CONCORD, NC – Jan. 23, 2008 – They presided over three blockbuster World of Outlaws Late Model Series events in 2007 – the Circle K Colossal 100, the Jani-King Southern Showdown and the inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals.’
 
For that, as well as their support of the renowned national dirt Late Model tour, Roger Slack and Matt Long of The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway received the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Promoters of the Year Award.
 
Slack, who has overseen every event run at The Dirt Track since its debut in 2000, and Long, a Lowe’s Motor Speedway corporate sales ace with a short-track pedigree, helped make the gorgeous four-tenths-mile oval’s first season as part of the WoO LMS a rousing success story.
 
“It’s a huge honor to win this award,” said Slack, who accepted the trophy during the 2007 WoO LMS Awards Banquet on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla. “It’s the product of a lot of great people working at the speedway, starting at the top with (LMS president and general manager) Humpy Wheeler.
 
“There’s the passion that people like Matt Long and (senior manager of public relations) Keith Waltz have for dirt racing; and Randy Grove (of Hagerstown, Md.) coming down to prep the track for every event; and Steph Griffith and Megan Hazel from the events department at the speedway being the glue that keeps things together.
 
“It’s been a long eight years at times,” he added, considering the trials and tribulations that occurred as The Dirt Track became established on the racing scene. “But a lot of hard work by a lot of people is paying off.”
 
Slack, 33, is certainly the straw that stirs the drink at The Dirt Track. A native of York, Ont., who grew up in a racing family (his grandfather owned Ontario’s paved Cayuga Speedway), he moved south to begin working at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in January 1998 and was put in charge of the facility’s fledgling dirt oval two years later. As director of a true clay-surfaced palace, he’s become known for his fan-friendly track operation and innovative ideas, including the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100 that has solidified its place as a big-time dirt Late Model weekend in just two short years.
 
“Roger has poured his heart and soul into organizing, promoting and presenting events at The Dirt Track since it opened in 2000,” Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s H.A. ‘Humpy’ Wheeler said in a recent track press release. “He and several other members of our staff put a tremendous amount of work into those events, and it’s rewarding to see their efforts recognized by those in the dirt-track industry.”
 
Long, 29, also has roots in short-track racing, growing up as a dirt Late Model fan in Cambridge, Ohio. He worked as an intern at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2002, then settled in North Carolina the following year when he accepted a job on the track’s corporate sales staff. He’s become a trusted sidekick of Slack’s, fueling the big shows at The Dirt Track with his solicitation of corporate backers.
 
“Nobody has brought more non-racing sponsors into dirt racing the last five years than Matt Long,” Slack said of Long, who also now drives a crate-engine dirt Late Model in events around North Carolina. “He started with us an intern, he grew up in racing too, and we’ve become best of friends. Without Matt, The Dirt Track wouldn’t be near the success that it is.”
 
The Dirt Track hosted arguably its biggest dirt Late Model shows ever in 2007 – all under the WoO LMS banner. Clearly, Slack’s decision to work with the WoO LMS for the first time paid off in spades for both The Dirt Track and the tour, which added marquee events at a high-profile speedway to its schedule.
 
“The World of Outlaws obviously have the brand recognition, but they also have the premier teams and the premier officials,” said Slack. “Everybody from the front office to the traveling road crew is just top-notch. I really enjoy working with them, and it’s a lot of fun working with them.
 
“Hey, we’re all in this for business, but if it’s not any fun you don’t want to keep doing it. And working with the Outlaws and WRG (World Racing Group, which operates the WoO LMS) has just been a lot of fun, and that’s resulted in events being bigger and more fun for everybody.”
 
While last April’s Circle K Colossal 100 was a smashing success and October’s mid-week Jani-King Southern Showdown pulled a huge crowd to kick off Bank of America 500 Week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the WoO LMS event at The Dirt Track that drew the most attention was undoubtedly the history-making ‘Outlaws World Finals’ from Nov. 1-3. A first-ever doubleheader with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series that drew the curtain on both tours’ 2007 seasons, the ‘Finals’ attracted a huge field of 82 Late Models, boasted sell-out crowds on both Friday and Saturday night and had its Saturday-night program televised live on SPEED.
 
“We had no clue it would be that big,” Slack, who recently was promoted to Vice President of Events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, said of the ‘World Finals.’ “Everybody from the teams, to the series, to us, was blown away by the fan reaction. We just went into the thing hoping to have a nice crowd, and then try to build for the future.”
 
What was the hook that made the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ a revelation in the short-track world?
 
“There’s only one place big enough to hold the sport’s biggest stars, and they were all in one place, at one time, and everybody wanted to be there to be a part of it,” reasoned Slack. “And everybody is still pumped up, because they’re buying tickets for (the 2008 ‘World Finals’).”
 
Slack hailed the stars of dirt Late Model racing and World Racing Group officials for making the ‘World Finals’ the memorable experience it was.
 
“It was a great night for dirt racing, especially Late Model racing,” Slack told the WoO LMS banquet crowd while accepting his promotional award. “So many people e-mailed after the race and could not believe the show that you guys put on, and that’s a great credit to all of you.
 
“And (WRG executives) Brian (Carter), Tom (Deery) and Ben (Geisler) -- what they did putting that World Finals on live TV, that was a real serious financial commitment,” he continued. “That took a lot of guts and effort on their part – and a vision for the future.
 
“I think that was a really special night for everybody, and I think it’s gonna really pay off in the future.”
 
Slack and Co. are already looking down the road, toward a 2008 season that will again include three events sanctioned by the WoO LMS: the third annual Circle K Colossal 100 on April 18-19 (“Humpy’s even lowered the ticket price $10, to $39,” smiled Slack); the Southern Showdown on Oct. 8; and the second annual ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 1.
 
It will be hard to top the inaugural ‘Outlaws Finals,’ but Slack and his team will certainly give it a shot.
 
“We’re trying to think up ideas,” Slack said when asked about the 2008 ‘World Finals.’ “Actually, race fans out there may have a great idea on how to make the ‘World Finals’ bigger. If they do, they should just e-mail (WRG VP of Public Relations) Chris Dolack at [email protected] with those ideas.”
 
There goes Slack, having some more fun with World of Outlaws and WRG officials.
 
Tickets and information about the 2008 events at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway, including the Circle K Colossal 100 and the ‘World Finals,’ can be obtained by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS or visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.
 
The 2008 WoO LMS season kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
 
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.