p Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director 704-254-7929 * [email protected][email protected]>
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Makes Fifth Annual Visit To Sharon Speedway For Alltel Ohio Speedweek Date On Saturday Night (July 26)
HARTFORD, OH - July 25, 2008 - It just wouldn't be a normal World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign without a stop at Sharon Speedway.
One of just four tracks that have hosted a WoO LMS event every year since the tour's reincarnation in 2004, the three-eighths-mile Buckeye State oval is ready for a fifth annual visit by the nation's premier dirt Late Model series on Saturday night (July 26). A 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win will highlight the progam.
The WoO LMS will blow into the eastern Ohio facility owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup star and former Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Dave Blaney for the third of four programs that comprise Alltel Ohio Speedweek, a multi-day extravaganza of speed that offers exciting opportunities for fans and racers alike.
"Racing at Sharon Speedway in July has become a tradition for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series," said tour director Tim Christman. "Dave Blaney and his staff have one of the top facilities in the country and everyone with the series always looks forward to our annual visit."
Perhaps no WoO LMS traveler is more anxious to hit Sharon's surface than Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who has an unmatched record of success in the track's WoO LMS competition. A winner of last year's A-Main, Frank also owns finishes of second (2006) and fifth (2005 and 2004).
"We're hoping that running at Sharon helps us get back on track," said Frank, who lives within a couple-hour drive of the speedway. "The place has been really, really good to us in the past, so hopefully we can continue that success."
Other former WoO LMS victors at Sharon include Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (2006), Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2005) and Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa. (2004). Eckert will be in the field as a WoO LMS regular, while McCreadie and Johnson are expected to make the event part of their special-show schedule.
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., will drive through Sharon's pit gate as the WoO LMS points leader - and anyone who thinks Sharon might be a track where he'll cede some of his advantage is mistaken. The 38-year-old standout owns finishes of fifth (2007) and fourth (2006) in his last two WoO LMS starts there.
Sharon has been a hot-and-cold track for defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who won the opening event of Alltel Ohio Speedweek on Thursday night at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio. Francis has strong runs of third (2005) and fourth (2007), but also has absorbed disappointing finishes of 18th (2004) and 21st (2006).
Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., meanwhile, has the look of a driver who's on the verge of a first-ever triumph at Sharon. The 20-year-old sensation finished a strong third at the track in 2006 and charged forward from deep in the field (thanks to a heat-race accident) to finish seventh last year.
Sharon hasn't been kind to several other WoO LMS travelers, including Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (a sixth in 2007 is his only top-10 finish in four career starts), Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (ninth in 2007 is his lone top-10 in three appearances) and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. (no runs better than 16th in three starts). Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished eighth last year in his only previous appearance at Sharon, while Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and 2008 Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., will be making their first-ever dirt Late Model starts at the track.
With the addition of many other well-known national and regional names drawn to Sharon by Alltel Ohio Speedweek, Saturday's program promises to feature one of the most talented dirt Late Model fields ever assembled at the track.
Drivers expected to challenge the WoO LMS regulars include three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., who led last year's WoO LMS event until being overtaken with five laps remaining by Frank; and David Scott of Garland, Pa.
Adding more luster to the event, the top-five finishers in Sharon's A-Main will become eligible for the 'Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star' honor. They will join the top-five finishers from the other Speedweek events in a battle for a $10,000 top prize, which goes to the driver who receives the most votes in on-line polling that begins at AlltelAllStar.com after the final Alltel Ohio Speedweek event on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.
Sharon's pit gates will open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 4 p.m. Time trials are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. with racing to follow immediately afterwards.
Adult general admission is $25, with teens (ages 9-13) priced at $10. Pit Admission is $35.
Sharon Speedway is located at the intersection of Routes 7 and 305 in Hartford, Ohio, and is just a short drive from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
For additional information, visit www.sharonspeedway.com or contact Kate at the Speedway office at 330-772-5481.
Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.