|
Kevin Kovac
LINCOLN, Ill. (May 15) - One year later, Brian Shirley will return to the scene of his greatest moment on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
And the young star from Chatham, Ill., is hoping that the 'Land of Lincoln 40' on Sunday night (May 18) at Lincoln Speedway will be a repeat of 2007 - some home-cooking to shake him from his early-season doldrums on the WoO LMS.
Shirley, 27, blew out the field to win last year's WoO LMS event at the quarter-mile oval. It was his first-ever - and still only - victory on the national tour, so he remembers May 13, 2007, very fondly.
"It was pretty exciting," Shirley said of his triumph at the Don Hammer-promoted track. "Obviously, as a driver, you always want to know you're capable of winning a big race against the best competition, and that win proved we could do it. But what made it so much more special was that the track is only a half-hour away from my house, so everybody who means the most to me was there to see it."
The former flat-track motorcycle racer dominated Lincoln's inaugural WoO LMS show, grabbing the lead from Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., on lap 21 and storming away to nearly a half-lap margin of victory in the 40-lapper. There was simply no stopping Shirley's Petroff Towing/J&J Steel No. 3s.
"They said we kicked their butts pretty good," smiled Shirley, who had no idea he had driven to such an enormous lead. "It's not like I had some sort of hometrack advantage, though - Lincoln is probably the closest track to my house, but last year was only the second time I had ever run there.
"We just made all the right decisions and everything went our way. You don't get many nights like that when you can do no wrong. The car just drove perfect and made me look like Superman."
Shirley could certainly use a dose of his '07 Lincoln Speedway magic when he pulls onto the track to chase Sunday night's $7,000 top prize. He's in the midst of a frustrating sophomore slump on the WoO LMS, leaving him in dire need of an uplifting performance to propel him into the tour's busy, far-flung upcoming schedule.
After following most of the WoO LMS last season for the first time in his six-year dirt Late Model career and finishing ninth in the points standings, Shirley and car owner Ed Petroff committed to running the entire schedule in 2008. But he's gotten off to a slow start, sitting 11th in the points standings with only two top-10 finishes (eighth-place runs on Feb. 16 at Florida's Volusia Speedway Park and April 15 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.) in nine tour A-Mains to date.
"Right now, I feel like I'm letting down everybody who supports me," Shirley said of his subpar finishing record on the '08 WoO LMS. "We definitely have no lack of equipment or cars and I know we can win races (on the tour), but we're not getting the results. We've had so much bad luck, and we're also not making the right decisions."
Despite having little to get excited about so far this season, Shirley remains upbeat.
"I'm not going to worry about it and get myself down," said Shirley, who travels the WoO LMS with his longtime friend Zach Pointer serving as his chief mechanic. "If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. You can't control destiny. You just gotta keep going and giving it your best, try to do better preparing the car."
Shirley is buoyed by the fact that he's been a notoriously slow starter in recent years. Last year, in fact, he entered Lincoln's WoO LMS event with tour stats that are startling similar to what he's put up so far this season: two top-10 finishes - both eighth-place runs just like in '08! - in seven A-Mains (he also didn't qualify for two other events).
Maybe this Sunday is shaping up as a replay of 2007 for Shirley. The driver known as 'Squirrel' would love to once again hug his family and friends through Lincoln's catch fence during a raucous Victory Lane celebration.
"There will definitely be a lot of people there that I know," said Shirley. "I'll have no shortage of fans, so hopefully we'll give them something to be happy about."
Gates will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lincoln Speedway, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and qualifying commencing at 6:30 p.m.
Also on the program will be complete shows for the UMP DIRTcar Modified and Sportsman divisions, plus a demonstration event for the new 'Kid Modz' class that is designed to bring youngsters into the sport.
General admission is $25 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6-15 and free for children 5-and-under with a paying adult.
Lincoln Speedway sits in an easily-accessible central Illinois location, about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, 35 miles southwest of Bloomington/Normal and 45 miles southeast of Peoria.
For more information, visit www.lincolnspeedway.org or call 217-735-1833.
Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.
|
