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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (February 13) - Defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Steve Francis might have a new ride, but he's still the man to beat in 2008.
Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., was voted the favorite to win the 2008 points title in the inaugural WoO LMS Pre-Season Media Poll.
Nearly two-dozen media types from across the country who cover the WoO LMS took part in the poll, which asked press members to predict the top-five finishers in the tour's 2008 points standings. Points were distributed to each driver named on the media ballots using a 5-4-3-2-1 system.
Francis tallied 72 points in the poll, including eight first-place votes. He appeared on 19 of the 22 media ballots - the most top-five selections of any driver and a clear signal of the media's respect for the star known as the 'Kentucky Colonel.'
After putting together his first-ever WoO LMS championship season in 2007 driving Valvoline-sponsored equipment that he fielded himself, Francis will chase the points crown this year as the hired gun of Maryland car owner Dale Beitler. He has conceded that it might take some time for him to completely adjust to racing for a new team, but the results of the poll prove that the media believes he'll hit his stride fast enough to repeat as champion.
While one media member said Francis "may wish he had his own car" while picking him to finish fourth in the standings, another succinctly summed up a general feeling about the reigning champ.
"Francis has proven year in and year out that he is a points chaser," said the writer. "He is the best in the country at racing for points. Without having the 'burden' of running his own team on a full-time basis, he will have the opportunity to put all efforts into winning races and the championship."
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was the runner-up in the 2007 WoO LMS points race, finished second in the Pre-Season Media Poll. The 46-year-old star was listed on 18 top-five surveys and tallied 65 points, including six first-place votes.
Finishing third in the poll was Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who plans a full assault on the WoO LMS for the first time in 2008 driving for NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer's new dirt Late Model team. A winner of five tour A-Mains while running more than half of the 2007 tour schedule, Babb appeared on 16 Media Poll top-five lists and registered 52 points, including four first-place votes.
Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who at 19 is the youngest driver on the WoO LMS, placed fourth in the poll with 36 points. In search of his first top-five finish in the points standings, the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year received one first-place vote.
Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., ended up in tie for fifth in the poll, dead-locked with 33 points apiece. Eckert was named on more top-five lists - 13 appearances to Clanton's 10 - but Clanton received two first-place votes versus Eckert's one.
Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who captured the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award, earned top-five nods on nine ballots to finish seventh in the poll with 16 points. He was picked to finish as high as second by a media corps impressed with his performance as a first-time dirt Late Model traveler last season.
Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who placed a career-high third in the 2007 standings, was named on eight top-five ballots and finished eighth in the poll. Pegged to finish as high as third, he tallied 14 points.
Rounding out the drivers earning votes in the poll were Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who earned two points for a fourth-place selection; Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., who also earned two points for a fourth-place vote; and 26-year-old Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., a second-year WoO LMS traveler who picked up one point for a fifth-place vote from the media.
Madden, who won two WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007, was the only driver to receive a top-five vote not among the 10 drivers who recently signed to follow the entire '08 schedule. The respondent who selected Madden felt that the Southerner might decide to chase the series if he were to get off to a good start.
As part of the poll, media members were also asked to predict who will win the most WoO LMS A-Mains in 2008 as well as the winners of the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 on June 28-29 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.
Coming off his strong '07 season in the 'W' column, Babb was the top choice of the media to lead the tour in victories this season. He received 11 votes in the top-winner category, besting 2007's winningest driver Frank (five votes), Francis (four), Clanton (one) and Smith (one).
Media members predicted that Babb will lead the tour with as many as 11 wins or as few as four.
The Media Poll favorite to win the Circle K Colossal 100 was Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who has captured the two previous runnings of the event. He received eight votes.
Other drivers selected multiple times as potential Colossal 100 winners were Babb (six votes) and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. (three). Receiving single votes were Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, Fuller, Richards, Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va. and Smith.
Bloomquist and Frank tied for the most selections in the Firecracker 100 poll, each receiving nine votes. Bloomquist won the inaugural mega-event last year, while Frank is acknowledged as a master of the four-tenths-mile track in his native western Pennsylvania.
Receiving single votes in the Firecracker 100 polling were Babb, Fuller, Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and Richards.
*****
THE MEDIA WROTE IT:
* On Chub Frank capturing the title: "Finishing second is always the biggest motivator to winning the next season"; "This will be Chub's year to shake the monkey off his back and pick up the WoO title."
* On Frank winning the Firecracker 100: "Nobody knows Western Pennsylvania dirt tracks better than Chubzilla"; "Chub Frank takes the Lernerville cash, winning a huge race on one of his favorite tracks."
* On Shannon Babb: "In 2007 Babb proved that he can win on the tour; he has also proven that he is one of the best in the country over the past few years. With the financial backing of Sprint Cup superstar Clint Bowyer, the 'Moweaqua Missle' will be a force to be reckoned with in 2008"; "Clint Bowyer Racing link moves Babb up"; "Can't go wrong with an owner named Clint Bowyer."
* On Shane Clanton: "I think he is set for a dominating performance"; "I think Clanton has learned a little bit every year, and this is the season it all comes together for him."
* On Josh Richards: "Richards is on the brink of taking a 'crown jewel.' Lernerville's 'Firecracker 100' is the perfect opportunity for Josh to make that leap into the elite class of dirt Late Model drivers"; "This star continues to rise through the Late Model landscape"; "One year away from dominating."
* On Rick Eckert: "Championship form is back after a challenging 2007 season"; "Major rebound from 2007 comes up just a bit short."
* On Darrell Lanigan: "If all WoO races were on a half-mile or more, he would be the champ."
* On Clint Smith: "Last year it seemed Clint Smith had more strong runs than he had in previous years and he'll continue that in 2008."
* On Tim Fuller: "Should be exciting to watch in 2008."
* On Brian Shirley: "He's one of the best young drivers in the country and he'll prove it by becoming a serious contender this season."
* On Scott Bloomquist winning the Colossal 100: "Bloomquist is the specialist at winning big races, and there's no reason to think he won't in 2008 as well"; "He's the War Admiral of the 1930 horse-racing industry."
*****
The 2008 WoO LMS, which is currently scheduled to run 46 events at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces, kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Pre-Season Media Poll (Driver/first pl. votes/2nd pl/3rd pl/4th pl/5th pl/total points on 5-4-3-2-1 tabulation system):
1. Steve Francis 8-3-5-2-1 = 72 points
2. Chub Frank 6-4-4-3-1 = 65 points
3. Shannon Babb 4-5-3-3-1 = 52 points
4. Josh Richards 1-4-2-2-5 = 36 points
5. (tie) Shane Clanton 2-1-5-2-0 = 33 points
5. (tie) Rick Eckert 1-4-1-2-5 = 33 points
7. Tim Fuller 0-1-1-2-5 = 16 points
8. Clint Smith 0-0-1-4-3 = 14 points
9. (tie) Darrell Lanigan 0-0-0-1-0 = 2 points
9. (tie) Chris Madden 0-0-0-1-0 = 2 points
11. Brian Shirley 0-0-0-0-1 = 1 point
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