SARVER, PA - June 16, 2010 - What do the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series think of the new three-day, full-bore racing format for the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com that will rock Lernerville Speedway from June 24-26?
Oh, they like it. They really, really like it.
“It’s an awesome deal,” defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., said of the expanded program that features two complete preliminary cards on Thurs., June 24, and Fri., June 25, leading into the $30,000-to-win Firecracker 100 on Sat., June 26. “Lernerville is a place where you usually race all over (the wide surface) by feature time, so three nights of racing is gonna make for a great show.”
Richards will lead the army of Outlaw regulars and dozens of other national, regional and local standouts – including previous Firecracker 100 winners Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. (2007), Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa (’08) and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (’09) – into a blockbuster, $170,000-plus event that is rapidly gaining prestige. The success of the first three editions of the summer-starting spectacular led Lernerville, WoO LMS and World Racing Group officials to make the 2010 installment even bigger.
With 30-lap, $6,000-to-win WoO LMS A-Mains on Thursday and Friday being run to help align the starting fields of the Firecracker 100 heat races on Saturday night, fans are getting more bang for their buck than ever before at the four-tenths-mile oval – and racers are getting more opportunities to fill their own pockets while visiting one of the nation’s top facilities.
“The more chances we get to race at Lernerville, the more I like it,” said WoO LMS veteran Chub Frank, who sits as a Firecracker 100 favorite after scoring two wins and a second-place finish in his three Friday-night tuneup appearances at Lernerville this season. “I’m always in favor of running more big races at Lernerville because it’s such a good track, so the new format is fine with me.”
“I love getting to race for good money every night without ever moving the truck,” offered Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who is back fielding his own equipment this season for the first time since winning the WoO LMS championship in 2007. “Going with a format like this at a track that’s racy like Lernerville is perfect for us racers and gives the fans more to watch. I think more racing is gonna make the atmosphere of the event even better.”
Even the newest World of Outlaws regular, 18-year-old rookie sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., understands what the new Firecracker 100 schedule of events will mean for the spectators buying tickets.
“It’s three full nights of all-out racing with features,” said Hubbard, who will be bidding to make his first career start in the Firecracker 100 A-Main. “As a fan, you get more laps on the track and you get drivers racing hard to get paid every night. You can’t beat that.”
No Outlaw described the allure of the Firecracker 100 festival of speed more succinctly that 2006 champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who is hoping for better fortune in this year’s event after a heat-race flip contributed to his failure to qualify for the A-Main in 2009.
“I like any time we can race for a lot of money, and six-grand for 30 laps and $30,000 for 100 laps over a three-day period is pretty good,” said McCreadie, who is challenging for the WoO LMS title in his first season as a tour regular since he won the crown. “When you want to make a big-time, marquee event you gotta pay the money, and that’s what Lernerville is doing.
“I wish every big-race format would be like this one. Hopefully everybody supports it.”
Make no mistake – with three days of great, lucrative racing as well as pre- and post-race entertainment such as concerts (after the Thursday and Friday programs), a driver/fan horseshoes tournament, the Ms. Firecracker pageant, a Saturday driver autograph session and plenty of pyro, the Firecracker 100 ranks at the top of McCreadie’s list of must-see dirt Late Model weekends.
“Since I’ve been running Late Models, I think (Lernerville Speedway has) worked harder than anybody to try and establish a friendly fan-driver atmosphere where they’ve got all kinds of stuff happening,” said McCreadie, one of the sport’s most popular and accessible drivers. “They try to make it where people want to be there and make a weekend of it for their families. You don’t see that from a lot of other events.”
Advance tickets to the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com are on sale and can be purchased by clicking on the 'Buy Tickets Now!' link at www.lernerville.com or by calling the speedway office at 724-353-1511 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The best deal available is an advance three-day reserved ticket package priced at $59 for adults and $19 for kids 10-and-under. A free pit pass for the Thurs., June 24, and Fri., June 25, shows and priority access to autograph session on Sat., June 26, is included if the package is purchased by June 23.
Camping information and entry forms for the inaugural Ms. Firecracker pageant can be downloaded at www.lernerville.com.
For more information on the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com and the WoO LMS, visit www.lernerville.com or 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), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and Chizmark Larson Insurance; in addition to contingency sponsors Eibach Springs, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pink Carburetors, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster, Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance and Wrisco Aluminum.
Oh, they like it. They really, really like it.
“It’s an awesome deal,” defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., said of the expanded program that features two complete preliminary cards on Thurs., June 24, and Fri., June 25, leading into the $30,000-to-win Firecracker 100 on Sat., June 26. “Lernerville is a place where you usually race all over (the wide surface) by feature time, so three nights of racing is gonna make for a great show.”
Richards will lead the army of Outlaw regulars and dozens of other national, regional and local standouts – including previous Firecracker 100 winners Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. (2007), Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa (’08) and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (’09) – into a blockbuster, $170,000-plus event that is rapidly gaining prestige. The success of the first three editions of the summer-starting spectacular led Lernerville, WoO LMS and World Racing Group officials to make the 2010 installment even bigger.
With 30-lap, $6,000-to-win WoO LMS A-Mains on Thursday and Friday being run to help align the starting fields of the Firecracker 100 heat races on Saturday night, fans are getting more bang for their buck than ever before at the four-tenths-mile oval – and racers are getting more opportunities to fill their own pockets while visiting one of the nation’s top facilities.
“The more chances we get to race at Lernerville, the more I like it,” said WoO LMS veteran Chub Frank, who sits as a Firecracker 100 favorite after scoring two wins and a second-place finish in his three Friday-night tuneup appearances at Lernerville this season. “I’m always in favor of running more big races at Lernerville because it’s such a good track, so the new format is fine with me.”
“I love getting to race for good money every night without ever moving the truck,” offered Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who is back fielding his own equipment this season for the first time since winning the WoO LMS championship in 2007. “Going with a format like this at a track that’s racy like Lernerville is perfect for us racers and gives the fans more to watch. I think more racing is gonna make the atmosphere of the event even better.”
Even the newest World of Outlaws regular, 18-year-old rookie sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., understands what the new Firecracker 100 schedule of events will mean for the spectators buying tickets.
“It’s three full nights of all-out racing with features,” said Hubbard, who will be bidding to make his first career start in the Firecracker 100 A-Main. “As a fan, you get more laps on the track and you get drivers racing hard to get paid every night. You can’t beat that.”
No Outlaw described the allure of the Firecracker 100 festival of speed more succinctly that 2006 champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who is hoping for better fortune in this year’s event after a heat-race flip contributed to his failure to qualify for the A-Main in 2009.
“I like any time we can race for a lot of money, and six-grand for 30 laps and $30,000 for 100 laps over a three-day period is pretty good,” said McCreadie, who is challenging for the WoO LMS title in his first season as a tour regular since he won the crown. “When you want to make a big-time, marquee event you gotta pay the money, and that’s what Lernerville is doing.
“I wish every big-race format would be like this one. Hopefully everybody supports it.”
Make no mistake – with three days of great, lucrative racing as well as pre- and post-race entertainment such as concerts (after the Thursday and Friday programs), a driver/fan horseshoes tournament, the Ms. Firecracker pageant, a Saturday driver autograph session and plenty of pyro, the Firecracker 100 ranks at the top of McCreadie’s list of must-see dirt Late Model weekends.
“Since I’ve been running Late Models, I think (Lernerville Speedway has) worked harder than anybody to try and establish a friendly fan-driver atmosphere where they’ve got all kinds of stuff happening,” said McCreadie, one of the sport’s most popular and accessible drivers. “They try to make it where people want to be there and make a weekend of it for their families. You don’t see that from a lot of other events.”
Advance tickets to the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com are on sale and can be purchased by clicking on the 'Buy Tickets Now!' link at www.lernerville.com or by calling the speedway office at 724-353-1511 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The best deal available is an advance three-day reserved ticket package priced at $59 for adults and $19 for kids 10-and-under. A free pit pass for the Thurs., June 24, and Fri., June 25, shows and priority access to autograph session on Sat., June 26, is included if the package is purchased by June 23.
Camping information and entry forms for the inaugural Ms. Firecracker pageant can be downloaded at www.lernerville.com.
For more information on the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com and the WoO LMS, visit www.lernerville.com or 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), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and Chizmark Larson Insurance; in addition to contingency sponsors Eibach Springs, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pink Carburetors, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster, Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance and Wrisco Aluminum.
