Contact: World Racing Group Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director 704-254-7929 * [email protected][email protected]>
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Event Preview: Fayetteville Motor Speedway on Aug. 15 & Screven Motor Speedway on Aug. 16
CONCORD, NC - Aug. 11, 2008 -
WHAT:
* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series kicks back into high gear this weekend following a two-and-a-half-week break, heading below the Mason/Dixon Line for a Southeastern doubleheader.
A pair of tracks will host the nation's premier dirt Late Model tour for the first time - Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Friday night (Aug. 15), and Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., on Saturday night (Aug. 16). Both events will be run over the 50-lap distance and pay $10,000 to win.
WHEN:
* On Friday night, Fayetteville Motor Speedway's pit gates are scheduled to open at 12 noon and the grandstand gates will be unlocked at 2 p.m. On-track action for the show, which also includes five weekly divisions, is tentatively set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
* Screven Motor Speedway's gates are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. on Saturday night, with competition set to get the green flag at 7 p.m. The program will also include competition for the track's Moonrunner, Mini-Stock and Renegade divisions.
WHERE:
* Fayetteville Motor Speedway is a historic four-tenths-mile oval in its 38th year of operation. Pat Longhany is in her fourth season at the helm of the track.
The facility is easily accessible off Exit 46 of Interstate 95.
* Screven Motor Speedway is an emerging three-eighths-mile oval owned by James 'Red' Griffen, who also operates the adjoining Savannah River Dragway. Griffen made major improvements to the entire motorsports complex prior to the 2007 season, including a widening and resurfacing of the dirt track and the erection of a 6,000 sq. ft. cafeteria between the oval and dragstrip.
To reach Screven Motor Speedway, take Georgia Exit 109 off Interstate 95 and merge onto GA-21 North. The track is located on the left between Mile Markers 6 and 7 in Screven County.
TICKETS:
* At Fayetteville, grandstand general admission is $30 and pit admission is $40.
* Screven management has posted a $20 general admission price for Saturday night's WoO LMS spectacular. As an added bonus, the ticket also includes admission to the Savannah River Dragway action that will be taking place simultaneously.
INFORMATION:
* Fayetteville Motor Speedway: visit www.fayettevillemotorspeedway.net<http://www.fayettevillemotorspeedway.net/> or call 910-223-RACE.
* Screven Motor Speedway: visit www.screvenmotorspeedway.com<http://www.screvenmotorspeedway.com/> or call 912-857-4884 or 912-754-5882.
PREVIOUS WoO LMS WINNERS:
* Both tracks are hosting the WoO LMS for the first time.
Fayetteville Motor Speedway will become just the second track in North Carolina to hold a WoO LMS event. The tour has previously run five times at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. - four times in 2007 and once so far in 2008.
The WoO LMS will make its fourth appearance alltime in the state of Georgia when it visits Screven Motor Speedway. The tour has previously run Peach State events at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick (Feb. 4, 2006, and Oct. 26, 2006) and North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth (May 1, 2004).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
* After extending his points lead to 146 points during a grueling stretch of 13 tour events from July 9-29, Union, Ky.'s Darrell Lanigan will begin his homestretch drive toward a first career WoO LMS championship. He is authoring arguably the most consistent season in series history, rolling up a remarkable 19 top-five (including two wins) and 29 top-10 finishes in 31 starts.
* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., appears primed to make a last-season run to unseat Lanigan. He has five top-five finishes (including two wins) in the last six tour events, pulling him into a tie with 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for second in the points standings.
It's been quite a while since Francis last raced at Fayetteville, but he's enjoyed success there in the past. He finished second in an Xtreme DirtCar Series/Hav-A-Tampa Series event held at FMS on April 21, 2001.
* Interestingly, the only WoO LMS regulars with national touring series victories at Fayetteville both hail from Pennsylvania. Xtreme/Hav-A-Tampa events at FMS were won by Bear Lake, Pa.'s Chub Frank (April 21, 2001) and York, Pa.'s Rick Eckert (April 20, 2000).
Both Frank and Eckert have been prolific WoO LMS winners in the past - Frank was the tour's winningest driver in 2007 and Eckert is tied for second on the overall series win list since 2004 - but each has visited Victory Lane just once in 2008.
* Two WoO LMS travelers figure to be pre-race favorites in Saturday night's: Shane Clanton and Clint Smith.
The Peach State duo - Clanton is from Locust Grove, Ga., and Smith hails from Senoia, Ga. - live over 200 miles from Screven, but the track will nonetheless represent one of the closest WoO LMS events to their homes in 2008.
Clanton and Smith have also proven very adept at defending their homestate turf when the WoO LMS visits - they are the only drivers who have won WoO LMS A-Mains run in Georgia. Clanton won in October 2006 at Golden Isles Speedway and May 2004 at North Georgia Speedway, and Smith captured the February 2006 show at Golden Isles.
* Smith and fellow WoO LMS regular Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., have driven for a former car owner who's well-known to Fayetteville Motor Speedway fans: North Carolina's Carlton Lamm, who fielded the Dunn-Benson Ford dirt Late Model for many years.
Babb also happens to currently drive a North Carolina-based car - the Traeger Grills/Chevy No. 18 owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer.
* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., will make his first career start at both Fayetteville and Screven, but that just might be a good omen for the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year. All three of Fuller's career WoO LMS victories - including two this season - have come in his first visit to the respective track.
* Another WoO LMS regular set to make a first-ever appearance at both Fayetteville and Screven is John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.
* Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., will look to pad his lead in the 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year points standings in the Southeastern events. He'll be joined in the fields at both tracks by fellow rookie contender Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y.
* A strong contingent of Fayetteville Motor Speedway regulars will look to turn back the WoO LMS invaders on Friday night, led by defending track champion Jeff Smith of Kings Mountain, N.C. Smith captured a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at FMS last year, and he has only one finish worse than third in seven FMS starts this season.
Other FMS steadies eyeing the event include David Turner of Fayetteville, N.C., who is coming off a win in Saturday night's Super Late Model feature at FMS; Scott Autry, also of Fayetteville, who is tied with Smith for the track points lead; former Carolina Clash Series champ Ed Gibbons of Manning, S.C.; and Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C.
* Jason Fitzgerald of Jacksonville, Fla., has the Fayetteville and Screven events listed on his schedule, while 17-year-old Dillon Wood of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., has the Screven date marked down on his sked. Wood won the first Super Late Model event of his young career on May 3.
EXTRA CASH:
* The influx of regional and local standouts competing in the events will be chasing some WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks.'
The highest-finishing driver in each A-Main who is not ranked among the current top-12 in the WoO LMS point standings and has never won a WoO feature will receive the $500 'Bonus Bucks' award.
LISTEN OR WATCH ON THE INTERNET:
* Fans who can't make it to the track can listen to the action live thanks to the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts of WoO LMS events, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. Those who sign up for a free membership can enjoy advanced features while listening to the races, such as text chat and live scoring via AMB.it.
WoO LMS INFO:
* Log on to the WoO LMS website at www.worldofoutlaws.com<http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/>.
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 29 - 31 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
1. Darrell Lanigan 2-19-29-$98,817-4287 (-0) 2. (tie) Josh Richards 4-14-21-$97,160-4141 (-146) 2. (tie) Steve Francis 3-15-24-$127,450-4141 (-146) 4. Chub Frank 1-9-21-$64,480-4081 (-206) 5. Shane Clanton 1-14-22-$71,390-4069 (-218) 6. Shannon Babb 2-13-21-$89,500-4067 (-220) 7. Rick Eckert 1-9-20-$64,580-4031 (-256) 8. Clint Smith 1-10-18-$55,870-4015 (-272) 9. Tim Fuller 2-6-13-$56,200-3852 (-435) 10. John Blankenship 0-0-6-$32,870-3698 (-589) 11. Vic Coffey 0-0-7-$29,320-3217 (-1070) 12. Joe Isabell 0-0-0-$14,420-2745 (-1542) 13. Sean Beardsley 0-0-0-$9,030-2243 (-2044) 14. Danny Johnson 0-0-1-$13,620-2187 (-2100) 15. Tim McCreadie 1-7-12-$46,700-1983 (-2304)