CONCORD , NC – Oct. 21, 2007 – What a weekend it was for Chub Frank and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
The superstar driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ scored a $50,000 victory in Saturday night’s 27th annual Dirt Track World Championship Presented by gottarace.com at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio – and following him across the finish line were his fellow WoO LMS regulars Josh Richards and Steve Francis.
Yes, WoO LMS standouts swept the podium positions in the 100-lap A-Main. Another Outlaws traveler, Darrell Lanigan, finished a respectable seventh, further broadening the spotlight that was cast upon the nation’s premier tour in one of the most prestigious dirt Late Model events of the season.
“I heard people talk that the Outlaws (driver roster is) a little on the weak side this year,” said Frank, who leads the WoO LMS with six victories in 2007. “Well, that’s just not true. When you run against the guys on the Outlaws guys week-in and week-out, you find out how tough they are.
“And I think the results of the Dirt Track (World Championship) proved it.”
Frank, 45, of Bear Lake , Pa. , captured the gold DTWC winner’s ring for the first time in his career, puffing up a resume that already included major-event triumphs in the ‘World 100’ at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway (2004), the ‘North-South 100’ at Kentucky’s Florence Speedway (2002), the ‘Dixie Shootout’ at Georgia’s Dixie Speedway (2001) and the ‘Pittsburgher 100’ at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway (2001). He had been close to a DTWC victory in the past, finishing second in 1993 (at West Virginia ’s Pennsboro Speedway) and third in both 2001 (at Pennsboro) and 2004 (at Kentucky ’s Bluegrass Speedway).
“The ‘World 100’ definitely still tops my list of wins because it’s the most prestigious race for dirt Late Models,” said Frank. “But this one would be second. It’s more money than I got for the ‘World,’ and it’s probably the second-biggest race.”
Driving his unique green-colored ‘Chubzilla’ Rocket car once again, Frank scored a hard-fought heat-race win on Friday night over 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va. He then drew the pole position for the A-Main, but an unspectacular pre-feature practice session on Saturday left him a bit uncertain about his chances on the big stage.
“I didn’t feel real good (with the car’s setup) in hot laps,” said Frank. “But after we tightened it up and put harder tires on for the feature, my car had a lot of traction. It still wasn’t great at the start (of the 100), but our cars always seem to get better the longer the race goes, so I felt like we weren’t out of it.”
Frank fell back to third place at the initial green flag and watched Shinnston , W.Va. ’s Richards grab the lead from Mike Marlar of Winfield , Tenn. , on lap four. It took Frank until lap 39 to overtake Marlar for second, and then he quickly chased down Richards.
After racing side-by-side with Richards for several laps, Frank finally gained control of the top spot for good on lap 56. He survived a final caution flag on lap 79 and beat the 19-year-old Richards by a half-straightaway margin, with Ashland , Ky. ’s Francis a few car lengths farther back in third place.
“It wasn’t easy to clear him,” Frank said of Richards, the Rocket Chassis house car driver and a kid Frank has seen grow up in racetrack pit areas over the past decade. “We were side-by-side for a bunch of laps, and it really took lapped traffic to get me all the way by him. I got him pinned behind a lapped car and he had to get out of it because I had the lane.”
Frank’s richest career payday remains the $55,000 he earned for capturing the 2001 ‘Dixie Shootout,’ but a 50-grand score with the season winding down sat well with the longtime owner/operator.
“This is an expensive sport and money doesn’t last very long,” said Frank. “When you get down toward the end of the year, it gets to be crunch time. You want to make enough money to get you through the winter and still have some to spend on the race team, and winning a big one like this gives you a little ‘rainy day’ fund.”
Not to mention some extra disposable income to spend on loved ones.
“Yeah,” smiled Frank. “My wife (Mary) thinks Christmas is going to be pretty good this year.”
Frank’s big-money DTWC triumph might also provide him some consolation if he fails to overcome Francis for the 2007 WoO LMS championship in the upcoming ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Frank sits second in the points standings, trailing Francis by 62 points with only the two ‘Outlaws World Finals’ A-Mains remaining on the schedule.
Frank must slice at 10 points from his deficit on the first night of the ‘Finals’ just to enter the Saturday-night finale with a chance at the title. He concedes that he’ll probably come up short if Francis doesn’t run into bad luck.
But…
“I guess I’ve made up that $40,000 I might lose to Francis (in the World of Outlaws standings),” joked Frank, pointing out the difference between first ($100,000) and second ($60,000) in the 2007 WoO LMS points fund. “I got $50,000 (for winning the DTWC) and Francis only got $10,000 (for third).”
Richards pocketed $12,500 for his runner-up finish, his best-ever in the DTWC. He started third and led more than half the distance, so he could taste the first crown-jewel victory of his career.
“To have a car that good and come that close,” said Richards, “it’s aggravating.”
Francis, meanwhile, came from the seventh starting spot to finish third after his Lee Logan-led crew put in some overtime on Saturday afternoon. They had to replace the engine in Francis’s Valvoline Rocket after discovering a broken valve following a second-place finish in a Friday-night heat.
An apparent front-suspension problem hampered Francis during the DTWC A-Main, but the 1999 DTWC winner (at West Virginia Motor Speedway) conceded that he had “missed (the setup) just a little bit” and was no better than a third-place car.
Union , Ky. ’s Lanigan, who won the DTWC in 2003 at Bluegrass Speedway, improved 10 positions to finish seventh in the A-Main.
The 117-car DTWC field included four other drivers ranked in the top-10 of the 2007 WoO LMS points standings, but they all failed to qualify. The group included Clint Smith of Senoia , Ga. (fifth in a B-Main); Rick Eckert of York , Pa. (third in a B-Main and third in the last-chance Jim Dunn Memorial event); Brian Shirley of Chatham , Ill. , who drove Dale Beitler’s Rocket No. 19 to a C-Main victory on Friday night and then finished 10th in a Saturday B-Main; and defending DTWC winner Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (third in a B-Main, sixth in the Jim Dunn Memorial).
The remaining top-10 WoO LMS drivers – Shane Clanton of Locust Grove , Ga. , and Tim Fuller of Watertown , N.Y. – raced elsewhere over the weekend. Clanton finished fifth in Saturday night’s Cotton Pickin’ 100 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus , Miss. , and Fuller lost the Mr. DIRTcar big-block Modified championship to Brett Hearn of Sussex, N.J., after mechanical trouble knocked him out of Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series ‘Eastern States 200’ at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
27th Annual Dirt Track World Championship A-Main Finish (100 laps – World of Outlaws Late Model Series drivers in CAPS):
1. CHUB FRANK
2. JOSH RICHARDS
3. STEVE FRANCIS
4. Steve Shaver
5. Darren Miller
6. Mike Marlar
7. DARRELL LANIGAN
8. Randy Weaver
9. Scott Bloomquist
10. Brady Smith
11. Eddie Carrier Jr.
12. Earl Pearson Jr.
13. Michael England
14. Rod Conley
15. Jackie Boggs
16. Scott James
17. Josh McGuire
18. Keith Berner
19. Mike Balzano
20. Wayne Chinn
21. Bart Hartman
22. Jimmy Mars
23. Chris Combs
24. Tim Tungate
25. Jimmy Owens
26. Brian Birkhofer
27. Dan Schlieper
The superstar driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ scored a $50,000 victory in Saturday night’s 27th annual Dirt Track World Championship Presented by gottarace.com at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio – and following him across the finish line were his fellow WoO LMS regulars Josh Richards and Steve Francis.
Yes, WoO LMS standouts swept the podium positions in the 100-lap A-Main. Another Outlaws traveler, Darrell Lanigan, finished a respectable seventh, further broadening the spotlight that was cast upon the nation’s premier tour in one of the most prestigious dirt Late Model events of the season.
“I heard people talk that the Outlaws (driver roster is) a little on the weak side this year,” said Frank, who leads the WoO LMS with six victories in 2007. “Well, that’s just not true. When you run against the guys on the Outlaws guys week-in and week-out, you find out how tough they are.
“And I think the results of the Dirt Track (World Championship) proved it.”
Frank, 45, of Bear Lake , Pa. , captured the gold DTWC winner’s ring for the first time in his career, puffing up a resume that already included major-event triumphs in the ‘World 100’ at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway (2004), the ‘North-South 100’ at Kentucky’s Florence Speedway (2002), the ‘Dixie Shootout’ at Georgia’s Dixie Speedway (2001) and the ‘Pittsburgher 100’ at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway (2001). He had been close to a DTWC victory in the past, finishing second in 1993 (at West Virginia ’s Pennsboro Speedway) and third in both 2001 (at Pennsboro) and 2004 (at Kentucky ’s Bluegrass Speedway).
“The ‘World 100’ definitely still tops my list of wins because it’s the most prestigious race for dirt Late Models,” said Frank. “But this one would be second. It’s more money than I got for the ‘World,’ and it’s probably the second-biggest race.”
Driving his unique green-colored ‘Chubzilla’ Rocket car once again, Frank scored a hard-fought heat-race win on Friday night over 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va. He then drew the pole position for the A-Main, but an unspectacular pre-feature practice session on Saturday left him a bit uncertain about his chances on the big stage.
“I didn’t feel real good (with the car’s setup) in hot laps,” said Frank. “But after we tightened it up and put harder tires on for the feature, my car had a lot of traction. It still wasn’t great at the start (of the 100), but our cars always seem to get better the longer the race goes, so I felt like we weren’t out of it.”
Frank fell back to third place at the initial green flag and watched Shinnston , W.Va. ’s Richards grab the lead from Mike Marlar of Winfield , Tenn. , on lap four. It took Frank until lap 39 to overtake Marlar for second, and then he quickly chased down Richards.
After racing side-by-side with Richards for several laps, Frank finally gained control of the top spot for good on lap 56. He survived a final caution flag on lap 79 and beat the 19-year-old Richards by a half-straightaway margin, with Ashland , Ky. ’s Francis a few car lengths farther back in third place.
“It wasn’t easy to clear him,” Frank said of Richards, the Rocket Chassis house car driver and a kid Frank has seen grow up in racetrack pit areas over the past decade. “We were side-by-side for a bunch of laps, and it really took lapped traffic to get me all the way by him. I got him pinned behind a lapped car and he had to get out of it because I had the lane.”
Frank’s richest career payday remains the $55,000 he earned for capturing the 2001 ‘Dixie Shootout,’ but a 50-grand score with the season winding down sat well with the longtime owner/operator.
“This is an expensive sport and money doesn’t last very long,” said Frank. “When you get down toward the end of the year, it gets to be crunch time. You want to make enough money to get you through the winter and still have some to spend on the race team, and winning a big one like this gives you a little ‘rainy day’ fund.”
Not to mention some extra disposable income to spend on loved ones.
“Yeah,” smiled Frank. “My wife (Mary) thinks Christmas is going to be pretty good this year.”
Frank’s big-money DTWC triumph might also provide him some consolation if he fails to overcome Francis for the 2007 WoO LMS championship in the upcoming ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Frank sits second in the points standings, trailing Francis by 62 points with only the two ‘Outlaws World Finals’ A-Mains remaining on the schedule.
Frank must slice at 10 points from his deficit on the first night of the ‘Finals’ just to enter the Saturday-night finale with a chance at the title. He concedes that he’ll probably come up short if Francis doesn’t run into bad luck.
But…
“I guess I’ve made up that $40,000 I might lose to Francis (in the World of Outlaws standings),” joked Frank, pointing out the difference between first ($100,000) and second ($60,000) in the 2007 WoO LMS points fund. “I got $50,000 (for winning the DTWC) and Francis only got $10,000 (for third).”
Richards pocketed $12,500 for his runner-up finish, his best-ever in the DTWC. He started third and led more than half the distance, so he could taste the first crown-jewel victory of his career.
“To have a car that good and come that close,” said Richards, “it’s aggravating.”
Francis, meanwhile, came from the seventh starting spot to finish third after his Lee Logan-led crew put in some overtime on Saturday afternoon. They had to replace the engine in Francis’s Valvoline Rocket after discovering a broken valve following a second-place finish in a Friday-night heat.
An apparent front-suspension problem hampered Francis during the DTWC A-Main, but the 1999 DTWC winner (at West Virginia Motor Speedway) conceded that he had “missed (the setup) just a little bit” and was no better than a third-place car.
Union , Ky. ’s Lanigan, who won the DTWC in 2003 at Bluegrass Speedway, improved 10 positions to finish seventh in the A-Main.
The 117-car DTWC field included four other drivers ranked in the top-10 of the 2007 WoO LMS points standings, but they all failed to qualify. The group included Clint Smith of Senoia , Ga. (fifth in a B-Main); Rick Eckert of York , Pa. (third in a B-Main and third in the last-chance Jim Dunn Memorial event); Brian Shirley of Chatham , Ill. , who drove Dale Beitler’s Rocket No. 19 to a C-Main victory on Friday night and then finished 10th in a Saturday B-Main; and defending DTWC winner Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. (third in a B-Main, sixth in the Jim Dunn Memorial).
The remaining top-10 WoO LMS drivers – Shane Clanton of Locust Grove , Ga. , and Tim Fuller of Watertown , N.Y. – raced elsewhere over the weekend. Clanton finished fifth in Saturday night’s Cotton Pickin’ 100 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus , Miss. , and Fuller lost the Mr. DIRTcar big-block Modified championship to Brett Hearn of Sussex, N.J., after mechanical trouble knocked him out of Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series ‘Eastern States 200’ at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
27th Annual Dirt Track World Championship A-Main Finish (100 laps – World of Outlaws Late Model Series drivers in CAPS):
1. CHUB FRANK
2. JOSH RICHARDS
3. STEVE FRANCIS
4. Steve Shaver
5. Darren Miller
6. Mike Marlar
7. DARRELL LANIGAN
8. Randy Weaver
9. Scott Bloomquist
10. Brady Smith
11. Eddie Carrier Jr.
12. Earl Pearson Jr.
13. Michael England
14. Rod Conley
15. Jackie Boggs
16. Scott James
17. Josh McGuire
18. Keith Berner
19. Mike Balzano
20. Wayne Chinn
21. Bart Hartman
22. Jimmy Mars
23. Chris Combs
24. Tim Tungate
25. Jimmy Owens
26. Brian Birkhofer
27. Dan Schlieper
