By Roby Helm
TAMPA, FL - Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS will be looking to
add three more pieces of hardware to his trophy case this week in Tampa, FL.
One trophy is already his, and two more are up for grabs.
Keeton will be honored as the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Region
Champion on Wednesday night at the StormPay Dirt Late Model Series Awards
Banquet at the Westin Hotel on Tampa's Harbor Island. Keeton has already
made room for that trophy, and also has plans for the GRT chassis he will
also win.
"During the last 20 plus years of racing late models, I've got over 250
feature win trophies, and three track championships," Keeton said. "I'll
put them all in the attic to just have the three I can win this week. The
StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Regional Championship Trophy is very
special, just because of the large number of drivers that competed for it."
Over 300 different drivers competed for StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series
points at 15 different tracks during the 2006 season.
The StormPay.com Awards Banquet will honor the top six drivers in both the
East and West Regions of the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series, and the top
ten drivers in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour.
Almost $100,000 in cash and prizes will be handed out at the StormPay.com
Dirt Late Model Series Awards Banquet.
There will also be two races Keeton will be looking to win this week. The
$3,000-to-win 40-lap StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series National Championship
Invitational Race takes place at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on
Thursday night. If either Keeton, or the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series
East Region Champion Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL wins the race, it will pay
a $1,000 bonus.
Keeton will be one of 84 invitees to the $3,000-to-win 40-lap StormPay.com
Weekly Racing Series National Championship Race on Thursday night. The top
six drivers in each StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series Region, and the top
six drivers from the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series tracks have been
invited to the National Championship Race.
The week's activities for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will
conclude with the $10,000-to-win 100-lap 2nd Annual StormPay.com Crate Racin'
USA World Championship Open Race at East Bay Raceway Park on Friday and
Saturday night.
"The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series is a good series just because of
the level of competition you have to compete against," Keeton said. "I'm
looking forward to running more of the National Touring events next season
with the new GRT Race Car we won for the championship, and we'll also start
up a new team for my son Brandon."
Keeton's path to the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Region
Championship took him to 19 sanctioned events, with 15 starts at Whynot
Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS, three starts at Southern Speedway in
Hattiesburg, MS, and one start at Swinging Bridge Raceway in Jackson, MS.
With the second highest win total in the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series
at 12 victories, Keeton posted 11 of those wins at Whynot Motorsports Park
where he was also the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series Track Champion.
Keeton's other win came at Southern Speedway. Keeton had 17 top five
finishes, and placed in the top ten in each of his 19 starts.
When the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour came calling at
Keeton's home track, he made his only appearance on the National Tour a good
one with a third-place finish at Whynot Motorsports Park on September 2.
"I've heard there is going to be so very tough competition at East Bay for
both the Weekly Racing Series Invitational, and the World Championship Open
Race with guys like David Gentry, Shannon Buckingham, and Ken Schrader,"
Keeton said. "I've raced with all of those through the years, and have
beaten them. It's the local guys I'm worried about, like Keith Nosbisch."
Keeton said his preparation for the two East Bay events has been intense,
and he's making the 600-plus mile trip knowing that he has a good chance of
winning.
"We have completely taken this car apart - except for the crate engine, of
course - and checked and rechecked everything," Keeton said. "We put it all
back together, and double checked the tightness of every bolt. I can't
remember a race where we've put so much detailed preparation into it."
If desire and preparation wins races, look for Keeton to be a favorite to
carry home a trailer full of trophies from East Bay Raceway Park by the end
of Saturday night.
For more information call East Bay Raceway Park at 813-677-7223, or visit
the track web site at www.eastbayracewaypark.com. For more information
about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at
www.stormpayracing.com.
TAMPA, FL - Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS will be looking to
add three more pieces of hardware to his trophy case this week in Tampa, FL.
One trophy is already his, and two more are up for grabs.
Keeton will be honored as the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Region
Champion on Wednesday night at the StormPay Dirt Late Model Series Awards
Banquet at the Westin Hotel on Tampa's Harbor Island. Keeton has already
made room for that trophy, and also has plans for the GRT chassis he will
also win.
"During the last 20 plus years of racing late models, I've got over 250
feature win trophies, and three track championships," Keeton said. "I'll
put them all in the attic to just have the three I can win this week. The
StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Regional Championship Trophy is very
special, just because of the large number of drivers that competed for it."
Over 300 different drivers competed for StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series
points at 15 different tracks during the 2006 season.
The StormPay.com Awards Banquet will honor the top six drivers in both the
East and West Regions of the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series, and the top
ten drivers in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour.
Almost $100,000 in cash and prizes will be handed out at the StormPay.com
Dirt Late Model Series Awards Banquet.
There will also be two races Keeton will be looking to win this week. The
$3,000-to-win 40-lap StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series National Championship
Invitational Race takes place at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on
Thursday night. If either Keeton, or the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series
East Region Champion Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL wins the race, it will pay
a $1,000 bonus.
Keeton will be one of 84 invitees to the $3,000-to-win 40-lap StormPay.com
Weekly Racing Series National Championship Race on Thursday night. The top
six drivers in each StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series Region, and the top
six drivers from the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series tracks have been
invited to the National Championship Race.
The week's activities for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will
conclude with the $10,000-to-win 100-lap 2nd Annual StormPay.com Crate Racin'
USA World Championship Open Race at East Bay Raceway Park on Friday and
Saturday night.
"The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series is a good series just because of
the level of competition you have to compete against," Keeton said. "I'm
looking forward to running more of the National Touring events next season
with the new GRT Race Car we won for the championship, and we'll also start
up a new team for my son Brandon."
Keeton's path to the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Region
Championship took him to 19 sanctioned events, with 15 starts at Whynot
Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS, three starts at Southern Speedway in
Hattiesburg, MS, and one start at Swinging Bridge Raceway in Jackson, MS.
With the second highest win total in the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series
at 12 victories, Keeton posted 11 of those wins at Whynot Motorsports Park
where he was also the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series Track Champion.
Keeton's other win came at Southern Speedway. Keeton had 17 top five
finishes, and placed in the top ten in each of his 19 starts.
When the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour came calling at
Keeton's home track, he made his only appearance on the National Tour a good
one with a third-place finish at Whynot Motorsports Park on September 2.
"I've heard there is going to be so very tough competition at East Bay for
both the Weekly Racing Series Invitational, and the World Championship Open
Race with guys like David Gentry, Shannon Buckingham, and Ken Schrader,"
Keeton said. "I've raced with all of those through the years, and have
beaten them. It's the local guys I'm worried about, like Keith Nosbisch."
Keeton said his preparation for the two East Bay events has been intense,
and he's making the 600-plus mile trip knowing that he has a good chance of
winning.
"We have completely taken this car apart - except for the crate engine, of
course - and checked and rechecked everything," Keeton said. "We put it all
back together, and double checked the tightness of every bolt. I can't
remember a race where we've put so much detailed preparation into it."
If desire and preparation wins races, look for Keeton to be a favorite to
carry home a trailer full of trophies from East Bay Raceway Park by the end
of Saturday night.
For more information call East Bay Raceway Park at 813-677-7223, or visit
the track web site at www.eastbayracewaypark.com. For more information
about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at
www.stormpayracing.com.
