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Kevin Kovac
HAMMETT, Penn. (August 23) - Hopefully the third try will be the charm for the 2009 World of Outlaws Late Model Series visit to Eriez Speedway.
Rain struck the one-third-mile oval in Northwest Pennsylvania after qualifying heats were completed on Sunday night, forcing officials to postpone the tour's stop at Bobby and Kathy Rohrer's track for the second time this season.
The WoO LMS will return to Eriez Speedway to complete two B-Mains and the 50-lap A-Main on Tues., Sept. 1 - the night before the tour is scheduled to visit Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway for the first time. The rescheduled program, which will also include held-over features for the track's weekly open-wheel Modified and Limited Late Model divisions, will begin at 7 p.m.
Sunday night's rescheduled event was necessitated because showers ruined the original July 26 date with Ohlins Shocks Time Trials nearly completed. A new session of time trials and heat races were spun off on Sunday before rain red-flagged the proceedings.
Rain that rolled in off Lake Erie doused the speedway shortly after heat-race action ended. The precipitation stopped within a half-hour and the track crew soon began reworking the surface, but another pop-up shower shortly after 9 p.m. soaked the surface and stopped any thought of further competition.
"We were close to having the track ready to go when the rain hit again," said Eriez Speedway promoter Bobby Rohrer. "We had a great crowd on hand to see the Outlaws, but we just can't catch a break with the weather. Hopefully we'll have clear skies when we try again on Sept. 1."
Rohrer said all rainchecks and pit bands from Sunday's program will be accepted on Sept. 1. He added that fans without rainchecks can witness the remainder of the racing program for $15.
A field of 46 cars was signed in for the show, including four drivers who weren't in attendance on the original event date last month. Eight drivers who entered the scheduled Ohio Late Model Speedweek finale on July 26 did not return on Sunday night.
WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., tallied his third fast time honor of 2009 with a lap of 16.231 seconds during Ohlins Shocks Time Trials. He nipped Chad Valone of Warren, Pa., who was just two cars away from earning his first-ever WoO LMS fast-time award when rain washed out qualifying on July 26.
Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who sits second in the WoO LMS points standings, was the lone tour regular to win one of the evening's four 10-lap heat races. His victory in the fourth prelim followed triumphs by well-known Eriez drivers Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., Valone and Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.
The top two finishers in each heat race will redraw on Sept. 1 for the first eight starting spots in the 50-lap A-Main.
The heats proved problematic for WoO LMS regulars Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis. Lanigan, the defending series champion, retired from the first heat on lap one after his car's nose was crunched in a chain-reaction jam-up, while Smith failed to qualify in the second heat after an opening-lap tangle left his car with a battered right-front corner.
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., a former Eriez regular who brought a two-race WoO LMS win streak into Sunday's action, finished third in the first heat. He is scheduled to start ninth in the A-Main on Sept. 1.
The WoO LMS now heads south for dates on Fri., Aug. 28, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Sat., Aug. 29, at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. Both events feature 50-lap A-Mains paying $10,000 to win.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 16.231
2. 2V-Chad Valone/Warren, PA 16.297
3. 9K-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 16.367
4. 2J-Scott Johnson/Wattsburg, PA 16.380
5. won11-Robbie Blair/Titusville, PA 16.380
6. 26-Tony Knowles/Tyrone, GA 16.391
7. 17L-Dennis Lunger/Cherry Hill, PA 16.396
8. 28J-John Lobb/Frewsburg, NY 16.403
9. 21*-David Scott/Garland, PA 16.404
10. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 16.413
11. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 16.473
12. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 16.485
13. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 16.489
14. 28b-Dick Barton/Ashville, NY 16.499
15. B22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 16.500
16. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 16.518
17. 40-Dutch Davies/Warren, PA 16.531
18. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 16.536
19. 11H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 16.545
20. 07R-Brent Rhebergen/Clymer, NY 16.550
21. 22-Greg Oakes/Franklinville, NY 16.614
22. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 16.621
23. 71d-Ron Davies/Warren, PA 16.625
24. 00-Rich Gardner/Waterford, PA 16.633
25. 9-Scott Gurdak/Spring Creek, PA 16.641
26. 53-John Volpe/Lakewood, NY 16.655
27. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 16.671
28. 28L-Randy Lobb/Jamestown, NY 16.687
29. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 16.708
30. 8-Jason Morell/Northeast, PA 16.723
31. 55H-David Lyon/Corry, PA 16.724
32. 11-Tyler Reddick/Corning, CA 16.728
33. 03-Doug Eck/Corry, PA 16.748
34. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, PA 16.750
35. 4-Merle Terry/Erie, PA 16.764
36. 76-Andy Kania/Waterford, PA 16.768
37. 33-Chris Hackett/Erie, PA 16.771
38. N8-Nathan Short/Jamestown, NY 16.801
39. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 16.841
40. 99b-Rick 'Boom' Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 16.873
41. 3-Bruce Hordusky/Erie, PA 16.880
42. 26G-George LaBarbera/Sugar Grove, PA 16.912
43. 18-Dustin Hapka/Grand Forks, ND 16.957
44. 01-Doug Ricotta/Warsaw, NY 16.993
45. 79-Mike Coyle/Jamestown, NY 17.024
46. 12-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 17.145
Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Blair, Richards, Frank, Oakes, Eck, Hackett, Coffey, Hordusky, Coyle, Scott, D. Davies, Gurdak
Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Valone, Knowles, King, C. Smith, Clanton, Bland, Barton, B. Smith, Short, Volpe, LaBarbera, Morell
Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Knight, Eckert, R. Davies, Hedman, Hubbard, Lunger, Terry, Hess, Lyon, Hapka, Lanigan
Heat No. 4 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Fuller, Johnson, J. Lobb, Rhebergen, R. Lobb, Kania, Ricotta, Briggs, Gardner, Reddick
Drivers who entered the event on its original July 26 date but did not return on Sunday: Ryan Scott, Jared Miley, Matt Urban, Brent Robinson, Andy Boozel, Chad Ruhlman, Matt Lux, Tim McCreadie
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