CONCORD, NC – Nov. 28, 2007 – World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion
Steve Francis is among the nominees for the fifth annual Economaki Champion of Champions Award.
Ten drivers are finalists for the award, which is presented by National Speed Sport News. Bestowed upon the racer deemed the newspaper’s driver of the year, it is named after the longtime Editor and Publisher Emeritus of NSSN, legendary writer and commentator Chris Economaki.
Each of the ‘Champion of Champions’ finalists won a series title while racing in North America during the 2007 and represents a different type of auto racing discipline that is covered extensively within the pages of NSSN.
Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., earned his nomination thanks to an impeccable season in which he captured his first-ever WoO LMS points championship. A heartbreaking runner-up in the tour’s points standings in both 2004 and 2005, the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ broke through in ’07 on the strength of four wins, 27 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes in 44 A-Mains.
Driving his own Steve Francis Racing Valvoline Custom/Rocket No. 15, Francis authored an incredible performance record on the nation’s toughest dirt Late Model series. He dropped out of just two early-season events and ran off 38 consecutive lead-lap finishes to end the campaign, clinching the title during the blockbuster ‘Outlaws World Finals’ event that was held for the first time Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Francis, who will enter his 25th anniversary season as a fulltime dirt Late Model driver in 2008, earned nearly a quarter-million dollars racing on the WoO LMS this season, including the $100,000 check he will receive at the tour’s awards banquet on Thurs., Dec. 6, at the International Plaze Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.
The winner of the Economaki Champion of Champions will also be announced on Dec. 6, during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Fla. Economaki will present the award, and the year-end Dec. 19 issue of NSSN will feature the winner.
Donny Schatz, the 2007 World of Outlaws Sprint Car series champion, is also a nominee for the award.Other 2007 ‘Champion of Champions’ finalists include: Sebastien Bourdais, who won the Champ Car World Series title; USAC National Midget champ Jerry Coons Jr.; Indy Racing League titlist Dario Franchitti; Fogarty/Alex Gurney, who won a title with the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday; NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson; NASCAR Busch East Series titlist Joey Logano; and Tony Schumacher, who won the NHRA Top Fuel title.
Previous winners of the Economaki Champion of Champions Award are J.J. Yeley (2003), World of Outlaws Sprint Car legend Steve Kinser (2004), Tony Schumacher (2005) and Jimmie Johnson (2006).
