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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (March 25) - Following a six-week break, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series heads to the Gulf Coast this weekend (March 28-29) for the inaugural 'March Through Dixie 100' at Pike County Speedway.
Idle since a pair of season-opening events on Feb. 14 and 16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., the WoO LMS resumes in a big way. The 'March Through Dixie 100' offers a $20,000 first-place prize from a total purse of nearly $100,000.
The top-10 finishers in the 2007 points standings - Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Clint Smith, Shane Clanton, Rick Eckert, Josh Richards, Darrell Lanigan, Tim Fuller, Brian Shirley and Shannon Babb - will lead the WoO LMS charge to southern Mississippi. The drivers have committed to following the entire series in '08 - forming arguably the strongest top-to-bottom group of championship contenders in the tour's history - and are ready to continue jockeying for points position in the extra-distance special.
With weather forecasts calling for afternoon highs in the low 80s and nighttime temps around 60, a spectacular weekend is in the making for what just may be the biggest early-season dirt Late Model event ever run in Mississippi. It is also the only scheduled visit to Mississippi in 2008 for the WoO LMS.
WHEN:
* A typical two-day WoO LMS format will be in effect for the 'March Through Dixie 100,' with time trials and heat races taking place on Friday night (March 28) and the B-Mains and 100-lap headliner set for Saturday night (March 29).
On Fri., March 28, pit gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m. Cars will begin hitting the track at 6 p.m.
Saturday will see the pit gates open at 2 p.m. and spectator gates at 4 p.m., with cars beginning to pack the track at 6 p.m.
The Friday program will also include qualifying heats for Pike County's weekly UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks and heats and features for the Limited Modifieds and Pure Stocks. Saturday night's WoO LMS undercard will include last-chance races and features for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, NeSmith Crate Late Models and Street Stocks.
A raindate of Sun., March 30, has been reserved for the 'March Through Dixie 100.'
WHERE:
* Pike County Speedway is a three-eighths-mile, high-banked clay oval that has undergone an aggressive refurbishment program since its purchase three years ago by Louisiana businessman J.F. Gasquet. The track is located directly off Exit 8 of Interstate 55 in Magnolia, Miss., about 85 miles south of Jackson, Miss.; 90 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, La.; 105 miles northwest of New Orleans; and 140 miles northwest of Gulfport, Miss.
TICKETS:
* General admission will be $20 on Friday and $25 on Saturday, with kids ages 6-12 admitted for $10 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Pit passes will cost $35 on Friday and $40 on Saturday.
CAMPING, ETC.:
* Pike County Speedway has a limited number of overnight camping spots that can be reserved for $15 per night by calling the track office at 504-394-5530. There is no overnight charge for race teams spending the night inside their haulers in the pit area.
Track officials said that each race team will be permitted to use only two ATV four-wheelers in the pit area and children can not drive them. Teams can obtain badges that allow the use of four-wheelers for the weekend at the pit registration.
MEET THE DRIVERS:
* Fans will want to arrive early on Saturday because they'll have an opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the drivers during a special one-hour autograph session in the grandstand area. The session will run from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
PIKE COUNTY SPEEDWAY INFO:
* For more information, visit www.pikecountyspeedway.com.
PREVIOUS WoO LMS WINNERS:
* The 'March Through Dixie 100' will be the first-ever WoO LMS event held at Pike County Speedway, which last hosted a national dirt Late Model touring series on July 22, 1995, when the old UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series visited the track.
The WoO LMS was scheduled to make its debut at Pike County in July 2007 for the running of the 'Freedom 100,' but heavy rain forced the cancellation of the event.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
* How fast will the WoO LMS regulars find the prime setup at Pike County? The only driver among the 10 committed travelers who has previously raced at the track is Senoia, Ga.'s Clint Smith, who ran the 1995 UDTRA/Xtreme event there en route to a third-place finish in the tour's points standings that season.
Of course, defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., is ready for the challenge of visiting a new track.
"I heard (Pike County) kinda resembles Baton Rouge (Raceway in Baker, La., where the WoO LMS raced in 2006 and 2007) a little bit," said Francis, who is driving Dale Beitler's Reliable Painting No. 19 this season. "If we think that's the case when we get there and look at the track, then we'll put in a baseline setup and go from there."
* Hot off victories in back-to-back unsanctioned dirt Late Model events at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway over the past month, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., will be at Pike County hoping to end his frustrating 59-race WoO LMS winless streak. His last tour victory came on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.
* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., is hopeful that a trip to Mississippi will shake him from the doldrums that have plagued his racing effort so far this season. Bad luck knocked him out of both WoO LMS events last month at Volusia - the first night as he led, the second while he was bidding for a top-five spot - and he remained snake-bit in a handful of appearances closer to home during the past month's break from WoO LMS competition.
* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders expected to enter the weekend's action include Heartland veteran Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., longtime DIRTcar big-block Modified superstar Danny Johnson of Rochester, N.Y., and teenager Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y. Johnson and Isabell are teammates with the JIR Motorsports team.
* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., hasn't committed to chasing the entire tour in 2008, but he's tied for the points lead with Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., after a victory last month in Florida and he's planning to bring his red-hot Victory Circle Chassis machine to the 'March Through Dixie 100.' He finished third in last November's 'Jambalaya 100' at Pike County.
* Richard Childress Racing Development Driver Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won the 2006 WoO LMS championship, plans to have his familiar Sweeteners Plus Racing No. 39 in the Pike County pit area.
* Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. - two drivers who have been WoO LMS regulars in the past - are planning to enter the 'March Through Dixie 100.' Both are ranked among the top-12 in the current points standings.
Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., who came out of last month's Florida shows sitting tied for fourth in the WoO LMS points standings, is also a possible entry at Pike County.
* Chris Wall of Holden, La. - the popular Gulf Coast star known as the 'Intimagator' - enters the weekend's action as the regional driver most likely to upset the invading stars. Coming off a Mississippi State Challenge Series victory at Pike County on March 15, Wall feels confident about his chances.
With his home only an hour's drive from Pike County, Wall figures to have strong support in the grandstand from his family, friends and fans.
Other regional standouts expected to be contenders include former Jambalaya 100 winner David Ashley of Zachary, La.; David Breazeale of Four Corners, Miss.; James Ward of Lettsworth, La., who finished second in the 2007 Jambalaya 100; Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala.; and Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss.
* Jimmy Mars will make the 1,130-mile trek due south from his Menomonie, Wis., home to compete at Pike County, where he won the Jambalaya 100 last November.
LISTEN ON THE INTERNET:
* Fans who can't make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. Those who sign up for a free membership can enjoy advanced features while listening to the races, such as text chat and live scoring via AMB.it.
WoO LMS INFO:
* Log on to the WoO LMS website at www.worldofoutlaws.com.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Standings (after 2 events):
1. (tie) Billy Moyer 294
1. (tie) Josh Richards 294
3. Jimmy Owens 276
4. (tie) Steve Francis 274
4. (tie) Darren Miller 274
6. Rick Eckert 270
7. Darrell Lanigan 268
8. Chub Frank 266
9. Eddie Carrier Jr. 264
10. Clint Smith 262
11. (tie) John Blankenship 254
11. (tie) Tim McCreadie 254
11. (tie) Dan Schlieper 254
14. Brian Shirley 252
15. Shannon Babb 246
16. (tie) Ivedent Lloyd 232
16. (tie) Tim Fuller 232
18. Billy Decker 220
19. Shane Clanton 210
20. Steve Shaver 206
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