Trio Of Northeast Events Will Lead Tour To Sixth Annual Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway
CONCORD, NC – Jan. 4, 2012 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will blast into summer with consecutive June dates at Canada’s Autodrome Granby and Cornwall Motor Speedway and New York’s Canandaigua Motorsports Park, tour officials announced on Wednesday.
Adding more excitement to the renowned national tour’s previously-released 2012 schedule, the full-fender World of Outlaws stars will end a one-year absence from the Canadian dirt-track scene with a weekend doubleheader at Autodrome Granby in Granby, Que., on Fri., June 22, and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on Sun., June 24. The swing will then conclude on Tues., June 26, at Canandaigua, a longtime DIRTcar-sanctioned facility.
The trio of events will lead into one of the season’s richest and most prestigious races – the sixth annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com on June 28-30 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. A pair of 30-lap, $6,000-to-win preliminary programs precede the weekend’s 100-lap headliner that offers a $30,000 top prize.
“We’re very happy to add visits to Autodrome Granby, Cornwall and Canandaigua to the 2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series schedule,” said tour director Tim Christman. “The fans in Canada and central New York always welcome the World of Outlaws teams with open arms so we’re really looking forward to bringing them more of the intense action that’s the hallmark of the World of Outlaws.”
The new dates will set up a two-week-long stretch of competition in the Northeast for the WoO LMS, which enters the region with back-to-back weekend programs on June 16 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway and June 17 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. Christman said another mid-week event could be added to the schedule between the Eriez and Granby stops.
The 50-lap, $10,000-to-win show at Granby on June 22 will bring the WoO LMS to the half-mile oval for the first time. A top-notch facility that headlines the DIRTcar 358-Modified division on Friday nights, Granby is located one hour east of Montreal and two hours from the American border at Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Granby becomes the second French-Canadian track to host the WoO LMS, joining Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville. The four-tenths-mile Drummond oval has presented tour events won by former series champions Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (2007), Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (2008) and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (2010).
Cornwall, meanwhile, returns to the WoO LMS slate for the fourth time in five years on June 24 with a 50-lap A-Main paying $10,000 to win. Previous winners at the quarter-mile bullring promoted by Ron Morin include two-time series champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (2008 and ’09) and Francis (’10).
The WoO LMS will close the swing on June 26 (distance and purse to be determined) with its third alltime appearance at Canandaigua, a sprawling half-mile fairgrounds track in its second season under the direction of Jeremie Corcoran. Richards was victorious there in ’08 and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. – the ’06 WoO LMS champion and a former Canandaigua DIRTcar Big-Block Modified regular at Canandaigua – scored an emotional triumph in ’09.
The 2012 WoO LMS campaign now stands at 45 confirmed race dates comprising 41 A-Mains – with more events still to be added. Christman said fans should look for several exciting announcements in the near future.
The coming season is shaping up as one of the most competitive in the tour’s nine-year history under the World Racing Group banner. Eleven of the 13 fulltime drivers from ’11 have indicated plans to follow the tour again, including defending champion Eckert, Lanigan, McCreadie, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., Ron Davies of Warren, Pa., and John Lobb of Frewsburg, N.Y.
Several additional drivers have revealed their intention to attempt a season-long assault on the WoO LMS, including Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., Kent Robinson of Bloomington, Ind., and Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The 2012 WoO LMS season will begin with the $20,000-to-win ‘Winter Freeze’ on Feb. 10-11 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. A busy month of February for the tour also includes the inaugural ‘Bubba Army Late Model Winter Nationals’ on Feb. 16-18 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., and the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 23 and 25 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Fans can also follow the WoO LMS on Twitter at Twitter.com/WoOLateModels and Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws .
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), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Vicci (Official Uniform), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award), McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award), Chizmark Larson Insurance, Factory Value Parts and RacingJunk.com; in addition to contingency sponsors Comp Cams, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster, Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance, Superflow Dynos, Wix Filters and Wrisco Aluminum.