|
Kevin Kovac
PORT ROYAL, Penn. (June 16) - The World of Outlaws Late Model Series swings back into action for the first time in nearly three weeks on Tuesday night (June 17) at Port Royal Speedway, where the second annual 'Great Northern Tour' kicks off with a 40-lap A-Main paying $7,000 to win.
Port Royal Speedway opened last year's 'Great Northern Tour' in fine fashion, attracting a stellar field of 46 dirt Late Models and one of the track's largest crowds of the season. A similarly strong turnout is expected once again, buoyed by the division's strong representation and popularity in the central Pennsylvania area.
The WoO LMS teams will head for the border following Port Royal's program for the three-race Canadian portion of the 'Great Northern Tour,' visiting Oshweken (Ont.) Speedway on Thurs., June 19; Quebec's Autodrome Drummond on Sat., June 21; and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on Sun., June 22. The invasion of the Northeast then continues on 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).
WHEN:
* Port Royal Speedway's gates are set to open on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Warmups are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and qualifying starts at 7 p.m.
WHERE:
* A historic half-mile fairgrounds oval, Port Royal Speedway literally sits in the middle of the town of Port Royal. A line of houses is just across the street from the backstretch, providing a down-home feel to the competition.
The track is 50 miles northwest of Harrisburg off the Rt. 75 exit of US Rt. 322.
TICKETS:
* 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.
INFORMATION:
* Visit www.portroyalspeedway.com or call 717-527-2303.
PREVIOUS WoO LMS WINNERS:
* Last year's inaugural WoO LMS event at Port Royal, on June 20, 2007, was won by Darrell Lanigan.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
* Union, Ky.'s Lanigan enters the event as the hottest driver on the WoO LMS. He has four consecutive top-five finishes - including his first victory of the 2008 season in the tour's last event, on May 29 at Delaware International Speedway - and is tied for the points lead with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.
* Francis, who captured his first career WoO LMS points title in 2007, had an off-night in last year's tour stop at Port Royal, finishing a quiet eighth. He returns on Tuesday not with his self-owned No. 15 that he steered to last year's championship but driving the Reliable Painting No. 19 owned by Dale Beitler, who enjoyed success at Port Royal in the past with former driver Gary Stuhler.
The 40-year-old Francis enters the busy upcoming stretch of the WoO LMS relaxed and ready to go. He took the past weekend off from racing, instead getting in a little R&R with his teenage daughter - he took her to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game and the Kings Island amusement park.
* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who finished sixth last year at Port Royal, will look to continue the momentum he's built over the past two weeks. He debuted a new Rocket car in the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream event on June 6-7 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and promptly drove it to the fast-time award and a third-place finish in the 100-lapper. He followed that up with a super three-race swing of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events near his home last weekend, winning on June 12 at Duck River Speedway in Wheel, Tenn., and registering third-place finishes on June 13 at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga., and June 14 at Talladega (Ala.) Short Track.
* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., would love to make Port Royal the place where he snaps his uncharacteristically long WoO LMS winless streak, which now stands at 69 races.
Winless on the tour since July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, Eckert will have ample support from family and friends at Port Royal, which is just an hour-and-a-half drive from his home. He finished second in last year's WoO LMS event.
* Twenty-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished third in last year's Port Royal A-Main after running second for much of the distance. He'll take the green flag on Tuesday hot off an off-weekend victory last Friday night at Winchester (Va.) Speedway, where he was triumphant driving the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 he runs in most non-WoO LMS events.
* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., would like to erase memories of his miserable career-first appearance at Port Royal one year ago. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year had to use a provisional to start the A-Main after slapping the wall during time trials and finished a dismal 22nd, completing only three laps.
* Other WoO LMS regulars who will look to improve upon their '07 outings at Port Royal include Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (finished fourth last year), Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (fifth) and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (23rd).
* WoO LMS travelers Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., will make their first-ever visits to Port Royal.
* Regional standouts expected include 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., coming off a victory in an unsanctioned special Super Late Model event in Michigan last Thursday night; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who did not enter last year's WoO LMS show at Port Royal; two-time MACS tour champion Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., who failed to qualify for the track's '07 tour event; and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., who has two early-season feature wins at Port Royal.
* Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., will lead the healthy contingent of Port Royal regulars into battle against the Outlaws. He is dominating the oval's 2008 season, with five wins in seven events to date, including the last four in a row.
Haus saw a potentially good night go bad in last year's WoO LMS event at the Port. He was running sixth in the A-Main when he was sent spinning off turn two on lap three, triggering a multi-car crash that knocked him from further action.
EXTRA CASH:
* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks.'
The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 'Bonus Bucks' award.
LISTEN OR WATCH 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 May 29 - 12 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
1. (tie) Steve Francis 1-7-10-$77,850-1593 (-0)
1. (tie) Darrell Lanigan 1-4-10-$31,800-1593 (-0)
3. Josh Richards 2-6-9-$48,910-1575 (-18)
4. Chub Frank 1-5-8-$32,530-1573 (-20)
5. Shannon Babb 1-6-8-$45,450-1559 (-34)
6. Rick Eckert 0-4-9-$27,950-1553 (-40)
7. Shane Clanton 0-4-6-$21,030-1495 (-98)
8. Clint Smith 0-3-4-$17,260-1487 (-106)
9. Tim Fuller 0-1-2-$12,920-1423 (-170)
10. John Blankenship 0-0-2-$14,610-1381 (-212)
11. Vic Coffey 0-0-2-$11,910-1197 (-396)
12. Billy Moyer 4-6-6-$70,420-1181 (-412)
13. Brian Shirley 0-0-2-$9,680-1127 (-466)
14. Danny Johnson 0-0-0-$4,190-884 (-709)
15. Joe Isabell 0-0-0-$3,770-878 (-715)
16. Tim McCreadie 0-2-5-$15,850-877 (-716)
17. Jeep VanWormer 0-0-2-$8,070-729 (-864)
18. Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-0-3-$9,450-595 (-998)
19. Brian Birkhofer 1-1-2-$12,610-585 (-1008)
20. Darren Miller 0-0-4-$6,800-538 (-1055)
|
