Hoseheads

Drivers From Across Country Will Invade Volusia Speedway Park For World of Outlaws & DIRTcar UMP Events Feb. 14-19

BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 30, 2011 – With the calendar moving toward the dirt Late Model portion of the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park – a full-fender extravaganza featuring World of Outlaws Late Model Series events on Feb. 17 and 19 as well as DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned programs on Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18 – here’s a primer on drivers to watch during the week...

* All eyes at the blazing-fast half-mile oval located 20 miles outside Daytona Beach will be focused on two-time defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who will bid to extend his unprecedented streak of season-opening victories on the national tour in the 50-lap A-Main scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 17. The 22-year-old sensation has captured the World of Outlaws lidlifter at Volusia in each of the last four years.

What’s more, if Richards can make it five straight opening-night wins, he would become the winningest driver on the WoO LMS since the World Racing Group restarted the tour in 2004. With 28 career series triumphs entering the 2011 season, he’s tied atop the win list with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

* The 43-year-old Francis, who in 2004 won the historic first WoO LMS event of the WRG era at Volusia, will roll into the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH in unfamiliar fashion. With a Barry Wright Race Car being his machine of choice this year (he began running the Cowpens, S.C.-based brand late in 2010), he’s beginning a season without a Rocket Chassis under him for the first time in more than a decade. He owns three career WoO LMS victories at Volusia, having also registered checkered flags in 2006 and 2009.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., fell just four points shy of Richards in the final 2010 WoO LMS points standings. One of the places he could have picked up those critical points? Volusia Speedway Park, where he struggled through arguably his worst back-to-back outings of the season.

Lanigan, 40, was never a factor in last year’s pair of WoO LMS A-Mains, settling for finishes of 11th and 12th. He had to fall back on a points provisional spot to start the second feature – one of just two provisionals he used in 44 events during the 2010 campaign.

Of course, Lanigan has enjoyed success at Volusia in recent DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. He won the opening-night DIRTcar UMP feature last year and captured the $10,000-to-win UMP finale in 2007.

* Volusia has been very good to Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who finished third in last year’s WoO LMS points standings in his first season as a tour regular since winning the title in 2006. It’s where he won his first-ever dirt Late Model feature (UMP show in 2004), captured his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main (in 2005) and clinched his only World of Outlaws championship. He also won two UMP-sanctioned features in 2005 and reached Victory Lane in DIRTcar big-block Modified competition there in 2002.

McCreadie, who in last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH WoO LMS finale made a memorable charge from the 28th starting spot to a third-place finish after gaining entry to the A-Main thanks to a provisional spot, heads into 2011 battle with some new faces supporting his Sweeteners Plus racing effort. His crew now features 25-year-old Barry Knapp, who traveled the WoO LMS with Tim Fuller in 2009 before spending last season working for New York big-block Modified driver Ryan Phelps, and former Russell King crewman Craig (‘Snowman’) McCrimmon, whose brother, Matt, is a mechanic for McCreadie’s teammate Vic Coffey. Al Stevens, who has served as McCreadie’s crew chief for several seasons, remains with the Sweeteners Plus team but is expected to spend more time working in the shop than traveling in 2011.

* Caledonia, N.Y.’s Vic Coffey will be in action at Volusia and is considering a fulltime assault on the WoO LMS for the first time since he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008. He plans to run the tour’s early-season events and then decide whether he will continue down the road.

* Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., will lead the DIRTcar UMP brigade into the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. Feger is the reigning DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion and the circuit’s 2009 national champion, while Erb has won three Summer Nationals and two national titles in the last four years.

Neither driver, however, owns a prolific track record at Volusia. Feger made his first career winter racing trip to Florida last year and scored a top finish of 13th (in the UMP opener) at the half-mile oval; Erb has been a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH stalwart for a decade but his best finish over the past six years is a fifth (in 2008 and 2010 UMP races).

* Another driver from the heart of DIRTcar UMP country, two-time Summer Nationals champion Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., will likely be chasing a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH triumph for the third time in the last five years. A Volusia UMP feature winner last year and in 2007 and a WoO LMS victor in 2004, the nationally-known star has switched to Victory Circle by Moyer chassis in 2011 and is hopeful that his equipment will be ready for Volusia action.

* Other Midwestern talents from the DIRTcar UMP circuit with plans to enter the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH include Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., who finished third in the 2010 national points standings; rising teenage star Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill.; Dillan White of Crofton, Ky.; Jason McBride of Carbondale, Ill.; Frank Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill.; 2009 American Late Model Series champ Jon Henry of Ada, Ohio; and 62-year-old veteran Mike Hammerle of St. Charles, Mo., who will likely set up camp in his usual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH spot along the pit-area access road leading down to the ‘Gator Pond’ area behind Volusia’s backstretch.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa. – one of just two drivers who has started all 281 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004 – knows how to get around the D-shaped Volusia layout. He’s won seven features since 1999 – more than any other racer over that span. But Eckert hasn’t won at the track since 2006 and has never captured a WoO LMS event; his triumphs came in UMP, UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa and unsanctioned races.

* One year ago Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., arrived at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH without his familiar No. 25 – and with a PICC line in his left arm so he could receive IV bags filled with powerful antibiotics every eight hours in order to rid his bloodstream of the strep bacteria that had spread from a serious infection in his thumb. Still recovering from the late-January medical scare that had sent him to a hospital for a week, all he could do at the 2010 Volusia meet was use emergency provisionals to start each of the WoO LMS A-Mains in teammate Tony Knowles’s car for points-chasing purposes.

Clanton left Volusia last year already over 100 points behind in the WoO LMS standings, effectively ending his championship hopes. He hopes to turn that around this season; he’s healthy and ready to chase glory in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH with a brand-new Capital Race Cars chassis that he’s built with retired racer Marshall Green.

* WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., won five DIRTcar big-block Modified features at Volusia from 2001-2007, but the tour’s 2007 Rookie of the Year has enjoyed nowhere near that type of success in dirt Late Model competition. A full-fender entrant in every DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH since 2006, he’s managed just one top-10 finish in WoO LMS action (eighth in the first 2009 A-Main) and a personal-best finish of sixth in UMP events (2008).

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who won the $10,000 UMP finale of the 2008 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, will begin his WoO LMS mentorship of fellow Georgia racer Brian Reese during this year’s meet. The 45-year-old driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ has been commissioned by Reese’s family-owned team to provide the young upstart technical assistance and driving tips throughout the 2011 season, during which Reese plans to chase the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award.

Reese is one of at least three drivers expected to apply for WoO LMS Rookie of the Year status at Volusia, joining John Lobb of Frewsburg, N.Y., who earned a WoO LMS fast-time award last year at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ont., and Ron Davies of Warren, Pa. Davies, whose daughter Michelle is engaged to Shane Clanton, is a veteran driver who has decided to take a stab at a national tour for the first time after focusing primarily on the western Pennsylvania circuit throughout his career.

* Coming off the first winless season of his WoO LMS career in 2010, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., is hopeful that he can get his program back on a winning track at a speedway that’s treated him well over the years. Frank, who turned 49 on Jan. 20, owns five wins at Volusia since 1999, tied for third-best on the victory list over that period. He last won in 2006, however, and hasn’t triumphed in a WoO LMS A-Main.

* Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., and Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio – the WoO LMS Rookies of the Year in 2010 and 2009, respectively – hope to end their past frustration at Volusia. Both drivers have competed in the last two DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH; Hubbard has qualified for four of the nine events he’s entered (top finish: 10th in last year’s WoO LMS finale), and King has started two of the 10 races he’s attempted (he finished 24th in each of last year’s WoO LMS A-Mains).

* After having her Rocket Chassis mount gone over by Clint Smith in the Outlaw veteran’s Peach State shop during the off-season, Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, plans to return to the WoO LMS road in 2011 after becoming the first female driver to pursue the tour’s Rookie of the Year award last season. She heads to Volusia after participating in a mid-January ARCA stock car test at Daytona International Speedway behind the wheel of an Andy Hillenburg Racing stock car.

* Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. – who, at 54, enjoyed a spectacular 2010 season that included victories in the DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Dream and World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway – has the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH on his early-season schedule. He’s won five times at Volusia since 1999, including WoO LMS A-Mains in 2005 and 2008.

Moyer’s son, budding racer Billy Moyer Jr., plans to accompany his legendary father to Volusia to make his DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH competitive debut. The 23-year-old graduated from Arkansas State University in December.

* Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., is scheduled to return to the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH after sitting out last year’s action while serving a suspension from World Racing Group events for a tire infraction during the 2009 World Finals. His last February victory at Volusia came in a 2004 WoO LMS event, but he also won the track’s ‘Gator 100’ in October 2005.

* Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who closed the 2010 WoO LMS campaign with a victory in the Lowes Foods World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, is in search of his first-ever win at Volusia. He’s finished as high as second.

* Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., is planning to enter the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH for the first time since 2007. His lone career win at Volusia came in a 2000 event sanctioned by the American Late Model Series.

* Wisconsin veteran Pat Doar is accompanying Mars to Volusia. He also has one career win at the Barberville facility – a UMP-sanctioned event back in 1996.

* Jacksonville’s Earl Pearson Jr. is the only driver from Florida to win a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH event over the past decade. His resume shows four victories, the last coming in the 2009 DIRTcar UMP opener.

* Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., ranks second on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH win list since 1999, with six triumphs. All his victories came between 2002-2004.

* Other former DIRTcar Nationals feature winners expected in this year’s field include Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis. (WoO LMS 2010), Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis. (UMP 2009), Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga. (UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa 1999) and Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark. (UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa 1999).

* Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., will be searching for his initial DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH triumph, but he pocketed $20,000 for winning the 2006 WoO LMS ‘Gator 100’ at Volusia.

* Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who won his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main in the first half of last November’s Lowes Foods World Finals, is slated to make his DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH debut at Volusia in the Barry Wright house car.

* Among other drivers expected to compete in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH include 2010 United Late Model Series champion Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., one of the country’s busiest dirt Late Model racers last season; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., a former WoO LMS winner in Pennsylvania who became a father for the first time in November with the birth of his daughter Addison; 2009 DIRTcar Nationals UMP Modified champion Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., who will be a dirt Late Model regular for the first time this season in cars owned by NASCAR star Clint Bowyer; 2010 WISSOTA Late Model national champion Ricky Weiss of St. Francis Xavier, Manitoba; Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., who followed the WoO LMS in 2009 and for half the 2010 season; teenager Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif., who during the 2009 DIRTcar Nationals became the youngest driver in WoO LMS history to qualify for an A-Main; Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., a teenager from the DIRTcar big-block Modified ranks whose father John also owns Tim Fuller’s Gypsum Express dirt Late Models; Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky.; and Will Vaught of Crane, Mo.

The dirt Late Model portion of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH kicks off with DIRTcar UMP programs topped by 30-lap, $7,000-to-win features on Feb. 14, 15 and 16. The season-opening WoO LMS events on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, boast 50-lap headliners paying $10,000 to win, and the DIRTcar UMP finale on Fri., Feb. 18, will run over the 40-lap distance and offer a $10,000 first-place prize.

All six nights of full-fender competition will be capped by a ‘Bulrush Dash,’ a 12-lap, 15-car race reserved for the top-five non-transfers from each evening’s B-Mains who have not yet qualified for an A-Main during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. A $300 prize and trophy will go the winner of each dash.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night short-track blockbuster that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 9-10); the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19); and the UMP Modifieds (Feb. 8-15).

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH – including special pricing on advance-sale tickets and details of the ‘Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket’ offer that allows fans to get up-close-and-personal with the race teams every night of the DCN – visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 704-795-7223 or 386-985-4402.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

National Tour Making First-Ever Visits To Hartford Motor Speedway (April 29), Winston Speedway (Aug. 19) & Merritt Speedway (Aug. 20)

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 28, 2011 – Michigan will be a hotbed for World of Outlaws Late Model Series racing in 2011.

Ending a three-season absence from the Wolverine State, the national tour is set to contest three big events there this season. The full-fender World of Outlaws stars will invade for a springtime date at Hartford Motor Speedway on Fri., April 29, and return for a late-summer doubleheader at Winston Speedway in Rothbury on Fri., Aug. 19, and Merritt Speedway in Lake City on Sat., Aug. 20.

Each track will host the WoO LMS for the first time – and each 50-lap, $10,000-to-win program will represent the richest dirt Late Model race ever held at the three speedways.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to once again showcase the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in front of Michigan’s race fans,” said series director Tim Christman. “The promoters at Hartford, Winston and Merritt are welcoming the tour back to Michigan with open arms and giving fans all across the state a chance to see the country’s best dirt Late Model drivers in person.”

Hartford Motor Speedway will have the honor of hosting Michigan’s first WoO LMS event since 2007. A fast half-mile oval located in the Southwest corner of the state about 100 miles from both Detroit and Chicago, the track’s historic show was recently moved to April 29 after appearing as a mid-September date on the tour’s original 2011 schedule released in December.

“This is my fourth year with the track and this World of Outlaws race is going to open our biggest season yet,” said Hartford owner/promoter Jim Borden, whose track will precede a WoO LMS event on April 30 at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky. “We’ve built the track back up and we’re getting a pretty good car count for our weekly shows, so we decided this year we would step it up and have a real big Late Model race with the Outlaws.”

The barnstorming WoO LMS will roll back across the Michigan border in August, heading farther north to start the tour’s inaugural doubleheader in the state. Winston Speedway sits near the shores of Lake Michigan in the west-central part of the state, while Merritt Speedway is located about two hours to the northeast of Winston and about 45 miles southeast of Traverse City.

Winston’s event on Aug. 19 will be sponsored by Port City Racing/Integra Shocks, which is headquartered about 25 miles from the track. Integra Shocks representatives have conducted test sessions at Winston with numerous drivers in recent years, including several WoO LMS regulars.

Anticipation is already running high for Winston’s WoO LMS stop, which was announced in December.

“Every person I’ve talked to has just been so excited about what they’re expecting to see when the Outlaws come to town,” said Tom Sprague, a former dirt Late Model racer who is entering his fifth season as the promoter of Winston Speedway. “This will by far be the biggest race this area of Michigan has ever seen.”

Merritt Speedway, meanwhile, is the latest addition to the 2011 WoO LMS schedule, which currently list 41 events at 34 tracks in 20 states. WoO LMS officials and Merritt owner/promoter Rick Ancel jointly reached an agreement on the Aug. 20 date earlier this week.

Ancel, a 40-year-old who is beginning his fourth season at Merritt’s helm, is as thrilled as his fans and racers to have the World of Outlaws come to northern Michigan for the Lane Automotive/All-Star Performance 50.

“Our fans have gotten to see a few big guys run at Merritt here-and-there,” said Ancel, noting that 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., made a special appearance at Merritt in 2008 and pocketed over $8,000 for winning the special DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned ‘Who 55.’ “But they’ve never gotten to see a dozen of these big stars like they’ll see when the Outlaws come to town.

“We’re excited to bring in the World of Outlaws, our fans are excited to see them and our local drivers are excited to have a chance to run against them.”

All three Michigan tracks are considering advance ticket sales for the WoO LMS events. Ticket and other information can be obtained by logging on to the track web sites at www.hartfordmotorspeedway.net, www.winstonspeedway.net and www.merritt-speedway.com.

Russell King Aims To Put Frustrating Sophomore Campaign On World of Outlaws Late Model Series Behind Him

Tour’s 2009 Rookie of the Year Ready To Start Fresh During 40th DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH On Feb. 14-19 At Volusia Speedway Park

That’s Russell King’s simple mindset as he prepares for the upcoming World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign, which kicks off with 50-lap events on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, during the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park.

Coming off a miserable 2010 season in which he failed to show the progress he expected after winning the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award in 2009, King, 21, of Bristolville, Ohio, is staring squarely at what he considers a make-or-break year. He feels he must improve on the road with the Outlaws or begin considering another line of work.

“The first year (following the WoO LMS) we ran good sometimes even though we didn’t know a lot (about dirt Late Models),” said King, who excelled on the western Pennsylvania/eastern Ohio big-block Modified circuit before tackling the WoO LMS schedule with less than two-dozen career dirt Late Model starts under his belt. “We seemed to be making some strides at the end of the (2009) season so last year I thought we’d continue to get better because we actually knew some stuff, but we got worse. We had a horrible season.

“Last year was real frustrating,” he added. “I want to be way further ahead than where I am right now. My mom and dad spend a lot of money for me to do this deal, so we have to be more competitive this year if I’m going to keep doing this fulltime.”

King appeared to be on an upward trajectory in 2009, registering eight top-10 finishes – including a late-season stretch of four top 10s in five races – en route to the national tour’s top rookie honor. He capped his year with a $12,000 triumph away from the WoO LMS at McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa., proving that his Outlaw education had served him well.

But King experienced a disheartening 2010 season. He managed just two top-10 finishes, led the circuit in DNFs (13) and finished out of the points-fund money (11th in the standings). Only a shining moment in the mid-summer WoO LMS event at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park – he won his first-ever tour heat race and impressively led laps 1-11 of the A-Main before a scrape with a lapped car started him on a fall from contention – provided King some solace.

“Attica pretty much kept me from hanging myself off the lift-gate of my trailer halfway through the year,” quipped King, who settled for a 13 th-place finish at Attica after a mid-race tangle forced him to restart at the rear of the field.

Despite his demoralizing performance in 2010, King’s confidence is not shaken. He feels good about the state of his family-owned program, which features two Rocket cars (one he debuted last year and a brand-new machine) and a freshened stock of Custom engines.

“I’m staying positive and I’m real focused,” said King, who displayed his new King Bros. Racing. No. 56 in the DIRTcar Racing booth during last weekend’s Motorsports 2011 Race Car & Trade Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa. “I feel like we’re the best prepared that we’ve ever been and I feel like I’m more serious mentally than I’ve ever been.

“The mental aspect is half of this deal right now because everybody’s got good race cars and good motors, but sometimes with the Late Model I don’t have that killer instinct to keep digging like I used to in the Modified. When I raced Modifieds I didn’t care who I lined up against or how the car felt – I just had that drive to keep going.

“I just want to get back to having fun like when I was racing Modifieds, just at a different level. It’s a big psychological deal for me.”

In an effort to make himself even sharper behind the wheel, King recently began working with a personal trainer to whip his burly frame into better condition. He’s also made a move to buoy him on the technical side, contracting veteran mechanic Robby Allen to provide valuable set-up assistance. Allen, who will remain crew chief for 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard this season, began working with King late last year and will continue advising the young driver in 2011.

“I’m excited about working with ‘Hog’ this year,” King said of Allen, who is best known for his successful stint as Rick Eckert’s chief mechanic. “He’s smart and he’s not afraid to answer my questions. The first night I worked with him last year we went to Roaring Knob (in Markleysburg, Pa., for a non-Outlaw event) and I ran fifth. I’ve been talking to him once or twice a week ever since, and last week he was at my shop and we scaled the cars.

“I feel like working with Robby has already helped us make a bunch of gains. I’m confident my race cars are better because he’s changed some stuff on them. You know, my car’s the same as Josh’s (WoO LMS champ Josh Richards) and all of them (with Rockets), but the problem is, Josh is like 160 pounds and I’m 260. We had to change things around to get the (weight) percentages where they needed to be without getting the car too heavy. I never really thought about that, but every little thing matters in dirt Late Model racing.”

King, who proposed to his high-school sweetheart, Ashley Jackson, last month in a manner that he admitted was “pretty romantic for a guy like me” (he popped the question on sleigh ride in Ohio’s Amish Country), does not currently have a fulltime mechanic. He’s content overseeing all aspects of his team’s preparation with help from, among others, his father, Rex Sr., and younger brother, Rex Jr. (both big-block Modified regulars); his cousin Mark Bates; and veteran crewman Bobby Bachman.

“I’m back to doing a lot of the stuff on the car myself like I did with the Modified,” said King, who has set an October 2012 wedding date. “It makes me feel better at night that I know what’s been done to my stuff.

“My goal this year is just to be competitive everywhere we go,” he continued. “I feel like we can do that.”

King will start his 2011 quest for redemption in the Sunshine State. He’ll hit the track for the first time on Sun., Feb. 13, in a DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned event at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway before moving on for six consecutive nights of DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH action at the half-mile Volusia oval, which also hosts DIRTcar UMP shows on Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18 in addition to the season-opening, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS programs on Feb. 17 and 19.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH will provide a serious challenge for King, who recognizes that the event draws one of the most talented dirt Late Model fields of the season. While the track holds a special place in his heart – he made his big-block Modified debut there in February 2004, one month before his 15th birthday – it hasn’t treated him well. He’s had an especially tough go in his two seasons of dirt Late Model competition at Volusia, entering 10 events (six UMP, four WoO LMS) but only making two A-Main lineups (a pair of 24th-place WoO LMS finishes in 2010).

“Realistically, when there’s 75 to 80 good cars there, I’d just like to make all the shows and get a couple top 10s,” said King, whose career-best WoO LMS finish is a ninth, on July 10 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. “If we can get off to a good start like that, I think it would help set the tone for the rest of the season.”

Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Series Tour Returns to Anchor Exciting Weekly Program

Dan Beaver

A 10-race Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Series touring schedule will anchor weekly racing programs at five Oregon tracks and offer a dirt late model program that is unparalleled in the region. In fact, there will be so many races in the area that a Northwest late model racer could compete for the top spot in national points in addition to two regional championships.

"In the history of dirt late model racing in the Northwest, in the past it's been difficult to get all the promoters together and not run against one another," said Brian Crockett, promoter of Cottage Grove Speedway, "so the opportunity to do that this season is pretty encouraging."

Cottage Grove, Willamette Speedway, Southern Oregon Speedway, Sunset Speedway, and Coos Bay International Speedway will combine to offer at least 30 events in the region, which gives Oregon racers an excellent opportunity to race for up to three different points' funds. Racers competing in DIRTcar sanctioned late model races will receive national points, Pacific Coast regional points, and in the case of the 10-race Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Series events, a touring championship as well.

That has local racers pouring over schedules and making plans for 2011. Mark Carrell won the 2010 DIRTcar UMP West Late Model honors last year, and he's looking to defend his title. "The competition in the Western states is really good. I'm thinking we will have a pretty good year." He said. "I'm looking forward to getting this year rolling."

"Since there aren't any dates that conflict, we can hit a lot of the races and our intention is to run as many of them as we can and go after the regional deal," said John Duty, another winner at Cottage Grove in 2010. "With all these races up here now, it gives you more options because you can run locally and still get DIRTcar points."

There is a lot of incentive to run for the Pacific Coast regional points' championship, with $6,000 in posted awards and $2,000 going to the champion. This raises the stakes considerably in the region and elevates late model racing in California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada to another level.

"In the state of Oregon, if you want to run a late model race, you can run every Saturday and several times during the year, you can run a couple of days in the week," Crockett added.

"The spirit of cooperation in this region is unparalleled," said Chris Morgan, Director Western Operations for DIRTcar. "The promoters benefit by drawing the best drivers to their tracks on a weekly basis, but the real winners are the fans. With all of these tracks running alternating schedules, they get a chance to see their local favorite take on some of the stiffest competition from the neighboring tracks, and that adds another level of excitement."

Adding to the anticipation this year is a title sponsorship announcement. VP Racing Fuels has signed on as the official associate sponsor of the entire Northwest late model region, which increases exposure for the brand and racers alike. "We are excited to build on our success with DIRTcar and grow our presence in the Northwest region. Our late model plus fuel is the choice of late model racers across the United States and we look forward to working with the great racers of Oregon," said Bruce Hendel, director of Western operations for VP.

"There is some great talent in Oregon and it's great to give them the kind of all-inclusive program they deserve," said Morgan. "Along with several race dates still to be determined and a full-blown program that will soon be announced for the Western All Star DIRTcar Late Model Series, these guys are going to get a lot of track time in 2011."

In addition to the Oregon events, many of the region's best late model racers will support the California-based Western All Star DIRTcar Late Model Series, which will host 15 races, nearly half of which do not conflict with their events.

2011 Schedule

April

2-Cottage Grove
9-Willamette
16-Cottage Grove
23-Southern Oregon
30-Willamette

May

7-Cottage Grove
14-Willamette
21-Southern Oregon
28-29-Willamette (I-5)*

June

4-Willamette
18-Willamette

July

1-Southern Oregon
2-Willamette
3-4-Cottage Grove (I-5)*
9-Cottage Grove
16-Southern Oregon (I-5)*
23-Willamette
30-Sunset

Aug

13-Willamette
20-Coos Bay
27-Cottage Grove

Sep

3-4-Willamette (I-5)*
5-Cottage Grove (I-5)*
10-Cottage Grove
17-Willamette
23-24-Southern Oregon (I-5)*

*Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Series

Schedule is subject to change, so always check with the racetrack as you are making your plans.

Teenage Sensation Austin Hubbard Begins Sophomore Season On World of Outlaws Late Model Series In DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 20, 2011 – Austin Hubbard’s standout rookie season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2010 earned him plenty of attention and adulation – and not only for his unique skin-flashing, Ricky Bobby-in-Talladega Nights Victory Lane celebration.

But the teenage sensation from Seaford, Del., knows his unprecedented march to the Rookie of the Year award could be quickly forgotten if he’s unable to deliver even more highlights during his sophomore WoO LMS campaign, which officially begins on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, with a pair of 50-lap tour events during the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park.

“I just want to keep improving this year,” said Hubbard, who will celebrate his 19th birthday the evening of the WoO LMS season opener. “I learned a lot last year and now I have to use that experience to get better. I’m going to try to be more prepared and more serious, so if I don’t take another step forward, I’ll be disappointed.”

Hubbard certainly has all the tools to continue his rapid rise to stardom, starting with one of the top rides in the game. He’s back for a second consecutive season behind the wheel of the familiar Reliable Painting Rocket No. 19 cars owned by Dale Beitler, a veteran team owner from West Friendship, Md., who showed his confidence in Hubbard’s ability when he tapped the youngster to replace former WoO LMS champion Steve Francis as his driver in late November 2009.

A dirt Late Model racer since the age of 14, Hubbard opened Beitler’s eyes with several solid WoO LMS performances in his father Mike’s equipment during the 2009 season. He then lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him in 2010, becoming the first driver to win two A-Mains in their rookie season and finishing a rookie-record seventh in the points standings. His impressive body of work on a national stage also brought him special recognition from the Eastern Motorsport Press Association, whose membership voted him the winner of the organization’s 2010 New England Race Fuels ‘Young Gun’ Award.

“Last year at this time, my realistic goal was to finish top-eight in points, win the rookie deal and win at least one race and my high standard was top-five in points and three wins,” said Hubbard, whose WoO LMS victories came on March 20 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., and in a rain-shortened event on July 9 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. “The season fell right in the middle, so I’m pretty happy with that.”

Hubbard experienced some stretches of typical rookie struggles in 2010, but he still registered 11 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in 44 WoO LMS A-Mains starts. He plans to apply the lessons he learned last season when he hits the track at Volusia to kick off another grueling year on the road with the Outlaws.

“I’m going to be more prepared for things I didn’t know about before (traveling the full schedule),” said Hubbard. “There’s a lot of little stuff I know now – like how to run on certain types of track surfaces, how to do some things so I don’t give as much track away, how to be better on restarts, how to be more focused and ready for qualifying.

“Realistically, if you want to win, you gotta be in the redraw consistently, so you can’t be messing up in qualifying or on restarts and giving spots away. I feel like I did that too much last year so it’s probably the spot where I want to improve the most.”

Hubbard has been in Beitler’s shop at least four days a week since the 2010 season ended in November, working alongside veteran crew chief Robby Allen on a Monday-Thursday schedule. Allen, who returned to the WoO LMS on a fulltime basis last season for the first time since ending his three-year run as Rick Eckert’s chief mechanic after the 2006 campaign, is back for a second year overseeing Beitler’s program with Hubbard. New to the team, meanwhile, is mechanic Nick Hoover, a former crewman for Russell King and Brady Smith; Hoover replaces Coleby Frye, who departed Beitler’s team just before Christmas in order to pursue his own career driving dirt Late Models and, in 2011, Legends Cars.

“We’re in good shape,” said Hubbard. “Everything is definitely clean, perfect and ready to go. We just got a new (Cornett) motor and we have some (freshened) motors coming back. We just have to drop the motors in, finalize the wraps and go racing.”

Looking ahead at the 2011 season, Hubbard set the bar high: “I want a top-five in the (WoO LMS) points and at least three wins. My top goal would be top-three (in the points) with at least five or six wins.

“I definitely want to win more races,” he continued. “That’s what it comes down to. I love to win, so whatever I gotta do, I’m gonna do it.”

A strong start in the Sunshine State during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, which also includes DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned events on Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18, would go a long way in pushing Hubbard toward his goals. He got out of the box slowly last year, leaving Volusia ranked 13th in the points standings (58 points behind) after two frustrating WoO LMS outings (as well as two even more stressful runs in DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned action).

“Last year we had a new motor we were trying and for some reason it really upset the car,” said Hubbard, who finished 22nd and 10th (from the 24th starting spot) in the 2010 WoO LMS A-Mains during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH and recorded a DNQ and a 23 rd-place finish in the two nights of DIRTcar UMP competition. “We just battled it all week long at Volusia. We couldn’t do anything to get that car to turn.

“We’ve actually changed the block in the motor now, and we’re gonna go back to Volusia with it and hammer it out. I think we can get (the combination) right.”

Hubbard is itching for a breakout run at Volusia, a fast, sweeping half-mile oval that has proven to be a thorn in his side so far in his career. In his only previous appearances there, in 2009, he failed to qualify for two WoO LMS A-Mains and two DIRTcar UMP features; he finished 22nd in his lone A-Main start (a UMP event).

“I like Volusia a lot,” said Hubbard. “I think it’s a pretty awesome track, but I just haven’t had any success there yet. Back in 2009 our week was just like a blur of crappy runs, and last year wasn’t much better.

“I definitely want to start out better this year. Volusia has one of the toughest fields of the year besides one of the crown-jewel (dirt Late Model events), but I think we’re capable of running up front.”

DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Highlights Busy Season-Opening Stretch In Sunshine State For DIRTcar UMP’s Late Models & Modifieds

CONCORD, NC – Jan. 18, 2011 – The 2011 campaign for DIRTcar UMP’s Late Model and Modified divisions is about to kick off in a big way in the Sunshine State.

Anchored by the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH that runs from Feb. 8-19 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., the season-opening southern swing for the World Racing Group’s Midwest-based UMP circuit boasts seven Late Model and 16 Modified events spread across four tracks over a 23-day span.

In excess of $375,000 in purses will on the line in DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned races held in the state of Florida from Jan. 28-Feb. 19, divided between the over quarter-million dollars earmarked for the Late Model events and $125,000-plus in Modified cash. North Florida Speedway in Lake City, East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton and Ocala Speedway will join the half-mile Volusia oval in hosting DIRTcar UMP competition.

From a week of big-money Late Model shows at Volusia that this year include a nightly ‘Bulrush Dash’ for non-qualifiers to a brand-new Late Model event at Ocala to high-dollar Modified specials at East Bay and Volusia, UMP’s 2011 Florida schedule is sure to provide fans plenty of memorable action.

“This is shaping up as one of the most exciting starts to a season in DIRTcar UMP’s history,” said Sam Driggers, the director of DIRTcar Racing’s UMP organization. “We’ve added some new wrinkles for the Late Model racers with the addition of the ‘Bulrush Dash’ to each night’s program at Volusia as well as a race at Ocala (on Sun., Feb. 13) that will serve as a lead-in to the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, and the number of Modified events we’re sanctioning shows just how strong and popular the division has become.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to showcase DIRTcar UMP racing to all the fans traveling to the state of Florida for their winter racing fix.”

The epicenter of the racing will once again be the WRG-owned Volusia Speedway Park, a sweeping, high-speed track located about 20 minutes outside Daytona Beach. A DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned event will be contested each evening of the 12-night DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, which also includes the World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Feb. 17-19); the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 9-10); and the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19).

Six DIRTcar UMP Late Model programs are set for the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, including 30-lap A-Mains paying $7,000 to win on Feb. 14, 15 and 16, a $10,000-to-win 40-lapper on Feb. 18 and co-sanctioned WoO LMS events offering $10,000 top prizes for 50 laps of A-Main work on Feb. 17 and 19. Each night of racing will be capped by the $300-to-win ‘Bulrush Dash,’ a 12-lap, 15-car sprint reserved for the top-five non-transfers from each evening’s B-Mains who have not yet qualified for an A-Main during the week.

The UMP Modifieds, meanwhile, will be part of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH for the longest stint – eight consecutive nights from Feb. 8-15. After the open-wheel division’s meet begins with $1,000-to-win features on Feb. 8, 9, 10 and 11, the field will be split by the week’s current points standings – drivers sitting in odd-number positions run on Feb. 12 and those in even-number spots compete on Feb. 13 – for a pair of $700-to-win qualifying programs leading up to the marquee ‘Gator Championship’ event on Mon., Feb. 14, that carries a whopping $5,000 first-place prize. The UMP Modified series concludes on Feb. 15 with the week’s competitors divided into twin or triple 25-lap features (depending on car count) that each pay $700 to win.

Well-known DIRTcar UMP Late Model stars expected to compete in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH include former national champions Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., two-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals titlist Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and rising star Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., who finished third in the 2010 national points standings. The UMP Modified field will be headlined by 20-year-old Devin Gilpin of Columbus, Ind., the runner-up in the division’s 2010 national points standings.

DIRTcar UMP’s satellite events in Florida will be headlined by the inaugural ‘Battle Between The Coasts’ Late Model spectacular on Sun., Feb. 13, at Ocala Speedway, an egg-shaped three-eighths-mile oval that sits about 50 miles west of Volusia. The oldest track in Florida, Ocala will begin its fourth straight year of dirt racing following more than a decade as an asphalt track with a special 50-lap, $8,000-to-win event that promises to draw many of the country’s top full-fender pilots as they make their way to the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

Ocala will also host the UMP Modifieds for three consecutive evenings of action from Feb. 17-19. The UMP Modified ‘Winternationals’ will be run in conjunction with Ocala’s ‘Bubba Army USAC Sprint Car Nationals.’

DIRTcar UMP’s mid-winter competition in Florida will commence with the two-day UMP Modified Nationals on Jan. 28-29 at North Florida Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval about 60 miles west of Jacksonville. Both programs will be topped by features paying $1,500 to win.

Three nights of UMP Modified racing will take place from Feb. 3-5 as part of the 35th annual Winternationals at the one-third-mile East Bay Raceway Park, which is located on the Gulf Coast outside Tampa. Preliminary programs on Feb. 3-4 – headlined by features paying $1,500 to win – lead into a 75-lap grand finale on Feb. 5 that boasts a $5,000 winner’s check.

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, including special pricing on advance-sale tickets and details of the ‘Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket’ offer that allows fans to get up-close-and-personal with the race teams every night of the DCN – visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 704-795-7223 or 386-985-4402.

Info on the other Florida tracks hosting DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned events is available at www.ocalaspeedway.com, www.eastbayracewaypark.com and www.northfloridaspeedway.com.

More information on DIRTcar’s UMP circuit can be obtained by logging on to www.DIRTcar.com.

Schlenk & Harrison Share Spotlight As Nearly $400,000 Is Distributed During DIRTcar UMP ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Jan. 8, 2010 – Midwestern standouts Rusty Schlenk and Mike Harrison stood in the spotlight during Saturday night’s 27th annual DIRTcar Racing UMP ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet inside the Springfield Crowne Plaza Hotel’s ballroom.

Schlenk, 24, of Jackson, Mich., was honored for winning his first-ever DIRTcar UMP Late Model national championship in 2010. A hard-nosed owner-operator who despite his young age has been steering full-fender cars for a decade, Schlenk registered a circuit-leading 20 feature wins en route to unseating Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., for the coveted title.

Highland, Ill.’s Harrison, meanwhile, celebrated his second UMP Modified national crown. The 36-year-old veteran came out on top of a dramatic four-driver points battle to capture the open-wheel division’s championship for the first time since 2004.

Almost 750 attendees from more than a dozen states and Canada looked on from tables in the hotel’s ballroom as DIRT Racing officials distributed nearly $400,000 to the champions and top performers of a memorable 2010 season.

Schlenk earned $22,000 in points-funds checks for his work in 2010, including $20,000 for the national crown and a $2,000 prize for capturing the Ohio/Pennsylvania/Canada State points title. Collecting the big money put a big smile on the face of the rising star, who lists racing as his fulltime occupation.

“I don’t even know how to explain how I feel right now,” said Schlenk, whose laser-focus on chasing the national title in 2010 led him to a narrow 31-point championship margin over Feger. “This is a dream come true. It means so much to us. After the Friday-night race (on Oct. 1) at Kankakee (Ill.) when we clinched (the title), we had 12 grown men bawling their eyes out.

“I’m not here to congratulate myself,” he added. “We’re here to thank all the people and the sponsors who helped us. They’re the ones who brought this all together. I feel like I sat behind the wheel of a car that drove itself around the racetrack.”

Harrison also picked up $22,000 in points-fund checks at the banquet for his 2010 UMP Modified success, including a $20,000 national-title stipend and $2,000 for capturing the Illinois/Indiana State championship. He commented that winning the national crown for a second time might have felt even better than the first.

“When I won it for the first time in 2004 it was a dream come true,” said Harrison, who makes his living hauling grain, driving a tractor and doing other assorted jobs for a large farm near his home. “Winning it twice against the kind of competition we have these days – man, I never would have thought I’d have done that in my racing career.”

No driver left the awards banquet with more points-fund money than Feger, who fell short of a second consecutive Late Model national title but padded his bank account by collecting the night’s single-biggest check for his first career DIRTcar Summer Nationals championship. The $25,000 Summer Nationals booty pushed Feger’s points-fund take to $37,000, including $10,000 for finishing second in the national standings and $2,000 for capturing the Illinois State title.

Feger ended the three-year Summer Nationals championship run of Carpentersville, Ill.’s Dennis Erb Jr. – something he had set out to accomplish at the start of the 2010 season.

“It’s an awesome, unbelievable feeling to win the Summer Nationals championship,” said the 32-year-old Feger. “The Hell Tour is just insanity – a crazy month.”

The night’s third-largest national championship check was presented to Scott Weber of Festus, Mo., who pocketed $10,000 for copping the DIRTcar UMP Pro Late Model title. The 43-year-old driver added $500 to his evening’s take for claiming the Missouri/Kentucky/Tennessee/Illinois State points championship during the third season of the fledgling crate-engine Late Model division.

Weber also received a new crate engine (valued at $5,300) from GM Performance Parts as a reward for his title.

“I’m just glad that Joe Kehrer of Kehrer Brother Rooffing gave me the opportunity to do this,” said Weber, who plans to concentrate on UMP Modified racing in 2011. “Randy Korte (a former DIRTcar UMP Late Model national champion) got me into the deal and it’s worked out great for me.”

Jeff Herzog, 32, of Herculaneum, Mo., was feted for his first career DIRTcar UMP Sportsman national championship. He earned $3,200, including $200 for winning the Illinois/Missouri State points crown.

An employee of Fixture Contracting in St. Louis – a company that also sponsors his racing effort – Herzog has only been racing a Sportsman for four years but has won the track title every season of his career.

Christy Georges, 51, of El Paso, Texas, made history in 2010 with her Limited Modified national championship, becoming the first female driver in the history of DIRTcar’s UMP circuit to emerge as a national titlist in any division. A 15-time feature winner in Limited Modified action and champion of the Louisiana/Mississippi/Texas/New Mexico State points race, she earned a total of $1,775 in points-fund checks

Georges was one of the UMP’s busiest drivers in 2010, competing in three divisions. She won 11 Sportsman features en route to winning the division’s Louisiana/Mississippi/New Mexico/Florida State title and finishing 13th in the national standings and placed seventh in the UMP Modified New Mexico/West Texas State standings.

“I feel very honored to be here as a champion,” said Georges, whose husband, Sherman Barnett, competes alongside her and is a well-known sponsor of events in the Southwest through his Barnett’s Harley Davidson business. “There’s a lot of competition and to come out on top is a great accomplishment.”

Joel Funk, a 27-year-old from Dwight, Ill., who teaches seventh-grade math and eighth-grade history, accepted the DIRTcar UMP Stock Car national championship. His points-fund earnings totaled $3,350, including $200 for winning the Stock Car Illinois State title and $150 for placing second in the Sportsman division’s Ohio/Michigan/Illinois State standings.

Brad Venhaus, 21, of Aviston, Ill. (Factory Stocks) and Rob Shaw of Highland, Ill. (Sport Compacts) were honored as the national champions of UMP DIRTcar’s entry-level classes, which debuted in 2007. Both drivers earned $1,000 for their national titles; Shaw added a $200 check for winning the Sport Compact Missouri/Illinois State standings and Venhaus collected an extra $150 as champion of the Factory Stock Illinois State points.

* Late Model State titlists earning $2,000 each were Schlenk (Ohio/Pennsylvania/Canada), Feger (Illinois), Mark Carrell of Redmond, Ore. (West), Scott Lewis of Henderson, Colo. (Northwest), Alan Vochaska of South Haven, Mich. (Michigan/Wisconsin), Jeff Walston of Paducah, Ky. (Indiana/Kentucky/Tennessee/Florida) and Justin Wells of Aurora, Mo. (Southwest).

* Capturing UMP Modified regional crowns worth $2,000 apiece were Harrison (Illinois/Indiana), Dave Crawley Jr. of Decatur, Ill. (Northern Illinois), Clint DeMoss of Bloomington, Ind. (Indiana), Jim Farris of of Odell, Ill. (Southern Illinois), Rusty Griffaw of Festus, Mo. (Missouri), Braedon Hand of Cottage Grove, Ore. (California/Oregon), Jeff Matthews of Dover, Fla. (Louisiana/Mississipp/Florida/East Texas), David McWilliams of Union, Ky. (Ohio/New York/Pennsylvania), Rich Robinson Jr. of Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Michigan), Stormy Scott of Las Cruces, N.M. (New Mexico/West Texas) and Randle Sweeney of Clifty, Ky. (Kentucky/Tennessee).

* Weber (Tennessee/Kentucky/Illinois/Missouri), 14-year-old Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill. (Illinois) and Lee Gill of Lafargeville, N.Y. (New York/Canada/Pennsylvania) pocketed $500 each as Pro Late Model State champions.

* Sportsman State titles (worth $200) were won by Georges (Louisiana/Mississipp/New Mexico/Florida), Herzog (Illinois/Michigan), Dave Crawley Jr. (Ohio/Michigan/Illinois), Jeremy Hines of Seymour, Ind. (Indiana/Kentucky/Tennessee) and Joey Ladouceur of Alexandria, Ont. (New York/Canada/Pennsylvania).

* Limited Modified State crowns (worth $150) were claimed by Georges (Louisiana/Mississippi/Texas/New Mexico) and Jonathan Smith (Missouri/Kentucky).

* Stock Car State titles (worth $200) fell to Funk, Frank Burnell (New York), Dan Dykman (Michigan), Aaron Fields (Indiana/Illinois) and J.R. Mason (Louisiana/Mississippi/Florida/Kentucky).

* Entry-level division State championships (worth $150) were Venhaus (Michigan/Indiana/Florida/Ohio) and Jim Scout (Indiana/Ohio) in the Sport Compacts and Shaw (Missouri/Illinois), Kenny Butterfield (Illinois), Lucas Jackson (Ohio/Indiana/Michigan) and Michael Rittenberry (Louisiana/Mississippi/Kentucky/Tennessee/Florida) in the Factory Stocks.

Other DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned series titlists recognized during Saturday’s festivities were Feger (Northern All-Stars), Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. (Monster Midwest Tour) and John DeMoss of Bloomington, Ind. (American Modified Series).

Dillon White of Crofton, Ky., meanwhile, was recognized as the 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Rookie of the Year. He received a check for $1,000.

A number of special awards determined by a vote of the DIRTcar Racing UMP membership were handed out:

* Feger (Late Models) and Harrison (Modifieds) received Sportsman of the Year trophies.

* Terry Aaron, who turns the wrenches on Ryan Unzicker’s Late Models, and Terry Frazier, who serves as Harrison’s UMP Modified crew chief, were presented the Mechanic of the year awards.

* Bob Sargent of Track Enterprises was presented the DIRTcar UMP Promoter of the Year award. He operates the Macon (Ill.) Speedway and Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway.

Roger Friedman of Dyer’s Top Rods received the sixth annual Bob Memmer Achievement Award, which honors the memory of UMP DIRTcar Racing’s late founder.

The 2010 UMP DIRTcar Racing Chassis Builder of the Year awards went to Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, W.Va., in the Late Models and Bob Pierce Race Cars of Oakwood, Ill., in the Modifieds. Rocket cars won 104 UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned features and Pierce machines reached Victory Lane 141 times in Modified competition.

Claiming the 2010 Engine Builder of the Year awards were Pro Power Racing Engines (Late Models) and Mullins Racing Engines (Modifieds). Late Models using Pro Power motors scored 32 feature wins and Modifieds equipped with Mullins powerplants registered 110 triumphs.

Rayburn Race Cars (Late Models) and Larry Shaw Race Cars (Modifieds) were recognized as national champion chassis builders.

The affair began for the third consecutive year with an awards ceremony for the top-seven drivers in the new Kid Modz division, a four-cylinder version of a UMP DIRTcar Modified that car builder Bob Pierce launched to bring youngsters into the sport. Teenager Logan Moody of Catlin, Ill., was celebrated as the division’s 2010 champion.

Appreciation plaques were presented during the evening to promoters or representatives from the nearly two-dozen DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned tracks who were in attendance.

The 2011 UMP DIRTcar Racing season begins with a two-day meet for the UMP Modifieds on Jan. 28-29 at North Florida Speedway in Lake City, Fla. The organization will also sanction UMP Modified action on Feb. 3-5 at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla.

The UMP Modifieds and Late Models will then be part of the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., with the Modifieds running nightly from Feb. 8-15 and the Super Late Models contesting sanctioned events on Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18.

Other season-opening DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned events in the south are scheduled for Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, which hosts a Late Model special on Feb. 13 and UMP Modified racing on Feb. 17-19.

‘Bulrush Dash’ For Non-Qualifiers Added To All Six Nights Of Late Model Action During 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 5, 2011 – Drivers who fail to earn a coveted starting spot in a DIRTcar Late Model A-Main during February’s 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park will have a chance for a unique prize with the addition of the ‘Bulrush Dash’ to the 2011 schedule of events.

Named after the tall grass-like plants that surround the ‘Gator Pond’ beyond the backstretch of the lightning-fast half-mile oval located just 20 minutes outside of Daytona Beach, the ‘Bulrush Dash’ will cap all six nights of Late Model action during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. Programs contested under DIRTcar’s UMP sanction are set for Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18, and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series takes center stage on Feb. 17 and 19.

The top-five non-transfers from each evening’s B-Mains who have not yet qualified for an A-Main during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH will earn berths in the ‘Bulrush Dash,’ a 12-lap, 15-car sprint that will run after the headline feature. A $300 prize and trophy will go the winner of the race each night.

“With another big, tough field of Late Models expected for the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH there’s going to be some drivers who don’t have an opportunity to compete in a feature event,” said DIRTcar UMP director Sam Driggers. “We’ve created the ‘Bulrush Dash’ as a way to thank those racers for their participation by giving them a shot at some extra track time and money.”

Each ‘Bulrush Dash’ will boast a payoff of $2,300, including $250 for second place, $225 for third, $200 for fourth and $175 for fifth. Finishing positions 6-10 will receive $150, $140, $130, $120 and $110, respectively, and the remainder of the starters will earn $100 checks.

Last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH attracted an average of 64 cars over four nights of racing. Of the nearly 80 different drivers that entered at least one event (two of the four scheduled DIRTcar UMP shows were rained out), 36 competitors did not crack the starting lineup of an A-Main.

The Late Model portion of the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH will pay out over $230,000 in purses. The DIRTcar UMP A-Mains on Feb. 14, 15 and 16 will offer $7,000 top prizes, and $10,000 first-place checks will be on the line in the UMP finale on Feb. 18 and the pair of 50-lap WoO LMS cards on Feb. 17 and 19.

For more information on DIRTcar Racing and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, visit www.DIRTcar.com and www.worldofoutlaws.com.

A Final Look Back: Facts, Figures & Statistical Notes From The 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC - Dec. 31, 2010 - On the eve of a new year, here’s a final look back at facts, figures and statistical notes from the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series...

WHAT A TALENT: Josh Richards unfailingly credits his powerhouse Rocket Chassis house car operation – featuring his father/team owner Mark Richards, car chief Matt Barnes, tire specialist Jimmy Frye and a host of other sponsors and supporters – for carrying him to a history-making second consecutive tour championship in 2010.

But the modest 22-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., deserves plenty of praise as well after becoming the first driver to repeat as WoO LMS champion since the circuit was reincarnated in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. His talent behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model has simply reached superstar caliber.

Already the youngest driver – by nearly a decade – to win the WoO LMS crown after he broke through with an incredibly steady campaign in 2009, Richards authored another age-defying performance record in ’10. Yes, he does run top-notch equipment prepared by experienced hands, but it still takes a smart, skilled racer to do the types of things that made Richards a champion – like, most notably, qualifying through a heat race for 43 of the season’s 44 A-Mains and finishing all but one event on the lead lap.

And of course, Richards also had luck on his side. That lone DNF he absorbed – a 23rd-place finish on Aug. 7 in the USA Nationals 100 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., due to engine problems that eliminated him on lap 19 – didn’t even hurt him in the championship battle because the race offered only show-up points.

The bottom line: Richards possesses the rare ability to merge aggressiveness with the level-headed approach necessary to collect points, as evidenced by the fact that he led the series in A-Main victories for the third consecutive season (he won eight times to match his career-high set in 2009) while also deftly avoiding race-ending calamities. He registered 27 top-five finishes (second to Darrell Lanigan’s 29) and 36 top-10s (second to Tim McCreadie’s 37) and finished worse than 12th just once in a full-points race (15th on June 20 at Ontario’s Cornwall Motor Speedway).

CHECKERED FLAGS: Richards continued to set the victory bar on the WoO LMS, claiming top-winner status for the third season in a row. He’s owned the honor outright the last two years after finishing the 2008 campaign tied with Steve Francis, with six triumphs.

A total of 18 drivers reached Victory Lane on the WoO LMS in 2010 – exactly the same number of winners as 2009. It’s three short of the single-season record of 21 winners set in ’08.

Twelve drivers recorded two or more wins in 2010 – double the number of repeat victors from the previous season – and there were three first-time WoO LMS winners in 2009: Austin Hubbard, Ricky Elliott and Jonathan Davenport.

TO THE WIRE: Richards’s scant four-point championship margin over Lanigan was the second-closest in WoO LMS history, trailing only the epic 2005 battle that Billy Moyer won over Francis in a tie-breaker (most second-place finishes).

In a campaign that saw the chase for the title go down to the final lap of the season-ending Lowes Foods World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Richards was one of four drivers who held at least a share of the top spot in the points race. He was atop the standings after the most events (38), followed by McCreadie (five), Lanigan (two) and Brady Smith (one).

There were two ties for the points lead, both featuring Richards and McCreadie. They were dead-locked after Race No. 8 at Virginia Motor Speedway and again after Race No. 11 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

The largest points lead a driver was able to muster was Richards’s 56-point edge after the 14th A-Main of the season, on May 15 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. He had grabbed the points lead from McCreadie after Race No. 13 and proceeded to hold it for 25 straight races, finally relinquishing the spot to Lanigan after Race No. 38 at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway.

Richards never slipped below second in the points standings. The biggest deficit he faced all season was 10 points, after Race No. 7 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway and again after Race No. 12 at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky.

HE WAS WORTHY: Richards once again lived up to the lofty expectations placed on him by dirt Late Model press members, who voted him the overwhelming favorite to win the 2010 title in the third annual WoO LMS Pre-Season Media Poll.

Richards received 15 of the 27 first-place votes in the poll, which included writers, photographers and broadcasters who cover the WoO LMS. The participants were asked to predict the top-five finishers in the tour’s 2010 points standings.

D.J. Johnson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was the only media member to nail three of the top-five points finishers, correctly predicting Richards as the champion, Lanigan as the runner-up and Rick Eckert as the fifth-place finisher. Eight other participants hit on two of the top five, including six who listed Richards and Lanigan one-two. (It should be noted that McCreadie, who finished third in the points standings, threw a variable into the media’s picks; he had not yet committed to running the series fulltime when the poll was taken, so only three press members rolled the dice and named him on their top-five ballots.)

The poll also asked the media to predict the season’s winningest driver (including number of victories) and the winners of three marquee events – the Commonwealth 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway, the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway and the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway.

Fifteen respondents predicted that Richards would lead the tour in A-Main triumphs, but only Thomas Pope of the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, Ben Shelton of MidSouthRacing.com, Don Davies of Area Auto Racing News and Mike O’Connor of Dirt Late Model Magazine correctly hit on his final total of eight wins.

In the special-event category, DirtonDirt.com cohorts Michael Rigsby and Todd Turner were the only media types to correctly predict Chris Madden as the winner of the Commonwealth 100; Dale Terry of GeorgiaStockCarRacing.com and Paul Fletcher of Dirt Late Model Illustrated successfully tapped Shane Clanton as the winner of the Firecracker 100; and Rigsby, Scott Jackson of LateModelRacer.com, J.R. Kennerup of Area Auto Racing News and Dave Seay of DirtCast.com correctly picked Scott Bloomquist to capture the USA Nationals.

SELECT TRIO: With Chub Frank failing to win an A-Main during the 2010 season, Francis, Lanigan and Clanton are now the only drivers who have won at least one feature event in each WoO LMS campaign since 2004.

DEADLOCKED: Richards’s prolific win output over the past three years has pulled him into a tie with Francis for winningest-driver status on the WoO LMS since 2004. The two friendly rivals head into the 2011 season atop the tour’s World Racing Group-era victory chart with 28 career wins each.

Rick Eckert now ranks third on the win list since 2004 with 21 triumphs, while Bloomquist and Lanigan are tied for fourth with 19 wins.

Moyer, who won twice in 2010, is the alltime winningest driver on the WoO LMS. He owns 37 career triumphs, including 22 during the tour’s original incarnation (1988-89) under late WoO Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson.

BUSY SEASON: The 2010 WoO LMS was comprised of 44 A-Mains at 38 tracks in 19 states and two Canadian provinces.

Pennsylvania was the site of the most tour events, hosting six races. There were four events held in New York and North Carolina; three in Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin; two in Georgia, Illinois, Texas, West Virginia and Ontario; and one each in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Quebec.

Rain did not plague the 2010 season to the extent that it did in ’09, but Mother Nature still reared her head. Three scheduled events – Bedford (Pa.) Speedway on May 28, Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa., on Aug. 18 and the first half of the doubleheader at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., on Sept. 4 – were washed out and not rescheduled. In addition, races at five other tracks – Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond, Brewerton, Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y., and the first half of the World Finals at The Dirt at Charlotte – were postponed by rain and reset for another date.

The season-high turnout of 76 cars was for the Lowes Foods World Finals. In all, 10 events drew 50 or more cars and 14 attracted over 40 entrants.

A total of 492 drivers representing 33 states, three Canadian provinces and Australia entered at least one WoO LMS event in 2010, and 239 drivers started an A-Main.

The state from which the most WoO LMS competitors hailed was Pennsylvania, with 73 drivers. Ohio was next with 44 entrants, followed by Illinois (35), North Carolina (33) and Tennessee (31).

CASH: Over $2.8 million was paid out to drivers during the 2010 WoO LMS, including just over $400,000 in points-fund and post-season bonus cash.

Ten drivers topped the six-figure mark in race and points-fund earnings on the ’10 tour, led by Richards with $293,210. He was followed by Darrell Lanigan ($265,260), Tim McCreadie ($204,840), Shane Clanton ($161,250), Steve Francis ($159,545), Austin Hubbard ($146,655), Rick Eckert ($143,285), Tim Fuller ($118,875), Clint Smith ($105,100) and Chub Frank ($104,192).

THE OUTLAWS: Eleven drivers had perfect attendance on the 2010 tour: Richards, Lanigan, McCreadie, Francis, Eckert, Clanton, Hubbard, Fuller, Clint Smith, Frank and Russell King. Of that group, only King did not start all 44 A-Mains; the 21-year-old sophomore driver was absent from the starting field on three occasions.

ROOKS: Austin Hubbard, 18, of Seaford, Del., ran away with the 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award, easily outdistancing Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, in a points race that was determined using the drivers’ best 30 finishes.

Hubbard established new rookie records with two A-Main victories and a seventh-place finish in the points standings. He started all 44 A-Mains behind the wheel of Dale Beitler’s familiar Reliable Painting Rocket No. 19.

Though Hubbard is just the third WoO LMS Rookie of the Year in seven years who did not compete in the DIRTcar big-block Modified division before arriving on the full-fender tour, the Northeast-based open-wheel class isn’t unknown to the teenager. His father, Mike, was involved in big-block Modified action at the nearby Delaware International Speedway when his son was growing up.

The 32-year-old George, meanwhile, became the first female to follow the WoO LMS. She entered 37 events and started 20 A-Mains, with a top finish of 14th on Aug. 23 at Autodrome Drummond.

MAKING THE CUT: Richards was the most consistent qualifier among the fulltime travelers, leading the way with an average time-trial placing of 6.84.

Francis was second on the average time-trial placing list at 9.21, followed by Eckert (9.86), McCreadie (10.86), Lanigan (11.3), Clanton (12.54), Hubbard (14.02), Clint Smith (14.26), Fuller (15.27), Frank (17.83), King (22.09) and George (30.81).

Richards also had an unmatched heat-race record, failing to transfer through a heat just once (Aug. 19 at New York’s Rolling Wheels Raceway) in 44 events. Francis was second-best with two heat-race DNQs, followed by Lanigan and McCreadie (four apiece); Eckert (seven); Clanton (nine); Hubbard and Clint Smith (13); Frank (14); Fuller (16); and King (23).

Richards and Eckert were the only regulars who did not use a single provisional spot to start an A-Main in 2010. Francis fell back on a provisional just once, while Lanigan and McCreadie each used two; Frank used five; Clanton and Clint Smith used six; Hubbard used seven; Fuller used eight; Jill George used 14; and King used 15.

CHARGING FORWARD: The deepest in the starting field from which a driver advanced to win a WoO LMS A-Main in 2010 was 19th – Scott Bloomquist’s starting spot when he pocketed $50,000 for capturing the USA Nationals on Aug. 7 at Cedar Lake Speedway.

Bloomquist’s victory was one of five earned in ’10 by drivers starting from double-digit positions in an A-Main lineup. Eckert charged forward from the 18th starting spot to win on July 30 at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park (he also pitted at mid-race to change his car’s leaking radiator), while Richards accounted for the other three instances, winning from 17th on Feb. 11 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park and 10th on both April 30 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Sept. 1 at Mohawk International Raceway.

Eight A-Mains were won by drivers starting from the pole position, but only four of those victors led the event from flag-to-flag.

The average starting spot for a WoO LMS A-Main winner in 2010 was 4.23. The outside pole produced the most victors (15).

CATBIRD’S SEAT: WoO LMS regulars accounted for 28 pole position starts in A-Mains during the 2010 season, but that was no guarantee of victory. The Outlaws turned just seven pole starts into triumphs – a modest success rate of 25 percent.

Lanigan enjoyed the most pole position starts (seven), but he converted just one (Rolling Wheels) into a victory during a season that saw him capture a career-best seven A-Mains. Francis, meanwhile, had six pole starts and won twice – his only victories of the season.

The best winning percentages for pole starts belonged to Richards, who converted his only pole position start of the season into a victory at Eriez Speedway; Clanton, who was two-for-three (winning at Lincoln and Tazewell); and Hubbard, who was one-for-two (winning the rain-shortened event at River Cities). Failing to capitalize on pole starts were McCreadie (two), Eckert (two), Clint Smith (two), Chub Frank (two) and Fuller (one).

HEART-STOPPER: What was the most thrilling WoO LMS A-Main of 2010? Many observers will give that honor to the Pepsi Nationals, held on Sept. 18 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.

DirtonDirt.com recently named the Pepsi Nationals the Best Dirt Late Model Race of 2010. The event, won by Shannon Babb, was a 55-lap pulse-pounder that featured six lead changes among four drivers and saw Babb and Moyer battle right down to the checkered flag.

MANUFACTURER BATTLE: Five dirt Late Model chassis companies claimed victories in WoO LMS A-Mains during the 2010 season.

Rocket Chassis once again led the way with 32 wins, divided among Richards, Lanigan, McCreadie, Clanton, Francis, Hubbard, Fuller, Steve Shaver, Ricky Elliott and Shannon Babb. The domination of Victory Lane brought Rocket its seventh straight victory in the WoO LMS Chassis Builders’ Challenge.

Team Zero by Bloomquist Chassis finished second on the win list with seven victories (Eckert, Jimmy Owens, Bloomquist, Madden and Brady Smith). MB Customs (Jimmy Mars) and Victory Circle by Moyer (Billy Moyer) each claimed two triumphs, and Barry Wright Race Cars (Jonathan Davenport) earned one checkered flag.

A total of 11 engine builders, meanwhile, laid claim to a WoO LMS A-Main triumph in 2010. Cornett Racing Engines – the winner of the tour’s Engine Builders’ Challenge for the third consecutive year – led the way with 20 victories, split among Richards, Lanigan, Hubbard, Owens and Madden.

Other motor builders with multiple victories were Pro Power (seven); Clements and Malcuit (three); and Dickens, Custom, Lee Roy Rumley and Kevlar (two). Single wins were credited to Vic Hill, Russell Baker and Roush-Yates.

FAST RACES: There were four caution-free A-Mains in 2010 – May 7 at Lincoln Speedway, June 24 at Lernerville Speedway, July 31 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, and Aug. 1 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. Four more features were slowed by just a single caution flag.

An average of 3.98 caution flags flew in WoO LMS features during the ’10 campaign. The most caution-plagued events were the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake (13 yellows) and the Commonwealth 100 at VMS (12)

Four red flags were displayed for significant wrecks during A-Mains in 2010 – on July 3 at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway (Vic Hill flip); July 9 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. (Brian Birkhofer rollover); July 30 at Attica (massive multi-car incident in which Chub Frank tumbled); and Aug. 7 at Cedar Lake (Babb’s late-race flip).

* Twenty-four different drivers earned a WoO LMS fast-time honor in 2010, led by Richards’s six. He had one impressive streak of three consecutive fast times – July 10 at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D., July 27 at Central PA Speedway in Clearfield, Pa., and July 29 at Sharon.

* Fifty-one different drivers won at least one heat race on the tour in ’10. Richards and McCreadie finished tied for the lead in the category, with 18 victories.

* There were 52 different B-Main winners, with Frank and Fuller tying for the lead with six last-chance victories apiece.

* Twenty-nine different drivers led at least one A-Main lap in 2010. Lanigan paced the most (417 laps), followed by Richards (342), McCreadie (286), Francis (163) and Moyer (144). Rounding out the top 10 on the lap-leader list was Mars (127), Fuller (106), Clanton (88), Owens (82) and Babb (73).

* The only Outlaw who entered every event in 2010 but did not lead an A-Main lap was Clint Smith, who saw his two-plus-year tour winless streak reach 114 races at the conclusion of the season. He did, however, record three runner-up finishes during the ’10 campaign.

* One year after Fuller tied Eckert’s modern-era record of four consecutive series wins, no driver captured more than two A-Mains in succession during the 2010 season. Four drivers strung together back-to-back victories: Lanigan (twice), Richards, Shaver and Fuller.

* Richards won the season-opener at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.

* Lanigan completed the most A-Main laps on the 2010 tour: 2,311 of a possible 2,336. Like Richards, the only race he did not finish on the lead lap was the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake, where he suffered his lone DNF due to engine woes.

Francis was second on the laps-completed list (2,283), followed by Richards (2,255), McCreadie (2,239), Frank (2,234), Hubbard (2,230), Eckert (2,200), Clint Smith (2,115), Clanton (2,100) and Fuller (2,074).

* Richards and Lanigan shared top billing on the list of most consecutive lead-lap finishes in 2010, rolling up 34 apiece. Fuller was next with 21 straight lead-lap finishes, followed by McCreadie (20), Clanton (20), Eckert (17), Francis (nine), Frank (nine), Clint Smith (eight), Hubbard (eight) and King (three).

* When Richards retired from August’s USA Nationals at Cedar Lake, it marked the first time he had failed to finish a WoO LMS A-Main due to terminal mechanical failure since the event on July 27, 2007, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio – a span of 130 races.

* Richards, Lanigan and Francis tied for the lead in the fewest DNFs category in 2010, with just one each. Eckert failed to finish three A-Mains, followed by Frank and Hubbard (four); McCreadie and Clint Smith (five); Clanton and Fuller (seven); and King (13).

* Lanigan put up the longest streak of consecutive top-five finishes: nine races, including an unprecedented four straight runner-up placings during July’s Wild West Tour. Richards registered six top-fives in a row, followed by McCreadie and Clanton (four); Francis, Fuller and Hubbard (three); and Eckert, Frank and Clint Smith (two).

* Richards’s 15 straight top-10 finishes were the most in the category. Lanigan had 11, followed by McCreadie (10); Clanton (eight); Francis and Eckert (seven); Fuller (six); Frank (five); Hubbard (three); Clint Smith (two); and King (one).

* Lanigan had the best average A-Main finish in 2010, at 5.34. He was followed by Richards (5.73), McCreadie (6.68), Francis (7.96), Eckert (9.54), Clanton (9.66), Hubbard (10.45), Fuller (12.02), Frank (12.23), Clint Smith (12.54), King (17) and George (19.2).

* Richards ended the 2010 season with a tour-best average A-Main starting position of 6.57. Lanigan was next at 7.41, followed by McCreadie (7.64), Francis (8.07), Eckert (9), Clanton (11.18), Hubbard (13.05), Clint Smith (13.3), Fuller (13.64), Frank (14) and King (18.05).

* The WoO LMS career win lists now show 42 drivers have won an A-Main since 2004 and 52 drivers own tour victories when the 1988-89 seasons are included.

* Francis and Eckert remain the only drivers who have started all 281 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004.

* The WoO LMS had its first-ever Australian A-Main qualifier in 2010 when West Perth’s Jay Cardy started the Aug. 23 event at Autodrome Drummond in Clint Smith’s backup car. The 23-year-old Australian dirt Late Model regular, who has flown over to the U.S. for three consecutive summers and provided Smith extra crew assistance, finished 21st in the 50-lapper.

The 2011 WoO LMS campaign is scheduled to kick off with a pair of 50-lap A-Mains on Feb. 17 and 19 as part of the 40th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Ticket information for the blockbuster winter racing meet – which runs from Feb. 8-19 and also includes action for the DIRTcar UMP Late Models, WoO Sprint Car Series, O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series, Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds and UMP Modifieds – is available at www.dirtcarnationals.com or by calling 386-985-4402.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and Chizmark Larson Insurance; in addition to contingency sponsors Eibach Springs, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pink Carburetors, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster, Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance and Wrisco Aluminum.

2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule Released At Performance Racing Industry Trade Show

CONCORD, NC - Dec. 10, 2010 - An exciting mix of stalwart tracks, new venues and lucrative, high-profile events will comprise the 2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule, which was released on Friday during the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, Fla.

Forty events covering 46 race dates at 33 tracks in 20 states are currently confirmed as part of the national tour’s 2011 slate, including a half-dozen extra-distance blockbusters highlighted by the $50,000-to-win USA Nationals on Aug. 5-6 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., the fifth annual Firecracker 100 on June 23-25 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and the second annual Commonwealth 100 on April 15-16 at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.

The eighth consecutive WoO LMS season under the World Racing Group banner kicks off on Feb. 17 and 19 with a pair of 50-lap A-Mains during the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. It will conclude for the fifth straight year with the World of Outlaws World Finals on Nov. 3-5 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C.

“Another spectacular year of World of Outlaws Late Model Series action is in store for fans across the country,” said series director Tim Christman. “We’re proud to be working with some of dirt Late Model racing’s top racetrack operators to provide teams and spectators a schedule that’s filled with thrilling, can’t-miss events from February through November.

“As the dramatic 2010 battle for the World of Outlaws championship proved, every lap of every race counts. There’s no doubt fans are going to once again see the sport’s best drivers racing all-out every night in search of that big $100,000 prize that’s waiting for the champion.”

Christman said he expects to add at least five more events to the schedule released on Friday, potentially pushing the total number of races and host tracks in 2011 to historic high-water marks. The WoO LMS currently boasts alltime single-season highs of 44 A-Mains (2007 and 2010) and 38 different tracks (2010).

The centerpiece of the WoO LMS’s attractive special-event schedule remains Cedar Lake Speedway’s 100-lap USA Nationals on Aug. 5-6. The crown-jewel program, which returned to the WoO LMS schedule last year for the fifth time overall in its 24-year history, holds the status as the richest race on the ’11 sked with a purse of nearly a quarter-million dollars.

Lernerville’s fast-growing Firecracker 100, meanwhile, will again boast three full nights of competition after its popular expansion in 2010. The early-summer festival of speed at the sparkling four-tenths-mile oval kicks off with 30-lap, $6,000-to-win preliminary features on Thurs., June 23, and Fri., June 24, before ending with the traditional 100-lap headliner offering $30,000 for first place on Sat., June 25.

Returning to the WoO LMS slate after a successful debut in 2010 is the Commonwealth 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway, a $25,000-to-win springtime biggie set for April 15-16. The event at Bill Sawyer’s pristine half-mile oval carries the third-largest winner’s share on the 2011 schedule.

The list of century-grind events also includes the fourth annual Illini 100, which moves to La Salle (Ill.) Speedway on April 1-2 after three seasons at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway; an inaugural early-season 100-lapper on March 18-19 at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway, which hosts the WoO LMS for the first time since 2007; and the brand-new ‘Outlaw Sizzler 101’ on July 2-3 at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway, which will dominate the Independence Day weekend landscape by presenting its biggest dirt Late Model race ever. All three races will pay $20,000 to win.

Other multi-day programs featured in 2011 include February’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH; the RaceFest World Championships on May 28-29 at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, which will reprise its successful ’10 Memorial Day weekend program with a 30-lap A-Main for $8,000 to win on Saturday night and a 40-lap headliner offering a $10,000 top prize on Sunday evening; the Oil Region Labor Day Classic on Sept. 3-4 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa. (two 50-lap, $10,000-to-win cards for the sixth consecutive year); and the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, which will pack the house for a season-ending tripleheader weekend on Nov. 3-5 that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds.

The season’s longest – and perhaps most critical – swing will be mid-July’s ‘Wild West Tour,’ which expands to an ambitious stretch of at least seven races over a 12-day period after being condensed to a more modest four events over consecutive nights in 2010. After the western trek kicks off with a Sooner State doubleheader at Outlaw Motor Speedway in Muskogee, Okla. (July 8) and Tri-State Speedway in Picola, Okla. (July 9) – the tour’s first visit to Outlaw since 2004 and Tri-State since 2005 – successive races will be contested on July 12 at Independence (Iowa) Motor Speedway (first-ever WoO LMS event); July 13 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. (the ‘Gopher 50’ makes it seventh straight appearance on the series); July 14 at Superior (Wis.) Speedway, which hosted the tour for the first time in 2010; July 15 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. (sixth straight year on the schedule); and July 19 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway, which returns to the tour after a one-year hiatus.

The WoO LMS will close out the busy month of July with another regional swing that begins on July 27 at Central PA Speedway in Clearfield, Pa., and ends on July 31 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. The Keystone State tracks will sandwich two additional dates that are still to be announced.

* An early-season tripleheader weekend in the Southeast, with events on March 25 at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway, March 26 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., and March 27 at Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga. Ocala (2010) and Screven (2010 and 2009) have previously hosted the tour, while Needmore is new to the schedule.

* A Midwestern weekend to close out the month of April. The tour’s return engagement to Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky., on April 30 anchors the doubleheader, which will visit a still-to-be-determined track the previous night.

* Spring dates on May 6 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and May 7 at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway. The two tracks paired up on the WoO LMS schedule for the first time in 2010.

* The traditional spring midweek event at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, which hosts the WoO LMS for the seventh time in eight years on Thurs., May 12. The trip to the First State will be followed by a first-ever visit to Winchester (Va.) Speedway on Sat., May 14.

* Beckley (W.Va.) Motor Speedway hosts the tour for the first time on Fri., May 27, as a lead-in to the Memorial Day weekend doubleheader at West Virginia Motor Speedway.

* A pre-Firecracker 100 event on Tues., June 21, at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway – the only WoO LMS event currently scheduled in the Empire State during the 2011 season.

* A midweek date on Wed., Aug. 3, at Shawano (Wis.) Speedway that precedes the USA Nationals. The WoO LMS appeared at the half-mile oval outside Green Bay last year for the first time since a 1989 event there during the first incarnation of the tour.

* A first-ever WoO LMS event at Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Mich., on Aug. 19. The race, which brings the tour to the Wolverine State for the first time since 2007, will be paired with another event on Aug. 20 that series officials will soon announce.

* Hartford (Mich.) Motor Speedway will host the tour for the first time on Sept. 16 – the eve of the Pepsi Nationals on Sept. 17 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., which has become a popular stop on the series itinerary.

Just five tracks are scheduled to host multiple WoO LMS A-Mains in 2011. Leading the group with three races apiece are Lernerville and The Dirt Track at Charlotte, which also presents the mid-week World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Oct. 12 at part of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s NASCAR weekend; Volusia, West Virginia Motor and Tri-City will also hold two events each as single-visit doubleheaders.

Feb. 17 – Thurs. - Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL (DIRTcar Nationals) - $10,000 – 50L
Feb. 19 – Sat. - Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL (DIRTcar Nationals) - $10,000 -50L

March 18-19 - Fri-Sat – Columbus (MS) Speedway - $20,000 – 100L
March 25 – Fri. - Ocala (FL) Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
March 26 – Sat. - Screven Motor Speedway/Sylvania, GA - $10,000 – 50L
March 27 – Sun. - Needmore Speedway/Norman Park, GA - $8,000 – 40L

April 1-2 - Fri-Sat - La Salle (IL) Speedway (Illini 100) - $20,000 – 100L
April 15-16 - Fri-Sat - Virginia Motor Speedway/Jamaica, VA - (Commonwealth 100) - $25,000 – 100L
April 29 – Fri. – TBA
April 30 – Sat. - Bluegrass Speedway/Bardstown, KY - $10,000 – 50L

May 6 – Fri. - Fayetteville (NC) Motor Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
May 7 - Sat. - Swainsboro (GA) Raceway - $10,000 – 50L
May 12 – Thurs. - Delaware International Speedway/Delmar, DE - $10,000 – 50L
May 14 – Sat. - Winchester (VA) Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
May 27 – Fri. - Beckley (WV) Motor Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
May 28 – Sat. - West Virginia Motor Speedway/Mineral Wells, WV (RaceFest) - $8,000 -30L
May 29 – Sun. - West Virginia Motor Speedway/Mineral Wells, WV (RaceFest) - $10,000 – 40L

June 21 – Tues. - Brewerton (NY) Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
June 23 – Thurs. - Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA (Firecracker 100) - $6,000 – 30L
June 24 – Fri. - Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA (Firecracker 100) - $6,000 – 30L
June 25 – Sat. - Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, PA (Firecracker 100) - $30,000 – 100L

July 2-3 - Sat-Sun - Tazewell (TN) Speedway (Outlaw Sizzler 101) - $20,000 – 101L
July 8 – Fri. - Outlaw Motor Speedway/Muskogee, OK (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 – 50L
July 9 – Sat. - Tri-State Speedway/Picola, OK (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 – 50L
July 12 – Tues. - Independence (IA) Motor Speedway (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 – 50L
July 13 - Wed. - Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, MN (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 -50L
July 14 – Thurs. - Superior (WI) Speedway (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 – 50L
July 15 – Fri. - River Cities Speedway/Grand Forks, ND (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 – 50L
July 16 – Sat. – TBA
July 19 – Tues. - Gillette (WY) Thunder Speedway (Wild West Tour) - $10,000 – 50L
July 27 - Wed. - Central PA Speedway/Clearfield, PA - $8,000 – 40L
July 29 - Fri. – TBA
July 30 - Sat. – TBA
July 31 - Sun. - Eriez Speedway/Hammett, PA - $10,000 – 50L

Aug. 3 - Wed. - Shawano (WI) Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
Aug. 5-6 - Fri-Sat - Cedar Lake Speedway/New Richmond, WI (USA Nationals) - $50,000 – 100L
Aug. 19 – Fri. – Winston Speedway/Rothbury, MI - $10,000 – 50L
Aug. 20 – Sat. – TBA

Sept. 3 - Sat. - Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, PA (Oil Region Labor Day Classic) - $10,000 – 50L
Sept. 4 - Sun. - Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, PA (Oil Region Labor Day Classic) - $10,000 – 50L
Sept. 16 – Fri. - Hartford (MI) Motor Speedway - $10,000 – 50L
Sept. 17 – Sat. - I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO (Pepsi Nationals) - $10,000 – 50L

Oct. 12 – Wed. - The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (WoO LM Showdown) - $10,000 – 50L

Nov. 3 - Thurs. - The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (World Finals) – Qualify
Nov. 4 - Fri. - The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (World Finals) - $10,000 – 50L
Nov. 5 – Sat. - The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, NC (World Finals) - $10,000 - 50L

Schedule subject to change. Check www.WorldofOutlaws.com for the latest information.

Working With Rookie Driver’s Team Has Clint Smith Energized For 2011 World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC - Dec. 1, 2010 - Clint Smith failed to snap his long, frustrating winless streak on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2010, but he made strides with his performance.

And if the positive vibe he has about the slightly new direction of his 2011 racing program is correct, the hard-nosed veteran from Senoia, Ga., just might rediscover his winning touch on the national tour.

“I feel good about next year,” an optimistic Smith said while working in his shop earlier this week in preparation for his eighth consecutive season as a WoO LMS regular. “I think it’s going to be a great year for us.”

Smith’s attitude might seem a bit rosy for a driver who is winless in his last 114 WoO LMS starts and recorded just six top-five finishes en route to a distant ninth-place result in the 2010 points standings, but he has good reason to be bullish on his chances in the coming season. He recently reinforced his own team by striking a deal to serve as a mentor to Brian Reese of Sharpsburg, Ga., a 29-year-old dirt Late Model upstart who has big plans to travel alongside Smith in 2011 in search of the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award.

In exchange for sharing his nearly 30 years of racing experience and knowledge with Reese, Smith, 45, will receive valuable assistance from Reese Motorsports that should improve his own operation.

“They’re local, they came into some money and wanted to race, and I guess I was the best one in the area to teach him how to race,” Smith said of Reese, whose parents are his primary backers. “They came to me (during the season) and said they’ve been trying all year and hadn’t had any success, so they were looking for some help. I needed some help too, so we got a partnership together and now we’re going at it.”

“It’s a good situation for both of us. I’m going to try to help (Reese) venture out and do some racing on the road with the World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year program to progress his career; hopefully we’ll pick him up five years (of experience) in one year. And having him as a teammate is going to help my program significantly.”

Smith, of course, has been struggling to find consistency on the WoO LMS since 2007, when he won four A-Mains and finished a career-best third in the points race after leading the standings for nearly half the season. He hasn’t cracked the top five in the points standings at any point in the last three campaigns and hasn’t reached Victory Lane since June 17, 2008, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.

But Smith showed signs of a revival in 2010 after switching back to Rocket Chassis for the first time in five years, qualifying better and registering three runner-up finishes, including two during a late-season stretch that saw him tally four top-fives in five races. An outbreak of hard-luck engine problems, however, prevented him from building any momentum.

“We ran better this year than we have in the past few years, but we didn’t have anything to show for it,” said Smith, who sat 10th in the points standings for most of the 44-race schedule before overtaking Chub Frank for ninth during last month’s season-ending Lowes Foods World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. “We had a real good car at a lot of places, but I just had some issues with some stuff – not blaming anyone – that caused me to have some motor problems when we were running well and that put us back in the points.”

The powerplant failures also forced Smith, who has 11 career wins on the WoO LMS, into scramble mode several times in 2010. With Reese’s team providing Smith more resources, he’s confident he won’t have to worry about having an engine to bolt inside his car.

“He’s helping me with my motor program,” Smith said of Reese. “I’m still owning some motors and he’s owning some motors, but we’ve got a team situation. If he needs a motor he gets one from me, and if I need one I get one from him. It gives me something to fall back on in case I need it.

“Anytime you get a team situation, usually it will be better than a single person,” he continued. “This will help me get more of a high-powered team going, more on the level of a Josh Richards and Darrell Lanigan. With this I’ll feel like I’m more an equal to those top teams, able to compete with them on a regular basis. Rather than just showing up and trying to place, we’re gonna be showing up trying to win.”

Smith, whose race shop is just four miles from Reese’s, debuted as Reese’s adviser last month. Smith’s influence was immediately apparent on Nov. 13 when Reese set fast time for the unsanctioned National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala.

“I think we’ve already helped him pick it up and hopefully he’ll keep improving next year,” said Smith, who is bringing mechanics Darrell (‘Don Vito’) Cooper and Brad Baum back to service his equipment in 2011. “Hopefully we’ll pick it up too. We know what we’re racing against on the World of Outlaws tour; it’s a tough program. But we’re gonna be ready to go out there and try to win races.”

Richards Calmly Handled Pressure In 2010 To Capture Second Straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship

CONCORD, NC - Nov. 24, 2010 - The pressure was on Josh Richards midway through the final A-Main of the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

Clinging to a six-point lead in the standings over Darrell Lanigan and with his friendly rival on the charge in the season-ending 50-lapper on Nov. 6 during the Lowes Foods World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., Richards could feel his hopes and dreams of winning a second consecutive championship crushing down on his shoulders.

But pressure seemingly has no affect on the sensational 22-year-old driver from Shinnston, W.Va. Doesn’t matter if he’s faced with the lofty expectations that accompany his high-profile ride, catcalls from tough fans, criticism from his father/car owner (yes, Mark Richards admits that he’s sometimes hard on his son) or even a nip-and-tuck battle for the $100,000 WoO LMS points title; he’s always cool, calm and collected.

“He’s just got a demeanor that can handle the pressure,” Rocket Chassis co-owner Mark Richards said of his son, who has driven Mark’s familiar blue No. 1 house car for his entire seven-year career. “The spotlight’s on him all the time because of who he is, so he gets overanalyzed by a lot of people. The average person couldn’t deal with that, but Josh doesn’t really care what people say about him. He just goes out there and races without getting too worked up or emotional about any situation.”

That ice-water-in-the-veins persona is a big reason why Richards put his name in the record book in 2010, becoming the first driver in the modern era of the WoO LMS (2004-present) to win the championship twice. He survived Lanigan’s dramatic come-from-behind bid in the season finale to capture the title by four points – the second-closest championship margin in the history of the national tour.

“When you think about winning the championship by four points – four points! – it just seems crazy,” said Richards, who clinched the title by finishing fourth, to Lanigan’s third (from the 21st starting spot), in the World Finals nightcap that was witnessed by a sell-out crowd of over 14,000 and a live television audience on SPEED. “We race all year and it comes down to two positions. It just goes to show you that you have to fight for every spot in every race.

“Lanigan was fast all year and put up one heck of a fight, but we were lucky enough to pull it off. Winning the championship last year was a feat in itself, but to come out on top for the second year in a row shows how strong our team really is.”

There were plenty of opportunities, however, for Richards to succumb to the pressure of the intense 2010 points race. While he registered a series-best eight wins (highlighted by his first-ever 100-lap score in the $20,000-to-win ‘Battle At Eastern Door’ on Sept. 1 at New York’s Mohawk International Raceway), finished 43 of the season’s 44 A-Mains on the lead lap (the only blemish was a DNF-23rd on Aug. 7 in Cedar Lake Speedway’s 100-lap USA Nationals, which offered only show-up points), recorded 27 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes and led the points standings after more than three-quarters of the season’s events, he did experience some bumps in the road. It was his knack for responding positively to each setback that proved his mettle.

Consider this: six times Richards fell to second in the points standings – once to Brady Smith after the second race of the season; three times to Tim McCreadie early in the campaign; and twice to Lanigan down the stretch – but each time he roared back in the next event to regain at least a share of the points lead. What’s more, Richards didn’t flinch when he watched Lanigan completely erase a 78-point deficit in the standings on the strength of a red-hot summer stretch nor when Lanigan sliced Richards’s points lead from 22 to six points with a fourth-place finish (to Richards’s 12th) in the postponed Saturday-afternoon 40-lapper during the World Finals.

“Darrell made up a lot of ground in the middle of the summer, which definitely put more pressure on me and our team,” said Richards, whose longest winless stretch of the season – 12 races from late June through the entire month of July – largely coincided with Lanigan’s surge. “It was a little frustrating because we were running well but just not as good as him, but you can’t overreact to what’s happening. You just have to keep digging and doing your thing.

“The main thing is to focus on what your team needs, your car needs and what you need to be better,” he continued, perfectly articulating the champion’s philosophy he has acquired. “Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, because when you’re focusing on someone else all the time it’s hard to focus on your own program.”

Actually, Richards’s ability to maintain his composure in the face of Lanigan’s assault – an amazing comeback highlighted by a streak of nine consecutive top-three finishes that was unprecedented in WoO LMS history – was made even more impressive by the fact that he’s so close to the Kentucky driver. The Richards and Lanigan teams are virtually inseparable on the road – and, of course, Richards considers Lanigan, 40, one of his racing mentors.

“We park together, we travel together up-and-down the road, we share information and we’re great friends,” Richards said of Lanigan, who won a career-high seven WoO LMS A-Mains in 2010. “I’ve watched Darrell race ever since I was a little kid and he’s helped me become a better driver, so it seems surreal for (the championship) to come down to a battle between two buddies.

“We’re always pulling for each other, but we both want to win too – that’s what makes us drive even harder. It was cool to have Darrell come over and be supportive of us and congratulate us after we won the championship because I know if I was in his position I’d be devastated to come that close after putting all that work in.”

This was, in fact, the second straight season that Richards outdueled a longtime advisor for the WoO LMS crown. Last year his victim was Steve Francis, a former driver of the Rocket Chassis house car that Richards now steers. Francis, 43, entered the 2009 World Finals with a four-point lead over Richards but ended the weekend 14 points behind his protégé, who, at 21, became the youngest champion of a national touring series in the history of dirt Late Model racing.

The experience of the pressure-packed ’09 points race obviously served Richards well in his run to back-to-back titles. He came to Charlotte this year more confident, more relaxed.

“I learned some things last year,” said Richards, who ended the 2010 season tied with Francis atop the WoO LMS career win list since 2004 (both have 28 victories). “I kind of proved to myself that I could do this. I realized that as far as decision-making and things for the car, you just gotta go with your gut.

“I guess over time you just mature and start to figure things out. There’s times when it seems like it’s never gonna come, but it does. Time fixes everything. If you just keep watching and learning and doing it, you just kind of move right along.”

Richards has become one of the biggest stars in dirt Late Model racing, a supreme talent who is viewed as a contender whenever his team’s hauler pulls through a pit gate. But he still lives at home with his father, mother Tina and younger sister Morgan, and he’s still coming to grips with his newfound status and position in life. He earned just shy of $300,000 on the WoO LMS in 2010 plus nearly another 100-grand off the circuit – even factoring in that he collected only a percentage of that total, “the amount of money he makes in a year right now is pretty unbelievable for a kid his age,” said Mark Richards – but anyone who knows him will tell you that his success hasn’t prompted him to walk with his chest puffed out or live the high life. He’s still modest, accessible and simply infatuated with racing.

“When I think of myself, I’m just Josh, you know?” summarized Richards, who was so steady night-in and night-out in 2010 that he ran just one WoO LMS B-Main all season and didn’t use a single provisional starting spot. “I don’t think of myself as a champion or anything. I’m just a racer who loves to race and have fun.

“It’s crazy how fast it’s happened, how I’ve gotten to this point. I remember when I was in Austin’s shoes (18-year-old WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard), thinking how, Man, you just want to be up there and winning, but you know it’s gonna take some time. You just have to realize that you can do anything if you truly have the desire in your heart and put the effort into it. You can achieve anything.”

Richards paused, and then continued: “I decided a few years ago, when I graduated high school, that this is what I wanted to do – I wanted to be a race car driver. It wasn’t for the money, it wasn’t for the fame – none of that. It was to race. That’s what it’s all about. Yeah, when you win races and win championships, it definitely makes your living a lot easier, but it still takes every little piece to be able to do it. To do what we’ve done over the last couple years is incredible.

“The first couple years I raced, I always thought, If it doesn’t work out, I can always go back to college. But now, all my friends have graduated college and they’re moving on, and I’m in this. This is my life. But this has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

DIRTcar Racing and Hoosier Tire Continue Relationship as Official Tire For DIRTcar Late Model Competition Through 2013

Concord, N.C. — Nov. 23, 2010 — By Chris Dolack, DIRTcar Racing P.R. - DIRTcar Racing today announced the continuance of Hoosier Racing Tire as the approved tire for DIRTcar Late Model competition for the next three years.

First introduced 20 years ago, the premium LM10, LM20, LM30 and LM40 have become the standards in Late Model racing.

“Hoosier always has been, and continues to be, an integral part of DIRTcar Racing’s mission to bring racers a standardized rules package, making it easier for any driver to race anywhere, at any time,” said Sam Driggers, DIRTcar UMP Regional Director.

Also announced is the arrival of the DCM55 and DCM21, tires engineered to be used as DIRTcar Racing expands into its newest sanctioned regions. The DCM55 and DCM21 tire is designed for series, weekly tracks and racers who prefer a one-compound tire program. It utilizes the standard LM large block pattern for durability with a consistent, high-grip compound. The sidewalls, air pressure settings and numbering system will be similar to the current LM tires.

The Hoosier DCM tires area purpose-built specifically for tracks in the West, South and Northwestern United States participating under DIRTcar Racing’s sanction.

“With the new DCM tires, Hoosier Tire is making another significant investment in DIRTcar Racing as they have the past 20 years,” Driggers said.

For DIRTcar information, contact DIRTcar Racing at 704-795-7223, Sam Driggers at sdriggers@dirtcar.com or visit www.dirtcar.com.

For information from Hoosier Racing Tire, please contact Shanon Rush at srush@hoosiertire.com.

DIRTcar Late Model action will kick off at the 40th Anniversary DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH on Monday, Feb. 14, for six consecutive nights of DIRTcar and World of Outlaws Late Model Series action. Tickets for the 40th Anniversary DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH are available by visiting http://www.dirtcarnationals.com or calling Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402.

Schlenk’s Best-Laid Plan Results In 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model National Championship

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 19, 2010 – Isn’t it great when the best-laid plan comes together?

So it was in 2010 for Rusty Schlenk, who during the off-season carefully crafted a strategy to pursue the DIRTcar UMP Late Model national title, executed it to perfection and won the prestigious $20,000 crown for the first time in his budding young career.

Schlenk, 24, of Jackson, Mich., expertly mastered the circuit’s points system, which uses drivers’ best 35 event ‘points nights’ – feature finish and car-count bonus points added together – to determine a champion. He jumped out to a big early lead in the standings and held on to the finish line, withstanding a late rally by defending national champ Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., to come out on top by a 31-point margin (2,798-2,767).

“My biggest goal at the beginning of the season was the national championship,” said Schlenk, who finished third in the 2009 DIRTcar UMP national points race. “I knew that in order to win it I’d have to stay halfway local. Instead of trying to run some big shows, we had to totally focus on running ALMS (the DIRTcar-sanctioned Sunoco American Late Model Series), Oakshade (Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio) and shows around home at tracks where we knew there would be good car counts and we knew we could run good.”

An owner-operator who carves out a living as a dirt Late Model driver despite racing on a limited budget, Schlenk smartly recognized that chasing the pot of gold at the end of the DIRTcar UMP rainbow would provide the maximum possible return on his motorsports investment. He just had to maintain a single-minded discipline throughout the season, refusing to deviate from a plan that eschewed most of the big-money events in his region in favor of gathering points at lower-profile races that better fit his program and would help push him toward a lucrative end-of-season payoff.

“UMP is the best thing for me,” asserted Schlenk, who accented his 2010 national title with a circuit-best 20 feature wins, a track championship at Oakshade and a third-place finish in the ALMS points race. “I know that as long as I stick to my gameplan and don’t stray too far from UMP (events), then at the end of the year I can probably be in the top-three (in the points standings) and I’ll have enough (points-fund) money to get me through the winter.

“I don’t know how many times this year I had to drive past a show that was paying five or six or 10-thousand to win to go somewhere else where I knew I could win and pick up points. Usually when I did do that I ended up winning so it made it O.K., but man, when you’re driving past the big show you’re saying, ‘I know I have a shot at winning that race. If I show up and everything goes my way, I could pocket 10-grand tonight.’

“I had to talk myself out of (entering big shows) quite a few times. I just kept thinking, ‘Stick to your plan, win a race, get those UMP points. That five- or 10-grand show might be good now, but it’s not gonna pay the bills at the end of the year.’ Our focus was on that big point-fund check (for winning the title) because the hard part about doing this for a living is getting through the winter when no money is coming in.”

Schlenk’s strategy drew a fair share of criticism from observers who felt he was talented enough to battle the sport’s heavyweights in major events held in his backyard, but he didn’t let the talk seduce him into taking his eye off the prize. He knew he ran the very real risk of overextending his program if he attempted to run more national-level shows.

“I know a lot of people kind of frowned on what we were doing, thought we were cherry-picking and this and that,” analyzed Schlenk. “But if you really sat down and looked at the equipment that I have and the budget that I have to race on, I really don’t consider how we raced cherry-picking.

“I had a lot of people say, ‘You have the best equipment and you need to be out there running these $10,000-to-win shows because you’re that caliber of driver.’ Well, I may be that caliber of driver, but I don’t have the funds behind me to gamble at a $10,000-to-win show. I’m doing it for a living on a limited budget, so I can’t gamble. If I go to those shows and don’t qualify I’m not making any money and I’m missing out on a chance for UMP points, so I gotta stick to what we can do.”

Schlenk gathered those DIRTcar UMP points at a furious clip during the season’s first half, building a lead of nearly 600 points in the national standings by mid-June. He needed virtually every bit of that cushion to stave off Feger, who roared from behind down the stretch after capturing the 2010 DIRTcar Summer Nationals points championship.

Feger closed within 31 points of Schlenk entering the final weekend of weekly points racing (Oct. 1-3), ramping up the pressure on Schlenk. But Feger needed an almost perfect weekend at Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway to keep his hopes alive and couldn’t come through, allowing Schlenk to clinch the crown without the following weekend’s points-season-ending DIRTcar UMP Nationals at Eldora Speedway even factoring into the outcome.

“We knew with about six races to go that Feger had to about win everything up to the Nationals to beat us, but you know Feger – when he gets on a roll, he’s hard to stop,” said Schlenk, whose cars carried engines built by Dick Kercher of Roan, Ind. “He started getting on a roll (in late September) and I started getting a little nervous because we were struggling. We pulled off a few wins there at the end of the year with our new car, but I couldn’t put anything consistent together from night-to-night.

“The first half of the year saved me because the second half wasn’t too good,” he continued. “Luckily we had all our ducks in a row early in the season and clicked off quite a few wins. We were in the driver’s seat the first three-quarters of the year, but then we wrecked a (Rayburn) car we had been racing the whole year at I-96 (Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich.) in mid-August and had to put a new car together to run the rest of the year.”

Schlenk never quite got his new machine running as consistently fast as his destroyed mount, but his body of work over the entire season was too superb for him to be denied. He earned the national title in a fashion that would have made late UMP founder Bob Memmer proud, not only winning weekly and ALMS events but also proving his ample skills with a pair of Summer Nationals victories over high-profile competition on July 14 at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and July 17 at Oakshade (a $10,000 score in the annual ‘Birthday Race’).

“Those Summer Nationals wins were highlights of the year for me, no doubt – especially Kokomo,” said Schlenk, who had never before captured a Summer Nationals A-Main. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved winning the ‘Birthday Race’ at Oakshade, but I’m good at Oakshade. I grew up racing there (since he was a teenager) and I kind of expect when those guys come in to be able to run top five, top three, and maybe have a chance to win. I don’t think I was quite surprised to win that one, but when we won Kokomo – man, there were a lot of good cars there and we were kind of on neutral ground. Winning that kind of proved to me – and hopefully proved to some of the fans and competitors – that I can run with them on any given night. As long as my funds are there for tires and stuff, I can compete with them.”

After starting the 2010 season with “$4,500 in the bank to race on for the year,” Schlenk will be depositing over $20,000 into his account (he also captured the DIRTcar UMP Ohio/Pennsylvania/Canada State points title) when he accepts his accolades during the DIRTcar UMP Awards Banquet on Jan. 8, 2011, in Springfield, Ill. That’s proof positive that his plan “worked out pretty good.”

And considering two other milestones that happened to Schlenk off the track, 2010 will certainly be a year he never forgets.

“I got married (on Jan. 1), had a kid (son Carter in August) and won the national championship all in the same year,” smiled Schlenk. “I’d say it’ll be pretty hard to top that.”

Ticket order forms for the annual DIRTcar UMP ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Jan. 8, 2011, at the Crown Plaza in Springfield, Ill., are available on-line at www.dirtcar.com or by calling the UMP office at 618-450-2072.

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model National Points Standings (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Rusty Schlenk 2798 35 2. Jason Feger 2767 35 3. Ryan Unzicker 2647 35 4. Jeep VanWormer 2542 35 5. Dennis Erb Jr. 2513 35 6. Brian Ruhlman 2496 35 7. Brian Shirley 2432 35 8. Michael Kloos 2429 35 9. Alan Vochaska 2413 35 10. Shannon Babb 2407 35 11. Jack Sullivan 2222 35 12. Jeff Walston 2220 35 13. Dillan White 2219 35 14. Rich Neiser 2183 35 15. Eric Spangler 2134 35 16. Kevin Nelson Jr. 2112 35 17. Chad Zobrist 2109 35 18. Curtis Roberts 2107 35 19. Brandon Sheppard 2103 35 20. Dona Marcoullier 2097 35

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Indiana/Kentucky/Tennessee/Florida State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Jeff Walston 2190 35 2. Terry English 1823 30 3. Chris Shelton 1582 35 4. Jason McBride 1411 27 5. Dustin Butler 1277 26 6. Tanner English 1264 23 7. Dillan White 1245 22 8. Caleb Ashby 1098 20 9. Kevin Cole 1095 20 10. Randy Sellars 1074 19

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Southwest State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Justin Wells 1279 21 2. Darrell Mooneyham 1195 24 3. Dustin Mooneyham 961 21 4. Ken Essary 933 15 5. Mark Voigt 930 17 6. Terry Phillips 873 12 7. Bryan Collins 824 17 8. Jeff Johns 816 17 9. Larry Jones 812 16 10. Shane Essary 805 14

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model West State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Mark Carrell 925 15 2. Mike Miller 753 12 3. Paul Culp 637 13 4. Craig Hanson 613 13 5. Kevin Ropchan 613 13 6. Justin Simpson 596 12 7. Chuck Christian 572 12 8. Kreg Britton 548 13 9. Trent Elliott 503 10 10. Rick Wyatt 392 8

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Michigan/Wisconsin State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Alan Vochaska 2413 35 2. Rich Neiser 2164 35 3. Eric Spangler 2125 35 4. Kevin Nelson Jr. 2112 35 5. Adam Thrush 1821 35 6. Dave Hartman 1726 31 7. Sammy Epling 1646 28 8. Zack Olger 1627 28 9. Bill Bray 1588 31 10. Tom Sprague Jr. 1585 31

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Ohio/Pennsylvania/Canada State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Rusty Schlenk 2252 31 2. Jared Miley 1845 32 3. Brian Ruhlman 1789 27 4. Lynn Geisler 1781 35 5. Mike Johnson 1745 34 6. Jeff Babcock 1737 34 7. Devin Shiels 1597 30 8. Rick Delong 1548 29 9. Dusty Moore 1476 30 10. Dave Hess Jr. 1374 23

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Illinois State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Jason Feger 2713 35 2. Ryan Unzicker 2587 35 3. Michael Kloos 2378 35 4. Dennis Erb Jr. 2263 35 5. Brian Shirley 2156 35 6. Eric Smith 2084 33 7. Chad Zobrist 2063 34 8. Frankie Martin 2061 35 9. Brandon Sheppard 2045 35 10. Mike Hammerle 1933 35

Official Final 2010 DIRTcar UMP Late Model Northwest State Points (Rank/Driver/Points/Races Counted):

1. Scott Lewis 919 17 2. Jason Schierkolk 873 17 3. Eddie Kirchoff 854 12 4. Dave Garmann 840 16 5. Eric Mass 532 9 6. Steve Lewis 513 13 7. John Bey 483 8 8. Gary Gorby 423 9 9. J.T. Botts 422 11 10. David Brack 416 8

Momentum For 2011: Francis Closes Frustrating Season Strong With Lucrative Victory In National 100

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 15, 2010 – Two weeks ago Steve Francis couldn’t wait for his frustrating 2010 season to reach its end. Now he wouldn’t mind seeing the campaign roll on.

After driving his one-month-old Barry Wright-built car to a victory worth nearly $25,000 in Sunday night’s unsanctioned 36th annual National 100 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala., the World of Outlaws Late Model Series star suddenly has some true pep back in his step.

“Really, this has been one of the worst years I’ve had in quite awhile,” said Francis, who managed just two A-Main wins and a fourth-place finish in the WoO LMS points standings during a 2010 season that saw him field his own equipment for the first time since capturing the national tour’s title in 2007. “It’s a good feeling to get a big win that shows we’re headed in the right direction.”

Good enough, of course, to make Francis, 43, of Ashland, Ky., want to keep on racing, but he’s resisting the temptation to enter more events before snow starts flying. He’s walking off the 2010 stage with momentum he hopes to carry into next season’s dirt-track battles across the country.

“We’re gonna stop right now after we’ve had some success and kind of regroup,” said Francis, speaking on Monday afternoon from Jackson (Miss.) Motor Speedway where he headed after Sunday’s action with fellow WoO LMS regular Clint Smith (the 13th-place finisher in the National 100) to provide instruction for aspiring racers at track owner Don Cliburn’s driving school. “We need to get started on building some new cars and get our program settled for next year. We’re way ahead of where we were at this time last year – we didn’t even have cars yet or even a hauler – but there’s still a lot of work to do.

“It’s been a tough year, but this win definitely takes a lot of pressure off for the whole winter. Naturally it starts all over again in a few months, but at least we’re progressing the way we want and we finished the year on a high note. We’re a winner for the whole winter.”

Francis paused, and then added with a smile, “We got enough money to eat all winter now. Between this and the Outlaw (awards) banquet last weekend (he picked up a $35,000 points-fund check during the festivities), we were able to put a little money in the bank account.”

The National 100 triumph – Francis’s first-ever in sporadic appearances in the long-running event – came in his seventh start behind the wheel of the red-and-yellow Barry Wright car he debuted the first weekend of October. He hasn’t had a finish outside the top 10 with the mount.

“We’re starting to learn this Barry Wright car,” said Francis, who decided to try a chassis from Wright’s Cowpens, S.C.-based shop after exclusively running Rocket Chassis cars for more than a decade. “We’re getting a little more familiar with what the changes we make are doing to it, what it likes compared to what we’re doing to it. Barry and Lance Wright have been great to work with and have really opened up all their books to help us get going in the right direction.

“We had a lot of success with Rocket over the years, but we needed to do something different to kind of recharge everybody’s batteries,” he added. “After the last two weeks with this car (he also registered a third-place finish on Nov. 6 in the first half of the Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte) I feel like I’m getting comfortable and consistent. I probably have quite a bit more confidence now (for 2011).”

Francis was “really happy with the car all weekend” at East Alabama. Racing with a couple different faces on his pit crew – with his regular mechanic Derik Reese enjoying a weekend off to spend time at home, Francis’s crew chief Tim Logan was assisted by Chris Farmer, whose wife April drives a dirt Late Model, and Shane Clanton crewman Brant Hardin – Francis won a heat race on Saturday night to earn the third starting spot in the National 100. He controlled virtually the entire distance of Sunday evening’s 100-lapper, grabbing the lead from Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., on lap five and then holding off Marlar and Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., and waiting out a slight mid-race delay for rain to reach the checkered flag first.

“It was a real good test for the (Wright) car,” Francis said of the grueling extra-distance event. “They race on it all day long so the racetrack rubbers up so hard. Then they go out there and water it before our race and when they drop the green flag you’re running wide open for the first 10 laps. After that it kind of progressively slows and slows and slows, and maybe the last five or 10 laps it starts picking up a little rubber stripe again. It kind of goes through every condition you can imagine being in over the course of 100 laps.”

With a satisfied grin on his face, Francis now turns his attention to 2011. The co-leader with Josh Richards on the WoO LMS win list since 2004 (with 28 victories) and one of only two drivers (Rick Eckert is the other) to start all 281 series A-Mains contested over the past seven seasons, the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ is eyeing a return to championship contention.

“Our intent right now is to go run with the Outlaws again,” said Francis, who has never finished worse than sixth in the WoO LMS points standings.

Richards Picks Up $100,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title Check For Second Straight Year At Sunday’s Awards Banquet

CONCORD, NC - Nov. 8, 2010 - Josh Richards experienced a very rewarding case of déjà vu on Sunday night.

As the 22-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., accepted the $100,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship check, trophy and keepsake ring for the second consecutive season during the national tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet at the Great Wolf Lodge, he had to remind himself that the calendar had changed.

“If feels like we were just here last year,” Richards said when he began his address to the attendees of the evening’s gala. “It’s pretty cool to get to come up here again (so quickly).”

Richards stood before the gathering as the first driver to win two titles in the seven-year modern era of the WoO LMS, which was restarted after a 15-year-old layoff in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. He clinched the prestigious crown 24 hours earlier just one mile away at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, where his fourth-place finish in the season-ending 50-lap A-Main during the Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks gave him a scant four-point margin over 2008 series champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

Over $400,000 in points-fund cash and special awards was handed out during Sunday’s affair, which for the second year in a row was held immediately after the Lowes Foods World Finals in conjunction with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series awards banquet. Awards ceremonies for each series were conducted simultaneously in separate rooms and then the evening concluded with teams and sponsors from both tours mingling at a post-banquet party.

Richards collected the lion’s share of the evening’s payouts, pushing his total earnings on the 2010 WoO LMS to just under $300,000. He won a series-leading eight A-Mains and recorded 26 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes in 44 events en route to his second straight championship – an achievement he was almost at a loss to describe.

“Last year was a feat in itself to win (the title) after a tight points battle with (Steve) Francis,” said Richards, who debuted on the WoO LMS as a 16-year-old in 2004 before winning the 2005 Rookie of the Year award in his first full touring season. “But to do it two years in a row with Lanigan putting up one heck of a fight – it’s an incredible feeling, an incredible accomplishment.

“It wouldn’t mean anything if you weren’t racing anybody,” he continued. “These (WoO regulars) are the best guys in the country, so to be able to come out on top for the second year in a row shows how strong our team really is. I feel like I’m one of the luckiest guys to get to drive this blue number one car.”

Richards hailed his long list of supporters, including his father Mark, who joined his son on stage to receive the champion car owner trophy, mother Tina and younger sister Morgan; Rocket Chassis co-owner Steve Baker and his wife Sherri; crewmen Matt Barnes, Jimmy Frye and Joey Pinkleton and the staff at Rocket Chassis in Shinnston, W.Va.; and sponsors Seubert Calf Ranches, Kentucky Fuel Corporation, the Will Kinzer Foundation, Cornett Racing Engines, ACE Metal Works, Ernie D’s Enterprises, Petroff Towing, Tony Stewart Racing, Ron Slavic, Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tire and Integra Racing Shocks.

In addition, Richards gave special recognition to Lanigan, the 40-year-old WoO LMS veteran who engaged Richards in a dramatic battle for the championship that wasn’t decided until the season’s final checkered flag. Lanigan finished third in Saturday night’s Lowes Foods World Finals finale, falling two positions shy of matching Richards’s points total.

“You guys put up one hell of a fight,” Richards said as he directed his gaze toward Lanigan’s table. “You definitely made us work harder for it, and you guys definitely deserve to be standing up here as champions just as much as we do.”

Lanigan, who, like Francis, has served as one of Richards’s racing mentors, made a gallant bid to claim the title during the Lowes Foods World Finals. He cut Richards’s edge from 22 to six points with a fourth-place finish in Saturday afternoon’s postponed 40-lap A-Main and charged forward from the 21st starting spot to place third in the nightcap.

“We were just a little short,” said Lanigan, who would have captured the championship if had been able to win Saturday night’s A-Main with Richards finishing third or worse. “We got all we could get and Josh did all he needed to do to win it.

“It’s hard to believe that you run the whole year and come up two cars short. It’s hard to take, but that’s how it ended up. We work close together (with Richards) and both our cars were good all year, but they just had a little bit better luck.”

Lanigan received a check worth $60,000 for his runner-up finish in the points standings, putting his 2010 earnings over $260,000. It was his third straight top-three finish on the WoO LMS, following his runaway championship season in 2008 and a third-place result in 2009.

Lanigan’s mechanical right-hand man, Randall Edwards, made his own appearance on stage as the winner of the 2010 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year award. Edwards, 36, earned the honor for the first time by vote of his fellow series crew chiefs and WoO LMS officials.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who returned as a WoO LMS regular this season for the first time since his championship season in 2006, collected $40,000 for finishing third in the standings. He led the points race early in the season and battled with Richards and Lanigan throughout the summer before falling out of a serious contention late in the campaign.

Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., received $35,000 for finishing fourth in the points standings while Rick Eckert of York, Pa., pocketed $30,000 for his second consecutive fifth-place finish.

Rounding out the top 10 in the 2010 points standings was Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga. ($25,000); Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del. ($24,000); Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. ($23,000); Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. ($22,000); and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. ($21,000).

Hubbard added $10,000 to his banquet take-home pay for winning the 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award. The fast-rising 18-year-old star drove car owner Dale Beitler’s No. 19 to two A-Main victories on his way to easily outdistancing Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the rookie standings, which were determined using drivers’ best 30 finishes on the tour.

“I gotta thank Dale, Candi (Dale’s daughter) and the whole Beitler family for being behind me all year,” said Hubbard, who came to the banquet dressed in snazzy rented all-white suit with a light-blue vest and tie (Beitler’s familiar colors!). “They gave me a chance and it was a blast. I can’t thank them enough.

“I’m just happy to be up here getting awards and money for what I love to do.”

George – the first female driver to attempt following the challenging WoO LMS as a regular – was also called to the stage to receive a $5,000 check for finishing second in the Rookie of the Year standings. She entered 37 of the season’s 44 events and finished 12th in the overall points race.

Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, who finished 11th in the points standings, was the only driver who had perfect attendance on the 2010 tour but did not attend the awards banquet.

Rocket Chassis was recognized as the winner of the 2010 WoO LMS Chassis Builders’ Challenge – the seventh straight year that the company has earned the nod. Ten drivers won WoO LMS A-Mains using Rocket cars this season, giving the manufacturer 32 victories in 44 events.

Cornett ‘Thunder & Lightning’ Racing Engines in Somerset, Ky., was announced as the winner of the 2010 WoO LMS Engine Builders’ Challenge. It was the third consecutive honor for company owner Jack Cornett, whose engines were under the hood of the cars driven by Richards, Lanigan and Hubbard.

WRG President Tom Deery announced that the 2010 WoO LMS Promoter of the Year award was earned by Virginia Motor Speedway’s Bill Sawyer, whose top-notch facility has hosted a WoO LMS event annually since 2004 and this year stepped up by inaugurating the $25,000-to-win Commonwealth 100. The plaque was accepted by VMS announcer/marketing representative Dave Seay, who noted that the second annual Commonwealth 100 will return to the WoO LMS schedule on April 15-16, 2011.

VP Racing Fuels provided a pair of special awards, giving George, Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., and Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif., certificates for 30 gallons of Late Model Plus fuel for winning the most VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs’ awards (a pair of fuel jugs to the fastest time-trialer who doesn’t qualify for each event) in 2010 and Richards $500 in cash as a bonus for capturing the championship.

* The Raye Vest Memorial Pill-Draw Award presented by McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. Fuller (lowest time-trial pill-draw average for the 2010 season) and McCreadie (highest average) each received a $500 check.

* The DirtonDirt.com Hard Charger Award, a $500 check that went to Frank for picking up the most positions in WoO LMS A-Mains this season. He advanced 170 spots, beating Fuller by 11 positions.

* The luck of the draw provided $1,000 cash prizes to McCreadie and Clint Smith courtesy of STP. McCreadie won the drawing among fulltime WoO LMS drivers who won A-Mains in 2010 while Smith had his name pulled from the group of regulars who did not reach Victory Lane this season.

Lanigan and Richards also earned a portion of the $15,000 LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge points fund, a unique 16-race program that featured WoO Late Model and Sprint Car drivers squaring off in a combined points battle. Lanigan earned $3,000 for finishing third in the final LaCrosse standings and Richards pocketed $1,000 for placing fifth.

Among the WRG officials who addressed those in attendance were Deery, Chief Executive Officer Brian Carter and Chief Marketing Officer Ben Geisler. WoO LMS director Tim Christman also gave a review of the 2010 season, thanked the tour’s hard-working road crew (race director Bret Emrick, announcer and banquet host Rick Eshelman, tech director Terry Watson, scorer Sandy Holt, pit steward Mark Coglianese and P.R. director Kevin Kovac) and looked ahead to the upcoming 2011 campaign.

Christman said the full 2011 WoO LMS schedule will likely be released next month, but the season is scheduled to kick off with two programs on Feb. 17 and 19 during the 40th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Owens Rolls To Victory Again In Lowes Foods World Finals Nightcap As Richards Clinches Second World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title

CONCORD, NC - Nov. 6, 2010 (evening) - Jimmy Owens closed the Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks with a victory for the second consecutive year on Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

And for the second year in a row, the standout racer from Newport, Tenn., shared the post-race spotlight with Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who secured his second straight World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship with a fourth-place finish in the evening’s 50-lap A-Main.

Owens, 38, took note of the similar circumstances after rolling to a $10,000 triumph in front of a chilled sell-out crowd of over 14,000 and a national television audience on SPEED. He marched forward from the sixth starting spot to take the lead for good on lap 18 with a inside pass of Blairsville, Ga.’s Jonathan Davenport, who was bidding for an unprecedented clean sweep of the Lowes Foods World Finals after winning Friday’s postponed 40-lap A-Main earlier in the day.

“It’s kind of like déjà vu,” Owens said after his second WoO LMS win of 2010 and the fourth of his career. “Every time we win here, Josh wins something big here. He’s probably glad to see us win.”

Richards, 22, captured the weekend’s most important prize, outdueling Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who made a furious charge from the 21st starting spot to finish third, in a dramatic season finale. The young sensation defeated his friendly rival by just four points – two finishing positions – to collect a $100,000 champion’s check and become the first repeat titlist of the national tour’s modern era (2004-present).

“To come out on top again and become the first back-to-back champion – words can’t really describe it,” said Richards, who started seventh and briefly peaked at second place following a lap-26 restart. “This means the world to me, all my family, my sponsors and my crew. It’s gonna take a little bit to settle in.”

Richards engaged in a down-to-the-wire thriller for the points crown with Lanigan, the 2008 champion who entered the World Finals trailing Richards by 22 points and put himself in a hole with poor qualifying times in both rounds of Thursday’s time trials. Lanigan came back strong on Saturday, however, finishing fourth – versus Richards’s quiet 12th-place run – in the matinee event to pull within six points entering the nightcap.

Lanigan, 40, was relegated to the 21st starting spot in Saturday night’s A-Main after winning a B-Main, but he tore through the field in his self-owned Rocket mount. He landed in fifth place behind Richards on lap 24 when he picked up several spots by escaping a scramble between turns three and four surrounding the spinning car of Carpentersville, Ill.’s Dennis Erb Jr., who lost control of his machine while battling for sixth place with Rick Eckert of York, Pa.

Shortly thereafter, on lap 32, Lanigan overtook Richards for third and immediately began to pressure Davenport for second. Lanigan knew he needed to beat Richards by at least four positions – or two if he was able to win the race – in order to steal the championship, but he was unable to climb higher while Richards calmly held the fourth spot to the checkered flag.

Lanigan crossed the finish line in third just over one second behind Davenport, who settled for second place after leading laps 15-17 in the Barry Wright house car. Richards was a half-second behind Lanigan in fourth and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., advanced from the 25th starting spot to finish fifth and cap a season that saw him place third in the WoO LMS points standings.

“I still feeling like I’m trying to run away from that 29 car (of Lanigan),” a relieved Richards said after climbing from his father Mark’s Kentucky Fuel Corporation Rocket No. 1 and lifting the WoO LMS championship trophy in Victory Lane. “Darrell definitely made it tough this year. We went right down to the last lap and it came down to four points.

“Hat’s off to Darrell and his guys. They did a heckuva job this year and deserve to be up here as much we do.”

Owens also held his high after reaching the winner’s circle with his Reece Monuments Team Zero by Bloomquist car. He improved from an eighth-place finish in the afternoon A-Main.

“We were O.K. the first race, but we were just a little bit freer than we needed to be,” said Owens. “We came back (to the pits) and pretty much put last year’s setup on the car and it was good. I really felt my car getting better and better as the race went on. The harder we ran, the better it was.”

Preventing Davenport’s sweep of the Lowes Food World Finals – the 27-year-old driver also set fast time in both ends of Thursday’s qualifying session and won his two heat races – left Owens with a dose of satisfaction.

“He’s been pretty tough this weekend, so it feels good to beat him,” Owens said of Davenport. “We’re probably about the only one who passed him today. I’m kind of proud of that.”

Six caution flags slowed the event, all coming between laps 23 and 29. There were no serious incidents.

Chris Madden of Grey Court, S.C., finished sixth after briefly reaching fifth place. Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., was seventh, followed by polesitter Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., who led laps 1-14 in the Warrior house car; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who placed fourth in the WoO LMS points standings; and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.

Heat winners were Davenport, Marlar, Erb, Eckert, Owens and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who retired after spinning out of seventh place to bring out the first caution flag of the A-Main on lap 23. The B-Mains were captured by Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and Lanigan.

The 2010 WoO LMS campaign will be celebrated – and nearly $400,000 in points-fund cash will be distributed – on Sunday night (Nov. 7) during the tour’s awards banquet at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C.

Results of WoO Late Model Series Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Race No. 2 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (6) Jimmy Owens/50 $10,000 2. (3) Jonathan Davenport/50 $5,000 3. (21) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,000 4. (7) Josh Richards/50 $2,575 5. (25) Tim McCreadie/50 $2,000 6. (12) Chris Madden/50 $1,700 7. (11) Steve Shaver/50 $1,400 8. (2) Mike Marlar/50 $1,800 9. (13) Steve Francis/50 $1,200 10. (14) Clint Smith/50 $1,100 11. (23) Shane Clanton/50 $1,050 12. (22) Chris Brown/50 $1,000 13. (4) Rick Eckert/50 $950 14. (26) Austin Hubbard/50 $1,150 15. (19) Vic Coffey/50 $900 16. (24) Will Vaught/50 $800 17. (16) Gregg Satterlee/50 $770 18. (8) Ken Schrader/50 $750 19. (10) Jeff Rine/50 $730 20. (17) Scott Bloomquist/50 $700 21. (20) Earl Pearson Jr./50 $700 22. (15) Jeep VanWormer/50 $700 23. (1) Dennis Erb Jr./50 $750 24. (28) Tim Fuller/49 $725 25. (18) Jared Landers/49 $700 26. (29) Chub Frank/48 $0 27. (27) Tommy Kerr/48 $700 28. (9) Billy Decker/28 $700 29. (5) John Blankenship/22 $700

Margin of Victory: 0.715 sec. Yellow Flags: 6 (Laps 23, 24, 24, 25, 26, 29) Lap Leaders: Marlar (1-14); Davenport (15-17); Owens (18-50) Provisional Starters:, McCreadie, Hubbard, Frank (WoO); Kerr, Fuller (track) Rookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250) WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Mike Marlar ($500)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jonathan Davenport, 2. Josh Richards, 3. Steve Francis, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Chris Brown, 6. Shannon Babb, 7. Dennis Franklin, 8. Tyler Reddick, 9. Jacob Hawkins, 10. Bob Gordon, 11. Jill George, 12. Chuck Smith

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Ken Schrader, 3. Clint Smith, 4. Vic Coffey, 5. Ricky Weeks, 6. Johnny Pursley, 7. John Henderson, 8. Chris Ferguson, 9. Chuck Harper, 10. Phillip Pittman, 11. Justin Labonte (DNS) Brian Ledbetter

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dennis Erb Jr., 2. Billy Decker, 3. Jeep VanWormer, 4. Shane Clanton, 5. Earl Pearson Jr., 6. Russell King, 7. Tim Allen, 8. Dale McDowell, 9. Ricky Thornton, 10. Mark Byram, 11. Dan Schlieper, 12. Jon Gunther

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Rick Eckert, 2. Jeff Rine, 3. Gregg Satterlee, 4. Ron Davies, 5. Eric Jacobsen, 6. Eddie Carrier Jr., 7. Tim McCreadie, 8. Tim Dohm, 9. Jason Montgomery, 10. Chad Hollenbeck, 11. Brian Nuttal Jr., 12. James O’Hara

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Steve Shaver, 3. Scott Bloomquist, 4. Tim Fuller, 5. Will Vaught, 6. Tommy Kerr, 7. Jared Hawkins, 8. Jay Sessoms, 9. Ricky Elliott, 10. Larry Wight, 11. Kerry King, 12. April Farmer

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. John Blankenship, 2. Chris Madden, 3. Jared Landers, 4. Darrell Lanigan, 5. Austin Hubbard, 6. Chub Frank, 7. Doug Drown, 8. John Lobb, 9. Kyle Pierce, 10. Zack Dohm, 11. Brad Neat

B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Vic Coffey, 2. Chris Brown, 3. Shannon Babb, 4. Johnny Pursley, 5. Tyler Reddick, 6. John Henderson, 7. Jacob Hawkins, 8. Chuck Harper, 9. Dennis Franklin, 10. Bob Gordon, 11. Chuck Smith, 12. Jill George, 13. Jason Feger, 14. Chris Ferguson, 15. Ricky Weeks (DNS) Phillip Pittman, Justin Labonte, Brian Ledbetter

B-Main No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Earl Pearson Jr., 2. Shane Clanton, 3. Eric Jacobsen, 4. Russell King, 5. Eddie Carrier Jr., 6. Ron Davies, 7. Tim Dohm, 8. Dale McDowell, 9. Tim Allen, 10. Ricky Thornton, 11. Jason Montgomery, 12. Mark Byram, 13. Brian Nuttal Jr., 14. Chad Hollenbeck, 15. James O’Hara, 16. Tim McCreadie, 17. Dan Schlieper (DNS) Jon Gunther

B-Main No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Darrell Lanigan, 2. Will Vaught, 3. Chub Frank, 4. Tim Fuller, 5. Doug Drown, 6. Jared Hawkins, 7. Tommy Kerr, 8. Austin Hubbard, 9. John Lobb, 10. Larry Wight, 11. Jay Sessoms, 12. April Farmer, 13. Kyle Pierce (DNS) Ricky Elliott, Zack Dohm, Kerry King, Brad Neat

Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main w/decal): Steve Shaver MSD Ignition ($75 cash award): Josh Richards MSD Ignition ($25 cash award): Tim Fuller Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash award to fastest qualifier w/decal): Dennis Erb Jr. Pink Carburetors ($100 product certificate): Rick Eckert Pink Carburetors ($50 product certificate): Austin Hubbard Quartermaster ($100 product certificate): Jonathan Davenport Quartermaster ($50 product certificate): Tim McCreadie Quartermaster ($25 product certificate): Vic Coffey R2C Performance ($100 certificate): Darrell Lanigan STP ($50 cash award): Vic Coffey Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner w/decal): Jonathan Davenport

Final 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Standings – after 44 A-Mains - (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Josh Richards 5908 2. Darrell Lanigan 5904 (-4) 3. Tim McCreadie 5790 (-118) 4. Steve Francis 5682 (-226) 5. Rick Eckert 5576 (-332) 6. Shane Clanton 5534 (-374) 7. Austin Hubbard 5464 (-444) 8. Tim Fuller 5368 (-540) 9. Clint Smith 5328 (-580) 10. Chub Frank 5294 (-614) 11. Russell King 4882 (-1026) 12. Jill George 3590 (-2318) 13. Brent Robinson 3470 (-2438) 14. Brady Smith 3226 (-2682) 15. Vic Coffey 1918 (-3990)

Davenport Goes ‘Hard’ For First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory In Saturday Afternoon’s Postponed Lowes Foods World Finals A-Main

CONCORD, NC - Nov. 6, 2010 (afternoon) - A shrewd tire-compound choice propelled Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., to a convincing victory in Saturday afternoon’s postponed 40-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main during the Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

With a hard 70-compound Hoosier tire bolted on the right-rear corner of his Barry Wright Race Cars house car, Davenport was able to master the four-tenths-mile oval’s sun-baked afternoon surface. He surged forward from the sixth starting spot to pass Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., for the lead on lap 11 and never looked back en route to his first career WoO LMS triumph.

Davenport, who turned 27 on Oct. 31, also presented veteran car builder Barry Wright a first-ever triumph on the national tour.

“This is real exciting,” said Davenport, who earned $10,500 for bagging a checkered flag in the first half of a Lowes Foods World Finals doubleheader that attracted more than 14,000 fans. “You can’t get no bigger crowd than this, and I’ve always loved this place.”

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who started from the outside pole, crossed the finish line 3.140 seconds behind Davenport after inheriting the runner-up spot on lap 37 when McCreadie slowed with a flat right-rear tire. McCreadie started from the pole position and led laps 1-10.

Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., advanced from the fifth starting spot to finish third, also behind the wheel of a car built by Wright. Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., started 12th but charged forward to place fourth and fourth-starter Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis., completed the top five.

Lanigan’s run pulled him within just six points of WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who struggled to a 12th-place finish. The two friendly rivals will conclude their dramatic battle for the tour’s $100,000 championship in Saturday night’s regularly-scheduled second half of the Lowes Foods World Finals.

“We’ve gone at it the same way all year and we’re gonna go out there tonight to try and win the race and see what we can come up with (in the points),” said Lanigan, who bolted softer-compound tires on his car for the afternoon event in an attempt to pick up spots during the early stages. “It’s unbelievable that we’ve run all season and the points are going to come down to just a couple positions.”

While Lanigan and Richards chase the WoO LMS crown in Saturday’s nightcap, Davenport will bid for an unprecedented clean sweep of the full-fender portion of the Lowes Foods World Finals. He set fast time in both rounds of qualifying on Thursday night and won a heat race during Saturday afternoon’s program, which was postponed by rain on Friday night.

Davenport expects the road to victory in the evening show to be a bit more difficult, however.

“Today we just put on the right tires,” said Davenport, who was briefly threatened by McCreadie late in the race before clearing lapped traffic and pulling away to a comfortable edge. “I thought it was a no-brainer (to go with a hard tire). Me and Barry looked at each other and we thought the exact same thing – we didn’t even say what tires we were gonna put on.

“Then we got up to the (starting) grid and nobody had them on, and we started thinking maybe we were wrong. But as soon as we took off, we knew we were right. Hoosier has great tires – this new 70 just fired right up.”

Three caution flags slowed the event, including one on lap nine for Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., who stopped with a broken rearend. Clanton, who used a provisional to start the A-Main after spinning during his heat, finished 25th and lost fifth place in the WoO LMS points standings to Eckert.

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who overtook early retiree Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., for ninth in the WoO LMS points standings; Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who had won all three previous Lowes Foods World Finals openers.

Heat winners were Davenport, McCreadie, Erb, Eckert, Francis and Schlieper. The B-Mains were captured by Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., and Dale McDowell of Chickamagua, Ga.

Results of WoO Late Model Series Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Race No. 1 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (6) Jonathan Davenport/40 $10,500 2. (2) Rick Eckert/40 $5,575 3. (5) Steve Francis/40 $3,600 4. (12) Darrell Lanigan/40 $3,100 5. (4) Dan Schlieper/40 $2,000 6. (3) Dennis Erb Jr./40 $1,700 7. (10) Clint Smith/40 $1,900 8. (8) Jimmy Owens/40 $1,300 9. (11) John Blankenship/40 $1,200 10. (17) Scott Bloomquist/40 $1,150 11. (27) Chris Madden/40 $1,050 12. (15) Josh Richards/40 $1,600 13. (19) Jared Landers/40 $950 14. (9) Vic Coffey/40 $900 15. (14) Tim Fuller/40 $1,350 16. (22) Jeep VanWormer/39 $800 17. (26) Russell King/39 $1,270 18. (23) Austin Hubbard/39 $1,550 19. (16) Zack Dohm/39 $730 20. (24) Johnny Pursley/39 $700 21. (20) Gregg Satterlee/39 $700 22. (18) Chris Brown/39 $700 23. (1) Tim McCreadie/36 $1,300 24. (7) Steve Shaver/17 $700 25. (13) Chub Frank/16 $1,200 26. (25) Shane Clanton/8 $1,225 27. (21) Dale McDowell/8 $700 28. (28) Jeff Rine/6 $700

Margin of Victory: 3.140 Secs. Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 9, 18, 37) Lap Leaders: McCreadie (1-10); Davenport (11-40) Provisional Starters: Clanton, King (WoO); Madden, Rine (track) Rookie of the Race: Austin Hubbard ($250) WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Davenport ($500)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jonathan Davenport, 2. Steve Shaver, 3. Chub Frank, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Earl Pearson Jr., 6. Russell King, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. Shane Clanton, 9. Chad Hollenbeck, 10. Ken Schrader, 11. Chuck Smith, 12. Ricky Thornton (DQ – light) Billy Decker

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Tim McCreadie, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Tim Fuller, 4. Jeep VanWormer, 5. John Henderson, 6. Jared Landers, 7. Jason Montgomery, 8. Tim Allen, 9. Kerry King, 10. James O’Hara, 11. Eric Wells, 12. Mike Marlar, 13. Jay Sessoms

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dennis Erb Jr., 2. Vic Coffey, 3. Josh Richards, 4. Chris Ferguson, 5. Austin Hubbard, 6. Brad Neat, 7. Ricky Weeks, 8. April Farmer, 9. Dennis Franklin, 10. Larry Wight, 11. Mark Byram (DNS) Rick Delong, Dane Burns

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Rick Eckert, 2. Clint Smith, 3. Zack Dohm, 4. Gregg Satterlee, 5. Ron Davies, 6. Jared Hawkins, 7. Tyler Reddick, 8. Justin Labonte, 9. Tim Dohm, 10. Kyle Pierce, 11. Tommy Kerr, 12. Chuck Harper

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Steve Francis, 2. John Blankenship, 3. Scott Bloomquist, 4. Dale McDowell, 5. Johnny Pursley, 6. Ricky Elliott, 7. Eddie Carrier Jr., 8. Jacob Hawkins, 9. Bob Gordon, 10. Kevin Scott, 11. Brian Ledbetter, 12. Doug Drown

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dan Schlieper, 2. Darrell Lanigan, 3. Chris Brown, 4. Will Vaught, 5. Shannon Babb, 6. Chris Madden, 7. Jeff Rine, 8. John Lobb, 9. Jill George, 10. Phillip Pittman, 11. Jon Gunther, 12. Brian Nuttal Jr.

B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Jared Landers, 2. Jeep VanWormer, 3. Russell King, 4. Shane Clanton, 5. Jason Feger, 6. Jason Montgomery, 7. Ken Schrader, 8. Tim Allen, 9. John Henderson, 10. Eric Jacobsen, 11. Billy Decker, 12. Chad Hollenbeck, 13. Kerry King, 14. James O’Hara, 15. Chuck Smith, 16. Ricky Thornton, 17. Jay Sessoms (DNS) Earl Pearson Jr., Eric Wells, Mike Marlar

B-Main No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Gregg Satterlee, 2. Austin Hubbard, 3. Jared Hawkins, 4. Tim Dohm, 5. Tyler Reddick, 6. Ricky Weeks, 7. Dennis Franklin, 8. Justin Labonte, 9. April Farmer, 10. Tommy Kerr, 11. Chris Ferguson, 12. Larry Wight, 13. Mark Byram, 14. Kyle Pierce, 15. Ron Davies, 16. Brad Neat (DNS) Chuck Harper

B-Main No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Johnny Pursley, 3. Chris Madden, 4. Ricky Elliott, 5. Eddie Carrier Jr., 6. Jacob Hawkins, 7. Jeff Rine, 8. John Lobb, 9. Jill George, 10. Jon Gunther, 11. Doug Drown, 12. Brian Nuttal Jr., 13. Kevin Scott, 14. Bob Gordon, 15. Shannon Babb, 16. Will Vaught, 17. Brian Ledbetter (DNS) Phillip Pittman

Arizona Sports Shirts ($50 product certificate): Tyler Reddick/Jill George Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main w/decal): Dennis Erb Jr. Eibach Springs (one free spring): Larry Wight/Johnny Pursley MSD Ignition ($75 cash award): Rick Eckert MSD Ignition ($25 cash award): Shane Clanton Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash award to fastest qualifier w/decal): Scott Bloomquist Pink Carburetors ($100 product certificate): Rick Eckert Pink Carburetors ($50 product certificate): Austin Hubbard Quartermaster ($100 product certificate): Jonathan Davenport Quartermaster ($50 product certificate): Dan Schlieper Quartermaster ($25 product certificate): Johnny Pursley R2C Performance ($100 cash): Rick Eckert STP ($50 cash award): Shane Clanton VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (two five-gallon plastic fuel jugs to fastest qualifier who does not make the A-Main if decal is displayed): Mike Marlar Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner w/decal): Jonathan Davenport

2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Nov. 6 (afternoon) – 43 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Josh Richards 5766 2. Darrell Lanigan 5760 (-6) 3. Tim McCreadie 5650 (-116) 4. Steve Francis 5550 (-216) 5. Rick Eckert 5452 (-314) 6. Shane Clanton 5406 (-360) 7. Austin Hubbard 5342 (-424) 8. Tim Fuller 5266 (-500) 9. Clint Smith 5198 (-568) 10. Chub Frank 5196 (-570) 11. Russell King 4794 (-972) 12. Jill George 3518 (-2248)

Davenport Emerges As Star Of 76-Car Late Model Field With Two Fast-Time Honors During Thursday’s Lowes Foods World Finals Qualifying Night

CONCORD, NC - Nov. 4, 2010 - Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., was perfect of Thursday night, sweeping fast-time honors in the two rounds of time trials that kicked off the fourth annual Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track Charlotte.

A talent-laden field of 76 dirt Late Models jammed the pit area for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series event, which is part of a blockbuster season-ending tripleheader at the four-tenths-mile oval. The program also attracted 56 machines for the companion World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series meet and 52 entries for the Super DIRTcar Series big-block action.

Davenport, who turned 27 on Oct. 31, was spectacular in becoming the second driver to emerge with the quickest time in both rounds of Lowes Foods World Finals qualifying, duplicating the feat of Vienna, W.Va.’s Steve Shaver in 2007. He ripped off consecutive laps of 15.178 seconds and 15.130 seconds during the single session of WoO LMS qualifying.

With weather concerns prevailing after a wet overnight and morning in the Charlotte area, WoO LMS and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials decided to condense the traditional pair of World Finals Late Model qualifying legs into a single session. Drivers turned two laps – the first used to line up Friday night’s heat race, the second to align Saturday evening’s heats.

Davenport, who has never won a WoO LMS A-Main, will start from his Barry Wright Race Cars house car from the pole position in the first 10-lap heat race on both Friday and Saturday night. He will be seeking to erase memories of his last visit to The Dirt Track on Oct. 13, when he was forced to relinquish his pole starting spot in the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown because an incorrect rear quarter-panel height measurement during pre-race inspection prompted officials to penalize him to the rear of the field.

Davenport was the only driver to secure two pole starting spots in World Finals heat races. Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis., earned pole slots for Friday prelims, while NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader of Concord, N.C., Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Tommy Kerr of Maryville, Tenn., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., will start from the pole in Saturday heats.

Defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who enters the World Finals leading the national tour’s points standings by 22 points over 2008 titlist Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., timed 15th fastest in Friday’s qualifying round and 19th fastest in Saturday’s session. Richards got an early upper hand on Lanigan, who managed only the 48th and 42nd fastest laps during Thursday’s qualifying rounds and will have to work his way forward in both of his heats.

The World Finals continue on Friday and Saturday, with gates opening at 3 p.m. and hot laps scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. each night. Racing will immediately follow the completion of practice sessions for the WoO LMS, WoO Sprint Car Series and Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds.

Saturday night’s World Finals program will be televised live by the SPEED cable network from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight ET.

For more information, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com or www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Round 1 Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results For Fri., Nov. 5 Heat Races (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):

1. 49-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 15.178 2. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 15.212 3. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 15.326 4. 22s-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 15.345 5. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.365 6. s9-Dan Schlieper/Sullivan, WI 15.392 7. 6-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 15.393 8. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 15.408 9. 28e-Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL 15.410 10. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.422 11. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 15.490 12. 44M-Chris Madden/Grey Court, SC 15.539 13. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 15.569 14. 1GW-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 15.616 15. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.639 16. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.657 17. 09-Johnny Pursley/Clover, SC 15.673 18. 2J-Jeff Rine/Danville, PA 15.675 19. 91-Billy Decker/Unadilla, NY 15.676 20. 17L-Jared Landers/Batesville, AR 15.677 21. 22F-Chris Ferguson/Mt. Holly, NC 15.677 22. 17z-Zach Dohm/Cross Lanes, WV 15.694 23. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 15.700 24. 1V-Will Vaught/Crane, MO 15.704 25. 9K-Ken Schrader/Concord, NC 15.741 26. 1G-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 15.763 27. 14-April Farmer/Livingston, TN 15.774 28. 71d-Ron Davies/Warren, PA 15.793 29. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 15.798 30. 21b-Chris Brown/Cleveland, TX 15.801 31. 25F-Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL 15.810 32. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.811 33. 19H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 15.843 34. 44L-Justin Labonte/Trinity, NC 15.866 35. 07-Brian Ledbetter/Dallas, NC 15.877 36. 1L-John Lobb/Frewsburg, NY 15.881 37. 5-Eric Jacobsen/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 15.892 38. 21M-Jason Montgomery/Jackson, OH 15.911 39. 41-Brad Neat/Dunnville, KY 15.916 40. 20J-Jared Hawkins/Fairmont, WV 15.919 41. 88-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 15.941 42. 18b-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 15.953 43. 44P-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 15.966 44. 17A-Tim Allen/Kannapolis, NC 15.983 45. 1W-Ricky Weeks/Rutherforton, NC 15.992 46. 4T-Tommy Kerr/Maryville, TN 16.041 47. 20H-Jacob Hawkins/Fairmont, WV 16.058 48. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 16.076 49. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 16.089 50. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 16.097 51.2F-Dennis Franklin/Gaffney, SC 16.106 52. 11-Tyler Reddick/Corning, CA 16.108 53. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 16.130 54. 3P-Phillip Pittman/Vidalia, GA 16.191 55. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 16.222 56. 84-Jay Sessoms/Stanley, NC 16.241 57. 3d-Rick Delong/Whitehouse, OH 16.250 58. 00H-Chuck Harper/Beverly, WV 16.255 59. 12d-Doug Drown/Wooster, OH 16.478 60. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 16.482 61. 4ds-Chad Hollenbeck/Kingsley, PA 16.490 62. K&B-Kerry King/Delmar, DE 16.493 63. 45-Mark Byram/Georgetown, DE 16.731 64. 6T-Tim Dohm/Cross Lanes, WV 16.831 65. 12s-Kevin Scott Jr./Laurel, DE 16.878 66. 16-Brian Nuttal Jr./Claxton, GA 16.954 67. 1s-Chuck Smith/Sanford, NC 17.005 68. 2x-John Henderson/Aiken, SC 17.249 69. 10*-Dane Burns/New London, NC 17.426 70. 281-Kyle Pierce/Statesville, NC 17.617 71. 31-Bob Gordon/Keyser, WV 19.402 72. 18M-Jeff Smith/Dallas, NC N/T 73. 2G-Jon Gunther/Fayetteville, NC N/T 74. 180-Ricky Thornton/Chandler, AZ N/T 75. 44J-James O’Hara/Moscow, PA N/T 76. 99L-Larry Wight/Phoenix, NY N/T

Round 2 Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results For Sat., Nov. 6 Heat Races (Position/Driver/Best Lap):

1. Jonathan Davenport 15.130 2. Ken Schrader 15.347 3. Dennis Erb Jr. 15.406 4. Rick Eckert 15.419 5. Tommy Kerr 15.430 6. John Blankenship 15.434 7. Dennis Franklin 15.469 8. Mike Marlar 15.480 9. Billy Decker 15.489 10. Jason Montgomery 15.506 11. Jimmy Owens 15.544 12. Doug Drown 15.552 13. Jason Feger 15.553 14. Chris Ferguson 15.556 15. Earl Pearson Jr. 15.559 16. Jeff Rine 15.560 17. Steve Shaver 15.566 18. Chris Madden 15.573 19. Josh Richards 15.574 20. Ricky Weeks 15.606 21. Dan Schlieper 15.627 22. Ron Davies 15.638 23. Scott Bloomquist 15.640 24. Jared Landers 15.650 25. Steve Francis 15.653 26. Vic Coffey 15.661 27. Dale McDowell 15.673 28. Gregg Satterlee 15.688 29. Ricky Elliott 15.700 30. John Lobb 15.708 31. Chris Brown 15.724 32. Clint Smith 15.735 33. Shane Clanton 15.744 34. Eric Jacobsen 15.753 35. Tim Fuller 15.756 36. Zach Dohm 15.759 37. Shannon Babb 15.770 38. Johnny Pursley 15.786 39. Jeep VanWormer 15.799 40. Eddie Carrier Jr. 15.851 41. Will Vaught 15.870 42. Darrell Lanigan 15.921 43. Kevin Scott 15.986 44. Rick Delong 15.998 45. Jacob Hawkins 16.044 46. Dane Burns 16.049 47. Justin Labonte 16.067 48. Tim Allen 16.076 49. Tim Dohm 16.102 50. Jared Hawkins 16.114 51. Chub Frank 16.129 52. Eric Wells 16.181 53. Bob Gordon 16.229 54. Phillip Pittman 16.237 55. Mark Byram 16.394 56. Chad Hollenbeck 16.414 57. Kerry King 16.442 58. Austin Hubbard 16.496 59. Jill George 16.527 60. Chuck Harper 16.615 61. Jon Gunther 16.660 62. Tim McCreadie 16.702 63. Jay Sessoms 16.849 64. Kyle Pierce 16.986 65. Chuck Smith 17.088 66. Brian Ledbetter 17.227 67. Russell King 18.364 68. Brian Nuttal Jr. 20.378 69. April Farmer N/T 70. Jeff Smith N/T 71. Brad Neat N/T 72. Tyler Reddick N/T 73. John Henderson N/T 74. Ricky Thornton N/T 75. James O’Hara N/T 76. Larry Wight N/T

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Previewing The Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals At The Dirt Track At Charlotte

BUSY RACERS: This weekend’s Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte will for the first time bring together the World of Outlaws Late Model and Sprint Car Series with the Northeast’s Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds in an epic tripleheader.

And the addition of the popular big-block Modifieds will mean double-duty for at least four New York drivers.

WoO LMS stars Tim McCreadie and Tim Fuller as well as Super DIRTcar Series regulars Billy Decker and Larry Wight have plans to compete in both the Late Model and big-block Modified action during the Lowes Foods World Finals, which kick off on Thursday night (Nov. 4) with two rounds of time trials for the Late Models and Sprint Cars and two sets of heats for the big-blocks. The programs on Friday (Nov. 5) and Saturday (Nov. 6) will feature 50-lap A-Mains for the Late Models, 40-lappers for the Modifieds and 30-lap contests for the Sprints.

McCreadie, 36, and Fuller, who turned 43 on Oct. 28, are returning to their big-block Modified roots at The Dirt Track. Both will drive their familiar Late Models in the full-fender action – McCreadie will run the Sweeteners Plus No. 39 and Fuller will go to the post in the Gypsum Express No. 19 – and steer big-block Mods for Empire State-based teams that they hook up with for selected events that fit their schedules. McCreadie’s Modified ride is the Vinnie Salerno-owned Four Star Racing mount – a machine he drove to a $20,000 victory on Oct. 24 in the unsanctioned Eastern States 200 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. – and Fuller will campaign the J&S Racing No. 74.

While McCreadie and Fuller have never won a WoO LMS event at Charlotte, both reached Victory Lane there in Super DIRTcar Series shows during their big-block Modified careers. McCreadie was triumphant on April 6, 2002, and Fuller hit paydirt on May 25, 2005.

McCreadie is certainly knocking on the door to the winner’s circle at The Dirt Track in WoO LMS competition, however, having finished second in his last two starts – last year’s World Finals finale and last month’s Showdown event. His runner-up outing at the 2009 World Finals followed a dismal 27th-place finish in the opener and runs of fourth and 11th in the 2008 doubleheader (he didn’t enter the 2007 edition).

Fuller, meanwhile, has only a single memorable run at the World Finals – a third-place finish from deep in the field in the finale of the 2007 twinbill. He failed to qualify for the first A-Main in 2007 and then scored finishes of 14th and 15th in 2008 and 17th and 13th in 2009.

Decker, a DIRTcar big-block Modified superstar who turns 46 on Nov. 21, and the 17-year-old Wight will focus their attention on big-block Modified racing this weekend but also continue their dirt Late Model moonlighting. The two drivers – teammates of Fuller’s on the Gypsum Express operation, which is fielded by Wight’s father John – have been entering selected full-fender events in recent years.

Decker, who has never won a Super DIRTcar Series feature at The Dirt Track, is coming off a third-place finish in the dirt Late Model portion of last weekend’s Octoberfest 350 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. Wight, who won a B-Main before finishing 19th in the Octoberfest dirt Late Model event, will make his first-ever start at Charlotte.

THE SCENARIO: Josh Richards can assure himself of a second consecutive WoO LMS championship one way this weekend – by finishing in the top five in both 50-lap A-Mains.

The 22-year-old sensation leads the points standings entering the Lowes Foods World Finals by 22 points over 2008 titlist Darrell Lanigan. He can’t be overtaken for the $100,000 crown if he finishes at least fifth in the features.

McCreadie remains mathematically alive for the championship, sitting third in the standings, 94 points behind Richards. But his hopes wrest on both Richards and Lanigan experiencing disastrous weekends – ie., back-to-back finishes of 24th or worse.

Is that possible? Well, nothing can be taken for granted at The Dirt Track, but the odds are against it considering both Richards and Lanigan have finished every WoO LMS A-Main this season on the lead lap except the USA Nationals at Wisconsin’s Cedar Lake Speedway, an event that offered only show-up points.

Richards has a formidable performance record in the World Finals, finishing outside the top 10 just once in six A-Main starts. He finished fifth and 11th in 2007; 10th and first in 2008; and fifth and seventh in 2009.

Lanigan has been quiet but steady in the World Finals, rolling up finishes of 11th and fifth in 2007; 11th and seventh in 2008; and a pair of fourths in 2009.

COMING BACK: Chub Frank didn’t compete in last year’s World Finals doubleheader – thanks, of course, to the fractured cheek and orbital bones he suffered on the eve of the event when an apparent clod of hard-packed clay struck him in the helmet during qualifying for the rescheduled Topless Showdown.

The 48-year-old driver from Bear Lake, Pa., is fully healed and hoping to erase his bad memories of The Dirt Track this weekend. His previous World Finals finishes include a 14th and 24th in 2007 and a 12th and sixth in 2008.

WILL HE ROLL ON?: Since late September Shane Clanton has been on a hot streak, accumulating one win, four runner-up finishes and a third in seven starts at seven different tracks in six states.

But Clanton’s one hiccup came on Oct. 13 in the Showdown at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. He finished 10th after qualifying problems forced him to use a provisional and start 26th.

Can the Georgia driver keep his successful stretch going in the World Finals? He’ll have to buck his history in the event; he’s been a contender in past visits but doesn’t have the results to show for it. He finished 10th and ninth in 2007; 25th and 18th in 2008; and 11th and 16th in 2009.

OUTLAWS AT THE WORLD FINALS: Other WoO LMS regulars and their World Finals finishing histories include:

* Steve Francis: fourth and second in 2007; 28th and fifth in 2008; ninth and 12th in 2009.

* Rick Eckert: sixth and 12th in 2007; 17th and 12th in 2008; third and eighth in 2009.

* Clint Smith: 26th and 23rd in 2007; 23rd and 17th in 2008; 13th and sixth in 2009.

* Austin Hubbard (2010 Rookie of the Year): entered the 2007, 2008 and 2009 programs but did not qualify for an A-Main.

WINNERS: No driver has enjoyed more success in the Lowes Foods World Finals than Scott Bloomquist, who has won the opening-night 50-lapper all three years of the event’s existence. He craves a Saturday-night triumph in front of the SPEED television cameras, however, and will return this weekend to take another crack at it.

Joining Bloomquist and Richards as World Finals A-Main winners are Donnie Moran (2007 finale) and Jimmy Owens (2009 finale). Moran and Owens are expected to be contenders again this weekend.

CARS, CARS, CARS: The Lowes Foods World Finals dirt Late Model field has averaged 80 cars in its three-year run – a record 82 in 2007, 78 in 2008 and 80 in 2009. Another huge turnout is expected to pack The Dirt Track’s pit area this weekend.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The Lowes Foods World Finals program on Saturday night (Nov. 6) will once again be broadcast live on the SPEED cable network – this year as a four-hour spectacle beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

The show – the first World of Outlaws race broadcast in high definition – will see popular SPEED personality Dave Despain serve as host for the fourth consecutive year. The broadcast team also includes Bobby Gerould and hall-of-famer Brad Doty calling the Sprint Car action; Shane Andrews and Dr. Dick Berggren covering the Late Models and big-blocks; and Sarah Jane Hunt and Tony Bokhoven providing reports from the pits.

EARLIER START: The Dirt Track at Charlotte officials announced on Tuesday a change in the schedule for the Lowes Foods World Finals, moving gate openings and hot laps up one hour ahead of their originally scheduled times on Friday and Saturday.

Spectator gates will open at 3 p.m. and practice laps will begin at 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, with racing to immediately follow. On Thursday, meanwhile, gates will open at the originally scheduled time of 4 p.m., but hot laps will be moved up one hour to get the green flag at 5 p.m.

Questions about the schedule change can be directed to the Charlotte Motor Speedway events department at 704-455-3205.

TICKET INFO: With fans from 48 different states, all across Canada and even overseas (Australia, Great Britain, etc.) already purchasing tickets for the Lowes Foods World Finals, only a few three-day ticket packages remain. Thursday tickets start at only $20, while kids 12 and under get in for $10. Friday and Saturday adult single-day tickets start at only $39, while children 12 and under get in for $15.

Call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) to order tickets or go online to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Austin Hubbard Set To Close Rookie of the Year Campaign In Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Nov. 4-6 At The Dirt Track At Charlotte

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 1, 2010 – Austin Hubbard would love to close his unprecedented rookie season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series with a triumph during the Nov. 4-6 Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

With a sold-out crowd packing the track’s massive grandstand – and, for the grand finale program on Sat., Nov. 6, even more fans watching the live television broadcast on SPEED – the teenage sensation from Seaford, Del., knows he would have a huge stage for one of the unbridled post-race victory celebrations that have become his trademark.

“I just want to win the race first,” said Hubbard, who has already clinched the 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award. “But if we can pull it off (at Charlotte), I’m sure there will be a lot of celebrating. I don’t know what I’d do, but it would be fun.”

Hubbard, of course, had a lot of fun earlier this year after his first career WoO LMS A-Main win, on March 20 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. Overjoyed after authoring his breakthrough performance in just the fourth event of the national tour’s 2010 schedule, he let loose with a Victory Lane display unlike anything ever seen in series history. Hubbard climbed out of his car, removed his fireproof uniform, long-sleeve shirt and shoes and – harkening Will Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby character in Talladega Nights – ran down the homestretch wearing only his long underwear, helmet and socks.

Screven’s fans roared as Hubbard rolled in the mud and high-fived them through the catch fence. He was an instant hit – and a new star arrived. Just one month after turning 18, Hubbard fulfilled the promise that had made him the unlikely successor to former WoO LMS champion Steve Francis behind the wheel of Maryland team owner Dale Beitler’s high-profile Reliable Painting No. 19 machines.

Coming off a 2009 campaign that saw him turn heads – perhaps none more than Beitler’s – with three top-five and eight top-10 finishes driving his father Mike’s equipment while entering selected WoO LMS events, Hubbard certainly was confident that he could run up front with a established, proven team like Beitler’s. He even said “it would be a disappointment” if he was unable to win an Outlaw A-Main in 2010.

But did Hubbard ever think that milestone checkered flag would come in Race No. 4 after he passed Francis for the lead? Not a chance.

“I definitely was shocked it came that quick,” Hubbard said of his victory at Screven. “I figured my best shot at a win would be in the beginning or the end of the year, because the weather (in the spring and fall) makes the tracks heavier which is more to my liking. But I sure didn’t think it would be the fourth race in.”

Hubbard’s triumph came amidst an especially strong start for Hubbard, who also had four third-place finishes (at Ocala, Fla.; Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas; Fayetteville, N.C.; and Swainsboro, Ga.) under his belt by the 10th race of the season. He found himself fourth in the points standings and appeared to be adapting to the hyper-competitive tour like a seasoned veteran, but the trials and tribulations all rookies experience were soon to come.

“It seemed a little weird,” said Hubbard, who has enjoyed solid crew support all season from Beitler’s pair of fulltime mechanics, well-known crew chief Robby Allen and up-and-coming Pennsylvania dirt Late Model driver Coleby Frye. “We were in the top-three a bunch of times for more than a month and everything was rolling. But it was almost like the expectations were met and everybody was on this high about it, and then we struggled and had a lot of troubles through the middle of the year.”

Indeed, Hubbard took his share of hard knocks – a heat-race DQ at the scales and a hard qualifying crash during the Memorial Day weekend doubleheader at West Virginia Motor Speedway; a broken rearend while running fourth with just two laps remaining at New York’s Can-Am Motorsports Park; driveshaft failures in both the heat and A-Main at Ohio’s Sharon Speedway; a broken wheel that put him into the wall while running second just past the halfway point in the 100-lap USA Nationals at Wisconsin’s Cedar Lake Speedway.

While Hubbard registered a second A-Main victory in a rain-shortened event on July 9 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D. – making him the first driver in WoO LMS history to win twice in their rookie season – he slumped during his initial foray through the grueling dog days of summer with the Outlaws. He went without a top-five finish in the nine races contested in August before finally snapping the frustrating streak with his sixth third-place run of 2010, on Sept. 1 in the ‘Battle At Eastern Door 100’ at New York’s Mohawk International Raceway.

Hubbard took the struggles in stride, realizing that his rookie season wasn’t going to be a joy ride from start-to-finish. He still enters the Lowes Foods World Finals with 11 top-five finishes (sixth best on the tour) and 23 top-10 runs (seventh best) while starting all 42 A-Mains and appears headed to a seventh-place finish in the points standings – the highest ranking ever for a rookie on the WoO LMS. With the tour’s Rookie of the Year award determined using candidates’ best 30 finishes, Hubbard easily clinched the $10,000 prize over Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, who has entered 35 events and started 20 A-Mains with a top finish of 14th to her credit.

“I’ll take the year we’ve had and try to figure out what we need to do next year to get better and win more races,” said Hubbard, the first driver from the state of Delaware to win a WoO LMS A-Main. “Rookie of the Year was the obvious goal from the start and we’ve accomplished that and we’ve got two wins right now, so I can’t complain. I wish we would’ve run better toward the end of the year, but we’ve had a pretty good year.

“I definitely expected to struggle where we have been struggling,” he continued, analyzing his performance. “Drier tracks are hard for me; I’m still learning about driving straight, but it’s definitely gotten better. Getting to watch these (WoO LMS) guys and how they handle certain situations has definitely helped me all year, and because of that we’ve had some good runs in conditions that aren’t apt to the way I drive so I’m pretty happy with that.

“Everything is slowly getting better, but it just takes time. You see it in every division – (three-decade veterans) Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell are still winning Sprint Car races, Scott (Bloomquist) and Billy (Moyer) are still dominating (in dirt Late Models). Experience definitely does pay off in this sport, but I don’t use that as an excuse. I think we just have to get better and I have to drive better.

“Pretty much every night out this year I’ve had the feeling I should’ve done something different,” he added with a laugh. “There’s races where it cost us more than others, but that’s the only way you learn. You have to do it. Hopefully I can capitalize on the things I’ve learned and not make the same mistakes in the future.”

Hubbard will attempt to end his season on a high note this weekend at The Dirt Track, a high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval that’s been tough on him. He’s entered all three previous World Finals but has yet to qualify for an A-Main; his three career feature-event starts at The Dirt Track show finishes of 18th (last month’s World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown), 19th (2009 Colossal 100) and 25th (2009 Showdown).

“I like the place and I like the speed of it,” said Hubbard. “I always love to drive on it, but I don’t know if I always love to race on it. You’re not always sure what you’re gonna get and we’ve always struggled there trying to figure it out.”

Count on Hubbard solving The Dirt Track’s secrets sooner rather than later. The precocious talent is focused on improvement – this weekend and, especially, next year, though he understands his sophomore season on the WoO LMS just might be a bigger challenge than his first.

“I don’t know if it’ll be any easier,” said Hubbard, looking ahead to 2011. “I’ll probably just put more pressure on myself because I’ll want to work harder and do better. You can chalk a lot of stupid stuff (this year) up to rookie mistakes, but it won’t be like that anymore. Next year will be a whole new program and a whole new set of standards and goals, and probably they’ll be higher than they’ve ever been.”

The Lowes Food World of Outlaws World Finals, which also feature the WoO Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds, begin on Thurs., Nov. 4, with a big qualifying night that includes two rounds of Late Model and Sprint Car time trials and two sets of big-block Modified heats. The Late Models will compete in a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win on both Fri., Nov. 5, and Sat., Nov. 6.

Saturday’s racing program will also be broadcast live on SPEED starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Tickets for the Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS. Three-day packages are available for the bargain price of $69.

Who Has The Edge? Richards & Lanigan Ready To Conclude Points Battle At Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals On Nov. 4-6

Josh Richards and Darrell Lanigan are ready to conclude their dramatic chase for the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship on Nov. 4-6 during the Lowes Foods World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by Bimbo Bakeries and Tom’s Snacks at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

The question is: who has the advantage at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval?

The statistics would seem to favor Richards, the 22-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., who leads the WoO LMS standings by 22 points over Union, Ky.’s Lanigan entering the season-ending World Finals spectacular. Richards, after all, has three wins, seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in the 13 WoO LMS events contested since 2007 at The Dirt Track, while Lanigan’s more modest performance record covering the same races shows no wins, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

But numbers don’t necessarily tell the whole story in the Richards/Lanigan showdown, which has a $100,000 champion’s prize riding on its result. Richards, the defending WoO LMS titlist, knows history won’t be the determining factor in the razor-close points race.

“Anything can happen at Charlotte,” said Richards, who won the tour’s last event at The Dirt Track, the World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Oct. 13, for his series-leading eighth triumph of 2010. “We’ve had a little more success there than Darrell, but he’s also had some bad luck. He’s had a great year and he’s going to be ready, so we have to go there and fight for every position.”

Richards certainly has no reason for a lack of confidence at The Dirt Track, a fast racetrack that has been very good to him in WoO LMS competition. His first two series starts there resulted in DNFs – he finished 28th in the 2007 Colossal 100 after power-steering trouble forced him out on lap 25 while running second and placed 20th in the 2007 Showdown due to race-ending suspension damage his car sustained from hitting the cushion after he had exploded from the 21st starting spot to the lead in just nine laps. But since then he’s finished outside the top 10 in an A-Main just once. He owns third-place finishes in the Colossal 100 in 2008 and 2009; two wins (2010 and 2009) and a sixth-place run (2008) in the Showdown; and World Finals outings of fifth and 11th (2007), 10th and first (2008) and fifth and seventh (2009).

Consistent strength permeates Richards’s record at The Dirt Track. He has two fast-time honors and an average time-trial result of 9.33 in the 12 WoO LMS events that have utilized qualifying (a pill-draw format was used for the 2007 Showdown) and has won a heat race four times. He’s failed to qualify through a heat just once in 13 tries – a broken driveshaft on the opening lap of a heat during the 2007 Showdown forced him to run a B-Main, which he won.

“I’ve always loved racing at Charlotte,” said Richards, whose three career wins ranks him behind only Scott Bloomquist (six) and Chris Madden (four) on The Dirt Track’s alltime dirt Late Model victory list. “It’s a place that just sort of fits my style. I like momentum tracks and that’s how you have to run Charlotte.”

Lanigan, 40, can’t match Richards stat-for-stat at The Dirt Track. Not only has he never reached Victory Lane there, he also has an average time-trial placing of 19 (he set fast time for the first night of last year’s World Finals but has qualified as poorly as 50th, 55th, and 61 st in the past); has failed to transfer through a heat race three times; and has led laps in only one A-Main (Richards has led four events).

Nevertheless, Lanigan has flashed plenty of speed at The Dirt Track. In fact, few drivers have passed as many cars as he has without collecting a checkered flag for their effort.

On two occasions Lanigan has made spectacular charges through the pack. In the 2007 Showdown he started 28th after using a provisional to get in the 50-lap A-Main, but by lap 17 he was in second place and looking like he might become just the second driver in WoO LMS history to win a feature from last in the field; he couldn’t overtake eventual winner Shannon Babb, however, and fell to third on the final lap. Two years later, in the 2009 Colossal 100, he was forced to pit with a flat left-rear tire on lap 12 and then roared all the way back on a challenging, sun-baked afternoon surface to finish a career-best second at The Dirt Track.

Tough breaks have been all too common for Lanigan at Charlotte, starting with the first WoO LMS event, the 2007 Colossal 100, when he started from the pole position and led laps 1-3 before a flat right-rear tire forced him to the rear of the field. His list of misery also includes the first A-Main of the 2007 World Finals (finished 11th after pitting to change flat tires on laps 23 and 32); the 2008 Colossal 100 (was running a strong second on lap 90 when his car’s rearend broke); the 2008 Showdown (engine failure forced him out as he ran third on lap 34); and his most recent visit to The Dirt Track on Oct. 13 for the Showdown, which he finished in the 12th position after an early-race scrape with Eddie Carrier Jr. cut his car’s right-front tire and caused him to pit on lap 13.

Lanigan’s 12th-place finish in last month’s event cost him the WoO LMS points lead to Richards, who turned a two-point deficit into a 22-point edge. That means Lanigan, who trailed Richards by as many 78 points in early July, will likely need his best World Finals performances ever to win the series title for the second time in three years, but the seven-time winner on the 2010 tour is primed for the challenge.

“We haven’t had much luck at Charlotte over the years, but I know we can get the job done there,” said Lanigan, whose World Finals log shows finishes of 11th and fifth (2007), 11th and seventh (2008) and two fourths (2009). “I like big tracks like Charlotte and we’ve run good there several times. Hopefully we have our bad luck behind us (after last month’s Showdown) and we’ll be able to race it out.

“We’re probably gonna have to win or finish right up front if we’re gonna beat Josh (for the championship), so our focus will be on winning the races. That’s all we can do.”

Though Lanigan has been a WoO LMS regular since 2004 and Richards a steady traveler since 2005 and both drivers have won championships, it’s Richards who has the advantage when it comes to experience running the season finale under the glaring pressure of a close points race. While Lanigan needed only to start the first A-Main of the 2008 World Finals to salt away his title – he won the crown by a then record 160 points – and hasn’t gone into a season-ending race with a shot at the championship since 2006 (he had only flickering hopes that year sitting fifth in the standings, 46 points behind), this will be the third straight year Richards enters the World Finals with a big-money points finish on the line.

In 2008 Richards entered the World Finals ranked fourth in the standings (26 points behind second second-place Steve Francis) but hopped over both Francis and Clanton with a 10th-place finish in the first A-Main and clinched a $60,000 runner-up finish in the points with a clutch victory in the nationally-televised finale. Last year, meanwhile, he sat four points behind leader Francis in the standings heading to Charlotte but went four points up following a fifth-place finish in the Friday-night A-Main – a finish he earned in dramatic fashion after rallying from a flat right-rear tire that forced him to relinquish third place on lap 43. Richards closed out his milestone championship with a seventh-place finish in last year’s World Finals finale, staying several spots ahead of Francis throughout the distance.

Will Richards’s experience with his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis house car team help him come out on top of a hotly-contested points battle under the bright lights of the World Finals for the third year in a row? In his mind, the past will be immaterial.

“I’ve been through it the last two years, but that won’t change how we approach (the World Finals) this year,” said Richards, who has effectively been in a one-on-one race for the championship with Lanigan since 2006 titlist Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., slipped more than 80 points behind the lead duo with a DNF on Sept. 5 at Pennsylvania’s Tri-City Speedway (McCreadie remains mathematically alive for the title at 94 points behind Richards but needs both Richards and Lanigan to have two disastrous outings). “Maybe there’s a little more pressure on you when the points come down to the last race, but Darrell’s been around a long time and he’s not going to let any pressure get to him.”

The Lowes Food World of Outlaws World Finals, which also feature the WoO Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds, begin on Thurs., Nov. 4, with a big qualifying night featuring two rounds of Late Model and Sprint Car time trials and two sets of big-block Modified heats. The Late Models will compete in a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win on both Fri., Nov. 5, and Sat., Nov. 6.

Saturday’s racing program will also be broadcast live on SPEED starting at 8 p.m. ET.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Awards Will Be Determined At World Finals

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 20, 2010 – The tight battle for the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points championship won’t be the only mathematical drama that plays out during the World Finals on Nov. 4-6 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

While Josh Richards and Darrell Lanigan will fight it out on the track in search of the $100,000 World of Outlaws title, a separate season-long contest among the national tour’s regulars will come to a conclusion in the pit area. The winners of the inaugural Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Awards will be determined during the four-tenths-mile oval’s blockbuster weekend, which also features the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds.

The unique competition – named in honor of late team owner Raye Vest and sponsored by McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning in Omaha, Neb. – rewards the WoO LMS travelers who end the season with the best and worst averages in the nightly pill draws for time-trial positions. Each driver will receive $500 for their good – and bad – luck in a pre-race pursuit that was a favorite of Vest, who spent 15 years fielding cars for WoO LMS star Rick Eckert of York, Pa., until passing away in November 2009 at the age of 76 from health problems he had been battling for several years.

“Raye always loved the pill draw – that was his thing,” said Eckert, who ran all 237 WoO LMS events contested from 2004-2009 in equipment owned by Vest. “When he was at a race he’d go to the (series) trailer and when he came out you would immediately know if he drew a good or bad number just by looking at his face. And if he didn’t make it to a race, he’d call me before the night started and the first thing he’d say was, ‘What number did you draw?’”

In a nod to Vest, WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman adorned the canister used for this year’s qualifying pill draws with a Raye Vest Memorial decal and painted it in Vest’s familiar orange and black colors. John McCarthy Sr., a longtime sponsor of three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer and other dirt Late Model events through his McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning business, signed on to provide a financial reward for the series regulars who picked the best and worst numbers from that can over the course of the season.

“I can’t think of doing anything better than this to remember Raye Vest,” said McCarthy, who knew Vest well from their years attending races. “Every time there’s a pill draw, we think of one of the sponsorship giants in our sport.

“I know how much Raye loved the pill draw. I used to give him a hard time whenever he had a bad draw. My wife always said I was too hard on him, but we had a good time with it. He’d be just as hard on me if Moyer got a bad draw.”

McCarthy greatly respected Vest, prompting his interest in being involved with an award to memorialize the veteran car owner.

“There was never a kinder or gentler man in racing,” said McCarthy. “It was always about racing with him. He loved the sport and the people and we all miss him.”

Watertown, N.Y., drivers – and former DIRTcar big-block Modified regulars – Tim Fuller and Tim McCreadie head into the World Finals in the driver’s seat for the $500 Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Awards. Fuller owns the best (lowest) pill-draw average at 28.2, while McCreadie has the worst (highest) average at 45.6.

Both drivers have fairly solid edges over the next closest drivers – Fuller leads Richards by 2.8, while McCreadie is 3.1 better than Russell King – so it will likely take very high number draws for Fuller and very low number picks for McCreadie to see them overtaken for the cash, which will be distributed during the WoO LMS Awards Banquet on Nov. 7 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C.

The final pill-draw averages will be determined on Thurs., Nov. 4, when drivers will participate in two separate draws on qualifying night. Two rounds of time trials will be conducted – one to set up the heat races on Fri., Nov. 5, and the other to align the heats on Sat., Nov. 6. A 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win will headline the Friday and Saturday programs.

Tickets for the World Finals can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS. Three-day packages are available for the bargain price of $69.

2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award Standings (average pill-draw numbers for series regulars through 42 of 44 events):

Back On Top: Richards Regains Points Lead With World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown Victory At Charlotte

The 22-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., vaulted back on top of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series points standings on Wednesday night, holding off Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., to capture the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Richards turned a two-point deficit to Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., into a 22-point lead in the event that kicked off Bank of America 500 week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As Richards raced off the outside pole starting spot to pace the entire distance of the A-Main, Lanigan was slowed by a right-front flat tire on lap 13 and managed only a 12th-place finish after restarting at the rear of the field.

The $100,000 WoO LMS championship prize will be determined with the season-ending pair of features during the World Finals on Nov. 4-6 at The Dirt Track, which boasted a fast, smooth surface on Wednesday night.

“It’s unfortunate that Lanigan had some bad luck tonight, but there’s still a long way to go,” said Richards, who earned $10,675 for his series-leading eighth triumph of 2010. “We gotta come back here for the Finals and race hard. You can lose a lot of points in one night, so we just gotta try to stay consistent and stay focused.”

Richards was on his game in the Showdown, keeping his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket car in front of McCreadie to win the Showdown for the second straight year and score his third career triumph at the four-tenths-mile oval. It was his 28th career victory on the WoO LMS – tying him with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., as the national tour’s winningest driver since 2004 – and moved him closer to a second consecutive Outlaw title.

McCreadie, 36, settled for second place in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket, crossing the finish line one car length behind Richards. Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., scored a career-best WoO LMS finish of third after starting seventh in Sanford Goddard’s Warrior house car, while sixth-starter Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., was fourth in the Bobby Labonte Motorsports MastersSbilt and Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., charged forward from the 21st starting spot to place fifth in the K&L Rumley Rocket.

Richards put himself in position for his critical victory with a dramatic heat-race performance. He came on after a mid-race restart to win the second heat by inches with a last-turn pass of Dallas, N.C.’s Jeff Smith.

“We struggled in qualifying with some carburetor issues,” said Richards. “We got that fixed, though, and in the heat race the car was phenomenal. The Cornett power really worked well for us in the heat – we were able to stick around that bottom and get by those guys.

“I think that was the key to winning tonight – getting in the redraw and getting a good spot. We drew the outside pole and I knew it was pretty much our race to lose. We’ve run well here in the past, so I knew if we could get out front and get rolling we’d be in good shape.”

Richards had to withstand some serious pressure from McCreadie, whose advance from the ninth starting spot reached second place when he swept around the outside of both Marlar and Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., on a lap-13 restart. McCreadie had several high-groove bids to grab the lead thwarted by Richards, who built a 10 car-length edge on McCreadie following a restart on lap 22 but maintained a more modest edge after the race’s fifth and final caution flag flew on lap 42.

“It’s good to be leading, but you don’t know where anybody’s running,” said Richards, who has an opportunity to tie or beat the WoO LMS single-season win record of nine set in 2004 by Scott Bloomquist. “I kept watching the scoreboard, and once I saw McCreadie was second and I could kind of hear him on the outside I moved up (on the track).

“I ran the top of one and two and the bottom of three and four, just trying to keep my momentum up. I know (McCreadie) wasn’t very happy about it – he thought I was racing him dirty – but when you’re on a track like this and you’re running the bottom you don’t stay on the bottom because you gotta keep your momentum up.

“I knew he was there but I didn’t know how close, so I just tried to take his line away. It’s called racing.”

McCreadie drew close to Richards’s rear bumper during the final circuits but fell short. He was disappointed after absorbing his seventh runner-up finish of 2010.

“I gave it all I had,” said McCreadie. “At least we made that 1 car have to get wide the last 20 laps to hold on.”

Richards, meanwhile, wore a big smile after his triumph, which he credited to his well-oiled team.

“Everybody did an awesome job – my dad, Matt (Barnes), Jimmy (Frye),” said Richards. “Even (NASCAR star Tony) Stewart – he was in the pits scraping mud before the race and I guess he put the magic touch on it for us.”

Richards dedicated his win to the memory of the late Larry Daugherty, the 60-year-old father of Integra Racing Shocks rep Brian Daugherty. The elder Daugherty passed away unexpectedly last Friday morning.

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from the 11th starting spot to finish sixth. NASCAR Truck Series star Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C. – the grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress – placed seventh and McDowell slipped back to eighth after hitting a tractor tire lining the inside of turn four. Provisional starters Francis (25th) and Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga. (26th) rounded out the top 10.

Pearson was quickest in the 43-car Ohlins Shocks Time Trials session, turning a lap of 14.714 seconds for his second fast-time honor of 2010 on the WoO LMS.

Heat winners were Marlar, Richards, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., and Lanigan. Shaver and Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., captured the B-Mains.

Results of World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (2) Josh Richards/50 $10,675 2. (9) Tim McCreadie/50 $5,600 3. (7) Mike Marlar/50 $3,500 4. (6) Earl Pearson Jr./50 $2,500 5. (21) Steve Shaver/50 $2,000 6. (11) Rick Eckert/50 $2,200 7. (10) Austin Dillon/50 $1,400 8. (5) Dale McDowell/50 $1,300 9. (26) Steve Francis/50 $1,800 10. (26) Shane Clanton/50 $1,600 11. (19) Chub Frank/50 $1,550 12. (8) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,600 13. (23) Johnny Pursley/50 $1,000 14. (17) Clint Smith/50 $1,400 15. (15) Chris Madden/50 $900 16. (16) Tommy Kerr/50 $800 17. (1) Jonathan Davenport/42 $770 18. (13) Austin Hubbard/41 $1,500 19. (24) Luke Roffers/40 $730 20. (22) Randy Weaver/24 $700 21. (20) Ross Bailes/22 $700 22. (18) Russell King/21 $1,200 23. (27) Robbie Bailey/18 $700 24. (14) Chris Ferguson/13 $700 25. (4) Eddie Carrier Jr./13 $700 26. (3) Jeff Smith/6 $725 27. (12) Tim Fuller/5 $1,200 DNS: Kenny Compton Jr.

NOTE: Jonathan Davenport, Austin Hubbard and Chris Madden were penalized to starting spots at the rear of the field for failing a pre-race technical inspection of their car’s rear quarter-panel height

Yellow Flags: 5 (Laps 5, 11, 13, 22, 42) Lap Leaders: Richards (1-50) Provisional Starters: Francis Rookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250) WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Marlar ($500)

1. 44-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 14.714 2. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 14.764 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 14.777 4. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 14.841 5. 1G-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 14.907 6. 18M-Jeff Smith/Dallas, NC 14.926 7. 44M-Chris Madden/Grey Court, SC 14.975 8. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 14.997 9. 6-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 15.022 10. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.034 11. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 15.049 12. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 15.056 13. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.086 14. 3-Austin Dillon/Welcome, NC 15.097 15. 116-Randy Weaver/Crossville, TN 15.119 16. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 15.181 17. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 15.185 18. 22F-Chris Ferguson/Mt. Holly, NC 15.188 19. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.191 20. 87-Ross Bailes/Blacksburg, SC 15.211 21. 09-Johnny Pursley/Clover, SC 15.250 22. 10-Kenny Compton Jr./Bland, VA 15.261 23. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.283 24. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.305 25. 19H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 15.328 26. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 15.475 27. 3C-Mike Collins/Carter Lake, IA 15.515 28. 21-Luke Roffers/Concord, NC 15.516 29. 93-Donald Bradsher/Burlington, NC 15.546 30. 17-Tim Allen/Kannapolis, NC 15.547 31. 92-Stephen Evans/Tyner, NC 15.550 32. 4T-Tommy Kerr/Maryville, TN 15.589 33. 00-Jay Sessoms/Stanley, NC 15.635 34. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 15.768 35. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 15.815 36. 2G-Jon Gunther/Fayetteville, NC 15.829 37. 21b-Chris Brown/Cleveland, TX 16.021 38. 07-Brian Ledbetter/Dallas, NC 16.494 39. 29P-Kyle Pierce/Statesville, NC 16.539 40. 72-Robbie Bailey/Mooresville, NC 16.548 41. 773-Mike Evock/Hope Mills, NC 16.909 42. 1s-Chuck Smith/Sanford, NC 17.128 43. B4-Travis Leake/Enoree, SC 17.493

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 5 Transfer): Marlar, Pearson, McCreadie, Hubbard, Clint Smith, Shaver, Shaver, Pursley, Brown, Evock, Bradsher, Sessoms

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 5 Transfer): Richards, J. Smith, Dillon, Ferguson, King, Francis, B. Smith, Compton, Ledbetter, Allen, Chuck Smith

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 5 Transfer): Davenport, McDowell, Madden, Eckert, Weaver, Frank, Collins, George, Leake, Pierce, Evans

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 5 Transfer): Lanigan, Carrier, Fuller, Kerr, Bailes, Bailey, Roffers, Gunther, Clanton, Coffey

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Shaver, Pursley, B. Smith, Francis, Ledbetter, Brown, Evock, Allen (DNS) Compton, Bradsher, Sessoms, Chuck Smith

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Weaver, Roffers, Collins, George, Pierce, Bailey, Gunther, Evans, Leake, Coffey, Clanton

Arizona Sports Shirts ($50 product certificate): Brian Ledbetter, Stephen Evans Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main w/decal): Steve Shaver Eibach Springs (one free spring): Johnny Pursley, Mike Collins MSD Ignition ($75 cash award): Josh Richards MSD Ignition ($25 cash award): Jeff Smith Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash award to fastest qualifier w/decal): Chris Madden Pink Carburetors ($100 product certificate): Pink Carburetors ($50 product certificate): Quartermaster ($100 product certificate): Tim McCreadie Quartermaster ($50 product certificate): Rick Eckert Quartermaster ($25 product certificate): Chris Madden R2C Performance ($100 certificate): Tim McCreadie STP ($50 cash award): Johnny Pursley VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (two five-gallon plastic fuel jugs to fastest qualifier who does not make the A-Main if decal is displayed): Vic Coffey Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner w/decal): Josh Richards

2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Oct. 13 – 42 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Josh Richards 5640 2. Darrell Lanigan 5618 (-22) 3. Tim McCreadie 5546 (-94) 4. Steve Francis 5406 (-234) 5. Shane Clanton 5308 (-332) 6. Rick Eckert 5306 (-334) 7. Austin Hubbard 5228 (-412) 8. Tim Fuller 5146 (-494) 9. Chub Frank 5096 (-544) 10. Clint Smith 5062 (-578) 11. Russell King 4678 (-962) 12. Brent Robinson 3470 (-2170) 13. Jill George 3436 (-2204) 14. Brady Smith 3226 (-2414) 15. Rick 'Boom' Briggs 1820 (-3820)

FOLLOW THE ACTION ON TWITTER: Fans can now keep up-to-date with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series online and through text messages on cell phones via Twitter, the internet’s fast-growing social-networking and micro-blogging website. Updates are provided to Twitter ‘followers’ of the WoO LMS throughout each race night, and fans also receive breaking news and interesting notes from the tour.

To sign-up as a WoO LMS ‘follower’ on Twitter to receive updates anywhere at anytime, visit http://twitter.com/WoOLateModels.

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

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

Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail customerservice@dirtvision.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Clanton Carries Momentum To Wednesday’s Showdown At Charlotte; Bad Mod Luck For T-Mac & Fuller

HEATING UP: Shane Clanton will carry plenty of momentum into the World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown this Wednesday night (Oct. 13) at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular from Fayetteville, Ga., gained some serious steam last weekend, finishing first and second in a pair of dirt Late Model events in his home state. Add those outings to his runner-up finish on Sept. 25 in the unsanctioned Magnolia State 100 at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway, and it’s clear that Clanton is primed and ready to chase the $10,000 winner’s check on the line in the 50-lap full-fender Showdown that kicks off Bank of America 500 week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“We’ve worked real hard the last two months to find some stuff that works for us,” said Clanton, who has won three A-Mains on the 2010 WoO LMS and ranks fifth in the points standings. “We’re still working, but I feel real good about where we’re at right now. We’ve had an up-and-down year, but we’re coming on strong here at the end.”

Clanton, 35, hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since July 3 at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway, sending him into Wednesday’s action riding a 17-race winless streak. But he’s gotten his groove back since the national tour’s last event on Sept. 18, capping his surge last weekend with a near-sweep of a Peach State doubleheader. He followed up a second-place finish in Saturday night’s Dixie Shootout at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., with a powerful triumph on Sunday evening in the Rome Showdown at Rome (Ga.) Speedway.

The victory at Rome was special for Clanton, who lives less than two hours from the track and turned plenty of laps there at the start of his racing career.

“It means a lot win to win a race in Georgia,” said Clanton. “I grew up racing at Rome. It seemed like I could never finish a race there, but I raced there a lot.

“We had a bunch of people we know at both tracks (over the weekend), so that was fun. (Ronnie) Dobbins (Clanton’s car owner) was there on Saturday night, but, unfortunately, he didn’t come on Sunday because he had to get up early for work on Monday morning. I called him and let him know we won.”

With his confidence soaring, Clanton has a good feeling about his chances in Wednesday night’s Showdown at The Dirt Track.

“I’m optimistic because our car has been so good the last few weeks,” said Clanton, who is back to running the familiar yellow colors on his RSD Enterprises No. 25 after sporting a limited-edition red-and-black Georgia Bulldogs-themed scheme in September’s World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway and the WoO LMS event at Missouri’s I-55 Raceway. “If we can keep doing what we’ve been doing, we should be right there with a shot to win.

“I love the racetrack,” he continued, speaking fondly of the state-of-the-art four-tenths-mile oval. “It’s fast, it’s big and it’s wide, so there’s always a groove somebody’s not in. You just go there and try to make a pass.”

Despite Clanton’s fondness for The Dirt Track, he hasn’t enjoyed much success there in WoO LMS competition. He’s scored just one top-five finish in 12 starts since 2007, placing a career-best fifth in the 2008 Showdown. Clanton also has four DNFs and failed to qualify for the 2008 Colossal 100.

“Probably the best I’ve run there was two years ago during the World Finals,” said Clanton, recalling the finale of the 2008 season-ending doubleheader at The Dirt Track. “I felt like we had a chance to win that one, but me and Earl (Pearson Jr.) got together (while battling for third on lap 37) and I went around (dropping to 18th in the finishing order).”

OPEN-WHEEL MISFORTUNE: WoO LMS stars Tim McCreadie and Tim Fuller returned to their DIRTcar big-block Modified roots last weekend to chase a $50,000 top prize in the division’s most prestigious event – Sunday afternoon’s SEF Small Engine Fuels 200, which culminated Super DIRT Week XXXIX at the famed New York State Fairgrounds one-mile oval in Syracuse, N.Y.

Unfortunately, luck – a prerequisite for success at the venerable track known as the ‘Moody Mile’ – wasn’t on either driver’s side.

Neither McCreadie nor Fuller was around at the finish of Sunday’s grueling 200-miler. Both racers from Watertown, N.Y., had promising runs dive-bombed by mechanical malfunctions.

McCreadie, 36, was the first to go down in the SEF 200. Driving a car from the same Sweeteners Plus Racing stable that fields his familiar No. 39 dirt Late Models, the 2006 WoO LMS champion was running 16th on a lap-75 restart when his machine’s left-front wheel flew off in turn two, leaving him disabled against the outside wall. He was towed off and scored 30th in the final rundown – his 10th DNF in 11 career SEF 200 starts. The only year he was around at the checkered flag of the event was in 2009 when he placed second.

“We just broke a (left-front) spindle,” said McCreadie, who started 14th and climbed into the top five before making a scheduled pit stop during the caution period that preceded his ill-fated restart. “I think we were fine. We had just passed arguably the fastest car here all week long on the restart like it was nothing. We were gonna pit again (for fuel), but I felt like we had a good enough car to race.

Fuller, who turns 43 on Oct. 28, lasted longer than McCreadie but left Syracuse in no better mood. He saw his day end on lap 142 when he backed into the outside wall in turn one, heavily damaging the J&S Racing No. 74 that he campaigns in selected big-block and 358-Modified events that fit outside his full-fender schedule.

“When I went into (turn) one the right-rear wheel was vibrating so I let off and then the wheel broke and sent me in the wall backward,” said Fuller, who was running in the top 10 and set to go the distance after making his pit stop on lap 77. “I didn’t hit it at full-song, but it still killed the car. I’m O.K. though – I knew I put that LaJoie seat in this year for a reason.”

Fuller, who started 15th, was credited with a 24th-place finish. It was the first time he failed to finish the SEF 200 since 2001 (40th place); his last eight event starts had featured finishes of first (2004), second (2007), third (2009) and fifth (2008) and no finish worse than 13th.

While Fuller also experienced a frustrating run in Saturday’s ‘Salute to the Troops’ 358-Modified 150 – he finished 24th after a dead battery shut off his car on lap 113 as he ran in the top five – McCreadie authored a performance that was the highlight of his week. He finished second to sometime-dirt Late Model driver Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., earning $10,000 for his career-best outing in the small-block show.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: There have been 278 WoO LMS A-Mains contested to date since 2004 and Steve Francis has driven a Rocket Chassis car in every one of them.

But when the 2007 tour champion heads out on the track Wednesday night at Charlotte, he plans to be behind the wheel of his new car: a machine constructed by veteran chassis builder Barry Wright of Cowpens, S.C.

Ashland, Ky.’s Francis, who is fourth in the 2010 WoO LMS points standings but has managed only two victories, debuted the Barry Wright mount last weekend in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events at Dixie and Rome. Despite going into the shows with only a handful of tests laps under his belt, the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ flashed the potential of his car, finishing sixth at Dixie (he said he cut his right-rear tire too much for the track conditions, causing the rubber to “chunk up” and hamper his effort) and a third at Rome (he fell just short of nipping Chris Madden at the line for second).

“We’re still in a learning curve with the car,” said Francis, who still has a Rocket car in his stable. “There’s things on it that are quite a bit different from what we’re used to, so it’ll take some time to figure it out. But we’re happy with it.”

Francis decided to go with a nostalgic look on his new car, which sports the same yellow-and-red colors that his No. 15 sported in 1999 when he won both the World 100 and Dirt Track World Championship events in the same season.

STAYING BUSY: While WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., opted to take last weekend off, his challenger for the 2010 title, defending champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., went racing at Dixie and Rome.

Richards, who trails Lanigan by a mere two points with all three remaining events at The Dirt Track (including the World Finals doubleheader on Nov. 4-6), made his first career starts at the two Georgia ovals driving the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 in which he makes most of his non-Outlaw appearances. The 22-year-old sensation registered finishes of 11th at Dixie (after starting 21st) and sixth at Rome.

WoO LMS travelers Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and rookie Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, also competed in the Dixie/Rome events. Smith finished 22nd at Dixie and failed to qualify at Rome (he suffered a flat tire in his heat), while George was on the DNQ list for both shows.

COMING BACK: Wednesday night’s Showdown marks the first time Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., will tackle The Dirt Track at Charlotte since he suffered a painful facial injury during qualifying for last year’s Showdown, which was rained out on its original mid-October date and rescheduled as a lead-in to the World Finals several weeks later.

Frank absorbed a hard blow to the front of his helmet from an apparent flying clod of thick, hard-packed clay early in his Showdown heat race last year. Though stunned, he managed to pull his car to the infield and was quickly attended to by safety personnel. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for injuries that included fractures in his right cheek and orbital bone, but after visiting a specialist upon his return home it was determined that he did not need surgery.

The injuries forced Frank to sit out last year’s World Finals, snapping his consecutive-start WoO LMS A-Main start streak at 227 races.

Frank heads to The Dirt Track coming off a second-place finish in the first of last Saturday night’s unsanctioned twin 50-lap ‘Billy Bob’ features at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio. He finished 20th in the nightcap, however; a complete invert of the cars still running at the end of the first A-Main left him with the 20th starting spot and he was involved in an early-race crash that ultimately led him to retire from the event.

STAR-STUDDED FIELD: The army of Outlaw regulars – in points standings order: Lanigan, Richards, McCreadie, Francis, Clanton, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., 2010 Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Fuller, Frank, Smith, Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, and George – will lead the charge to The Dirt Track at Charlotte for Wednesday night’s Showdown.

Dozens more well-known racers are expected to challenge the Outlaws, including Chris Madden of Grey Court, S.C., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Jeff Smith of Dallas, N.C., Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., and Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.

Pit gates are scheduled to open at 1 p.m. and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. A driver autograph session will take place under the main grandstand from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., followed by WoO LMS hot laps at 6 p.m., time trials at 6:15 and racing at 7 p.m.

Ticket information on The Dirt Track At Charlotte’s World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown (Wed., Oct. 13) and the World Finals – the season-ending blockbuster weekend on Nov. 4-6 that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified Series – can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: T-Mac & Fuller Ready For Marquee DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Event; Strong Outlaw Invasion Of Knoxville Led By Richards

MOD MEN: Tim Fuller already knows the joy of winning the country’s most prestigious DIRTcar big-block Modified event – and, of course, would love to do it again.

Tim McCreadie, meanwhile, is still trying to join his legendary father, ‘Barefoot’ Bob McCreadie, on the race’s elite list of winners.

Both former DIRTcar big-block Modified stars-turned-World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars will again chase glory this Sunday afternoon (Oct. 10) in the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 Presented by Ferris/Snapper/Simplicity Big-Block Modified Championship, returning to their roots in the Northeast’s well-known open-wheel division to compete in the $50,000-to-win spectacular that culminates Super DIRT Week XXXIX (Oct. 6-10) at the famed New York State Fairgrounds one-mile oval in Syracuse.

With the WoO LMS idle until Oct. 13 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., Fuller and McCreadie will spend the next five days in the Salt City battling for over $75,000 in first-place cash during DIRTcar Racing’s autumn festival of speed. Their schedules include not only include the headline 200-mile big-block tilt but also the ‘Salute to the Troops 358-Modified 150’ on Sat., Oct. 9, and satellite Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series events on Thursday night (Oct. 7) at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway and Friday night (Oct. 8) at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, N.Y.

Fuller, 42, of Watertown, N.Y., is continuing his tradition of making sure to fit Super DIRT Week into his annual itinerary since shifting his focus to dirt Late Models in 2007. While McCreadie didn’t compete at the Syracuse Mile from 2006 – the year he won the WoO LMS championship – through 2008, Fuller has been a Columbus Day weekend fixture at the venerable track.

“I enjoy going (to Super DIRT Week) because it’s still one of the premier events in the country,” said Fuller, who won the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 in 2004 and 358-Modified 150 in 2005. “I really enjoy race day (of the 200) and the challenge of trying to win the race. I’ve always said that you haven’t made it in Modifieds until you’ve won it.”

Fuller, who has won twice on the 2010 WoO LMS and currently ranks eighth in the points standings, will make his Super DIRT Week assault for the second consecutive year in equipment fielded by the Smith Brothers Concrete team, a long-running big-block Modified operation from the Middletown, N.Y., area that is co-owned by Steve Hastings and Joe Knoth. Fuller joined the team last year to run selected big-block Modified events and has gotten very comfortable with the arrangement.

“It’s a great deal for me,” said Fuller, a former champion of the overall Mr. DIRTcar big-block Modified (2005) and Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified (2003 and 1993) points races. “I’m real fortunate that (Hastings and Knoth) provide me such great stuff to drive in Modified shows. They take care of everything and make it real easy on me. My uniform is even dry-cleaned and hanging in the trailer when I get there (for a Modified race).”

Fuller, who will run Teo-Pro No. 74 cars from the team’s stable in both big-block and 358-Modified action during Super DIRT Week, will attempt to improve on a 2009 Syracuse performance that was good but, with a few breaks, could potentially have been great. He won the pole position (for the second straight year) and finished third in the 200 but lost second place to McCreadie on a late-race restart, and in the 358-Modified 150 he had a certain runner-up finish snatched from his grasp when his car’s fuel tank ran dry on the final lap.

“That was a lot of money we had slip through our fingers last year,” said Fuller, who earned over $20,000 during last year’s Super DIRT Week (third-place in the 200 was worth $15,000) but lost 20-grand more thanks to his single position drop in the 200 (McCreadie pocketed $25,000 for finishing second) and heartbreaking ceding of a $10,000 second-place finish in the 150. “I hate to even think about it, but what’s done is done. We still made some money and hopefully we can make some more this year.”

Fuller’s performance record at Syracuse certainly bodes well for his chances in 2010. A 16-time starter in the 358-Modified 150 (every year since 1992 except ’96 and ’98) and 14-time competitor in the big-block 200 (he’s been in every race since 1996), Fuller has been especially solid in the marquee big-block event. He’s finished outside the top 20 just once (40th in 2001) and owns five top-five finishes, including his win in ’04; a second in 2007; thirds in 2009 and 1999; and a fifth in 2008.

McCreadie, 36, of Watertown, N.Y., hasn’t enjoyed quite the same level of success at the Moody Mile as his North Country buddy. Actually, Syracuse has been a house of horrors for McCreadie – until his second-place run last year in the 200, he had never even finished the big-block event in nine previous starts. Just look at McCreadie’s finishes in the 200 from 1997-2005: 26th, 25th, 40th, 38th, 38th, 33rd, 34th, 23rd, 23rd.

Super DIRT Week 2009 was a revelation for McCreadie, who finally left Syracuse with at least a modicum of satisfaction. While his frustration in the 358-Modified 150 continued – his 30th-place outing last year fit alongside his dismal previous finishes of 30th (’96), 35th (’97), 51st (’99), 48th (’00) and 26th (’03) – he not only was on the track to see the checkered flag of the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 but also nearly won it.

McCreadie crossed the finish line last year 2.682 seconds behind winner Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y., but he felt the tables could have been turned if he hadn’t experienced one very tough break. He had moved up to fifth place from the 28th starting spot when every lead-lap car remaining on the track came down pit road on lap 121 to fulfill their mandatory post-lap 100 pit stop requirement, but he lost valuable track position because he got boxed in behind the car driven by New Jersey’s Ryan Godown. Thus T-Mac restarted 14th, forcing him to spend the remainder of the distance battling to get back into contention.

McCreadie returns to the ‘Cuse this year with the same big-block Modified he drove there in 2009. Fielded by the Sweeteners Plus team that also supplies his familiar No. 39 dirt Late Model equipment, the Bicknell car has a proven track record at the Mile. McCreadie was a contender for victory with the mount in both the 2004 and 2005 events before experiencing mechanical trouble, and his Sweeteners Plus teammate, 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., drove the machine to his second career SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 triumph in 2007. Coffey also ran the car in the 200 in 2008 (he dropped out early due to broken right-front spindle), but he decided to turn the mount over to McCreadie last year and prepare a new car for himself.

The car will be powered by the same Chuck Cici-built big-block engine that was under its hood last year – McCreadie and his chief mechanic, Al Stevens, picked up the freshened motor in Ohio on their way home from last month’s WoO LMS event at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. – but there will be one noteworthy difference from the machine that McCreadie rolled onto the starting grid one year ago. The car now sports a completely reworked front clip – not the hastily-repaired, second-hand clip that was welded on it last year. After McCreadie hit a rut in the track during a pre-qualifying practice session and badly bent the car’s front clip, his team had to perform an amazing repair job just to get their only vehicle race-ready for time trials two-and-a-half hours later. They cut off the car’s damaged front clip and replaced it with a clip from a used Bicknell frame that was in a nearby racer’s shop. After doing some quick welding work and piecing the front end back together, McCreadie was on the track in his assigned qualifying spot – but of course, the car wasn’t exactly 100 percent for the remainder of the week.

McCreadie, who will drive Vinnie Salerno’s Four-Star Transmissions Motorports car in the 358-Modified 150 and the small-block satellite events at Brewerton and Rolling Wheels Raceway (McCreadie won last year’s Super DIRT Week at Brewerton), is hoping his time has come for a Syracuse celebration. He got a taste of posing in Victory Lane in front of the massive Fairgrounds grandstand when his father won the 200 in 1986 and yearns to get there himself, allowing him and his dad to join the late Toby Tobias Sr. and Richie Tobias as the only father-son combos to win the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200.

“It would be huge if I could win it,” said McCreadie, who has four WoO LMS wins this season and sits third in the points standings. “I grew up with Syracuse always being the big deal every year. All the major Modified guys over the years have won it, so it’s definitely one of the things I look at that I’d like to put on my resume.”

For Super DIRT Week ticket information, visit www.superdirtweekonline.com or contact DIRTcar Racing Northeast Headquarters at 315-834-6606. More information can also be found at www.superdirtcarseries.com and www.dirtcar.com.

OUTLAWS SHINE: Last weekend’s seventh annual Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model Nationals at the famed Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway was very good to the World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars in attendance.

The final finishing order of Saturday night’s 100-lap, $40,000-to-win finale showed five WoO LMS drivers in the top 10 and six in the top 15, led by defending tour champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who placed second. Current series points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., was third; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished fourth after an early spin forced him to charge from the rear with a car that wasn’t handling well due to front-end damage; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was eighth; 2010 Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., took 10th in his first-ever visit to the historic track; and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., settled for a 15th-place finish.

Richards, 22, fell just short of capturing his coveted career-first big-money, crown-jewel dirt Late Model event – he was the Knoxville Late Model Nationals runner-up for the second time in the last three years – but he was the most consistently fast Outlaw over the three-day meet. He led both 25-lap preliminary features – a spring steel strap that broke off his car’s right-front nosepiece and got into the tire caused him to slip back to a seventh-place finish on Thursday night, and he finished third on Friday evening after his miscalculation passing a lapped car on the outside allowed Billy Moyer to grab the lead with just three laps remaining – and advanced from the 11th starting spot in the 100-lapper to briefly threaten Moyer before watching the former WoO LMS champion run away with an unprecedented sweep of the Nationals’ three A-Mains.

“I feel like we had a legitimate shot to win every night,” said Richards, who craves a crown-jewel triumph after scoring his first-ever 100-lap win last month in the WoO LMS ‘Battle At Eastern Door’ at New York’s Mohawk International Raceway. “I think we had the second-best car there – and, at times, maybe even the best car. We’re a little disappointed we didn’t get a win, but Billy’s really on a roll right now and just was a little better than us.”

A $20,000 bridesmaid finish was a decent consolation prize for Richards, who loves visiting Knoxville Raceway.

“That’s probably one of my favorite tracks to race at, especially when it’s in the condition it was on Saturday night,” said Richards, who trails Lanigan by just two points in the WoO LMS championship battle with just three events remaining on the 2010 schedule. “It gets so slippery you can race all over it. It’s so much fun to race like that.”

McCreadie had the best preliminary-night finishes, placing second on Thursday and fifth on Friday. Other prelim results: Lanigan (DNQ due to an engine malfunction on Thursday, fourth on Friday), Francis (24th, eighth), Hubbard (sixth, 10th) and Eckert (14th, 20th). Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, who has followed most of the 2010 WoO LMS as a rookie, entered the Nationals but failed to qualify for a feature.

WEEKEND ACTION: WoO LMS veteran Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., picked up a ride to fill his racing schedule last weekend, driving a car from his sponsor Don Cliburn’s stable in a Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series event at Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Miss.

Smith, who also made the trip to discuss his 2011 sponsorship arrangement with Cliburn, won a B-Main and charged from the 22nd starting spot to finish second in the feature. He then topped his weekend by entering his own car in Sunday’s Alabama State Championship event at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, where he settled for an 18th-place finish because a tangle with a slower car knocked him out after he had moved from 23rd to fifth in just eight laps.

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., meanwhile, traveled to Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio, for the two-day ‘Billy Bob’ program. He finished second Friday-night preliminary feature and qualified through a heat race on Saturday night for the twin 75-lap, $7,500-to-win features, but rain forced officials to postpone the headline events to Sat., Oct. 9.

GET YOUR TICKETS: Ticket information on The Dirt Track At Charlotte’s World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown (Wed., Oct. 13) and the World Finals – the season-ending blockbuster weekend on Nov. 4-6 that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified Series – can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.

Chub Frank Leads DirtOnDirt.com Hard Charger Standings With Three Events Left On 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule

CONCORD, NC - Sept. 29, 2010 - Chub Frank’s 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign hasn’t lived up to his expectations, but he is in the driver’s seat for an award that could bring some consolation to his frustrating season.

Frank, 48, of Bear Lake, Pa., leads the DirtOnDirt.com Hard Charger standings, a first-year program designed to reward the driver who advances the most cumulative positions in A-Mains over the course of the national tour’s 2010 schedule. He is bidding for the $500 prize that will be presented to the winner of the award at season’s end by DirtOnDirt.com’s Michael Rigsby, the CEO and head of Media/Communications for the Web site that has become a popular destination on the net for fans and industry types seeking unique, in-depth coverage of dirt Late Model racing.

With just three events at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., remaining on the 44-race WoO LMS schedule – the World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Oct. 13 and the World Finals on Nov. 4-6 – Frank holds an advantage of four gained positions (159-155) over Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., in the Hard Charger standings. Fuller saw his long run at the top of the Hard Charger battle end in the last WoO LMS event on Sept. 18 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., where Frank’s move from the 19th starting spot to a ninth-place finish vaulted him ahead.

Frank, who is ninth in the WoO LMS points standings and needs a victory in one of the three remaining 50-lap A-Mains at The Dirt Track at Charlotte to avoid his first winless season on the tour since becoming a regular in 2004, scored his biggest position pickup on Aug. 7 in the 100-lap USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. After using a provisional to start 25th he finished third, advancing 22 spots to put himself in serious contention for the DirtOnDirt.com Hard Charger Award.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of opportunities to gain spots this year (in A-Mains) because there’s been too many nights where we haven’t qualified as well as I would’ve liked,” said Frank, whose qualifying struggles have forced him to run a B-Main in nearly a quarter of this season’s events (he’s won six). “I would much rather have been starting up front than coming from the back so much, but I appreciate DirtOnDirt giving us a chance to win some money for picking up spots in the features.”

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (148 positions gained) and 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del. (140 positions) are third and fourth, respectively, in the Hard Charger standings and would seem to be the most likely challengers to Frank and Fuller for the $500 check. Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who made the season’s biggest single-race advance when he picked up 25 spots (28th-to-third) in the Feb. 13 event at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., is fifth in the standings with 121 positions gained.

Rounding out the Hard Charger top 10 is WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (115 positions gained), Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga. (112), Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio (105), defending tour champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (97) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (92).

DirtonDirt.com is a Web site that provides news coverage, results and features on all types of dirt Late Model racing. Subscribers to the site have access to exclusive video highlights, interviews and stories produced by DoD’s experienced reporting team.

Ticket information on The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown (Wed., Oct. 13) and World Finals – the season-ending blockbuster weekend on Nov. 4-6 that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified Series – can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.

Fans are reminded that have only have until this Thursday (Sept. 30) to take advantage of an attractive advance-ticket offer for the World Finals that provides a free pit pass with the purchase of every $69 weekend ticket.

DirtOnDirt.com Hard Charger Award Standings (positions improved in 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Mains)

1. Chub Frank 159 2. Tim Fuller 155 3. Clint Smith 148 4. Austin Hubbard 140 5. Tim McCreadie 121 6. Darrell Lanigan 115 7. Shane Clanton 112 8. Russell King 105 9. Josh Richards 97 10. Rick Eckert 92 11. Brent Robinson 84 12. Steve Francis 76 13. Jill George 65 14. Billy Moyer 50 15. Vic Coffey 48

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Richards Adds To Win Total On Busy Off-Weekend For World of Outlaws Regulars

EVEN DOZEN: Josh Richards isn’t sitting still as he awaits his final showdown with Darrell Lanigan for the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship. He’s adding to his win total – and bank account.

Racing close to his Shinnston, W.Va., home on the first of three consecutive off-weekends from WoO LMS competition, Richards climbed behind the wheel of the Ernie D’s Enterprises Rocket No. 25 – his ride for most non-Outlaw events – last Saturday night and captured the 50-lap dirt Late Model portion of the unsanctioned Winchester 200 at Winchester (Va.) Speedway. The 22-year-old star pocketed $11,000 for his evening’s work, which included a $1,000 bonus for winning the 25-lap semi-feature that put him on the pole in the headliner.

The five-figure triumph was a perfect way to keep Richards’s mind off his impending points battle with Lanigan that concludes with three races at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. – the World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Oct. 13 and the World Finals on Nov. 4-6. Richards, who is shooting for a second consecutive WoO LMS crown, is currently second in the points standings, just two points behind Lanigan, the 2008 series champ.

“I’m not even thinking about the points right now,” said Richards, who also scored a sixth-place finish in a 25-lap preliminary feature last Friday night at Winchester. “We’re working hard in the shop to make sure we have everything ready for Charlotte, but until we get there I’m just worrying about winning every race I can.”

Richards enjoyed himself immensely at Winchester, a three-eighths-mile bullring that his special-event team owner, Ernie Davis, has frequented throughout his years in the sport. The victory made him the first West Virginia driver to win the long-standing Winchester 200 and gave him 12 overall wins this season, moving him closer to his career-high total of 15 wins established in 2009.

“The car was phenomenal again,” Richards said of his Roush-Yates Ford-powered machine, which he has steered to four of his wins in 2010. “It was really fun to drive. We threw some things at it on Friday night and I knew it would be good (on Saturday night). Once the track slowed down we really shined.

“It’s cool to finally win the Winchester 200 – and it’s really awesome to win it for Ernie. I think it was the first time Ernie’s won that race, so, considering how long he’s been racing there, that’s a pretty big deal.”

Richards, whose seven WoO LMS victories this season has him tied with Lanigan for the top spot on the tour’s 2010 win list, was joined in Winchester’s field by fellow series regulars Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del. After Richards, Eckert and Hubbard finished 6-8, respectively, in Friday’s preliminary feature, Eckert went on to place third in Saturday’s 50-lapper while the 18-year-old Hubbard failed to make the A-Main starting field after crashing in the semi-feature.

SETTLING FOR SECOND: Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., towed his red-and-black Georgia Bulldogs-themed car to Columbus (Miss.) Speedway for last weekend’s ‘Magnolia State 100’ and came close to winning the state’s biggest dirt Late Model event for the third time in four years.

The 35-year-old Clanton, who sits fifth in the WoO LMS points standings, set fast time and won a heat race last Friday night and paced the field early in Saturday night’s 100-lapper at the high-banked, one-third-mile oval. But after trading a pair of contact-filled slide-jobs with Mississippi’s David Breazeale on laps 15-16, Clanton was left with rear spoiler damage that caused him to cede the lead to eventual winner Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn. Clanton spent the remainder of the distance battling handling problems but gutted out a runner-up finish.

“We knew we had a good race car before the damage got done,” said Clanton, who craved the $25,010 first-place prize but still pocketed a $10,000 check. “We were holding on after that. Without a rear spoiler you get so loose getting in the corner.”

MORE MISFORTUNE: Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who has been Clanton’s traveling partner down the highway for much of the 2010 WoO LMS campaign, handed his buddy second-place money at Columbus after experiencing some late-race heartbreak.

Francis, who passed Clanton for second on a lap-60 restart, was within striking distance of Marlar when his Valvoline-sponsored car slowed with just five laps remaining due to a broken engine crankshaft. The 2007 WoO LMS champion, who is fourth in the 2010 points standings, was credited with an 11th-place finish in the attrition-filled race.

“I feel like we had a pretty good shot at it,” Francis said of his chances of overtaking Marlar in the final circuits. “We had a great car, and I think we had a little more tire than him. His tires were worn pretty good and he was sliding up the racetrack.

“We just had no luck. That pretty much describes how our year has gone this year.”

Francis stayed on the road following his Columbus disappointment, heading to Nebraska for some warranty service on his S&S hauler. He planned to spend a couple days there working on the Rocket car he drove at Columbus; the machine will be re-skinned with new graphics and the No. 39 for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Ryan Newman, who is scheduled to drive it in the seventh annual Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model Nationals this weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) at Knoxville (Ohio) Raceway. Francis will drive his crew chief Tim Logan’s car in the three-day event, which includes $7,000-to-win preliminary features on Thursday and Friday nights and a 100-lap finale on Saturday evening paying $40,000 to win.

Francis wasn’t the only Outlaw who experienced bad luck at Columbus. Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., also ran into trouble, suffering terminal engine trouble while holding fourth place on lap 39. The driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ was scored 16th in the final rundown, dulling the momentum he had gained with four top-five finishes in his last five WoO LMS starts.

WESTERN PENNSY INVASION: A trio of WoO LMS regulars – Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. – entered last weekend’s Fall Classic at McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa.

Alas, none of the series travelers had memorable visits to the one-third-mile track. Frank fared the best, battling forward from the 13th starting spot to finish seventh in Saturday night’s 50-lap Priority Care RaceFAN 50. Fuller, meanwhile, qualified through a B-Main and finished 12th in his first-ever start at MCR, while King, who last year joined Frank as a winner of the RaceFan 50, was credited with 24th after being eliminated in an opening-lap accident.

The sensation of the event was 17-year-old Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., whose father, John, also fields Fuller’s Gypsum Express cars. A DIRTcar big-block and 358-Modified racer who has increased his dirt Late Model action this year with an eye on chasing the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year crown in the near future, Wight drove his No. 99L to a heat-race victory and career-best full-fender finish of third in Saturday night’s 50-lapper.

The $13,000 RaceFAN 50 winner’s prize was collected by Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who followed the WoO LMS in 2009 and for the first half of the 2010 season.

OPEN-WHEEL ACTION: Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., used the break in the WoO LMS schedule to return to his roots, going big-block Modified racing at Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway.

McCreadie, who is third in the WoO LMS points standings, drove the Four Star Racing machine to finishes of third in Saturday night’s 40-lap feature and second in the 100-lap finale on Sunday.

BIG WEEKEND: Six WoO LMS travelers are entered in this weekend’s Knoxville Late Model Nationals, including Francis; Richards, whose Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket team will also field a car for two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champ Tony Stewart; Lanigan (the only Outlaw regular who didn’t race last weekend); Eckert; Hubbard; and rookie Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, whose plans to compete in the Liberty 100 at West Liberty (Iowa) Speedway were dashed by rain that postponed that postponed Saturday's headline action (she is scheduled to start sixth in a B-Main on Oct. 16).

GET YOUR TICKETS: Ticket information on The Dirt Track’s World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown (Wed., Oct. 13) and World Finals – the season-ending blockbuster weekend on Nov. 4-6 that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified Series – can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Pepsi Nationals Was A Classic For Fans & Slump-Buster For Babb; Lanigan Goes Back On Top Of Points

THRILLER: For the fans in attendance, it was one of the most memorable A-Mains of the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign.

For the driver who was at the center of the excitement and crossed the finish line first, it was an emotional slump-buster.

After the frenetic 55 laps of last Saturday night’s 28th annual Pepsi Nationals at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., had virtually every witness wondering if they had ever seen a more thrilling race, Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., stood in Victory Lane wearing a smile that couldn’t have been brighter. He outdueled the red-hot Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., to provide himself a rare magical moment in what has been one of the most frustrating seasons of his standout career.

The $10,000 victory also ended Babb’s string of near-misses in WoO LMS competition at I-55 – a fifth-place finish in 2005 (after Moyer passed him for the lead late in the distance), a runner-up in 2007 (his cushion-hammering bid to overtake Clint Smith following a late restart fell just short) and a fifth-place run in 2008. But the 36-year-old was thinking more about his present-day struggles than his past losses at I-55 after finally hitting paydirt.

“We just need a win in general,” said Babb, who moved into contention in Saturday’s headliner with a rousing explosion from eighth to second in the span of one circuit following a lap-29 restart. “We have really good stuff, but we just don’t know how to use it. I’ve been making real bad decisions, so hopefully now we’re taking the right steps.”

A WoO LMS regular in 2008 when he finished sixth in the points standings driving for NASCAR star Clint Bowyer, Babb has maintained a more Midwest-concentrated schedule for the past two years with a self-owned effort backed by such sponsors as Petroff Towing and Donley Trucking. His overall 2010 performance has been lackluster, although in limited WoO LMS action he’s recorded five top-five finishes in seven starts.

Babb is hopeful that after flashing his vintage form at I-55 with a one-month-old Rocket car, better days just might be ahead.

“I knew the ‘ol girl had it in her,” said Babb, who experienced a scare earlier in Saturday’s program when his car lost power coming to the checkered flag in his heat due to a battery malfunction (he hung on to finish third). “This is a new (Rocket) car we brought out at the Topless (100 in Batesville, Ark., last month). Mark (Richards) built it and did a few new things to it for us that he thought we needed to do, and it’s really been working well. Besides the World (100 that he failed to qualify for), it’s been in the top-five every race.”

LEAP-FROG: The battle for the $100,000 WoO LMS championship remained razor-close after Saturday’s event, setting up a dramatic final three races at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C.

Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., used a fourth-place finish in the Pepsi Nationals to grab the points lead by a mere two markers – one finishing position – over sixth-place finisher Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. It was the third time in the last four WoO LMS events that the two drivers have exchanged the top spot in the standings.

Lanigan was in the mix for the win for much of the distance, leading laps 15-25 and 27-41. But he settled for fourth after being unable to match the speed Babb, runner-up Moyer and third-place finisher Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., showed on the bottom of the track and slapping the wall between turns one and two twice in the final laps.

“I was trying to pick up the pace up there a little bit,” Lanigan said of his dangerously high slides. “I knew those guys were coming on the bottom, so I was trying harder and harder on the top. I just got in there a little hard and got in the cushion.”

Lanigan, 40, knew he was in trouble after the halfway point. That’s why he had one thought on his mind while setting the pace during the lap-29 caution period: “I was praying for rain.”

The approaching storms that prompted track and WoO LMS officials to move the feature up in the evening’s schedule of events held off until about a half-hour after the checkered flag – too late to keep Lanigan in front. But he still was able to grab the points lead from Richards, 22, who climbed as high as fourth but finished sixth – the same position he started.

So now everything will be decided at the four-tenths-mile oval Charlotte oval, which hosts the World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown on Wed., Oct. 13, and the season-ending World Finals on Nov. 4-6. The Showdown has offered only WoO LMS show-up points in the past, but this year it will follow the normal series format and carry full points.

While Lanigan has never won a WoO LMS A-Main at Charlotte and Richards has been victorious once in each of the last two years, neither driver expects to have an advantage there.

“Our program works good on big tracks so we should be comfortable there,” Lanigan said of Charlotte. “Me and Josh have both been running well, so whoever wins (the title), wins it.”

“I feel good about our chances,” said Richards, who entered last year’s World Finals trailing Steve Francis by four points in the WoO LMS standings but rallied to capture the title by a 14-point margin. “We want to win (the championship) real bad, but we’re gonna try to relax and go in there to Charlotte and win the races. Darrell’s been really strong all year and we just gotta try to beat him now at Charlotte.”

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Sitting 92 points behind Lanigan in third in the WoO LMS points standings, Tim McCreadie isn’t mathematically eliminated from championship contention. But he knows it will take an unlikely turn of events for him to erase the deficit, so all he can do is swing for the fences for the remainder of the season.

McCreadie nearly hit a home run at I-55. Coming off a DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned victory the previous night at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., the 2006 WoO LMS champion raced off the outside pole to lead laps 1-14 of the Pepsi Nationals. He fell back to third on lap 24 but regained second from Moyer on a lap-29 restart and appeared ready to mount a rally.

Then McCreadie’s Sweeteners Plus car slid sideways in turn four on lap 29 and came to rest with its nose against the inside wall. He had to restart at the rear of the field and was never a factor again, finishing eighth.

“I just missed the traction (on the inside of turn four),” said a sullen McCreadie, who received the $100 Chizmark Larson Hard Luck Award for his disappointing evening. “I screwed up.”

BUDDIES: Clint Smith and Tim Fuller – good friends and WoO LMS traveling partners – were teammates at I-55 Raceway.

With Fuller looking for a way to avoid hauling his Gypsum Express equipment 17 hours one-way from his shop in Edwards, N.Y., to Pevely, Mo., for a single race, Smith agreed to put Fuller in his backup car for the event. Fuller flew from Syracuse, N.Y., to St. Louis on Saturday morning and met up with Smith, whose trip to I-55 from Senoia, Ga., was just under 10 hours.

Fuller, who previously drove Smith’s second car in an October 2008 WoO LMS event at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway, forgot to pack one important piece of clothing in his overnight bag: his racing uniform. He had to borrow a uniform from Richards.

It appeared that Clint Smith Racing was in line for a very good night when Fuller earned the seventh starting spot and Smith the 11th starting position for the Pepsi Nationals A-Main. But while Smith moved forward to finish a solid fifth – the fourth top-five run in the last five WoO LMS events for the suddenly resurgent ‘Cat Daddy’ – Fuller struggled with an incorrect tire choice and finished 13th.

PEPSI NATIONALS WARMUP: Chub Frank made a pre-race appearance Saturday on behalf of LaCrosse Footwear, displaying his green-and-black car and meeting a steady stream of casual and hard-core fans at Dunn’s Sporting Goods just a couple miles from the racetrack.

The two-hour event included a live radio-station remote broadcast (Frank and Richards, who also stopped by, did interviews), free LaCrosse Footwear giveaways and the LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge fan competition, which has been a popular intermission staple at all LaCrosse-sponsored races on this year’s WoO LMS and WoO Sprint Car Series.

The Pepsi Nationals was, of course, the seventh leg of the LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge, a unique mini-series that awards points to the top-five fulltime WoO LMS and Sprint Car Series drivers in 16 selected events – eight Late Model and eight Sprint Car – and will earn the champion of the combined standings a $5,000 bonus from a $15,000 points fund. Lanigan earned five points for being the highest-finishing WoO LMS regular, while Clint Smith (four), Richards (three), seventh-place finisher Steve Francis (two) and McCreadie (one) also collected points.

Lanigan and Richards ended the night tied for the lead in the LaCrosse Extreme Tough points standings with 19 points each, one point ahead of WoO Sprint Car star Donny Schatz. The WoO Sprint Car racers, however, have three LaCrosse events remaining while the Late Model contingent has just one, on Nov. 5 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

SHORT-HAIR GANG: Fans who visited I-55 Raceway’s pit area last Saturday night couldn’t help but notice the unusually high number of drivers sporting closely-cropped haircuts.

This wasn’t a style craze sweeping the dirt Late Model pits. It was the result of the ‘Brave The Shave’ initiative organized by Michigan racer Jeep VanWormer, who got nearly two dozen full-fender racers to shave the heads as a fundraiser for cancer research during the Sept. 10-11 World 100 weekend at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Six drivers who had their hair cut off as part of the ‘Brave The Shave’ competed at I-55, including Babb; Brady Smith; McCreadie, who said he’s had to get used to his head being “cold” since his long, flowing locks were shorn; Francis; Rick Eckert (finished 12th); and Shane Clanton (finished 15th driving the red-and-black, Georgia Bulldogs-themed car he debuted at the World 100).

Teenage sensation Austin Hubbard, meanwhile, also walked the pits with a shaved head. The 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year wasn’t an official ‘Brave The Shave’ participant, but he decided to join in the fun by having his hair clipped off at Eldora as well.

GET YOUR TICKETS: Ticket information on The Dirt Track’s World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown and World Finals – the season-ending blockbuster weekend that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and, for the first time, the Super DIRTcar big-block Modified Series – can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.

Fans are reminded that have only have until Sept. 30 to take advantage of an attractive advance-ticket offer for the World Finals that provides a free pit pass with the purchase of every $69 weekend ticket.

CONCORD, NC - Sept. 19, 2010 - For the second consecutive LaCrosse Footwear Extreme Tough Challenge event, Darrell Lanigan topped his fellow World of Outlaws Late Model Series competitors, earning the maximum five points at the Pepsi Nationals on Saturday night at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. Lanigan is now tied atop the overall Extreme Tough Challenge standings with Josh Richards.

For the World of Outlaws Late Model stars, the Pepsi Nationals marked the penultimate LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge race, with the World of Outlaws World Finals in November as their finale. The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series drivers have two more chances - Oct. 1 at Williams Grove Speedway and Oct. 9 at Rolling Wheels Raceway - to earn points before their finale at the World Finals.

"I wish we could've stayed up front to win the race, but at least we were able to get the most LaCrosse points again," said Lanigan, a native of Union, Ky., who finished fourth overall on Saturday night and also took the points lead in the hotly contested World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship. "Now we'll have to try to go out at Charlotte and see if we can get the most points again and maybe win the whole points deal."

Clint Smith chased Lanigan to the finish and was the runner-up in the LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge event Saturday night, followed by Josh Richards, Steve Francis and Tim McCreadie. The three points Richards earned were enough to pull him into a tie with Lanigan in the Exteme Tough Challenge. The two are one point ahead of World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series defending champion Donny Schatz of Tony Stewart Racing.

The winner of the Extreme Tough Challenge fan competition Saturday night was Christopher Heitman, 27, of Farmington, Mo. At 6-8, 350 pounds with a size-18 show, Heitman outlasted held two cement-filled LaCrosse boots with outstretched arms longer than his competition.

There have been five Extreme Tough Challenge events for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and seven events for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, and 19 different drivers have earned Extreme Tough Challenge points.

The next LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge event will be the the opening night of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series National Open, Oct. 1, at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

The Extreme Tough Challenge features 16 overall events - eight per series - where drivers who are competing full-time in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series or the World of Outlaws Late Model Series earn points toward the championship, which will be decided at the World of Outlaws World Finals in November at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. The top five finishers no matter the series will share a $15,000 point fund, and the winning driver will receive the Extreme Tough Challenge champion trophy.

Also, at each Extreme Tough Challenge event, LaCrosse will distribute keepsake posters as well as provide hat and t-shirt giveaways. Fans can get involved at every race through a unique Extreme Tough competition with the chance to win a pair of LaCrosse boots.

LaCrosse Footwear develops performance footwear and apparel designed to help users dominate their ground in work and recreation. LaCrosse boots, including the Extreme Tough™ line, can be found at premium retailers such as Bass Pro Shops and Gander Mountain.

Visit http://www.extremetoughchallenge.com for all of the up-to-date news and standings. For more information on LaCrosse Footwear, go to http://www.lacrossefootwear.com.

LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. is a leading developer and marketer of branded, premium and innovative footwear for expert work and outdoor users. The Company's trusted Danner(R) and LaCrosse brands are distributed domestically through a nationwide network of specialty retailers and distributors, and internationally through distributors and retailers in Asia, Europe and Canada. Work customers include people in law enforcement, agriculture, firefighting, construction, industry, military services and other occupations that need high-performance and protective footwear as a critical tool for the job. Outdoor customers include people active in hunting, outdoor cross training, hiking and other outdoor recreational activities. For more information about LaCrosse Footwear products, please visit www.lacrossefootwear.com.

Babb Triumphs Over Moyer In Breathtaking ‘Pepsi Nationals’ Battle At I-55 Raceway

PEVELY, MO - Sept. 18, 2010 - Shannon Babb finally reached the Promised Land in a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at I-55 Raceway.

And the 36-year-old star from Moweaqua, Ill., did it in breathtaking fashion, outdueling the red-hot Billy Moyer in a classic battle to capture Saturday night’s 28th annual Pepsi Nationals.

Turning around a moribund season with dramatic flair, Babb used the inside groove to vault from eighth to third on a lap-29 restart and went on to wrestle the lead from Batesville, Ark.’s Moyer on lap 48 of the 55-lap A-Main. The two-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion earned $10,000 for his 10th career victory on the WoO LMS but first since March 21, 2009, at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas.

The triumph brought a joyful end to Babb’s string of close-but-no-cigar runs in WoO LMS competition at the one-third-mile, high-banked oval. He entered Saturday’s action as the only driver with a top-five finish in the national tour’s three previous visits to I-55 after placing a hard-charging second in 2007 and fifth in both 2005 (he lost the lead to eventual winner Moyer late in the distance) and 2008.

Adding even more significance to Babb’s breakthrough was his defeat of Moyer, who had been victorious in all three of his previous appearances this season at I-55 and was just one week removed from winning an unprecedented sixth career World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

“That was really cool,” Babb said of a race that ranked as one of the most memorable of the 2010 WoO LMS campaign. “That guy (Moyer) has been unbeatable all this year and I don’t even know when the last time was that I won a race – that’s why I’m so happy.”

Moyer, 52, settled for a second-place finish, 0.411 of a second behind his protégé at the checkered flag. He nosed ahead to lead laps 26 and 43 but couldn’t maintain command of the event, which featured six lead changes among four drivers.

Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who started 13th, was closing on the leaders in the final circuits but had to be content with a third-place finish. Polesitter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., slipped to fourth at the finish after leading laps 15-25 and 27-41 and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., advanced from the 11th starting spot to place fifth, registering his fourth top-five run in the last five WoO LMS events.

Lanigan’s fourth-place finish moved him back into the WoO LMS points lead by two points over defending champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who started and finished sixth. Just three events remain in the chase for the tour’s $100,000 points title – all at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., which hosts the World of Outlaws Late Model Shootout on Oct. 13 and the World Finals on Nov. 4-6.

Babb, who started ninth in a Donley Trucking/Petroff Towing Rocket car that he debuted one month ago, waited until just after the race’s halfway point to make his move. He had advanced just one position when two of the A-Main’s three caution flags flew on lap 29 – the first for the ambulance to leave the infield and the second for a slide-and-stop by outside polesitter Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who led laps 1-14 and was still running second when he lost control of his car on the inside of turn four.

On the second restart, Babb found traction on the extreme inside of the track and passed five cars in the span of a lap. One circuit later he overtook Moyer for second and almost immediately began to challenge Lanigan for the lead.

“It surprised me,” Babb said of his sudden surge into contention. “Our car seemed to be good right from the start, but it was so competitive out there I didn’t know what I was gonna do at the beginning. I moved around top-to-bottom so I knew that bottom was there, but you can’t keep up when the top’s as good as it was.

“I had to wait for the middle and top to slow down. Once that happened, I moved down and the bottom was the place to be for the last 30 laps.”

Babb praised the I-55 racing surface, which produced three-wide racing for the lead – early with Lanigan, McCreadie and Moyer, and later with Babb replacing McCreadie in the pacesetting trio – that had the evening’s large crowd standing and cheering.

“(Ray) Marler and (Ken) Schrader (who co-own the speedway outside St. Louis) put an awesome racetrack together tonight,” said Babb. “They went the extra mile and worked the racetrack really good (just prior to the start of the A-Main). All the way to the end we were battling – that’s probably the best racing surface I’ve seen here.”

Moyer, who started third, thought he was in position to win the race several times during the frenetic late-race struggle but simply couldn’t get his Victory Circle chassis through lapped traffic well enough to beat Babb. The former WoO LMS champion nevertheless seemed energized by his race with Babb, who received a hearty congratulatory handshake from Moyer in Victory Lane.

“The fans had to love that race,” said Moyer, who over the past three months won Northeast All-Stars, Summer Nationals and MARS DIRTcar Series events at I-55. “That was fun. The fans saw a heck of a show.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Richards, who climbed as high as fourth; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who ran fifth for much of the race’s first half; a rallying McCreadie, who was presented the $100 Chizmark Larson Insurance Hard Luck Award; 19th-starter Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; and 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del.

Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., faded to an 11th-place finish after starting fourth and running in the top five until nearly the halfway mark, but he still earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.

The Pepsi Nationals served as the seventh leg of the LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge, a unique mini-series that awards points to the top-five fulltime WoO LMS and Sprint Car Series drivers in 16 selected events – eight Late Model and eight Sprint Car – and will earn the champion of the combined standings a $5,000 bonus from a $15,000 points fund. Lanigan earned five points for being the highest-finishing WoO LMS regular, while Clint Smith (four), Richards (three), Francis (two) and McCreadie (one) also collected points.

Francis was quickest in the 31-car Ohlins Shocks Time Trials session, ripping off a lap of 12.768 seconds for his fourth fast-time honor of 2010.

Heat winners were Francis, Richards and Moyer, and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., topped the B-Main.

The A-Main was run under the threat of approaching thunderstorms, but while lightning danced in the sky throughout the 55-lapper the precipitation held off until nearly a half-hour after the checkered flag.

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

1. (9) Shannon Babb/55 $10,000 2. (3) Billy Moyer/55 $5,225 3. (13) Brady Smith/55 $3,000 4. (1) Darrell Lanigan/55 $3,600 5. (11) Clint Smith/55 $3,000 6. (6) Josh Richards/55 $2,800 7. (5) Steve Francis/55 $2,500 8. (2) Tim McCreadie/55 $2,000 9. (19) Chub Frank/55 $2,250 10. (10) Austin Hubbard/55 $2,350 11. (4) Wendell Wallace/55 $1,550 12. (8) Rick Eckert/55 $1,500 13. (7) Tim Fuller/55 $1,950 14. (14) Jason Feger/55 $900 15. (12) Shane Clanton/55 $1,850 16. (18) Ricky Frankel/54 $800 17. (20) Bobby Pierce/53 $770 18. (22) Chris Hall/53 $750 19. (23) Jill George/52 $730 20. (16) Russell King/36 $1,700 21. (17) Ken Schrader/22 $700 22. (21) Scott Weber/15 $700 23. (15) Matt Miller/13 $700 24. (24) April Farmer/12 $725

Time of Race: 23 Mins., 44.656 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.411 Secs. Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 29, 29, 38) Lap Leaders: McCreadie (1-14); Lanigan (15-25); Moyer (26); Lanigan (27-41); Babb (42); Moyer (43); Babb (48-55) Provisional Starters: George, Farmer Rookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250) WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Wallace ($500) Chizmark Larson Insurance Hard Luck Award ($100): McCreadie

1. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 12.768 2. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 12.773 3. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 12.819 4. 88-Wendell Wallace/Batesville, AR 12.868 5. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 13.019 6. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 13.142 7. 44F-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 13.161 8. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 13.167 9. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 13.224 10. 19H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 13.298 11. 32-Bobby Pierce/Oakwood, IL 13.379 12. 7-Matt Miller/Waterville, OH 13.431 13. 99Jr.-Frank Heckenast Jr./Orland Park, IL 13.454 14. 25F-Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL 13.485 15. 33F-Ricky Frankel/Quincy, IL 13.507 16. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 13.515 17. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 13.526 18. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 13.542 19. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 13.628 20. 1HR-Ron McQuerry/St. Albans, MO 13.654 21. 6K-Michael Kloos/Trenton, IL 13.666 22. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 13.681 23. 9-Ken Schrader/Concord, NC 13.747 24. 00-Scott Weber/Festus, MO 13.859 25. 66-Chris Hall/Sikeston, MO 13.860 26. 13-Dewayne Keifer/St. Genevieve, MO 13.911 27. 8BALL-Brant Kehrer/Albers, IL 14.193 28. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 14.208 29. 14-April Farmer/Livingston, TN 14.226 30. 3d-Lou Driemeier/Valles Mines, MO 14.562 31. B1-Randy Bingham/Greenville, IL N/T

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Francis, Wallace, Fuller, Hubbard, B. Smith, King, Frank, Hall, Heckenast, George (DNS) Bingham

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Richards, Lanigan, Eckert, C. Smith, Feger, Schrader, Pierce, Farmer, Keifer, McQuerry

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Moyer, McCreadie, Babb, Clanton, Miller, Frankel, Weber, Kloos, Driemeier, Kehrer

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Frank, Pierce, Weber, Hall, Farmer, McQuerry, Keifer, Kloos, Heckenast, George, Driemeier, Kehrer (DNS) Bingham

Arizona Sports Shirts ($50 product certificate): April Farmer Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main w/decal): Brady Smith Eibach Springs (one free spring): April Farmer MSD Ignition ($75 cash award): Billy Moyer MSD Ignition ($25 cash award): April Farmer Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash award to fastest qualifier w/decal): Billy Moyer Pink Carburetors ($100 product certificate): Rick Eckert Pink Carburetors ($50 product certificate): April Farmer Quartermaster ($100 product certificate): Billy Moyer Quartermaster ($50 product certificate): Clint Smith Quartermaster ($25 product certificate): Shane Clanton R2C Performance ($100 certificate): Shannon Babb STP ($50 cash award): Chub Frank VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (two five-gallon plastic fuel jugs to fastest qualifier who does not make the A-Main if decal is displayed): Frank Heckenast Jr. Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner w/decal): Billy Moyer

2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Sept. 18 – 41 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Darrell Lanigan 5492 2. Josh Richards 5490 (-2) 3. Tim McCreadie 5400 (-92) 4. Steve Francis 5274 (-218) 5. Shane Clanton 5178 (-314) 6. Rick Eckert 5168 (-324) 7. Austin Hubbard 5114 (-378) 8. Tim Fuller 5050 (-442) 9. Chub Frank 4968 (-524) 10. Clint Smith 4940 (-552) 11. Russell King 4572 (-920) 12. Brent Robinson 3470 (-2022) 13. Jill George 3348 (-2144) 14. Brady Smith 3136 (-2356) 15. Rick 'Boom' Briggs 1820 (-3672)

World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Previewing The ‘Pepsi Nationals’ On Saturday Night (Sept. 18) At I-55 Raceway

PIVOTAL RACE: Josh Richards and Darrell Lanigan know how much they have riding on the 28th annual Pepsi Nationals this Saturday night (Sept. 18) at I-55 Raceway.

With Richards leading the World of Outlaws Late Model Series standings by just two points over Lanigan entering the 55-lap, $10,000-to-win event at the action-packed track outside St. Louis, neither driver can afford the slightest misstep. A mere three races – all at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. – will remain on the national tour’s 2010 schedule after Saturday’s program, ramping up the pressure to perform at I-55 for the friendly rivals chasing a $100,000 championship pot of gold.

The last two WoO LMS champions – Richards won his first title last year and Lanigan captured the crown in 2008 – head into this weekend’s competition with plenty of momentum. They are not only tied for winningest-driver status on this year’s series (both have won seven times) but are also the tour’s most recent victors – Richards scored his first-ever 100-lap triumph in the ‘Battle At Eastern Door’ on Sept. 1 at Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y., and Lanigan topped the ‘Oil Region Labor Day Classic’ on Sept. 5 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

Neither driver has won at I-55 Raceway, a high-banked, one-third-mile oval that is set to host the WoO LMS for the fourth time in its history. Both have competed in the three previous events – and it’s Richards who has improved his performance with each start.

Richards, 22, of Shinnston, W.Va., finished 14th in I-55 Raceway’s 2005 WoO LMS A-Main during his rookie season as a fulltime traveler. He improved to 13th in 2007 and placed third in 2008, when he was in contention to win late in the distance.

The 40-year-old Lanigan, meanwhile, was the runner-up to Billy Moyer in the inaugural WoO LMS at I-55 in 2005, falling less than one second short of victory. The resident of Union, Ky., finished 11th in the 2007 and 2008 events, but he’s confident that he can turn around his most recent fortunes at the track.

“Pevely is a place I like so I feel like we’ll be O.K. there,” said Lanigan, who has won six of the last 12 WoO LMS A-Mains. “But really, the way we’re running right now, I feel good about going anywhere.”

DROUGHT-BUSTER?: WoO LMS regular Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., has fond memories of I-55 Raceway thanks to his victory in the track’s 2007 tour event. That triumph harkens him back to his best season ever on the series, a campaign that saw him win four times and finish a career-high third in the points standings.

Alas, Smith, 45, has won just one WoO LMS A-Main since then, on June 17, 2008, at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. He brings a frustrating 110-race winless streak into Saturday night’s program, but with the ‘Cat Daddy’ seemingly rejuvenated of late – he has three top-five finishes, including two runner-up outings, in his last four WoO LMS starts – perhaps a return to I-55 is the tonic he needs to break back into Victory Lane.

Can Smith pull off his second career triumph in the Pepsi Nationals? He sure believes so.

“I go to every race thinking, This is the one (that ends the win drought),” said the confident Smith. “But really, I’m just happy to be running good again and getting some top-fives. I know if that we keep running in the top five, one of these nights we’re gonna get the breaks and get a win. Hopefully it will come on Saturday night.”

MEETING HIS PUBLIC: Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who finished second in the 2008 Pepsi Nationals, hopes a return to I-55 will help him snap his own 48-race stretch without a win on the WoO LMS. He is trying to avoid his first winless season on the tour.

The 48-year-old veteran, who also has finishes of 11th (2005) and fourth (2007) in WoO LMS action at I-55, will give fans a sneak preview of the distinctive green-and-black Rocket No. 1* he’ll run on Saturday night during a pre-race appearance on behalf of LaCrosse Footwear outside the nearby Dunn’s Sporting Goods store in Pevely, Mo. He’ll be available for photos and autographs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central Time.

Frank’s appearance at Dunn’s Sporting Goods, which is located at 8733 Commercial Blvd. in Pevely, Mo., will be accented by several activities sure to interest both diehard and casual race fans. The local country music station, J-98 The Boot, will do a live remote broadcast from the store; there will be free giveaways of tickets to Saturday night’s Pepsi Nationals as well as LaCrosse boots, t-shirts, hats and stickers; and the LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge fan competition will take place, giving customers a chance to test their strength and win prizes.

The Pepsi Nationals serves as the seventh leg of the WoO LMS LaCrosse Extreme Tough Challenge, a unique mini-series that awards points to the top-five fulltime WoO LMS and Sprint Car Series drivers in 16 selected events – eight Late Model and eight Sprint Car – and will earn the champion of the combined standings a $5,000 bonus from a $15,000 points fund split among the top-five drivers. WoO Sprint Car star Donny Schatz is the current points leader, but he has several full-fender Outlaws nipping as his heels.

PEACH STATE STAR: Shane Clanton of Senoia, Ga., won the last WoO LMS event at I-55 in 2008 and will be back to try to give Georgia drivers three straight Pepsi Nationals victories – and this time he’ll be behind the wheel of a car that showcases his home state.

The 35-year-old standout plans to race his distinctive ‘Georgia Bulldogs’ machine, which sports a red-and-black scheme featuring the University of Georgia’s logo that he debuted for last week’s DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Clanton and graphics designer Ron Slavic received the DirtonDirt.com Best Appearing Car Award for their sharp, unique look.

THE INVADERS: Saturday’s field will include seven other WoO LMS travelers led by 2006 champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who is third in the points standings but needs a great run – as well as poor finishes from Richards and Lanigan – to keep his flickering title hopes alive.

McCreadie, whose only previous WoO LMS start at I-55 resulted in a 12th-place finish in 2005, trails Richards by 86 points in the standings.

Other WoO chauffeurs and their best series finishes at I-55 include 2007 champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (fifth in ’07), Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (fourth in ’05) and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (eighth in ’08). Outlaw followers looking to make their first-ever series A-Mains at I-55 include Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, 2010 Rookie of the Year Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., and rookie Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

GIRL POWER: Saturday’s program will have a definite female theme with George and April Farmer of Livingston, Tenn., in the field.

Farmer, who last year became the first woman to start a WoO LMS A-Main, plans to make her first career appearance at I-55. She is coming off a victory in last week’s World 100 Non-Qualifiers’ Race that made her the first female to capture a dirt Late Model event at the famed Eldora Speedway.

PERFECT AT PEVELY: Dirt Late Model legend Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., has tentatively announced plans to enter Saturday’s event – one week after he won Eldora Speedway’s prestigious World 100 for an unprecedented sixth time in his Hall of Fame career.

Moyer, 52, will attempt to duplicate Clanton’s 2008 feat of winning the World 100 and Pepsi Nationals in consecutive weeks. The three-time WoO LMS champion will also bid to remain undefeated at I-55 this season following victories on June 5 (Northern All-Stars Late Model Series), July 3 (DIRTcar Summer Nationals) and Aug. 28 (MARS DIRTcar Series) – a hat trick that has already earned him $20,000.

TOUGH COMPETITION: A talented group of drivers from across the Midwest will join Moyer in challenging the Outlaws – none more notable than former DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., the only racer with a top-five finish in all three previous WoO LMS events at I-55.

Babb has been flirting with a WoO LMS victory at I-55, finishing second in 2007 and fifth in both 2005 and 2008. He led the 2005 A-Main until Moyer passed him late in the distance and nearly pulled off a dramatic win in 2007.

Other drivers expected to enter Saturday’s action include reigning DIRTcar UMP Summer Nationals and national champion Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., who finished fourth in the 2008 Pepsi Nationals; former DIRTcar Summer Nationals and national titlist Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who finished sixth in the 2008 event; Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. (third in the 2005 WoO LMS A-Main); Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark.; 2010 I-55 Raceway champion Mark Voigt of Marine, Ill.; ’10 I-55 runner-up Bryan Collins of Elsberry, Mo.; and Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill.

THANKS, MOTHER NATURE: Ray Marler, who co-owns I-55 Raceway with NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader, couldn’t help smiling on Wednesday when he looked at the weather forecast for Saturday in Pevely, Mo.

After two years of rain-induced headaches, it appears that Marler and Schrader will at long last strike it rich with a postcard-perfect day for one of their track’s marquee events. Clear skies with high temperatures in the mid 80s and lows in the 60s are expected.

“This is our 15th season (at I-55),” said Marler. “We’ve had 13 decent seasons, but the last two we’ve gotten killed by the weather. We lost 14 races last year, and this year we’ve lost 10 – three to flood-outs (thanks to the nearby creek overflowing and making the road to the track impassable) and seven to rainouts.

“With the weather looking good for Saturday, it’s a big relief. I think it’s gonna bring out a lot of people to see the great racing we’ve been having this year.”

KENNY’S CAR: While Ken Schrader hasn’t decided if he will enter his dirt Late Model in Saturday night’s Pepsi Nationals, early-arriving fans can check out the nationally-known racer’s DIRTcar UMP Modified by stopping at the nearby Pevely Flea Market. Schrader’s machine will be on display at the popular business from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

CONSOLATION PRIZE: Mike Larson of Chizmark Larson Insurance will attend Saturday’s Pepsi Nationals and help raise a disappointed driver’s feelings by presenting a Hard Luck Award worth $100.

Larson will be available in the pit area throughout the evening to discuss insurance options with interested race teams.

PEPSI NATIONALS INFO: Saturday’s program, which also includes racing for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, DIRTcar Extreme Sportsman Series and DIRTcar Pro 4 Stocks, is scheduled to kick off with practice at 6 p.m. WoO LMS time trials will begin at 6:30 p.m. and racing is set to get the green flag at 7 p.m.

Advance tickets to the Pepsi Nationals are still on sale for $28 (general admission) and $30 (reserved) and can be purchased by visiting www.WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling the track at 636-479-3219. Fans who buy their tickets in advance can also receive a FREE t-shirt from Pepsi while supplies last.

Another attractive offer available to attendees of the Pepsi Nationals is a FREE pit-pass upgrade to admission tickets for fans who recycle a Pepsi 20-ounce bottle on race day at the main gate.

Tickets on race day will be $30 (general) and $32 (reserved). Kids 12-and-under are admitted free to general admissions sections, and pit passes are $30 for DIRTcar members and $35 for non-members.

I-55 Raceway is located 30 minutes south of downtown St. Louis, off Pevely exits 180 and 178 of Interstate 55.