‘Scrub’ Looks To Get Back On Winning Track After Uncharacteristic Campaign
CONCORD, NC – Feb. 6, 2008 – What does Rick Eckert want from his 2008 season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series?
Oh, a return to Victory Lane after his uncharacteristic winless 2007 campaign is certainly atop the wish list of the driver from York, Pa.
And, of course, getting back in the thick of the tour championship battle is high priority for ‘Scrub.’
But Eckert’s greatest desire just might be a smooth, steady-as-she-goes season – specifically, no mid-season changes in crew personnel or equipment. Because if he’s able to steer clear of those momentum-busters, then his on-track performance will be much more likely to fall into place.
Eckert, 42, simply wants to wash away the memories of his frustrating 2007 WoO LMS season, which saw him go through the entire schedule without a victory for the first time since the tour’s 2004 reincarnation by the World Racing Group.
“Last year is history,” pronounced Eckert. “We’re starting with a clean slate now.”
Yes, ’07 was a frustrating experience for Eckert, who never really found his usual rhythm. Though he was coming off a 2006 season in which he was the tour’s winningest driver (eight triumphs), Eckert went into ’07 with a new chassis underneath him (MasterSbilt) and a two new crewmen traveling with him. Before the season ended he changed to GRT chassis and was forced to scramble for last-minute crew help on two occasions after having mechanics suddenly quit.
Eckert did actually improve two positions in the points standings from 2006, finishing fifth, but that was little consolation for a racer who entered ’07 with more WoO LMS wins (15) than any other driver over the previous three years.
Five runner-up placings and a strong finishing record (just one DNF all year) aside, Eckert struggled more than starred in ’07 – as evidenced by the fact that he led a mere 15 laps in A-Main competition.
So Eckert heads into the 2008 WoO LMS sked, which begins on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., riding a 57-race winless streak on the tour. He last tasted victory in WoO LMS action on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.
When you also consider his annoying slump (Eckert was the only driver ranked among the top 10 of the ’07 points standings who didn’t win a race) and that Eckert was overtaken in ’07 by Scott Bloomquist as the tour’s winningest driver since 2004, do you think there’s any doubt that he just might be the hungriest racer on this year’s WoO LMS?
That hunger to get back on a winning track is what drove Eckert through a very busy off-season in his shop. He’s already well-regarded for impeccable preparation and maintenance of his machines, but Eckert stepped it up a notch to get ready for his 12th season driving for veteran Maryland car owner Raye Vest.
“I feel like we’re in as good shape as I’ve ever been to start a season,” said Eckert, who will be looking for his first career WoO LMS victory at Volusia during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals (he’s won UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned events in the past at the half-mile oval). “Raye is giving me everything it takes to win a championship and we have it all ready to go, so I’m confident that we’ll have a great season.”
Eckert spent the winter massaging his equipment with help from Chad Curran, a 25-year-old from Conway, Ark., who began working as Eckert’s fulltime mechanic in late August 2007 and returns for his first full season traveling the tour. They built one new GRT car and freshened up the GRT mount Eckert debuted in August 2007; both cars remain Eckert’s traditional orange and carry the No. 24, but some new striping gives the machines a slightly different look. Eckert’s motor program, meanwhile, is as brand-spanking-new as can be thanks to the arrival of four powerplants from Custom Race Engines, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based shop that Vest and Eckert decided to go with for the 2008 season.
By all appearances, Eckert has a proven chassis and engine under him for 2008. He’ll be able to trade setup ideas all season long with fellow WoO LMS regular and GRT campaigner Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who won four times and finished a career-high third in the 2007 points standings driving GRT cars, and his move to Custom Race Engines pairs him with a motor builder that put together the powerplants used by the first-, second- and fourth-place finishers – Steve Francis, Chub Frank and Shane Clanton, respectively – in the ’07 standings.
A stalwart on the WoO LMS since 2004, Eckert has finished outside the top five in the final points standings just once in four years of action. But he hasn’t won that championship trophy yet (his top placing was a third, in 2004), so he’d love to add it to his resume.
Eckert would also love to win the WoO LMS title for his dedicated car owner Vest, a 74-year-old excavation company proprietor who received the 2007 WoO LMS ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Sport’ Award.
“Raye has always been behind me 100 percent,” said Eckert, one of only two drivers who has run all 154 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004 (Francis is the other). “It’s been awhile since we won a championship (UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series in 2002), and I’d like to get him one with the Outlaws.”
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.
Fans unable to attend the spectacular week at Volusia can still catch all the action on the DIRTVision Cybercast. For just $29.99 fans can purchase the ‘Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass’ and watch live streaming video of all 12 nights of racing action from Feb. 5-16. Log on to www.dirtvision.com for more information.
