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Kevin Kovac
PORT ROYAL, Penn (June 9) - Darrell Lanigan has become the hottest driver on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
So do you think he's happy to see the tour's next race come up at Port Royal Speedway on Tues., June 17? You bet he is.
"I'm looking forward to going back there," said the low-key Lanigan, a resident of Union, Ky., who turned 38 on June 3. "You always like running at a track where you've had success in the past - and we have a real good car right now, which makes us feel better about our chances."
Lanigan, of course, was the winner of last year's inaugural WoO LMS event at the venerable fairgrounds track in central Pennsylvania - one of the highlights of a disappointing 2007 season in which he was already effectively out of title contention by the time the tour hit the Port. He returns for this year's 40-lap, $7,000-to-win mid-week show in a position of much more strength, sitting in a tie for the points lead with defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.
"Everything is going right for us right now," bottom-lined Lanigan, who finished seventh in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings. "It can all turn around and go the other way real quick, though, so we have to just keep at it. There's a lot of racing left this year."
Lanigan enters Port Royal's program with four straight top-five finishes to his credit on the WoO LMS, including his first win of the 2008 season when the tour was last in action, on May 29 at Delaware International Speedway. Last year the best streak of consecutive top-fives achieved on the series was just five (by Francis and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.), making it clear that Lanigan is on an impressive run.
With Lanigan being an unabashed lover of big, fast tracks, it would be no surprise to see him continue his streak by becoming the second driver in 2008 to capture back-to-back A-Mains. Port Royal Speedway, which sits right in the middle of town, is a sprawling half-mile oval - one of the largest tracks on the WoO LMS schedule - that plays right into Lanigan's style.
Lanigan, who runs a family-owned Rocket car, had no trouble finding the prime setup for Port Royal's layout last year. He dominated the headliner, leading from flag-to-flag.
"The car was perfect all night long," recalled Lanigan, who has nine career WoO LMS victories. "We barely made any changes to it. Hopefully we'll be able to pull out those notes and get the car running the same way again this year."
Lanigan will have plenty of competition to deal with at Port Royal, starting with his traveling WoO LMS brethren. The tour's roster includes Francis; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who won twice at Port Royal early in his career and finished second in last year's WoO LMS event; Shannon Babb, who drives a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who scored a third-place finish in last year's WoO LMS visit to Port Royal; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.
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., also hold plans to compete at Port Royal.
The Tuesday WoO LMS event is the biggest dirt Late Model show of the season at Port Royal, which runs the division on a weekly basis but headlines 410 Sprint Cars, so Port's regulars and a host of other area talents are expected to turn out in force. Last year's spectacularly successful first-ever WoO LMS program at Port Royal drew a field of 46 cars - as well as one of the track's largest crowds of the season - and a repeat is anticipated.
The hometrack contingent will be led by veteran Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., who sits atop the track points standings with four wins to his credit already this season. Regional standouts with plans to enter the Port Royal card include former WoO LMS A-Main winners Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa. (who has won twice this season at Port Royal) and Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa.
Port Royal Speedway's gates are scheduled to open on Tues., June 17, at 5 p.m. Warmups are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and qualifying starts at 7 p.m.
General admission to the show, which also includes a complete program of Limited Late Model racing, is $25 for adults and $15 for students ages 12-17. Pit passes are $30.
For more information, visit www.portroyalspeedway.com or call 717-527-2303.
Port Royal Speedway will host the kickoff event of the seven-race WoO LMS 'Great Northern Tour,' which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing continues on June 19 at Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway; June 21 at Quebec's Autodrome Drummond; June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway; June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway; June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.; and June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100).
Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by visiting www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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