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Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
Eckert Chases Late Model Cash, Darrah Looks For Sprint Car Glory With Kasey Kahne Racing At Lowe's Motor Speedway Nov. 5-7
CONCORD, NC – Oct. 28, 2009 – Rick Eckert will be a racer and a race fan during the third annual World of Outlaws World Finals on Nov. 5-7 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway.
As soon as Eckert finishes his World of Outlaws Late Model Series duties throughout the blockbuster weekend, catching a glimpse of the companion WoO Sprint Car Series action will be on his mind. He will, after all, have a rooting interest in the winged competition.
Eckert's nephew, rising young star Cody Darrah, is scheduled to drive the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 19 Sprinter in the World Finals – a rare instance in which the relatives will practice their respective racing disciplines on the same program.
“Hopefully we don't have any problems with our stuff and I'll have enough time to get up to the fence and see him when he's out there (on the four-tenths-mile oval),” Eckert said of Darrah, who enters the World Finals as one of the country's top Sprint Car prospects. “I really enjoy watching him run whenever I can.”
Eckert, 43, of York, Pa., has been a witness to Darrah's development from a wide-eyed kid in awe of his uncle's accomplishments to the confident, talented 20-year-old he is today. A younger brother of Darrah's mother Kitty, Eckert remembers being unsure if Darrah even wanted to race while growing up, but then he saw Darrah “get serious about it” when he went Micro-Sprint racing as a teenager and he hasn't looked back since.
“When Cody and his dad (Joe) talked about going Sprint Car racing (in 2006), I was like, ‘You're doing what?'” said Eckert, who often accompanied Darrah to local Micro-Sprint events and drove a second team car when his schedule allowed. “But he picked up the Sprint Car deal amazingly fast. He just understands how to race. A lot of young guys will get themselves in bad positions – and he did that originally too, don't get me wrong – but he's learned the right way to race now and his results are showing it. He's already won more races than some guys do in their whole career.
“He's got good crew guys and good equipment, but a lot of guys have that and don't win races. And he's a likeable kid too, so he can go far.
“I know one thing – he's already a better Sprint Car driver than I ever thought about being,” added a smiling Eckert, who ran Sprint Cars in central Pennsylvania for a short time before his career path took him to dirt Late Models.
A resident of Red Lion, Pa., Darrah owns six victories this season, including a career-first WoO Sprint Car score (worth $20,000) in the rescheduled Summer Nationals event on Oct. 3 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. His breakout campaign in family-owned equipment helped earn him a chance to serve as a fill-in driver of the Kasey Kahne Racing Sprinter on Oct. 10 at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, N.Y., and again in the World Finals – and, of course, a shot at earning a fulltime ride with KKR in 2010 to hit the road with the Outlaws.
“It's a heck of an opportunity and an absolute honor to drive for these guys,” said Darrah, who arrived at the KKR shop outside Charlotte on Tuesday and will remain there for the next week to help the team prepare for the World Finals. “It definitely puts the pressure on you because with this kind of team you're expected to win, but that's a good thing. I want that pressure.”
Darrah is eyeing a long career as a race car driver. He would love to follow in his Uncle Scrub's footsteps, albeit not necessarily behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model.
“He's the guy I grew up watching and I know his lifestyle inside and out,” said Darrah, who has never tested one of Eckert's orange dirt Late Models (which happen to carry sponsorship from the Darrah family's J&K Salvage business) but would like to take a few laps in a full-fender machine someday. “Seeing how he's done it gives me that drive to succeed.”
Not surprisingly, Darrah considers Eckert to be the biggest influence on his burgeoning career. While it's been two decades since Eckert drove a Sprint Car, the general racing savvy he provides Darrah during visits to the track (Eckert attends as many of Darrah's events as he can fit in his schedule) and in conversations at the shop, by cell phone and during family gatherings is invaluable.
“His knowledge of what makes a car go around a track is absolutely priceless to have on your side some nights,” Darrah said of his uncle. “He might not be the greatest Sprint Car mechanic, but he has such a great eye for what's happening with the racetrack. He can see how a track is changing and point that out to me, which is such a big help.”
Eckert and Darrah will certainly find time to swap ideas about the fast, demanding Lowe's dirt track during the World Finals, which include two rounds of qualifying for Late Models and Sprint Cars on Thurs., Nov. 5, and complete season-ending programs (heats, B-Mains, A-Mains) for both divisions on Friday and Saturday nights (Nov. 6-7).
And uncle and nephew will have plenty of familiar faces watching their every move from The Dirt Track's massive grandstand. A throng of their relatives and friends are planning to travel down from Pennsylvania for the weekend, including Eckert's parents (Darrah's grandparents).
“It's going to be like a family reunion for us in Charlotte,” said Darrah. “We have a real big family, but we don't have picnics. We go to the races. That's where everybody gets together.”
Just imagine the scene if both Eckert and Darrah are able to thrill their partisan backers with victories during the World Finals. But do they believe a family double is possible?
“I think our odds are good,” asserted Darrah, whose debut at The Dirt Track one year ago resulted in solid finishes of fifth and ninth in the twin World Finals Sprint Car A-Mains. “I definitely have some of the best equipment in the country under me running for Kasey Kahne Racing, so I'm going there with the expectation that I can win. (KKR) has the confidence to put me in the car, so I can't think any other way.
“And Rick is coming off a win at Hagerstown (on Oct. 25 in the Maryland track's Octoberfest event) and those Bloomquist cars he runs always seem to run great at Charlotte, so I know he can win one.”
Indeed, Eckert is carrying some momentum into the World Finals. He's pocketed a $10,000 check after each of his last two starts – for a third-place finish in the Dirt Track World Championship on Oct. 18 at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway and his third career Octoberfest 100 victory at Hagerstown – and his three WoO LMS triumphs this season represent his first multiple-victory campaign on the tour since 2006.
Eckert has some confidence – and with his longtime car owner, Raye Vest, ailing with some health problems that are threatening to cancel his planned trip to The Dirt Track, the veteran driver also has some extra incentive to reach Victory Lane.
“We've got our stuff going pretty good lately, so I think I have a shot,” said Eckert, who sits fifth in the WoO LMS points standings. “We've always been pretty fast at Charlotte but haven't had a lot of luck, so hopefully we'll catch a few breaks. Cody was pretty good (at The Dirt Track) last year for his first time there, so I think he could pull (a win) off too.
“That would definitely be a good time if we both won. With all our family there, we'd have a ball after the race.”
Ticket information on the World of Outlaws World Finals – the only event this season fans can see the WoO Late Models and Sprint Cars compete on the same card – is available by logging on to www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.
The fun at The Dirt Track actually will begin on Wed., Nov. 4, with the postponed WoO LMS ‘Topless Showdown by Hungry Man.' The 50-lap event offers a base purse of $10,000 for first place, but if the driver who wins the A-Main submitted an official entry form prior to deadline they will also receive a ‘passing' bonus in an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by their starting position – setting up a possible winner's prize of as much as $30,000.
The finale of the World Finals will air live on the SPEED cable network on Sat., Nov. 7, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser) and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors Champ Pans, Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tires, Integra Shocks, Jake's Custom Golf Carts, Ohlins Shocks, Racing Electronics, Quarter Master and Wrisco Aluminum; Crane Cams Engine Builder's Challenge participants Cornett Racing Engines, Custom Race Engines and Pro Power Racing Engines; and Chassis Builder Challenge participants Rocket Chassis and Team Zero by Bloomquist.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release: Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157
October 28, 2009
173 DRIVERS INVITED TO NeSMITH CHEVROLET WRS FALL NATIONALS AT COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CARTERSVILLE, GA – NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series officials will be mailing out invitations to 173 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series drivers representing ten different states to participate in the 4th Annual NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Fall Nationals at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS on November 27-28.
The 4th Annual NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Fall Nationals will be a 40-lap $2,000-to-win event that will be held on Friday night November 27. All 173 invitees will be eligible to compete in this post-season special event.
The Top 10 drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region and East Region, as well as the Top Ten drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet Northern Challenge Series will be eligible to compete in the Race of Regions at Columbus Speedway on Saturday, November 28.
The 15 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Track Champions will compete in the Race of Champions at Columbus Speedway in Saturday, November 28. The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will also present a 40-lap $2,500-to-win non-points race that will be open to all drivers on Saturday night, November 28 at Columbus Speedway.
Seven invitees will be eligible for “Triple Duty” at the Fall Nationals by placing in the Top Ten of their Region, and winning a Track Championship. They will be eligible to compete in the Fall Nationals, the Race of Regions, and the Race of Champions.
Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS will be looking to pad his already impressive 2009 resume at the 4th Annual Fall Nationals. The 18-year-old has already captured the $20,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship, and the Columbus Speedway/Magnolia Motor Speedway NeSmith Chevrolet WRS Track Championship. Cooley finished fourth in the WRS West Region.
Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS finished second in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS West Region standings, and won the WRS Track Championship at Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in Hattiesburg, MS. Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS won the Track Championship at South Mississippi Speedway in Gulfport, MS and placed third in the West Region points chase.
Randy Boyd of Marion, MS was the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Track Champion at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS, and finished eighth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region standings.
Larry Harrod of Plains, GA was the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Track Champion at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL and finished second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region point standings.
The 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region Champion Adam Martin of Talladega, AL won his second straight WRS Track Championship at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL, and finished third in the 2009 East Region standings. Rick Stout of Stanton, MI won the NeSmith Chevrolet Northern Challenge Series Championship.
There are 31 drivers eligible for “Double Duty” at the Fall Nationals by placing in the Top Ten of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East or West Regions, the NeSmith Chevrolet Northern Challenge Series, or winning a Track Championship.
Three-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS and the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region Champion Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL will compete in the Fall Nationals and the Race of Regions.
Other drivers from the West Region eligible to compete in the Fall Nationals and the Race of Regions are Kody Barber of Bogalusa, LA, Cliff Williams of Star, MS, Tracy Brown of Lumberton, MS, Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS, and Chase Washington of Houlka, MS.
Other East Region Top Ten drivers eligible to compete in the Fall Nationals and the Race of Regions are Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL, Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL, Dana Eiland of Salem, AL, Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL, Richie Stephens of Phenix City, AL, Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL, and Jerry Goodwin of Wilsonville, AL.
Joining Stout in the Fall Nationals and the Race of Regions from the Northern Challenge Series will be Roger Wing of Middleton, MI, Scott Ehlert of Crystal, MI, Trever Sloan of Saranac, MI, Mike Nugent of Belding, MI, John McClure of Clarksville, MI, Kris Patterson of St. Johns, MI, Bry Sloan of Lowell, MI, Billy Trueblood of Ionia, MI, and Gary Vandermark of Lowell, MI.
Eight drivers will be eligible to compete in two events: the Fall Nationals and the Race of Champions. Jacob Anderson of Murphy, NC was the Track Champion at Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, NC, and Tootie Arnold of Meadville, MS was the Track Champion at Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS.
Randall Beckwith of Kilmichael, MS was the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Track Champion at Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona, MS, and Jason Deal of Copperhill, TN was the Track Champion at Sugar Creek Raceway in Blue Ridge, GA. Marc Gooden of Lafayette, AL was the Track Champion at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL.
Mike Haralson of Braxton, MS was the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS Track Champion at Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS, and Josh Henry of Newport, TN was the Track Champion at Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, TN. Jason Wilkey of Batesville, AR was the Track Champion at Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR.
The 173 drivers eligible for the 4th Annual Fall Nationals are the Top Ten drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet West and East Regions, the Top Ten drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet Northern Challenge Series, the Top Ten drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour, and the Top Ten drivers, excluding Regional Top Ten drivers, from each NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series track.
Columbus Speedway will be hosting an open practice session on Thursday, November 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Columbus Speedway is located seven miles east of Columbus, MS 1.5 miles north of U.S. Highway 82. Take Stokes Road, 1.5 miles north of U.S. Highway 82, then turn right on Lacy Road. The track will be ¾-mile on the left.
For more information call 662-241-5004, or visit the track web site at www.columbusspeedway.net. For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and a complete list of the 173 Fall Nationals Invitees, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.
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