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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (April 9) - The World of Outlaws Late Model Series heads east on Friday (April 11) for the 'Rumble on the River IV' at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.
Friday's 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event will mark the WoO LMS's only appearance of the 2008 season at Bill Sawyer's pristine Virginia Motor Speedway, which has been a tour staple for four consecutive years.
WHEN:
* On Friday at Virginia Motor Speedway, competitor gates will open at 3 p.m., with spectator gates unlocked at 5 p.m. On-track activities will begin at 7 p.m. with hot laps.
On the WoO LMS undercard will be VMS's Truckin Thunder Sportsman and Budweiser Modifieds, with both divisions competing in hot-lap time trials and 25-lap features.
WHERE:
* Already one of the top dirt-track facilities in the nation, the half-mile Virginia Motor Speedway underwent more improvements during the off-season with the addition of a high-rise grandstand section and the application of new clay.
The track is located on U.S. Route 17, just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland and the Hampton Roads area.
TICKETS:
* Adult tickets are $30, with seniors and military members $25, students 13-17 admitted for $12, children 7-12 years old $5 and kids 6-and-under free. VMS will also offer a 'Family Pack' ticket - two adults and two children 12 and under - for $60.
Fans can visit the track's website at www.vamotorspeedway.com to print out $5-off discount coupons good for adult, senior and military tickets.
Pit Passes will be $30.
VMS INFO: For more information about the 'Rumble on the River IV,' check www.vamotorspeedway.com or call the track office at 804-758-1VMS.
PREVIOUS WoO LMS WINNERS:
* This will be the fifth visit to Virginia Motor Speedway since 2004 by the WoO LMS.
Winners include Clint Smith (April 9, 2005), Rick Eckert (April 15, 2006), Shannon Babb (April 14, 2007) and Shane Clanton (July 20, 2007).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
* Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., will bring the tour points lead and a three-race win streak to VMS. The 50-year-old dirt Late Model legend will attempt to match the WoO LMS modern-era (2004-present) consecutive-win record of four established by Rick Eckert in 2006.
* Defending WoO LMS champ Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., will make his first start of the season in his new car owner Dale Beitler's general 'neck of the woods.' Beitler, who hired Francis to drive his Reliable Painting No. 19 car during the off-season, hails from West Friendsville, Md.
* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., returns to VMS after enjoying great success there in last year's two WoO LMS appearances. He finished second in the April event and won the summer show.
* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., is hoping to find the magic that brought him a victory in the track's first-ever WoO LMS event three years ago. He's struggled in his last three VMS starts - finishing 21st in 2006 and 16th (April) and eighth (July) last year - and hasn't finished on the lead lap in the last two WoO LMS events (in Mississippi and Illinois).
* Like Smith, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was the WoO LMS points runner-up in 2007, hasn't run especially strong at VMS since finishing fourth in the '05 inaugural. His finishing position has fallen in each of his last three starts at VMS - eighth in '06, and 10th (April) and 11th (July) in '07.
* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., has been one of the most successful special-show invaders in recent years at VMS, not only winning the '06 'Rumble on the River II' but also several other events. The track figures to be a prime place for Eckert to snap his frustrating 61-race WoO LMS winless streak.
* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., loves racing at big, fast tracks, so VMS should be a great venue for him. But he's still looking for his first top-five finish there in a WoO LMS event, having placed seventh ('05), 12th ('06), sixth (April '07) and 14th (July '07).
* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., looks to be on the verge of breaking into VMS's Victory Lane. A big-track specialist, he finished second in last July's WoO LMS event there after engaging in a memorable battle for the lead with Clanton.
* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year, showed he can get around the VMS oval last year, finishing a strong third in the July WoO LMS event.
* Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., is excited to return to VMS after making his first career visits to the track last year. He improved from an 18th-place finish in the April show to ninth in July - and feels the experience he gained will help him climb even higher this year.
* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., was victorious last April at VMS in his first-ever competitive start in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He didn't enter the July event and returns this year as the driver of NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer's new dirt Late Model team.
* Also expected to compete in the event are such drivers as John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who is planning to travel with the Outlaws again in 2008; WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who led last July's WoO LMS event at VMS before suffering mechanical trouble in his Charles Buckler-owned car; two-time defending MACS tour champ Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa.; Bo Feathers of Winchester, Va.; Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y.; and Delaware drivers Ricky Elliott, Austin Hubbard and Norman Short Jr., a veteran big-block Modified driver who plans to make his dirt Late Model debut in a car formerly driven by Jeremy Miller.
In addition, 2006 WoO LMS champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., is undecided about entering the event, and 15-year-old Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., whose father John fields the Gypsum Racing cars driven by, among others, Fuller and Decker, is tentatively scheduled to make his dirt Late Model debut hot off a $5,000 DIRTcar Sportsman-Modified victory on April 5 at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, N.Y.
COMING UP:
* The WoO LMS moves north for the 'Showdown in Sarvertown' on Tues., April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., then heads south for the grand finale of a three-race Eastern swing - the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. A $50,000 top prize from a total purse of $200,000 will be on the line in the much-anticipated program at Lowe's.
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.
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 5 - 4 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
1. Billy Moyer 3-4-4-$53,450-594 (-0)
2. Josh Richards 1-2-3-$17,800-554 (-40)
3. (tie) Rick Eckert 0-1-3-$11,550-542 (-52)
3. (tie) Steve Francis 0-2-3-$11,400-542 (-52)
5. Darrell Lanigan 0-0-4-$8,300-540 (-54)
6. Shannon Babb 0-3-3-$18,800-536 (-58)
7. Chub Frank 0-1-2-$10,250-526 (-68)
8. Clint Smith 0-1-1-$6,110-500 (-94)
9. John Blankenship 0-0-1-$5,240-488 (-106)
10. Shane Clanton 0-1-1-$7,300-478 (-116)
11. Tim Fuller 0-0-0-$5,040-476 (-118)
12. Brian Shirley 0-0-1-$5,120-466 (-128)
13. Darren Miller 0-0-3-$5,700-404 (-190)
14. (tie) Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-0-2-$4,750-396 (-198)
14. (tie) Tim McCreadie 0-1-1-$7,050-396 (-198)
16. (tie) Joe Isabell 0-0-0-$480-300 (-294)
16. (tie) Danny Johnson 0-0-0-$900-300 (-294)
18. Dennis Erb Jr. 0-0-0-$2,390-293 (-301)
19. Jimmy Owens 0-1-2-$4,300-276 (-318)
20. Jeep VanWormer 0-0-0-$1,920-274 (-320)
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