ALMA, OH - Aug. 19, 2009 - Locked in a titanic three-way battle for the $100,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points title, Steve Francis couldn’t pick a better place to visit this weekend than Schrader’s K-C Raceway.
After all, Francis considers the three-eighths-mile oval one of his hometracks – and he gets a chance to chase a whopping $20,000 top prize for winning the ‘Buckeye 100’ that headlines the two-day racing spectacular.
Postponed by rain on its original date in early May, the Buckeye 100 will bring a big event from K-C Raceway’s past back to the forefront. Time trials and qualifying heats are scheduled for Friday night (Aug. 21), with B-Mains and the 100-lap A-Main featured on Saturday night (Aug. 22).
Francis, 41, lives just over an hour’s drive southeast of K-C Raceway in Ashland, Ky., making this weekend a rare opportunity for him to perform in front of familiar faces. In the midst of a long season on the WoO LMS road with the Beitler Motorsports team, he’s hoping a little home cooking can go a long way.
“This is the closest we race to home all year on the Outlaw circuit, so we’re looking forward to it,” said Francis, the 2007 WoO LMS champion and a tour regular since its reincarnation under the World Racing Group banner in 2004. “A lot of my family and friends will come to watch us. That always is kind of special and makes you feel comfortable.”
Francis also has a pretty long and successful history at K-C. It was among the first tracks that he competed at as a 16-year-old dirt Late Model rookie and he’s made plenty of Victory Lane appearances there, including after numerous regular-show scores early in his career.
The driver known as the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ has already made one start at K-C this season, finishing third in the 50-lap ‘Night The Stars Come Out’ event on July 3.
“The K-C now is not the K-C I raced on early in my career,” described Francis, who finished second to Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, in last year’s 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main at K-C. “They’ve moved that backstretch way out and made it more circular than when I first started running there, but it’s an excellent place to race. I always enjoy running there.
“I’m not sure what to expect with a hundred-lapper because the weather effects that racetrack quite a bit, so a lot is gonna depend of whether it’s a real hot day or if it’s cloudy. But I know (promoter Jeff Schrader and his crew) have been doing an excellent job preparing the place this year, so I know it’ll be racy.”
Francis enters this week’s WoO LMS action, which also includes rescheduled events on Thursday night (Aug. 20) at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, and Sunday night (Aug. 23) at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., sitting second in the points standings. He’s just six points behind 21-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who regained the points lead last Saturday night at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway after Francis suffered a blown right-rear tire running third with just six laps remaining and finished 10th.
With defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., a mere 34 points behind Richards in third place, it’s clear the 2009 points race is set to go down to the wire. Thirteen events remain on the tour schedule.
“We all know this thing – as close as me, Josh and Darrell are – it’s gonna come down to luck,” Francis said of the championship battle. “We’re all running too even for luck to not decide this thing. Something dumb is gonna happen to one or two of us, and the other guy is gonna be the winner.”
Of course, Francis would seem to have an advantage on his championship rivals in that he’s been involved in multiple nip-and-tuck, down-to-the-wire points races during his career. While this is Richards’s first real experience with a tight title pursuit and Lanigan ran away with last year’s crown by a series-record points margin, Francis knows the tension involved with a close points fight. Francis finished a heartbreaking second in both the 2004 and 2005 WoO LMS points battles; he actually finished dead-locked in the ’05 standings with Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., but Moyer was declared the champ on a tie-breaker (runner-up finishes).
“Not taking anything away from what they got going on, but maybe I understand (a close points race) a little different than they do,” said Francis, who has five tour wins this season but last reached Victory Lane on May 31 at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. “Sometimes you can get a little ‘tight’ and think about the points too much.”
With a championship prize of 100-grand on the line and every finishing position critical in a three-driver race, the pressure definitely builds. Francis admitted that he got to thinking about points in the last WoO LMS event at Hagerstown – a pitfall he hopes to mostly avoid as the season continues down its homestretch.
“I can’t say we got too ‘tight’ (at Hagerstown), but we just didn’t gamble as much as we could have,” remarked Francis. “(Tim) Fuller (who blew out the field for his record-tying fourth consecutive WoO LMS victory) gambled on a tire choice that I had in my head that I wanted to do. I told four or five people (during the night) that I wanted to do it, but I ended doing what I said I wasn’t gonna do – for some stupid reason, I started points racing. Fuller put on the softer right-rear tire that I had in my head all night, and I stayed with a harder, safer choice.
“Now we still would’ve gotten out of (Hagerstown) with a second or third if we didn’t get the flat tire, which wouldn’t have been the end of the world. But I said I was gonna gamble on winning this year and not worry about the points, and we didn’t do that. I know that the (Hoosier) 1600 or LM-40 is the tire of choice (at Hagerstown) – always has been – so what Fuller put on was a big gamble. He could’ve won the race or been a 10th place car, but I knew the tire we ran was gonna get us a top-five no matter what.”
With a $20,000 first-place check up for grabs at K-C, Francis said he plans to go with his “first instinct” in hopes of depositing that money in his bank account.
Francis, Richards and Lanigan will face plenty of competition in the Buckeye 100, starting with arguably the two hottest dirt Late Model drivers in the country: Watertown, N.Y.’s Fuller and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. Fuller carries a four-race tour win streak into this week’s action, while Mars has scored $50,000 victories in the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. (where he led Fuller under the checkered flag) and the North-South 100 at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., over the past three weeks.
The traveling WoO LMS roster will feature Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who won the 2007 Dirt Track World Championship 100 at K-C; defending World 100 winner Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; 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.
Also expected are a host of well-known national and regional talents, including 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., 2006 DTWC winner Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., 17-year-old sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Brandon Kinzer of Allen, Ky., Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky., Ben Adkins of West Portsmouth, Ohio, and the three-driver Conley team (father Delmas, who leads K-C’s points standings, and his sons Rod and R.J.) from Wheelersburg, Ohio.
The Buckeye 100 – a traditional event at the Southeastern Ohio track during the ‘60s and into the ‘70s – will include complete shows for the open-wheel Modified and Hobby Stock divisions on Fri., Aug. 21, and another full program for the open-wheel Modifieds on Sat., Aug. 22.
Two-day tickets for the Buckeye 100 weekend are $40. Single-day tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids (6-12) on Friday night, and $35 for adults and $15 for kids (6-12) on Saturday night.
Pit passes are $25 for Friday and $40 for Saturday, with two-day passes costing $60.
Free overnight camping is allowed on the K-C Raceway grounds for the weekend.
Pit gates are scheduled to open at 3:30 p.m., with racing set to start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
K-C Raceway is located 12 miles south of Chillicothe, Ohio, in Alma, two miles off SR 23 on Blain Highway.
For more information on K-C Raceway and the Buckeye 100 visit www.kc-raceway.com or call 740-663-4141.
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.
After all, Francis considers the three-eighths-mile oval one of his hometracks – and he gets a chance to chase a whopping $20,000 top prize for winning the ‘Buckeye 100’ that headlines the two-day racing spectacular.
Postponed by rain on its original date in early May, the Buckeye 100 will bring a big event from K-C Raceway’s past back to the forefront. Time trials and qualifying heats are scheduled for Friday night (Aug. 21), with B-Mains and the 100-lap A-Main featured on Saturday night (Aug. 22).
Francis, 41, lives just over an hour’s drive southeast of K-C Raceway in Ashland, Ky., making this weekend a rare opportunity for him to perform in front of familiar faces. In the midst of a long season on the WoO LMS road with the Beitler Motorsports team, he’s hoping a little home cooking can go a long way.
“This is the closest we race to home all year on the Outlaw circuit, so we’re looking forward to it,” said Francis, the 2007 WoO LMS champion and a tour regular since its reincarnation under the World Racing Group banner in 2004. “A lot of my family and friends will come to watch us. That always is kind of special and makes you feel comfortable.”
Francis also has a pretty long and successful history at K-C. It was among the first tracks that he competed at as a 16-year-old dirt Late Model rookie and he’s made plenty of Victory Lane appearances there, including after numerous regular-show scores early in his career.
The driver known as the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ has already made one start at K-C this season, finishing third in the 50-lap ‘Night The Stars Come Out’ event on July 3.
“The K-C now is not the K-C I raced on early in my career,” described Francis, who finished second to Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, in last year’s 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main at K-C. “They’ve moved that backstretch way out and made it more circular than when I first started running there, but it’s an excellent place to race. I always enjoy running there.
“I’m not sure what to expect with a hundred-lapper because the weather effects that racetrack quite a bit, so a lot is gonna depend of whether it’s a real hot day or if it’s cloudy. But I know (promoter Jeff Schrader and his crew) have been doing an excellent job preparing the place this year, so I know it’ll be racy.”
Francis enters this week’s WoO LMS action, which also includes rescheduled events on Thursday night (Aug. 20) at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, and Sunday night (Aug. 23) at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., sitting second in the points standings. He’s just six points behind 21-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who regained the points lead last Saturday night at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway after Francis suffered a blown right-rear tire running third with just six laps remaining and finished 10th.
With defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., a mere 34 points behind Richards in third place, it’s clear the 2009 points race is set to go down to the wire. Thirteen events remain on the tour schedule.
“We all know this thing – as close as me, Josh and Darrell are – it’s gonna come down to luck,” Francis said of the championship battle. “We’re all running too even for luck to not decide this thing. Something dumb is gonna happen to one or two of us, and the other guy is gonna be the winner.”
Of course, Francis would seem to have an advantage on his championship rivals in that he’s been involved in multiple nip-and-tuck, down-to-the-wire points races during his career. While this is Richards’s first real experience with a tight title pursuit and Lanigan ran away with last year’s crown by a series-record points margin, Francis knows the tension involved with a close points fight. Francis finished a heartbreaking second in both the 2004 and 2005 WoO LMS points battles; he actually finished dead-locked in the ’05 standings with Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., but Moyer was declared the champ on a tie-breaker (runner-up finishes).
“Not taking anything away from what they got going on, but maybe I understand (a close points race) a little different than they do,” said Francis, who has five tour wins this season but last reached Victory Lane on May 31 at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. “Sometimes you can get a little ‘tight’ and think about the points too much.”
With a championship prize of 100-grand on the line and every finishing position critical in a three-driver race, the pressure definitely builds. Francis admitted that he got to thinking about points in the last WoO LMS event at Hagerstown – a pitfall he hopes to mostly avoid as the season continues down its homestretch.
“I can’t say we got too ‘tight’ (at Hagerstown), but we just didn’t gamble as much as we could have,” remarked Francis. “(Tim) Fuller (who blew out the field for his record-tying fourth consecutive WoO LMS victory) gambled on a tire choice that I had in my head that I wanted to do. I told four or five people (during the night) that I wanted to do it, but I ended doing what I said I wasn’t gonna do – for some stupid reason, I started points racing. Fuller put on the softer right-rear tire that I had in my head all night, and I stayed with a harder, safer choice.
“Now we still would’ve gotten out of (Hagerstown) with a second or third if we didn’t get the flat tire, which wouldn’t have been the end of the world. But I said I was gonna gamble on winning this year and not worry about the points, and we didn’t do that. I know that the (Hoosier) 1600 or LM-40 is the tire of choice (at Hagerstown) – always has been – so what Fuller put on was a big gamble. He could’ve won the race or been a 10th place car, but I knew the tire we ran was gonna get us a top-five no matter what.”
With a $20,000 first-place check up for grabs at K-C, Francis said he plans to go with his “first instinct” in hopes of depositing that money in his bank account.
Francis, Richards and Lanigan will face plenty of competition in the Buckeye 100, starting with arguably the two hottest dirt Late Model drivers in the country: Watertown, N.Y.’s Fuller and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. Fuller carries a four-race tour win streak into this week’s action, while Mars has scored $50,000 victories in the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. (where he led Fuller under the checkered flag) and the North-South 100 at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., over the past three weeks.
The traveling WoO LMS roster will feature Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who won the 2007 Dirt Track World Championship 100 at K-C; defending World 100 winner Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; 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.
Also expected are a host of well-known national and regional talents, including 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., 2006 DTWC winner Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., 17-year-old sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Brandon Kinzer of Allen, Ky., Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky., Ben Adkins of West Portsmouth, Ohio, and the three-driver Conley team (father Delmas, who leads K-C’s points standings, and his sons Rod and R.J.) from Wheelersburg, Ohio.
The Buckeye 100 – a traditional event at the Southeastern Ohio track during the ‘60s and into the ‘70s – will include complete shows for the open-wheel Modified and Hobby Stock divisions on Fri., Aug. 21, and another full program for the open-wheel Modifieds on Sat., Aug. 22.
Two-day tickets for the Buckeye 100 weekend are $40. Single-day tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids (6-12) on Friday night, and $35 for adults and $15 for kids (6-12) on Saturday night.
Pit passes are $25 for Friday and $40 for Saturday, with two-day passes costing $60.
Free overnight camping is allowed on the K-C Raceway grounds for the weekend.
Pit gates are scheduled to open at 3:30 p.m., with racing set to start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
K-C Raceway is located 12 miles south of Chillicothe, Ohio, in Alma, two miles off SR 23 on Blain Highway.
For more information on K-C Raceway and the Buckeye 100 visit www.kc-raceway.com or call 740-663-4141.
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.
