ZANESVILLE, OH - Aug. 18, 2009 - Can anyone stop Tim Fuller on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series?
That question will be answered on Thursday night (Aug. 20) at Muskingum County Speedway, where Fuller will bid to set the tour’s modern-era (2004-present) consecutive win record in the rescheduled ‘Pepsi 40.’
Fuller, 41, of Watertown, N.Y., is on an absolute roll, carrying a four-race win streak into the $7,000-to-win mid-week event. His runaway victory last Saturday night at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway allowed him to equal the WoO LMS record of four wins in a row established in 2006 by Rick Eckert of York, Pa.
The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year feels confident that he can make Outlaw history.
“I never would’ve thought we would win four in a row, so anything’s possible,” said Fuller, a veteran DIRTcar Racing Northeast big-block Modified standout who switched his focus to dirt Late Model racing in 2007. “It would be great if we beat the record, but if we don’t, we don’t. We’ll just move on to the next race.”
Muskingum County would seem to be a great place for Fuller to chase the mark. He proved he can get around Ronnie Moran’s three-eighths-mile oval in the first-ever WoO LMS event held there in 2008, charging from the 18th starting spot to finish second. In addition, before rain postponed this year’s ‘Pepsi 40’ on its original July 23 date, he qualified 10th-fastest among 45 cars in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials.
With WoO LMS rules dictating that Thursday’s program will start from scratch, Fuller will have a whole new set of time trials to perhaps put him in even better position for a fifth straight checkered flag.
“I feel pretty good about going there,” Fuller said of Muskingum County. “We were pretty good there last year – we gambled on a tire (compound) in the feature and it worked out for us – and I think we were gonna be O.K. there last month if it wouldn’t have rained.
“But it’s no secret how you win these races. You gotta time trial well. You gotta draw (starting spots for the A-Main) well. You gotta make good choices.
“Right now everything we’re doing is right,” he added. “For some reason all my dials are pointing up. We’re just gonna try to keep riding the wave as long as we can.”
Fuller started his sizzling summer streak with his first WoO LMS win of the season on July 25 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. He went on to enjoy a big weekend at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. – winning a WDRL event on July 30 and scoring a $20,000 second-place finish in the USA Nationals 100 on Aug. 1 – before sweeping last weekend’s three-race WoO LMS Mid-Atlantic swing, which made him the first driver in the tour’s modern era to win A-Mains at three different tracks on consecutive nights.
Throw in Fuller’s two lucrative DIRTcar big-block Modified outings on off weekends – a $6,000 runner-up finish on July 19 in the All-Star 100 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y., and a $6,000 victory on Aug. 8 in the Super DIRTcar Series 100 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway – and his earnings for the past five weeks total over $76,000.
“My best stretch of racing ever was in 2004 when I won the Victoria 200 (at New York’s Fulton Speedway) and Syracuse (the Rite Aid 200 at the one-mile New York State Fairgrounds) in the same week,” said Fuller, remembering back-to-back big-block Modified triumphs worth $25,000 and $50,000-plus, respectively. “But as far as racing at this level, against the best dirt Late Model drivers in the country, nothing tops what we’re doing right now.”
How did Fuller and his Gypsum Express team suddenly get on such a roll? He has no real answer for that question.
“We have been good since Ohsweken (Ontario on June 18) but just hadn’t been able to close the deal,” said Fuller, whose outburst has moved him to fifth in the WoO LMS points standings, just six points behind fourth-place Eckert. “I think we had a good enough car to win at Ohsweken but we broke a shock. We broke leading at Canandaigua (on June 23). We were fast at Lernerville (the Firecracker 100 on June 27) but got tangled up with (Brian) Birkhofer.
“Now we have luck on our side, we’re getting all the breaks. I don’t know what changed. Why do you win on a slot machine? It’s just your time. When it’s on, it’s on.”
Fuller will face a star-studded lineup of drivers at Muskingum County, including the top three in the current WoO LMS points standings – leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., last year’s MCR winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and defending tour champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.
Other World of Outlaws travelers ready for Muskingum’s raindate include Eckert, Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and 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.
MCR’s talented field is also expected to include O’Reilly All-Star Late Model Series points leader Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., 17-year-old Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, Rick Aukland of Zanesville, Ohio, Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., Doug Dodd of Cambridge, Ohio, and Doug Drown of Wooster, Ohio.
And of course, dirt Late Model legend Donnie Moran and his 14-year-old son Devin – the son and grandson, respectively, of track owner Ronnie Moran – will be ready to defend their home turf. Donnie has several victories at MCR this season and Devin recently captured his first career win behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model at the track.
Thursday’s program, which also includes Muskingum’s Modified and Pure Stock classes, will see pit gates open at 2 p.m. and the spectator gates unlocked at 4 p.m. Racing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
General admission is $25, with kids 6-11 admitted for $5 and children 5-and-under free of charge. Reserved seats are available in the top two rows of the grandstand, and pit passes will be $40.
For more information, visit www.mcspeedway.20m.com or call 740-754-9199 (track) or 740-763-3991 (office).
The event kicks off four straight nights of racing for the WoO LMS, which will contest the $20,000-to-win ‘Buckeye 100’ on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 21-22) at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, and a rescheduled Ohio Speedweek show on Sunday (Aug. 23) at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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.
That question will be answered on Thursday night (Aug. 20) at Muskingum County Speedway, where Fuller will bid to set the tour’s modern-era (2004-present) consecutive win record in the rescheduled ‘Pepsi 40.’
Fuller, 41, of Watertown, N.Y., is on an absolute roll, carrying a four-race win streak into the $7,000-to-win mid-week event. His runaway victory last Saturday night at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway allowed him to equal the WoO LMS record of four wins in a row established in 2006 by Rick Eckert of York, Pa.
The 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year feels confident that he can make Outlaw history.
“I never would’ve thought we would win four in a row, so anything’s possible,” said Fuller, a veteran DIRTcar Racing Northeast big-block Modified standout who switched his focus to dirt Late Model racing in 2007. “It would be great if we beat the record, but if we don’t, we don’t. We’ll just move on to the next race.”
Muskingum County would seem to be a great place for Fuller to chase the mark. He proved he can get around Ronnie Moran’s three-eighths-mile oval in the first-ever WoO LMS event held there in 2008, charging from the 18th starting spot to finish second. In addition, before rain postponed this year’s ‘Pepsi 40’ on its original July 23 date, he qualified 10th-fastest among 45 cars in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials.
With WoO LMS rules dictating that Thursday’s program will start from scratch, Fuller will have a whole new set of time trials to perhaps put him in even better position for a fifth straight checkered flag.
“I feel pretty good about going there,” Fuller said of Muskingum County. “We were pretty good there last year – we gambled on a tire (compound) in the feature and it worked out for us – and I think we were gonna be O.K. there last month if it wouldn’t have rained.
“But it’s no secret how you win these races. You gotta time trial well. You gotta draw (starting spots for the A-Main) well. You gotta make good choices.
“Right now everything we’re doing is right,” he added. “For some reason all my dials are pointing up. We’re just gonna try to keep riding the wave as long as we can.”
Fuller started his sizzling summer streak with his first WoO LMS win of the season on July 25 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. He went on to enjoy a big weekend at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. – winning a WDRL event on July 30 and scoring a $20,000 second-place finish in the USA Nationals 100 on Aug. 1 – before sweeping last weekend’s three-race WoO LMS Mid-Atlantic swing, which made him the first driver in the tour’s modern era to win A-Mains at three different tracks on consecutive nights.
Throw in Fuller’s two lucrative DIRTcar big-block Modified outings on off weekends – a $6,000 runner-up finish on July 19 in the All-Star 100 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y., and a $6,000 victory on Aug. 8 in the Super DIRTcar Series 100 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway – and his earnings for the past five weeks total over $76,000.
“My best stretch of racing ever was in 2004 when I won the Victoria 200 (at New York’s Fulton Speedway) and Syracuse (the Rite Aid 200 at the one-mile New York State Fairgrounds) in the same week,” said Fuller, remembering back-to-back big-block Modified triumphs worth $25,000 and $50,000-plus, respectively. “But as far as racing at this level, against the best dirt Late Model drivers in the country, nothing tops what we’re doing right now.”
How did Fuller and his Gypsum Express team suddenly get on such a roll? He has no real answer for that question.
“We have been good since Ohsweken (Ontario on June 18) but just hadn’t been able to close the deal,” said Fuller, whose outburst has moved him to fifth in the WoO LMS points standings, just six points behind fourth-place Eckert. “I think we had a good enough car to win at Ohsweken but we broke a shock. We broke leading at Canandaigua (on June 23). We were fast at Lernerville (the Firecracker 100 on June 27) but got tangled up with (Brian) Birkhofer.
“Now we have luck on our side, we’re getting all the breaks. I don’t know what changed. Why do you win on a slot machine? It’s just your time. When it’s on, it’s on.”
Fuller will face a star-studded lineup of drivers at Muskingum County, including the top three in the current WoO LMS points standings – leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., last year’s MCR winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and defending tour champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.
Other World of Outlaws travelers ready for Muskingum’s raindate include Eckert, Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and 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.
MCR’s talented field is also expected to include O’Reilly All-Star Late Model Series points leader Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., 17-year-old Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, Rick Aukland of Zanesville, Ohio, Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., Doug Dodd of Cambridge, Ohio, and Doug Drown of Wooster, Ohio.
And of course, dirt Late Model legend Donnie Moran and his 14-year-old son Devin – the son and grandson, respectively, of track owner Ronnie Moran – will be ready to defend their home turf. Donnie has several victories at MCR this season and Devin recently captured his first career win behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model at the track.
Thursday’s program, which also includes Muskingum’s Modified and Pure Stock classes, will see pit gates open at 2 p.m. and the spectator gates unlocked at 4 p.m. Racing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
General admission is $25, with kids 6-11 admitted for $5 and children 5-and-under free of charge. Reserved seats are available in the top two rows of the grandstand, and pit passes will be $40.
For more information, visit www.mcspeedway.20m.com or call 740-754-9199 (track) or 740-763-3991 (office).
The event kicks off four straight nights of racing for the WoO LMS, which will contest the $20,000-to-win ‘Buckeye 100’ on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 21-22) at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, and a rescheduled Ohio Speedweek show on Sunday (Aug. 23) at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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.
