuller’s cars also remain red and carry the No. 19 and Wight’s Gypsum Express/Gypsum Wholesalers logos, but there is one noticeable sponsorship addition. Now displayed on the quarters of Fuller’s machines is StreetWise FightWear, which is likely one of the most unique sponsors on the dirt Late Model scene. The central New York-based company is “dedicated to providing customers with the highest quality fightwear available to Boxing, Kickboxing, Jui-Jitsu and Muay Thai students and professionals worldwide” and also provides professional training to fighters and bodyguard services.

It all adds up to a formidable program for Fuller, who is shooting to become the second driver with DIRTcar big-block Modified roots to win the WoO LMS title in the last three years. He is following in the tire tracks of 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie, also of Watertown, N.Y., and a racer who turned plenty of big-block Modified laps in competition with Fuller before moving to dirt Late Models.

McCreadie’s WoO LMS progression went from the Rookie of the Year crown (without an A-Main win) and a 12^th-place points finish in 2004 to a tour-leading eight wins and a third-place points finish in 2005 to two wins and the title in ’06. Can Fuller out-do McCreadie by going directly from Rookie of the Year to champion?

Well, if Fuller’s performance in the last 23 starts of his ’07 WoO LMS season – he had an impressive 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes over that span – isn’t enough proof enough of his prospects for the upcoming tour, then his early ’08 returns should do the trick. He’s been very strong in the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., racking up four top-five finishes in the five events run to date.

“We’re off to a good start,” said Fuller, whose daughter, Ainsley, recently turned three. “I’m excited about this season. Last we didn’t even know what we were looking for (with the Late Model) when we started, but now we have some notes and I’m more accustomed to the Late Models.

“There’s still times when we mess up on tires (selection), but now we at least know what we’re doing with the car. I feel like we’re at a point now where we can be a contender everywhere we go.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 30, 2008 – The 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series served as a learning experience for Brian Shirley.

Well, let’s just say that school is out of session for one of the country’s top young dirt Late Model talents. Shirley is simply ready for a big season touring with the Outlaws, starting with the trail’s season-opening events on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

“To be honest,” said Shirley, “I’m setting out to run the whole deal this year, so I’m looking to contend for the championship. We’re prepared to go the whole distance, so I feel like we should have a chance to win everywhere we go now.

Discount Shirley’s confidence at your peril. The 26-year-old from Chatham, Ill., might only be in his second season as a WoO LMS traveler, but his history suggests that he’s a prime candidate to make the leap from a rookie who finished ninth in the 2007 points race to a stalwart at the top of the standings.

Shirley has proven to be a quick study behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model. Since jumping into a full-bodied car six years ago after a hand injury ended his promising career as a flat-track motorcycle racer, the X-Games-cool driver has made a meteoric rise from the dirt Late Model division’s local UMP DIRTcar Racing scene to the national stage. He won the Macon (Ill.) Speedway points title and UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model Rookie of the Year crown in 2002, the regional Northern Allstars Late Model Series championship in 2004 and the Knoxville (Iowa) Late Model Nationals in 2006, setting him up for his first season out on the road with the WoO LMS in 2007.

Though Shirley didn’t begin the ’07 campaign with a plan to follow the WoO LMS and thus skipped the season-opening Alltel DIRTcar Nationals in the Sunshine State, he ultimately entered 37 of the season’s 45 programs. There were some first-year-driver bumps in the road, but he won his first career WoO LMS event on May 13 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway – becoming the second racer in WoO LMS history to win an A-Main as a rookie – and registered four runner-up finishes.

With longtime St. Louis-area team owner Ed Petroff of Petroff Towing fame providing Shirley quality equipment for the fourth consecutive year, the driver known as ‘Squirrel’ certainly has what it takes to run up front against the country’s best competition. This time around he also has the knowledge and experience he gained racing and fraternizing with the Outlaws in ’07.

Take, for instance, Shirley’s off-season preparation. With the lessons of ’07 squarely in his mind, he’s done some things differently this winter.

“We’ve just tried to be a little smarter getting ready for the season,” said Shirley, whose sponsors include Petroff Towing, Jayco Construction and J&J Steel. “We realized last year that we need to have everything organized a little better in advance. A lot of times last year it was only me and Zach (Pointer, Shirley’s longtime friend who was recruited to serve as his mechanic) at the track, so we gotta do what four people usually do – and if that kind of situation is gonna work, we have to have everything in order so we don’t get behind.”

All of Shirley’s off-season work has also been centered upon attacking the grueling WoO LMS – a big change from his mindset entering ’07.

“It definitely helps knowing what direction you’re going in,” said Shirley, one of two announced ’08 WoO LMS regulars under the age of 30 (Josh Richards, 19, is the other). “We’ve gotten everything together – our cars, our trailer, our truck, our spares – to run the World of Outlaws Series.”

Shirley’s arsenal features two Rayburn and two Rocket cars – one of each is brand-new, and the others were new near the end of ’07 – and six Pro Power engines, including three new powerplants.

“We worked on getting all our motors set for the start of the year,” said Shirley. “We realize that we’re taking on a big situation here. There’s a lot more competition than you’ll find anywhere else, so you’ve gotta be loaded up with everything you’ve got at all times.

“I think with the stuff we have and the way we’ve prepared, we’re hopefully in position to go to every race and be in position to win.”

Shirley will find many familiar faces on the WoO LMS road in the Rocket Chassis crowd, including Mark and Josh Richards, Steve Francis, Shane Clanton and Darrell Lanigan – a group he worked closely and traveled with in 2007. The veteran Outlaws provided valuable setup assistance to the WoO LMS neophyte.

“Those guys kinda had my back,” said Shirley. “It’s cool the way they all help each other. Having them to lean on a little definitely helped me out.”

Following the tour will also give Shirley a chance to spend more time with his girlfriend, Candi Beitler. Her father, Dale, happens to own the Reliable Painting No. 19 that defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis will drive this year, so you can bet Candi, who attends college in Maryland, will be in attendance at many WoO LMS events.

And she’s expecting to see Shirley battling with her father’s driver for plenty of checkered flags – just like everyone else.

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

Illinois Standout Ready To Chase Title With NASCAR Star Clint Bowyer’s New Dirt Late Model Team

Shannon Babb is committed to chasing the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship. No “maybe” hedge to be found.

Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., got a taste of life on the WoO LMS road in 2007, running the tour’s first 21 events after enjoying plenty of early-season success. But a mid-June slump – and the fact that he didn’t feel truly prepared for the rigors of following the entire series – prompted him to pull back and enter only selected shows for the remainder of the campaign, dropping him to 10^th in the final points standings.

This year, however, Babb is ready to tackle the WoO LMS. Thanks to his news-making off-season decision to join NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team after spending seven years driving for Billy Moyer Sr., he feels the required mix of equipment and manpower is in place for him to make a serious run at a lucrative national title.

Babb will start his ’08 championship bid in the upcoming season-opening WoO LMS events, on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

“When we went to Florida (for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals) last year, we weren’t planning to do the whole World of Outlaws deal,” said Babb, a two-time champion of the grueling, month-long UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals series. “We were just going to do the same thing we always did – run around home and go to some bigger shows.

“Then we got off to a good start (four wins in the first 16 WoO LMS events), so we kept going with it for awhile. But when you commit to the whole schedule you have to have enough (crew) help, and you have to be ready for all the different tracks and conditions with your car, your tires, your setups, and we really weren’t.

“This deal with Clint makes me feel better,” bottom-lined Babb. “He’s giving us everything we need to get the job done.”

Indeed, Bowyer has assembled a powerhouse team in short order. There’s a mix of chassis brands (Rayburn and Rocket); engines from Clements; sponsorship from Chevrolet, Traeger Grills, Brake Buddy, Scheck Industries and J&J Steel; and, perhaps most importantly, a pair of experienced fulltime mechanics – Babb’s longtime right-hand man Jay Hunt and Tommy Grecco, who won the 2006 WoO LMS title wrenching for Tim McCreadie before moving south in June 2007 to head Bowyer’s burgeoning dirt-track program.

Bowyer, a native of Emporia, Kans., who excelled racing open-wheel Modifieds on dirt before breaking into the NASCAR world, is pumped to provide Babb the tools to pursue the prestigious WoO LMS points crown. He’s so enthused about the effort that he’s even decided to let Babb use his customary No. 18 this season, rather than the No. 79 (Bowyer’s old dirt-track number) that had originally been announced.

“I’m excited to have Shannon Babb competing for Clint Bowyer Racing in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series,” said the 28-year-old Bowyer, who in 2007 enjoyed a breakout NASCAR Sprint Cup season (finishing third in the points standings) with Richard Childress Racing. “The World of Outlaws is a name that has been synonymous with dirt racing for years. The Series visits some great venues all across the country and gives dirt racing fans a chance to see their favorite drivers at their favorite tracks.”

Bowyer’s expanded dirt Late Model program has come together in whirlwind fashion. Babb, who met Bowyer for the first time in 2003 when the up-and-coming Kansas driver attended a race with Wichita’s Brett Phillip (then one of Billy Moyer Sr.’s chauffeurs), had his initial talks with Bowyer about a deal in November. An agreement was struck around Christmas, and then the tall order of building a championship-caliber team began in earnest.

Over the past month, Grecco, Hunt and Babb have essentially built a team from scratch in Bowyer’s dirt shop at the RCR complex in Welcome, N.C. They have one new Rayburn and one new Rocket car race-ready with new Clements engines (a third powerplant is to be delivered this week, with more on the way) and hope to make their debut this week during the tail-end of the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga.

“These guys have done a real good job getting everything ready,” Babb said of Hunt (the 2006 UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model ‘Mechanic of the Year’) and Grecco (the 2005 WoO LMS ‘Crew Chief of the Year’). “Building the cars has really been the easiest part. There are so many other things that need to be done to put a team together – from getting tires to ordering parts that can’t just be bought off the shelf.

Babb, who will continue to live in central Illinois, recently left all the equipment preparation to Hunt and Grecco for a few days so he could make a trip up to Iowa to pick up a truck and trailer for the team’s travels. With Bowyer’s new hauler not expected to be ready until April, the team is borrowing a rig from veteran racer/sponsor Johnny Johnson, whose J&J Steel company will be displayed on the flanks of Babb’s car.

Of course, leaving the Billy Moyer Sr. team was arguably the most difficult thing Babb has ever done. The backing and guidance he received from the elder Moyer and his son, dirt Late Model legend Billy Moyer, helped make him a star, but he felt that driving for Bowyer was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“It was real tough to leave Bill Sr. and Billy after everything we built up over the years,” said Babb. “They did everything they could to help my career and I thank them for it.

“We were gonna do our eighth year together. But when I talked with Clint (Bowyer) he had a lot of interesting ideas, and with the crew and team he was talking about putting together, I knew it would be a deal capable of winning a championship.

“I figured there would be a little more room to grow with Clint. I think Billy (Moyer, the three-time WoO LMS champion) would probably do the same thing if he was in my position, at this point in my career.”

So now Babb, who won five of his six career WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007, will go after the tour’s big prize with two all-star crewmen and a NASCAR standout behind him. He’s ready for the challenge.

“It’s gonna be good to start off the year knowing we’re going for the championship,” said Babb. “As a racer, it’s always a good thing to be going after something, and this is a serious deal that you have to be prepared to run. There’s a lot of competitors who are going to be tough to beat, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.

Top 10 Drivers From 2007 Points Standings Commit To Chasing This Season’s Tour Championship

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 27, 2008 – The top 10 drivers from the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points standings have committed to chasing the tour’s prestigious championship trophy this season, series officials announced on Sunday.

Led by defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., the 2008 traveling-driver lineup is teeming with top-notch talent. Each of the 10 drivers has at least one career WoO LMS victory to his credit – the first time since the tour’s reincarnation in 2004 that every contracted racer will enter a season having already captured a series A-Main.

The all-star group of drivers own a combined 80 WoO LMS A-Main victories, 22 touring-series championships, six Dirt Track World Championship triumphs, two World 100 wins and two $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream checkered flags, as well as single wins in the Topless 100, North-South 100 and Knoxville Late Model Nationals.

“With the quality of the drivers and teams who have signed on to follow the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series, the battle for the championship will be wide open,” said WoO LMS director Tim Christman. “Every driver has championship potential, which means fans can count on witnessing more of the drama and excitement that the World of Outlaws Late Model Series is known to provide.”

The touring drivers will follow the most expansive schedule in the history of the WoO LMS. Currently the schedule lists 46 dates at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces, including first-time visits to more than a dozen speedways.

The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off with 50-lap, $10,000-to-win events on Feb. 14 and 16 as part of the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

* Francis, the accomplished ‘Kentucky Colonel’ who is coming off his first career WoO LMS title. A winner of 14 series features since 2004 (third-best over that period) as well as a three-time champion of the STARS/Renegade Series and former victor of the World 100 and Dirt Track World Championship events, the 40-year-old has joined forces with Maryland car owner Dale Beitler to pursue his second consecutive points crown.

* Chub Frank, 46, of Bear Lake, Pa., the popular driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ who led the WoO LMS with six victories in 2007 and finished a career-high second in the points standings. The 46-year-old’s sparkling resume includes 13 career WoO LMS wins as well as four STARS/Renegade Series titles and victories in crown-jewel shows such as the World 100, Dirt Track World Championship and North-South 100.

* Clint Smith, 42, of Senoia, Ga., who enjoyed his best WoO LMS campaign ever in 2007, winning four times – all in the Midwest, increasing the national popularity of the Southeastern standout nicknamed ‘Cat Daddy’ – and finishing third in the points standings. A winner of 10 career WoO LMS A-Mains, he’s a former UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa Series champion and owns four titles with the Southern All-Stars Series.

* Shane Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., a still-rising Southern star who steered Ronnie Dobbins’s yellow No. 25 to a pair of triumphs and a fourth-place points finish on the 2007 trail. Tied for 10^th on the alltime WoO LMS win list with six victories, he announced his arrival as a national power in 2006 with a second-place finish in the WoO LMS standings and over the past two years has recorded major wins in the Pittsburgher 100 and Magnolia 100.

* Rick Eckert, 42, of York, Pa., the second-winningest driver (15 victories) on the WoO LMS since 2004 and one of only two drivers (Francis is the other) to start all 154 tour A-Mains contested over the past four years. The two-time UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa Series champion, whose major-event victories include the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream and the Dirt Track World Championship, is primed for a return to the spotlight after falling short of a victory en route to a fifth-place finish in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings.

* Josh Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., who took the next step of his burgeoning career in 2007, becoming a multiple-race WoO LMS winner (four A-Mains) and improving to a personal-best sixth-place finish in the points standings. The 2005 Rookie of the Year and winner of six career WoO LMS A-Mains, ‘Kid Rocket’ is poised to cement his status as dirt Late Model racing’s brightest young star by challenging for the 2008 tour title.

* Darrell Lanigan, 37, of Union, Ky., the driver known as the ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ who won twice and finished seventh in the 2007 points standings. A big-track virtuoso with eight career WoO LMS victories to his credit, his resume boasts triumphs in such dirt Late Model mega-events as the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream and Dirt Track World Championship.

* Tim Fuller, 40, of Watertown, N.Y., a DIRTcar big-block Modified superstar who established himself as a serious dirt Late Model contender on his way to the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. Following the big-block Modified-to-dirt Late Model path set by 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie, the former Mr. DIRTcar Modified titlist and winner of the prestigious Rite Aid 200 big-block Modified spectacular at the Syracuse (N.Y.) Mile captured his first career WoO LMS A-Main in ’07 and finished eighth in points while still focused on Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified action in the Northeast. He plans to concentrate on full-fender competition in 2008.

* Brian Shirley, 26, of Chatham, Ill., an X-Games-cool young gun who has made a meteoric rise from local UMP DIRTcar Racing action to top contender on the national scene in a mere six years. A former standout in flat-track motorcycle racing, Shirley busted out with a victory in the 2006 Knoxville (Iowa) Late Model Nationals and then hit the WoO LMS road heavily in ’07 with the support of veteran Midwest car owner Ed Petroff, winning his first career tour A-Main and making a run at the Rookie crown despite getting a late start on his travels. He finished ninth in the ’07 standings and is confident he’ll improve this season as a fulltime Outlaw.

* Shannon Babb, 34, of Moweaqua, Ill., a Midwestern superstar who won five WoO LMS A-Mains last season (second only to Frank) and finished 10^th in the points standings. After making an off-season move to NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team, the ‘Moweaqua Missile’ has committed to pursuing the WoO LMS championship for the first time in his career. He brings along a sterling resume that includes two UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals titles, a pair of victories in the Dirt Track World Championship and a Topless 100 win.

“We are simply thrilled to have the entire top 10 in points from 2007 committed to touring the country with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series this season,” said Christman, who pointed out that 2006 was the only other season in which the top 10 drivers from the previous year signed on to follow the series. “We have an all-star group of drivers from the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast who are ready to take on the best regional and local racers everywhere we go.

“And we’re very proud of the fact that several drivers have progressed through the ranks within our own (World Racing Group) company, coming from the UMP DIRTcar Racing circuit and the DIRTcar Northeast big-block Modified tracks to compete on a national stage with the World of Outlaws. It shows the type of talent that is being developed at DIRTcar Racing tracks across the country.”

Added Christman, “This talented driver roster is another big step for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series as we continue to grow and get stronger.”

Two more openings in the WoO LMS ‘Winner’s Circle’ travel program remain open and will be determined early in the season by attendance and points standing.

In addition, several drivers are making plans to follow much of the 2008 WoO LMS in pursuit of the Rookie of the Year Award.

Blockbuster Events Brought 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Promoters of Year Award To Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s Slack & Long

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 23, 2008 – They presided over three blockbuster World of Outlaws Late Model Series events in 2007 – the Circle K Colossal 100, the Jani-King Southern Showdown and the inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals.’

For that, as well as their support of the renowned national dirt Late Model tour, Roger Slack and Matt Long of The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway received the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Promoters of the Year Award.

Slack, who has overseen every event run at The Dirt Track since its debut in 2000, and Long, a Lowe’s Motor Speedway corporate sales ace with a short-track pedigree, helped make the gorgeous four-tenths-mile oval’s first season as part of the WoO LMS a rousing success story.

“It’s a huge honor to win this award,” said Slack, who accepted the trophy during the 2007 WoO LMS Awards Banquet on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla. “It’s the product of a lot of great people working at the speedway, starting at the top with (LMS president and general manager) Humpy Wheeler.

“There’s the passion that people like Matt Long and (senior manager of public relations) Keith Waltz have for dirt racing; and Randy Grove (of Hagerstown, Md.) coming down to prep the track for every event; and Steph Griffith and Megan Hazel from the events department at the speedway being the glue that keeps things together.

“It’s been a long eight years at times,” he added, considering the trials and tribulations that occurred as The Dirt Track became established on the racing scene. “But a lot of hard work by a lot of people is paying off.”

Slack, 33, is certainly the straw that stirs the drink at The Dirt Track. A native of York, Ont., who grew up in a racing family (his grandfather owned Ontario’s paved Cayuga Speedway), he moved south to begin working at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in January 1998 and was put in charge of the facility’s fledgling dirt oval two years later. As director of a true clay-surfaced palace, he’s become known for his fan-friendly track operation and innovative ideas, including the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 that has solidified its place as a big-time dirt Late Model weekend in just two short years.

“Roger has poured his heart and soul into organizing, promoting and presenting events at The Dirt Track since it opened in 2000,” Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s H.A. ‘Humpy’ Wheeler said in a recent track press release. “He and several other members of our staff put a tremendous amount of work into those events, and it’s rewarding to see their efforts recognized by those in the dirt-track industry.”

Long, 29, also has roots in short-track racing, growing up as a dirt Late Model fan in Cambridge, Ohio. He worked as an intern at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2002, then settled in North Carolina the following year when he accepted a job on the track’s corporate sales staff. He’s become a trusted sidekick of Slack’s, fueling the big shows at The Dirt Track with his solicitation of corporate backers.

“Nobody has brought more non-racing sponsors into dirt racing the last five years than Matt Long,” Slack said of Long, who also now drives a crate-engine dirt Late Model in events around North Carolina. “He started with us an intern, he grew up in racing too, and we’ve become best of friends. Without Matt, The Dirt Track wouldn’t be near the success that it is.”

The Dirt Track hosted arguably its biggest dirt Late Model shows ever in 2007 – all under the WoO LMS banner. Clearly, Slack’s decision to work with the WoO LMS for the first time paid off in spades for both The Dirt Track and the tour, which added marquee events at a high-profile speedway to its schedule.

“The World of Outlaws obviously have the brand recognition, but they also have the premier teams and the premier officials,” said Slack. “Everybody from the front office to the traveling road crew is just top-notch. I really enjoy working with them, and it’s a lot of fun working with them.

“Hey, we’re all in this for business, but if it’s not any fun you don’t want to keep doing it. And working with the Outlaws and WRG (World Racing Group, which operates the WoO LMS) has just been a lot of fun, and that’s resulted in events being bigger and more fun for everybody.”

While last April’s Circle K Colossal 100 was a smashing success and October’s mid-week Jani-King Southern Showdown pulled a huge crowd to kick off Bank of America 500 Week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the WoO LMS event at The Dirt Track that drew the most attention was undoubtedly the history-making ‘Outlaws World Finals’ from Nov. 1-3. A first-ever doubleheader with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series that drew the curtain on both tours’ 2007 seasons, the ‘Finals’ attracted a huge field of 82 Late Models, boasted sell-out crowds on both Friday and Saturday night and had its Saturday-night program televised live on SPEED.

“We had no clue it would be that big,” Slack, who recently was promoted to Vice President of Events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, said of the ‘World Finals.’ “Everybody from the teams, to the series, to us, was blown away by the fan reaction. We just went into the thing hoping to have a nice crowd, and then try to build for the future.”

What was the hook that made the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ a revelation in the short-track world?

“There’s only one place big enough to hold the sport’s biggest stars, and they were all in one place, at one time, and everybody wanted to be there to be a part of it,” reasoned Slack. “And everybody is still pumped up, because they’re buying tickets for (the 2008 ‘World Finals’).”

Slack hailed the stars of dirt Late Model racing and World Racing Group officials for making the ‘World Finals’ the memorable experience it was.

“It was a great night for dirt racing, especially Late Model racing,” Slack told the WoO LMS banquet crowd while accepting his promotional award. “So many people e-mailed after the race and could not believe the show that you guys put on, and that’s a great credit to all of you.

“And (WRG executives) Brian (Carter), Tom (Deery) and Ben (Geisler) -- what they did putting that World Finals on live TV, that was a real serious financial commitment,” he continued. “That took a lot of guts and effort on their part – and a vision for the future.

“I think that was a really special night for everybody, and I think it’s gonna really pay off in the future.”

Slack and Co. are already looking down the road, toward a 2008 season that will again include three events sanctioned by the WoO LMS: the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 (“Humpy’s even lowered the ticket price $10, to $39,” smiled Slack); the Southern Showdown on Oct. 8; and the second annual ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 1.

It will be hard to top the inaugural ‘Outlaws Finals,’ but Slack and his team will certainly give it a shot.

“We’re trying to think up ideas,” Slack said when asked about the 2008 ‘World Finals.’ “Actually, race fans out there may have a great idea on how to make the ‘World Finals’ bigger. If they do, they should just e-mail (WRG VP of Public Relations) Chris Dolack at [email protected] with those ideas.”

There goes Slack, having some more fun with World of Outlaws and WRG officials.

Tickets and information about the 2008 events at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, including the Circle K Colossal 100 and the ‘World Finals,’ can be obtained by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS or visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

The 2008 WoO LMS season kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Attached is a photo of Roger Slack (second from right) and Matt Long (second from left) receiving the 2007 WoO LMS Promoters of the Year Award from WoO LMS director Tim Christman (Bob Perran photo)

Alltel DIRTcar Nationals At Volusia Speedway Park Receive Live Coverage On DIRTVision.com ‘Cybercast’

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 21, 2008 - DIRTVision has announced that for the third straight year, the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals – scheduled for Feb. 5-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. – will receive live cybercast coverage on DIRTVision.com.

DIRTVision users unable to make the wintertime trip to the Sunshine State will once again be able to catch over 60 hours of live video coverage of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, including the season-opening World of Outlaws Late Model Series events on Feb. 14 and 16.

Also covered live on-line during the Nationals will be the UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Models, Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds, UMP DIRTcar Racing open-wheel Modifieds and the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars.

For just $29.99, users can purchase the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass’ and watch all 12 days of live video coverage.

To order, simply log in to DIRTVsion.com, click on ‘Subscription’ and choose the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass.’

Subscribers will still have access to DIRTVision’s popular live chat during the events, as well as up-to-the-minute race notes.

Users can purchase an ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass’ using or MasterCard on the secure payment server at DIRTVision.com.

Anyone unfamiliar with DIRTVision’s live cybercasts can click on the ‘FAQ’ menu for tips and requirements for viewing the DIRTVision Cybercast.

Users are encouraged to register well in advance of the next show to help troubleshoot any problems they may encounter. The basic tools necessary for viewing are a DIRTVision.com account, plus Internet Explorer 6 or higher and Windows Media Player 9 (both of which are free).

37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass Schedule From Volusia Speedway Park (All events are live video starting at 8:00 pm EST)

Tues-2/5 – All-Star Circuit of Champions/UMP DIRTcar Modifieds – FREE PREVIEW

Fri-2/8 – Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series/UMP DIRTcar Modifieds

Sat-2/9 – Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series/UMP DIRTcar Modifieds

Sun-2/10 – Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series/UMP DIRTcar Modifieds

Mon-2/11 – UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models/UMP DIRTcar Modifieds – FREE PREVIEW

Thurs-2/14 – World of Outlaws Late Model Series/Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series

Sat-2/16 – World of Outlaws Late Model Series/Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Rick Eckert Has Short Outing In Saturday’s Atlantic City Indoor TQ Midget Race

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Jan. 21, 2008 – Rick Eckert’s first competitive appearance of 2008 was over before he even had a chance to break a sweat.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series star’s three-quarter Midget had its left-front wheel knocked off on the opening lap of the C-Main during Saturday night’s ‘Gambler’s Classic’ indoor race, leaving him a spectator for the remainder of the sixth annual event held inside the famed Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Eckert, 42, of York, Pa., entered the two-day small-car program at the seaside resort as part of a unique team effort with NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader. Schrader drove the Alan Mollott No. 51 in Friday’s preliminary action, and then Eckert jumped in the car where Schrader left off on Saturday night.

Schrader’s wild rollover during the third 20-lap qualifying heat on Friday night left him with an 11^th-place finish that put Eckert on the outside pole for Saturday night’s first C-Main. Eckert proceeded to get out of shape entering turn one at the start of the event and was clipped by a passing car, ending his night before it really even could get started.

“That was quick,” Eckert quipped good-naturedly in the garage area after failing to complete a lap. “The track (a one-eighth-mile oval on the Hall’s concrete floor that was treated with Pepsi syrup to provide traction) was still dirty (for the C-Main) after everybody walked on it during that pre-race deal (FanFest), and I just lost grip when I went into the corner on the outside. I got a little squirrelly, and then somebody just hit my left-front and broke the wheel off.”

Eckert’s dirt Late Model chief mechanic, Chad Curran, helped the Mollott team bolt a new wheel on the TQ Midget, but Eckert was unable to get back to the track in time to restart.

A fifth-place finisher in the 2007 ‘Gambler’s Classic’ A-Main driving a 600cc Micro-Sprint (the TQs and Micros run together in the event) owned by his brother-in-law Joe Darrah, Eckert missed out on a time-trial provisional and thus watched Saturday’s 40-lap headliner in street clothes.

Actually, it appeared on Friday night that Eckert might find himself locked into Saturday night’s A-Main. But as Schrader was bidding for one of the four automatic transfer spots available in the third 20-lapper, he got squeezed into the outside wall and flipped. Schrader attempted to continue after the car was set back on its wheels, but its valve cover had been ripped off, forcing him to retire and relegating Eckert to the C-Main.

“I called Schrader last week and told him, ‘Don’t put me in a hole,’” Eckert said with a smile. “Well, then he goes and flips. He said for putting me in the C-Main, he’d buy me a beer next week in Brunswick (Ga., during the 10-day ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles Speedway).”

Despite the disappointment, Eckert did relish a rare chance to see his teenage nephew, central Pennsylvania 410 Sprint Car racer Cody Darrah, in action. Darrah ran a 600cc Micro-Sprint that remains in his father’s stable, but mechanical trouble as he held second place late in Saturday night’s B-Main ended his bid for a transfer spot.

Eckert headed home on Sunday to complete preparations for a busy month of dirt Late Model racing. He has 22 race nights scheduled from Jan. 23 to Feb. 16, highlighted by the season-opening World of Outlaws Late Model Series events on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

With Curran riding shotgun, Eckert starts his southern excursion this week, on Wednesday night (Jan. 23) at Golden Isles. The ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ features 10 nights of $10,000-to-win events, including seven (Jan. 23, Jan. 24, Jan. 25, Jan. 26, Jan. 28, Jan. 29 and Feb. 2) sanctioned by UMP DIRTcar Racing.

After competing in the Dirt Late Model Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., Eckert will be one of an estimated 100 drivers to take part in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. The two WoO LMS events paying $10,000 to win are supplemented by four nights of UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model action, on Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 15.

More World of Outlaws Late Model Series Memories At Volusia Speedway Park To Be Made On Feb. 14 & 16 During Alltel DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 17, 2008 – Volusia Speedway Park has been the site of many memorable moments in World of Outlaws Late Model Series history.

How many more will be made during the half-mile oval’s 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals?

It’s a good bet that something unforgettable will occur when the 2008 WoO LMS opens at Volusia with a pair of 50-lap, $10,000-to-win events, on Thurs., Feb. 14, and Sat., Feb. 16. A star-studded field expected to number in the neighborhood of 100 cars will see to that.

No track has hosted more WoO LMS events than Volusia Speedway Park. Eleven tour A-Mains have been contested at the high-speed facility, starting with the most historic show of all: the inaugural WoO LMS event under the World Racing Group banner, on Feb. 3, 2004.

The first program upon the reincarnation of the WoO LMS (the tour also ran for the 1988-89 seasons under late Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson) was won by Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who returns to Volusia for the 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals as the reigning WoO LMS champion. Francis will begin his title defense with an unfamiliar number, 19, on his car’s doors after parking his own No. 15 machines for the ’08 trail in favor of a deal with Maryland team owner Dale Beitler.

Francis, of course, has experienced both highs and lows in WoO LMS action at VSP. Another victory, on Feb. 18, 2006, made him and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., the only drivers with two tour victories at the track, but on the other side of the ledger, who can forget Volusia’s ‘Gator 100’ on Oct. 29, 2005, when Francis was involved in the most dramatic finish a WoO LMS points race has ever had?

As that 2005 season finale in the Sunshine State was winding down, Francis held second place behind Bloomquist and appeared headed to his first career WoO LMS championship. But on the final lap he was passed for the runner-up spot by Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who forged a tie with Francis atop the points standings with the move and emerged as the champ thanks to the tour’s second tie-breaker (number of second-place finishes).

Take, for instance, Feb. 19, 2005, when Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., registered his first career WoO LMS A-Main victory in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals finale. A WoO LMS champion one year later, T-Mac is now a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver but is planning to enter the 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals behind the wheel of his familiar Sweeteners Plus No. 39 dirt Late Model.

And speaking of McCreadie’s WoO LMS title, how about the ‘Gator 100’ on Oct. 14, 2006, when six drivers entered the season-ending event at VSP with a chance to win the championship? McCreadie struggled as South Carolina’s Chris Madden rolled to a dominating first career WoO LMS victory, but he was able to hold off Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., to celebrate the points crown on Volusia’s homestretch.

Then there was last year’s WoO LMS 50-lapper during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals – a race that served as sort of a coming-out party for teenager Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. The 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year made the event his third career win on the tour, but it was easily his most dominant to that point and spring-boarded him to a career-high four-win 2007 season.

With eight of the nine drivers who have won WoO LMS A-Mains at Volusia having plans to compete in the 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals – a list that includes Francis, Bloomquist, McCreadie, Richards, Moyer, Madden, Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (running for NASCAR star Clint Bowyer’s new dirt Late Model team) and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla. – the tour’s 50-plus-event 2008 campaign is sure to kick off with plenty of excitement and intrigue.

This will mark the fourth time in the last five years that the WoO LMS will open its season at Volusia.

Supplementing the WoO LMS shows on Feb. 14 and 16, the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals also includes four nights of competition for the UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Models, on Mon., Feb. 11; Tues., Feb. 12; Wed., Feb. 13; and the $10,000-to-win finale on Fri., Feb. 15.

For more information on the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals and the WoO LMS, visit www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com or www.worldofoutlaws.com.

DIRTVision.com ‘Road to the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals’ Starts Thursday (Jan. 17)

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 15, 2008 – The ‘Road to the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals’ starts this Thursday on DIRTVision.com.

Beginning on Jan. 17 and continuing every Thursday leading up to the start of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 5 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., DIRTVision.com will pump fans up for the 2008 season by posting on-demand video of Classic DIRTcar events.

Users will be able to relive unforgettable moments from DIRTcar history at Volusia Speedway Park – from Billy Moyer’s last-lap pass in the season finale to win the 2005 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship to Tony Stewart’s debut in a DIRTcar big-block Modified in the 1998 Florida 50 to the epic battle between Joey Saldana and Donny Schatz in the opening round of the 2007 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series.

To view each installment of the ‘Road to the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals,’ users just need to log in and click on the event. If you’re not a member of the fastest growing racing internet site, then simply visit www.dirtvision.com, click on the “sign up for free” link, fill out the information and you’re off to the races.

The schedule for the ‘Road to the 37^th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals’ (all events are available on-demand) is as follows:

The 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals begin Tues., Feb. 5, and run through Sat., Feb. 16. In competition will be the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series (Feb. 8-10); the World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Feb. 14 and 16); the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds (Feb. 13-16); the UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Models (Feb. 11, 12, 13, 15) and open-wheel Modifieds (Feb. 5-12); and the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars (Feb. 5-7).

Look for news in the coming days regarding live video coverage of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals on DIRTVision.com.

For ticket information, visit www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com or call Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402.

Those unfamiliar with DIRTVision.com should click on the “FAQ” menu for tips and requirements for viewing a DIRTVision Cybercast. The basic tools necessary are a DIRTVision.com account, Internet Explorer 6 or higher, and Windows Media Player 9 (both of which are FREE).

CONCORD, N.C. — Jan. 15, 2008 — World Racing Group announced today that Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, providing coverage across the nation, will be the title sponsor for the 37th Annual DIRTcar Nationals.

The DIRTcar Nationals feature the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series and UMP DIRTcar Racing.

The Alltel DIRTcar Nationals is the perfect spot to launch the 2008 racing season, with 12 consecutive nights of racing and more than half a million dollars at stake during the Feb. 5-16 event at Volusia Speedway Park near Daytona Beach, Fla. The 2008 Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at the high-speed half-mile oval in Barberville, Fla., is once again expected to attract more than 60 410-winged sprint cars, 100 dirt Late Models, 40 big-block Modifieds and 70 UMP DIRTcar open-wheel Modifieds.

“Becoming the title sponsor of the DIRTcar Nationals is a great way to introduce passionate racing fans across the country to Alltel’s products and services,” said Samira Zebian, director of sponsorship marketing for Alltel Wireless. “As the official wireless partner of fans, we will enhance the experience at the track by rewarding Alltel Wireless customers with exclusive perks throughout the 12-day event along with equipping the Speedway with a videotron, so fans can watch the race and see instant replays from all angles.”

“We are proud to have Alltel Wireless involved in the 37th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals,” said World Racing Group Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler. “Alltel is taking a very proactive role in the event that will cause fans and racers across the country to take notice.”

The dirt Late Model division will headline the second week of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, running six consecutive nights from Feb. 11-16. The season-opening events for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series will be contested on Feb. 14 and 16, while UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model programs will be presented on Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 15.

Reserved seat tickets for each night of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals can be purchased online at www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Rick Eckert Heads Indoors This Weekend To Kick Off His 2008 Racing Season

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 14, 2007 – World of Outlaws Late Model Series star Rick Eckert will climb into a three-quarter Midget and go racing under a roof to kick off his 2008 season this Saturday night (Jan. 19).

Competing as part of a unique all-star partnership arrangement with NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader, Eckert is set to participate in this weekend’s sixth annual ‘Gambler’s Classic’ indoor racing spectacular at the famed Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Eckert, 42, of York, Pa., will head to the Jersey Shore on Friday night (Jan. 19) for the first half of the two-day program that features TQ Midgets/600cc Micro-Sprints, but he won’t don his driver’s suit. He’ll look on as Schrader steers the Alan Mollott No. 51 in the qualifying night action, which is highlighted by three ‘Roaring 20s’ events that transfer the top finishers directly to Saturday night’s ‘Gambler’s Classic’ A-Main.

Schrader is unable to return for Saturday night’s card, so Eckert will step in and pick up where Schrader leaves off.

It’s Eckert’s hope that Schrader will run well enough to lock into Saturday’s 40-lap A-Main, keeping Eckert out of do-or-die situations in the C-Main or B-Mains on Boardwalk Hall’s tight, one-eighth-mile concrete oval.

“I’m going to call Kenny and tell him, ‘Don’t put me in a hole,’” quipped a smiling Eckert. “I’m hoping he sets me up good for Saturday night.”

Eckert, who ranks second on the WoO LMS win list since 2004 (15 wins), has entered the ‘Gambler’s Classic’ in each of the last two years and performed well. Driving a 600cc Micro-Sprint fielded by his brother-in-law Joe Darrah that was painted orange with a No. 24 to resemble his familiar Raye Vest-owned dirt Late Model, Eckert finished seventh in the 2006 event and improved to fifth in the 2007 edition (after winning a 20-lap qualifier and being forced to the rear of the A-Main field by a mid-race tangle).

That car was sold, however, so Eckert had to search for a ride. He landed the deal in the Mollott TQ Midget after bumping into ‘Gambler’s Classic’ promoter Lenny Sammons during last month’s Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, Fla., and expressing his interest in competing for a third straight year.

“I had a good time running (the indoor race) the last two years,” said Eckert, who will chase a first prize of $5,000 in the event. “It’s a chance to have some fun in the middle of the winter.”

Eckert’s competition will include a host of well-known short-track racers, including his nephew Cody Darrah, a teenage 410 Sprint Car driver who was Eckert’s teammate in A.C. for the past two years. Other notables entered include 2007 Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway DIRTcar big-block Modified champion and Eastern States 200 winner Jeff Heotzler (a former ‘Gambler’s Classic’ winner); big-block Modified star Billy Pauch; NASCAR Modified standout Ted Christopher; Bill Davis Racing Development Driver Bobby Santos III; and Supermodified stars Lou Cicconi Jr. and Joey Payne (both former event winners).

Eckert likes the two-driver arrangement with Schrader because it will allow him to put in one more day of work in his race shop. With the start of his 2008 dirt Late Model season just days away – a UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned event on Jan. 23 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. – he needs every minute of preparation he can spare.

“I don’t have to get down to Atlantic City on Thursday night, so that gives us more time to work in the shop,” said Eckert. “We’ve built one new (GRT) car and refreshed our other one, and we have three brand-new Custom motors in the shop and another one coming. I feel like we’re in as good shape as I’ve ever been to start a season, but we still have some work to do.

“We’re supposed to get our tires in on Thursday, so we’ll be busy once we have them.”

Coming off an uncharacteristic winless season on the WoO LMS in 2007, Eckert is primed to get back on his usual winning track and make a run at the tour’s ’08 championship.

“Last year is history,” said Eckert. “We’re starting with a clean slate now.”

Eckert has 22 events scheduled down south between Jan. 23 and Feb. 16. He’ll start with 10 nights of action from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 – including seven programs under the UMP DIRTcar Racing banner – during the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles. He then heads to East Bay Raceway in Gibsonton, Fla., for the annual Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 before parking for a week at Volusia Speedway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., where the dirt Late Model portion of the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals runs from Feb. 11-16.

The Florida DIRTcar Nationals features the season-opening events for the WoO LMS on Feb. 14 and 16, plus four nights of UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned competition on Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 15.

Tough Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Outing For World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Josh Richards

CONCORD, NC – January 14, 2008 – World of Outlaws Late Model Series star Josh Richards didn’t get the results he had hoped for in last week’s 22^nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

But while the teenage sensation fell short of his first A-Main start in the famed mid-winter dirt-track event inside the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center, he was certainly glad he made the trip.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Richards, the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year and a winner of four tour A-Mains in 2007. “Every time you go it’s always a new experience. I had a great time, and I just appreciate that Tony (Stewart) gave me an opportunity to run it again.”

Competing as a member of the formidable Tony Stewart Racing team that also included the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and USAC stars Tracy Hines and Levi Jones, Richards was confident that his third attempt at making the show would be the charm. But he ran into trouble on the opening lap of his preliminary-night heat race on Friday, flipping wildly through the air.

“The track was just wide-open for the first few heats,” Richards said of the specially-built quarter-mile clay oval. “I went in the corner so fast, when I tried to roll the top it just went over. I went over quite a few times, actually.”

Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., escaped the accident with only some bumps and bruises. His TSR/Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Armor All Midget also emerged from the ride with relatively light suspension damage, so he was able to return and score a second-place finish in the night’s Last Chance Qualifier. He ultimately finished ninth in the first B-Main, leaving him five spots short of an A-Main transfer position.

Facing a run through Saturday night’s ‘Alphabet Soup’ qualifying races in order to make the 24-car A-Main field, Richards went to the post in the first E-Main with a reworked setup on his Midget that was designed to let him “drive off the front end more, like a Late Model,” he said. He led almost half of the E-Main before losing the lead to NASCAR Sprint Car regular J.J. Yeley, but a third-place finish moved him on to the first D-Main. That’s where his 2008 Chili Bowl bid ended, with a 14^th-place finish.

While Richards’s TSR teammates cracked the Chili Bowl starting field – Stewart finished eighth, Hines ninth and Jones 11^th in the 50-lapper – he had no reason to feel disappointed. Stewart, Hines and Jones have vast open-wheel racing experience; Richards has run a Midget only three times – just in the biggest Midget event of the year, a show that this year drew 274 entries.

Also among the drivers to miss the A-Main was 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. The 2006 Chili Bowl winner finished ninth in Wednesday night’s preliminary A-Main, but a late-race spin in Saturday night’s first B-Main left him with a 16^th-place finish and out of the finale.

“It’s so tough because there’s so many good cars,” said Richards. “And it’s hard to get used to the car when you only run one once a year. I felt like by Saturday I was really getting a good feel for the car, but it was too late.”

Richards will get back in his familiar Mark Richards Racing Rocket No. 1 dirt Late Model next week, when he enters the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. The event’s 10 nights of action from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 includes seven programs sanctioned by UMP DIRTcar Racing (Jan. 23, Jan. 24, Jan. 25, Jan. 26, Jan. 28, Jan. 29 and Feb. 2).

‘Kid Rocket’ will kick off the 2008 WoO LMS campaign with a pair of 50-lap/$10,000-to-win events, on Feb. 14 and 16, during the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Four UMP DIRTcar Racing programs (Feb. 11, 12, 13, 15) will also make up the Late Model portion of the Florida DIRTcar Nationals.

Chub Frank’s Right-Hand Man Brad Baum Was Surprised Winner Of 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Crew Chief of the Year Award

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 10, 2007 – Brad Baum was in near total shock when he received the big news from his boss Chub Frank.

But as hard as it was for him to believe, it was true. Baum had been announced as the winner of the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Crew Chief of the Year Award, which is voted upon by the chief mechanics of the tour’s traveling teams and WoO LMS officials.

“I was very surprised when Chub called and told me I won it,” said a still-amazed Baum, Frank’s right-hand man on the grueling WoO LMS. “I thought somebody like Lee (Logan, chief mechanic for 2007 WoO LMS champ Steve Francis) would get it.

“If I thought I had a really good chance of winning it, I would’ve been in Florida for the banquet.”

Indeed, Baum opted to stay home and work on Frank’s racing equipment rather than attend the 2007 WoO LMS Awards Banquet, held on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla., and the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show that ran simultaneously. Frank accepted Baum’s award on stage at the gala and phoned his mechanic shortly thereafter.

“It’s a real honor to win the Crew Chief award,” said Baum, who helped guide Frank to the most wins (six) on the 2007 WoO LMS and a second-place finish in the points standings. “I think anybody who works on one of these (dirt Late Models) fulltime deserves an award, so to have the other crew chiefs vote for me as their choice for this is a pretty good feeling.”

Baum, 31, has been Frank’s fulltime mechanic for the last two seasons. He’s been around dirt Late Model racing all his life, however.

A native of Sherman, N.Y., Baum “grew up watching Chub race” at local tracks like Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., and Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. He wasn’t a ‘Chubzilla’ fan, though, especially after he began working on a dirt Late Model owned by his neighbor, Larry Fardink, as a teenager.

“For the people I worked with back then,” pointed out Baum, “Chub was always the guy to beat, everybody’s rival.”

Baum took his first fulltime job in the dirt-track game in 1999, working for dirt Late Model driver Dale Applebee of Clymer, N.Y., who ran locally and on the Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) and also built Street Stocks at his shop.

In 2000, Baum spent time on the old Hav-A-Tampa/UDTRA Series helping both Wisconsin’s Dan Schlieper and St. Louis-area driver Dewayne Keifer. After moving on to provide off-and-on assistance in 2001 to Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and then a job at Bob Pierce Race Cars in Oakwood, Ill., in 2002, Baum relocated to Wisconsin and spent the 2003 campaign away from the circuit. He returned to the sport in 2004 as a crewman for Illinois’s Randy Manos before moving back to New York in 2005.

Following a year working construction at home, Baum decided he wanted to get back into racing. So one day he made a short trip over to Frank’s shop in Bear Lake, Pa., and asked Frank if he knew of anyone local that was looking for help.

That inquiry ultimately led Frank to ask Baum if he’d like to accompany him to the February 2006 dirt Late Model Speedweeks in Florida. Baum gladly went along, and upon returning home Frank offered Baum a fulltime job that he immediately accepted.

“Chub gave me a chance when nobody else would,” said Baum. “He didn’t even know me when I went to his shop, so I owe a lot of thanks to him.

Baum paused, and then added with a smile: “Once he said I had a job if I wanted it, I had to take back all the bad things I ever said about Chub.”

Now Baum is Frank’s trusted assistant. In fact, more often than not, Baum is the only crewman that Frank has along with him on extended road trips; Frank’s wife, Mary, and his two Chihuahuas usually comprise the remainder of the team’s regular travel group.

“That’s what makes me pretty proud about what we were able to accomplish this year,” said Baum. “We won the most races (on the WoO LMS) and Chub had his best finish ever in the points.

“Some other teams have more guys, but most of the time it’s just us two working on the car out on the road. And we pretty much ran all but nine or 10 races (in 2007) with the same car, so the success we had definitely shows that hard work pays off.”

Baum feels that he’s found a home with Frank, who has had the WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year on his side for two of the past four years. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs also won the award while working for Frank in 2004.

“As a boss, Chub can really bring the best out of you,” said Baum. “If you ever doubt yourself, he’ll tell you, ‘You can do it.’

“He has a unique way of keeping you motivated when you work for him, and he really takes care of his help.”

Baum is currently working alongside Frank in the team’s shop, preparing for another busy season of competition. They’re putting together one complete new car to add to Frank’s stable, though they plan to take Frank’s ‘Old Faithful’– the primary Rocket machine he used in 2007 – south for the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ events from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., and the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals from Feb. 11-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Seven of the 10 ‘Super Bowl’ shows at Golden Isles are sanctioned by UMP DIRTcar Racing (Jan. 23, Jan. 24, Jan. 25, Jan. 26, Jan. 28, Jan. 29 and Feb. 2), while Volusia will host four nights of UMP DIRTcar Racing competition (Feb. 11, 12, 13, 15) and the opening two events of the 2008 WoO LMS (Feb. 14 and 16).

Baum is looking forward to the 2008 WoO LMS season, which will see the tour visit more than a dozen tracks for the first time, including speedways in new territory for the tour like Wyoming, Nebraska, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

“I like going to new tracks – that means my t-shirt collection will grow,” smiled Baum, who makes a habit of buying a shirt upon his first trip to a track.

And he’s also hoping he can help push Frank to his first career WoO LMS title.

“We had a good year (in 2007),” said Baum, “but we have to work harder this year to win that championship.”

Defending Florida DIRTcar Nationals Champ Josh Richards Takes Break From ’08 Prep To Compete In This Week’s Chili Bowl Midget Nationals

CONCORD, NC – January 8, 2008 – Josh Richards has been hard at work all winter getting ready for a busy early-season schedule, including the dirt Late Model portion of the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals from Feb. 11-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

The defending Florida DIRTcar Nationals champion will take a break from prepping his equipment, however, to represent the full-fender set in this week’s 22^nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center.

Competing as a member of the four-car Tony Stewart Racing effort, Richards will enter the famed Chili Bowl indoor dirt-track event for the third consecutive year. The week-long program, which features a record 285 entries, begins on Tuesday (Jan. 8) and runs through Saturday (Jan. 12).

“I’m pumped. I’m ready,” said Richards, a regular for the past three seasons on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. “I haven’t had too much time to think about (the Chili Bowl) this winter because we’ve been so busy working on our (dirt Late Model) stuff (for the 2008 campaign), but now that it’s here I can’t wait to get out there and race.”

Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., will have plenty of open-wheel experience to draw from among his TSR teammates: two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champ and defending Chili Bowl winner Tony Stewart and USAC stars Levi Jones and Tracy Hines. This will be the second straight Chili Bowl outing in a TSR/Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Armor All Midget for Richards, who made his Chili Bowl debut in 2005 with Venture Racing.

The Chili Bowl ride continues Stewart’s interest in the budding career of Richards, whom Stewart calls “one of the brightest young stars, if not the brightest young star, in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.” TSR is a sponsor of Richards’s Rocket Chassis house car Late Model and Richards made his ARCA stock car debut in a TSR machine last September on the mile dirt track in DuQuoin, Ill.; Richards also prepares a dirt Late Model that Stewart drives in selected events.

“I’m really excited about competing as part of TSR again,” said Richards. “Competing with a team that has several talented drivers and great cars is really a great opportunity for me.

“I’m very thankful that Tony (Stewart, team owner) asked me to be a part of his team again this year. I really enjoyed working with everyone from Chevrolet and TSR last year and I’m looking forward to this week’s race.”

Richards is hoping to make his first start in the 50-lap Chili Bowl A-Main, which headlines Saturday night’s sold-out finale. He missed transferring to the 2006 A-Main by one spot in a B-Main, while last year he struggled to get comfortable on the quarter-mile clay oval and saw his qualification bid come to an end with a 10^th-place finish in Saturday night’s first G-Main.

A practice session on Tuesday night will be Richards’s lone tuneup in TSR’s Spike Midget before he races in Friday night’s preliminary program. With a strong performance, he’ll set himself up to qualify for Saturday night’s big show.

“Running a Midget is nothing like a Late Model, so it definitely takes some getting used to,” described Richards. “Compared to a Late Model, it feels a little awkward how you sit straight up-and-down in the (Midget), like you’re gonna tip over in the corners.

“And a Midget doesn’t steer at all like a Late Model. You kind of slide the back end all around, where in a Late Model you drive more with the front wheels.”

Richards, who flew to Tulsa, Okla., on Monday with fellow dirt Late Model driver and West Virginia resident Jared Hawkins, is excited to be part of the Chili Bowl mega-event.

“The Chili Bowl event as a whole is just really cool,” said Richards. “When you step back and look at what takes place inside the building in the middle of winter, it’s really an awesome event. Over 250 race cars, transporters lined up the length of the building, a racetrack that they build specifically for this event – it’s just a huge event that really takes on a life of its own.”

Richards is joined on the Chili Bowl entry list by 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie, who won the event in 2006. Also among the entrants are Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series stars Joey Saldana, Danny Lasoski, Jason Meyers, Terry McCarl, Randy Hannagan, Justin Henderson, Chad Kemenah, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Shane Stewart and Sammy Swindell, as well as World of Outlaws Industry Relations head Shane Carson and World Racing Group CEO/CFO Brian Carter.

Upon completion of the Chili Bowl, Richards will go back to work at his team’s shop at Rocket Chassis in Shinnston, W.Va., where he’s been holed up since the 2007 WoO LMS season ended with the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ the first weekend of November. He’s put in long hours to ready three new Rocket No. 1 mounts for 2008 action, along with a brand-new Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 that the young star will drive in selected events that fit his schedule.

“We have a lot more stuff put together than we did at this point last year,” said Richards. “Last year (during the off-season) I had time to work out (at a gym) five or six nights a week, but I haven’t been able to do that this year because we’ve been doing so much at the shop.

“We’ve been trying to look at things that we need to do better this year, and I think we’ve found a few things with our setups, especially for the smaller tracks where we struggled a little bit.”

A winner of a personal-best four WoO LMS events in 2007 en route to a sixth-place finish in the points standings, Richards will head to Volusia Speedway Park next month in hopes of defending his ’07 Florida DIRTcar Nationals title. His performance record in last year’s four-race meet at the half-mile oval (two of the six nights were rained out) showed a victory in the WoO LMS season opener plus finishes of second, fifth and seventh in the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned shows.

The 2008 Florida DIRTcar Nationals for the Late Models will include action under the UMP DIRTcar Racing banner on Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 15 and 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS events on Feb. 14 and 16.

If all goes according to plan, Richards could already be making his 20^th start of 2008 when the WoO LMS campaign kicks off on Feb. 14 at Volusia. His ambitious early-season schedule also includes the 10-night ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ program from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., and the Dirt Late Model Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 at East Bay Raceway in Gibsonton, Fla.

Richards will run his familiar Mark Richards Racing No. 1 in the Golden Isles events, which include seven nights of competition sanctioned by UMP DIRTcar Racing (Jan. 23, Jan. 24, Jan. 25, Jan. 26, Jan. 28, Jan. 29 and Feb. 2). He’ll drive Davis’s black No. 25 at East Bay before returning to the seat of the Rocket house car for duty at Volusia.

Additional on the info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Another World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Chassis Builders Challenge’ Award For Rocket Chassis In 2007

CONCORD, NC – January 4, 2008 – Rocket Chassis reigned supreme again on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2007.

But winning the tour’s ‘Chassis Builders Challenge’ Award for the fourth consecutive year took plenty of hard work – maybe even more than in previous seasons – by the staff at the Shinnston, W.Va.-based business.

With the core group of Rocket Chassis campaigners on the WoO LMS transitioning in 2007, the company’s leader, Mark Richards, needed to fine-tune the information-sharing that had brought the Rocket camp so much success since 2004 on the nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour.

“After the end of the 2006 season we had some guys who had been key members of the Rocket group (on the WoO LMS) go in different directions,” said Richards, pointing at 2006 series champion Tim McCreadie (no longer a regular after signing as a development driver with Richard Childress Racing), Dale McDowell (departed series to concentrate on his driving school and duties with RCR’s driver development program) and Rick Eckert (switched chassis manufacturers). “It took us a while to get everybody (running Rockets on the 2007 WoO LMS) back together and on the same page.”

The 2007 WoO LMS Rocket brigade – which featured Josh Richards, Mark’s 19-year-old son and the driver of the Rocket Chassis house car; Rocket stalwarts Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Shane Clanton and Darrell Lanigan; and Rookie of the Year contenders Tim Fuller and Brian Shirley – didn’t get off to a rousing start in the win column. Josh captured the season opener, on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, but that would be Rocket’s lone victory over the first 13 WoO LMS events of the campaign – a stretch that saw Rayburn Chassis pile up seven triumphs, including one by Shirley, who began running his Rocket Chassis more often as the season progressed.

But beginning with Frank’s win on May 18 at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., Victory Lane once again became a regular stop for Rocket machines. The manufacturer claimed wins in six of the next seven and 11 of the next 16 events on the WoO LMS.

By the end of the 2007, Rocket Chassis had to its credit a series-leading total of 19 A-Main victories (led by Frank’s tour-best six wins) and a second consecutive WoO LMS championship courtesy of Francis, who captured the tour’s $100,000 title for the first time. Rocket also was well represented in the final points standings by Frank (runner-up), Clanton (fourth place), Richards (sixth), Lanigan (seventh), Fuller (eighth and the Rookie of the Year crown) and Shirley (ninth).

“Clanton and Darrell (Lanigan) really stepped up to the plate (in 2007) to help give us feedback,” said Mark Richards, “and having Fuller and Shirley come on board was a big positive. Along with Francis, Chub and Josh, we were able to work together, do some testing and get better.

“That’s really the secret to success in this business – finding guys who are willing to work together and share information, and who realize it’s not all about them.”

The team interaction helped Rocket compile the strong performance record necessary to out-point rival ‘Chassis Builders Challenge’ participants Rayburn (10 WoO LMS wins in ’07) and GRT (four wins) for the WoO LMS manufacturers’ award.

The 47-year-old Richards, whose Mark Richards Racing Inc. has been producing Rocket Chassis since 1992, was proud to be honored by the WoO LMS for the fourth time.

“We need to thank all the owners, drivers and crews that support Rocket Chassis,” Richards said while accepting the award at the tour’s awards banquet on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla. “Without all these people, it wouldn’t be possible for us to be so successful.

“(The World of Outlaws) is the elite national series for dirt Late Models, so it’s pretty gratifying for everyone at Rocket Chassis to win an award like this.

“And it means a lot to me personally to be in the same category as chassis builders like C.J. Rayburn, the MasterSbilt brothers (Tader and Keith Masters) and Joe Garrison at GRT,” he added. “They’ve all won a lot of awards like this over the years, so it’s an honor to be up there with them, to do something that they’ve done.”

Richards, who has counted 50-year-old dirt Late Model veteran Steve Baker as a business partner since 1986, gave special credit to Francis for his role in Rocket’s success story.

“Steve Francis has been one of the most loyal racers I’ve ever been associated with,” said Richards. “He’s been with Rocket Chassis for 11 years, and we’re proud of everything he’s accomplished.

“Steve won his first championship (1996 STARS/Renegade Series) the first year he was with us, and he came close to winning a national series championship a couple times. So this World of Outlaws championship was a long time coming for him, and we congratulate him and his team.”

Richards plans to keep Rocket Chassis in the headlines with the WoO LMS and other segments of the dirt Late Model world far into the future. Coming off a year in which his 14 employees produced over 250 dirt Late Models, he will continue to offer for sale cars with two types of front-end geometry (one is available in four-link or swing-arm configurations, or a combo of the two) while continuing R&D work on some exciting new ideas.

“We do have some stuff in the works for the future,” said Richards. “But it’ll probably be a little more down the road – maybe the end of 2008 – before it gets to the consumer because there’s still more testing and development to be done.”

The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 with two events that are part of the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Auld Lang Syne: World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Recall Their Most Memorable New Year’s Eve Experiences

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 30, 2007 – Where do the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series like to spend New Year’s Eve?

Well, three of the top-10 finishers in the tour’s 2007 points standings will tell you that the most memorable experience they’ve had ringing in the new year came Down Under.

Reigning WoO LMS champion Steve Francis, third-place points man Clint Smith and Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller rave about the New Year’s Eve fun they enjoyed in Australia.

Francis, a veteran star from Ashland, Ky., who won his first WoO LMS title in 2007, was in Australia for the holidays during the mid-‘90s while running a dirt Late Model in the country as part of Team USA. Accompanied by his late brother/crew chief Chris and fellow Team USA members, he spent New Year’s Eve in Sydney, a city that welcomes the new year with a world-renowned fireworks display above its harbor.

“We hung out in King’s Cross, which is basically the Bourbon Street of Australia,” Francis says of the effervescent section of Sydney. “There was just all kinds of wild stuff going on there, and we saw the Sydney Harbor fireworks that are just incredible.”

Making the experience even more memorable, Francis saw the new year arrive 16 hours before the East Coast of the United States. Sydney, which is on Australia’s East Coast and sits near the International Date Line, is one of the world’s first major cities to usher in the new year.

“We’re there thinking, People at home are watching this (Sydney fireworks) real early in the morning, and we’re celebrating the new year,” says Francis.

Smith, a 42-year-old WoO LMS standout from Senoia, Ga., also spent a New Year’s Eve in Australia during the ‘90s while touring the country’s dirt tracks as part of Team USA. He partied in Newcastle, a town that also throws one heck of a bash.

“There must have been 100,000 people celebrating New Year’s all along the river there,” remembers Smith. “There were fireworks, lots of partying – it was way more massive than anything I’ve ever been to on New Year’s Eve in the United States.”

New Year’s Eve in the Southern Hemisphere also means summer, and Smith loved that fringe benefit.

“The weather made it even more fun to be there,” says the driver known as ‘Cat Daddy.’ “It’s like 80, 90 degrees, and you’re wearing shorts on New Year’s Eve.”

Fuller, a 40-year-old DIRTcar big-block Modified star from Watertown, N.Y., who made a successful transition to dirt Late Models in 2007, spent the 1999-2000 off-season racing a dirt Modified throughout Australia. Thus he was among the first revelers to usher in the new millennium while partying on the coast in Byron Bay, the easternmost point in Australia.

“It was just a huge party there,” says Fuller. “All these people started lighting flairs with no clothes on, and at midnight they just took off walking into the ocean with the flairs up in the air. That was the wildest thing I’ve ever seen.”…

York, Pa.’s Rick Eckert, the second-winningest driver on the WoO LMS since 2004, says his most memorable New Year’s Eve experience is a ‘Millennium Cruise’ through the Caribbean he went on with his wife and more than two dozen other family members and friends.

“There was that whole ‘Y2K’ thing (entering the year 2000), when the whole world was gonna end,” quips Eckert. “We decided to go on a cruise so that if it did, we’d be in the middle of the ocean and it wouldn’t matter. We figured when the clock struck 12 we wouldn’t know if everything went dead or not because we were on a boat.”…

The low-key Darrell Lanigan, a WoO LMS regular since 2004, also fondly recalls welcoming the new year on the high seas.

“We took a cruise one year over New Year’s,” says Lanigan. “That was pretty neat, something different.”…

Two top-10-ranked WoO LMS racers hailing from central Illinois – ninth-place finisher/Rookie of the Year contender Brian Shirley of Chatham and 10^th-place Shannon Babb of Moweaqua – count New Year’s Eve visits to the West Coast as their most memorable celebrations of the holiday.

“Back when I was like 18 (and racing flat-track motorcycles), I went to downtown San Francisco for New Year’s Eve,” says the now 26-year-old Shirley, who was in Northern California with a sponsor of his bike racing effort. “It was chaos. I had never seen so many people in one place for New Year’s Eve before.”

Babb, a five-time WoO LMS winner in ’07, saw 2007 arrive while in Sin City.

“Last year Emalie (Meyer, his fiancee) and I and some friends went out to (Las) Vegas,” says Babb. “We went to some parties, the casinos, just had a good time.”…

Bear Lake, Pa.’s Chub Frank hung out with the beautiful people one memorable New Year’s Eve a few years ago.

“We were going on a cruise (from Miami) so we went down early and went to South Beach for New Year’s Eve,” says Frank, who led the WoO LMS in A-Mains wins in 2007 and finished second in the points standings. “There were four of us – me, my wife Mary, and my cousin and his wife. We had a good time.

“But actually, I think we have more fun when we’re home for New Year’s,” adds a smiling Frank, who is well-known for hosting epic bashes in his race shop, which includes a bar adorned with his racing memorabilia…

Locust Grove, Ga.’s Shane Clanton traveled up to the Tar Heel State to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000.

“My wife and I went to Boone, North Carolina,” says Clanton, who finished fourth in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings. “We went skiing and watched the big fireworks show they put on. It was also the year my Dad passed away, and we took my Mom with us.”…

Hitting the slopes on New Year’s Eve is almost a New Year’s Eve tradition for Shinnston, W.Va.’s Josh Richards, who at 19 years old has seen the fewest New Years of all WoO LMS drivers and is also the tour’s only regular who can’t legally drink at a bar.

“We went skiing for New Year’s for like five or six years,” says Richards, who won four times on the 2007 WoO LMS. “I’m not much of a partier, so that’s really exciting enough for me.”…

Happy New Year from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which kicks off the 2008 season on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Custom Race Engines Is Winner Of 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Engine Builders Challenge’ Award

Custom Race Engines’ Larry Clark accepting his World of Outlaws
Late Model Series ‘Engines Builders Challenge’ Award (Bob Perran photo)

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 29, 2007 – It was a very, very good year on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series for Custom Race Engines.

A stalwart on the dirt Late Model scene for 23 years, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based business shined brighter than ever in 2007. Three of the top-four finishers in the WoO LMS points standings used Custom power in ’07, propelling the well-respected company to the tour’s ‘Engine Builders Challenge’ Award.

Led by founder Larry Clark and his 28-year-old son Jeremy, Custom Race Engines provided the Chevy motors that were bolted inside the cars of WoO LMS champion Steve Francis, runner-up Chub Frank and fourth-place Shane Clanton. Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller also utilized a Custom engine periodically throughout his campaign, adding to the Clarkes’ ’07 WoO LMS success story.

“Winning this award with the World of Outlaws brings us a lot of satisfaction,” Larry Clark said after being honored during the 2007 WoO LMS Awards Banquet on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla. “Not only for myself and Jeremy, but for the guys at the shop too.”

Indeed, constructing the engines that laid claim to a dozen highly-competitive WoO LMS A-Main wins – including Frank’s series-leading six victories – was a team effort by the close-knit Custom gang.

“We’ve got a small group of people (working at Custom), five guys, and that makes the success we’ve had even more satisfying,” said Larry Clark, 54. “It’s fun when you run an engine on the dyno and every one of (the employees) will cycle through and look at the numbers. It just shows that everybody pulls in the right direction, nobody’s fighting, and nobody’s above doing anything, including me.

“I’m right in there and work as many or more hours as anybody. I tease them all – I say, ‘I’m the cheapest help I’ve got.’”

Francis brought Custom its seventh national dirt Late Model points championship in the last 12 years. The shop previously captured Hav-A-Tampa/UDTRA/Xtreme series titles with Freddy Smith (1996), Billy Moyer (1997), Dale McDowell (1999) and Scott Bloomquist (2000 and 2003), and Bloomquist also collected the 2004 WoO LMS crown using Custom power.

The would-be championship pairing of Francis and Custom Race Engines developed barely two months before the start of the 2007 WoO LMS season. In search of a new engine program after his long-running deal with Mopar ended in December 2006, Francis looked to Custom after crossing paths with Jeremy Clark during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

“Jeremy bumped into Steve in the aisles at PRI (in 2006),” said Larry Clark. “I had actually gone back to the hotel on the first day, and when Jeremy got back he said, ‘I talked to Steve Francis today and he wants to talk to you about engines.’ I said, ‘Really? What about his Mopar deal?’ Jeremy said that was gone, so we put a deal together and it worked out well for everybody.

“It was a real honor this year to win the World of Outlaws championship with Steve coming on board.”

Clark paused, and then said, “I’ve watched the Outlaws transition – for the better – and I’m proud to be doing engines for guys that run in this series. Like what I said when I was up on stage (accepting his WoO LMS ‘Engine Builders Challenge’ Award’) – I believe this really is the greatest show on dirt.

“I’ve seen how the series has evolved and brought more people in, how the T.V. races like the (live SPEED broadcast) show at Charlotte (of the ‘Outlaws World Finals’) is bringing a lot of fans in.

“You’ll never believe how many people I talked to after Charlotte who said to me, ‘Hey, I saw Steve Francis was running your stuff at Charlotte.’ I said, ‘You were there?’ and they said, ‘No, I watched it on T.V.’”

Unfortunately for Clark, Francis won’t chase a second consecutive WoO LMS title using Custom power. That’s because Francis is moving to Maryland team owner Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting No. 19 machine for the 2008 season and will utilize the Jack Cornett-built engines that Beitler already has in his arsenal.

But Custom will continue to handle the engine program for Francis’s own No. 15 team, which will see action in selected major events with 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie behind the wheel. Custom will also have Frank, Clanton and Fuller among its clients in ’08, and WoO LMS star Rick Eckert has announced that he will switch to Custom Chevy engines for the 2008 season after several years using Cornett Fords.

Clark understands Francis’s situation and wishes him well with the Beitler deal and engines constructed by Cornett, the 2006 WoO LMS ‘Engine Builder of the Year’ and a friendly rival of Clark’s.

“Jack Cornett is my friend, and we’re good competitors,” said Clark. “I told Jack, ‘We’re just switching (drivers). You’re taking one of mine (Francis), and I’m taking one of yours (Eckert).’”

Clark is confident of continued success for Custom Race Engines on the WoO LMS in 2008 and beyond.

“We’re looking forward to (2008),” said Clark. “We’ve already got new 2008 projects we’re testing now, and we should be better.

The future is certainly bright at Custom Race Engines. With a new facility to house the business in the process of being built about 10 minutes away from the current shop and success enveloping the firm, Clark couldn’t be happier.

“I’m really blessed with the fact that Jeremy, my son, is there with me in the middle of the business and does a great job with it as well,” said Clark, who expects to begin operating out of the new shop within a year. “Jeremy has done it all at the business, and I want him to take over more of it – and he is.”

The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 with two events that are part of the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Tis The Season: World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Remember Their Favorite Christmas Presents

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 23, 2007 – Tis the season for the top-10 drivers in the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points standings to fondly recall their alltime favorite Christmas presents…

Not surprisingly, there’s a motorized theme running through many of these racing boys’ top holiday memories.

Take reigning WoO LMS champion Steve Francis, for instance. The ‘Kentucky Colonel’ has two Christmas gifts from his childhood that he can’t quite separate as being the best.

“I was probably six and my brother (Chris, who passed away in 2001) was four, and when we got up on Christmas morning Mod and Dad had this big slot-car track set up for us downstairs in the basement,” says Francis, 40. “The track crossed, there were loops – it had everything. For a six-year-old kid, that’s pretty entertaining, and we played with that thing all day and for years after that. I loved it – and as a matter of fact, me and my daughter have (a slot-car track) right now and we play with it all the time.

“Another time, when I was probably 10 and my brother was eight, we got up on Christmas morning and we had two new dirt bikes sitting there. We just rode those things and rode those things.”…

Dirt bikes were also the presents that stick out most in the minds of Clint Smith and Darrell Lanigan.

“I was about 10 years old and I got a Suzuki 125 dirt bike,” says Smith, the 42-year-old Georgia star known as ‘Cat Daddy.’ “I asked for it, and that’s what I got. I loved that thing.”

“I was like 10, and after we opened all our presents, he told us to go out there to the garage like we were gonna go work or something,” the 37-year-old Kentucky standout says of his father. “Well, the (dirt bikes) were sitting out there in the garage.”…

At the young age of 19, Josh Richards isn’t quite as far removed from his joyous childhood memories as his rivals on the WoO LMS. It was only a few years ago, then, that the Shinnston, W.Va., star who goes by the nickname ‘Kid Rocket’ received the present that made him smile the most.

“I was like 12, and I had been bugging my Dad for a four-wheeler for a couple years,” says Richards, the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year. “I had a little one, but I wanted a new one, a real one. That year I woke up (on Christmas day) at like six in the morning because I kinda thought I might finally be getting one, and there it was sitting out on the porch.

“I ran it all around the yard that day and then took it down to the (Rocket Chassis) shop to really do some riding.”…

Another form of motorized entertainment provided a holiday thrill to 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller.

“I was seven years old, and I got a seven-horse Bombardier snowmobile,” says the 40-year-old Fuller, a lifelong resident of New York’s snowy Northcountry. “I had never asked for one, which made it a big surprise. I opened up this box (that was under the tree), and it said, ‘Look out the window,’ and there it was.

Rick Eckert didn’t need any gas to power his most memorable Christmas gift, but it did have four wheels.

“I got this little electric car when I was just a little guy,” says the 42-year-old Eckert, the second-winningest driver on the WoO LMS since 2004. “It was one of those cars that you charge it up, sit on it, and and step on the gas pedal.

“My old man has video of me just running into people with it all day. I don’t remember that part, but when I see the video, I’m just driving into people and you can see them all getting mad.”

The youngest of five siblings, Eckert relished a surprise present like his electric car.

“There was a lot of kids in my family, so you didn’t ask for anything,” Eckert says with a smile about his Christmas wish lists. “You got what you got, so an electric car was a pretty big deal.”…

Neither fuel nor electricity was necessary to make Georgia star Shane Clanton’s Christmas present go fast.

“The most memorable thing I ever got for Christmas was a homemade go-kart that my Dad built for me when I was six years old,” says Clanton, who finished fourth in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings. “My two brothers got motorcycles, and I got a hand-built push kart that had four slick tires on it. It was under the tree with a bow on it.

“We lived on top of a hill, so we’d just keep riding it down the hill and pulling it back up to the top. It was the coolest thing – you could do donuts with it and everything. When I was 10 years old, all the kids in the neighborhood still came over to ride it.”…

Shannon Babb calls his most memorable Christmas present “a little crazy.”

“When I was a little kid, I always wanted pig for Christmas,” says Moweaqua, Ill.’s Babb, who won five times on the WoO LMS in 2007 and finished 10^th in the points standings. “I bugged my parents for one, but my Dad never said a word. Well, when I was about 18, my Dad got me one of those Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. I thought it was hilarious!

“We had that pig around the shop for probably six, seven years. It never got bigger than a small house cat, and it was smart. I finally ended up giving it to one of my buddies to take care of.”…

Brian Shirley can’t come up with a specific Christmas gift he’s received that stands above all others. Instead, the question makes him think of a funny holiday tradition with his old man.

“Every year for Christmas I get a card with a dollar bill in it from my father,” quips Chatham, Ill.’s Shirley, a 26-year-old who won his first career WoO LMS A-Main en route to a ninth-place points finish during his rookie touring season in 2007…

Chub Frank is another Outlaw who doesn’t have a personal favorite Christmas gift from his past.

“I got anything I wanted when I was a kid – if you ask my cousins, they’ll tell you that,” says the ever-joking Frank, a 45-year-old from Bear Lake, Pa., who led the WoO LMS in victories and finished second in the points standings in 2007. “When we were growing up my cousins always said, ‘If you wanted to see Christmas (anytime), you come to the Franks’ house.’

“We had racetracks. My Dad owned a snowmobile shop, so I rode all those sleds. I never had to ask for all those ‘exciting’ toys (as a present) because we had all that good stuff.”…

Happy Holidays from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which kicks off the 2008 season on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 18, 2007 – Fans of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late Model Series and the DIRTcar Modified division can bring the action of the biggest events from 2007 into their homes this holiday season.

DVDs of exciting Sprint Car, Late Model and big-block Modified races are now available for purchase, led by DIRTVision.com’s release of ESPN2’s “SuperClean Summer of Money” World of Outlaws Sprint Car events.

Fans can relive all the drama and excitement from the 2007 season through the “SuperClean Summer of Money” 8-disc box set. Watch as Bobby Gerould, Brad Doty and Sean Buckley bring you up close to “The Greatest Show on Dirt - the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.

Own a piece of history – the first Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car events televised on ESPN2 – for just $59.99 plus shipping and handling.

You can order the ‘Summer of Money” box set by calling 315-834-6606 ext. 136 or e-mailing [email protected] for an order form. Mention you saw this ad in the DIRTVision.com newsletter and receive free shipping and handling (a value of $8).

Select World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late Model events that were broadcast on SPEED are also available for purchase in DVD format, including the inaugural ‘World Finals’ from The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The 2007 Super DIRT Week big-block Modified ‘Rite Aid 200’ and 358-Modiifed ‘ITT Corporation Gould’s Pumps Salute to the Troops 150’ are also available for purchase as DVDs.

Show 6 – 7/17 “Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup” Lernerville Speedway (Winner – Donny Schatz)

The World Finals – Watch the historical first World of Outlaws World Finals. Catch all the action in the inaugural event featuring the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on the same night at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The Moody Mile the ’90s – 5-race DVD, covering the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on the famed 1-mile track in Syracuse, NY. Witness what many call the greatest Sprint Car race ever, the 1992 Spark Plug Nationals, during which Steve Kinser and Jac Haudenschild put fear aside and waged an epic battle.

The Moody Mile the ’80s – 5-race DVD, covering the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on the famed 1-mile track in Syracuse, NY. Watch Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell and Doug Wolfgang battle the track now outlawed by the Outlaws.

SPEED Shows – Select races broadcast on SPEED featuring the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Williams Grove, Eldora, Charlotte, Lernerville, Virginia Motor Speedway). Call 315-834-6606 ext 136 or e-mail [email protected] for full list.

Super DIRT Week ’07 ITT Corporation Gould’s Pumps Salute to the troops 150 – Watch the excitement and desperation as Mother Nature throws in a twist that decides the race on the final lap.

Super DIRT Week ’07 Rite Aid 200 – The Grand Daddy of them all, the Rite Aid 200. Witness Vic Coffey show everyone that this time was not a fluke.

Car Owner Raye Vest Deserving Recipient Of ‘Outstanding Contribution To Sport’ Award From World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 18, 2007 – Raye Vest received a big surprise during the recent 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Awards Banquet.

And not surprisingly, it got the veteran car owner’s emotions flowing.

After deciding to attend the gala affair on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla., thanks to the encouragement of his longtime driver Rick Eckert, Vest was called to the stage by World Racing Group CEO/CFO Brian Carter to accept a well-deserved Outstanding Contribution to the Sport award.

Vest, 74, of Waldorf, Md., was left almost speechless by the unexpected honor.

“This is quite a surprise,” Vest said into the microphone in his distinctive southern drawl. “It’s been a long time (in racing), but I still enjoy every minute of it.

“I don’t know how much longer I got, but I never give up,” he added before pausing a moment to collect himself. “And I’ll let Rick know when it’s time (to disband Raye Vest Racing).”

That time, thankfully, is still at some point in the future. Eckert, who turned 42 on Dec. 14, is set to mark his 13^th season driving Vest’s familiar orange No. 24 dirt Late Models in 2008, with another pursuit of the team’s first World of Outlaws Late Model Series at the top of his priority list.

Vest and Eckert have been a stalwart combination on the WoO LMS, entering all 154 events that the tour has contested since its re-launch under the World Racing Group banner in 2004. They have scored 15 series victories – second on the tour’s 2004-2007 win list behind Scott Bloomquist’s 16 – and registered points-race finishes of third (2004), fourth (2005), seventh (2006) and fifth (2007).

Eckert has also brought Vest plenty of glory away from the WoO LMS. The York, Pa., star’s long stint in Vest’s equipment includes back-to-back UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series titles (2001-2002); $100,000 payoffs for winning the 1999 ‘Dream’ at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway and the UDTRA/Xtreme ‘Great Northern Challenge’ in 2002; major-event victories in the Dirt Track World Championship at Kentucky’s Bluegrass Speedway (2004), ‘Scorcher 100’ at Volunteer Speedway (2005) and National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway (2004 and 2005); and even a handful of ARCA Series superspeedway starts in the ‘90s.

As far as Vest is concerned, there’s no driver he’d rather have steering his race cars than Eckert.

“I remember Rick came up to me about a year or two before I hired him, and he told me that if I ever needed a driver to let him know,” said Vest. “Well, I kept watching him, and when time came, I called him. We’ve been together ever since.

“There aren’t many people like Rick Eckert,” continued Vest. “He’s a very honest man, a good man, a good boy.

“He’s also a hard worker, and that’s what you’re looking for as a car owner. He’s treats my stuff like it’s his, which is one of the main reasons him and I have been together so long.”

Eckert is the fourth driver that Vest has employed during his 22 years as a dirt Late Model car owner, following George Moreland, Nathan Durboraw and Rodney Franklin.

Vest attended his first dirt-track race in 1949 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway – he was raised in the mountains of western Virginia, about two miles from the home of NASCAR pioneer Curtis Turner – but didn’t become actively involved in the sport until later in life. He decided to begin helping Moreland after his children had grown up and his business, Raye Vest Excavating, had become well-established.

“I never had the money to race when I was raising my family,” said Vest. “I was never going to take food off the table to go racing.

“Once my kids were grown, I wanted to find a hobby. I think everybody’s gotta have a hobby. I picked a very expensive one, but I don’t regret it. If I had my life to live over, I’d do it again.”

There is certainly no car owner who can claim to love dirt-track racing more than Vest. He doesn’t attend as many events as he once did because he’s been slowed by breathing problems that force him to use an oxygen canister (“That’s from a little too much cigarette smoking,” he said), but he’s still present quite often to pick Eckert’s time-trial number and drive his orange golf-cart around the pit area.

“As long as I can find a place at the racetrack where I can see (the races) from my motorhome or the tower, I’ll be out there,” said Vest. “I just can’t be out in the dust during the races.”

And on the occasions that Vest isn’t on hand to watch Eckert in action, he’s sure to be listening or watching on his computer, whether it be from his home in Maryland or his residence on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. If there’s any hiccup with the DirtVision.com internet broadcast of a WoO LMS event, the first person WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman can expect to get a call from at the track is Vest, anxious to find out what’s happening.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot for Vest and Eckert to get excited about on the 2007 WoO LMS. In one of the most unexpected storylines of the season, Eckert went winless on the tour – the only driver among the final top-10 in the points standings to finish the year without a victory, in fact. The driver known as ‘Scrub’ recorded five runner-up finishes, failed to finish only one of the season’s 44 A-Mains and improved to fifth in the points race, but, with crew and chassis changes dotting his year, he didn’t perform to his normal lofty standards.

After winning multiple A-Mains in each of the tour’s first three seasons – including a series-leading eight victories in 2006 – a goose-egg in the ’07 win column certainly was disappointing for Eckert and Vest. But Vest is confident that Eckert will be back at the front of the pack with the WoO LMS in 2008.

“This year was a struggle, there’s no doubt about it,” said Vest. “We changed cars (from Rocket to MasterSbilt before the season, then to GRT in August), and now we changed motors (from Cornett to Custom) for next year. We’re going to get it right.

“In 12 years together, we had eight or nine really good years. That’s better than most teams, so we ain’t complaining. We just were not as good this year as we have been in the past, but we will return. We will be back.”

Vest said that his age and health problems have made him realize that his “time is getting short,” so he plans to savor every moment of his racing excursions with Eckert. Finally adding a World of Outlaws title to his team’s ledger would just make him feel even better.

“It would be wonderful to see Rick the World of Outlaws championship,” said Vest. “We won the UDTRA championship twice and just about everything else there is to win, except the World 100 and World of Outlaws.

“I guess the World of Outlaws (crown) would mean the most, because we’re racing with the best. All them boys are good, and it’s good racing.

“Yeah, I’d like to win a championship one more time,” Vest added with a smile. “At least one more.”

The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 with two events that are part of the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

June’s ‘Great Northern Tour’ Headlines 2008 Action In Northeast For World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 10, 2008 – Fans living in the Northeast will have plenty of opportunities to witness World of Outlaws Late Model Series action in 2008.

The nation’s richest dirt Late Model tour will contest approximately 40 percent of its 50-plus-event ’08 schedule at tracks in or near the Northeastern corner of the United States, headlined by the seven-race ‘Great Northern Tour’ that barnstorms through the region in late-June.

A 2008 WoO LMS schedule listing 46 confirmed events at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces was released during last week’s Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, Fla. At least a half-dozen additional events are still to be announced, including several that will intrigue fans in the Northeast.

“The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will continue to have a strong presence in the Northeast region,” said Tim Christman, the director of the WoO LMS. “We always receive strong support from all the great racers and fans in dirt Late Model hotbeds like Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio, and we relish the opportunity to expose top-notch dirt Late Model racing to fans in areas like upstate New York and Canada.”

The ‘Great Northern Tour’ will bring the WoO LMS to the Northeast for seven events over a 12-day period in June, culminating with the second annual ‘Firecracker 100’ spectacular on June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. A purse increase for the 2008 ‘Firecracker 100’ will push its winner’s share to $40,000, up a robust $10,000 from the blockbuster inaugural event won by 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.

Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, which hosted the WoO LMS for the first time in 2007, will kick off the ‘Great Northern Tour’ on Tues., June 17, with a 40-lap A-Main paying $7,000 to win.

Then the ‘series-within-a-series’ heads north for three nights of competition across the border in Canada, visiting Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway on Thurs., June 19; Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., on Sat., June 21; and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on Sun., June 22. The first-ever WoO LMS event in Canada was held in 2007 before a standing-room-crowd at Autodrome Drummond – and a huge throng is expected again at the three-eighths-mile oval and for the inaugural WoO LMS shows at Ohsweken and Cornwall.

The Canadian facilities have big plans for their WoO LMS dates. The Drummond WoO LMS event will once again be part of the track’s celebration of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, a holiday in which French Canadians express their cultural pride and rich heritage. Ohsweken, meanwhile, will use its WoO LMS program to commence two huge days of action (an Empire Super Sprints series show is scheduled for the following night), and Cornwall owner Ron Morin is planning a never-before-attempted tripleheader of WoO LMS, Empire Super Sprint and DIRTcar 358-Modified competition on June 22.

Back in the U.S., the ‘Great Northern Tour’ will pay mid-week visits to Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway and Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., before heading to Lernerville’s ‘Firecracker 100.’ Canandaigua will host its first-ever WoO LMS event on Tues., June 24, with the BRP CanAm Series for 360 Late Models on the undercard, and the tour will hit Pennsylvania’s Coal Country for the first time with a date on Wed., June 25, at Big Diamond.

The WoO LMS’s first action of ’08 near Northeastern fans will come on Fri., April 11, at Virginia Motor Speedway, which will host the tour for the fourth consecutive season. A traditional springtime date at Lernerville Speedway, on Tues., April 15, is also part of the swing.

A first-ever stop at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park at Fri., May 16, will bring the WoO LMS back to the region, followed by an attractive doubleheader on Thurs., May 29, at Delaware International Speedway (nearby Dover International Speedway begins its NASCAR weekend that day) and Sat., May 31, at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (the 27^th annual ‘Conococheague 50’).

The tour returns to the Northeast region in late-July for a four-race ‘Speedweek’ in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Dates in the Buckeye State are scheduled for Thurs., July 24, at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville (first-ever WoO LMS event at Ronnie Moran’s track), Fri., July 25, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg (the second consecutive year for a WoO LMS event at the Tony Stewart-owned speed palace), and Sat., July 26, at Dave Blaney’s Sharon Speedway in Hartford, and the swing closes on Sun., July 27, at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The busy summer stretch of racing will close out with what will likely be the final chances for Northeastern fans to see the WoO LMS stars in their backyards. K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, hosts the tour on Sat., Aug. 23, and then the series visits Pennsylvania over Labor Day Weekend for events on Fri., Aug. 29, at Bedford Speedway, which drew a big crowd for its first-ever WoO LMS show in 2007, and Aug. 30-31 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin. The format of Tri-City’s program – separate 50-lap, $10,000-to-win events or a two-day, 100-lap A-Main – is still to be announced.

The 2008 WoO LMS will open on Feb. 14 and 16 with the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., and end on Oct. 30-31/Nov. 1 with the second annual ‘Outlaws World Finals’ at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

There are more than a dozen new tracks on the 2008 schedule. The ‘Firecracker 100’ is one of several extra-distance specials dotting the calendar, joining the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway; the $20,000-to-win ‘Freedom 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.; a 100-lapper paying $20,000 to win on April 4-5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway; and the ‘Scorcher 100’ on Aug. 20-21 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn.

2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule (as of Dec. 7, 2007) - Northeast-Region Events In Bold

Feb. 14 – Thurs. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL – DIRTcar Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

Feb. 16 – Sat. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL – DIRTcar Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

March 28-29 – Fri./Sat. – Pike County Speedway/Magnolia, MS – FREEDOM 100 - $20,000 – 100L

April 18-19 – Fri./Sat. – The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – CIRCLE K COLOSSAL 100 - $50,000 – 100L

May 29 – Thurs. – Delaware International Speedway/Delmar, DE - $10,000 – 50L

June 17 – Tues. – Port Royal (PA) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 19 – Thurs. – Ohsweken (ONT) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 21 – Sat. – Autodrome Drummond/Drummondville, QUE – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 22 – Sun. – Cornwall (ONT) Motor Speedway – Great Northern Tour -$10,000 – 50L

June 24 – Tues. – Canandaigua (NY) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 25 – Wed. – Big Diamond Raceway/Minersville, PA – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 27-28 – Fri./Sat. – Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA – Great Northern Tour (FIRECRACKER 100) - $40,000 – 100L

July 9 – Wed. – Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, MN – Wild West Tour (Gopher 50) - $10,000 – 50L

July 10 – Thurs. – North Central Speedway/Brainerd, MN – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 11 – Fri. – River Cities Speedway/Grand Forks, ND – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 12 – Sat. – Estevan Motor Speedway/Estevan, SAS – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 16 – Gillette Thunder Speedway/Gillette, WY – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 18 – Fri. – Brown County Speedway/Aberdeen, SD – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 20 – Sun. – Belleville (KS) High Banks – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 40L

July 21 – Mon. – Boone County Speedway/Albion, NE – Wild West Tour - $10,000 – 50L

July 24 – Thurs. – Muskingum County Speedway/Zanesville, OH – Speedweek - $7,000 – 40L

July 25 – Fri. – Eldora Speedway/Rossburg, OH – Speedweek - $10,000 – 50L

July 26 – Sat. – Sharon Speedway/Hartford, OH – Speedweek - $10,000 – 50L

July 27 – Sun. – Eriez Speedway/Hammett, PA – Speedweek - $10,000 – 50L

Aug. 20-21 – Wed./Thurs. – Volunteer Speedway/Bulls Gap, TN – SCORCHER 100 – TBA – 100L

Sept. 13 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO – Pepsi Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

Oct. 8 – Wed. – The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC - Southern Showdown - $30,000 possible – 50L

Oct. 30 – Thurs. - The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – WORLD FINALS (Time Trials)

Oct. 31 – Fri. - The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – WORLD FINALS - $10,000 – 50L

Nov. 1 – Sat. - The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – WORLD FINALS - $10,000 – 50L

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 7, 2007 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will blaze new trails during the 2008 season.

With Friday’s announcement of the tour’s ambitious ’08 schedule, it’s clear that the stars of the WoO LMS will be exposed to a record number of fans across the United States and Canada.

More than a dozen tracks are slated to host a WoO LMS event for the first time ever and there are visits to 22 different states and three Canadian provinces currently on the schedule, which was released at the annual Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, Fla.

There are also several big-money, extra-distance events dotting the 2008 sked, highlighted by the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and the $40,000-to-win ‘Firecracker 100’ on June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

The 2008 schedule, which currently lists 46 confirmed events at 39 tracks, kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 with two 50-lap A-Mains during the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

“The goal that we have set is to continue to be the number one dirt Late Model racing series in the country,” said Tim Christman, the director of the WoO LMS. “To achieve that we need to continue to grow the series and broaden its horizons, and there’s no doubt we are doing that with the schedule of events we have put together for 2008.

“We have 46 confirmed dates and we’ll be adding several more. We’re thrilled that the demand for dates from track promoters is so great, and we’ll ultimately end up with a schedule of over 50 events in up to 25 states.”

A centerpiece of the ’08 sked will be the farthest trip west in the history of the WoO LMS. The ‘Wild West Tour’ – a series-within-the-series of at least eight events paying $10,000 to win – is currently scheduled to barnstorm through six states and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan from July 9-21.

The ‘Wild West Tour’ will begin on July 9 with the annual ‘Gopher 50’ at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., which will be part of the WoO LMS for the fourth consecutive season. The swing will also include return visits for the series on July 10 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn., (back on the tour after a year’s absence); July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., which hosts the series for the third consecutive year; and July 20 at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks, a legendary oval that drew a standing-room-only crowd for its inaugural WoO LMS event in 2007.

Never-before-visited territory that the WoO LMS will chart during the ‘Wild West Tour’ includes Saskatchewan’s Estevan Motor Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval that will bring the series just across the North Dakota border to Canada on July 12; Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway (July 16); Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D. (July 18); and Boone County Speedway in Albion, Neb., which closes the swing on July 21 with an event that will be part of the annual county fair. An additional event for July 15 is under negotiation.

The series will close out a busy month of July by heading east for another series-within-a-series: a four-night ‘Speedweek’ in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. A first-ever visit to Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, on July 24 starts the stretch of racing, followed by return engagements at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on July 25; Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, on July 26; and Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., on July 27.

The WoO LMS will also make an extended swing through the Northeast from June 17-28, contesting the seven-event ‘Great Northern Tour’ that features three nights of racing in Canada and the second annual two-day ‘Firecracker 100’ spectacular at Lernerville Speedway.

A reprise of the successful 2007 mid-week event at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway will commence the ‘Great Northern Tour’ on June 17. Then the WoO LMS will make a first-ever trip across the border to Ontario for a June 19 event at Ohsweken Speedway, followed by a return to Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond for the second consecutive year on June 21 and an inaugural race at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on June 22.

The ‘Great Northern Tour’ continues with first-time WoO LMS events at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway on June 24 and Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., on June 25, leading into the blockbuster ‘Firecracker 100,’ which will see its winner’s share boosted $10,000 – to a cool $40,000 – in celebration of Lernerville’s 40^th anniversary.

More exciting details on the WoO LMS ‘mini-series’ swings will be released in the coming weeks.

Joining the ‘Firecracker’ and Circle K Colossal 100 as extra-distance specials on the ’08 schedule are the $20,000-to-win ‘Freedom 100’ on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., which will host its first WoO LMS event after having its initial attempt rained out in 2007; a 100-lapper paying $20,000 to win on April 4-5 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, which will present the biggest dirt Late Model ever run in Illinois; and the ‘Scorcher 100’ on Aug. 20-21 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., which returns to the WoO LMS for the second consecutive season.

Other tracks that will hold WoO LMS events for the first time in 2008 include Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park, which had its first attempt at a WoO LMS washed out in July 2007 but will try again on May 16; Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway (Aug. 15); and Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. (Aug. 16).

Tracks returning to the tour in ’08 after hosting shows for the first time during the past season include Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway, which will have an enlarged three-eighths-mile layout ready for a May 17 program; Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway (May 18); Bedford (Pa.) Speedway (Aug. 29); and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala. (Oct. 12).

Two facilities will be back as part of the trail after being absent for a year: Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., on Aug. 17 and K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, on Aug. 23.

The WoO LMS will also visit several stalwart tracks, including Virginia Motor Speedway (April 11); Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway (April 26); Delaware International Speedway in Delmar (May 29); Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (May 31); Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. (Aug. 30-31); and I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. (Sept. 13). Hagerstown has hosted a WoO LMS event every season since 2004; VMS, Lebanon I-44 and Tri-City have been on the tour each year since 2005; Delaware will conduct a race for the fourth time in five years; and I-55 will hold its third tour show in five years.

Just five tracks are scheduled to host multiple WoO LMS events in 2008. The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway leads the list with four dates (April 18-19, Oct. 8, Oct. 30-31/Nov. 1), and two races will be held at Lernerville (April 15, June 27-28), Volunteer (Aug. 20-21, Oct. 11), Volusia and Tri-City.

The WoO LMS will conclude for the second consecutive year at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where the WoO Sprint Cars will join the Late Models for the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 1.

Feb. 14 – Thurs. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL – DIRTcar Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

Feb. 16 – Sat. – Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL – DIRTcar Nationals - $10,000 – 50L

March 28-29 – Fri./Sat. – Pike County Speedway/Magnolia, MS – FREEDOM 100 - $20,000 – 100L

April 18-19 – Fri./Sat. – The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway/Concord, NC – CIRCLE K COLOSSAL 100 - $50,000 – 100L

May 29 – Thurs. – Delaware International Speedway/Delmar, DE - $10,000 – 50L

June 17 – Tues. – Port Royal (PA) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 19 – Thurs. – Ohsweken (ONT) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 21 – Sat. – Autodrome Drummond/Drummondville, QUE – Great Northern Tour - $10,000 – 50L

June 22 – Sun. – Cornwall (ONT) Motor Speedway – Great Northern Tour -$10,000 – 50L

June 24 – Tues. – Canandaigua (NY) Speedway – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 25 – Wed. – Big Diamond Raceway/Minersville, PA – Great Northern Tour - $7,000 – 40L

June 27-28 – Fri./Sat. – Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA – Great Northern Tour (FIRECRACKER 100) - $40,000 – 100L