By Brian Dunlap WoO Sprint PR
(August 26, 2004) With collective series earnings of over one million dollars, the inaugural 2004 World of Outlaws Late Model Series has been a winning season for the Dirty Dozen. The famous Outlaw drivers have only lost six feature battles against the local competition this year. But with twelve more races on the schedule and just 170 points separating fifth from first in series point standings, from the pits to the grandstands it’s anybody’s guess who will take the lead share of the $310,000 points fund at the end of October.
Five members of the Dirty Dozen have already entered the six-figure bracket in earnings. Steve Francis, Scott Bloomquist, Rick Eckert, Dale McDowell, and Chub Frank have all reached this much sought after mark, but find they have little time to celebrate as they focus their efforts on the competitive points battle.
“This is the best season I have had to date,” said Steve Francis, driver of the #15 Valvoline/Mopar/Freeport Recycle Center/Action Auto Mart/Rocket Chassis Dodge Intrepid with $155,000 in earnings so far this season. “I just hope to be able finish out the season where we are right now points-wise. The success of the races says a lot for Paul Kruger, Bobby Hartslief and everyone at Boundless Motor Sports who have worked so hard to put this series together in such a short period of time.”
Francis, current series points leader with three feature wins and numerous second place finishes that led to his self-titled nickname of “Mr. Second”, has looked strong all season. Francis recently added a good chunk of change to his earnings when he won the series biggest single race pay-out in West Fargo, ND collecting a check for $40,000.
Francis attributes his success to help from team owner Larry Mooring of Mooring Motorsports as well as his own team based out of Ashland, KY. “Having two separate teams this season as probably given us a slight advantage, as nobody has gotten worn-out and the equipment is better prepared,” said Francis.
“We’re just going to go out and run every race the best we can and try to finish the best we can, we’ll let the points take care of themselves,” commented Francis.
The WoO Late Model Series was created in December of 2003 and started racing just over a month later at Volusia Speedway Park. Within just a few weeks WoO Series management worked diligently to create a national schedule that included 48 dates. The signing of the members of the Dirty Dozen in January 2004 helped solidify the commitment to fans around the country.
“We have the best late model drivers in the country racing with our series,” said Craig Cormack, VP Racing Operations. “The series wouldn’t be where it is today without their support and shared vision of what the World of Outlaws is trying to do for late model racing.”
Scott Bloomquist in the #0 Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking/Custom Race Engines/Allstar Performance/Hoosier Tire/Sweet Manufacturing Ford Taurus is also having an exceptional season. Bloomquist has racked up $124,600 in earnings this season and sits less than 50 points behind Francis in the points race. But this year has been a big one for Bloomquist’s racing endeavors all around, having won five WoO features, numerous top five finishes, several wins at unsanctioned events and even collecting $100,000 for a win in an open-wheel modified.
“This has been the best season I’ve had so far,” remarked Bloomquist. “For the time it was put together in, this is a great series. Everyone is on the same page and the series is putting on major events that people are looking forward to. The World of Outlaws is offering the best points payoff in the country right now and has plenty of room to grow.”
Bloomquist currently holds the number three position in series points, having led the race early on but recently finding himself losing ground. “We would like to get the points lead back and win the championship this year and we have a good shot at it, but everyone is running strong right now and if someone else wins it they will have earned it,” said Bloomquist.
Rick Eckert in the #24 Raye Vest Excavating/J&J Steel/Hoosier Tire/Afco Race Products/Cornett Race Engines/Rocket Chassis Ford Taurus has been coming on strong lately with wins in Hagerstown, MD and Mason City, IA, bringing his total feature wins to five total at this point in the season.
Eckert recently moved his way up into the second place points position, just 25 points behind Francis. “It was our goal all along to win the championship and we’re in a good position to do so, but there are four or five guys that still have a chance at it and you have to be on your toes,” remarked Eckert.
In addition to local competition, members of the Dirty Dozen had to battle the best late model drivers in the country at every race, namely their team mates and even Eckert found it wasn’t easy. “We new it was going to be a tough season with 12 of the best drivers in the country at every race, we feel very fortunate of have won five races so far,” said Eckert.
“We weren’t as consistent as I would have liked early in the season, with the caliber of racers we have now when you have a bad night you end up finishing 17th, 18th, or 19th instead of 7th, 8th, or 9th like before,” Eckert continued. As the season wraps up, with earnings in excess of $118,000 and his recent consistent top five finishes Eckert is a serious contender for the championship.
Dale McDowell is the winning-est member of the Dirty Dozen this season with six WoO feature wins under his belt. McDowell is also the series most recent winner having dominated Lernerville Speedway in his #17M Larry Shaw Race Cars/S&H Motorsports/Dover Cylinder Head/Racetek/Petroff Towing/ J&J Steel/New Vision Graphics/Rocket Chassis Pontiac Grand Prix August 13th. McDowell currently ranks fourth in overall series earnings, having taken home more than $115,000 so far this season.
“We’ve had a great year as far as wins go, but we haven’t been as consistent as we would like to be,” commented McDowell who is currently ranked fourth in points behind Bloomquist. “Points reward consistency and we have fallen behind.”
“We have had couple of DNFs that have hurt us in the points, so we’re going to try to just go to every race and just finish the best we can,” remarked McDowell.
Making a commitment to follow the WoO Late Model Series had its benefits and challenges for each member of the Dirty Dozen, but McDowell remains positive about his decision to join. “I feel like everything is going remarkably well with the series right now, there is equal competition and no real domination, there are a number of potential winners at any given race,” remarked McDowell. “The World of Outlaws is a great series and an assembly of racers I am proud to be a part of.”
Chub Frank’s earnings reached the six figure mark after his second place finish at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA on August 13th. Frank and his 1* Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Corp/All-Star Performance/The Slavic Group/Rocket Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo are in sixth position in points right now with one feature win and consistent top five finishes.
“It’s been a long year for us with the garage burning down and all, but we are recovering and moving forward,” remarked Frank who lost his Sugar Grove, PA race shop in a devastating fire in March. Frank’s team lost virtually everything including tools, shocks, two engines, as well as more than 100 tires and wheels but the loss didn’t stop him from competing and gaining the attention of a new sponsor.
“We recently signed Lester Buildings as our new sponsor which has helped out a lot, they have been very impressed with the crowds the World of Outlaws are bringing in and we all feel like it is a good partnership,” commented Frank. Lester Buildings is no stranger to motorsports as they currently sponsor well-known ASA star, Tim Sauter in addition to the newly signed Frank.
As far as breaking the $100,000 mark in series earnings Frank laughed, “I wish I still had some of it.”
As for the future, Frank is looking forward to running the rest of the season with the backing of the new Lester Buildings sponsorship. “Were looking to pick up a few more wins and hopefully move on up in points,” said Frank. “The World of Outlaws have a great thing going right now, and I plan on running again next year.”
Though Dirty Dozen member Bart Hartman in the #75 Seubert Calf Ranches/Imler's Poultry/ MCB Motorsports/Cornett Engine/Hoosier Tire/Rocket Chassis Gran Prix hasn’t quite broken the six figure earnings mark he is in fifth spot in the point standings, just 170 points behind Francis and 10 points over Frank in sixth position. With three feature wins this year, Hartman is a serious contender for the points race and will work to improve his position as the season begins to wind down.
Collectively the Dirty Dozen currently hold 11 of the top 12 points positions with Rookie of the Year Contenders Tim McCreadie and John Blankenship bumping Rick Aukland in the #12 Ostrom Painting & Sandblasting/Malcuit Engines Dodge Intrepid to the #14 spot. Here’s how the rest of the standings look for the Dirty Dozen:
7th Place Billy Moyer in the #21 J&J Steel/Hawkeye Trucksales.com/Mcarthy One Hour Heating and Air/Banner Valley Hauling Chevrolet Monte Carlo
8th Place Mike Balzano in the #E1 Smoker Friendly/Biscotti’s Restaurant/Eddie’s Auto Parts/Hoosier Tire/West Virginia Motor Speedway/Rocket Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo
9th Place Dan Schlieper in the #9 Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking/Pro Power/Rayburn Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10th Place Clint Smith in the #44 JP Drilling/CSR Aluminum Fabrication/Rocket Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo
11th Place Darrell Lanigan #29 Lanigan Autosports/Accutex Signs/Cornett/AFCO/GottaRace/Hoosier Tire/Rocket Chassis Ford Taurus
The race of champions for the WoO Late Model Series Championship continues Saturday August 28th in at Milan Speedway in Milan, TN. The event will feature time trials, heat races and heart-pounding 50 lap main event. Gates for the event will open at 2:00 pm for those who have purchased tickets in advanced, and 4:30 p.m. for those who intend to purchase tickets at the gate. Racing will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be pre-purchased by calling the track’s ticket line at (731) 686-2781. Track information and online tickets can be obtained by visiting the tracks website at www.milanspeedway.com.
If you can’t experience the best dirt track racing in person you can watch the main feature after the event online at www.dirtvision.com. Access to the web site is currently free of charge but you must register to view the on demand broadcasts. Visit www.dirtvision.com for a schedule of upcoming WoO Late Model Series on demand broadcasts.
(August 26, 2004) With collective series earnings of over one million dollars, the inaugural 2004 World of Outlaws Late Model Series has been a winning season for the Dirty Dozen. The famous Outlaw drivers have only lost six feature battles against the local competition this year. But with twelve more races on the schedule and just 170 points separating fifth from first in series point standings, from the pits to the grandstands it’s anybody’s guess who will take the lead share of the $310,000 points fund at the end of October.
Five members of the Dirty Dozen have already entered the six-figure bracket in earnings. Steve Francis, Scott Bloomquist, Rick Eckert, Dale McDowell, and Chub Frank have all reached this much sought after mark, but find they have little time to celebrate as they focus their efforts on the competitive points battle.
“This is the best season I have had to date,” said Steve Francis, driver of the #15 Valvoline/Mopar/Freeport Recycle Center/Action Auto Mart/Rocket Chassis Dodge Intrepid with $155,000 in earnings so far this season. “I just hope to be able finish out the season where we are right now points-wise. The success of the races says a lot for Paul Kruger, Bobby Hartslief and everyone at Boundless Motor Sports who have worked so hard to put this series together in such a short period of time.”
Francis, current series points leader with three feature wins and numerous second place finishes that led to his self-titled nickname of “Mr. Second”, has looked strong all season. Francis recently added a good chunk of change to his earnings when he won the series biggest single race pay-out in West Fargo, ND collecting a check for $40,000.
Francis attributes his success to help from team owner Larry Mooring of Mooring Motorsports as well as his own team based out of Ashland, KY. “Having two separate teams this season as probably given us a slight advantage, as nobody has gotten worn-out and the equipment is better prepared,” said Francis.
“We’re just going to go out and run every race the best we can and try to finish the best we can, we’ll let the points take care of themselves,” commented Francis.
The WoO Late Model Series was created in December of 2003 and started racing just over a month later at Volusia Speedway Park. Within just a few weeks WoO Series management worked diligently to create a national schedule that included 48 dates. The signing of the members of the Dirty Dozen in January 2004 helped solidify the commitment to fans around the country.
“We have the best late model drivers in the country racing with our series,” said Craig Cormack, VP Racing Operations. “The series wouldn’t be where it is today without their support and shared vision of what the World of Outlaws is trying to do for late model racing.”
Scott Bloomquist in the #0 Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking/Custom Race Engines/Allstar Performance/Hoosier Tire/Sweet Manufacturing Ford Taurus is also having an exceptional season. Bloomquist has racked up $124,600 in earnings this season and sits less than 50 points behind Francis in the points race. But this year has been a big one for Bloomquist’s racing endeavors all around, having won five WoO features, numerous top five finishes, several wins at unsanctioned events and even collecting $100,000 for a win in an open-wheel modified.
“This has been the best season I’ve had so far,” remarked Bloomquist. “For the time it was put together in, this is a great series. Everyone is on the same page and the series is putting on major events that people are looking forward to. The World of Outlaws is offering the best points payoff in the country right now and has plenty of room to grow.”
Bloomquist currently holds the number three position in series points, having led the race early on but recently finding himself losing ground. “We would like to get the points lead back and win the championship this year and we have a good shot at it, but everyone is running strong right now and if someone else wins it they will have earned it,” said Bloomquist.
Rick Eckert in the #24 Raye Vest Excavating/J&J Steel/Hoosier Tire/Afco Race Products/Cornett Race Engines/Rocket Chassis Ford Taurus has been coming on strong lately with wins in Hagerstown, MD and Mason City, IA, bringing his total feature wins to five total at this point in the season.
Eckert recently moved his way up into the second place points position, just 25 points behind Francis. “It was our goal all along to win the championship and we’re in a good position to do so, but there are four or five guys that still have a chance at it and you have to be on your toes,” remarked Eckert.
In addition to local competition, members of the Dirty Dozen had to battle the best late model drivers in the country at every race, namely their team mates and even Eckert found it wasn’t easy. “We new it was going to be a tough season with 12 of the best drivers in the country at every race, we feel very fortunate of have won five races so far,” said Eckert.
“We weren’t as consistent as I would have liked early in the season, with the caliber of racers we have now when you have a bad night you end up finishing 17th, 18th, or 19th instead of 7th, 8th, or 9th like before,” Eckert continued. As the season wraps up, with earnings in excess of $118,000 and his recent consistent top five finishes Eckert is a serious contender for the championship.
Dale McDowell is the winning-est member of the Dirty Dozen this season with six WoO feature wins under his belt. McDowell is also the series most recent winner having dominated Lernerville Speedway in his #17M Larry Shaw Race Cars/S&H Motorsports/Dover Cylinder Head/Racetek/Petroff Towing/ J&J Steel/New Vision Graphics/Rocket Chassis Pontiac Grand Prix August 13th. McDowell currently ranks fourth in overall series earnings, having taken home more than $115,000 so far this season.
“We’ve had a great year as far as wins go, but we haven’t been as consistent as we would like to be,” commented McDowell who is currently ranked fourth in points behind Bloomquist. “Points reward consistency and we have fallen behind.”
“We have had couple of DNFs that have hurt us in the points, so we’re going to try to just go to every race and just finish the best we can,” remarked McDowell.
Making a commitment to follow the WoO Late Model Series had its benefits and challenges for each member of the Dirty Dozen, but McDowell remains positive about his decision to join. “I feel like everything is going remarkably well with the series right now, there is equal competition and no real domination, there are a number of potential winners at any given race,” remarked McDowell. “The World of Outlaws is a great series and an assembly of racers I am proud to be a part of.”
Chub Frank’s earnings reached the six figure mark after his second place finish at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA on August 13th. Frank and his 1* Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber Corp/All-Star Performance/The Slavic Group/Rocket Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo are in sixth position in points right now with one feature win and consistent top five finishes.
“It’s been a long year for us with the garage burning down and all, but we are recovering and moving forward,” remarked Frank who lost his Sugar Grove, PA race shop in a devastating fire in March. Frank’s team lost virtually everything including tools, shocks, two engines, as well as more than 100 tires and wheels but the loss didn’t stop him from competing and gaining the attention of a new sponsor.
“We recently signed Lester Buildings as our new sponsor which has helped out a lot, they have been very impressed with the crowds the World of Outlaws are bringing in and we all feel like it is a good partnership,” commented Frank. Lester Buildings is no stranger to motorsports as they currently sponsor well-known ASA star, Tim Sauter in addition to the newly signed Frank.
As far as breaking the $100,000 mark in series earnings Frank laughed, “I wish I still had some of it.”
As for the future, Frank is looking forward to running the rest of the season with the backing of the new Lester Buildings sponsorship. “Were looking to pick up a few more wins and hopefully move on up in points,” said Frank. “The World of Outlaws have a great thing going right now, and I plan on running again next year.”
Though Dirty Dozen member Bart Hartman in the #75 Seubert Calf Ranches/Imler's Poultry/ MCB Motorsports/Cornett Engine/Hoosier Tire/Rocket Chassis Gran Prix hasn’t quite broken the six figure earnings mark he is in fifth spot in the point standings, just 170 points behind Francis and 10 points over Frank in sixth position. With three feature wins this year, Hartman is a serious contender for the points race and will work to improve his position as the season begins to wind down.
Collectively the Dirty Dozen currently hold 11 of the top 12 points positions with Rookie of the Year Contenders Tim McCreadie and John Blankenship bumping Rick Aukland in the #12 Ostrom Painting & Sandblasting/Malcuit Engines Dodge Intrepid to the #14 spot. Here’s how the rest of the standings look for the Dirty Dozen:
7th Place Billy Moyer in the #21 J&J Steel/Hawkeye Trucksales.com/Mcarthy One Hour Heating and Air/Banner Valley Hauling Chevrolet Monte Carlo
8th Place Mike Balzano in the #E1 Smoker Friendly/Biscotti’s Restaurant/Eddie’s Auto Parts/Hoosier Tire/West Virginia Motor Speedway/Rocket Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo
9th Place Dan Schlieper in the #9 Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking/Pro Power/Rayburn Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10th Place Clint Smith in the #44 JP Drilling/CSR Aluminum Fabrication/Rocket Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo
11th Place Darrell Lanigan #29 Lanigan Autosports/Accutex Signs/Cornett/AFCO/GottaRace/Hoosier Tire/Rocket Chassis Ford Taurus
The race of champions for the WoO Late Model Series Championship continues Saturday August 28th in at Milan Speedway in Milan, TN. The event will feature time trials, heat races and heart-pounding 50 lap main event. Gates for the event will open at 2:00 pm for those who have purchased tickets in advanced, and 4:30 p.m. for those who intend to purchase tickets at the gate. Racing will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be pre-purchased by calling the track’s ticket line at (731) 686-2781. Track information and online tickets can be obtained by visiting the tracks website at www.milanspeedway.com.
If you can’t experience the best dirt track racing in person you can watch the main feature after the event online at www.dirtvision.com. Access to the web site is currently free of charge but you must register to view the on demand broadcasts. Visit www.dirtvision.com for a schedule of upcoming WoO Late Model Series on demand broadcasts.
