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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (November 18) - Car owner Dale Beitler will be back chasing the World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule in 2010 with a fresh, young face behind the wheel of his familiar No. 19 machines.
Less than two weeks after his two-year relationship with former series champion Steve Francis ended following a close runner-up finish in the 2009 WoO LMS points standings, Beitler announced that he's hired 17-year-old sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., to campaign his equipment next season on the renowned national tour.
Saying that he enjoys racing "too much to stay at home," Beitler, 52, decided to keep his team on the road with the Outlaws shortly after reaching a late-season agreement to part ways with Ashland, Ky.'s Francis, who is making a return to his own racing operation in 2010. He will forever relish his two successful years with Francis but feels the up-and-coming Hubbard, who aspires to win the 2010 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award, is a perfect fit for Beitler Enterprises.
"With Austin, I think I'm going to be able to have a little more fun," said Beitler, who has fielded dirt Late Models for more than 15 years. "Logistically everything will work well - he's only about an hour-and-a-half away from my shop (just outside Baltimore in West Friendship, Md.), so I can have that closeness with a driver that I'm looking for. I also feel it's going to be fun working with a younger driver with a real bright future ahead of him.
"I got to know Austin this year traveling to some (WoO LMS) shows with his team and I saw how hard he works and how much talent he has. He has a lot of energy, and I appreciate how much he loves the sport and has fun every time he's at the track."
Hubbard joins Beitler's Reliable Painting team coming off a season in which he emerged as one of the country's top teenage talents. After spending the 2005-2008 campaigns running primarily at Virginia Motor Speedway - where he debuted in the Late Model division as a 13-year-old and won a championship in 2007 at the ripe age of 15 - he branched out in 2009 with his father Mike's Rocket cars, entering 28 WoO LMS events and more than two-dozen other regional and national specials. He turned heads in WoO competition by recording three top-five and eight top-10 finishes as well as a fast-time award, and he gained more attention when he became the second-youngest driver to qualify for the World 100 at Ohio's Eldora Speedway and registered the overall fastest lap for the Dirt Track World Championship at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway.
"Obviously he has a lot of talent," Beitler said of Hubbard, who scored his lone victory of 2009 in October at Ohio's Midway Speedway. "He's come a long way in a short time, and everyone is looking for big things from him. He's got a ton of potential.
"I think he can be as good as Josh (Richards, the 2009 WoO LMS champion who debuted on the tour in 2004 at the age of 16). He just might follow in Josh's footsteps."
Beitler will provide his full arsenal to Hubbard, including one brand-new Rocket car and a pair of 2008 mounts. With four fresh Cornett engines also sitting ready to go, Beitler confidently said, "I'm probably more prepared to run next year than I've ever been."
Making Beitler feel even more comfortable, his operation will be overseen by respected mechanic Robby Allen, who served as Hubbard's racing mentor this season. Allen will head out on the WoO LMS road fulltime in 2010 for the first time since he left Rick Eckert's side following the 2006 campaign.
"Robby worked real closely with Austin (in 2009) and brought him a long way," said Beitler, who plans to attend as many of his team's events as his business commitments allow. "As any young driver does, Austin was making a lot of mistakes on the racetrack, but Robby talked to him and pointed things out and you could see the difference as the year went on. Austin listened to Robby and learned from him."
Of course, Beitler isn't putting any pressure on Hubbard as the youngster embarks on his first national tour driving a well-known car that Francis piloted to 12 WoO LMS victories and points finishes of third and second over the past two years.
"There's no expectations," said Beitler, whose resume as a car owner also includes many big triumphs with such drivers as Davey Johnson, Gary Stuhler and Steve Casebolt. "He has nothing to live up to. We're just gonna go out and do the best we can and have a good time doing it."
Hubbard, meanwhile, is anxious to take advantage of the biggest break of his burgeoning career. After he completes two night classes in the next couple of weeks that will allow him to graduate early from Sussex Tech High School, the 'Teenage Terror' will be free to focus on his new status as a fulltime driver.
"I really appreciate the opportunity that Dale Beitler has given me," Hubbard said in a team press release announcing the deal. "It is an honor to be able to race with his team and crew chief Robby Allen. The team that we have is one of the best in the business and I am looking forward to being behind the wheel of the No. 19 for my first season following a national series.
"Robby and I were able to start learning one another's styles this year, so I think that will help us in 2010 and especially as I compete at many tracks for the first time."
Hubbard understands the challenge facing him on the WoO LMS.
"I just love to race," said Hubbard, who will also have cars owned by his father and Delaware's Charles Jarvis at his disposal for non-WoO LMS events that Beitler doesn't enter. "And in order to be the best, you have to be able to compete with them and learn from them. I haven't ever seen most of these tracks on the (WoO LMS) schedule, but I still will show up to each race with the intent to win. Rookie titles, championships and all are nice, but I want to be able to be competitive and be a better racer after every single event."
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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