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Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director
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2007 archives

Steve Francis Picks Up $100,000 Championship Check At Thursday Night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Awards Banquet

ORLANDO, FL – Dec. 6, 2007 – Steve Francis clinched his long-awaited first career World of Outlaws Late Model points title last month.

On Thursday night, the star driver picked up the huge check for his hard work during the 2007 season.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., received a cool $100,000 championship prize from series officials during the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

The six-figure payoff culminated an impeccable campaign for Francis, who finally broke through to claim the WoO LMS points crown after heartbreaking runner-up finishes in 2004 and 2005.

“At least I don’t have to watch that video anymore of Volusia County a couple years ago,” quipped Francis, who lost the ’05 title to Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., on a tie-breaker after being passed for position by Moyer on the last lap of the season finale at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. “I’ve seen that (footage) too many times, so I’ve always wanted to win this championship to kinda put that deal behind us.”

Francis was presented the lion’s share of the over $400,000 in cash that was passed out during the banquet by the World Racing Group, which has operated the WoO LMS since 2004.

No one could begrudge Francis a single cent of his championship booty. He certainly earned the big reward by putting together an unmatched performance record in the 44 A-Mains that comprised the 2007 WoO LMS.

Driving his familiar Valvoline Rocket No. 15, Francis registered four wins, 27 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes. After dropping out of two early-season events, he finished the season with a remarkable 38 consecutive lead-lap finishes.

Francis beat Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., by 126 points for the title, which brought him some special personal satisfaction.

“This is the first championship we’ve won since the passing of my brother,” said Francis, whose younger sibling and life-long crew chief died unexpectedly in August 2001. “It means a lot to win it with Lee (Logan, Francis’s chief mechanic in 2007), because Lee and my brother were really, really close friends.”

Lee Logan, 30, and his wife Brandie, who is expecting the couple’s first child in March, were on hand at the banquet to help Francis celebrate his title. They shared a head table with Francis and his girlfriend Jennifer, as well as Francis’s parents and Logan’s father Tim, who fielded the Rocket No. 11 that Francis drove in selected non-Outlaws events in 2007.

Francis hailed the support of the people closest to him, calling them critical cogs in a driver’s push for a championship.

“Our families put up with a lot more than people realize,” said Francis. “They’re the ones who let us do this. There are no Fourths of July at home, or anything like that – we’re always on the road racing and trying to make a living, and they let us do that.

“I want to thank them for all they do for us.”

Francis, who earned nearly $250,000 in WoO LMS purse and points-fund cash in 2007, spent the evening savoring his championship season. But he also noted that he’s already looking ahead to a 2008 campaign that will see him make a change in his racing attack.

The ‘Kentucky Colonel’ recently announced that he will drive Maryland team owner Dale Beitler’s Reliable Painting Rocket No. 19 in 2008. Francis will bring sponsorship from Valvoline to the effort and plans to chase a second consecutive WoO LMS title behind the wheel of Beitler’s red, white and blue machine, which was unveiled on Thursday in the World Racing Group display at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando.

Frank, 45, congratulated Francis when he took to the stage to accept his $60,000 check for a career-high points finish of second on the WoO LMS.

“You didn’t falter, not a bit,” Frank told Francis. “I thought maybe you might, but you didn’t.

“Actually, I think we probably were the ones who faltered, but I’m not complaining. We had a great year (scoring a series-high six wins), and it was fun racing with you.”

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., received $40,000 for finishing third in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., picked up a $35,000 check for placing fourth and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., pocketed $30,000 for fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 in the points standings were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. ($25,000), Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. ($24,000), Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. ($23,000), Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill. ($22,000) and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill. ($21,000).

Of the top-10 finishers, only Shirley was unable to attend the banquet. He did not make the trip because his car owner, Ed Petroff, underwent surgery on Wednesday.

Fuller, 40, received an additional $10,000 and a new ButlerBuilt racing seat for winning the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award over Shirley, who earned a $5,000 bonus for finishing second in the rookie standings. The top rookie was determined using a driver’s best 30 finishes on the tour.

“You know, this Late Model (racing) was a lot tougher than I thought it would be,” smiled Fuller, a longtime DIRTcar Racing big-block Modified star. “It was a rough learning curve for me, but we learned a little bit along the way and hopefully we can do a little better next year.

“I just want to thank everybody for taking me in and accepting me as a Late Model driver.”

The WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Award went to Brad Baum, who turns the wrenches for Frank. Baum received the coveted mechanic’s honor by a vote of the tour’s crew chiefs and WoO LMS officials.

Unfortunately, Baum did not attend the banquet, so Frank accepted the award for his employee.

“I know Brad’s not gonna be happy about not being here,” said Frank, noting that Baum decided to stay home and work on the team’s cars. “I know if he was here, he’d be jumping up and down and having a good time, not believing he actually got this.

“He did a great job for me, and I probably wouldn’t have had as good a year as I did without him.”

Babb, who ran a majority of the WoO LMS for the first time in 2007, earned a $1,000 bonus for winning the most National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Awards during the season. He was quick-timer on six occasions.

Custom Race Engines in Knoxville, Tenn., was announced as the winner of the 2007 WoO LMS Engine Builders’ Challenge. Francis, Frank and Clanton exclusively used Custom powerplants in ’07, and Fuller utilized a Custom motor in numerous events.

“It was a great year for us, and we enjoyed our participation in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series,” Larry Clark of Custom Race Engines told the assemblage after accepting the award. “I think it certainly is the premier racing series on dirt.”

Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, W.Va., out-pointed Rayburn Chassis and GRT Chassis to win the 2007 WoO LMS Chassis Builders’ Challenge. Rocket’s Mark Richards accepted the award.

“We need to thank all the owners, drivers and crews who support Rocket Chassis,” said Richards. “This award is a product of all the great drivers and teams that use Rocket Chassis.”

Roger Slack and Matt Long of The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., were honored as the 2007 WoO LMS Promoters of the Year. They received recognition for hosting four very successful WoO LMS A-Mains in ’07 – the Circle K Colossal 100, Jani-King Southern Showdown and the inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals’ that closed the season in blockbuster fashion.

World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter presented a special ‘Contribution to the Sport’ award to Maryland’s Raye Vest, the well-respected owner of the orange No. 24 cars driven by Rick Eckert.

“This is quite a surprise,” said the 74-year-old Vest, who became emotional while making remarks on the stage. “It’s been a long time (in racing), but I still enjoy every minute of it.

“I don’t know how much longer I got, but I never give up – and I’ll let Rick know when it’s time.”

Integra Shocks, which sponsored the ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award during the 2007 season, gave specially-designed leather coats to Lee Logan and his father Tim for winning the Integra Shocks ‘Crew Chief Challenge’ at the ‘Outlaws World Finals.’

The top-three finishers in the points standings also received 10 sheets of aluminum apiece from Wrisco Industries, a contingency sponsor throughout the 2007 season.

WoO LMS director Tim Christman addressed the banquet attendees during the gala.

“Mostly I’d like to thank the teams, the sponsors and the families for being involved and allowing us to take this show on the road and be the success that it is,” said Christman. “It’s a great joy for us to be the biggest show at a lot of tracks around the country and deal with a great group of champions.”

Christman also touched upon the 2008 WoO LMS schedule, which was released earlier in the day at the PRI trade show. Forty-six events at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces are currently listed on the sked, with at least a half-dozen more dates to be announced in the near future.

The 2008 WoO LMS kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 with the 37^th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Young Josh Richards Achieved Almost All His Goals On 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 3, 2007 – Josh Richards set some personal goals for his 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series season – and he came within a hair of achieving them all.

* A minimum of four A-Main wins on the series – check.

* Victories at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway – check.

* A top-five finish in the WoO LMS points standings – well, almost.

Richards, 19, of Shinnston, W.Va., fell a mere four points shy of cracking the top five in the tour’s final rankings, but a career-high sixth-place points finish and the realization of his other goals gave the 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year plenty to be excited about.

“I would’ve liked to get a top-five in the points, but I still had a lot of fun this year,” said the low-key Richards, who campaigns his father Mark’s familiar Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket Chassis house car. “I’d give our season a ‘B-plus’ (grade). We accomplished a lot of what we wanted to, and I know that if we didn’t have some bad luck when we were running up front in a few races, it would’ve definitely been a great year.”

For Richards, the 2007 season was another step in his steady rise to the top of the dirt Late Model world. A winner once in each of the past two WoO LMS campaigns, he broke through with four triumphs in ’07, tying him with champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and third-place points finisher Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., as the tour’s third-winningest driver.

The precocious talent known as ‘Kid Rocket’ signaled his emergence as a serious title contender by winning the 2007 season opener, the DIRTcar Nationals finale on Feb. 17 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Later, he was one of only three drivers to score back-to-back victories with successes on July 21 at Hagerstown ($12,000-to-win ‘60^th Anniversary Classic’) and July 22 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., and he rolled to an overwhelming triumph on Sept. 22 in the 19^th annual ‘Pittsburgher’ event at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.

Each of Richards’s checkered flags had some special meaning, but the Hagerstown and PPMS wins really stick out in his mind. While he took pride in defeating one of the season’s most star-studded fields at Volusia and winning at a bullring like Eriez that hasn’t been his specialty, he deeply coveted victories at Hagerstown and PPMS.

“I’ve always wanted to win at both Hagerstown and Pittsburgh,” said Richards, who lives within a three-hour drive of the two tracks. “Hagerstown is where I ran my first feature (as a dirt Late Model driver in 2004), and I’ve always considered it one of the toughest tracks around. And I’ve been going to the ‘Pittsburgher’ since I was a little kid, so winning it was pretty awesome.”

There was one thing for certain about Richards’s performance in ’07: when he was on, he was on. In all four of his victories, he dominated the action from flag-to-flag. Those 210 laps he paced accounted for the bulk of his series-leading 304 laps led this season – a giant leap from 2006, when he led a total of 35 circuits on the tour.

Richards registered 12 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes while competing in all 44 WoO LMS A-Mains run in 2007. He earned one National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award (May 12 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis.) and notably was the only driver in the top 10 of the final points standings who didn’t use a single provisional to start an A-Main all season.

A handful of slaps from Lady Luck, however, prevented Richards from placing higher in the final points standings and perhaps even challenging Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., for the honor of winningest WoO LMS driver in 2007.

Richards could only wonder what might have been if he…hadn’t been spun into the inside wall at the original start of the April 17 event at Pennsy’s Lernerville Speedway…didn’t break a power-steering cylinder while challenging for the lead on April 21 in the Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C…didn’t tangle with a lapped car while leading on May 31 at Delaware International Speedway…hadn’t cracked a right-rear axle tube while dominating the June 15 event at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway…didn’t bust a jackshaft challenging Frank for the lead on July 27 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway…hadn’t caught the cushion and damaged his nosepiece after blasting from 21^st to the lead in 10 laps of the Oct. 10 Jani-King Southern Showdown at The Dirt Track.

Yes, it could have been a truly memorable season for Richards if the breaks had gone his way. But the heartbreaks are part of racing for all rising young drivers, and the always-positive Richards never let the disappointments get him down.

Richards, whose father co-owns Rocket Chassis, considered 2007 to be a successful season.

“I think I’ve improved a lot as a driver this year,” said Richards, who pocketed $105,707 to rank as one of six drivers to reach the six-figure mark in purse earnings. “I’ve probably improved more from last year to this year than I have in any other years. I kinda felt like last year I had plateaued a little bit, but this year I feel like I’ve learned a lot more and become a better driver.

“I’ve always liked the big, fast tracks best, but this year I learned more about running the smaller tracks. I’ve also always seemed to struggle the most with (track) conditions that are in between slick and wet because you can’t tell how hard you have to drive; there’s a fine line there, but I think I’m getting better at that.”

Richards paused. He considered his progression on the WoO LMS – from entering selected events as a 16-year-old in 2004 to points finishes of eighth (2005) and ninth (2006) – and then talked about how becoming a success on the tour is tougher than anyone can ever imagine.

“We’re slowly getting better,” said Richards, who was one of two WoO LMS regulars under the age of 30 in ‘07 (26-year-old Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., was the other). “I feel like we’re not too far off from being really good, but it just takes time.

“Everybody on the series who’s good, they’ve been racing for so many years and they’re just awesome at it. For a while there I thought they were so good just because they had better cars, but I’ve realized that experience is the biggest factor.”

Richards will join his fellow WoO LMS regulars in celebrating the 2007 season this Thursday night (Dec. 6) during the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Season Kicks Off With Busy January/February Schedule In Georgia & Florida

EVANSVILLE, IN – Nov. 26, 2007 – The 2007 UMP DIRTcar Racing season is over, but the first green flag of the 2008 campaign is less than two months away.

And once the UMP DIRTcar Racing action heats up on, it will roar on for nearly an entire month in the southeast corner of the United States.

Beginning Jan. 23 and stretching to Feb. 16, UMP DIRTcar Racing’s Super Late Model division will compete in 11 events and the open-wheel Modified class will contest 18 nights of competition across Georgia and Florida.

“This will be the most races UMP DIRTcar Racing has ever sanctioned down south in January and February,” said UMP DIRTcar Racing director Sam Driggers. “There will be plenty of racing to keep the Late Model and Modified teams busy.”

The Super Late Model competition kicks off on Wed., Jan. 23, at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., which will host the huge ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ from Jan. 23-Feb. 2. Track owner Frankie Lloyd has scheduled an unprecedented 10 nights of Super Late Model racing all topped by 50-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Mains, including seven under the UMP DIRTcar Racing banner.

UMP DIRTcar Racing is set to sanction GIS’s ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ Super Late Model programs on Wed., Jan. 23; Thurs., Jan. 24; Fri., Jan. 25; Sat., Jan. 26; Mon., Jan. 28; Tues., Jan. 29; and Sat., Feb. 2.

Golden Isles has been a site for late-January/early-February UMP DIRTcar Racing Super Late Model action in the past, but the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ will mark the first time that every event offers a $10,000 top prize. The competition will also take place on a completely redesigned track after Lloyd spent much of the 2007 season turning the equipment-taxing five-eighths-mile GIS oval into a racier four-tenths-mile layout with 90-foot-wide turns.

Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who made history in 2007 by sweeping the UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals and National points championships, is expected to begin his ’08 schedule by chasing the big bucks at Golden Isles.

An ever-expanding list of top-name drivers has already announced plans to enter the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at GIS, including former UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals and World of Outlaws Late Model Series champions Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.; 2007 WoO LMS titlist Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and fellow tour regulars Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; 2007 UMP DIRTcar Racing ‘World 100’ winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn.; 2007 Knoxville Nationals victor Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C.; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.; and NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader of Fenton, Mo.

UMP DIRTcar Racing will also sanction four nights of Super Late Model racing as part of the 37^th annual ‘DIRTcar Nationals’ at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. The full-bodied warriors will battle under the UMP flag on Mon., Feb. 11; Tues., Feb. 12; Wed., Feb. 13; and Fri., Feb. 15.

A star-studded field in the neighborhood of 100 cars is anticipated for the ‘DIRTcar Nationals’ events at VSP, a half-mile oval that is located just 20 minutes from Daytona Beach.

The Golden Isles and Volusia meets will each crown UMP DIRTcar Racing points champions under the organization’s State points divisions.

The UMP DIRTcar Racing open-wheel Modifieds will be even busier than the Late Models, barnstorming through four tracks to run 18 times.

All the Modified competition begins at Golden Isles Speedway, where the open-wheel standouts can get a head start on their southern excursions with four programs during the ‘Super Bowl of Racing.’ The Modifieds are scheduled to contest $1,000-to-win shows as part of the GIS undercard on Mon., Jan. 28; Tues., Jan. 29; Wed., Jan. 30; and Thurs., Jan. 31.

The Modifieds then head to the Sunshine State for the second annual ‘North Florida Winternationals’ from Feb. 1-3 at North Florida Speedway in Lake City. The three-eighths-mile oval hosted UMP DIRTcar Racing open-wheel Modifieds for the first time in 2007.

The meat of the winter trip for UMP DIRTcar Racing open-wheel Modified teams comes at Volusia Speedway Park, where eight consecutive nights of ‘DIRTcar Nationals’ racing stretches from Tues., Feb. 5, to Tues., Feb. 12. Fields of 60-plus Modifieds are expected for the programs, which run in conjunction with All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars (Feb. 5-7), World of Outlaws Sprint Cars (Feb. 8-10) and UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Models (Feb. 11-12).

The season-opening swing for the UMP DIRTcar Racing open-wheel Modifieds comes to a close on Florida’s west coast at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton. Two nights of preliminary competition (Thurs., Feb. 14, and Fri., Feb. 15) will be topped by an $8,000-to-win 100-lapper on Sat., Feb. 16.

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Racing events, visit www.umpracing.com or call the UMP DIRTcar Racing office at 812-426-1200.

Info on the tracks is available by logging on to www.goldenislesspeedway.com; www.northfloridaspeedway.com; www.volusiaspeedway.com; or www.eastbayracewaypark.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Stars Francis & Frank Receive Nominations For AARWBA All-America Team

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 28, 2007 – Steve Francis and Chub Frank – the top-two finishers in the 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points standings – are among the nominees for the prestigious 2007 All-America Auto Racing Team, which is determined by the 400-plus voting members of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA).

Francis, who won his first-ever WoO LMS title, and Frank earned nominations in the ‘Short Track’ category. A total of seven different divisions comprise the AARWBA balloting, with the top-two vote-getters in each category being named to the All-America Auto Racing First Team.

Other ‘Short Track’ nominees include 2007 World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Donny Schatz and series runner-up Joey Saldana, as well as USAC open-wheel national titlists Levi Jones (Sprint Cars) and Jerry Coons Jr. (Midgets).

A dirt Late Model driver has never been voted to the AARWBA All-America First Team, which has been chosen annually by the group’s membership since 1970.

“It’s a significant achievement for Steve Francis and Chub Frank to receive nominations for the AARWBA All-America Auto Racing Team,” said WoO LMS director Tim Christman. “Only the best short-track racers in the country are considered for the team, so we’re extremely excited and proud that two of the nominees were regulars with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.”

The drivers placing third and fourth in each category’s voting will be named to the All-America Auto Racing Second Team, and all other drivers receiving at least five percent of the vote will receive ‘Honorable Mention’ status.

Both Francis and Frank will also be in the running for the Jerry Titus Award, which is presented annually to the All-America team driver who receives the most votes in the balloting, regardless of category.

The AARWBA will honor its standout drivers from the 2007 season during the 38th annual AARWBA Banquet in Indianapolis on Jan. 12, 2008.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., earned his All-America Team nomination thanks to a dream season on the WoO LMS in 2007. With a performance record that featured four wins, 27 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes in 44 A-Main starts on the tour, the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ ran away with the $100,000 title for the first time after finishing a heartbreaking second in the standings in both 2004 and 2005.

Frank, 45, of Bear Lake, Pa., fell short in his second-half pursuit of Francis for the WoO LMS championship, but he enjoyed a career season nonetheless. The popular driver known as ‘Chubzilla’ led the competitive tour in A-Main victories, with six, and finished a personal-best second in the points standings. He also won the unsanctioned Dirt Track World Championship event at Ohio’s K-C Raceway, which brought him a $50,000 top prize.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Champion Steve Francis Receives Nomination For 2007 Economaki Champion of Champions Award

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 28, 2007 – World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Steve Francis is among the nominees for the fifth annual Economaki Champion of Champions Award.

Ten drivers are finalists for the award, which is presented by National Speed Sport News. Bestowed upon the racer deemed the newspaper’s driver of the year, it is named after the longtime Editor and Publisher Emeritus of NSSN, legendary writer and commentator Chris Economaki.

Each of the ‘Champion of Champions’ finalists won a series title while racing in North America during the 2007 and represents a different type of auto racing discipline that is covered extensively within the pages of NSSN.

Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., earned his nomination thanks to an impeccable season in which he captured his first-ever WoO LMS points championship. A heartbreaking runner-up in the tour’s points standings in both 2004 and 2005, the ‘Kentucky Colonel’ broke through in ’07 on the strength of four wins, 27 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes in 44 A-Mains.

Driving his own Steve Francis Racing Valvoline Custom/Rocket No. 15, Francis authored an incredible performance record on the nation’s toughest dirt Late Model series. He dropped out of just two early-season events and ran off 38 consecutive lead-lap finishes to end the campaign, clinching the title during the blockbuster ‘Outlaws World Finals’ event that was held for the first time Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Francis, who will enter his 25^th anniversary season as a fulltime dirt Late Model driver in 2008, earned nearly a quarter-million dollars racing on the WoO LMS this season, including the $100,000 check he will receive at the tour’s awards banquet on Thurs., Dec. 6, at the International Plaze Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

The winner of the Economaki Champion of Champions will also be announced on Dec. 6, during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Fla. Economaki will present the award, and the year-end Dec. 19 issue of NSSN will feature the winner.

Donny Schatz, the 2007 World of Outlaws Sprint Car series champion, is also a nominee for the award.

Other 2007 ‘Champion of Champions’ finalists include: Sebastien Bourdais, who won the Champ Car World Series title; USAC National Midget champ Jerry Coons Jr.; Indy Racing League titlist Dario Franchitti; Fogarty/Alex Gurney, who won a title with the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday; NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson; NASCAR Busch East Series titlist Joey Logano; and Tony Schumacher, who won the NHRA Top Fuel title.

Previous winners of the Economaki Champion of Champions Award are J.J. Yeley (2003), World of Outlaws Sprint Car legend Steve Kinser (2004), Tony Schumacher (2005) and Jimmie Johnson (2006).

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Young Brian Shirley Got An Education On 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 27, 2007 – He’s young. He’s X-Games cool. And of course, he’s fast too.

Wrap those traits together, and Brian Shirley is a leader of dirt Late Model racing’s Generation Next.

During the 2007 campaign, just about every segment of the dirt Late Model scene got a chance to see Shirley’s unique blend of youth, style and speed first-hand.

Shirley, 26, of Chatham, Ill., took another step with his burgeoning full-fender career in 2007, deciding after the season had already started to chase the tough World of Outlaws Late Model Series. He fell short of winning the tour’s Rookie of the Year award, but there’s no question he earned a great racing education – and further established himself as a serious national contender – with his far-flung travels.

A former flat-track motorcycle champion who has driven dirt Late Models only since 2002, Shirley took his share of frustrating lumps as a first-year WoO LMS follower. But he also became just the second driver in WoO LMS history to win an A-Main as a rookie and rang up four runner-up finishes, giving him plenty to hang his hat on for the future.

“I’m definitely not disappointed in our year,” Shirley said as the ’07 WoO LMS schedule wound down. “I get a little frustrated at times, but I’ve gotta understand what we were doing this year and look at the big picture. We went to 40-some racetracks this year that I’d never been to before!

“I feel like we have a lot of good things happening. I’m looking forward to coming back stronger and competing (against the country’s best drivers) next year.”

Hot off a 12-win 2006 season that featured a star-making victory in the Knoxville (Iowa) Late Model Nationals, Shirley and veteran Midwest car owner Ed Petroff sketched an ’07 plan of attack filled with more road trips and major events. They didn’t enter February’s DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., instead choosing to launch their campaign one month later with the WoO LMS ‘March Through Dixie’ events at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala.

Bad luck left Shirley a non-qualifier at both Columbus and North Alabama, but it got him rolling down the WoO LMS highway. He hauled east with the tour in mid-April and then became a virtual regular, missing only five of the season’s remaining 38 events with the Petroff Towing/J&J Steel/Jayco Construction No. 3s.

With Shirley approved as a Rookie of the Year contender by a panel of WoO LMS drivers and media members, he had something extra to pursue. But while he would have liked to add the Rookie crown to his resume – he finished second to Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., by 162 points (3,924-3,762) in a race that was determined using each driver’s best 30 finishes – it was the experience he gained out on the trail that meant the most to him.

“It’s just a whole different deal,” Shirley said of following the WoO LMS. “People don’t realize that. I didn’t realize it, to be honest.

“There’s a million things you gotta learn – the tires, the shocks, the setups, the tracks. Even the cars – I haven’t run these types of (Rocket) cars that I got in this year. I came from a totally different type of car, a swing-arm (Rayburn) car, to running these (Rockets). There’s a million things you can do to them, but luckily Mark (Richards of Rocket Chassis) has been there for me and (Steve) Francis has helped me out a bunch.”

The assistance of Richards, Francis and the rest of the Rocket standard-bearers was a godsend to Shirley, who traveled most of the WoO LMS with just his good buddy Zach Pointer, a novice when it comes to dirt Late Model mechanics. Petroff purchased Rocket Chassis mounts for Shirley this year, giving Shirley access to the tight Rocket group’s setup and testing information.

“The Rocket team is coming together,” said Shirley. “I agree with Francis 100 percent – I think the bond that’s happening among the Rocket teams out on the road, the sharing of information – it’s gonna bring big things in the future. I know it helps me.”

Shirley ran both Rocket and Rayburn cars on the WoO LMS, adding another variable to his season. He drove the Rayburn to his first career tour feature win, on May 13 at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway, and second-place finishes on July 3 at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Sept. 14 at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway, and he was behind the wheel of the Rocket when he finished second on June 17 at the Belleville (Kans.) High Banks and Sept. 22 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Shirley also nearly won the June 16 event at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans., in a Rocket, losing the lead with four laps remaining due to a busted radiator fan.

In all, Shirley entered 37 WoO LMS events and scored five top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He earned one National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award – on June 23 at Quebec’s Autodrome Drummond after making a banzai, all-night haul from central Illinois to Canada that proved his dedication to the series – and earned $64,004 en route to a ninth-place finish in the points standings.

“There were a lot of variables that happened this year,” said Shirley, “and considering I’ve traveled the whole tour with one guy who didn’t know anything about racing, I’d give us a ‘B’ (grade) for the season.

“I think next year we’ll struggle at times, just like we did this year. But after learning so much this year about racing on the road, we’ll be more big-picture consistent – not just get top 10s, but maybe more top fives.”

Shirley, who was one of two WoO LMS regulars under the age of 30 in 2007 (19-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., was the other), is excited about his future as a dirt Late Model driver.

“I have a lot of people behind me support-wise,” said Shirley. “They know we’re not winning every race out here, but they’re still totally behind me.

“I was feeling like I let my fans down a little bit this year, that they’d be disappointed because I didn’t race close to home very much. But they all reassured me that they’re behind me 100 percent, and that makes me feel good about what we’re trying to do.

“You know, I feel the disappointment of not doing good every race, but (the fans) must see the big picture and are happy that I’m out here working to get better with the best drivers.”

Shirley will join his fellow WoO LMS drivers in celebrating the 2007 season when he attends the tour’s ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Thurs., Dec. 6, at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Shane Clanton Heads Into Off-Season On High Note After ‘Gobbler 50’ Victory At Cleveland Speedway

Georgia Standout Finished Fourth In 2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Standings

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 19, 2007 – Shane Clanton will head into the off-season on a high note.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular made a successful invasion of Cleveland (Tenn.) Speedway on Saturday night, winning the track’s 19^th annual ‘Gobbler 50’ event.

Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., pocketed $5,000 for his first-ever victory in the traditional pre-Thanksgiving special, which ended the 2007 O’Reilly Southern All-Stars Series schedule.

The triumph provided a nice boost to Clanton, who didn’t want his disappointing near-misses of the previous two weeks to be his last memories of the 2007 campaign. He fell to a ninth-place finish in the WoO LMS season-ending ‘Outlaws World Finals’ A-Main on Nov. 3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway after making an impressive high-side charge to take the lead, and a flat tire knocked him out of the top spot early in the ‘Blue-Gray 100’ on Nov. 11 at Cherokee SuperSpeedway in Gaffney, S.C.

Clanton came out on Saturday night with his Custom-powered RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Rocket No. 25 firing on all cylinders, grabbing the lead at the initial green flag from his outside-pole spot. But Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., made sure that Clanton worked hard for his money.

McDowell, a WoO LMS regular from 2004-2006, mounted a strong late-race bid to steal the win. He actually nosed ahead of Clanton on lap 48, but Clanton quickly regained command using the outside groove and held on for the remainder of the distance.

Clanton crossed the finish line with a narrow advantage over McDowell. Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., finished third, followed by Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., who won two WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007, and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who captured this year’s UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned ‘World 100’ at Eldora Speedway.

Placing seventh was defending ‘Gobbler 50’ champ Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who finished third in the 2007 WoO LMS points standings. Smith also won a heat race earlier in the program.

The ‘Gobbler’ was likely the last start of the season for Clanton, who closes out a 2007 campaign that didn’t quite live up to his expectations. Coming off a career year that saw him finish second in the 2006 WoO LMS points standings, Clanton could only manage a fourth-place result in the tour’s final ’07 rankings.

Clanton gave himself barely a ‘satisfactory’ grade for his ’07 performance on the WoO LMS.

“It’s gotta be a B-minus – almost a ‘C,’ really,” Clanton said when asked to analyze his third season as a fulltime traveler on the WoO LMS. “Last year we had almost an A-plus season, so we’re a little disappointed.

“We just fell out of too many races. I guess it’s all part of racing, but we’ve had parts break this year that we just haven’t had break in the past. I don’t know if we didn’t check our stuff good enough or if it was because of the racetracks, but whatever caused it, it just wasn’t our year.”

Clanton actually got off to a decent start this year. With four top-10 finishes in the season’s first five events – highlighted by a runner-up placing on April 14 at Virginia Motor Speedway – he found himself sitting atop the points standings.

But Clanton’s stint in the points lead lasted exactly one race. He went without a top-10 finish for an uncharacteristic eight A-Mains in a row over the ensuing month, dropping him to eighth in the points standings.

“It was all good until we went to Lernerville (Speedway in Sarver, Pa., on April 17),” said Clanton, who experienced five DNFs in ’07. “We weren’t good for a few weeks after that, and that just killed us in the points.”

Clanton got back on track during the summer, winning twice – on June 16 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans., and July 20 at Virginia Motor Speedway – and running off a series-best streak of 17 consecutive top-10 finishes from May 18 to July 26. The surge got him back to fourth in the points standings, but he couldn’t climb any higher.

Clanton’s final WoO LMS stats showed two wins, 13 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes in 44 A-Mains. He also won four National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Awards (tied for second-most with Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.), captured 13 heat races (tied for third-most) and earned $92,047 in purses.

“Winning at a new venue (for the WoO LMS) like Lakeside was pretty cool,” said Clanton, who fell 20 points shy of third-place Clint Smith in the final standings. “We should’ve won both races at Virginia (Motor), but at least we got one of them.

“We had a pretty good year, but just not the points year that we wanted. We were hoping to be in the battle for the championship again, but it just didn’t work out this year.”

Clanton, whose richest victory of ’07 was the unsanctioned ‘Magnolia State 100’ (worth $25,000) on Sept. 29 at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway, will pick up an additional $35,000 in points-fund cash during the WoO LMS ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet on Dec. 6 at the International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando, Fla.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.