HAMMETT, PA – July 22, 2007 – Josh Richards is now riding his first win streak on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
 
The tour’s 2005 Rookie of the Year scored his second straight victory on Sunday night, leading from flag-to-flag to capture the ‘Roberts Trucking/Rohrer Trucking 50’ at Eriez Speedway.
 
It was the second WoO LMS triumph in a 24-hour period for Richards, a 19-year-old from Shinnston, W.Va., who ended a 26-race winless slump on the tour the previous evening at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.
 
“I’m not used to winning two straight races, but I sure can get used it,” smiled Richards, who pocketed $10,225 for reigning supreme in the first-ever WoO LMS event at Bobby Rohrer’s three-eighths-mile oval in the Northwest corner of Pennsylvania. “When I came across the checkered flag line, I said, ‘Wow, this is two in-a-row. This is pretty cool.’”
 
The tour’s inaugural visit to Eriez was a virtual replay of Hagerstown’s ‘60th Anniversary Classic,’ with Richards leading Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., for the entire distance.
 
Smith, 42, got his J.P. Drilling/Cliburn Tank Lines GRT close to Richards on several occasions while racing through lapped traffic, but he never made a serious bid for the lead. He crossed the finish line in second place, 0.655 of a second behind Richards’s Seubert Calf Ranches/Petroff Towing/Tony Stewart Racing Rocket.
 
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., drove a steady race to finish third, followed by WoO LMS points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. All three drivers were behind the wheel of Rocket cars.
 
With dry, slick surface conditions prevailing on the fairly flat, tight racetrack, passing proved to be difficult. So it was no surprise that the race’s initial start was crucial to its outcome.
 
Richards, who started from the pole position, was actually outgunned for the lead by his front-row mate Smith on the first attempt to start the A-Main. But a caution flag for a turn-four tangle involving WoO LMS regular Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., and Brent Rhebergen of Clymer, N.Y., necessitated a complete restart, erasing Smith’s strong move.
 
The ensuing restart was better for Richards, who grabbed the lead and stayed there to the finish. He survived several battles with lapped traffic and a lap-41 caution flag for the slowing car driven by Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., to register his fourth career WoO LMS triumph.
 
“I lucked out with that caution flag on the original start,” said Richards. “I drove in pretty hard, and (Smith) was right there and got by me. If I didn’t get that caution, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to pass him.”
 
Smith certainly felt the race could have been his if the original start had stood.
 
“That was the move of the race,” said Smith, who has a victory (on July 3 at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway) and two runner-up finishes in the last four WoO LMS events. “I had him on the first start, but unfortunately guys got impatient in the back and wrecked to bring a caution out.
 
“The next start, Josh kinda knows where I’m leading the fuel at, and he gets a little better roll on me. That’s just how second starts go all the time. It’s hard to pull the same move on a guy when he knows it’s coming.”
 
Richards raced smart once he assumed command, negotiating lapped traffic with aplomb to keep Smith at arm’s length.
 
“It’s definitely a mentally challenging place,” Richards said of the Eriez oval. “The whole time you’re out there riding around, you’re bouncing around trying to watch the lapped traffic and gauge whether you should stay back there or go race with them.
 
“I got up underneath (lapped cars) a few times, but late in the race I kinda backed up the pace and gave (the nearly-lapped Dan Stone) some room. I knew that if I couldn’t pass him then Clint couldn’t just drive around me, so I just held my line.”
 
With the bad luck that had been plaguing him not rearing its ugly head, Richards rolled to a satisfying victory that he credited to his team.
 
“I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of my crew guys,” said Richards, whose racing operation is fielded by his father Mark. “I had a great group of guys this week. Everybody stayed focused on what we had to do.”
 
Richards’s crewmen – Jimmy Frey, Jeff Dillinger and Matt Barnes – earned even special recognition after the event, sharing the new $100 Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race Award.
 
Smith, meanwhile, resigned himself to finishing second after having his opening-lap bid negated by the first of the race’s two caution flags.
 
“After we played that (aborted start) out, Josh got me on the second start and then we both ran the same speed the whole race,” said Smith. “We got close to him in lapped traffic, but it wasn’t really a wide enough facility here to really force the issue with the lapped (cars) situation.
 
“Josh did an excellent job and didn’t make any mistakes. I’m just glad to get a second, because it’s a great points deal for us again.”
 
Smith crept ever-so-slightly closer to Francis in the WoO LMS points standings, leaving Eriez with a 32-point deficit.
 
Francis registered another consistent finish, however, preventing Smith from making a big dent in his points lead.
 
“As long as we keep Clint’s car from getting too far in front of us, we’ll be O.K.,” said Francis, who started sixth.
 
Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., used his knowledge of Eriez Speedway to finish a solid sixth, earning him the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who’s not ranked among the top 12 of the tour points standings and hasn’t won a WoO feature.
 
Finishing in positions 7-10 were Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who spent much of the race’s distance attempting to pass Hess; Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.; Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa.; and current Eriez Speedway Super Late Model points leader Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.
 
Forty-four dirt Late Models entered the event, which was run before what was reported as Eriez’s biggest crowd of the 2007 season.
 
Dutch Davies of Warren, Pa., picked up the $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award after turning a lap of 17.924 seconds. It was the first such honor of his career in WoO LMS competition.
 
Heat winners were Hess, Coffey, Frank and Clanton, and the B-Mains were captured by Rich Gardner of Waterford, Pa., and Shirley.
 
The stars of the WoO LMS now direct their attention to National Interstate Speedweek, which visits Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on Wed., July 25; Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Thurs., July 26; Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Fri., July 27; and Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, on Sat., July 28.
 
For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
 
Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
 
1. (1) Josh Richards/50 $10,225
2. (2) Clint Smith/50 $5,125
3. (4) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,000
4. (6) Steve Francis/50 $2,500
5. (5) Shane Clanton/50 $2,000
6. (3) Dave Hess Jr./50 $2,200
7. (8) Chub Frank/50 $1,400
8. (7) Vic Coffey/50 $1,300
9. (12) Robbie Blair/50 $1,200
10. (14) Mike Knight/50 $1,100
11. (11) Doug Eck/50 $1,050
12. (16) Rick Eckert/50 $1,000
13. (21) Matt Urban/50 $950
14. (10) Greg Oakes/50 $900
15. (25) Andy Boozel/50 $850
16. (20) Brent Rhebergen/50 $800
17. (23) Chris Hackett/50 $770
18. (19) Dan Stone/50 $750
19. (26) Paul Briggs/49 $730
20. (18) Brian Shirley/40 $950
21. (24) Chad Ruhlman/28 $700
22. (9) Dutch Davies/23 $800
23. (22) Steve Halpainy/21 $700
24. (13) David Scott/6 $700
25. (15) Doug Horton/0 $750
26. (17) Rich Gardner/0 $700
 
Time of Race: 18 Mins., 4.969 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.655 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 2 (Laps 0, 41)
Lap Leaders: Richards (1-50)
Provisional Starters: Hackett, Ruhlman (WoO); Boozel, Paul Briggs (Track)
Rookie of the Race: Shirley ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Hess ($500)
National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: Dutch Davies ($100)
National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Doug Horton ($50)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($100): Jimmy Frey, Jeff Dillinger & Matt Barnes (Josh Richards/Rocket Chassis)
 
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
 
1. 40-Dutch Davies/Warren, PA 17.924
2. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 17.943
3. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 17.974
4. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 17.980
5. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 17.985
6. 32c-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 18.034
7. 03-Doug Eck/Corry, PA 18.045
8. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 18.075
9. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 18.146
10. 9k-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 18.149
11. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 18.180
12. w11-Robbie Blair/Titusville, PA 18.278
13. 3-David Scott/Garland, PA 18.300
14. 22g-Greg Oakes/Franklinville, NY 18.310
15. 9-Paul Briggs/Ashville, NY 18.311
16. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 18.331
17. 99B-Rick Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 18.392
18. 20-Chad Ruhlman/Bemus Point, NY 18.420
19. 46-Doug Horton/Bruceton Mills, WV 18.444
20. 33-Chris Hackett/Erie, PA 18.455
21. 76-Andy Kania/Waterford, PA 18.489
22. 1G-Rich Gardner/Waterford, PA 18.519
23. 4T-Merle Terry/Erie, PA 18.542
24. 15H-Steve Halpainy/Ashville, NY 18.604
25. 61s-Ward Schell/Warren, PA 18.625
26. 22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 18.641
27. 12b-Andy Boozel/Clymer, NY 18.667
28. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 18.684
29. 1U-Matt Urban/Northeast, PA 18.692
30. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 18.711
31. 07R-Brent Rhebergen/Clymer, NY 18.760
32. 28b-Dick Barton/Ashville, NY 18.774
33. 90-Wally Fox/Cooperstown, PA 18.788
34. 28J-John Lobb/Frewsburg, NY 18.806
35. 32-Jeff Hoffman/Clarendon, PA 18.819
36. 111-Max Blair/Titusville, PA 18.837
37. 00-Dan Maxim/Erie, PA 18.909
38. NO7-Jason Dupont/Cyclone, PA 18.909
39. 28L-Randy Lobb/Jamestown, NY 19.008
40. 26g-George Labarbera/Sugar Grove, PA 19.017
41. 0-Ryan Scott/Garland, PA 19.043
42. M1-Mickey Wright/Albion, PA 19.314
43. 2J-Scott Johnson/Wattsburg, PA 19.407
44. 1d-Jim Dellinger/Farmdale, OH 19.712
 
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Hess, Lanigan, Davies, D. Scott, Kania, Schell, Fox, Maxim, Urban, R. Scott, R. Briggs
 
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Coffey, Richards, Oakes, Knight, Gardner, Ruhlman, Stone, J. Lobb, Dupont, Hedman, Wright
 
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Frank, Francis, Eck, Horton, Rhebergen, Johnson, P. Briggs, Boozel, R. Lobb, Hoffman
 
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, C. Smith, R. Blair, Eckert, Hackett, Shirley, Halpainy, Barton, Dellinger, Labarbera, M. Blair
 
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Gardner, Stone, Urban, Ruhlman, Schell, Scott, Fox, Maxim, Dupont, J. Lobb, Hedman, R. Briggs, Kania, Wright
 
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shirley, Rhebergen, Halpainy, Boozel, Hackett, Barton, R. Lobb, Johnson, P. Briggs, Terry, Labarbera, Hoffman, Dellinger (DNS) M. Blair
 
2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 22 - 29 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
 
1. Steve Francis 1-16-26-$70,750-3,996 (-0)
2. Clint Smith 3-14-23-$90,250-3,964 (-32)
3. Chub Frank 4-13-22-$81,630-3,928 (-68)
4. Shane Clanton 2-11-20-$69,610-3,908 (-88)
5. Josh Richards 3-9-19-$74,340-3,902 (-94)
6. Rick Eckert 0-9-18-$58,170-3,872 (-124)
7. Darrell Lanigan 2-5-19-$60,090-3,671 (-325)
8. Tim Fuller 1-6-9-$52,000-3,179 (-817)
9. Shannon Babb 4-10-13-$69,190-2,932 (-1064)
10. Brian Shirley 1-3-8-$40,240-2,845 (-1151)
11. Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-2-4-$22,720-2,439 (-1557)
12. Chris Madden 1-7-11-$68,990-2,229 (-1767)
13. Billy Moyer 1-9-11-$40,325-2,042 (-1954)
14. Brian Birkhofer 0-1-5-$17,810-1,624 (-2372)
15. John Blankenship 0-0-0-$10,570-1,588 (-2408)
16. Jimmy Mars 0-4-6-$22,830-1,322 (-2674)
17. Billy Decker 0-0-1-$7,390-1,267 (-2729)
18. Roy Mitchell 0-0-0-$5,560-1,261 (-2735)
19. Dennis Erb Jr. 2-4-6-$30,800-1,173 (-2823)
20. Ricky Elliott 0-0-3-$7,280-957 (-3039)
 
LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.
 
To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.
 
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail [email protected].
 
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions, Eibach Springs and Integra Shocks.