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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (June 18) - The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is making a run for the northern border to contest an unprecedented three-race swing through Canada.
One year after making its historic Canadian debut with a single event at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., the WoO LMS is returning to our northern neighbor's soil for an extended stay as part of the seven-event 'Great Northern Tour.'
The Canadian action begins on Thursday night (June 19) with the 'Six Nations 50' at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway, then continues on Saturday night (June 21) with the second annual 'Quebec 50' at Autodrome Drummond and Sunday night (June 22) with the First Americans IGA 'Triple Crown of Racing 50' at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.
A $10,000 first-place prize has been posted for each event.
WHEN:
* Action is scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. at Ohsweken; 6:30 p.m. at Drummond; and 6:30 p.m. at Cornwall.
WHERE:
* Ohsweken Speedway is a 13-year-old, one-third-mile track that sits on the Six Nations Indian Reserve, about 65 miles southwest of Toronto and 75 miles west of Niagara Falls. Promoter Glen Styres literally built the facility in the backyard of his home.
* Autodrome Drummond - once a big five-eighths-mile oval, but shortened several years ago to its current three-eighths-mile length -- is located about 45 minutes northeast of Montreal, off Exit 177 of Autoroute 20.
* Cornwall Motor Speedway is a high-banked, quarter-mile oval off Highway 401 exit 786 (westbound travelers) and exit 789 (eastbound travelers).
INFORMATION:
* Ohsweken Speedway Info: www.ohswekenspeedway or call 888-720-7223/519-542-2116.
* Autodrome Drummond Info: Visit www.autodrome-drummond.com or call 819-474-2222.
* Cornwall Motor Speedway Info: Visit www.cornwallspeedway.com or call 613-938-3945.
DRIVERS TO WATCH IN CANADA:
* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., won last year's inaugural tour event at Autodrome Drummond. He's returning this week as the driver of Dale Beitler's Reliable Painting No. 19 - not his self-owned Valvoline No. 15 that French Canadian fans saw him run a year ago.
* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., heads to Canada hot off his first WoO LMS win of 2008 in Tuesday night's 'Great Northern Tour' opener at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. He finished sixth in last year's event at Drummond after losing two spots on the final lap due to a broken spindle.
Smith also plans to enter a second car in some of the Canadian events with Neil Baggett of Shannon, Miss., behind the wheel. A dirt Late Model racer in the Deep South, Baggett is accompanying Smith on the 'Great Northern Tour' to lend mechanical help and will get a chance to make his first career start in Canada.
* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., was a strong second-place finisher in last year's Drummond event, buoying his hopes that this will be the swing during which he ends a frustrating WoO LMS winless streak now stands at nearly two years and 70 races.
* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., is the hottest driver on the WoO LMS, carrying a string of five consecutive top-five finishes across the border. He finished seventh last year at Drummond after pitting on lap 32 of the 'Quebec 50' to change a flat tire.
* At 20 the youngest fulltime driver on the WoO LMS, 'Kid Rocket' Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., will look to flash the speed he showed the Canadian fans last year at Drummond. He led the first 20 laps before slowing with rear suspension trouble that ultimately cost him several circuits while making repairs in the pit area.
* The wildly popular Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., arrives in Canada sitting right in the thick of the WoO LMS championship battle - third in the standings, just 22 points behind leader Steve Francis. He was strong in last year's Drummond show, finishing fourth.
* Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., brings plenty of momentum across the border. The fifth-place finisher in last year's 'Quebec 50,' he set fast time and finished third in the recent $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, and beat the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regulars to score a win on June 12 at Tennessee's Duck River Speedway.
* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., will race in Canada for the first time in his spectacular career when he climbs into his No. 18 car owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer. His crew chief is Tommy Grecco, who has visited Drummond and Cornwall numerous times over the past 15 years as a mechanic for several DIRTcar big-block Modified drivers.
* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., needs no introduction to Canadian fans - especially at Drummond and Cornwall, where he's stood in Victory Lane after winning DIRTcar Modified events. The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year finished a solid third in last year's Drummond program.
* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., will tow his Bloomquist Chassis machine across the border to make his first-ever start in Canada.
* Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., will continue his pursuit of the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award during the Canadian swing. He's run DIRTcar Modified events in the past at both Drummond and Cornwall.
* Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was unable to enter last year's historic WoO LMS event at Drummond due to the commitments he had as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver, but he's planning a return to Canadian turf as a Sweeteners Plus teammate of Coffey. The 2006 WoO LMS champion has won DIRTcar Modified features at both Drummond and Cornwall.
* Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., is well known to Canadian fans for the DIRTcar Modified success he's enjoyed at Drummond and Cornwall. A 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender, he'll try to transfer his open-wheel legend to the full-fender action by running the Canadian tripleheader in the JIR Motorsports dirt Late Model.
* Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., is another WoO LMS Rookie of the Year aspirant who comes from the DIRTcar Modified ranks. The 18-year-old is a JIR Motorsports teammate of Johnson.
* A third entrant from the JIR Motorsports operation will be Sean Beardsley of Central Square, N.Y., a DIRTcar Modified veteran who has made seven WoO LMS appearances in his first season of dirt Late Model competition.
* Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa. - a top regional dirt Late Model who captured his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main two months ago at Virginia Motor Speedway - arranged for vacation from his job at Miller Fabrication to join the WoO LMS for the 'Great Northern Tour.' He will race in Canada for the first time in his career with the Buckler Motorsports No. 24.
* Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del. - another driver with DIRTcar Modified roots who has raced at Drummond and Cornwall - will run the three Canadian events in a new No. 121 dirt Late Model fielded by central New York's Joe Beyea. The car will be wrenched by champion DIRTcar Modified crew chief Randy Kisacky.
* Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., made the long haul to Drummond last year to run the 'Quebec 50' and finished 11th. The upset winner of a WoO LMS A-Main last year at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., will stay out on the road a bit longer this season and enter all three Canadian events.
* Rick 'Boom' Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., who won the 2004 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Award while working for his cousin Chub Frank, will caravan to Canada for the swing with Frank. He's become a force as a driver on the Stateline/Eriez circuit in western Pennsylvania and western New York.
* Rising young star Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., will get a taste of some serious traveling by visiting Canada as part of his assault on the 'Great Northern Tour.' The talented racer competes under the same RSD Enterprises banner as Clanton.
* Greg Oakes of Franklinville, N.Y., has plans to enter all three Canadian events. He's one of the few drivers with prior experience at Ohsweken, having finished fourth in a 2006 Ontario Dirt Late Model Series event there.
* Bob Close of Eldred, Pa., is set to attack the Canadian swing. He's a top dirt Late Model talent at tracks around the western Pennsylvania area.
* DIRTcar Modified star Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., is expected to enter the Drummond and Cornwall events. He's won Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series races at both tracks.
* French Canadian fans will have one of their own to cheer on in Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que., who is in his second year of entering selected dirt Late Model events.
* Jipp Ortiz of Ransomville, N.Y., is expected to appear in the dirt Late Model owned by Canadian Stan Miskin, who fielded last year's Ontario Dirt Late Model Series championship-winning car.
* The field for Ohsweken Speedway's 'Six Nations 50' will be enhanced by competitors from the Ontario Dirt Late Model Series (the event will offer series points) and the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned South Buxton (Ont.) Raceway, which is just over a two-hour drive from Ohsweken. The group of drivers will include Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ont., and Chris Ross of Wallaceburg, Ont., who has won at Ohsweken in Limited Late Model competition.
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.
UP NEXT:
The WoO LMS teams will complete the 'Great Northern Tour' with $7,000-to-win events on June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway and June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., and the huge, $40,000-to-win second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com on June 27-28 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.
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