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Kevin Kovac
BEDFORD, Penn. (August 14) - Tim Fuller continued his World of Outlaws Late Model Series hot streak on Friday night at Bedford Speedway.
But in order to register a third consecutive victory on the national tour, the 41-year-old from Watertown, N.Y., had to work extra hard in the half-mile fairgrounds oval's 50-lap A-Main.
Coming off back-to-back flag-to-flag triumphs, Fuller appeared primed for another dominant performance after he drew the pole position. But he was outgunned for the lead at the start by Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., and shortly thereafter lost second to defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.
Fuller dug deep, however, rallying to pass Satterlee for the lead on lap 28 and then march on to a win worth $10,650. He became just the fifth driver since 2004 to capture three straight WoO LMS A-Mains.
"It's hard to win just one World of Outlaws race, so to win three in a row - man, I never expected to do this," said Fuller, a former Mr. DIRTcar big-block Modified champion in his third season as a WoO LMS regular. "But this is what it's all about - for the crew guys that work so hard, the car owners who pour so much money into this, and for me. I'm making some money that I didn't make in the spring when we were having some bad luck."
Fuller will attempt to equal the WoO LMS modern-era (2004-present) record of four consecutive wins - set in 2006 by Rick Eckert of York, Pa. - on Saturday night (Aug. 15) at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.
Fuller steered his Gypsum Express Rocket car across the finish line 1.232 seconds ahead of Ashland, Ky.'s Steve Francis, who was a runner-up in the Beitler Motorsports Rocket for the second consecutive night and fifth time in the last six events.
Lanigan settled for third place in his Lanigan Autosports Rocket - the same position in which he started - and seventh-starter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., placed fourth in the Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket, keeping the WoO LMS points standings razor-close for another race. Francis left Bedford leading the standings by 10 points over Richards and 14 points over Lanigan.
Satterlee, meanwhile, faded to a fifth-place finish in his family-owned Rocket car after leading laps 1-27. It was a career-best WoO LMS finish for the rising 24-year-old, who wished he had selected a bit harder American Racer tire compound but was happy with his performance nonetheless.
A possible WoO LMS Rookie of the Year applicant next season, Satterlee proved to be a formidable foe for Fuller.
"The first 15 laps or so (Satterlee) was just locked down to the ground and I said, 'There's no way I'm gonna pass him,'" said Fuller, the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year. "Satterlee just kept drawing away and I was driving over my head just to try and keep up with him, so I overheated my (Hoosier) tires and that's when Lanigan got me (for second on a lap-nine restart).
"I just had to calm down a little bit and let things come to me. On the next restart (lap 14) I was a little bit more on the ball and I got Lanigan back, and then Satterlee started to slow down and I drew in on him. You could see he was starting to 'hang' in the corners and that's how I got under him (for the lead on lap 28)."
Fuller's biggest late-race obstacle wasn't the lap-48 caution flag for Jason Covert of York Haven, Pa., who pulled up lame in turn four with a flat right-rear tire and charging from the 21st starting spot to fifth place, but rather a hairy moment in lapped traffic.
"Russ King (the race's highest-finishing rookie) really cut me a break when I was lapping him," said Fuller, who recorded his sixth career WoO LMS win. "I pinched him off hard to get to that bottom (in turn one) because that's where you had to be, so he could've easily turned me. It could've been ugly, but he got out of there hard and didn't race me. A move like that is why I hope he wins the Rookie of the Year."
Francis, 41, slipped by Lanigan for third on lap 30 and grabbed second from Satterlee on lap 33, but the 2007 WoO LMS champion never got close enough to Fuller to make a serious bid for his sixth victory of the season.
"I think we had a shot at (Fuller) until me and Darrell (Lanigan) hit going into three (on lap 20)," said Francis, who started sixth. "It knocked all the bracing out of the right-front (bodywork) of my car, so it kept catching on the right-front wheel and I couldn't run two consistent laps in a row.
"But really, if I was gonna pass Fuller, it would've been a deal where I would've had to catch him in lapped traffic or when he jumped over that cushion in turn four. Fuller's just a little better than us right, so we'll take second and go on."
Four caution flags slowed the event, including one on lap nine for a spin in turn two by Rookie of the Year contender Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., and another on lap 14 for the slowing car driven by Eckert, who pulled into the pits with terminal problems under the hood.
Joining Eckert in the pit area before the checkered flag was his fellow Team Zero by Bloomquist campaigner, Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who retired on lap 33 with a broken motor.
Austin Hubbard, 17, of Seaford, Del., finished sixth, nipping Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., at the checkered flag by mere inches. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., was a quiet eighth, followed by Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., and Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y.
A field of 44 cars assembled for the event, which was run before a large crowd on a gorgeous summer evening.
Missing from Bedford's staff on Friday night was track co-promoter J.R. Keifer, who was at his wife Mary Ann's hospital bed in Pittsburgh. Mary Ann suffered serious elbow, wrist and leg injuries in a motorcycle crash near Bedford on Sunday night.
Hubbard was quickest in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, earning his first career WoO LMS fast-time honor with a lap of 19.684 seconds.
Heat winners were Elliott, Fuller, Francis and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by Bland and Eckert.
Time trials were marred by a wild accident involving Jamie Lathroum of Mechanicsville, Md., whose car dug into the track surface and flipped over the outside guardrail between turns three and four. His machine landed on its wheels and he quickly climbed out under his own power without injury.
Lathroum, who won his first career WoO LMS A-Main on May 28 at Delaware International Speedway, had his badly-battered car hauled back to the pit area dangling between two wreckers.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series at Bedford Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (1) Tim Fuller/50 $10,650
2. (6) Steve Francis/50 $5,600
3. (3) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,600
4. (7) Josh Richards/50 $3,000
5. (2) Gregg Satterlee/50 $2,500
6. (9) Austin Hubbard/50 $1,750
7. (4) Chub Frank/50 $1,900
8. (16) Shane Clanton/50 $1,800
9. (8) Ricky Elliott/50 $1,200
10. (14) Vic Coffey/50 $1,200
11. (19) Nick Dickson/50 $1,050
12. (10) D.J. Myers/50 $1,000
13. (20) J.T. Spence/50 $950
14. (23) Russell King/49 $1,650
15. (12) Clint Smith/49 $1,350
16. (17) Jordan Bland/49 $1,300
17. (15) Tyler Reddick/49 $770
18. (24) Brent Robinson/49 $1,250
19. (21) Jason Covert/47 $730
20. (5) Jeremy Miller/43 $700
21. (22) Jeff Miller/41 $700
22. (11) Brady Smith/33 $1,200
23. (13) Matt Lux/23 $700
24. (18) Rick Eckert/14 $1,200
25. (25) Jack Pencil/8 $700
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
NOTE: Jack Pencil started the A-Main driving Chub Frank's backup car after his own machine was sidelined by engine problems.
Time of Race: 28 Mins., 01.317 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.232 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 4 (Laps 9, 14, 43, 48)
Lap Leaders: Satterlee (1-27); Fuller (28-50)
Provisional Starters: King, Robinson (WoO); Pencil (track)
Rookie of the Race: King ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Satterlee ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race: Mike ('Smoke') Countryman (Fuller)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 11H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 19.684
2. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 19.727
3. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 19.733
4. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 19.759
5. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 19.851
6. 14-Jack Pencil/Bedford, PA 19.874
7. 11-Tyler Reddick/Corning, CA 19.899
8. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 19.914
9. 43A-Jason Covert/York Haven, PA 19.971
10. 70J-D.J. Myers/Greencastle, PA 20.008
11. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 20.030
12. 91-J.T. Spence/Winchester, VA 20.036
13. 88-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 20.049
14. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 20.086
15. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 20.103
16. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 20.120
17. 99-Donnie Moran/Dresden, OH 20.131
18. 27-Jim Yoder/Selinsgrove, PA 20.142
19. 39-Greg Fetters/Bedford, PA 20.144
20. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 20.161
21. 21-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA 20.165
22. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 20.170
23. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 20.241
24. 33-Scott Haus/Hamburg, PA 20.285
25. 74-Tyler Hershey/Mercersburg, PA 20.289
26. 92-Jeff Rine/Danville, PA 20.305
27. 5-Chuck Clise/Frostburg, MD 20.350
28. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 20.354
29. 7-Gary Stuhler/Greencastle, PA 20.373
30. 12-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 20.397
31. 50E-D.J. Troutman/Hyndman, PA 20.449
32. 99B-Rick 'Boom' Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 20.452
33. 17-Nick Dickson/Lewistown, PA 20.473
34. 18-Dustin Hapka/Grand Forks, ND 20.479
35. 57-Jeff Miller/Huntingdon, PA 20.484
36. 3-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA 20.498
37. 15E-Steve Everhart/Williamsburg, PA 20.527
38. 32-Dylan Yoder/Selinsgrove, PA 20.644
39. 8L-Scott LeBaron/Dover, PA 20.693
40. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 20.751
41. 83R-Scott Rhodes/Somerset, PA 20.768
42. 8A-Alan Sagi/Hagerstown, MD 20.801
43. 43d-Tom Decker Jr./Tyrone, PA 20.873
44. 6- Jamie Lathroum/Mechanicsville, MD N/T
Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top Transfer): Elliott, Satterlee, Hubbard, Lux, Moran, Dickson, Stuhler, Hershey, Everhart, Covert, Rhodes
Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top Transfer): Fuller, Jeremy Miller, Myers, Coffey, Bland, J. Yoder, Sagi, D. Yoder, Rine, Hapka, Pencil
Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top Transfer): Francis, Frank, B. Smith, Reddick, Clise, Jeff Miller, Troutman, Fetters, LeBaron, Stone, Decker
Heat No. 4 (10 laps - Top Transfer): Richards, Lanigan, C. Smith, Clanton, Eckert, Spence, Haus, Robinson, Briggs, King
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps - Top Transfer): Bland, Dickson, Covert, J. Yoder, Stuhler, Everhart, Rine, Moran, Hershey, Sagi, Hapka, D. Yoder (DNS) Rhodes, Pencil
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps - Top Transfer): Eckert, Spence, Jeff Miller, Clise, Troutman, Haus, Stone, Robinson, LeBaron, Briggs, Decker, Fetters, King (DNS) Lathroum
2009 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 14 - 29 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Steve Francis 3953 (-0)
2. Josh Richards 3943 (-10)
3. Darrell Lanigan 3939 (-14)
4. Rick Eckert 3829 (-124)
5. Tim Fuller 3795 (-158)
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