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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (June 16) - There was a very obvious reason why Steve Francis got a huge thrill out of his victory in last year's historic World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Quebec's Autodrome Drummond.
And it wasn't merely because the triumph ended a frustrating winless streak of over a year for the driver who would go on to become the 2007 WoO LMS champion.
It had a lot to do with the huge crowd and electric aura of the first-ever WoO LMS race held in Canada - an adrenalin-pumping combination that will great Francis and Co. again when the nomadic tour returns to Drummond on Sat., June 21, for the second annual 'Quebec 50' paying $10,000 to win.
"The whole atmosphere up there was just so different," said Francis, thinking back on his history-making victory in front of a raucous standing-room-only crowd. "The stands were packed, the fans were into it, they had rock music playing in the grandstands - it was just such a unique situation.
"We had a whole lot of fun up there last year, and I'm looking forward to going back."
Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., was the star of last year's blockbuster WoO LMS show at Drummond - and make no mistake, it was a true show. Drummond co-promoter Yyan Bussiere, a 358-Modified driver who competed in last year's WoO LMS event behind the wheel of Bear Lake, Pa., standout Chub Frank's backup car, orchestrated an event that entertained the influx of fans in memorable fashion.
From the house D.J. spinning pulse-pounding music in his personal tower room to the highjinks of the Autodrome Drummond mascot to the Bud Girls peppering the stands with giveaway items to the elaborate pre-race driver introductions that included a spotlight, cannon shots, sirens, fireworks and mood-setting music, the inaugural 'Quebec 50' was far more than a race.
It was an event - a go-home-and-tell-your-friend-about-it event that, yes, had WoO LMS drivers spreading the word about the excitement they experienced.
"I tell everybody that racing up there (at Drummond) is like going to a carnival or a circus - there's just so much going on to get the fans into it," said Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who is currently tied for the WoO LMS points lead with Francis. "They put on a better show than anywhere I've ever been."
"Some of the promoters in the states can take some lessons from a track like (Drummond)," added Francis, who will go for a second straight win at the three-eighths-mile oval driving Dale Beitler's Reliable Painting No. 19 rather than the self-owned No. 15 he put in Victory Lane last year. "Promoters have to make their show a little more entertaining for the fans if they want to survive, and (Drummond) is an example of the way to do it right."
With Drummond part of a three-race WoO LMS Canadian swing this year (the tour also visits Ontario's Ohsweken Speedway on June 19 and Cornwall Motor Speedway on June 22), a trip north of the border has been made more attractive for teams. As a result, French Canadian fans are destined to see an even stronger field than was on hand a year ago.
Francis and Lanigan headline the roster of WoO LMS regulars headed to Drummond. Joining them in the tour's entourage will be Frank, the Pennsy veteran known as 'Chubzilla'; 20-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who will drive a car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer in his first career appearance in Canada; Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who finished second in last year's 'Quebec 50'; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; 2007 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.
Fuller, Coffey and Johnson are well-known to the Drummond faithful - they're all DIRTcar big-block Modified stars who have competed in past Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series events at Drummond. Fuller and Johnson, in fact, own big-block Modified tour victories at the track.
Drummond fans will also get a chance to see two more big-block Modified veterans wheeling dirt Late Models on June 21: Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who won a Super DIRTcar Series show at Drummond before going full-fender racing and capturing the 2006 WoO LMS championship, and Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., a four-time winner of the prestigious Rite Aid 200 big-block Modified classic at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.
Other top dirt Late Model drivers from the Northeast with plans to compete at Drummond include Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who won his first-ever WoO LMS event in April at Virginia Motor Speedway; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., an upset WoO LMS victor last year at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.; Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who has run a big-block Modified at Drummond in the past; Rick 'Boom' Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; and George Lee of Loudonville, Ohio.
The French Canadian crowd will even have a home-province driver to root for in Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que., who is in his second season entering selected dirt Late Model events.
Action at Autodrome Drummond on Sat., June 21, is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. The track's DIRTcar 358-Modifieds, Sportsman and Pro Stocks are also on the program.
Tickets for the race (in Canadian currency) are $45 for adults, $22 for students 13-17 and free for children 12-and-under.
For more information on the 'Quebec 50' visit www.autodrome-drummond.com or call the track office at 819-474-2222.
Autodrome Drummond is located about 45 minutes northeast of Montreal, off Exit 177 of Autoroute 20.
The Drummond stop is part of the seven-race WoO LMS 'Great Northern Tour,' which barnstorms across the Northeast through the end of the month. The swing begins at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on June 17 and also includes stops on June 19 at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway; 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 logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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