Post by Dirt Master on Jun 13, 2007 8:27:31 GMT -5
Contact: DIRT MotorSportsT d/b/a World Racing Group
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 . kkovac@dirtmotorsports.com
Chub Frank's Third-Place Finish Leads World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingent In $100,000 'Dream' At Eldora Speedway
ROSSBURG, OH - June 9, 2007 - Chub Frank wanted to leave Eldora Speedway on Saturday night with $100,000 in his pocket, but he had to settle for a payoff with one less zero.
The Bear Lake, Pa., star finished third in the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream XIII, giving him a $10,000 check and the honor of being the highest-placing World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular in the prestigious event.
Seven drivers who have entered every WoO LMS program so far in 2007 made the 24-car starting field of the 100-lap Dream, which saw 28-year-old Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., score a monumental upset victory over three-time event winner and 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.
"I would've liked that 100-grand, but third's not bad," said Frank, who has won two of the last three WoO LMS A-Mains. "It'll pay a couple of bills."
Frank, 45, started sixth and ran in the top five for the entire distance, but he could never find sufficient speed in his Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Rocket No. 1* to make a serious bid for the biggest winner's prize in dirt Late Model racing.
"I just didn't have enough drive," said Frank. "I was too loose on entry, and that hurt me all the way through the corner.
"I tried to tighten my stuff up as tight as I could get it, but I still didn't get it tight enough."
Frank was probably at his best around the three-quarter mark of the 100, when he passed Scott James of Greendale, Ind., for third. He was still more than a straightaway behind Casebolt and Bloomquist, however, and a caution flag on lap 79 dulled any momentum he had built up during a green-flag stretch of 51 laps.
"The only shot I had was when (the surface) got to having a little abrasion," said Frank. "I got a little better and got by James (for third), but then the yellow came out and the abrasion went away. My car didn't take off after (the race) went back green."
A winner of Eldora's World 100 classic in 2004, Frank registered a career-best finish in the Dream. His high-water mark in four previous Dream starts was fifth place, in both 2000 and 2004.
"We're happy," said Frank, who drove a car that had seen action only once previously this season (during February's Florida DIRTcar Nationals). "The last two years we didn't even make the Dream, so this was definitely a step in the right direction.
"We'll be back here for a World of Outlaws (LMS) show next month (Fri., July 27), and we'll try something different to see if we can get better."
ENCOURAGING RUN: Union, Ky.'s Darrell Lanigan has yet to record a top-five finish through 16 WoO LMS events this season, so he took his fourth-place run in the Dream as a sign that better days might be ahead.
Lanigan, who turned 37 on June 3, needed just 12 laps to break into the top five after starting 16th. The charge had his crew thinking that he would march straight to Victory Lane, but his hopes of repeating a 2003 triumph in the Dream stalled there.
The Bluegrass Bandit's tires sealed up following a lap-28 caution flag, forcing him to spend the remainder of the distance simply maintaining his position in the top five.
Lanigan was behind the wheel of a brand-new Rocket car that has been sitting in his shop since the winter months waiting for duty at Eldora.
NOT WHAT HE WANTED: Armed with the outside-pole starting spot for the Dream after a strong heat-race victory, current WoO LMS points leader Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., was bullish about his chances of capturing the first crown-jewel dirt Late Model event of his career.
But Smith faded badly at the start - he fell back as far as 12th - and never quite recovered. He climbed back as high as fifth before settling for an eighth-place finish in what was his second career Dream 100 A-Main start (he finished 19th in 2000).
"We just missed on weight placement," said Smith, noting that he had to bolt on lead because UMP rules do not permit a burn-off tolerance of one pound per lap. "Our car was real good in the heat, but we had to put the weight on for the feature and that hurt us. We had to put 120 or 30 pounds on the car, and we didn't put it on in the right place.
"I think I still could've run fifth, but I got tangled up with a few lapped cars (late in the distance) and lost a couple spots before I got free from them."
Overall, Smith, 42, enjoyed his visit to Eldora. He said he had a "great time" on Wednesday night when he provided the car that NASCAR star Jeff Gordon drove in the 'Nextel Prelude to the Dream' event.
"Gordon had one of the best times of his life," Smith said of the former Nextel Cup champ, who raced on dirt for the first time since 1991. "You could tell he hadn't been in (a dirt Late Model) before during the first hot-lap session that wasn't televised (on HBO Pay Per View), but after I talked to him a while he went out for the second session and was the fastest guy out there. He was so tickled to death, he kept the sheet that showed him as fast time."
Smith said that Gordon brought a big contingent of Hendrick Motorsports crewmen with him - and the mechanics got their hands dirty helping Smith's crew fix some damage that Gordon's car sustained in a hot-lap scrape.
"We built some good relationships with those guys," said Smith. "They all wanted (Clint Smith) t-shirts so we gave 'em some, and we're gonna go over to Charlotte and work on our car at their shop when we're up there (for a WoO LMS event) later in the year."
STEADY EDDIE: Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., continued to show some strength at Eldora, transferring to the Dream 100 for the third straight year.
The 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the year finished third in the night's first heat race and then steered his Rocket No. 28 to a 14th-place finish in the feature. That run backed up his 11th in 2005 and 15th in 2006.
MISSED THE SETUP: While teenage WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards looked stout rolling to a second-place finish in his heat race, he was never a factor in the A-Main.
Shinnston, W.Va.'s Richards didn't make any headway from his eighth starting spot for the first quarter of the Dream, so he pulled his car into the pit area for adjustments during a lap-28 caution period. A quick restart green flag caught him in the pits, however, putting him a lap down and leaving him to spend the remainder of the distance trying setup ideas in advance of Eldora's WoO LMS show on July 27 and the World 100 on Sept. 7-8.
"We were so good here last year (fourth-place finish in the World 100), but the track changed so much," said Richards, pointing out the slicker conditions for Saturday's Dream. "We didn't know how far to go (with the setup), and we didn't tighten the car up enough.
"We weren't any good, so we came in and made some changes. We ended up losing a lap, but we went back out so we could at least get some laps to figure out what we need to do when we come back later this year."
NO 'DREAM' OUTINGS: Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (17th place), Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C. (18th) and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (21st) weren't happy with their performances in the A-Main.
Clanton stopped on the track with broken spur gears on lap 79; Madden went the wrong way with his setup after a strong B-Main run; and Francis was knocked from contention after losing a lap when he pitted to make changes during a lap-28 caution period.
MISSING THE SHOW: Among the high-profile non-qualifiers were Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (this year's winningest WoO LMS driver) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (the top tour winner in 2006).
Normally very strong at Eldora, Babb missed the Dream field for the second straight year. He finished seventh in the B-Main, which transferred four cars.
"The track threw us for a loop," conceded Babb. "We threw everything at the car, but we just couldn't get going."
Eckert, meanwhile, started from the pole position in the B-Main, but he tumbled backward and finished a dismal sixth, missing the cut by two spots.
"I was already loose," said the 1999 Dream winner, who had to scramble to secure help for the weekend after his two fulltime crewmen left his team earlier in the week. "Then when dirt got on the racetrack when I was behind somebody, it just made me even looser."
Also failing to qualify was John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who was unable to parlay an outside-pole starting spot in the sixth heat into a feature appearance. He finished fifth in the heat and 13th in the B-Main.
NOT GOOD FOR THE CHAMPS: While '04 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist finished a solid second in the Dream, the tour's only other champions - Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (1988, 1989, 2005) and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2006) - had forgettable weekends.
Moyer's rough going in the Dream continued. His night ended with an 11th-place finish in the C-Main, leaving him a DNQ in the event for the third straight year.
McCreadie, meanwhile, was the fastest qualifier in Friday's time trials by over a half-second, but a busted oil cooler as he ran third in the first heat forced him to use his fast-time provisional to start 19th in the A-Main. He moved forward but said his Sweeteners Plus No. 39 was never a contender en route to a ninth-place finish.
The WoO LMS returns to action on Tues., June 12, at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak. The event kicks off a busy week that also includes visits to Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on Thurs., June 14; Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on Fri., June 15; Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., on Sat., June 16; and the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks on Sun., June 17.
For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Dirt Late Model Dream XIII Finish (100 laps - 2007 WoO LMS Drivers In Caps):
1. Steve Casebolt
2. Scott Bloomquist
3. CHUB FRANK
4. DARRELL LANIGAN
5. Scott James
6. Bart Hartman
7. Brady Smith
8. CLINT SMITH
9. Tim McCreadie
10. Earl Pearson Jr.
11. Jimmy Mars
12. Jimmy Owens
13. Jeep VanWormer
14. EDDIE CARRIER JR.
15. Garrett Durrett
16. JOSH RICHARDS
17. SHANE CLANTON
18. CHRIS MADDEN
19. Steve Shaver
20. Brian Shirley
21. STEVE FRANCIS
22. Matt Miller
23. Brian Birkhofer
24. Wendell Wallace
Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
704-254-7929 . kkovac@dirtmotorsports.com
Chub Frank's Third-Place Finish Leads World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingent In $100,000 'Dream' At Eldora Speedway
ROSSBURG, OH - June 9, 2007 - Chub Frank wanted to leave Eldora Speedway on Saturday night with $100,000 in his pocket, but he had to settle for a payoff with one less zero.
The Bear Lake, Pa., star finished third in the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream XIII, giving him a $10,000 check and the honor of being the highest-placing World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular in the prestigious event.
Seven drivers who have entered every WoO LMS program so far in 2007 made the 24-car starting field of the 100-lap Dream, which saw 28-year-old Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., score a monumental upset victory over three-time event winner and 2004 WoO LMS champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.
"I would've liked that 100-grand, but third's not bad," said Frank, who has won two of the last three WoO LMS A-Mains. "It'll pay a couple of bills."
Frank, 45, started sixth and ran in the top five for the entire distance, but he could never find sufficient speed in his Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Rocket No. 1* to make a serious bid for the biggest winner's prize in dirt Late Model racing.
"I just didn't have enough drive," said Frank. "I was too loose on entry, and that hurt me all the way through the corner.
"I tried to tighten my stuff up as tight as I could get it, but I still didn't get it tight enough."
Frank was probably at his best around the three-quarter mark of the 100, when he passed Scott James of Greendale, Ind., for third. He was still more than a straightaway behind Casebolt and Bloomquist, however, and a caution flag on lap 79 dulled any momentum he had built up during a green-flag stretch of 51 laps.
"The only shot I had was when (the surface) got to having a little abrasion," said Frank. "I got a little better and got by James (for third), but then the yellow came out and the abrasion went away. My car didn't take off after (the race) went back green."
A winner of Eldora's World 100 classic in 2004, Frank registered a career-best finish in the Dream. His high-water mark in four previous Dream starts was fifth place, in both 2000 and 2004.
"We're happy," said Frank, who drove a car that had seen action only once previously this season (during February's Florida DIRTcar Nationals). "The last two years we didn't even make the Dream, so this was definitely a step in the right direction.
"We'll be back here for a World of Outlaws (LMS) show next month (Fri., July 27), and we'll try something different to see if we can get better."
ENCOURAGING RUN: Union, Ky.'s Darrell Lanigan has yet to record a top-five finish through 16 WoO LMS events this season, so he took his fourth-place run in the Dream as a sign that better days might be ahead.
Lanigan, who turned 37 on June 3, needed just 12 laps to break into the top five after starting 16th. The charge had his crew thinking that he would march straight to Victory Lane, but his hopes of repeating a 2003 triumph in the Dream stalled there.
The Bluegrass Bandit's tires sealed up following a lap-28 caution flag, forcing him to spend the remainder of the distance simply maintaining his position in the top five.
Lanigan was behind the wheel of a brand-new Rocket car that has been sitting in his shop since the winter months waiting for duty at Eldora.
NOT WHAT HE WANTED: Armed with the outside-pole starting spot for the Dream after a strong heat-race victory, current WoO LMS points leader Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., was bullish about his chances of capturing the first crown-jewel dirt Late Model event of his career.
But Smith faded badly at the start - he fell back as far as 12th - and never quite recovered. He climbed back as high as fifth before settling for an eighth-place finish in what was his second career Dream 100 A-Main start (he finished 19th in 2000).
"We just missed on weight placement," said Smith, noting that he had to bolt on lead because UMP rules do not permit a burn-off tolerance of one pound per lap. "Our car was real good in the heat, but we had to put the weight on for the feature and that hurt us. We had to put 120 or 30 pounds on the car, and we didn't put it on in the right place.
"I think I still could've run fifth, but I got tangled up with a few lapped cars (late in the distance) and lost a couple spots before I got free from them."
Overall, Smith, 42, enjoyed his visit to Eldora. He said he had a "great time" on Wednesday night when he provided the car that NASCAR star Jeff Gordon drove in the 'Nextel Prelude to the Dream' event.
"Gordon had one of the best times of his life," Smith said of the former Nextel Cup champ, who raced on dirt for the first time since 1991. "You could tell he hadn't been in (a dirt Late Model) before during the first hot-lap session that wasn't televised (on HBO Pay Per View), but after I talked to him a while he went out for the second session and was the fastest guy out there. He was so tickled to death, he kept the sheet that showed him as fast time."
Smith said that Gordon brought a big contingent of Hendrick Motorsports crewmen with him - and the mechanics got their hands dirty helping Smith's crew fix some damage that Gordon's car sustained in a hot-lap scrape.
"We built some good relationships with those guys," said Smith. "They all wanted (Clint Smith) t-shirts so we gave 'em some, and we're gonna go over to Charlotte and work on our car at their shop when we're up there (for a WoO LMS event) later in the year."
STEADY EDDIE: Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., continued to show some strength at Eldora, transferring to the Dream 100 for the third straight year.
The 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the year finished third in the night's first heat race and then steered his Rocket No. 28 to a 14th-place finish in the feature. That run backed up his 11th in 2005 and 15th in 2006.
MISSED THE SETUP: While teenage WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards looked stout rolling to a second-place finish in his heat race, he was never a factor in the A-Main.
Shinnston, W.Va.'s Richards didn't make any headway from his eighth starting spot for the first quarter of the Dream, so he pulled his car into the pit area for adjustments during a lap-28 caution period. A quick restart green flag caught him in the pits, however, putting him a lap down and leaving him to spend the remainder of the distance trying setup ideas in advance of Eldora's WoO LMS show on July 27 and the World 100 on Sept. 7-8.
"We were so good here last year (fourth-place finish in the World 100), but the track changed so much," said Richards, pointing out the slicker conditions for Saturday's Dream. "We didn't know how far to go (with the setup), and we didn't tighten the car up enough.
"We weren't any good, so we came in and made some changes. We ended up losing a lap, but we went back out so we could at least get some laps to figure out what we need to do when we come back later this year."
NO 'DREAM' OUTINGS: Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. (17th place), Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C. (18th) and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (21st) weren't happy with their performances in the A-Main.
Clanton stopped on the track with broken spur gears on lap 79; Madden went the wrong way with his setup after a strong B-Main run; and Francis was knocked from contention after losing a lap when he pitted to make changes during a lap-28 caution period.
MISSING THE SHOW: Among the high-profile non-qualifiers were Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (this year's winningest WoO LMS driver) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (the top tour winner in 2006).
Normally very strong at Eldora, Babb missed the Dream field for the second straight year. He finished seventh in the B-Main, which transferred four cars.
"The track threw us for a loop," conceded Babb. "We threw everything at the car, but we just couldn't get going."
Eckert, meanwhile, started from the pole position in the B-Main, but he tumbled backward and finished a dismal sixth, missing the cut by two spots.
"I was already loose," said the 1999 Dream winner, who had to scramble to secure help for the weekend after his two fulltime crewmen left his team earlier in the week. "Then when dirt got on the racetrack when I was behind somebody, it just made me even looser."
Also failing to qualify was John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who was unable to parlay an outside-pole starting spot in the sixth heat into a feature appearance. He finished fifth in the heat and 13th in the B-Main.
NOT GOOD FOR THE CHAMPS: While '04 WoO LMS titlist Scott Bloomquist finished a solid second in the Dream, the tour's only other champions - Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (1988, 1989, 2005) and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2006) - had forgettable weekends.
Moyer's rough going in the Dream continued. His night ended with an 11th-place finish in the C-Main, leaving him a DNQ in the event for the third straight year.
McCreadie, meanwhile, was the fastest qualifier in Friday's time trials by over a half-second, but a busted oil cooler as he ran third in the first heat forced him to use his fast-time provisional to start 19th in the A-Main. He moved forward but said his Sweeteners Plus No. 39 was never a contender en route to a ninth-place finish.
The WoO LMS returns to action on Tues., June 12, at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak. The event kicks off a busy week that also includes visits to Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on Thurs., June 14; Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on Fri., June 15; Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., on Sat., June 16; and the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks on Sun., June 17.
For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Dirt Late Model Dream XIII Finish (100 laps - 2007 WoO LMS Drivers In Caps):
1. Steve Casebolt
2. Scott Bloomquist
3. CHUB FRANK
4. DARRELL LANIGAN
5. Scott James
6. Bart Hartman
7. Brady Smith
8. CLINT SMITH
9. Tim McCreadie
10. Earl Pearson Jr.
11. Jimmy Mars
12. Jimmy Owens
13. Jeep VanWormer
14. EDDIE CARRIER JR.
15. Garrett Durrett
16. JOSH RICHARDS
17. SHANE CLANTON
18. CHRIS MADDEN
19. Steve Shaver
20. Brian Shirley
21. STEVE FRANCIS
22. Matt Miller
23. Brian Birkhofer
24. Wendell Wallace