Contact: World Racing Group Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director 704-254-7929 * [email protected][email protected]>
Drivers Face Unique 'Southern Fried Scramble' Draw For Position During Wednesday Night's Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown
Heat Qualifiers At The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway Must Decide: Start Close To The Front Or Go After The Maximum Passing Bonus Bucks?
CONCORD, NC - Oct. 6, 2008 - Dirt Late Model fans have never seen a draw for position quite like the one planned for the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers on Wednesday night (Oct. 8) at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway.
The pressure will be on the drivers when they step up for the 'Southern Fried Scramble' draw, which sets the starting field for the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main.
Assuming a format of four qualifying heats, 20 drivers will participate in the unique feature draw that gives them a chance to play it safe or roll the dice in pursuit of the maximum $30,000 first-place prize on the line in the first-ever WoO LMS event that will be run 'topless.' All dirt Late Model teams will take the fiberglass tops off their cars on Wednesday night, giving fans a better view of the drivers as they navigate the four-tenths-mile oval.
The 'Southern Fried Scramble' draw will consist of five buckets holding four starting-spot pills each. Bucket One will have positions 1-4, Bucket Two positions 5-8, Bucket Three positions 9-12, Bucket Four positions 13-16 and Bucket Five positions 17-20.
When the drivers are called up to draw in the order of their heat finishes (winners first, etc.), they'll have the option of selecting a pill from any of the buckets. Essentially they can guarantee themselves a starting spot in the first two rows of the A-Main by staying conservative and sticking their hand in the first bucket - or they can go for a position further back in the field that would set them up to a claim a huge paycheck if they win the Showdown.
The Showdown is offering a base purse of $10,000 for first place, but if the driver who wins the A-Main submitted an official entry form prior to Sept. 13 he will also receive a 'passing' bonus in an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position. That means winning from the pole position is worth a $1,000 bonus; from the 10th spot is worth a $10,000 bonus; and from the 20th spot is worth a $20,000 bonus.
What's a driver to do if they walk up to the 'Southern Fried Scramble Draw' with all starting-position options available? Do they jump at an assured up-front spot? Are they brave enough to gamble that they can pad their bank accounts by winning from deep in the field?
Well, ask some drivers and it's apparent that a lot of them will probably hedge their bets.
"Ideally, I would like to start in the sixth to 10th spot," said defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who won the Circle K Colossal 100 earlier this year at The Dirt Track. "You're close enough to the front to avoid some of the incidents and close enough to the back to get a good pay day."
"It'll all depend on how the track conditions are," added Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., one of the hardest chargers on the WoO LMS. "If the track is real good, I'd pull from the bucket that would get a spot from 10th to 15th or so. I'd go for the closest spot to the front, though, if the track is heavy and fast so I'd have a better chance of staying out of trouble."
WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who over the past month-and-a-half has won three of the last six WoO LMS events as well as the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned World 100 at Ohio's Eldora Speedway, both claim that they won't allow the expected pleas of fans push them into selecting from Bucket No. 5 if they happen to be the first to draw.
"I'm gonna do what's best for our race team," said Lanigan, who is rolling toward his first career WoO LMS title. "If the track is in good shape with some slick through the middle, I'd probably take a chance and go with a mid-pack (pick). But if the track is heavy I'd pick from that first bucket because I don't want to be back in traffic where you'll have all that mud flying up at you and sticking to the front of your car."
Clanton was more succinct: "I'd rather start on the pole and run for the $10,000 (base purse) if I have that opportunity. I'll always take my chances from the front row."
And then there's the drivers who seem to have the inclination to let it all hang out - guys like 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and 20-year-old tour star Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.
"I think it depends of what kind of mood you're in," said McCreadie, who enters the Showdown having pocketed $85,000 for three big wins (Topless 100, Jackson 100 and Late Model Knoxville Nationals) over the past month-and-a-half. "If you feel good about your car, you'll probably want to pick from last bucket and go for the big money.
"I might just do that. We're on a roll right now - and when you get on a roll, you try to get much money as you can before it ends."
Richards, meanwhile, has no reservations about getting to the front from the 20th starting spot at The Dirt Track. He did it in last year's Showdown, advancing from the 21st starting position to the lead in just 10 laps before his bid ended when he dropped out with front-end damage from catching the cushion.
"I would pick from the last bucket," said Richards. "I know you can win from wherever you start at Charlotte, so I'd go for all or nothing."
The Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown, which offers WoO LMS show-up points because of the race's unique format, will kick off Lowe's Motor Speedway's Bank of America 500 Week for the fifth consecutive year.
Former event winners - and their first-place earnings including passing bonus money - are Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va., in 2004 ($17,000); Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., in 2005 ($26,000); Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., in 2006 ($10,000 base purse because he did not enter prior to the deadline); and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., in 2007 ($18,000).
More than 50 dirt Late Model drivers are expected to compete in the Showdown. Joining the dirt regulars in action on Wednesday will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman, who will drive an Alltel No. 12 machine prepared by Francis.
If purchased in advance, adult tickets for the Oct. 8 Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers are $25 with children 12 and under admitted for just $5.
Tickets for this event can also be purchased as part of the four-race $99 SUPER Ticket which includes Bojangles' Pole Night on Thursday night, Oct. 9; the Dollar General 300 on Friday night, Oct. 10; and the Bank of America 500 on Saturday night, Oct. 11. Tickets are available online or by calling the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.
The WoO LMS will pull into The Dirt Track after competing on Tues., Oct. 7, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Fayetteville event is the completion of a program that was postponed by rain during the first B-Main on Aug. 15.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com<http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/>.