Top 10 Drivers on WoO All-Time Win List Account for over 71% of Victories

Since 1978, the inaugural season for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, 2,310 features have been contested. The top 10 drivers on the all-time win list have accounted for over 71% of the main event wins. Following this is a rundown of those 10 drivers.

Driver Name        -   Wins   -     %

Steve Kinser             577          25%

Sammy Swindell        292        12.6%

Mark Kinser              153         6.6%

Donny Schatz            149         6.5%

Doug Wolfgang         107          4.6%

Danny Lasoski           89           3.9%

Joey Saldana             84           3.6%

Dave Blaney              70            3.0%

Stevie Smith             67            2.9%

Craig Dollansky          59           2.6%

Excellent Driver Roster will Bolster All Stars in 2014

From the mid 90’s to the mid 2000’s the All-Star Circuit of Champions always boasted a solid group of racers on their tour. The names changed through the years, but guys like Dale Blaney, Kelly Kinser, Chad Kemenah, Kenny Jacobs, Frankie Kerr, Kevin Huntley, Greg Wilson, Jason Johnson, Danny Smith and Lance Dewease all followed the tour at one time during that span.

After a few down years, in which at one point there were as few as 5 drivers following the full tour, the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) All Stars have a driver roster they can boast about again.

Here’s a list of the drivers and teams that are committed to the tour.

Dale Blaney – Fowler, OH (#14K Kennedy Motorsports)

 4 time and defending All Stars champion

 All-time series wins leader at 99

Tim Shaffer – Aliquippa, PA (#45 Grove Motorsports) http://www.timshaffer.com/  @TIMSHAFFER83

4 Time (2009-2012) All Stars champion.

53 All-Star wins

2010 Knoxville Nationals Champion

Caleb Helms – Findlay, OH (#40 Helms Motorsports) http://helmsracing40.wix.com/helmsracing @HelmsRacing40

5^th in national points last year in his first season on the tour

He won his heat and finished 16^th in the A-Main on night one of the 2013 World of Outlaws World Finals in Charlotte.

Danny Holtgraver – Pittsburgh, PA (#10H Hunter Racing) https://www.facebook.com/DannyHoltgraverMotorsports @HoltgraverD4

3^rd in All-Stars national points last year

6 career All-Star victories

2013 Champion of the King of the 360’s Ronald Laney Memorial at East Bay

Trey Gustin – West Union, OH (#80 TGR) http://www.treygustinracing.com/ @Gustin_Trey

6^th in national points last year in his first full season in a 410 sprint car

Chad Kemenah – Findlay, OH (#63 CKR)  http://www.chadkemenah.com/ @CKR_63

4 Time (2002-2005) All-Stars Champion

27 Career All-Star wins

Jac Haudenschild – Wooster, OH (#9W Destiny Motorsports) http://haudenschildracing.com/ @Haudenschild_R

26 Career All-Star wins

12^th in World of Outlaws wins with 56

Wayne Johnson – Knoxville, IA (77X WJR) https://www.facebook.com/WayneJohnsonRacing

1 career All Star win (2008 Winternationals at Volusia)

2000 and 2008 Knoxville 360 Nationals Champion

2000 ASCS National 360 Sprint Car champion

Andrew Palker – West Salem, OH (#57 Palker Racing)

2012 and 2013 Wayne County Speedway points champion

Finished 2^nd in an All Stars race at Mercer Raceway Park last year

The first two drivers on the list above have dominated the All-Stars since 2009 and have basically carried the series. Shaffer and Blaney will be tough to beat again this year as both were fast out of the gate with new teams during the Florida Speedweeks. Blaney suffered through some motor troubles that affected the team’s results. Shaffer picked up a second place finish in the season opener at Bubba Raceway Park.

Wayne Johnson had a tough time in Florida in the 410 sprint finishing in the top 15 just once in the 3 races that Mother Nature allowed the UNOH All Stars to run. He was able to end his time in Florida on a high note by winning the Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360’s at East Bay. I expect him to contend for the title this year even after the slow start.

Danny Holtgraver picked up fifth and sixth place finishes in Florida and coming off a year where he was 3^rd in points he should be right in the mix again this season.

The driver who may have the best chance to dethrone Shaffer and Blaney at the top is Chad Kemenah. A four-time champion of the series himself, Kemenah is back after following the World of Outlaws tour for the last eight seasons. He had some good results in Florida picking up a second place finish in night two at Bubba Raceway Park.

There is a strong possibility of a 10^th driver following the tour with CH Motorsports and their 83 car. Christopher Bell was scheduled to be the driver of the car, but has parted ways with the team. There are several candidates to replace him and it will be interesting to see who lands that ride.

Other drivers who you could see at many All Stars events include David Gravel in the Phoenix Racing 59, whose plans aren't official yet, and Australian driver James McFadden in the Gaerte 3G.

The Schedule

The schedule features 44 more races this season after Florida. The series will be split into three regions, the Ohio, Eastern and Midwest along with the National points title. The series will run in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

After their time in Florida the team’s will get the month of March off before the season picks up again at Attica Raceway Park on April 4^th and 5^th for the Spring Nationals.

They will then travel to Williams Grove and Port Royal for a weekend double header April 25^th and 26^th.

May features three races in western Pennsylvania, Lernerville on the 9th, Mercer the 10th, and the newly reopened Allegheny Motor Speedway May 18^th.  There will also be a two day show at Fremont the 24^th and 25^th.

June features the 2014 edition of the Ohio Sprint Speedweek from June 20-28. This is the crown jewel week for the series. The nine nights or racing in a row will be at eight different tracks across the Buckeye State. 

July has the Thunder Through the Plains which is a five race stretch in nine day through the upper Midwest.

There will be two day shows on four straight weekends in August and September. The first one will be at Mercer Raceway Park on the 23^rd-24^th and the second being at Attica Raceway Park the 29^th and 30^th. 

The Tuscarora 50 weekend follows that September 5^th-6^th and Fremont will host one the 12^th-13^th.

The series concludes with a race at Eldora on October 11^th.

Predictions

National Points Finish

1. Chad Kemenah

2. Dale Blaney

3. Tim Shaffer

4. Danny Holtgraver

5. Wayne Johnson

     

Look for Kemenah to come back to the tour and be very strong after running very respectable with the World of Outlaws the last eight years on a smaller budget than the big teams, Blaney and Shaffer will be there again as mainstays atop the standings. Holtgraver, Johnson and Haudenschild, Helms, Gustin, and Palker will all be in the hunt as well in what will be the most competitive season for the series in quite some time.

One thing that could shake the standings up is if Gravel runs the full tour. If he and his team commit to it they have as good a chance as any of the aforementioned drivers to win the title.

Another shake up could happen if the CH Motorsports team can have success with their new driver. The team is definitely capable of winning a title as they've done so 4 times.

For more information on the UNOH All Stars visit their website http://www.allstarsprint.com/ and follow them on Twitter @ASCOC.

Anticipation Remains High for 2014 Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series

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Despite much uncertainty within the national late model landscape heading into this past offseason, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) will emerge as strong as ever in 2014. The series, now in its tenth season, boasts an impressive 47 events among 19 states along with a very competitive field of new and returning drivers. 

Crown Jewel Events again include the Knoxville Nationals, Show-Me-100, Silver Dollar Nationals, North South 100, Topless 100 and the Dirt Track World Championship.  With a schedule full of high paying events across the country’s heartland, the series is sure to provide many thrilling and competitive events.

The Contenders:

Nine returning drivers from last season include Earl Pearson Jr., Steve Francis, John Blankenship, Jimmy Owens, Eddie Carrier Jr, Don O'Neal, Jared Landers, Billy Moyer Jr. and Dennis Erb Jr. Six new drivers have announced their plans to follow the tour including past touring driver Ray Cook and rookie of the year contenders Brian Shirley, Jason Papich, Ricky Weiss, Jason Hughes, and Randy Weaver.

#20—Jimmy  Owens—Newport, TN—Bloomquist Race Cars

2014 Outlook: Owens is coming off his third straight points championship. He earned eight victories on the tour last season and a third consecutive Show-Me-100 win. 2014 looks to be another banner year for the Newport Nightmare, as he again looks to dominate the tour in his familiar #20 car.

Owens started off slow by his standards at Speedweeks this year. With only one top five finish in the points events, Owens sits 6th in the standings.  Consistency was not an issue for Owens, as he scored seven top ten finishes out of the nine races in Speedweeks.   Nonetheless, history dictates that Owens will find that extra competitive edge needed to be near the top of the series this season.

2014 Speedweeks Results:  Best Finish: 3rd Top 10s: 7 Points Position: 6th

#15—Steve Francis—Ashland, KY— Barry Wright Race Cars

2014 Outlook : The Kentucky Colonel enters his fourth straight season chasing the tour, following his best season in 2013.  Despite winning only two features last season, Francis earned runner up in the points championship thanks to consistent finishes throughout the year.  2014 will be a very pivotal season for Francis in his Clint Bowyer racing ride, as he looks to claim his first LOLMDS points title.

After a Speedweeks filled with consistent top five finishes, Francis indeed appears ready to make this title run.  Claiming the finale at Golden Isles, he led all 50 laps in a dominating victory. Francis sits in a tie for second in the standings after Speedweeks.   Clint Bowyer Racing seems to have found the driver who can deliver the first national touring title to this team. 

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 1st-Golden Isles Top 10s: 8 Points Position: t-2nd

#23—John Blankenship—Williamson, WV—Rocket Chassis

2014 Outlook : Blankenship had a breakout 2013 that included three LOLMDS victories and his first career World 100.  A third place points effort was also his best in his six years following the tour.  The 2009 Rookie of the Year will certainly be a championship contender this season in his family owned #23 Rocket Chassis.

Performance at Speedweeks were likely nearly desirable for Blankenship, despite not winning any races.  He narrowly missed a victory at East Bay after being at the point for 35 laps before succumbing to Billy Moyer with six laps to go. The West Virginia driver sits in a solid top five points position heading into March.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 2nd Top 10s: 5 Points Position: 5th

#44—Earl Pearson Jr.—Jacksonville,FL—Longhorn Chassis

2014 Outlook : The Hurricane returned to winning form last season at East Bay Raceway Park, his first victory since July of 2010. Adding another victory in mid-July at Wythe Raceway, Pearson made major strides in his #44 Bobby Labonte Motorsports Longhorn Chassis last season.  Claiming 4^th place in points last season, the four time series champion will look to return to championship form again in 2014.

By far the most consistent driver throughout Speedweeks, Pearson used finishes of 2^nd,3^rd, 3^rd and 6^th to secure the early season points lead.  Pearson is no stranger to being atop the point standings, spending the better part of the 2005 through 2008 seasons at them. Pearson's early season performance surely suggests that his team has finally turned the corner with its Longhorn Chassis.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 2nd Top 10s: 5 Points Position: 1st

#28e—Dennis  Erb Jr.—Carpentersville , IL—Bloomquist Race Cars

2014 Outlook : A perennial UMP summer nationals driver, Erb decided to follow the entire tour for the first time in 2013.  Claiming four victories on the tour and a 5^th place in the points, the decision certainly paid off. This season is only looking up for Erb, who again plans to race his own #28 Bloomquist chassis late model for the full tour.

Erb scored one victory during the Winternationals at East Bay, but did experience setbacks in many of the other points events.   With a DNF at East Bay and Golden Isles, Erb sits eleventh in the standings after Speedweeks. No stranger to victory lane, Erb has claimed seven races each in the past two years. He will now to look to find more consistent results throughout the grueling season ahead.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 1st-East Bay Top 10s: 3 Points Position: 11th

#5—Don O' Neal—Martinsville,IN—Barry Wright Race Cars

2014 Outlook : O’Neal will move to Clint Bowyer racing this season, replacing Jared Landers in the Peak Motor Oil #5 Barry Wright car.  Claiming victories in the Jackson 100 and the North/South 100 in his #71 MasterSbilt, O’Neal will again look to excel in the crown jewel events this season.  O’Neal has been the model of consistency throughout the history of the LOLMDS, and will look to be near the top of the standings again this year in these new surroundings.

With a solid Speedweeks performance, O’Neal has adapted to these changes very quickly. Finishing 2^nd, 3^rd,3^rd and 9th in the points events, he has made a smooth transition to Barry Wright Race Cars.  Given O’Neal’s past on this series, it is without question that he will be a title threat, especially with Clint Bowyer Racing behind him.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 2nd Top 10s: 6 Points Position: t-2nd

#28—Eddie Carrier Jr.—Salt Rock, WV—Rocket Chassis

2014 Outlook : The 'Salt Rock Express’ followed the full tour for this first time last season, earning seventh in the point standings.   Carrier claimed one victory in his home state at the West Virginia Motor Speedway. Battling many new venues, Carrier gained valuable experience that will help to make 2014 even more of a success.

Likely the biggest surprise of Speedweeks, Carrier finished in the top ten in every race he started, including grabbing a win at Golden Isles.  Carrier’s sophomore season on the tour has gotten off to a strong start, as he looks to avoid a second season slump.  This strong start at East-Bay and Golden Isles has him sitting in a solid 4^th place position heading into the regular season.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 1st-Golden Isles Top 10s: 8 Points Position: 4th

#777—Jared Landers—Batesville, AR—Rocket Chassis

2014 Outlook : Landers struggled at times last season in the Clint Bowyer racing ride, and as a result lost his ride shortly after the season commenced.  Landers will field his own #777 Rocket Chassis this season, following the tour for the first time in his own car.  A talented open wheel modified and late model driver, Landers will aim for more consistent finishes this season.

The debut run for Landers in the Mark Martin Automotive #777 was filled with several mid-pack finishes.  These consistent finishes landed him in 9^th place in the points after Speedweeks.  Landers certainly has the talent to compete in this series, and stronger finishes will likely come with time in his new equipment.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 8th Top 10s: 4 Points Position: 9th

#21JR—Billy Moyer Jr.—Batesville, AR—Moyer Xtreme by Longhorn

2014 Outlook : Moyer earned the Rookie of the Year title last season, but more importantly earned valuable seat time against the best drivers in the country.   This season’s outlook is bright, as Moyer has already claimed a victory in Arizona with the NDRL.  It is still uncertain if he will follow the entire tour, but it is apparent that Moyer will be a major threat in his Longhorn Chassis in any event he enters.

Moyer’s Speedweeks certainly had its ups and downs.  Scoring three top five finishes between Golden Isles and East Bay, Moyer definitely has found speed in his Longhorn Chassis.  But, unfavorable luck spoiled several races for Moyer, including flat tires, multiple accidents, and a disallowed qualification time at East Bay.  The latter of this bad luck resulted in Moyer sitting out the final race at East Bay, and his status following the full tour remains up in the air after this incident.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 3rd Top 10s: 3 Points Position: 20th

#53—Ray Cook—Brasstown, NC—MasterSbilt Race Cars

2014 Outlook: After competing in just one tour event last season, Cook will return to the national spotlight in 2014 by following the full LOLMDS tour. Cook has had success on the regional level over the past three seasons, totaling 30 feature wins.  In 2014, Cook will have the opportunity to compete on a national scale again as the MasterSbilt House Car driver.

Cook’s return to the tour yielded many solid finishes at East Bay and Golden Isles.  Little rust was evident for Cook, who placed in the top 10 five out of eight attempts.  The veteran North Carolina driver will now look to achieve similar results throughout the season.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 6th Top 10s: 5 Points Position: 8th

#81—Brian Shirley—Chatham,IL—Rocket Chassis

2014 Outlook: Shirley will team up with Riggs Motorsports for this season, with the hopes of following the entire tour.  Riggs Motorsports fielded cars for Randy Korte and Jason Riggs last season in select national and regional touring races.  Shirley brings a history of winning to this team, especially on the UMP Summer Nationals tour. 

2014 will be the first time Shirley chases the full tour. Shirley’s Speedweek results were a model of consistency, as he qualified for every single event.  This feat has Shirley slotted in a solid top 10 points position, and more importantly shows that his new team will be very competitive this season.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 4th Top 10s: 3 Points Position: 10th

#91P—Jason  Papich—Arroyo Grande, CA—Rocket Chassis

2014 Outlook: A relative unknown coming into 2014, Papich will look to make a name for himself on the tour this season. The California driver will have the opportunity to compete for the Rookie of the Year title. Papich has many new tracks to learn on the tour, as he previously competed only in the Western United States. Papich started 2014 strong by qualifying for five out of six NDRL features in Tucson.

 

The momentum from these results did not fully carry over to Speedweeks, as Papich failed to qualify in all three events at Golden Isles.  Improvement did follow at East Bay with Papich qualifying for three out of the six events including 11^th and 12^th place efforts against a deep, talented field. The Papich-Toste Racing team showed some resilience throughout Speedweeks, and will now face a long season ahead of battling new and different tracks.  

Best Finish: 11th Top 10s: 0 Points Position: 19th

#7—Ricky  Weiss— Headingley, Manitoba – Victory Circle by Moyer Chassis

2014 Outlook: A two time WISSOTA late model champion, Weiss is an up-and-coming driver from north of the border.  Weiss raced in limited LOLMDS and WoO events last season with plans this season to chase the Rookie of the Year title. Weiss has been successful on the local and regional scale. He will now have the opportunity to expand his racing resume on the national scale this season.

Weiss experienced some struggles, but also gained valuable experience at Speedweeks.  Qualifying for two out of eight features, he battled the best drivers in the country night in and night out.  Now the rookie will need to apply this experience to the long season ahead.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 14th Top 10s: 0 Points Position: 16th

#12—Jason  Hughes—Westville, OK—Bloomquist Race Cars

2014 Outlook: A successful driver in the USTMS division, Hughes will make the transition to the super late model division in a big way this season.  Hughes claimed 12 USTMS victories last season along with a  2^nd place in the Central Division points standings.  Hughes has teamed up with Rowland Motorsports to attempt a run at the LOLMDS Rookie of the Year title.

Despite being a true late model rookie, Hughes delivered solid performances over Speedweeks.  Speed certainty was not an issue, as Hughes qualified for seven feature events.  Durability, however, was the issue for Hughes who experienced early exits in four of these events.  With limited seat time in a late model, Hughes will use this season to build a solid foundation for his super late model career.

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 11th Top 10s: 0 Points Position: 15th

#116—Randy Weaver—Crossville, TN —GRT Race Cars

2014 Outlook: A veteran driver throughout the Southeastern region, Weaver will attempt to follow the LOLMDS full tour for this time.  “Dream” Weaver has claimed 338 features in his storied career and will likely be a strong competitor at many of the Southern speedways.   Weaver is the only driver in the series that uses GRT Chassis.

A perfect eight for eight in qualifying for A-Mains, Weaver begun his LOLMDS career with solid performances in qualifying events.   However, many of these A-Mains ended in disappointment for Weaver.  No top ten finishes and a couple DNFs leave Weaver thirteenth in the standings after Speedweeks. 

2014 Speedweeks Results: Best Finish: 14th Top 10s: 0 Points Position: 13th

Recapping Speedweeks:  

The season opening  Speedweeks at Golden Isles Speedway and Eastbay Speedway Park have the series off to a fast and competitive start.  Despite the competitive list of full time touring drivers, “outsiders” claimed six of the nine Speedweek events: Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden (Golden Isles), young gun Bobby  Pierce, Billy Moyer (x2), and Davey Johnson (East Bay).   Francis claimed the finale at Golden Isles, while Carrier and Erb claimed preliminary features at East Bay.

The average number of entries for the point events totaled 40 cars, including all fifteen drivers planning to run the full tour. Pearson is off to a fast start leading the points after Speedweeks with solid top 3 finishes. He is followed by O’Neal (-35), Francis (-35), Carrier (-65), and Blankenship (-100).

Speedweeks seemed to suggest that the gap between full time national touring drivers and regional drivers is very slim.  This was also apparent at the DIRTCar Nationals as four regional drivers (Ivedent Lloyd, Kenny Pettyjohn, Casey Roberts, Kyle Bronson), bested the Outlaws and many of the Lucas Oil Drivers.   It will be very interesting to see if these  “upsets” can continue throughout this season’s events, as many regional and local drivers attempt to defend their turf.


The Schedule: 

The series now looks ahead to eleven straight $10,000 to win events from March through Mid-May. The lone March event takes place at Brownstown for the IceBreaker.  Then, April sees a southern swing with races in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. April closes with a pair of races in Maryland and Pennsylvania at Roaring Knob and Hagerstown. 

May sees a busy start with races shifting to the Midwest.  Following three events in Illinois and one in Kentucky, the Show-Me-100 takes place on May 23 and 24. The front crown jewel of the season, it takes place at none other than the Lucas Oil Speedway.

June sees a bit of a break in the schedule with only three races, including the Clash at the Mag at Magnolia Speedway.  Another stretch of $10,000 to win races in the Midwest highlights the first half of July before the $30,000 to win Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80 Speedway on July 17-19.

The action begins to really heat up in August, as two major events highlight the schedule on back to back weeks.  The top drivers in the country will battle for $50,000 in the North/South 100 at Florence Speedway (Aug 7-9) and  $40,000 in the Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway (Aug 14-16).  Events in Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia round out the busy August schedule, including the Hillbilly Hundred at I-77 Raceway Park on August 31^st.

The schedule wraps up in September and October with three more major events including the 35^th annual Jackson 100 (Sep. 19-20), the Knoxville Nationals (Sep 25-27), and the season ending Dirt Track World Championship (Oct 17-18).  Overall, the LOLMDS features a grueling schedule of races across the country, including eight 100 lap features, one 80 lap feature, and thirty 50 lap features.

Boasting an expanded television package with MAVTV, CBS, and NBC Sports Network, fifteen series events will be broadcast on these networks, including many of the crown jewels.  The full schedule with events, dates and purse winnings can be viewed here: http://www.lucasdirt.com/schedule/tour-schedule/.

Predictions:

Only three drivers have claimed championships in the history of the series: Earl Pearson Jr. (2005-2008), Scott Bloomquist (2009-2010) and Jimmy Owens (2011-2013).  Going into 2014, Owens appears to be  the favorite to repeat. However, with one of the deepest and most talented field in series history, the stars will align for a new champion. 

Veteran drivers Pearson and Francis will rise to the top of the series this season.  Each driver has seemed to found the right combination heading into this season with the Longhorn and Barry Wright Chassis, respectively.   Francis will take the title over Owens, followed by Pearson, Blankenship and O’Neal. 

Why Francis? He is coming off a strong 2013 where he gave Owens a serious run for the title. With another year of experience on the full tour, Francis is fully prepared to end the title reign of the Newport Nightmare.  Blankenship and O’Neal will be the drivers to watch at many of the crown jewels, but their overall performance throughout the season will leave them short of a podium points finish.

A driver to watch this season will be Eddie Carrier Jr. After a strong start to Speedweeks, he is the dark horse pick for winning the championship.  That is, it will be no surprise if Carrier wins multiple races this season and places near the top of the standings. 

Among the rookie contenders, Brian Shirley and Randy Weaver by far have the most experience racing in other series.  They are the clear favorites to claim the Rookie of the Year title.  Shirley has been selected to edge Weaver for the title due to Shirley's successes on the UMP Hell Tour and his increased resume of racing on a national scale.

Championship Standings

1. Steve Francis

2. Jimmy Owens

3. Earl Pearson Jr. 

4. John Blankenship

5. Don O’Neal

Dark Horse: Eddie Carrier Jr.

Rookie of the Year: Brian Shirley

The schedule is chalk full of many major events that bring large purses and storied histories.  Not only is the increased purse on the line, but these races also feature major bragging rights.

Here are predictions for three of the most sought after victories on the tour:

22^nd Annual Show Me 100—Lucas Oil Speedway—May 23-24

Last Year’s Winner: Jimmy Owens

Past Winners: http://www.coracingworld.com/stats/events_lm_show100_wins.html

Predicted Winner:  John Blankenship

11^th Annual Knoxville Nationals—Knoxville Raceway—Sept. 25-27

Last Year’s Winner: Darrell Lanigan

Past Winners: http://www.coracingworld.com/stats/events_lm_knoxvillentl_wins.html

Predicted Winner: Scott Bloomquist

35^th Annual Dirt Track World Championship – Portsmouth Raceway Park—Oct. 17-Oct. 18

Last Year’s Winner: Brandon Sheppard  

Past Winners: http://www.coracingworld.com/stats/events_lm_dtwc_wins.html

Predicted Winner: Don O' Neal

2014 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Season Preview and Predictions

Yeah, I know, I'm writing a season preview after the season has begun. Shoot me if you will. Let me explain my reasoning for doing so, though. I don't consider the Florida Speedweeks shows to be regular season shows for the WoO, because the fields, particularly at Volusia, are far different than what you'll find during the season on tour. The results and points to this point are skewed because of it. Not to mention there's been teams that state they have intentions to run the tour, then have a crappy Speedweeks and decide against it. So I'm going off of information from press releases and websites and such, with liberal amounts of my opinion sprinkled in.

The 2014 season started off as a rather tumultuous one for the series. The upstart NDRL (which I'll be previewing later in the week, keep an eye out for it) scheduled on top of their biggest shows and took a couple drivers, Tim Fuller and Bub McCool. Word has come down that defending series champ and early favorite to repeat Josh Richards will not be on tour to start the season, and may not be around for quite a while due to an undisclosed illness. At this point, if/when he does return, he's probably going to be running an "outlaw" schedule.

All of that led to a lot of questions going into Florida.

Who would be running the series full time? Rookie of the Year contenders? Would the Rocket house car be on tour, a stalwart of the series from it's inception? Would it's biggest shows, the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville and USA Nationals at Cedar Lake have large fields with competition for cars now a thing?

So I figured I'd try to answer those questions. I'm still not sure, but based I'll go with what I've seen.


Who will be running the series full time?

Darrell Lanigan
Rick Eckert
Shane Clanton
Tim McCreadie
Clint Smith
Eric Wells
Morgan Bagley
Chub Frank

It really isn't any different from the last few years, minus Richards (due to illness), Fuller and McCool of course. Richards is a huge loss. Considering Fuller finished 7th in points last year and McCool finished 10th, I don't think their loss matters very much to the series as a whole, expect for maybe the annual western swing, where the fields aren't always the deepest and for some reason Fuller is always at his strongest.

There is a rumor that Brady Smith is looking to follow the WoO again (he followed the tour in 2009) after having an especially strong Florida. But he's said that hinges on crew help and sponsorship. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Rookie of the year contenders?

So far, Chase Jughans is for sure. Brandon Sheppard is a maybe (more on that in a the next paragraph). Apparently Boom Briggs and Frankie Heckenast Jr. are both considering a run at RoY, but they've both said that before. I'll believe either of them will actually do it when I see it.

Will the Rocket house car be on tour in 2014?

It remains to be seen. Mark Richards put Brandon Sheppard in the car for Florida with Josh Richards' absence. Brandon produced, and now sits second in current points. Apparently it was said in Florida that if Brandon was sitting pretty in points coming out of speedweeks that he'd be kept in the house car. He's obviously sitting pretty. I guess we'll see if Mark Richards is a man of his word. If Brandon does run the WoO, they might as well write the Rookie of the Year check out to him now. Also, if Brandon does run the WoO, does that mean there will be twin house cars on tour when Josh does come back? That all remains to be seen.

Will the Firecracker 100 and USA Nationals have big fields?

It all depends on how you define "big". I'll bet the fields for these races are about he same as they've been the past few years. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the fields actually increase for both these races as more regional guys show up at them, due to the purported "weakening' of the WoO.

Overall, I expect the WoO to end up being fine this year. Maybe a little lean compared to the last few seasons, but not by a whole lot. I think that it'll be more interesting than the past few years as the season wears on. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the WoO make a few changes for 2015 as an answer to the competition from the NDRL. A tightening of the schedule and a couple more higher paying races would make absolute sense and help them regain the loss they've had in market share.

Bronson Edges out Ty Dillon for Most Impressive Speedweeks

In our first coverage of Florida/Georgia Speedweeks we saw plenty of action from a variety of different divisions of racing. First off, I would like to congratulate all winners the were fortunate enough to find victory lane against the stout fields they battled against night in and night out. Second, I would also like to applaud all of the competitors that were not able to reach the winner's circle, albeit because of bad luck or misfortunes. We the fans truly do appreciate your dedication and desire to race.

A number of different drivers made a case for our "Most Impressive Speedweeks" award, a TDN exclusive. As judges though, we were faced with the difficult decision of picking just one entrant that deserved the prestigious title. Without further adieu, it's time to reveal the results!

1st Place - Kyle Bronson

Bronson's spectacular speedweeks became one that will be hard for any driver to match. Typically in the driver's seat of his #40B open-wheel modified, Bronson amassed 4 wins (2 at Bubba's, 1 at East Bay and Volusia), 1 runner-up (North Florida), and 1 third-place finish (East Bay).

If that wasn't enough to claim the "Most Impressive Speedweeks" award, then the way he capped it off was. Kyle Bronson made a handful of appearances with his super late model to finish out the DIRTcar Nationals, and as always he went out in style. Bronson lead most of the WoO Late Model finale at Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 22nd en route to his $10,000 and first career win with the series. It was also his first career super late model victory at the speedway. Ultimately it was this feat that pushed Bronson into the top spot for this award.

2nd Place - Ty Dillon

Ty Dillon also had a speedweeks to remember. While piloting his Team Dillon Racing #41 open-wheel modified, Dillon collected 4 wins and a runner-up finish in just 5 starts at the Volusia Speedway Park. As a result of his outstanding performance, Dillon was the recipient of the prestigious "Gator Championship".

Had it not been for Kyle Bronson's performance with the WoO Late Models, Ty Dillon most likely would have been voted to have the "Most Impressive Speedweeks". Nevertheless, great job to Dillon and his crew on an impressive Florida in February tirade.

Honorable Mentions

Steve Kinser winning the final WoO Sprint show at Volusia

Darrell Lanigan's 2 feature wins (Bubba's, North Florida)

Billy Moyer's 2 feature wins (Both at East Bay)

Wayne Johnson being crowned "King of the 360's" at East Bay

Davey Johnson's win with the Lucas Oil Late Models at East Bay

Ivedent Lloyd, Jr's UMP Late Model triumph (Volusia)

Kenny Pettyjohn's UMP Late Model triumph (Volusia)

A New Addition to the Family, Teaming up with an Old Friend, and an Honor for his Father have Sodeman excited for 2014

2014 has already been a good year in racing for the Sodeman family and Jack Sodeman JR hasn't even been on the race track yet. With a new addition to the family on the way it is shaping up to be a good year off the track too.

It was announced by Lernerville Speedway a few weeks ago that his father, Jack SR, will be inducted this year into their Hall of Fame. This is something that Sodeman is very proud of and excited about.

“He is my hero and I looked up to him through my whole childhood,” Sodeman said. “Anytime my dad gets justification for the hard work he put into his racing career and all the sacrifices he made raising two kids and all is pretty neat. He didn't come from money and had to put in the time to his racing. He built the motors, the cars, and went off of pure talent from that. It’s a big deal to me to see him get that honor.”

Sodeman SR amassed 33 wins which ranks 19th all-time at the speedway.  He was a versatile driver who won in both the modified and sprint car class, winning 18 times in a modified at Lernerville and won the 1979  sprint car points championship at the Sarver, PA track.

The younger Sodeman credits his father for helping him when he first got started in racing.

“As far as racing goes I had a pretty good advantage on everyone else starting out,” Sodeman said. “I had one heck of a teacher that could help me see what I was doing wrong and where I needed to improve.”

Sodeman and his father in victory lane at Lernerville.

Growing up in a racing family naturally Sodeman was at the track from a young age. He helped his dad work on the car and he also remembers the good times he had making friends there too.

“I was good friends with Mike and Tony Beaber,” Sodeman said. “I remember playing with Matchbox cars with them up in the stands. I have found some old pictures of me wiping off wheels and things like that too.”

While Sodeman has great memories of growing up in racing he is making new ones now from a different perspective, as a father himself. He and his wife Catherine have a daughter, Samantha, who is a year and a half, and are expecting their second child, a boy, in March. It didn't take long for Sodeman to have one of those memorable moments with his daughter.

“I won the sprint race at the Pittsburgher for her first win, but it was too cold have her outside in victory lane,” Sodeman said. “The very next week I was able to win a wingless race at Pittsburgh and we got her into victory lane. She was only probably about six months old. I have the trophy from that win and it is in her room. It’s her trophy for her first victory lane.”

Sodeman will be teaming up with an old friend and racing partner Mark Kubick this season for the return of the 23jr sprint car. They will be sponsored by Glassmere Fuels, http://www.glassmerefuel.com/, Economy Tooling, PRS Transit, Townsend Gas and Oil, http://townsendgasandoil.com/, Triple X Race Cars, http://www.xxxraceco.com/, Pro Shocks, https://www.facebook.com/ProShocks, Frankland Rear End, www.franklandracing.com/,and Simpson Racing products, http://simpsonraceproducts.com/.

“Without the help of all the sponsors we have we definitely couldn't do what we love to do,” Sodeman said. “I have to give a huge thanks to my parents too who made a lot of sacrifices just to make it so I could do what I am doing. I have to thank my wife, my daughter, my brother, sister, Gary Park and all the people who have helped me over the years. It’s amazing the people you meet along the way racing for 20 years.”

Some of the crew members that help out Sodeman at the track are racers themselves. Cody Bova raced mod lites and will be moving into the 305 sprint class this season. Darin Gallagher races mod lites and CJ Jones runs in the 305 class.

“I appreciate those guys helping me out and taking time out working on their own cars,” Sodeman said.

Sodeman is coming off a year where he won seven races and amassed over 30 top ten finishes while driving for Rudzik Excavating in the 94 sprint car. He was able to accomplish that while running part of the season with a broken back.

“When you are racing you don’t really feel the pain except for maybe under caution or during red flags,” Sodeman said. “Getting out of the car at the end of the night can be the hardest part.”

The North Jackson, Ohio resident was able to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career last season the Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon Speedway. A win that was special for Sodeman for numerous reasons.

“Lou Blaney was my dad’s hero,” Sodeman said. “It was neat to see that my hero had a hero himself.”

He shared a story that he told in victory lane that night of how Blaney gave him his first racing suit that not many people knew about.

“When I first started racing I didn't have racing suit,” Sodeman said. “I was too tall for any of my dad’s old suits so when Lou heard about this he called me and gave me a suit. He told me the only thing was that it had a lucky dollar bill in the pocket and he wanted to be in there when I gave the suit back to him. It went through the wash a couple times, but it was still there when I gave it back.”

Unfortunately Sodeman has had his share of bad luck in racing. On Independence Day in 2011 Sodeman was running his time trial laps for an All-Star Circuit of Champions race at the Autodrome Granby in Quebec when the frame tube that connects the wing to the car broke causing the wing to fly off sending the car into a series of violent flips and over the catch fence out of the racing surface.

“Most of the crash I can actually remember,” Sodeman said. “I didn't know exactly what happened, if a wheel broke or an axle broke, but all of the sudden the car just took off and started flipping. When I hit the wall that was about the time I was knocked out and I remember hitting the ground the last time, which they told me later, was outside the track.”

Sodeman was blind from the accident for a while, had a broken leg and suffered internal bleeding of the lungs. When he regained his sight he had vertigo and had to go through rehab for his injuries.

“I had a great therapy team that helped me through things such as learning to walk again,” Sodeman said. “They told me I wouldn't be able to put my foot down to walk for eight weeks and I was walking in six. That’s a credit of the rehab team that allowed me to get back on my feet. It allowed me to get into good enough shape to get back in the car and doing what I love to do.”

Sodeman also credits the fans and his fellow competitors in helping him out through that tough time.

“The fans in western Pennsylvania stepped up in every way they could,” Sodeman said. “I am eternally grateful to them for helping me through that time. Whether it is the fans or fellow competitors, racing in one big family and being in the pits is like being at home.”

This season Sodeman is looking forward to getting back to racing with Mark Kubic. He wants to have a consistent and safe year behind the wheel.

“We’ll try to win as many races as we can and be competitive every week,” Sodeman said. “That’s all you can really ask for is to be in contention every week. With being hurt a couple of times the last few years it would be good to get through the year without getting hurt too.”

You can follow Sodeman on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sodeman23jr.

Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. Finds Victory Lane in Volusia SLM Opener, Dillon Takes Home the Gator

 By Tyler Beichner:
Volusia Speedway Park
2/17/14

Another day, another show (yes, I only made it to one race yesterday), and what an eventful show it was. For this show we would see the UMP Late Models racing for $7,000 to win and the UMP Modified Gator Championship that paid $5,000 to win headlining Night #7 of the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.

A stout field of 40 late models signed in on the first of 6 consecutive nights of racing for the division. A number of heavy hitters were in the pit area but did not run on night #1 including drivers Steve Francis and Don O'Neal among others.

With the unique UMP format, the cars group qualified within their predetermined heat races. The top 4 times in each heat were inverted to set the starting grid. From that point on every the lineups would be heads up based off of finishing orders.

Four 8-lap heats were run, with the top four finishers in each transferring directly into the feature. Heat races winners were Eric Wells, eventual winner Ivedent Lloyd, Jr., Shane Clanton, and Brady Smith.

Heat race drivers that finished 5th or worse were relegated to run in one of the two B-Mains that would see the top four move on to the main event. In B-Main #1 the cars qualifying for the feature were Rick Eckert, Kenny Pettyjohn, Billy Moyer, and Chase Junghans. B-Main #2 would see Jack Sullivan, Frankie Heckenast, Jr., John Garvin, Jr., and Tim McCreadie earn the final four transfer spots.

At that point in the evening the field was set for the 30-lap $7,000 to win show and the rest was history. Home-state hero Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. jumped to the early lead from his 2nd place starting spot with fourth-starting Brady Smith, Eric Wells, Gregg Satterlee, and Shane Clanton in tow. At the completion of lap 2 Lloyd had opened up a decent-sized lead over Brady Smith while 8th starting Morgan Bagley nudged by Shane Clanton for the 5th position.

The first caution of the race would fly with 7 laps complete when the #157 of Mike Marlar was unable to get off the racing surface in turn 4. UMP DIRTcar rules designate all restarts to be single-file so when they took the green the running order was Ivedent Lloyd, Brady Smith, Eric Wells, Shane Clanton and Gregg Satterlee.

The top three positions would stay unchanged throughout the middle portion of the race. Behind them it was evident that John Blankenship's #23 machine was hooked up. By lap 20 he had moved past Clanton and Satterlee to claim the 4th position.

Two more cautions throughout the remaining ten laps were not enough for Brady Smith to give a serious challenge for the lead. As the leaders worked through lapped traffic, Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. did a masterful job of staying patient and waiting for the holes to open up rather than forcing the issue.

As they came around to complete the 30th and final circuit it was Ocala's Ivedent Lloyd Jr. leading Brady Smith, Eric Wells, John Blankenship, and Shane Clanton. A late race charge by Scott Bloomquist propelled him into the 6th spot in the finishing order placing him directly in front of veteran driver Darrell Lanigan.

Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. celebrating his $7,000 win at Volusia

UMP DIRTcar Late Model feature finish (30 laps): 1. Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. ($7,000) 2. Brady Smith 3. Eric Wells 4. John Blankenship 5. Shane Clanton 6. Scott Bloomquist 7. Darrell Lanigan 8. Gregg Satterlee 9. Brandon Sheppard 10. Morgan Bagley 11. Brian Shirley 12. Frank Heckenast, Jr. 13. Rick Eckert 14. Bobby Pierce 15. Kenny Pettyjohn 16. Eric Jacobsen 17. Tim McCreadie 18. Billy Moyer 19. Jack Sullivan 20. Casey Roberts 21. Mike Marlar 22. Chase Junghans 23. Dan Stone 24. John Garvin, Jr.

For the 7th time in February the UMP Modifieds took to the track in what would be their highest paying show of the DIRTcar Nationals in the $5,000 prize.

To seemingly no one's surprise, it was Ty Dillon that topped the field and wound up in victory lane at Volusia Speedway Park for the 3rd time in 4 days. The younger of the Dillon brothers started the race on the outside pole but jumped to the lead by turn one and lead every lap from then on.

The memorable moment of the race came on a lap 27 restart. Then second place runner Nick Hoffman would lose his left rear wheel as the green was displayed. Hoffman's #2 machine came down across the nose of third place Austin Dillon. That would lead to a brutal five-car pileup right in front of the starter's tower that would leave Kenny Wallace's #36 car upside down and laying on top of the #54 of Matt Hoffman. The red flag would be kept out for some time while the accident was cleared away and cleaned up. Involved the mayhem was Nick Hoffman, Austin Dillon, Kenny Wallace, Matt Hoffman and Tyler Nicely - all drivers were reported as being okay.

Eventually the track was cleared and the remaining 13 drivers, less than half of the 28 starters, completed the final three laps with ease. Behind winner Ty Dillon and rounding out the top 5 were Devin Gilpin, Dale Mathison, Jeff Babcock, and Kyle Strickler.

UMP DIRTcar Modified "Gator Championship" top 10 (30 laps): 1. Ty Dillon ($5,000) 2. Devin Gilpin 3. Dale Mathison 4. Jeff Babcock 5. Kyle Strickler 6. Kent Robinson 7. Brian Ruhlman 8. Austin Arneson 9. David Stremme 10. Kenny Schrader

Team Dillon Racing's Ty Dillon celebrating his Gator Championship win at Volusia Speedway Park

The King Wears His Crown One More Time in Victory Lane -Volusia Speedway Park 2/16/14

By Tyler Beichner:
Volusia Speedway Park
2/16/14

As you've all heard, the King of Dirt, Steve Kinser, is beginning his last full season as a World of Outlaws competitor. Kinser was among the original drivers that filled the pit area during the first couple years of the Series' existence back in the late 70's. After all these years, on Sunday Feb. 16th, 2014 Steve Kinser proved that he can still get the job done like in years past when he collected $10,000 along with his 8th career DIRTcar Nationals victory at Volusia Speedway Park.

With a slowly dwindling car count from opening night, 35 cars were left to take time last evening. Paul McMahan shocked the clock with the fastest lap in qualifying as we so often see him do. He was followed by Joey Saldana, Daryn Pittman, Kerry Madsen, and Tim Kaeding 2-5.

Four preliminary heat races were ran at 8 laps a piece to determine the B-Main and Feature lineups. Surviving the races and picking up heat race victories were Tony Stewart Racing's drivers Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser, 2013 Knoxville Raceway track champion Bronson Maeschen, and Kasey Kahne Racing's Brad Sweet.

After an invert of 6 for the World of Outlaw Sprint dash, Kasey Kahne Racing member Brad Sweet and California native Rico Abreu shared the front row. As the field came to green Cody Darrah's Ollie's Bargain Outlet #4 blasted into the lead and would stay there until turn 2 on the white flag lap when his motor went sour, leaving him incapable of finishing the race. Benefiting from that would be KKR teammate and 2013 World of Outlaw points champion Daryn Pittman who would then go on to claim the dash win. The dash finish looked like this: 1. Daryn Pittman 2. Paul McMahan 3. Donny Schatz 4. Steve Kinser 5. Rico Abreu 6. Brad Sweet 7. Bronson Maeschen 8. Joey Saldana 9. Dave Blaney 10. Cody Darrah 

Next up on the card would the 12-lap Last Chance Qualifier. Racing legend Sammy Swindell was able to pick up the consi win and he was accompanied by Christopher Bell, Greg Hodnett, and Wayne Johnson to make up the four B-Main transfers.

Finally up was what the crowd and all those at home watching on Dirtvision were waiting for, the 30-lap $10,000 to win weekend finale. Although they were short a few cars compared to the season opener on Friday, the field was as strong as any.

When the green flew it was hammer down as drivers checked up, slid, and battled for every position on the track. Before the cars could get across the line the sole red flag of the event flew for 7th starting Bronson Maeschen, who appeared to hop a wheel, when he went flipping in turn 4. Maeschen was reported to be okay after his scary accident.

After the scene had been cleaned up, the field was bunched together for a second time and cut loose by flagman extraordinaire Dave Farney. The running order of Pittman, S Kinser, McMahan, Schatz, Saldana, and Sweet would stay the same until the caution flew with 4 laps complete for Cody Darrah who was again sidelined by engine woes.

In a repeat performance of Saturday night's main, race leader Daryn Pittman chose the bottom line on the double-file restart and it proved costly. Steve Kinser stole the lead coming off of turn two and began to put ground on him and the 3rd place car of Donny Schatz.

The running order stayed pretty much the same throughout the top 7 drivers for the middle portion of the race. However, the field would again be bunched up for a lap 22 restart when Christopher Bell was spotted facing the wrong way in the middle of the backstretch by World of Outlaw officials.

Kinser elected to start on the top on the ensuing restart, but this time it was Daryn Pittman that got a great start and was able to beat the #11 Bad Boy Buggies machine into turn one. Steve Kinser and Pittman continued to trade slidejobs for the lead until Kinser sealed the deal on lap 25 with a decisive slider that eventually became the race-winning move.

Steve Kinser celebrates his 8th career DIRTcar Nationals triumph

At the checkers it was Steve Kinser picking up his 8th career World of Outlaw victory at Volusia Speedway Park in his familiar #11 ahead of the  #9 of Daryn Pittman and Donny Schatz in the #15 car.

World of Outlaw Sprint feature finish (30 laps): 1. Steve Kinser ($10,000) 2. Daryn Pittman 3. Donny Schatz 4. Brad Sweet 5. Tim Kaeding 6. Kerry Madsen 7. Paul McMahan 8. Joey Saldana 9. Kraig Kinser 10. Danny Holtgraver 11. Sammy Swindell 12. Christopher Bell 13. Rico Abreu 14. Dave Blaney 15. Terry McCarl 16. Jason Sides 17. Jac Haudenschild 18. Danny Lasoski 19. Wayne Johnson 20. Chad Kemenah 21. Lucas Wolfe 22. Greg Hodnett 23. Cody Darrah 24. Bronson Maeschen

For the fourth night in a row it was the UMP Modifieds taking to the track as the second headlining division. 33 mods were registered for the second night of qualifying for the Gator Championship.

Austin Dillon, who rushed to the track after earning the pole position for this year's edition of the Daytona 500, was flawless en route to his victory, matching his brother's performance from the previous night. The drivers behind Dillon put on a hell of a battle lap after lap, but none of them were able to match was Austin could do on the circuit.

UMP Modified top 10 (20 laps): 1. Austin Dillon ($700) 2. Billy Workman, Jr 3. Jeff Babcock 4. Kenny Wallace 5. Matt Westfall 6. Tyler Nicely 7. Paul Miles 8. #10 9. #36 10. Kenny Schrader

Preliminary UMP Modified heat race wins went to Kody Weisner, Billy Workman, Jr., and Austin Dillon.

This Week in DIRT; Strong Words from Bubba Clem/ASCoC; Davey Johnnson Stuns at Winternationals; BRP Modified Tour Divorces Lernerville;

We took a week off from this segment to put the focus on the start of Florida speed weeks. In the meantime, we came up with a few issues to chew on.  So if you've been stuck doing your taxes all week and are generally afraid of the outcome pending your return, and haven't been able to stay on top of the info, the gap where stories have escaped you while your were busy. Don't worry, we are here to catch you up on anything that you missed here on ........................This Week In DIRT!

Strong Words From Bubba Clem/All Star Sprints -BRP

 

 

 

 

The All Star Sprints kicked off their 2014 campaign with a dubious night at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla last Sunday.  Following several days of rain, the surface was a hot mess and three days worth of scheduled shows beforehand fell to the wayside. But owner, promoter and radio legend Bubba "the love sponge" Clem would not give up and even asked for and received help from fans to assist in track ironing just to get the show in Sunday night.

 

Bubba even offered beer to those who helped, which would have been enough for us to not only help iron the track, but work the concession stand and take tickets as well.   However, even with all the extra effort, several drivers withheld their cars from the event citing an unsafe condition.

 

The decisions of these drivers not to run were met with a mixed response from fans, most of whom have never put a right foot in anything other than a 4 cylinder car on asphalt. What was espically irrating, was that it was later discovered that at least one nameless driver point blank told Clem that basically he "didn't know the first thing about preparing a track".

 

It is a driver's choice to withhold their car and equipment from any event which it makes no sense to race, from an economic standpoint. Fans don't have a say in that, and neither do promoter/owners. They didn't pay for anybody's car, and have nothing to do with drivers who need to meet sponsor obligations.

 

However, to belittle Clem's track prep methods, or his experience in the racing business is absurd. He knows what he's doing and would have never put anybody in harms way. As a matter of fact all the competitors who chose to run that night made it through the event without any one of them ending up on their lid.

 

Clem took a chance on losing a huge pile of money just so some drivers could get a little cash back for their trouble and some drivers appreciated it. Not to mention a significant portion of the fans did too.

 

Our friends at Dirtcast.com caught up with Bubba and he explained the whole situation and it's very interesting to say the least. Please check it out below.

 

DirtCast.com interview with Bubba Clem

Davey Johnson Stuns at Winternationals

Super Late Model legend Davey "the Juice" Johnson scored his first Winternationals win since 2001 Saturday night, besting the Lucas Late Models and a host of competitive locals and true outlaws en route to a $10,000 payday. The Greensburg, PA native had scaled back his traveling in the past few years, but still had been very competitive wherever he ran, and has pledged to travel more in 2014.  You can check out the race highlights here:


Race Highlights courtesy of XSANtv

BRP Modified Tour Parts Ways With Lernerville Speedway

The Bicknell Racing Products Modified Tour, located in the Western, Pa-Eastern, Oh area have announced that they will not race at Lernerville in 2014, or in the near future apparently.

Citing an alleged non payment from Lernerville parent company, World Racing Group, of funds from a tire agreement with Hoosier, the amount disputed appears to be $10,000, which was earmarked for the tour point fund payout. And, other factors including BRP Mod Tour sponsors which were not in line with WRG's corporate partners apparently led to the dispute.

WRG had basically ended a contract with the regional modified organization early last year, an agreement which had been struck as a 3 year contract, signed by both entities in 2010.

There are probably other factors at play here, and surely not every detail has been made public. As of now, Lernerville/WRG has made no formal response, so only one side of the argument is open for debate. And, as we all know there's two sides to every story.

Regardless, one thing remains clear, communication between the two sides broke down at some point, and it's clear there was a great deal of assumption at work too.

The short of it is, the modified fans in the Pittsburgh area will now suffer unless they want to travel 1.5 hours at the very least to take in the 2014 BRP slate of races. And to be honest it truly sucks for them, and from our standpoint, this situation was completely preventable. We won't name names, that would be un-professional, but we have a feeling a few people know exactly who's responsible.

We certainly wish the BRP success in 2014. There are some tireless volunteers doing thankless jobs so that area modified fans can enjoy full fields with travelers from other modified geographies and competitive racing. We just wish things had gone down differently.

In time, the future of modified racing in the area seems unclear, but remember that one door closes just as one door opens. And that there are some exciting times ahead in the future as this turn of events will force changes for the good of area modified racing as well.  Stay tuned...


From  modifiedtourinc.com

To all BRP Modified Drivers, Teams, Fans, and supporters:

For Immediate release: Feb.13, 2014

To all BRP Modified Drivers, Teams, Fans, and supporters:

         

          The Modified Tour Inc. would like to inform all of the above that it is severing ties with World Racing Group/Dirt Car effective immediately.

Modified Tour, Inc. originally teamed up with D.I.R.T. under the control of Glenn Donnelly back in 2001. Since that time we have worked with D.I.R.T. in many ways, including car support at Eldora Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Between the two entities working together we felt it had become a good fit for both parties and all teams involved. In 2010 the Modified Tour Inc. and DIRTCar/ World Racing Group entered into a three-year written contract.

At the end of the 2013 season DirtCar/World Racing Group notified the Modified Tour that it would not be honoring its obligation of the third year of the contract. 

          We the board feel that with the lack of respect that DirtCar/World Racing Group has showed toward us and our membership that we would be uncomfortable to continue in any relationship with them.

          We look forward to our continued working relationships with our other sponsors, partners and racetracks, to make 2014 and beyond even better.

 

 

                                                                             ModifiedTour Inc.

 

 

TDN Originals:

 

Jerin Steele caught with B.O.S.S Sprint director promoter and got an inside look at the 2014 season and insight as to what's made the young sanction so successful.

You can check it out here:

New Title Sponsor and Impressive Schedule set up big year for BOSS Sprints


 

 We also have our Florida in February Calendar and Scoreboard up and running as well. Folks this is a great way to check in on all the results and upcoming races. It can save you mouseclicks..literally. Be sure to check it every morning as you down your coffee...and whatever else you decide to have for breakfast. Eggs, toast, pancakes..cigarettes...whatever.

Here it is:
Florida in Feburary Scoreboard and Calendar

Have a great week folks, stay dirty!!!