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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (January 14) - World of Outlaws Late Model Series star Rick Eckert will climb into a three-quarter Midget and go racing under a roof to kick off his 2008 season this Saturday night (Jan. 19).
Competing as part of a unique all-star partnership arrangement with NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader, Eckert is set to participate in this weekend's sixth annual 'Gambler's Classic' indoor racing spectacular at the famed Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
Eckert, 42, of York, Pa., will head to the Jersey Shore on Friday night (Jan. 19) for the first half of the two-day program that features TQ Midgets/600cc Micro-Sprints, but he won't don his driver's suit. He'll look on as Schrader steers the Alan Mollott No. 51 in the qualifying night action, which is highlighted by three 'Roaring 20s' events that transfer the top finishers directly to Saturday night's 'Gambler's Classic' A-Main.
Schrader is unable to return for Saturday night's card, so Eckert will step in and pick up where Schrader leaves off.
It's Eckert's hope that Schrader will run well enough to lock into Saturday's 40-lap A-Main, keeping Eckert out of do-or-die situations in the C-Main or B-Mains on Boardwalk Hall's tight, one-eighth-mile concrete oval.
"I'm going to call Kenny and tell him, 'Don't put me in a hole,'" quipped a smiling Eckert. "I'm hoping he sets me up good for Saturday night."
Eckert, who ranks second on the WoO LMS win list since 2004 (15 wins), has entered the 'Gambler's Classic' in each of the last two years and performed well. Driving a 600cc Micro-Sprint fielded by his brother-in-law Joe Darrah that was painted orange with a No. 24 to resemble his familiar Raye Vest-owned dirt Late Model, Eckert finished seventh in the 2006 event and improved to fifth in the 2007 edition (after winning a 20-lap qualifier and being forced to the rear of the A-Main field by a mid-race tangle).
That car was sold, however, so Eckert had to search for a ride. He landed the deal in the Mollott TQ Midget after bumping into 'Gambler's Classic' promoter Lenny Sammons during last month's Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando, Fla., and expressing his interest in competing for a third straight year.
"I had a good time running (the indoor race) the last two years," said Eckert, who will chase a first prize of $5,000 in the event. "It's a chance to have some fun in the middle of the winter."
Eckert's competition will include a host of well-known short-track racers, including his nephew Cody Darrah, a teenage 410 Sprint Car driver who was Eckert's teammate in A.C. for the past two years. Other notables entered include 2007 Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway DIRTcar big-block Modified champion and Eastern States 200 winner Jeff Heotzler (a former 'Gambler's Classic' winner); big-block Modified star Billy Pauch; NASCAR Modified standout Ted Christopher; Bill Davis Racing Development Driver Bobby Santos III; and Supermodified stars Lou Cicconi Jr. and Joey Payne (both former event winners).
Eckert likes the two-driver arrangement with Schrader because it will allow him to put in one more day of work in his race shop. With the start of his 2008 dirt Late Model season just days away - a UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned event on Jan. 23 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. - he needs every minute of preparation he can spare.
"I don't have to get down to Atlantic City on Thursday night, so that gives us more time to work in the shop," said Eckert. "We've built one new (GRT) car and refreshed our other one, and we have three brand-new Custom motors in the shop and another one coming. I feel like we're in as good shape as I've ever been to start a season, but we still have some work to do.
"We're supposed to get our tires in on Thursday, so we'll be busy once we have them."
Coming off an uncharacteristic winless season on the WoO LMS in 2007, Eckert is primed to get back on his usual winning track and make a run at the tour's '08 championship.
"Last year is history," said Eckert. "We're starting with a clean slate now."
Eckert has 22 events scheduled down south between Jan. 23 and Feb. 16. He'll start with 10 nights of action from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 - including seven programs under the UMP DIRTcar Racing banner - during the 'Super Bowl of Racing' at Golden Isles. He then heads to East Bay Raceway in Gibsonton, Fla., for the annual Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 before parking for a week at Volusia Speedway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., where the dirt Late Model portion of the 37th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals runs from Feb. 11-16.
The Florida DIRTcar Nationals features the season-opening events for the WoO LMS on Feb. 14 and 16, plus four nights of UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned competition on Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 15.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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