By Dusty Luthy
LEBANON - It's all clicking right now for Brian Birkhofer.
The Late Model driver from Muscatine, Iowa won two Summer Nationals
shows, the race at Knoxville BLANK on Friday and the show at Wheatland on
Saturday night.
He added one more $10,000 purse to his collection, winning the World of
Outlaws race at the Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Tuesday.
"I'm in awe," Birkhofer said. "I haven't really done a whole lot. We
just started clicking. We probably overworked on the car for about a
month there; we kind of got this rhythm with what we do."
Tuesday was Birkhofer's first appearance to the speedway and he said he
initially would have been happy just running in the top five.
"It's an awesome place I went out there and hot lapped and I said man,
you can haul you know what here," he said. "I like that and I had a lot
of fun. We set fast time and that pretty much set the night for us."
Thirty-one Late Model drivers from 14 states checked in to the pits
Tuesday night for the speedway's second World of Outlaws race.
Birkhofer qualified for heat races No. 1 with a time of 15.046 seconds.
Dale McDowell, who qualified second with a time of 15.186 seconds, also
finished in second place for the evening.
McDowell started the feature outside of pole-setter Shane Clanton.
McDowell and Clanton held their spots for the first lap when McDowell cut
it loose as Clanton fell several spots.
McDowell held the lead for 15 laps until Birkhofer took the inside
groove on turn two for the pass.
"I just got in lap traffic and it's awfully hard to lead," McDowell
said. "One the race track cleaned up a little bit and gained a little bit
of traction, Brian definitely had the beset car. I was a little tight.
NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader also made an appearance to run
with the World of Outlaws series, finishing 17th. After a new car had
problems in hot laps, Schrader qualified his back-up car 13th quickest
with a time of 15.571.
"We didn't do good in the feature and we got lock in," Schrader said.
"Just to run with these guys, it's not like this is a weekly show, these
are the boys. The biggest problem was we broke that other car in hot
laps and then we qualified that other one with no practice. It was a
decent night."
Schrader also signed autographs for fans for nearly and hour before the
race.
After coming off a tough weekend, Earl Pearson Jr. added an element to
the racing, starting the feature seventh and finishing third. Billy
Moyer held the early third-place spot in the feature, with Pearson coming
right up on his bumper. Pearson attempted a pass on lap 24, but Moyer
was able to nudge him off as they both continued through lap traffic.
As both cars were coming up on the lap traffic of Scott Drake, Pearson
was able to use Drake as a screen and pass Moyer in turn two on lap 34.
"For where we started and the guys we passed," Pearson said, "we're
happy with it. We passed Billy Moyer and guys like that, we're happy with
it. The way our weekend went this past weekend, we're tickled to death
with third."
After being passed by 12th-place starter Jimmy Mars, Moyer finished the
night fifth. Moyer, who sat as the World of Outlaws points leader by
only two points going into the race, said his finish helped him.
"We beat the guys we needed to beat with the points deal," Moyer said.
"I don't even know where the other guys behind me finished but somebody
said they were quite a ways back, so we gained some points in that
aspect. But the way this sport is, you have to be consistent more than
anybody. If you don't win, the money's not there."
Moyer came into Tuesday night as a crowd favorite. Moyer ran on the
track at its opening in the early '80s, bringing back with him a lot of
loyal fans and good memories.
"We had a lot of good runs way in the '80s there," he said. "And we had
a lot of fun just learning. Back then, I was still learning what I was
doing and I guess I'm still learning today.
"It's fun to come back when you got a hometown, I guess you call it a
hometown crowd because I've been up here so much way back then," he
said.
Coming out of two weeks of stifling hot weather, track officials worked
especially hard on the track, and Pearson said it showed.
"That track was in good condition," Pearson said. "I mean for the
weather, he did extremely well, as hot as it is. It took 10 laps to go
before it rubbered up."
It took 45 laps for the first and only caution to fly, making Birkhofer
only five laps away from a win.
"I was just like, man, make your car kind of wide getting in, don't
give them a clean line on the outside of you and then just stay in the
rubber and just drive smart," Birkhofer said. "I know Dale being behind
me, Dale isn't going to go in there and run over me."
After pulling up in victory lane, Birkhofer rolled up with a right rear
flat tire. The ruined tire seemed to weigh heavily on him.
"It's won 50 grand," Birkhofer said, referring to his five stellar
finishes. "It's probably got 300 laps on it. I'm going to have to sell that
one and let somebody frame it."
Birkhofer said his luck is in right now, but knows it can go away in a
flash.
"As much as I've been in awe, anything I do right it's like it's just
clicking right now," he said. "My dial is lined up, my racing dial. If
it clicks off, you know, I'll go back to struggling."
The Factory Stock division provided a support class for the Tuesday
night special race. The feature initially offered $750 to win, but added
money made it to $1000.
Tim Brown took the checkered flag, making this his second time to win
the Factory Stock show during the World of Outlaws race at the speedway.
Brown won the special in 2005 after it was postponed from the Tuesday
race to Saturday due to rain.
"These are some of the nicest trophies I get, from these World of
Outlaws races, and it's nice to have them," Brown said. "I'm glad to win it
this year."
Lake Mooneyham started the feature on the pole with Brown to his
outside. Brown got the immediate jump and was able to hold of the tough
competition of Mooneyham, David Hendrix, Robbie Bryant, and Eric Turner.
"You can always be a little faster if you're in second," Brown said,
"but when you're in front, you don't know where second's at. I might've
been able to drive a little harder but until you get pressured you don't
know if you can drive harder and you don't want to spin out up there
either."
Eric Turner may have had an even more impressive finish of the evening,
starting the feature sixth, falling to tailback after a tangle and a
caution, and finishing fourth.
Track promoter Randy Mooneyham was pleased with the night's events and
is already thinking about the next World of Outlaws race.
"I thought the quality of cars was better (this year)," he said. "I
mean, my goodness, that Birkhofer's fast. It's still the raciest race
track around. Early in the show they were running three and four wide. I
thought it was a good show. I thought the Factory Stock race was very
competitive, very good. I just want to thank the fans for coming back."
Birkhofer was impressed with the fan base at the speedway, especially
the Wild Side.
"If the fans are in to it, obviously, they're going have a race here
next year," Birkhofer said. "That's the thing about this. Sometimes you
go to places and they don't have a good crowd and this and that, and you
don't know if you are going to show up next year, but obviously this
year we had a good crowd and people are into it. Hopefully they saw a
good show."
LEBANON - It's all clicking right now for Brian Birkhofer.
The Late Model driver from Muscatine, Iowa won two Summer Nationals
shows, the race at Knoxville BLANK on Friday and the show at Wheatland on
Saturday night.
He added one more $10,000 purse to his collection, winning the World of
Outlaws race at the Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Tuesday.
"I'm in awe," Birkhofer said. "I haven't really done a whole lot. We
just started clicking. We probably overworked on the car for about a
month there; we kind of got this rhythm with what we do."
Tuesday was Birkhofer's first appearance to the speedway and he said he
initially would have been happy just running in the top five.
"It's an awesome place I went out there and hot lapped and I said man,
you can haul you know what here," he said. "I like that and I had a lot
of fun. We set fast time and that pretty much set the night for us."
Thirty-one Late Model drivers from 14 states checked in to the pits
Tuesday night for the speedway's second World of Outlaws race.
Birkhofer qualified for heat races No. 1 with a time of 15.046 seconds.
Dale McDowell, who qualified second with a time of 15.186 seconds, also
finished in second place for the evening.
McDowell started the feature outside of pole-setter Shane Clanton.
McDowell and Clanton held their spots for the first lap when McDowell cut
it loose as Clanton fell several spots.
McDowell held the lead for 15 laps until Birkhofer took the inside
groove on turn two for the pass.
"I just got in lap traffic and it's awfully hard to lead," McDowell
said. "One the race track cleaned up a little bit and gained a little bit
of traction, Brian definitely had the beset car. I was a little tight.
NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader also made an appearance to run
with the World of Outlaws series, finishing 17th. After a new car had
problems in hot laps, Schrader qualified his back-up car 13th quickest
with a time of 15.571.
"We didn't do good in the feature and we got lock in," Schrader said.
"Just to run with these guys, it's not like this is a weekly show, these
are the boys. The biggest problem was we broke that other car in hot
laps and then we qualified that other one with no practice. It was a
decent night."
Schrader also signed autographs for fans for nearly and hour before the
race.
After coming off a tough weekend, Earl Pearson Jr. added an element to
the racing, starting the feature seventh and finishing third. Billy
Moyer held the early third-place spot in the feature, with Pearson coming
right up on his bumper. Pearson attempted a pass on lap 24, but Moyer
was able to nudge him off as they both continued through lap traffic.
As both cars were coming up on the lap traffic of Scott Drake, Pearson
was able to use Drake as a screen and pass Moyer in turn two on lap 34.
"For where we started and the guys we passed," Pearson said, "we're
happy with it. We passed Billy Moyer and guys like that, we're happy with
it. The way our weekend went this past weekend, we're tickled to death
with third."
After being passed by 12th-place starter Jimmy Mars, Moyer finished the
night fifth. Moyer, who sat as the World of Outlaws points leader by
only two points going into the race, said his finish helped him.
"We beat the guys we needed to beat with the points deal," Moyer said.
"I don't even know where the other guys behind me finished but somebody
said they were quite a ways back, so we gained some points in that
aspect. But the way this sport is, you have to be consistent more than
anybody. If you don't win, the money's not there."
Moyer came into Tuesday night as a crowd favorite. Moyer ran on the
track at its opening in the early '80s, bringing back with him a lot of
loyal fans and good memories.
"We had a lot of good runs way in the '80s there," he said. "And we had
a lot of fun just learning. Back then, I was still learning what I was
doing and I guess I'm still learning today.
"It's fun to come back when you got a hometown, I guess you call it a
hometown crowd because I've been up here so much way back then," he
said.
Coming out of two weeks of stifling hot weather, track officials worked
especially hard on the track, and Pearson said it showed.
"That track was in good condition," Pearson said. "I mean for the
weather, he did extremely well, as hot as it is. It took 10 laps to go
before it rubbered up."
It took 45 laps for the first and only caution to fly, making Birkhofer
only five laps away from a win.
"I was just like, man, make your car kind of wide getting in, don't
give them a clean line on the outside of you and then just stay in the
rubber and just drive smart," Birkhofer said. "I know Dale being behind
me, Dale isn't going to go in there and run over me."
After pulling up in victory lane, Birkhofer rolled up with a right rear
flat tire. The ruined tire seemed to weigh heavily on him.
"It's won 50 grand," Birkhofer said, referring to his five stellar
finishes. "It's probably got 300 laps on it. I'm going to have to sell that
one and let somebody frame it."
Birkhofer said his luck is in right now, but knows it can go away in a
flash.
"As much as I've been in awe, anything I do right it's like it's just
clicking right now," he said. "My dial is lined up, my racing dial. If
it clicks off, you know, I'll go back to struggling."
The Factory Stock division provided a support class for the Tuesday
night special race. The feature initially offered $750 to win, but added
money made it to $1000.
Tim Brown took the checkered flag, making this his second time to win
the Factory Stock show during the World of Outlaws race at the speedway.
Brown won the special in 2005 after it was postponed from the Tuesday
race to Saturday due to rain.
"These are some of the nicest trophies I get, from these World of
Outlaws races, and it's nice to have them," Brown said. "I'm glad to win it
this year."
Lake Mooneyham started the feature on the pole with Brown to his
outside. Brown got the immediate jump and was able to hold of the tough
competition of Mooneyham, David Hendrix, Robbie Bryant, and Eric Turner.
"You can always be a little faster if you're in second," Brown said,
"but when you're in front, you don't know where second's at. I might've
been able to drive a little harder but until you get pressured you don't
know if you can drive harder and you don't want to spin out up there
either."
Eric Turner may have had an even more impressive finish of the evening,
starting the feature sixth, falling to tailback after a tangle and a
caution, and finishing fourth.
Track promoter Randy Mooneyham was pleased with the night's events and
is already thinking about the next World of Outlaws race.
"I thought the quality of cars was better (this year)," he said. "I
mean, my goodness, that Birkhofer's fast. It's still the raciest race
track around. Early in the show they were running three and four wide. I
thought it was a good show. I thought the Factory Stock race was very
competitive, very good. I just want to thank the fans for coming back."
Birkhofer was impressed with the fan base at the speedway, especially
the Wild Side.
"If the fans are in to it, obviously, they're going have a race here
next year," Birkhofer said. "That's the thing about this. Sometimes you
go to places and they don't have a good crowd and this and that, and you
don't know if you are going to show up next year, but obviously this
year we had a good crowd and people are into it. Hopefully they saw a
good show."
