Northeast-Based Outlaws Frank, Eckert & Richards Will Attract Plenty Of Attention
 
IMPERIAL, PA – Sept. 20, 2007 – The biggest show of the season at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway – the 19th annual ‘Pittsburgher’ this Saturday night (Sept. 22) – will be part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series for the second straight year.
 
Geography, of course, dictates that three WoO LMS stars in particular will garner the lion’s share of the attention from fans at ‘Dirt’s Monster Half-Mile’: Northeastern-based Outlaws Chub Frank, Rick Eckert and Josh Richards.
 
The trio of travelers is well-known to dirt Late Model aficionados in western Pennsylvania – and all three drivers have experienced the thrill of victory at PPMS, albeit not in the two WoO LMS events held there over the past three years.
 
Frank, 45, of Bear Lake, Pa., is easily the most popular Outlaw among the western Pennsy faithful. He lives more than two hours from PPMS, but he’s still looked upon as a local boy who’s made good.
 
There will be plenty of Chub Frank t-shirts visible roaming the PPMS grandstand area on Saturday night, worn by fans hoping to see their hero capture the evening’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win ‘Pittsburgher’ A-Main. He’s a good bet to send them home happy, considering he’s not only the winningest driver on this year’s WoO LMS (five victories), but also a former ‘Pittsburgher’ winner (2001) and a driver who enjoys competing on the big PPMS oval.
 
“I like the little tracks, but I don’t have nothing against the big tracks if they’re racy,” said Frank, who sits second in the WoO LMS points standings. “Most of the reason I don’t like big tracks is that they’re usually not that racy, but Pittsburgh’s pretty racy.
 
“It’s not Eldora (Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio), but it’s fast like Eldora. Pittsburgh doesn’t have the banking like Eldora and you don’t usually run against the fence, but it’s just a big, fast half-mile, and it’s a racy half-mile -- and racy half-miles are hard to come by.”
 
Frank is hoping that the PPMS surface is in the condition it was for the July 1 ‘Red Miley Memorial Penn National 53,’ a race in which he finished second.
 
“Back in July when we ran there, it was a good racetrack,” said Frank. “It was a little bit choppy, but that made it fast and racy all over. The ‘Pittsburgher’ will be a good race if the track’s like that again.”
 
Frank will actually attract even a bit more attention than usual on Saturday because he’s planning to run his unique ‘Chubzilla’ car – a green graphics package that features reptile-like ‘scales’ and bright monster ‘eyes’ for headlights. He debuted the machine at Eldora’s prestigious World 100 two weeks ago and wants to show it off in front of the home crowd this weekend – and offer the western Pennsy fans a second printing of special ‘Chubzilla’ car t-shirts for sale at his merchandise trailer.
 
Eckert, 41, of York, Pa., has never won the ‘Pittsburgher,’ but he’s finished as high as second (2002). He wants to move up one more spot to add the ‘Pittsburgher’ trophy to his collection.
 
“I’ve won the Penn National race (at PPMS, in 2006), but never the Pittsburgher,” said Eckert, who is ranked sixth in the WoO LMS points standings but enters this weekend’s action uncharacteristically winless on the tour in 2007. “I’d like get that one.”
 
The expansive PPMS circuit presents Eckert a unique challenge.
 
“It’s like a big circle,” Eckert said of the track. “Really, the stuff we’ve done there (to the car) is the only place in the country we’ve done it. Every other place you ever try the same stuff, it doesn’t work. It takes its own odd setup to run around that place.”
 
Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., has a special place in his heart for PPMS, so he’s thrilled to be heading to the track on Saturday night.
 
“I ran the third race of my career there (in 2004), and I just love the place,” said Richards. “Anywhere that’s real wide, where you can roll down into the corner – those are the tracks I like the best.
 
“My driving style has always adapted well to places like Pittsburgh, Eldora, Knoxville – anywhere real wide. I just feel real comfortable on tracks like that.
 
“We’re really looking forward to Pittsburgh. We’ve run fourth and third in the Pittsburgher, and we won the last time we were there (the ‘Red Miley Memorial Penn National 53’ in July). We think we have a pretty good package for that place.”
 
The Northeast Outlaws’ fellow tour travelers have enjoyed varying degrees of success at PPMS.
 
WoO LMS points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., has never fared exceptionally well in the early-autumn ‘Pittsburgher’ event, finishing no better than seventh (1994 and 2000). He does own a STARS/Renegade Series victory at the track, in 1996.
 
Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who sits third in the WoO LMS points standings, has struggled in his two previous ‘Pittsburgher’ appearances. He finished 22nd n 2004 and 15th in 2006.
 
Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., made his first-ever start at PPMS last year – and he won the ‘Pittsburgher’ A-Main, which was postponed to Oct. 8 and run over the 100-lap distance. It was the biggest win ever for Clanton, who is fourth in the current WoO LMS points standings.
 
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., registered his best finish in six career ‘Pittsburgher’ starts in 2006, finishing fourth. He is a former STARS/Renegade Series event winner at PPMS – he split a twin-40s show with Francis on May 25, 2006.
 
WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., have never raced at PPMS.
 
Dozens of top regional and local drivers are expected to face off against the WoO LMS stars in the ‘Pittsburgher,’ including Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; three-time ‘Pittsburger’ champ Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa.; two-time ‘Pittsburgher’ winner Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa.; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., who returns to the WoO LMS after scoring an emotional upset victory on Sept. 2 at Tri-City Speedway; D.J. Myers of Greencastle, Pa.; and PPMS regulars like 2007 track champion Jared Miley; Dave Wade; western Pennsylvania legend Lynn Geisler; Brandon Burgoon; Steve Baker, who co-owns Rocket Chassis with Mark Richards, the father of WoO LMS regular Josh Richards; and Lou Bradich.
 
PPMS’s pit and spectator gates will open at 12 noon on Saturday. WoO LMS time trials are slated to begin at 6:15 p.m., followed by racing at 7 p.m.
 
General admission is $35 for adults; $34 for senior citizens; $25 for students 13-16; $10 for kids 7-12; and free for children under 7. Pit passes are $45.
 
PPMS will also run a ‘Night Before the Pittsburgher’ program on Friday. The card will include qualifying for the Crate Late Model and E-Modified divisions, which will run feature events as part of Saturday’s racing action.
 
Additional info about PPMS is available by calling 412-279-7223 (track office); 724-695-0393 and 724-695-3363 (race day); or logging on to www.ppms.com.
 
PPMS is located 15 miles west of downtown Pittsburgh off the Noblestown exit of U.S. 22. It also just minutes from Weirton, W.Va., and Steubenville, Ohio.
 
For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.