|
James Essex
CORONA, Calif. (January 9) - The most successful season ever for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series came to a close on Thursday Night, December 6th as the series presented its Annual Awards Banquet at the beautiful Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, FL. Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL again reigned supreme as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion for the third consecutive year.
Pearson who teamed with 2000 NASCAR Cup Champion Bobby Labonte in 2007 scored five victories on the ultra-competitive tour this season to win the championship by 230 points over Lawrenceburg, IN driver, Scott James. Pearson who tied with Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN for the most series wins in this year scored 16 top five finishes and he had 22 top ten finishes in 32 starts this season. For Pearson it was his fourth consecutive national touring series title (an all-time record) and it was the first dirt title for Labonte whose dirt race shops come out of Archdale, NC.
James, the 2005 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series "Rookie of the Year" had his best season yet touring with the series for the third year in a row. James was able to win twice this year (Hagerstown and Duck River) as he and third place point finisher Steve Casebolt of Richmond, IN kept the pressure on Pearson all year long. In 31 starts the Powell Motorsports #83 Rocket Chassis driver garnered nine top five finishes and a career best 18 top ten place finishes. In his career with the series James has started more events than any other driver in history with 96 A-main starts followed closely by Pearson (95) and Dresden, OH's Donnie Moran with 93.
Casebolt came home third in the final driver rankings as the '07 $100,000 Eldora Dream winner nabbed two series victories (Florence and Muskingum County) in 28 starts for the Dale Beitler owned team. Casebolt who was the '06 series "Rookie of the Year" had his highest finish in the final championship points standings for the Lucas Oil series has he recorded seven top five finishes and he had 20 top ten finishes which was second best to Pearson's 22.
Moran, who has finished third (twice) in the final Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings wound up fourth in this years edition. The "Million Dollar Man" started 30 A-Mains this year with six top ten finishes and 15 top tens.
Terry English of Benton, KY concluded his first full season of racing with the series and made a good showing finishing fifth in the final standings. English started 32 events and picked up seven top five finishes and 15 top tens
Not only did Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY win the COMP Cams "Rookie of the Year" title in '07 with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series the impressive 20 year-old also finished sixth in the final championship points standings. Rattliff like his fellow Kentuckian Terry English followed the complete series tour for the first time in his career scored one series win (LaSalle) in 24 starts. Rattliff nabbed five top five finishes to go along with six top tens to finish in the sixth spot among some of the top drivers in the business.
Bloomington, IL driver Billy Drake also took to the road with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time in his career as he also was in victory circle once in series competition (at North Alabama). Drake made 24 A-main starts with the Lucas Oil Series this season and had eight top ten finishes and 12 top tens on his resume where he wound up seventh in the final points.
Former World 100 Winner, Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, WI also was a new face who logged the miles with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Schlieper made the call for 29 feature events this season winning the DART Winternationals Points Fund back in February at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL. Schlieper had six top five finishes this year and 14 top tens which placed him ninth in points when it was all said and done.
Damon Eller of Crumpler, NC also made a name for himself this year finishing ninth in the championship points standings and he also finished second to Rattliff in the COMP Cams "Rookie of the Year" chase. Eller was in the starting lineup 25 times this year on the Lucas Oil Series tour as he brought home three top ten finishes.
Freddy Smith of Seymour, TN wrapped up his 41st year on racing as the only five-time winner of the Dirt Track World Championship Race finished tenth in this year's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings. The "Southern Gentleman" made 18 starts on the series tour this year with one top five finish to go along with four top tens which got him a coveted top ten finishing position in the point's standings.
The 2007 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will go down in the series record books as the most successful yet. Lucas Oil bought the series in 2005 and this year there was $2.3 million dollars paid out in prize money, points fund, bonuses and contingencies.
In '07 the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned 33 events in 15 states with 18 different drivers winning races. There were 632 drivers who participated at least once this year with the Lucas Oil Series. Counting East Bay the series averaged a national touring leading 55.8 drivers per show and even without the large car counts at East Bay the series averaged a leading 48.2 drivers.
There were five drivers who won their first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series A-main events in 2007 including Rick Aukland (East Bay), Tim Dohm (East Bay), Justin Rattliff (LaSalle), Jeff Smith (Fayetteville) and Billy Drake (North Alabama). At the conclusion of the season Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN is the all-time winningest driver in series history with 15 triumphs followed by Pearson with ten wins. Bloomquist entered victory circle four times in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition this year with wins at East Bay, Bulls Gap, Columbus and Bardstown. Pearson's five wins were at East Bay, Farley, Virginia Motor, Lucas Oil Speedway and Kankakee.
Pearson and James swept the drivers awards at the banquet with Pearson taking the LifeLong Locks "Fast Time Award" and the K&N Filters "Clean Pass of the Race Award" with James grabbing the Edelbrock "Hard Charger Award" and the Allstar Performance "Performer of the Race Award."
Other awards presented at the ceremony were to Pro Power Engines of Sullivan, WI as the PBM Performance Products "Engine Builder of the Year" and to Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, WV as the "Chassis Builder of the Year."
While the 2007 racing season for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will go down in history as it's most successful to date the season ended on a sad note when Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series consultant Mike Swims passed away on September 28 at the age of 42. Mike had courageously battled cancer for seven years and leaves a tremendous void in the world of dirt track racing. "Even though we had a great season and Mike was proud of our accomplishments this year, it was bittersweet to end the season with Mike's passing," said series director Ritchie Lewis. "Everyone at Lucas Oil, myself and our tremendous staff will never forget Mike's contributions to racing and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and we are going to put Mike's memory at the forefront of our decision making process, because without his guidance and advice we would not be where we are today without him," said Lewis.
The 2008 racing season for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is already off to a record setting start with 41 events booked. The season will kick off just as it has the last three years with the 32nd Annual "East Bay Winternationals" at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL. The entire schedule is available at www.lucasdirt.com/tour.php.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will also give everyone a winter fix when it comes to racing action as the series will be appearing on SPEED Channel again this off-season. The complete broadcast schedule is available online at www.lucasdirt.com/broadcasts.php.
For the latest news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series you can log on anytime at www.lucasdirt.com.
Final 2007 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings
1) Earl Pearson, Jr. (Jacksonville, FL)-5555
2) Scott James (Lawrenceburg, IN)-5325
3) Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN)-5170
4) Donnie Moran (Dresden, OH)-4760
5) Terry English (Benton, KY)-4715
6) Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY)-4505
7) Billy Drake (Bloomington, IL)-4465
8) Dan Schlieper (Sullivan, WI)-4330
9) Damon Eller (Crumpler, NC)-3850
10) Freddy Smith (Seymour, TN)-3640
Final 2007 Current COMP Cams Rookie of the Year Points Standings
1) Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY)-4505
2) Damon Eller (Crumpler, NC)-3850
3) Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY)-2885
|
