Winning Is Conditional: Finding Victory Lane in the World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series takes the right car setup and a well-tuned driver
Colorado Springs, CO — April 20, 2005 — By Chris Dolack, World of Outlaws Senior Writer
Billy Moyer had just climbed from his car in the pits after winning the World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series season opener at Volusia Speedway Park. After consecutive runner-up finishes during the Winter Nationals, he was finally on top.
Only a year ago, Moyer was feeling every bit his age. Now 47 and a late model legend, Moyer did not fulfill his expectations in the inaugural season with the Dirty Dozen. He posted only one main event victory with eight top-five finishes. As the series’ sophomore year kicks into high gear April 29 at Lernerville Speedway and April 30 at Hagerstown Speedway, Moyer has been eager to prove he belongs in this impressive collection of racing stars.
The series points leader after four events, Moyer is well on his way to challenging for the 2005 championship. The difference between the two seasons has as much to do with new equipment, fresher motors and new tires as it does with a realization at the end of last season that driving a dirt late model in this series is especially physically and mentally demanding.
Moyer decided he needed to be in better condition to compete in the series, so he turned to an old high school wrestling coach, who recommended a program that includes stretching and weightlifting.
“I’m probably in a lot better shape than I was last year,” Moyer said. “You’ve got to be in shape to drive these things. I’ve been on a workout program since November, and it’s made a difference. I’m doing a lot of exercises and stretches. I’m far from any Hulk Hogan, but I feel just so much better. It makes a difference. It’s made a big difference.
“Mentally, it makes you stronger. I lift weights and do push-ups, even in my motor home. People don’t believe that, but I’m hard at it.”
It turns out just about every driver has a fitness program that prepares them to be race-ready when the green flag drops. Contrary to popular myth, you do have to be athletic to be a racecar driver.
Just ask Tim McCreadie. The 2004 Rookie of the Year, McCreadie started racing late models last season after following his dad into the world of big-block modifieds.
“I don’t know about other guys, but for me I’m worn out at the end of a race,” said McCreadie, who won the second Outlaws race in February at Volusia Speedway Park for his third victory during the track’s Winter Nationals. “I don’t know how to go easy. I drive as hard as I can. If it goes, it goes. If it doesn’t we go backwards. I’m worn out every night I race. Between that and staying at the track until 1 or 2 in the morning and then going to a hotel and getting up at 9 a.m. again. It gets to you, it wears you out, but I worked regular jobs, too, where you had to work 12-hour days for six days a week. That’s a lot harder than this stuff in the long run because you’re doing something you love. The tiredness doesn’t really get into it that much.”
McCreadie, who turned 31 on April 12, knows how important being well conditioned translates to positive results on the track because he has a unique perspective on how racing can wear down a body. His father, Barefoot Bob McCreadie, has raced seemingly forever on dirt tracks in the tough world of modifieds in the Northeast and has seen his share of injuries.
“I see guys, even like my dad for instance who has wrecked a lot over the years and had major back surgery, fusing bones, broken pretty much everything you could ever break,” he said. “It gets harder as you get older to stay in shape for this whole deal.”
At more than 2,200 pounds, making a dirt late model circle a dirt oval takes extreme effort, even if the chassis setup is right on and everything else is working properly.
“When these cars are working good, it’s not too hard on you, but when they’re not it’s about as demanding as anything you can do,” said Scott Bloomquist, the defending series champion. “A good example is I’ve got a friend of mine who works out in a gym every single day. I let him drive my car once and he couldn’t hold his arms up when he came in — and he only ran 10 laps. I run quite a bit stiffer steering than most but it’s because I’ve done this for so long. If your mind’s racing, your heart’s racing. If you can keep your mind settled down and keep your car handling good, generally you don’t have anything to worry about.”
That’s no easy task, though.
“They’re real physical to drive,” said Steve Francis, who won earlier this month in Cumberland, Md. “You get out of them and you’ll be soaking wet in sweat. We usually do a workout deal in November, December and January until I come to Florida and I’ll go back in March and do it, but this year we raced in Australia through the winter and then went to Arizona and raced there so we never really quit racing so we didn’t have time to do a workout program, but it kept us in shape, too.”
But even if a racer’s car is doing everything it should and allowing a driver to hit his marks in every turn, it still is exhausting work.
“It really depends on how your car is,” said Rick Eckert, who just last weekend posted two victories in non-sanctioned events. “If your car’s not very good you have to work extra hard. If your car is good, it still wears on you pretty hard.”
Not only can racing a dirt late model wear down a driver physically, but the head games involved during a 50-lap feature against some of the best drivers in the world takes a toll, too.
“It’s a lot of mental game,” said Chub Frank, one of the most respected late model racers in the country and winner of the World 100 last season. “You’ve got to know where to go with the car, the moves you make. I think anybody can probably drive a car. They can get used to the physical part of it, but it’s more of knowing exactly what you’re supposed to do and when to do it. There’s a lot mental pressure there, too. You can get a lot of mental drain during a race, especially a long race and depending on where it’s at. There are places where if you don’t hit your marks, like Eldora, where if you run into the corner too hard one lap you’re probably going to knock the wall down. There are times where you have to be concentrating all the time. It will wear you out more mentally than physically when the race is over.”
So while a driver like Moyer takes a somewhat conventional approach to working out, most racers have some unconventional methods. Sure, McCreadie did some running on a treadmill, but playing hockey during the off-season probably keeps him more fit than any other exercises he might do.
For the most part, drivers aim to have some kind of workout program during the off-season. It keeps their energy up so that once the schedule kicks into gear, the drain of racing night after night isn’t so taxing.
“I usually go to the gym all winter long and work out three or four times a week,” Eckert said. “In the summertime I’m usually out of town most of the time. Really, I do most of my working out in the wintertime and driving this thing in the summertime will keep me caught up. I ride my bike a good bit, but that’s about it.”
The goal for most drivers who take part in some kind of workout program is to increase their cardio levels. That helps them breath normal while everything around them is anything but normal.
“I think for guys that are just drivers, you might need more of a workout plan,” Bloomquist said. “I find myself doing a lot of tire work, a lot of car work. I work on my stuff so much and stay busy enough that I don’t think a workout plan helps me because generally you work out the wrong muscles. Overall, a cardio workout applies to everything you do. Some kind of cardio workout is necessary, whether it’s racquetball, running, bicycling, anything that keeps your heart good so you don’t get out of breath real easy is important in any sport.”
With more than 400 victories in his career, clearly proof is in the results for Bloomquist. A driver might not need to be an athlete to race a dirt late model, but he certainly needs to be one if he plans on winning.
The World Of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series is brought to the fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Stacker 2®, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, VP Racing Fuels, and SPEED CHANNEL. Promotional Partners include AMB i.t., RACEceiver, HUMMERSGONEWILD.COM, Zippo Lighters, and The University of Northwestern Ohio. Contingency sponsors include DART Machinery, MSD Ignitions, Wrisco Industries, and Quarter Master.
Colorado Springs, CO — April 20, 2005 — By Chris Dolack, World of Outlaws Senior Writer
Billy Moyer had just climbed from his car in the pits after winning the World of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series season opener at Volusia Speedway Park. After consecutive runner-up finishes during the Winter Nationals, he was finally on top.
Only a year ago, Moyer was feeling every bit his age. Now 47 and a late model legend, Moyer did not fulfill his expectations in the inaugural season with the Dirty Dozen. He posted only one main event victory with eight top-five finishes. As the series’ sophomore year kicks into high gear April 29 at Lernerville Speedway and April 30 at Hagerstown Speedway, Moyer has been eager to prove he belongs in this impressive collection of racing stars.
The series points leader after four events, Moyer is well on his way to challenging for the 2005 championship. The difference between the two seasons has as much to do with new equipment, fresher motors and new tires as it does with a realization at the end of last season that driving a dirt late model in this series is especially physically and mentally demanding.
Moyer decided he needed to be in better condition to compete in the series, so he turned to an old high school wrestling coach, who recommended a program that includes stretching and weightlifting.
“I’m probably in a lot better shape than I was last year,” Moyer said. “You’ve got to be in shape to drive these things. I’ve been on a workout program since November, and it’s made a difference. I’m doing a lot of exercises and stretches. I’m far from any Hulk Hogan, but I feel just so much better. It makes a difference. It’s made a big difference.
“Mentally, it makes you stronger. I lift weights and do push-ups, even in my motor home. People don’t believe that, but I’m hard at it.”
It turns out just about every driver has a fitness program that prepares them to be race-ready when the green flag drops. Contrary to popular myth, you do have to be athletic to be a racecar driver.
Just ask Tim McCreadie. The 2004 Rookie of the Year, McCreadie started racing late models last season after following his dad into the world of big-block modifieds.
“I don’t know about other guys, but for me I’m worn out at the end of a race,” said McCreadie, who won the second Outlaws race in February at Volusia Speedway Park for his third victory during the track’s Winter Nationals. “I don’t know how to go easy. I drive as hard as I can. If it goes, it goes. If it doesn’t we go backwards. I’m worn out every night I race. Between that and staying at the track until 1 or 2 in the morning and then going to a hotel and getting up at 9 a.m. again. It gets to you, it wears you out, but I worked regular jobs, too, where you had to work 12-hour days for six days a week. That’s a lot harder than this stuff in the long run because you’re doing something you love. The tiredness doesn’t really get into it that much.”
McCreadie, who turned 31 on April 12, knows how important being well conditioned translates to positive results on the track because he has a unique perspective on how racing can wear down a body. His father, Barefoot Bob McCreadie, has raced seemingly forever on dirt tracks in the tough world of modifieds in the Northeast and has seen his share of injuries.
“I see guys, even like my dad for instance who has wrecked a lot over the years and had major back surgery, fusing bones, broken pretty much everything you could ever break,” he said. “It gets harder as you get older to stay in shape for this whole deal.”
At more than 2,200 pounds, making a dirt late model circle a dirt oval takes extreme effort, even if the chassis setup is right on and everything else is working properly.
“When these cars are working good, it’s not too hard on you, but when they’re not it’s about as demanding as anything you can do,” said Scott Bloomquist, the defending series champion. “A good example is I’ve got a friend of mine who works out in a gym every single day. I let him drive my car once and he couldn’t hold his arms up when he came in — and he only ran 10 laps. I run quite a bit stiffer steering than most but it’s because I’ve done this for so long. If your mind’s racing, your heart’s racing. If you can keep your mind settled down and keep your car handling good, generally you don’t have anything to worry about.”
That’s no easy task, though.
“They’re real physical to drive,” said Steve Francis, who won earlier this month in Cumberland, Md. “You get out of them and you’ll be soaking wet in sweat. We usually do a workout deal in November, December and January until I come to Florida and I’ll go back in March and do it, but this year we raced in Australia through the winter and then went to Arizona and raced there so we never really quit racing so we didn’t have time to do a workout program, but it kept us in shape, too.”
But even if a racer’s car is doing everything it should and allowing a driver to hit his marks in every turn, it still is exhausting work.
“It really depends on how your car is,” said Rick Eckert, who just last weekend posted two victories in non-sanctioned events. “If your car’s not very good you have to work extra hard. If your car is good, it still wears on you pretty hard.”
Not only can racing a dirt late model wear down a driver physically, but the head games involved during a 50-lap feature against some of the best drivers in the world takes a toll, too.
“It’s a lot of mental game,” said Chub Frank, one of the most respected late model racers in the country and winner of the World 100 last season. “You’ve got to know where to go with the car, the moves you make. I think anybody can probably drive a car. They can get used to the physical part of it, but it’s more of knowing exactly what you’re supposed to do and when to do it. There’s a lot mental pressure there, too. You can get a lot of mental drain during a race, especially a long race and depending on where it’s at. There are places where if you don’t hit your marks, like Eldora, where if you run into the corner too hard one lap you’re probably going to knock the wall down. There are times where you have to be concentrating all the time. It will wear you out more mentally than physically when the race is over.”
So while a driver like Moyer takes a somewhat conventional approach to working out, most racers have some unconventional methods. Sure, McCreadie did some running on a treadmill, but playing hockey during the off-season probably keeps him more fit than any other exercises he might do.
For the most part, drivers aim to have some kind of workout program during the off-season. It keeps their energy up so that once the schedule kicks into gear, the drain of racing night after night isn’t so taxing.
“I usually go to the gym all winter long and work out three or four times a week,” Eckert said. “In the summertime I’m usually out of town most of the time. Really, I do most of my working out in the wintertime and driving this thing in the summertime will keep me caught up. I ride my bike a good bit, but that’s about it.”
The goal for most drivers who take part in some kind of workout program is to increase their cardio levels. That helps them breath normal while everything around them is anything but normal.
“I think for guys that are just drivers, you might need more of a workout plan,” Bloomquist said. “I find myself doing a lot of tire work, a lot of car work. I work on my stuff so much and stay busy enough that I don’t think a workout plan helps me because generally you work out the wrong muscles. Overall, a cardio workout applies to everything you do. Some kind of cardio workout is necessary, whether it’s racquetball, running, bicycling, anything that keeps your heart good so you don’t get out of breath real easy is important in any sport.”
With more than 400 victories in his career, clearly proof is in the results for Bloomquist. A driver might not need to be an athlete to race a dirt late model, but he certainly needs to be one if he plans on winning.
The World Of Outlaws Stacker 2® Late Model Series is brought to the fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Stacker 2®, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, VP Racing Fuels, and SPEED CHANNEL. Promotional Partners include AMB i.t., RACEceiver, HUMMERSGONEWILD.COM, Zippo Lighters, and The University of Northwestern Ohio. Contingency sponsors include DART Machinery, MSD Ignitions, Wrisco Industries, and Quarter Master.
