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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (September 30) - Tim McCreadie has won three big-money dirt Late Model events in the past seven weeks - and one of them came in a 'topless' race.
So there's little doubt that all eyes will be on the mop-haired McCreadie when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series visits The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway on Wed., Oct. 8, for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commericial Mowers, which will see drivers race without roofs in pursuit of a first-place prize that could reach $30,000.
McCreadie, 34, of Watertown, N.Y., is certainly hoping his late-summer/early-fall joy ride continues in the 50-lap A-Main that kicks off Lowe's Motor Speedway's Bank of America 500 Week.
"We're just on a roll," said McCreadie, who has pocketed a cool $85,000 for his three triumphant starts over the past month-and-a-half. "Right now it's my turn. I've seen other guys go through stretches like this where everything goes right, and it feels great to finally get on a roll like this myself.
"We're just enjoying every minute of this run and trying to make it last as long as we can."
Back running at full strength in his dirt Late Model after spending the 2007 season focused on pavement racing as a Richard Childress Racing Development Driver, McCreadie's hot streak includes a $25,000 victory in the Topless 100 on Aug. 17 at Batesville (Ark.) Speedway; a $20,000 score in the Jackson 100 on Sept. 20 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway; and a $40,000 jackpot in the Late Model Knoxville Nationals on Sept. 27 at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. The 2006 WoO LMS champion could push his earnings over the six-figure mark for just four victories if he's able to capture The Dirt Track's Showdown.
The Showdown is offering a base purse of $10,000 for first place, but if the driver who wins the A-Main submitted an official entry form prior to Sept. 13 he will also receive a bonus in an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position. The top-five finishers in each of the night's four heat races will be eligible for the unique bonus program and draw for their starting positions.
McCreadie has visited The Dirt Track's Victory Lane after capturing an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified show, but he's never won a dirt Late Model event at the four-tenths-mile oval. He's hoping his momentum - and success in last month's Topless 100 - will translate into a coveted checkered flag at the spic-and-span facility.
"We've always been competitive at Charlotte but just haven't been able to get a win," said McCreadie, who finished seventh in April's Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track driving Steve Francis's No. 15 but will return for the Showdown with his familiar Sweeteners Plus Rocket No. 39. "We're trying hard to get a win there. We're putting a fresh (Pro Power) motor in for the race so we should have plenty of horsepower, and hopefully we'll hit on a setup that works."
Finding that optimum setup, of course, will be slightly more challenging for everyone at this year's Showdown. The event will be the first in WoO LMS history to be contested topless, forcing teams to make adjustments to compensate for the change in aerodynamics.
McCreadie has raced without a roof just twice in his five-year dirt Late Model career, but he learned some things about how his machine reacts without a roof during his recent Topless 100.
"Taking the roof off cleans the air up going over the car," analyzed McCreadie. "More air can get to the rear spoiler, so the car usually gets tighter (handling). The car feels like it's more glued to the ground.
"As far as sitting in the car without a roof, you feel more air around the cockpit and you can see the gauges on the dash so much better. With the roof off the cockpit is just wide-open to the (track) lights."
According to McCreadie, the fans will benefit the most from the Showdown going 'topless.'
"It'll be neat for the fans," said McCreadie, one of the most popular racers on the dirt Late Model circuit. "They can see the drivers moving their heads and hands around in the car. It gives the fans a chance to see things they usually can't."
McCreadie will be part of an all-star cast of drivers in the Showdown field, which is expected to number in the neighborhood of 50 cars.
Drivers expected to compete include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman; WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and fellow tour regulars Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (the recent World 100 winner), Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (last year's Showdown winner), Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.; dirt Late Model legends Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., and Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; and top contenders such as Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.
The Dirt Track's pit gates are scheduled to open at 1 p.m. and the spectator gates at 5 p.m. on Oct. 8. WoO LMS hot laps are set for 6:15 p.m., followed by single-lap qualifying at 6:45 p.m. and heat racing at 7:30 p.m.
If purchased in advance, tickets for the Armour Foods Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers are $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.
The WoO LMS will pull into The Dirt Track after competing on Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Fayetteville event is the completion of a program that was postponed by rain during the first B-Main on Aug. 15.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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