Contact: World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 • kkovac@dirtcar.com
World of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Wrapping Up The ‘Illini 100’ At Farmer City Raceway
CONCORD, NC – April 7, 2008 –
WHAT A SHOW: A 55-car field teeming with top-notch talent. A record, standing-room-only crowd. A racy, multi-groove track surface.
And, best of all, a dramatic 100-lap A-Main that will be remembered as one of the best dirt Late Model races of this or any other season.
Roll all that up, and there’s no doubt that the inaugural ‘Illini 100’ at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway was a smashing success.
The excitement of the biggest dirt Late Model event ever run in the state of Illinois impressed virtually everyone, including World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular Shannon Babb, a native of nearby Moweaqua, Ill., who grew up racing at the quarter-mile oval.
“I knew this would be a good place to have a big show, but honestly, I didn’t think it would be that good,” a smiling Babb said after engaging in an A-Main battle for the ages that saw him finish second by scant feet to his racing mentor Billy Moyer. “It was awesome, and hopefully it’ll be a yearly deal now and just get bigger and bigger.”
That’s the plan for the ‘Illini 100,’ says Farmer City promoter Don Hammer. He was thrilled with the competitor and fan support for the first-time, $20,000-to-win event and envisions the weekend developing into a must-see early-season show on the dirt Late Model calendar.
GOOD REVIEWS: Hammer and his Farmer City track crew whipped up a racing surface that produced fast speeds (witness Moyer’s new track record lap of 11.973 seconds during Friday’s time trials) and entertaining action with a minimum of roughness.
“It had a hole or two in the track, but heck, it’s springtime,” said Moyer, who credited Hammer with doing “a good job” on the surface. “Myself, I think every track should have a bump or two. It doesn’t bother me any. It gives you something to do.”
SMART DECISION: Babb had second thoughts about his tire-compound choice when he rolled onto the track for the pre-race driver introduction.
So what did he do? He conferred with crewmen Tommy Grecco and Jay Hunt and then changed the left-rear and right-front tires of his Clint Bowyer-owned Rayburn car, giving him three soft 20-compound tires and a hard 40-compound shoe on the right-rear.
By WoO LMS rules, the tire change on the racetrack forced Babb to the rear of the 24-car field for the start. But he was scheduled to start 19th, so moving back five spots wasn’t a major problem.
“I walked out there (for the pre-race festivities) and seen how much traction was left on the bottom,” said Babb. “Right there I thought we should go softer on tires. If you have the same thing as everybody else you’re gonna be equal, so we made the change and it worked real good for us.”
Babb came close to becoming only the second driver in the WoO LMS’s modern era (2004-present) to win a tour event after starting last. Tim McCreadie holds the last-to-first distinction, accomplishing the rare feat on June 5, 2005, at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.Dak.
WANTED MORE: Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis summed up the ‘Illini 100’ with a couple simple phrases.
“It was a helluva race,” he said. “That’s about all you can say about it.”
Francis, who briefly led the race on two occasions, finished third, just a few car lengths behind the lead Moyer/Babb pair. He felt his outcome could have been a little better.
“We were a little tight getting in to the middle of the corner,” Francis said of his Dale Beitler-owned No. 19. “But what kinda buried us was when Moyer got into us (with a slide-job for second place on lap 82). We lost a lot of ground there.
“Really, we were lucky to hold on to third, so I was happy with everything. It came down to where we needed track position, and we didn’t have it.”
WRONG PLACE: Francis was able to survive without losing a position when Moyer’s slide up in front of him on the 82nd lap forced him to check up, but the chain-reaction jam-up behind him cost WoO LMS regulars Chub Frank and Josh Richards.
Frank, who was running fourth at the time, slowed to avoid Francis and was hit by Tim McCreadie. The contact bent Frank’s left-side bodywork into his tire, leaving him with a blown tire on lap 88 that relegated him to a 12th-place finish.
“I was just trying to keep my car in one piece and get a good finish out of it,” said Frank. “The line I was using wasn’t the fastest, but I ran it because I was trying to stay out of the holes so I wouldn’t tear a left-rear tire off like I saw so many guys doing.
“We were just hoping for a good points night, but we got caught anyway and got a flat.”
Richards, meanwhile, ran in the top five for much of the distance. But his ill-fated positioning in the Moyer/Francis aftermath cost him three spots and he only recovered enough to finish sixth.
The 20-year-old Richards had high hopes for the 100 after timing second-fastest, winning a heat and capturing the 8-lap dash on Friday night, but his Rocket No. 1 was off just a little on Saturday night. He said changing the machine to a four-link from a swing-arm setup just before the A-Main and going too hard with their tire choice hampered his effort.
NICE RUN: Former Farmer City champ Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., came on late in the ‘Illini 100’ to place fifth – his best finish ever in WoO LMS competition.
The 25-year-old Steidinger, who finished second in the 2007 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings, earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ prize for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour event and wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points. He wondered afterward, however, if he could have advanced even further forward from the 17th starting spot if he hadn’t gone too hard with his tire choice by bolting four 40-compound tires on his Rayburn mount.
ETCETERA…
* Darrell Lanigan had to use a provisional to start the A-Main after being unable to recover from a slide back in his heat race, but he persevered through a mid-race pit stop to finish eighth in the 100. He remained one of only two drivers (Moyer is the other) to score a top-10 finish in all four WoO LMS events contested this season.
* Racing at a track where he cut his teeth and just three days after celebrating his 27th birthday, Brian Shirley was feeling good about his chances. But after running in the top five early he slipped back and ultimately slowed on lap 62 with a broken j-bar on his Ed Petroff-owned Rayburn.
* Rick Eckert debuted a new Rayburn car with a seventh-place finish in the 100. He slipped into the top five momentarily in the shakeup that accompanied the Moyer/Francis action on lap 82, but, with his car’s tow knocked out from hitting a rut, he wasn’t able to stay there for the remainder of the distance.
* Tim Fuller’s hopes were quickly dashed in the 100 when a broken right-rear axle forced him to the infield on lap five. He returned many laps down to collect some extra points.
* After spending a mid-week day testing his swing-arm car at his sponsor Don Cliburn’s Jackson (Miss.) Speedway (along with Eckert and Fuller), Clint Smith was primed and ready for the ‘Illini 100.’ But he struggled in the A-Main, spinning on the homestretch on lap 26 and finishing one lap down in 14th.
* Shane Clanton spent most of the distance as a fringe top-five runner, but he faded to 11th at the finish after an apparent sealed right-rear tire hampered him in the closing laps.
NEXT UP: The WoO LMS heads to Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va., on Fri., April 11, for the 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River IV’ and then visits Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for the 50-lap ‘Showdown in Sarvertown’ on Tues., April 15.
OUTLAWS INFO: To learn more about the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
For Immediate Release
April 8, 2008
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Returns to K-C Raceway April 12th Brownstown Tidbits
CORONA, CA (April 8, 2008) - What better way to kick off your 2008 racing season than hosting a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event? Jim Nier of K-C Raceway in Chillicothe, OH can attest as he owns "Ohio's Fastest 3/8ths Mile High Banked Dirt Track" that will host the touring pros of the Lucas Oil Series on Saturday Night, April 12th.
K-C Raceway had scheduled to open the new campaign on March 29th, but two straight cancellations due to persistent wet grounds have laid the groundwork for the track's opening event this year to be the "Glockner 50" featuring a complete $10,000 to win show for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series which will be taped by SPEED Channel.
Owner and Promoter Jim Nier, who took over the track after one event in 2002 has done a lot of work to the facility over the off-season. "We've put a lot of work into the facility this winter when the weather permitted. We've added additional lighting to the track, added some clay, remodeled the pit concessions, and purchased some new equipment in an effort to make this year our best yet. We are looking forward to seeing the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at K-C on April 12 and I'm sure it's going to be very exciting," said Nier, who still races a sprint car on occasions when his busy schedule permits.
In 2005 K-C Raceway also became the host to one of dirt late model racings' crown jewel events as Carl Short brought his "Dirt Track World Championship" race to K-C. The annual $50,000 to win event has become a must see over the years for race fans and Saturday's visit by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series gives drivers additional track time on the high banks leading up to the annual October showcase event.
The series trip to K-C featuring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be the next event for drivers who will be eligible for the "Winners Circle Program" and the "Jasper Engines Road to Wheatland bonus monies. This is an incentive program that will pay the top ten drivers in the 2008 Championship Points an extra $600 each with perfect attendance throughout 2008. The "Jasper Engines Road to Wheatland" Program will also pay an additional $600 to each of the ten highest points drivers from the final 2007 Championship Points standings that follow the Road to Wheatland with perfect attendance but are not in the current top ten in points. The SuperClean "Diamond Nationals" at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO is slated for May 9th and 10th and will pay $40,000 to win this year.
On Saturday April 12th at K-C pit gates will open at 4:00 pm with grandstand gates opening at 4:30 PM. Hot laps are set to begin at 6:30 PM with PRC Time Trials for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to start at 7:00 PM. General grandstand admission will be $25 with children ages 7-12 admitted for $5 with kids 5 and under free. Pit passes will be $35.
K-C Raceway is located 12 miles south of Chillicothe, OH on State Road 23, two miles off of Blain Highway in Alma, OH. For more information you can visit www.kc-raceway.com or call the track office at (740) 663-4141.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series tire rule for the race will be Hoosier 1300, 1425 - D35, 1600 and LM20/40 and American Racer SD44, SD48 and MD56. For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series you can go to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
BROWNSTOWN TIDBITS:
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series paid a visit to the Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN back on March 29th for the 11th Annual "Indiana Icebreaker" which drew 61 entries to the Tim Keithley promoted facility. Despite nearly 20 inches of rain and snow in the one month period leading up to the race Keithley and his crew did an outstanding job of getting the track prepared to race on for the Icebreaker which produced some outstanding racing especially in the 50-lap main event which saw winner Terry Casey of New London, WI come from 16th starting spot to notch his second career series victory and his second ever $10,000 win. The series returns to Brownstown on September 19th and 20th for the 29th Annual "Jackson 100" which this year pays a record-setting $20,000 to win.
CASEBOLT HARD CHARGER: Reigning Eldora Dream winner and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Steve Casebolt of Richmond, IN was suffering through a terrible night leading up to the main event at Brownstown. Casebolt, who finished third in last year's championship points standings, had to take a provisional to make a tough-starting lineup. Casebolt displayed plenty of patience early on in the event racing his way up to a fifth place finish to earn the PBM/Erson Cams "Hard Charger of the Race."
INDIANA WELL REPRESENTED IN ICEBREAKER: A third of the starting lineup for the 11th Annual "Indiana Icebreaker" was made up of drivers from the Hoosier State. Indiana has always been a hotbed of driving talent as Casebolt, Scott James, Don O'Neal, John Gill, Steve Barnett, Rohn Moon, Kevin Claycomb and Cody Mahoney all made the 24-car starting field with four of those drivers finishing in the top ten. Casebolt (5th), O'Neal (6th), Gill (8th) and Barnett (9th) all represented their home-state well with those finishes. Claycomb was making his first start at Brownstown since the 2004 Jackson 100.
SPECIAL SPONSOR GUESTS ON HAND AT BROWNSTOWN: Kraig Reash, COO of SuperClean Brands, Inc. along with Jeff Cave was visitors to the "Indiana Icebreaker" at Brownstown Speedway. SuperClean is the title sponsor for the SuperClean "Diamond Nationals" at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO on May 9th and 10th which pays a record $40,000 to win this year. Also on hand at Brownstown were Rico Elmore and Tom Aquilera of Fatheadz.com one of the new series sponsors in 2008.
LUCAS OIL STADIUM TO DEBUT IN PRIME TIME: Lucas Oil Stadium located in Indianapolis will be the new home of the Indianapolis Colts starting in 2008. The announcement was made this past Monday that the new venue will host the Colts and the Chicago Bears in a rematch Super Bowl XLI (won by the Colts, 29-17) on the National Football League's opening weekend as NBC will televise the event at 8:15 PM on Sunday, September 7th.
April 12 - KC Raceway-Chillicothe, OH ($10,000 to win)
April 25 - Bedford Speedway-Bedford, PA ($7,000 to win)
Race Brothers Show-Me Racin Series to compete at Springfield Raceway Season opener April 19
On Saturday evening April 19 the Springfield Raceway will open the season with a different look – one that wasn’t planned – but during the January tornado – Mother Nature did her own remodeling.
The tornado blew away the concession stand, bathrooms, and ticket booth. It also damaged the protective fences around the track. As with most area tracks, these buildings had no insurance on them. Track owners have also faced hurdles with Greene county planning and zoning before a “permanent structure” could be built within the county. They had to settle with portable structures, but even so, the cost to the track has been over $10,000 in unplanned expenses.
As a friendly gesture the Race Brothers Show-Me Racin Series will run at the track on opening night for Springfield’s normal weekly purse, in an attempt to allow Doug and Jerry to recoup some of the expenses required to get the track back in operating order. This is a rather large cut in the purse for the Show-Me Series, but as series founder Ken Essary states, “We’d like to help them get back on their feet. The Show-Me Series would do this to help any area track that sustained the damage that Springfield Raceway did.”
And a race it will be…. Past series champs Ken & Leslie Essary will be competing along with top runners, Jim Fulp, Rick Lebow, Jeremy Kelley, Kevin Henson, Darrin Barton, Jarrod Hilton, and many newcomers joining the series this season. The fans will see a top notch show with 25-30 Race Brothers Show-Me Racin Series Late Models expected to be on hand. The series will then make a return visit to the Springfield Raceway on August 16 for a larger purse.
“We would like to thank Kenny Essary, the drivers, and everyone involved with the Show-Me Series,” stated track owner Jerry Hoffman.
Make your plans for Saturday night April 19 – come out to see a great season-opening race at Springfield Raceway. Tickets will be $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12. Pit Passes will be $30. In addition to the Show-Me Series Late Models, the Modifieds, Sport Mods, Factory Stocks, Bombers and Hornets will be running. Gates will open at 5:00pm with Hot Laps at 6:15 pm and the races getting underway at 7:00 pm .
The Race Brothers Show-Me Racin Series season opener is this Saturday April 12 at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, OK.
Come out and support the Springfield Raceway and the Race Brothers Show-Me Racin Series! Visit www.SpringfieldRaceway.com or www.Show-MeRacinSeries.com for more information.
Karen Fulp (417)723-1035 home (417)880-9693 cell www.Show-MeRacinSeries.com