South Carolina
Motorsports Racing News
Contents www.SCMSRN.com Wednesday, June 23, 2010
World
of Outlaws Late Model Series News & Notes: Previewing The Firecracker 100
On June 24-26 At Lernerville Speedway
SARVER, PA – June 23, 2010 –
ANOTHER TRY: Maybe the third time will be the
charm for Darrell Lanigan.
After leading the most laps
but settling for a runner-up finish in each of the past two Firecracker 100s at
Lernerville Speedway, Lanigan has just one goal on his mind for the fourth
annual World of Outlaws Late Model Series mega-event when it lights up the
four-tenths-mile oval this week (June 24-26).
“Lead the last lap,”
bottom-lined Lanigan, the 2008 WoO LMS champion.
Lanigan, 40, of Union, Ky.,
craves a $30,000-plus victory in the Firecracker 100, which carries presenting
sponsorship from one of Lanigan’s backers, GottaRace.com. His second-place
earnings for the last two Firecrackers total a cool $35,823 – he pocketed
$17,667 in 2008 and $18,156 in ’09 – but that’s little consolation to the quiet,
competitive driver.
“All I want to do is win,”
said Lanigan. “That’s why we race.”
The race team owner/operator
came close to the checkered flag in the 2008 event, which was postponed by rain
to July 29, and even closer in the 2009 version contested on June 27. In ’08 he
led the race’s first 69 laps before Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, gained
control and ran away from the field for a convincing triumph; last year he
paced laps 13-93 before Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., swept by him to emerge victorious
after rallying from a lap-27 pit stop to change a cut tire.
“We just got loose at the end
last year,” said Lanigan, who has started from the front row in each of the
last two Firecracker 100s. “Mars had a little bit different tire on and he just
came on late in the race. I did everything I could to stay ahead of him, but
the race was a little too long.
“The other year (’08) Birky
was just better at the end. We were running the cushion up top, but that
eventually went away and Birky was good on the bottom.”
Both defeats stung Lanigan,
but he’s certainly gotten used to heartbreaking losses in 100-lap WoO LMS
specials the last two seasons. In 2009 he also finished second in the Lone Star
100 at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas (after a flat forced him to
pit while leading on lap 40) and the Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track at
Charlotte (after a flat tire put him to the rear early), and earlier this year
he relinquished the lead in the Commonwealth 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway due
to a popped right-rear tire with just nine laps remaining.
“We’ve had bad luck with
flats,” said Lanigan, who finished 14th in the inaugural Firecracker
100 in 2007. “But we just need to get our (100-lap) program a little better.”
Lanigan is ranked second in
the WoO LMS points standings (14 points behind leader Josh Richards of
Shinnston, W.Va.) entering this weekend’s Firecracker 100 action, which for the
first time features complete preliminary programs topped by 30-lap,
$6,000-to-win A-Mains on Thurs., June 24, and Fri., June 25, that will be used
to align the heat-race starting fields for the 100-lap finale on Sat., June 26.
“I like the new format,” said
Lanigan, who is coming off a second-place finish in the last WoO LMS ‘Great
Northern Tour’ A-Main on June 20 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway. “As an
owner/driver, it’s great because we can make money each night we’re at the
track.
“I think we can pull off a
win (in the Firecracker 100),” he added. “I like the track and we always seem
to run pretty good there. They (officials) threw a little curveball in there
this year with the tire rule (DIRTcar UMP’s Hoosier 10-20-30-40 compound
mandate will be in effect) – that might be a little bit tricky, but everybody’s
on the same playing field so it shouldn’t make too much of a difference.”
STILL SEARCHING: No WoO LMS star has a more burning
desire to win a major event like the Firecracker 100 than defending champion
Josh Richards. Just don’t ask him about the one missing item on his
ever-growing resume.
“I don’t want to talk about
that,” Richards joked when the subject came up. “We’re just gonna keep working
hard and trying to win every race, and when it (a 100-lap win) happens, it
happens.”
Richards, 22, has qualified
well for each of the three previous Firecrackers, earning starting spots of
fourth (2007), pole (’08) and sixth (’09). But that has translated to success
in the final rundown – he’s finished ninth (’07), 12th (’08) and
eighth (’09) in the 100-lapper.
The young sensation’s best
shot at victory – or at least a top-five finish – came in the rain-delayed 2008
event. But while battling for third place he became hooked together with Shane
Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., sending both drivers to the rear and causing a
few tense moments between the friends as Clanton had some strong words for
Richards while their cars were still sitting on the racetrack.
Richards, who has tasted
victory at Lernerville in a postponed 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main that kicked off
last year’s Firecracker 100 weekend, enters this year’s action looking to get
back to his early-season form. He’s in a rare slump, with only one top-five
finish in his last five WoO LMS starts – a fourth-place run in the ‘Great
Northern Tour’ opener on June 15 at Can-Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville,
N.Y. As a result, his points lead has fallen from a season-high 56 points after
his fourth win of 2010, on May 15 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway, to just 14
points over Lanigan and 20 points over 2006 champion Tim McCreadie of
Watertown, N.Y.
HE’S A CONTENDER: Aside from a quiet 10th-place
finish in last year’s Firecracker 100, the 34-year-old Clanton has been a
serious threat to capture the event’s unique trophy.
Clanton might have had the
fastest car in the 2007 and 2008 editions of the race. His tangle with
Richards, of course, knocked him from contention in ’08 (he finished 24th
after retiring shortly after the incident because he slapped the wall while
attempting to rally from the rear). In ’07, meanwhile, he appeared primed to
sail by eventual winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., to take the lead
on lap 88 but had his momentum broken by Bloomquist’s sixth-sense decision to
move to the top of the track in turn three the very lap Clanton was making his
run; Clanton fell back and didn’t have time to recover, finishing sixth.
ON A ROLL: Tim Fuller rolls into the Firecracker
100 as the hottest driver on the WoO LMS thanks to two wins (at Can-Am and
Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ont.) and a third-place finish (at Ontario’s
Cornwall Motor Speedway) in the three ‘Great Northern Tour’ events completed
over the past week.
Can the former DIRTcar
big-block Modified regular from Watertown, N.Y., continue his streak at
Lernerville? If his Gypsum Express car runs like it did in last year’s
Firecracker 100 there’s no reason to believe he can’t.
Fuller’s finishing position
in the ’09 event only shows a 15th – his worst in three 100 starts
following an eighth in ’07 and 10 th in ’08 – but he actually appeared
to have one of the top cars in the event. He was marching forward from the
seventh starting spot when he tangled with Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa,
while battling for third place on lap 23 – an encounter that blew out Fuller’s
left-rear tire and broke his car’s left-rear shock, costing him two laps in the
pits while his crew made repairs.
NO LUCK : Tim McCreadie has a WoO LMS A-Main
triumph to his credit at Lernerville (in 2006), but he’s yet to come close to
the checkered flag in the Firecracker 100.
The 36-year-old McCreadie –
back as a WoO LMS regular this season for the first time since winning the
title in 2006 – didn’t compete in the inaugural Firecracker. He finished eighth
in ’08 and failed to qualify last year after barrel-rolling his car several
times on the homestretch during Friday-night heat-race action – just one week
after the Watertown, N.Y., star returned to the cockpit following five months
on the sidelines due to the back injury he suffered during the Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals.
ACTION TRACK MASTER: Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., has a
sterling performance record at Lernerville – including WoO LMS victories in
2004 and 2005 and two wins and a runner-up finish in three weekly-show starts
this season – but he hasn’t yet been able to thrust himself into the mix for a
Firecracker first prize.
The 48-year-old’s top
Firecracker 100 finish came in 2007, when he advanced from the 10th
starting spot to finish fifth in a race slowed by only three caution flags. He
backed that up with finishes of sixth in 2008 and 12th in 2009.
IS THIS THE YEAR?: WoO LMS stalwart Rick Eckert of York,
Pa., knows how to get around Lernerville – he has an ’06 Outlaw victory there –
but he’s still searching for the combination that will make him a major threat
in the Firecracker.
Eckert has, however, gotten
progressively better with his Firecracker performances. He finished 16th
in 2007 (after using a provisional and starting 25th), 11th
in 2008 (started 19th) and ninth in 2009 (started 13th).
CONSISTENT RACERS: Just two drivers have scored a top-10
finish in all three Firecracker 100s – 2007 WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of
Ashland, Ky., and four-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series titlist Earl
Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.
Francis, who enters this
year’s Firecracker 100 proceedings coming off his second WoO LMS victory of
2010 on June 20 at Cornwall Motor Speedway, owns finishes of seventh (’07),
fourth (’08) and fifth (’09). He started second in last year’s event and led
laps 1-9 and 11-12.
Pearson, meanwhile, has two
third-place finishes (’07 and ’09) and a ninth (’08) under his belt. He was
especially impressive last year, charging forward from the 20th
starting spot.
FRUSTRATION: The Firecracker 100 has been a house
of horrors for Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who hasn’t even completed the
100-lap distance in any of the three previous editions of the event.
Smith’s best outing came in
2008 when he finished two laps down in 19th after using a
provisional to gain entry to the 100. He completed only 11 laps of the ’07
A-Main before mechanical trouble left him with a 28th-place finish,
and last year he dropped out on lap 73 and placed 18th.
The ’07 Firecracker was
especially tough for Smith. He entered that year’s event tied for the WoO LMS
points lead with Francis, but a last-place finish dropped him to third in the
standings, 42 points behind, and he never recovered. He settled for a
career-high third-place finish in the points battle.
YOUNG GUNS: The newest WoO LMS regulars – 2009
Rookie of the Year Russell King, 21, of Bristolville, Ohio; ’09 rookie
contender Brent Robinson, 22, of Smithfield, Va.; and ’10 rookie Austin
Hubbard, 18, of Seaford, Del. – will be looking to turn heads in their biggest
WoO LMS starts of the season to date.
King is the only driver of
the trio who has made a Firecracker 100 starting lineup. After falling short in
his first attempt at the event in 2008 (he finished sixth in the Uncle Sam 30
Non-Qualifiers’ Race), the former DIRTcar big-block Modified used a provisional
to start last year’s 100 and finished 16th, completing 92 laps
before breaking an oil pump pulley.
Both Robinson and Hubbard
made the Firecracker 100 debuts last year. Hubbard’s weekend ended with a
third-place finish in the Uncle Sam 30 (though he said he got a great education
when he stood in the infield for the A-Main and watched the unique line that
Mars used to navigate the track), while Robinson finished 12th in
the Uncle Sam event.
DID YOU KNOW?: The best Firecracker 100 run authored
by a Lernerville or western Pennsylvania dirt Late Model regular came in 2007,
when Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., finished 11th.
CONSOLATION PRIZE: Former winners of the Uncle Sam 30
Non-Qualifiers’ Race – a $3,000-to-win event that will be run prior to the
start of the Firecracker 100 on Sat., June 26 – include Josh McGuire of
Ashland, Ky. (2007), Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y. (2008) and Robbie Blair of
Titusville, Pa. (2009).
BIG LIST: The names of nearly 50 drivers appear
on the official Firecracker 100 pre-entry list, including all the WoO LMS
regulars and former event winners Bloomquist, Birkhofer and Mars.
Other notable pre-entries
include Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who finished fourth in last year’s
event; Bobby Labonte Racing teammates Pearson and Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky.;
Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga.; 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey
of Caledonia, N.Y.; defending All-Star Late Model Series champion Robbie Blair
of Titusville, Pa.; Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., a winner last week on the
DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour; Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; Davey
Johnson of Latrobe, Pa.; 15-year-old Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif.; Matt Lux
of Franklin, Pa.; Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa.; and Lernerville
standouts such as Alex Ferree of Saxonburg, Pa., and Lynn Geisler of Cranberry
Twp., Pa.
WHAT A WEEKEND: Fans don’t want to miss the
Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com, which features great, lucrative
racing as well as pre- and post-race entertainment such as concerts (after the
Thursday and Friday programs), a driver/fan horseshoes tournament, the Ms.
Firecracker pageant, a Saturday driver autograph session and plenty of
pyrotechnics.
Advance tickets to the
Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com are on sale and can be purchased by
clicking on the 'Buy Tickets Now!' link at www.lernerville.com
or by calling the speedway office at 724-353-1511.
For more information on the
WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Fourth Annual Firecracker
100 Presented by GottaRace.com Entry List (as of June 22):
0-Scott
Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN
1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV
1-Will Vaught/Crane, MO
1c-Lynn Geisler/Cranberry
Twp, PA
1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA
1J-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA
1J-Dave Murdick/Slippery
Rock, PA
H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA
2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs,
WI
2J-Mike Johnson/Imperial, PA
3-Brent Robinson/Chesapeake,
VA
4-Alex Ferree/Saxonburg, PA
4J-John Mollick/Toronto, OH
J4-John Garvin/Sarver, PA
7x-Herman
Bertolini/Creighton, PA
11-Tyler Reddick/Corning, CA
won11-Robbie
Blair/Titusville, PA
12-Doug Drown/Wooster, OH
14-Corey Conley/Wellsburg, WV
15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY
15B-Brian
Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA
17M-Dale McDowell/Chickmauga,
GA
19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY
19-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE
J19-Jason
Fosnaught/Creighton, PA
20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN
21-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA
22-Jill George/Cedar Falls,
IA
22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester
Mills, PA
23-John
Blankenship/Wlliamson, WV
23-Tony Burke/Sarver, PA
24-Rick Eckert/York, PA
24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg,
PA
25-Shane Clanton/Locust
Grove, GA
28-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI
29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY
29-Ken Schaltenbrand/Sarver,
PA
32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY
C33-Chris Casner/Mifflintown,
PA
38R-Nick Reges/Butler, PA
39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown,
NY
41-Brad Neat/Dunnville, KY
44-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford,
PA
44-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville,
FL
44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA
56-Russell King/Bristolville,
OH
71D-Ron Davies/Erie, PA
72-Michael Norris/Sarver, PA
99b-Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Bear
Lake, PA
The World of Outlaws Late
Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors
and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor
All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires),
STP (Official Fuel Treatment), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP
Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and Chizmark
Larson Insurance; in addition to contingency sponsors Eibach Springs, MSD
Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pink Carburetors, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster,
Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance and Wrisco Aluminum.
Ó
SCMSRN.com/Paul J Miller 3rd, 2000-2010