CONCORD, NC – January 4, 2008 – Rocket Chassis reigned supreme again on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2007.
But winning the tour’s ‘Chassis Builders Challenge’ Award for the fourth consecutive year took plenty of hard work – maybe even more than in previous seasons – by the staff at the Shinnston, W.Va.-based business.
With the core group of Rocket Chassis campaigners on the WoO LMS transitioning in 2007, the company’s leader, Mark Richards, needed to fine-tune the information-sharing that had brought the Rocket camp so much success since 2004 on the nation’s premier dirt Late Model tour.
“After the end of the 2006 season we had some guys who had been key members of the Rocket group (on the WoO LMS) go in different directions,” said Richards, pointing at 2006 series champion Tim McCreadie (no longer a regular after signing as a development driver with Richard Childress Racing), Dale McDowell (departed series to concentrate on his driving school and duties with RCR’s driver development program) and Rick Eckert (switched chassis manufacturers). “It took us a while to get everybody (running Rockets on the 2007 WoO LMS) back together and on the same page.”
The 2007 WoO LMS Rocket brigade – which featured Josh Richards, Mark’s 19-year-old son and the driver of the Rocket Chassis house car; Rocket stalwarts Steve Francis, Chub Frank, Shane Clanton and Darrell Lanigan; and Rookie of the Year contenders Tim Fuller and Brian Shirley – didn’t get off to a rousing start in the win column. Josh captured the season opener, on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, but that would be Rocket’s lone victory over the first 13 WoO LMS events of the campaign – a stretch that saw Rayburn Chassis pile up seven triumphs, including one by Shirley, who began running his Rocket Chassis more often as the season progressed.
But beginning with Frank’s win on May 18 at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., Victory Lane once again became a regular stop for Rocket machines. The manufacturer claimed wins in six of the next seven and 11 of the next 16 events on the WoO LMS.
By the end of the 2007, Rocket Chassis had to its credit a series-leading total of 19 A-Main victories (led by Frank’s tour-best six wins) and a second consecutive WoO LMS championship courtesy of Francis, who captured the tour’s $100,000 title for the first time. Rocket also was well represented in the final points standings by Frank (runner-up), Clanton (fourth place), Richards (sixth), Lanigan (seventh), Fuller (eighth and the Rookie of the Year crown) and Shirley (ninth).
“Clanton and Darrell (Lanigan) really stepped up to the plate (in 2007) to help give us feedback,” said Mark Richards, “and having Fuller and Shirley come on board was a big positive. Along with Francis, Chub and Josh, we were able to work together, do some testing and get better.
“That’s really the secret to success in this business – finding guys who are willing to work together and share information, and who realize it’s not all about them.”
The team interaction helped Rocket compile the strong performance record necessary to out-point rival ‘Chassis Builders Challenge’ participants Rayburn (10 WoO LMS wins in ’07) and GRT (four wins) for the WoO LMS manufacturers’ award.
The 47-year-old Richards, whose Mark Richards Racing Inc. has been producing Rocket Chassis since 1992, was proud to be honored by the WoO LMS for the fourth time.
“We need to thank all the owners, drivers and crews that support Rocket Chassis,” Richards said while accepting the award at the tour’s awards banquet on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla. “Without all these people, it wouldn’t be possible for us to be so successful.
“(The World of Outlaws) is the elite national series for dirt Late Models, so it’s pretty gratifying for everyone at Rocket Chassis to win an award like this.
“And it means a lot to me personally to be in the same category as chassis builders like C.J. Rayburn, the MasterSbilt brothers (Tader and Keith Masters) and Joe Garrison at GRT,” he added. “They’ve all won a lot of awards like this over the years, so it’s an honor to be up there with them, to do something that they’ve done.”
Richards, who has counted 50-year-old dirt Late Model veteran Steve Baker as a business partner since 1986, gave special credit to Francis for his role in Rocket’s success story.
“Steve Francis has been one of the most loyal racers I’ve ever been associated with,” said Richards. “He’s been with Rocket Chassis for 11 years, and we’re proud of everything he’s accomplished.
“Steve won his first championship (1996 STARS/Renegade Series) the first year he was with us, and he came close to winning a national series championship a couple times. So this World of Outlaws championship was a long time coming for him, and we congratulate him and his team.”
Richards plans to keep Rocket Chassis in the headlines with the WoO LMS and other segments of the dirt Late Model world far into the future. Coming off a year in which his 14 employees produced over 250 dirt Late Models, he will continue to offer for sale cars with two types of front-end geometry (one is available in four-link or swing-arm configurations, or a combo of the two) while continuing R&D work on some exciting new ideas.
“We do have some stuff in the works for the future,” said Richards. “But it’ll probably be a little more down the road – maybe the end of 2008 – before it gets to the consumer because there’s still more testing and development to be done.”
The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 with two events that are part of the 37th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
