Concord, NC — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

BIG ENDING: Call it the last blast of summer for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

The national tour heads toward the Labor Day holiday with a busy – and very critical – swing of four events this week, competing on Tuesday night (Sept. 1) at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.; Wednesday night (Sept. 2) at Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway; and Saturday and Sunday nights (Sept. 5-6) at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.

Each program will be topped by a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win, including both halves of Tri-City’s Armstrong Cable Oil Region Labor Day Classic.

This stretch of racing will mark the final time that the WoO LMS visits the Northeast this season. Only two events in the Midwest (Sept. 19 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., and Sept. 20 at Illinois’s La Salle Speedway) and three races at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (Oct. 14 and the World Finals on Nov. 5-7) will remain on the schedule.

ONE MORE TRY: With clear skies forecast for Tuesday night in Northwest Pennsylvania, it’s looking like the WoO LMS’s third visit to Eriez in 2009 will finally be the charm.

The series is returning to Bob and Kathy Rohrer’s one-third-mile oval near Lake Erie to complete a card that was originally scheduled as the finale of Ohio Late Model Speedweek on July 26. Rain with two cars left to time-trial forced officials to postpone the program and restart it from scratch on Aug. 23 – and then more pesky precipitation struck after qualifying and heat races were run on the second date, pushing the balance of the action to Sept. 1.

A big crowd was on hand Aug. 23 to watch a 46-car field battle it out. Josh Richards of Shinnston, W. Va., who carries the WoO LMS points lead into this week’s competition, set fast time and heat winners were Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., Chad Valone of Warren, Pa., Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., and Outlaw title contender Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

At the start of Tuesday’s show, the four heat winners will be joined by the second-place finishers in each heat on Aug. 23 – Richards, Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. – in a redraw for the top-eight starting spots in the 50-lap headliner. Two B-Mains will also be contested to firm up the remainder of the A-Main field.

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED: Nearly 13 years after a wild Super Late Model practice session got Brewerton Speedway’s fans fired up for full-fender racing, the WoO LMS will finally give the track’s faithful what they’ve been waiting to see.

Francis, the 2007 WoO LMS champion, was one of four drivers who hot-lapped dirt Late Models at the high-banked, one-third-mile oval during Super DIRT Week in October 1996 in preparation for a scheduled STARS Renegade DirtCar Series event. The race was rained out the next night and the tour never returned to central New York, but memories of Francis and Co. twisting their machines around the track in electric fashion still live on.

And now, with everyone knowing that Wednesday night’s field will be stacked with not only WoO LMS superstars but a host of drivers who have made their name running central New York’s DIRTcar big-block Modified circuit, anticipation couldn’t be higher for the inaugural ‘D-Shaped Dirt Demon 50.’

A capacity crowd is expected to converge on Brewerton, a stalwart DIRTcar big-block Modified track that was purchased earlier this year by trucking company magnate and multi-race team owner John Wight. Wight, whose racing operation includes the Gypsum Express dirt Late Models driven by red-hot WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller, has even installed a new section of bleachers to accommodate the influx of fans.

Fuller (26 career DIRTcar big-block Modified wins at Brewerton) will arrive at his former hometrack as the hottest driver on the WoO LMS. Sitting fourth in the series points standings entering the holiday-week swing, he recently tied the tour’s consecutive-win record of four and won for the fifth time overall in the last series event, on Aug. 29 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga.

The DIRTcar big-block Modified contingent in Wednesday’s event will also include 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (11 career wins at Brewerton), 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., defending track champion Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y. (44 career wins) and 16-year-old Larry Wight of Baldwinsville, N.Y. (son of track owner John Wight and a Friday-night regular).

In addition, current Brewerton DIRTcar big-block Modified points leader Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y., is hoping to make his dirt Late Model debut on Wednesday night. The 26-year-old standout’s team owner, Jeff Brownell Sr., recently purchased a Rocket car formerly driven by Fuller, but an unexpected problem with the C.C. Performance engine Brownell obtained from the Sweeteners Plus operation has Sheppard uncertain if he’ll be ready to challenge the Outlaws.

“We got the motor in the car and fired it up for the first time on Friday, but the intake started leaking,” said Sheppard, who leads the DIRTcar big-block Modified division with 16 feature wins this season. “We sent the intake back to C.C. on Saturday. Hopefully we’ll get it back in time to make it to Brewerton so we can get some laps.

“We’re gonna take it slow,” he added when asked about his future dirt Late Model plans. “We haven’t talked about any big plans.”

BIG WEEKEND: The WoO LMS will once again headline Tri-City’s Oil Region Labor Day Classic, a doubleheader that has grown each year since its inception in 2006.

H&H Motorsports partners Rich Hetrick and Roy Hill, who purchased the fast half-mile oval in January, are continuing the holiday-weekend tradition started by former track owners Mike Graham and Roger Crick. Tri-City’s grounds will be swamped by motorhomes and campers for the event, which includes the popular Ray's Racing Specialties/Engles Trucking Services ‘Ghetto South’ Party – a bash that will be rocked by a band – after the Saturday-night program.

The Classic, which features complete WoO LMS programs on both Saturday and Sunday, has produced some memorable WoO LMS A-Mains. There was final-lap drama in both 50-lappers run in 2006 (Chub Frank passed Billy Moyer to win the first night, then Shane Clanton captured the finale after leader Darrell Lanigan had a white-flag run-in with a lapped car), and in 2007 Thompson, Pa.’s Dan Stone pulled off the biggest upset in series history when he passed every Outlaw regular in the field en route to a wildly-popular victory that earned him two standing ovations.

H&H Motorsports has actually expanded the Classic weekend this season, adding a show on Friday night (Sept. 4) that headlines the BRP big-block Modified Tour. A 40-lap feature paying $3,000 to win is on the agenda.

One Outlaw regular will be very interested in Friday’s action at Tri-City: Rookie of the Year points leader Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, a 20-year-old whose racing career started in the big-block Modified division. King will be in Tri-City’s pit area to watch his father, former Tour champion Rex King Sr., and younger brother Rex King Jr. continue their pursuit of the 2009 series title – and if Russell can land a ride, he might even join his family members in the big-block Modified field.

GOOD TIME TO BE HOT: Chub Frank has broken out of his season-long struggles at a perfect time.

With two wins and a third-place finish in his last three starts, the 47-year-old veteran from Bear Lake, Pa., is carrying plenty of momentum to three tracks where he already has a history of success. Eriez, of course, was his Sunday-night hometrack for many seasons earlier in his career (he’s scheduled to start ninth in Tuesday night’s A-Main there after qualifying through a heat on Aug. 23); he owns five career wins at Tri-City; and while he’s never competed at Brewerton, he has a knack for central New York racetracks as evidenced by his four WoO LMS victories at tracks in the area from 2005-2007.

THE OUTLAWS: Josh Richards and Steve Francis have distanced themselves from third-place Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., in the WoO LMS points standings heading into this crucial four-race stretch.

Richards now leads the battle by 18 points over Francis. Lanigan, meanwhile, is 82 points behind Richards, leaving him with flickering hopes for a repeat title.

The top seven drivers in the current WoO LMS points standings have won 24 of the season’s 33 A-Mains to date, led by Richards’s seven victories. Francis (five), Fuller (five), Lanigan (two), Frank (two), Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (two) and Clanton (one) account for the other checkered flags claimed by WoO LMS regulars.

WoO LMS travelers who have entered all 33 events this season but are still looking for their first win include Clint Smith and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., as well as Rookie of the Year contenders Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D., and 14-year-old Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif.

JOINING IN: The list of regional drivers from the Northeast with plans to run all four WoO LMS events includes O’Reilly All-Star Late Model Series points leader Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., a 17-year-old coming off his eighth top-10 WoO LMS finish of the season on Saturday at Screven Motor Speedway; 22-year-old Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., who is in the redraw for A-Main starting spots at Eriez; and Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., a top contender to upset the Outlaws at Eriez.

ERIEZ SPEEDWAY EVENT INFORMATION: Fans who don’t have rainchecks for entry into Tuesday night’s held-over program at Eriez can purchase a ticket for $15 to watch the remainder of the action, which includes two B-Mains and the 50-lap A-Main plus features for the track’s E-Mod and Limited Late Model divisions.

Gates are scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m. and racing will begin at 7 p.m.

Additional info is available by logging on to www.eriez-speedway.com or calling 814-434-4370 or 814-440-2859.

BREWERTON SPEEDWAY EVENT INFORMATION: All gates will open at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 2), with hot laps scheduled to start at 6:20 p.m., WoO LMS time trials at 6:45 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m.

General admission is $30 for persons over 14 and $10 for children 14-and-under, and pit passes will be $40. Fans who want to avoid waiting in the ticket lines can purchase advance-sale tickets at the regular price at the speedway box office all day Tuesday (Sept. 1) and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, but no blankets can be put down to save seats until after the gates open at 4:30 p.m. The only reserved seats are those painted orange for season-pass holders.

Brewerton’s Mod Lite class will also be on hand to run a 25-lap championship feature during the evening of competition, which has a raindate of Thursday night (Sept. 3).

For more information visit www.brewertonspeedway.com or call

TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY EVENT INFORMATION: Following a 7:30 p.m. start for Friday’s opening night of the Oil Region Labor Day Classic, on-track action will begin at 4 p.m. with WoO LMS hot laps and time trials on both Saturday (Sept. 5) and Sunday (Sept. 6).

The ULMS E-Mod Series, Fastrak Northeast Late Model Tour Series and Detroit Iron Pro Stocks will be part of both WoO LMS programs. The FASTTrack Late Models and Pro Stocks will run heats on Saturday and B-Mains and features on Sunday.

The fun-filled weekend will also include a bonfire and DJ music after Friday night’s racing; the fifth annual ‘Ghetto South’ party featuring the band ‘Intent’ after Saturday’s action; the first annual H&H Corn Hole Tournament at 11 a.m. on Saturday (think horseshoes with corn sacks and a board with a hole); a mechanical bull and Velcro wall; racing simulators; and a pit stop challenge.

Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday programs are $30 (adults), $15 (students 12-15) and free for kids 12-and-under. Two-day Saturday/Sunday passes are $50 (adults) and $25 (students 12-15), while three-day passes that include admission to Friday’s program are $75 (adults) and $35 (students 12-15). Pit passes are $40 on both Saturday and Sunday, $70 for a two-day pass or $100 for a three-day pass.

The raindate for the Saturday or Sunday programs is Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7.

More information is available by logging on to www.tricityspeedway.com or calling 814-676-1681 (track) or 814-676-0477 (office).

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

2009 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 29 – 33 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):

1. Josh Richards 7-19-27-$157,870-4515 (-0)
2. Steve Francis 5-21-27-$139,985-4497 (-18)
3. Darrell Lanigan 2-15-26-$151,926-4433 (-82)
4. Tim Fuller 5-14-20-$107,330-4343 (-172)
5. Rick Eckert 2-11-23-$80,595-4335 (-180)
6. Shane Clanton 1-7-23-$83,720-4299 (-216)
7. Chub Frank 2-6-20-$88,400-4257 (-258)
8. Brady Smith 0-11-17-$74,365-4172 (-343)
9. Clint Smith 0-4-15-$56,080-4073 (-442)
10. Russell King 0-0-5-$39,780-3615 (-900)
11. Jordan Bland 0-0-3-$40,520-3566 (-949)
12. Brent Robinson 0-0-1-$25,450-3350 (-1165)
13. Dustin Hapka 0-0-0-$15,480-3085 (-1430)
14. Tyler Reddick 0-0-0-$12,015-2909 (-1606)
15. Vic Coffey 0-2-7-$30,500-2607 (-1908)
16. Austin Hubbard 0-3-8-$26,195-2442 (-2073)
17. Matt Lux 0-0-1-$12,960-1530 (-2985)
18. Shannon Babb 1-4-7-$42,830-1470 (-3045)
19. Gregg Satterlee 0-1-5-$14,910-1460 (-3055)
20. Dan Stone 0-1-1-1213 (-3302)

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser) and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors Champ Pans, Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tires, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Ohlins Shocks, Racing Electronics, Quarter Master and Wrisco Aluminum; Crane Cams Engine Builder's Challenge participants Cornett Racing Engines, Custom Race Engines and Pro Power Racing Engines; and Chassis Builder Challenge participants Rocket Chassis and Team Zero by Bloomquist.