BULLS GAP, TN – Oct. 4, 2007 – The ‘Race To The World Finals’ has one more stop – and it’s a big one.

 
 
Volunteer Speedway will host the inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100’ presented by the Rusty Wallace Automotive Group on Oct. 12-13, setting the stage for the season-ending ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
 
The two-day autumn extravaganza at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile Volunteer oval is highlighted by a Saturday-night 100-lapper that pays $20,000 to win. It’s the second big-money, extra-distance WoO LMS spectacular at Volunteer in two months, following the Aug. 23 ‘Scorcher 100’ that brought Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., a similar 20-grand check.
 
For the WoO LMS regulars, the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100’ will be their last chance to gain ground in the points standings before heading to the highly-anticipated ‘Outlaws World Finals’ three weeks later. The Dirt Track’s Nov. 1-3 event pairs the World of Outlaws Late Models and Sprint Cars in a historic doubleheader weekend that closes the championship battles of both series.
 
Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., holds the WoO LMS points lead entering the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100,’ but his 40-point edge over Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., is by no means comfortable. If Frank can shave a few more points off Francis’s advantage at Volunteer, then things will be very interesting in the two 50-lap points races that comprise the ‘Outlaws World Finals.’
 
Francis, 40, has said repeatedly during the tour’s stretch run that he’s entering every race with the goal of winning it, not to simply collect points. He’s pretty much made good on that declaration, as evidenced by his recent hot streak in which he’s scored two of his three 2007 wins over the past month.
 
The 45-year-old Frank, meanwhile, knows his 40-point deficit will be tough to overcome in the season’s final three events, but he’ll give it his best shot.
 
“I just need to finish ahead of (Francis) at Bulls Gap,” Frank said of the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100.’ “The more spots, the better, but I just need to get a little closer to put a little pressure on him. I want to at least have a chance at Lowe’s (in the ‘World Finals’), because that’s a place where you can have two bad nights real easily.”
 
First the two drivers must get through Volunteer Speedway’s $80,000-plus event. They both will enter the event confident about their chances after running well there in August’s ‘Scorcher 100.’
 
Francis finished ninth in the ‘Scorcher 100’ after starting 16th – and running most of the distance with a bent front end after absorbing a hit from another car on an early restart. He also pocketed $5,000 for winning a 12-car match race on the first night of the three-day ‘Scorcher 100’ meet.
 
Frank advanced from the 18th starting spot to a sixth-place finish in the ‘Scorcher 100.’ He called it his best run ever at Volunteer.
 
Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., will enter Volunteer’s program with his WoO LMS title hopes still flickering, sitting third in the standings, 92 points behind Francis. But Smith, who experienced electrical problems in the ‘Scorcher’ and finished 19th, will need a strong run and poor finishes from both Francis and Frank to get back in the battle.
 
Other WoO LMS travelers ready to tackle Volunteer again in the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100’ include Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (finished 11th in the ‘Scorcher 100’); 19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (12th); Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (fifth); Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (14th after leading laps 1-13); and Rookie of the Year contender Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. (failed to qualify for the ‘Scorcher’).
 
Madden, meanwhile, will be back to go for another $20,000 victory at Volunteer. His ‘Scorcher 100’ triumph came in dramatic fashion when he passed Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., for the lead with just five laps remaining.
 
Owens, who last month won the prestigious UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, will return to try and seal the deal in the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100.’ He’ll be joined by an all-star cast of drivers, including Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.; Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C.; Michael England of Glasgow, Ky.; Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, Ky.; and Volunteer Speedway star Vic Hill of Morristown, Tenn.
 
WoO LMS time trials and heat races are scheduled on Fri., Oct. 12, along with an extended open practice for all WoO competitors. Grandstand admission on Friday is $15 for adults and $3 for children 6-12, with kids 5-and-under admitted free. Pit admission and backside tier-parking is $25.
 
Sat., Oct. 13, will be an all-Late Model night, with the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100’ highlighting the racing program. The evening will begin with WoO LMS B-Mains and also include a 25-lap feature for Volunteer’s Crate Late Model division.
 
Grandstand admission on Saturday is $25 for adults and $5 for children 6-12, with kids 5-and-under admitted free. Pit admission and backside tier-parking will be $35.
 
The pit gate will open daily at 3 p.m., and the grandstand gate opens each afternoon at 4 p.m. Hot laps are tentatively scheduled to begin each evening around 7 p.m., to be followed by racing action.
 
Advance reserved seats are now on sale for $40, covering admission both nights. The reserved tickets are for the tower (orange-backed) seats in turn four and in turn one above the main grandstands. Contact the track office on weekdays only at 423-378-5942 for reserved tickets.
 
For more information on the ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100,’ visit www.volunteerspeedway.com.
 
Additional info on the WoO LMS can be obtained by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.