TDN Commentary: Pit Lizards; How to win them over or get them to leave you alone

Ah yes. We've seen that girl (or guy perhaps), the one that caught your eye wearing next to nothing in the pits. The one who you see sometimes running in and out of different haulers. Some of them are missing teeth. Some of them look hot! Some of them are completely covered from head to toe in more tattoos than uncovered skin and are missing teeth at the same time! And nearly all of them honestly believe they're completely irresistible to their favorite driver! So much so, that they can't conceive of a driver not wanting to be around them.

Yes, since the beginning of dirt tracks, there have been pit lizards. They used to wear more clothes back then, but they had the same nature of the beast we know today. What attracts them? Who knows? The thrill of a minute (maybe less) of romance with a death defying knight in shining armor, or at least a nice looking race car? The potential fifteen minutes of fame that can be incurred from a picture taken on the arm of their favorite driver? Perhaps it is simple as trying to best other pit lizards week in and week out in a battle for the most attention.  Which makes us wonder if we couldn't have a boxing ring battle for pit lizard supremacy in the pits more often.

Regardless, their behavior borders on fascinating. Seemingly enough, as one driver declines a pit lizard's advances, another driver appears to welcome them with open arms setting off yet another round of hauler hopscotch.

So how do you get one to take more interest? How do you get one to go away for good?  We're glad you asked these questions! We're here to help...

Now then....here's our own Caitie McFarlane with some ideas on how some of you guys could attract a perfect pit lizard for you to call your own...

Securing a pit lizard is hard work, so if you want to keep the perfect one at your hauler, here's some helpful tips to keep her around:

- Make sure you know the difference between a pit lizard and a girl who loves dirt racing. A girl who loves dirt racing will be dressed in jeans, flat shoes and a hoodie, will know the differences between cars, know who's running well and who isn't, who is an owner/driver and who drives for someone else. These girls are future speedway wives. These girls are the ones you settle down with once you get sick of the pit lizard drama filled life. Pit lizards are normally easy to pick out by their lack of clothing, ridiculous shoe choices, makeup that looks like they're about to hit the club and they generally hunt in packs of 2 or 3.

- Initial contact is key. If you see a pit lizard walking past that you're keen on, make eye contact and giver her a wink. Guaranteed she will stop hesitantly at your car waiting for a signal to come closer to you, with the exception of the experienced pit lizards... they will walk straight up to you and ask for a selfie. Anything to to be close and/or touch you. Draw in the shy ones with a smile or promotional item.

- Always accept the selfie invitation. Not only will you get to scope out her form, you will also be able to judge her personal hygiene standards before having to commit to a game of tonsil hockey. Halitosis doesn't discriminate! Its also a bit of free self-promotion, as she will post the pic on her 16 different social media accounts, and your sponsors will love you for that kind of exposure. I mean what respectable automotive parts/oil company/transport business doesn't have females between 18-30 as their target market?! You're welcome.

- Talk yourself up! After the selfie is over and there's that awkward few minutes while she crops, adds 4 filters, a vignette and 38 hashtags, you can get in a few words. Use this time wisely as once shes done, its going to be hard to get a word in. This is your time to shine. Talk about all the shiny new race parts you just got, or how much merch you sold last race meet and how she would look good in your T-shirt, which also serves a double purpose of covering her exposed cleavage and midriff up, effectively marking your territory and sending a warning out to other drivers to not touch this one, she's yours. All she will hear is dollar signs and assume you have money. Just don't tell her that racers are generally broke because they spend all their cash on race cars.

- Never ask her to work on/clean your car. Pit Lizards are high maintenance and there is no way she is getting dirt under her false french manicured nails. Its best to ask her to pose with your car for a photo then invite her in to your hauler to see your.... ummm.... spare parts. If she accepts your invitation, congratulations! You've hooked yourself a pit lizard! If she declines... well who are we kidding, as if she would turn you down. You're a superstar driver and she's dying to be seen on your arm, claiming you as hers for as long as you will have her, which could be anywhere from 2 minutes to a few weeks.

Now go out in to the wild world that is the pits on race night armed with these vital tips and get yourself some Pit Lizard!

Thanks Caitie, I think we all understand about the mindset of the proverbial pit lizard a good bit more than we did before!


Now then, it just may be that you're not interested in a pit lizard for your own.  And that's okay, they're not for everyone. So if you're being besieged by pit lizards and the thought of another one, hanging out at your hauler, wearing your shirt with drool running down her chin and a look in the eyes that suggests...well we can't quite say here.  But at any rate, if you want to rid yourself of the beasts, here are some guidelines that may work for you!


- If you're unattached, try paying some nice lady to serve as kind of a pit lizard bodyguard. For $50 bucks, even another pit lizard who is already trying to lure another driver will gladly hang on your arm and look lovingly into your eyes, letting all the other pit lizards know that they should keep their distance. Some work even cheaper than that, maybe it'll simply take six beers from the beer stand and a tshirt! At any rate, if they sense that you're hooked up nice and tight with another pit lizard, or nice girl pretending to be one, they'll move on to another driver. Pit lizards have little time to spend on a driver that won't return romantic gestures, they seek the thrill of the chase and capture. Yes, they have that small amount of a soul...

- Remember, most pit lizards won't actually go up to a driver and start the hunt immediately! They work off of crew members first, slowly making their way to more time with the driver. No pit lizard with an ounce of self respect looks to seal the deal upon meeting the driver. So with that in mind. Have your crew members politely tell potential pit lizards that come up to the hauler that you're one of the following: married, with girlfriend, a member of the clergy (that one works very very well!) or will be checking into a mental institution as soon as possible!

- DO NOT under any circumstances EVER let it slip that you may or not have just been through a bad relationship and are really hurting inside. Pit lizards feed off this! They want to be the ones to help heal the wounded soul.  They're full of S___ too!  What they really want is to get what they can out of helping a driver lift their spirits so to speak. The selfie, the stories, the private moments in the hauler, and then....to move on to another driver! Keep that kind of information well hidden at all times! Smile even though you've just had your heart trampled on, never look like you're in despair...it's sweet nectar to a Pit Lizard!

- Politely explain to your interested pit lizard that your one and only love will be racing! You're committed to being the best, and that means no women, no relationships, and any biological need can be taken care of in house so to speak! .  Sure she might think of you as less than manly if you get what we mean, but at least she'll get the picture.  What's the use of being a pit lizard if you're not going to get any attention for it?  Pit Lizards have no soul ;and not much in the way of heart. Always remember that they give up pretty easy for the most part.

So there you have it, a better understanding of pit lizards and how lure one or make sure they never come by your hauler again! They're not so hard to understand......there's not that much too them really!

Top 25 National Sprint Car Poll - Week 6

Bryan Clauson makes his debut in the Top 25 following
his 1st career ASCoC win at Sharon Speedway.

We're currently on the home stretch of a sprint car fan's paradise: 15 races in 17 days between the Ohio and Pennsylvania speedweeks. The ASCoC-sanctioned OH Speedweek went off without a hitch, where all eight races were completed as scheduled. PA Speedweek is currently 2.5/4 as their Williams Grove date succumbed to rain as well as the second half of the feature at Grandview.

Making their debuts in our Top 25 rankings are Bryan Clauson (20) and Rico Abreu (25). Clauson is in the midst of his Circular Insanity Tour, a breathtaking schedule of over 200 racing events in 2016. Abreu took advantage of the downtime from his asphalt ride to slide through the dirt. Both drivers picked up a win and several other good finishes during their Ohio Speedweek starts.

As you're accustomed to seeing, Fargo, N.D.'s Donny Schatz still occupies the No. 1 spot. Over the past week he compiled two podium finishes and a 6th place result on the WoO tour. Lo and behold, Schatz only captured 6 of the 8 first-place votes. Daryn Pittman (No. 2 in the Top 25 rankings) and David Gravel (No. 3) collected one first-place vote apiece.

Lance Dewease moved up 8 spots to No. 14 in the rankings following his PA Speedweek win at Lincoln to earn this week's Hard Charger Award. The triumph marked his first sprint car start in a number of weeks. Daryn Pittman and Mark Dobmeier both moved up 5 spots following their impressive weekend in the Midwest.

The two drivers who dropped out of the rankings from last week's poll were California's Tim Kaeding and Louisiana's Jason Johnson.

Our panel of voting members for Week 6 included the following:
Blake Anderson, Brian Liskai, Bobby Gerould, Tony Bokhoven, Mike Leone, Kyle Symons, Anthony Corini and Tyler Beichner.

1. Donny Schatz, 198 points (6)
Recent Results: Although winless, had finishes of 2nd (I-80), 6th (Jackson), and 3rd (Beaver Dam).
Previous Ranking: 1st (NC)

2. Daryn Pittman, 181 points (1)
Recent Results: A quiet 12th at I-80 leads into a win at Jackson and runner-up finish at Beaver Dam.
Previous Ranking: 7th (+5)

3. David Gravel, 180 points (1)
Recent Results: Back-to-back Top 5 runs at Jackson and Beaver Dam to follow up an 8th at I-80.
Previous Ranking: 2nd (-1)

4. Shane Stewart, 174 points
Recent Results: Finishes of 7th, 3rd, & 6th at I-80, Jackson, and Beaver Dam respectively.
Previous Ranking: 3rd (-1)

5. Greg Hodnett, 170 points
Recent Results: Current leader of the PA Speedweek points finished 4th at Lincoln and 1st at Path Valley.
Previous Ranking: 5th (NC)

6. Brad Sweet, 139 points
Recent Results: Grabbed podium 3rd place at I-80 before distant 18th place finishes at Jackson & Beaver Dam.
Previous Ranking: 4th (-2)

7. Chad Kemenah, 130 points
Recent Results: Had an up-and-down Ohio Speedweek highlighted by a 3rd place run at Eldora.
Previous Ranking: 9th (+2)

8. Dale Blaney, 129 points
Recent Results: A dismal ending to Ohio Speedweek, a 4th at Sharon was his only Top 15 in last 5 races.
Previous Ranking: 6th (-2)

9. Kerry Madsen, 119 points
Recent Results: Two solid Top 5 finishes with the WoO at I-80 & Jackson for the Aussie veteran.
Previous Ranking: 10th (+1)

10. Danny Lasoski, 118 points
Recent Results: Scored a 7th place at Jackson with WoO before reaching the podium with NSL at Knoxville.
Previous Ranking: 8th (-2)

11. Kyle Larson, 115 points
Recent Results: Added 1st, 2nd, & 6th place finishes on Ohio Speedweek before returning to asphalt duties.
Previous Ranking: 14th (+3)

12. Joey Saldana, 106 points
Recent Results: Scores much-needed win at I-80 and respectable finishes of 7th (Jackson) & 4th (Beaver Dam).
Previous Ranking: 13th (+1)

13. Sheldon Haudenschild, 89 points
Recent Results: A shaky end to Ohio Speedweek results in podium finishes at Atomic & Wayne County.
Previous Ranking: 15th (+2)

14. Lance Dewease, 80 points
Recent Results: Making his first appearance in awhile, he wins the PA Speedweek opener at Lincoln.
Previous Ranking: 22nd (+8)

15. Brian Brown, 69 points
Recent Results: Strong 4th place finish at I-80 before distant 16th place results (Jackson & Knoxville).
Previous Ranking: 11th (-4)

16. Terry McCarl, 66 points
Recent Results: Rebounds from two rough outings with the WoO to score a runner-up at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 12th (-4)

17. Craig Dollansky, 63 points
Recent Results: Solid finishes last weekend of 5th (Jackson, WoO) & 6th (Knoxville, NSL).
Previous Ranking: 18th (+1)

18. Mark Dobmeier, 62 points
Recent Results: Sweeps double features night at River Cities and then breaks while leading at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 23rd (+5)

19. Lucas Wolfe, 62 points
Recent Results: Starts of PA Speedweek with Top 5 finishes at Lincoln and Path Valley.
Previous Ranking: 16th (-3)

20. Bryan Clauson, 51 points
Recent Results: Made a combined 6 starts between OH and PA Speedweek. Scored first ASCoC win at Sharon.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

21. Sammy Swindell, 45 points
Recent Results: Disappointing 22nd at Jackson, but rebounds to score NSL win at Knoxville on Saturday.
Previous Ranking: 25th (+4)

22. Dusty Zomer, 37 points
Recent Results: Records a distant 13th at I-80, 2nd & DNF at River Cities, and 5th place finish at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 17th (-5)

23. Danny Dietrich, 27 points
Recent Results: Comes back from a hellish Ohio Speedweek to finish runner-up at Lincoln's Speedweek opener.
Previous Ranking: 20th (-3)

24. Byron Reed, 20 points
Recent Results: Poor results at Wayne County & Limaland culminate in a $5,000 paycheck at Fremont.
Previous Ranking: 24th (NC)

25. Rico Abreu, 19 points
Recent Results: Picks up 1st at Wayne County, 8th at Sharon, & 10th at Atomic during Ohio Speedweek.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Dropped Out of Rankings
Tim Kaeding (19), Jason Johnson (21)

The TDN Weekly Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 8

Hey there people, sorry for the delay until Tuesday for the update this week. I had something come up and I didn't have the time necessary to do it yesterday. So I'm doing it today. As evidenced by the picture up on top, it's pretty evident that Max Blair might end up running away with this thing, but in reality, it's not necessarily as solid as as you'd think, especially if a few weeks like this happen....

So about this week. Bedford, and Port Royal had the week off. Everybody else I score ran, including Lernerville on Friday, where I put my special scoring deal in use. Roaring Knob again had the lackluster results, as I could only find the who the winner was (and I found that on Tim Senic's Facebook page) because the brain trust there clearly doesn't particularly care about updating their information.

Anyways, let's get to the scores.

1. Max Blair***, 37 points. Max's point came from his fifth at Eriez Sunday. As far as I know, he didn't race anywhere else this weekend. Walt Wimer says he saw Max and Rob chilling in the crowd at the Firecracker.

2. Jared Miley***, 33 points. Jared's points this week came from the show up points for making the show Friday night at Lernerville. In non-scoring action, he got a 25th on Saturday afternoon and a 19th on Saturday night. 

3. Russ King, 30 points. Russ points came from his fifth on Friday night at Lernerville. In non scoring action, he ran 16th on Saturday afternoon and 18th on Saturday night.

4. Jeff Rine***, 27 points. Jeff's points this week came from a win at Selinsgrove Saturday. I didn't see his name in any other results this weekend.

5. Alex Ferree***, 25 points. Alex didn't score any points this week. He had a rather rough weekend at Lernerville, only making the show Saturday night on a provisional.

6. Dylan Yoder**, 23 points. Dylan didn't score any points this weekend. Only place I saw his name in any results was Selinsgrove on Saturday, where he got a ninth.

7. Mike Blose**, 22 points. Mike won at Marion Center Saturday for his points. I didn't see his name in any other results this weekend.

7. Rob Blair**, 22 points. Rob's points came from a win at Eriez Sunday. He didn't race anywhere else, as I said with max, apparently they were at Lernerville being fans the rest of the weekend.

9. Michael Lake**, 18 points. Mike didn't score any points this weekend, unless he scored some Saturday at Roaring Knob, which is pretty likely. If they actually update their results and he is deserving of points, I'll update his total. He ran Friday at Lernerville, but didn't make the show and scratched the rest of the weekend.

9. Joe Martin*, 18 points. Joe didn't score any points this week. He also attempted Lernerville Friday. He had a rough night, tearing the car up. He scratched the rest of the weekend.

And that's the first ten names on my list this week. Come back next week to see what happens after this coming weekend's action. I'd also like to offer my condolences to the Johnson family on the loss of Bucky. May he rest in peace.

See ya next Monday.

"Firecracker 100 Pickem" - Final Standings

A long Saturday came to an end, and once the dust settled....we had a first-time player grab the top spot in our 6th Annual Firecracker 100 Pickem contest.

Fred Mejia won by a slim 9-point margin. His winning driver picks were none other than Josh Richards, Scott Bloomquist, Brandon Overton, Chub Frank, and Jared Miley. The 429 points scored was the most of all two-hundred and twelve players, and came from a maximum possible total of 552 points. Fred will receive the $50 Visa Gift Card top prize!

Runner-up Bryan Bloom is a veteran of sorts. He has played multiple Special Event pickems in the past...maybe experience does pay off. Bryan's driver selections were Josh Richards, Tim McCreadie, Billy Moyer Jr, Brandon Overton and Mason Zeigler. Bryan will be the lucky recipient of a Firecracker 100 Tshirt and hat.

Although the final podium spot came in at a three-way tie, the 3rd place prize will be awarded to Jroc (@Jroc1221) by virtue of a tiebreaker. Jroc predicted 6 cautions in the 100 lapper, which came in closest to the 3 yellows that the starting field accumulated during the finale. Jroc's picks were Josh Richards, Scott Bloomquist, Billy Moyer Jr, Chub Frank and Russ King. A DirtonDirt.com Tshirt will be awarded to Jroc.

We will be in contact the top three finishers shortly so we can make arrangements for your winnings. Thanks to the 200+ players that joined in the fun for the last few days, and to our wonderful sponsors for making these Pickem events possible.

Pos. 1-60

Pos. 61-120

Pos. 121-180

Pos. 181-212

The Firecracker Story From Lernerville; Bloomquist Becomes First Three Time Winner

(photos by Daylon Barr)

It was a fairly standard recipe. It was one that fans in attendance at the annual Firecracker 100 had seen play out many times before. And especially, by Scott Bloomquist.  The Mooresburg, TN driver etched his name on the winner's list for the third time in the ten year history of the event on Saturday night, and did so with a strategy that normally doesn't fail. A patient process by which he spent the first half of the race finding where his car liked to run on the surface, while picking the perfect opportunity to strike. And when that moment came just past the halfway point, the end result was virtually never in doubt.

2015 winner Rick Eckert and Tim McCreadie comprised the front row as the field took the green flag, but far behind them, prohibitive favorite Jonathan Davenport lurked starting shotgun on the field due to a mechanical failure that caused him to be late to the grid.  And from the get go, McCreadie looked as if he'd not be caught as he sprinted out to the early lead as large as 15 car lengths in the early laps. Meanwhile, the chase pack behind him ramped up it's game, consisting of  Dale McDowell, Josh Richards and Bloomquist.

With most of the front runners seeking the bottom of the surface, Bloomquist was the first to try the high side as McCreadie found his first taste of lapped traffic at the lap 15 mark, and once there, it was a matter of two laps before McDowell nudged his way underneath him to take the lead. McDowell looked completely comfortable once there as well as he worked upstairs on the surface until a caution on lap 23 for a Brian Shirley spin brought the pace to a halt.  On the ensuing restart, McDowell got a great jump and put some distance between himself and McCreadie who went to the top shelf himself, starting a procession of groove changes among the front runners. With McDowell in firm control, the battle for the second spot intensified as Richards started to close in on McCreadie.  He would make the pass on the top side on lap 36, right about the same time as Bloomquist made a serious forward charge, passing Richards on lap 38 as he set his sights on McDowell.

Bloomquist then made a groove change that enabled him to creep to McDowell's rear bumper, by moving to the low side. The strategy worked like a charm, but just as McDowell was getting into lapped traffic, Brian Shirley brought out the yellow flag once gain on lap 52. Once the action went green again,  Bloomquist found the perfect time to hit the go button as he went to the bottom on lap 54 in turns three and four and edged past McDowell for the lead. Behind him, Jonathan Davenport made his forward charge working up the fifth position eventually, but he could get no closer.

At the lap 67 mark, Bloomquist entered his first taste of lapped traffic, and Richards made his way past McDowell for the second spot. However, he would only get small glimpses of hope the rest of the way as Bloomquist quietly put the field to bed with yet another classic performance in a crown jewel event.


"It's always been such a special place to come from the first time," an emotional Bloomquist said in victory lane. "We like how the track races.  There's 20 ways to drive each end of this place but it was different this weekend.  The dirt they put on it made it definitely a different race. I wanted to follow whoever was leading for many laps and check out my car and and run different lines and compare when I changed lines, then I knew when I got the lead, I'd know where to go.

Final Running Order:


1. Scott Bloomquist  2. Josh Richards  3. Dale McDowell  4. Earl Pearson Jr  5. Jonathan Davenport
6. Tim McCreadie  7. Rick Eckert  8. Shane Clanton  9. Gregg Satterlee  10. Billy Moyer Jr.
11. Brandon Overton  12. Dan Stone  13. Steve Caebolt  14. Chub Frank  15. Eric Wells
16. Chase Junghans  17. Morgan Bagley  18. Russ King  19. Boom Briggs  20. Jared Miley
21. Frank Heckenast Jr.  22. Kenny Pettyjohn  23. Brian Shirley  24. Mike Benedum
25. Jason Covert  26. Mason Zeigler  27. Alex Ferree  28. Mike Pegher Jr.

"Firecracker 100 Pickem" Standings - Race 2

Here are the updated points following the 2nd preliminary race at Lernerville Speedway (day race). The points set up a tight battle for the top spots heading into the Firecracker 100 finale. The way the standings set now, countless contestants could still pick up the win and receive the $50 Visa Gift Card.

Pos. 1-60

Pos. 61-120

Pos. 121-180

Pos. 181-212

"Firecracker 100 Pickem" Standings - Race 1

Here are the updated Firecracker 100 Pickem standings following Night 1. It's a tight battle at the top of the board, but with two full shows today a lot of ground can be made up.  Standings will be updated at the track in between shows this afternoon so be sure to check back around 5pm EST for a final look at where you sit heading into the finale!

Pos. 1-60

Pos. 61-120

Pos. 121-180

Pos. 181-212

The Firecracker Story from Lernerville: Richards scores preliminary victory.

Josh Richards continued his strong 2016 World Of Outlaw Craftsman tour campaign with another victory in the Friday night portion of the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway.  The Rocketman advanced to the lead from the tenth starting position by the halfway point in the 30 lap event. After misfortunes in lap traffic, Richards utilized a late race restart to retake the lead away from Brandon Overton.

Daylon Barr Photo

Group Qualifying:

Dale McDowell set overall quicktime in group qualifying
Daylon Barr Photo

Dale McDowell set quicktime in Group A with a lap of 15.251 seconds over Mike Benedum, Austin Hubbard, Billy Moyer Jr. and Frank Heckenast Jr.

Group B saw Scott Bloomquist set quicktime with a lap of 15.335 seconds over Lernerville track points leader Russell King, Brian Shirley, Jonathan Davenport and Eric Wells.




Heats:

Heat 1:
Billy Moyer Jr advanced to the lead from the outside pole over McDowell. Jared Miley cleared Chub Frank for the third and final transfer position. Moyer pulled ahead, while Miley closed on McDowell for 2nd until a lap 8 caution for Joey Coulter slowed the field.  On the restart, Frank drove from 4th to 2nd around both McDowell and Miley on the inside of turn 2. Moyer took the victory and a redraw spot over Frank, while McDowell managed to hold off Miley for third.

Heat 2:
Heckenast Jr. drove to the lead on lap 1 and led all the way to secure the victory. Mike Benedum put some pressure to the inside of the 99JR machine toward halfway, but fell back into the clutches of Jason Covert for a battle for second. Benedum would end up in second with Covert finishing third.

Heat 3:
Shane Clanton took the early lead with Austin Hubbard right on his tail.  On the opening lap, Gregg Satterlee made contact with Tim McCreadie, causing Satterlee to bring out the yellow with a flat tire on the second circuit. The restart saw Clanton again in the lead, but Brandon Overton took the runner up spot away from Hubbard. Lap 6 saw both Clanton and Hubbard suffer problems, as Clanton slowed to an abrupt stop and Hubbard lost the handle coming off turn 4, surrendering several positions. This handed the lead over to Overton, who took advantage of the misfortunes to claim the heat win. McCreadie advanced forward to take the second spot, while Satterlee overcome his early race troubles to take the final transfer spot away from Alex Ferree.

Heat 4:
The fourth heat saw a stout field with Bloomquist, Richards, Davenport and Earl Pearson Jr. making up the top four starting positions. Bloomquist raced out to a big lead while the battle was on for second between Richards and Davenport. The two exchanged slide jobs coming off turn four on several occasions with Richards ultimately getting the advantage on lap 5. Bloomquist took the heat win over Richards and Davenport held on to take the final transfer spot over Pearson and Tyler Erb.

Daylon Barr Photo

Heat 5:
Russ King well represented the contingent of weekly Lernerville drivers with an impressive victory in heat 5. King drove to the lead from the pole, and then had to hold off a late race charge from Mason Zeigler. King kept his momentum around the high side of the speedway to hold off several slide job attempts by Zeigler.   Eric Wells claimed the third position over past Firecracker champion Darrell Lanigan, who failed to transfer in fourth.

Heat 6:

On an early race restart, the final heat race of the night saw the field stack up after contact between Austin Smith and Mike Pegher Jr. The result was  heavy damage for both Rick Eckert and Joe Martin, putting them both out of competition for the heat. When racing resumed, Brian Shirley held the point, while Pegher drove by Smith for second. The rest of the race went caution free with Shirley, Pegher and Smith clinching the final transfer spots.

Last Chance Showdowns:

LCS #1: Jared Miley raced his way into the feature in convincing fashion, while Steve Casebolt charged by Michael Norris and Morgan Bagley for the final transfer spot.

LCS #2: Outlaw Rookie Tyler Erb held off a strong field for the victory with Kenny Pettyjohn also transferring.

LCS #3: Lanigan drove away with the victory in the final shot to make the feature. Dave Hess Jr. held off Bump Hedman to also transfer.

Amain:

Heckenast Jr. and King drew the front row starting spots for the 30 lap preliminary feature.  King drove by Heckenast down the backstretch for the lead on the opening lap, but the action was slowed for Mike Benedum spinning in front of the field before a lap could be completed.

Once racing resumed, it was again King who drove to the lead, while Moyer worked his way around Heckenast for second. The action was aplenty throughout the 28 car field, especially with Bloomquist, Richards and Chub Frank already racing three wide for sixth in the opening laps. Overton then drove into 3rd around Heckenast as well before another caution for Steve Casebolt slowed the field on lap 3.

On the lap 3 restart, King remained out in front with Overton applying pressure. By lap 7, Overton was able to clear King for the lead. Behind the lead duo, all eyes were on Richards who drove all the way to the third position by lap 8. Richards and King begun to battle for the runner up spot in the following laps, and in the meantime, both were making up ground on leader Overton, who began to hit lap traffic.

Richards made his way around King for 2nd on lap 11 and then made quick work of Overton for the lead by lap 13. On lap 18, Richards got held up by Austin Smith heading into turn 3, which allowed Overton to retake the lead at the flagstand. A well timed caution for the slowing car of Morgan Bagley on the same lap allowed Overton to remain in front.

Looking for his first victory in his Outlaw career, Overton raced to the lead again on the Delaware double file restart.  Shirley momentarily took second away from Richards, but slid high off turn two allowing Richards to set his sights on retaking the lead.  Another caution for Benedum on lap 21 slowed the pace.

Daylon Barr Photo

This time, on a single file restart, Richards retook the point with a pass to the inside of Overton in turns 1 and 2. One final caution was displayed on lap 23 for Bloomquist, who retired from the event after coming to a stop off turn 2.

Daylon Barr Photo

Richards quickly stretched his advantage on the lap 23 restart, while Overton and Shirley battled for 2nd.  Seemingly out of nowhere, Davenport charged through the field following the restart, as his #116 machine was glued to the very top of the speedway. He advanced from 7th on the restart to take 2nd on lap 27 and then began to make up significant time on Richards as well.




However, Davenport would just run out of laps and could not catch Richards. "On that last restart, I was able to catch the traction on the bottom of one and two and I was able to get by Overton and hold on for the win", remarked Richards in victory lane. "I didn't realize Davenport was coming on the top. I knew it was really good up there but I didn't want to gamble and go up there."

 Overton took the final podium spot, while Shirley and King made up the rest of the top five. A hard charging Jared Miley passed both McCreadie and Moyer in the closing laps to finish 6th from the 19th starting position.

Thursday's rained out event will be made up early Saturday afternoon prior to the Saturday evening Firecracker 100 event.  "We just want to see what the track does. It'll be daytime and it'll dry out, that's inevitable and as wet as it is, it could get really dusty but I know the track guys are going to work hard to get it to the best show that they can", Richards remarked regarding the Saturday afternoon event.


Top 10 Finish:
1. Josh Richards
2. Jonathan Davenport
3. Brandon Overton
4. Brian Shirley
5. Russ King
6. Jared Miley
7. Tim McCreadie
8. Billy Moyer Jr.
9. Frank Heckenast Jr.
10. Mason Zeigler



Complete Friday Night Results

Top 25 National Sprint Car Poll - Week 5

Kyle Larson (57) racing hard with Sheldon Haudenschild (93)
at Waynesfield Raceway Park during Ohio Speedweek action.

Making a splash on the sprint car scene and moving to No. 14 in this week's rankings is none other than Elk Grove, Calif.'s Kyle Larson. Larson, joined by fellow asphalt racers Rico Abreu and Kasey Kahne, dropped into Ohio over the weekend to partake in some of the All Star Sprint Speedweek fun. The California hotshoe picked up the miniseries opener at Attica, then continued on to pick up podium finishes at both Waynesfield Raceway Park and Millstream Speedway.

Also making their debut in our Top 25 rankings is sprint car legend Sammy Swindell. Swindell's strong runs continued this past weekend when he finished 5th at Knoxville Raceway and 2nd at Mason City Motor Speedway against a tough National Sprint League field. Slammin' Sammy slides in to the 25th and final spot on the poll.

Once again, Fargo, N.D.'s Donny Schatz topped the rankings. Over the past week he notched his 3rd straight River Cities Speedway World of Outlaws win, with another 3rd place finish to boot. Behind him we find a dead-heat tie for the 2nd spot between WoO competitors David Gravel and Shane Stewart. Gravel continues to post consistent Top 5 finishes while Stewart found victory lane twice.

Kyle Larson was the Hard Charger of the week. He now sits 14th in the Rankings, but as of last week he had not tallied a single point due to his NASCAR commitments keeping him from getting dirty. Other notable movers through the field were Shane Stewart, Daryn Pittman and Kerry Madsen who all moved up an impressive 5 spots!

The two drivers who dropped out of the rankings from last week's poll were Pennsylvania's Brent Marks and Ohio's Cole Duncan.

Our panel of voting members for Week 3 included the following:
Blake Anderson, Brian Liskai, Bobby Gerould, Tony Bokhoven, Mike Leone, Kyle Symons, Anthony Corini and Tyler Beichner.

1. Donny Schatz, 199 points (7)
Recent Results: Rebounds from DNF at Granite City to score a win and 3rd at River Cities & Brown County.
Previous Ranking: 1st (NC)

2. David Gravel, 177 points (1)
Recent Results: Strong 2nd place run at River Cities and 6th place finishes at Granite City & Brown County.
Previous Ranking: 4th (+2)

2. Shane Stewart, 177 points
Recent Results: Dominating week results in two wins at Granite City & Brown County, plus a 4th at River Cities.
Previous Ranking: 7th (+5)

4. Brad Sweet, 170 points
Recent Results: Finishes of 2nd, 6th & 7th at Granite City, River Cities, and Brown County respectively.
Previous Ranking: 3rd (-1)

5. Greg Hodnett, 164 points
Recent Results: Caps off a 4th place run at Williams Grove by collecting another win at Port Royal.
Previous Ranking: 2nd (-3)

6. Dale Blaney, 163 points
Recent Results: Builds off of strong runs at Attica and Waynesfield to capture win at Millstream during Speedweek.
Previous Ranking: 5th (-1)

7. Daryn Pittman, 152 points
Recent Results: Consistently a Top 5 car of late with the WoO. Finishes of 4th, 5th, & 4th over the past week.
Previous Ranking: 10th (+5)

8. Danny Lasoski, 143 points
Recent Results: A weekend with the NSL, he placed 7th at Knoxville and picked up the win at Mason City.
Previous Ranking: 6th (-2)

9. Chad Kemenah, 133 points
Recent Results: Gaining speed, Kemenah placed in the Top 5 in each of the first three OH Speedweek events.
Previous Ranking: 11th (+2)

10. Kerry Madsen, 112 points
Recent Results: Notched a 3rd at Granite City with WoO before finding victory lane at Knoxville with the NSL.
Previous Ranking: 15th (+5)

11. Brian Brown, 97 points
Recent Results: After a 13th at Granite City with WoO, finishes weekend strong with a 4th & 6th in NSL action.
Previous Ranking: 8th (-3)

12. Terry McCarl, 92 points
Recent Results: Scores a 9th at Knoxville in NSL action before finishing just inside the Top 5 at Mason City.
Previous Ranking: 9th (-3)

12. Joey Saldana, 92 points
Recent Results: A runner-up at Brown County highlighted his weekend that also included 9th & 10th place finishes.
Previous Ranking: 13th (+1)

14. Kyle Larson, 84 points
Recent Results: Won his Attica debut followed by a runner-up at Waynesfield and 3rd place at Millstream during Ohio Speedweek.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

15. Sheldon Haudenschild, 78 points
Recent Results: Fending off Larson for the win at Waynesfield was the lone bright spot to his Speedweek start.
Previous Ranking: 20th (+5)

16. Lucas Wolfe, 72 points
Recent Results: Follows up a DNF at Williams Grove with a 2nd place finish at Port Royal.
Previous Ranking: 13th (-4)

17. Dusty Zomer, 60 points
Recent Results: Struggles all weekend result in 13th and 16th place finishes with the Outlaws.
Previous Ranking: 12th (-5)

17. Craig Dollansky, 60 points
Recent Results: Progressively improved all weekend. Finished 12th, 8th & 5th in consecutive starts with WoO/NSL.
Previous Ranking: 16th (-1)

19. Tim Kaeding, 51 points
Recent Results: Notches a podium 3rd place finish at Knoxville before settling for 10th at Brown County.
Previous Ranking: 17th (-2)

20. Danny Dietrich, 44 points
Recent Results: Finishes 2nd at Williams Grove before a 20th & DNQ in two Ohio Speedweek starts.
Previous Ranking: 22nd (+2)

21. Jason Johnson, 31 points
Recent Results: Charges to a 5th place run at Granite City before finishes of 22nd & 12th at River Cities and Brown County.
Previous Ranking: 17th (-4)

22. Lance Dewease, 28 points
Recent Results: The team did not enter a race for yet another week.
Previous Ranking: 21st (-1)

23. Mark Dobmeier, 27 points
Recent Results: Disappointing runs in his neck of the woods. Places 23rd & 13th with the World of Outlaws.
Previous Ranking: 18th (-5)

23. Byron Reed, 27 points
Recent Results: Scores runner-up finish at Attica stop on Speedweek before placing other finishes of 12th & 24th.
Previous Ranking: 24th (+1)

25. Sammy Swindell, 24 points
Recent Results: Joins the rankings after finishing 5th at Knoxville and 2nd at Mason City in NSL action.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

Dropped Out of Rankings
Brent Marks (19), Cole Duncan (25)

Richards Walks Away at Weedsport

Daylon Barr Photo

Domination would be an understatement.

Daylon Barr Photo

     For the seventh time this season in World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series action, Josh Richards is heading to the bank with the winner’s check. But it wasn’t just a win; the Shinnston, W.V. native absolutely walked the field from the drop of the green flag.

Daylon Barr Photo

    After starting on the pole, by the time the 40 lap, caution free feature was finished, Richards had lapped up to fifth place, and extended his lead to over 10 seconds ahead of second place finisher Shane Clanton. Post-race, when asked, Richards said he didn’t know he was that far ahead, but praised the track workers for providing a “perfect” surface.

     Joining Richards and Clanton on top of Weedsport Speedway’s signature Victory Hill was Frank Heckenast Jr., finishing third in the JR99. Earlier in the evening Heckenast set the pace in time trials with a 15.358 second lap around the 3/8ths mile oval, edging Richards by .085s. Rounding out the top 5 was Brandon Overton and Rick Eckert respectively.

Daylon Barr Photo

     This is the series’ only trip to the Empire State this year, but they have a handful of races remaining in Pennsylvania including this weekend’s Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway. Saturday nights feature will pay a whopping $30,000 to the winner. Action gets underway Thursday night with prelims, and continues Friday night with more of the same. 

The TDN Weekly Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 7

Hey there folks, tis' Monday and that means I'm about to hit you with the standings in my late model poll. I know It's a bit later than normal today, but I was at Idewild with my wife and kid all day,. Twas' fun, but sticky hot, and now we're all ready to do a whole lot of nothing. Before I get to that lounging, though, let's get to the whole point you read this stuff each week.

All of the scoring tracks involved got shows in this week, and I even got Roaring Knob results on time. That's a first for this season. Dog Hollow and Eriez had specials that bumped the points scored there up to the special level. A lot of points were scored this week, so the standings will reflect that.

Speaking of those standings, here they be.

1. Max Blair***, 36 points. Max got a fourth at Dog Hollow Friday and picked up the win at Eriez Sunday for his points this week. In non-scoring action, He got a second in ULMS action at  Mercer Raceway Park Saturday.

2. Jared Miley***, 30 points. Jared was first under the Checkers at Dog Hollow Friday for his points this week. In non scoring action, He was third at Mercer on Saturday, and eighth at Eriez Sunday.

3. Alex Ferree***, 25 points. Alex was fourth at Lernerville Friday for his points this week. I idin't see his name anywhere else in any other results this weekend.

4. Dylan Yoder**, 23 points. Dylan ran third at Dog Hollow Friday and got a second at Port Royal Saturday for his points this week.

5. Jeff Rine**, 22 points. Jeff got a third Bedford Friday and had the victory at Selinsgrove Saturday in scoring action for this week.

6. Russ King, 21 points. Russ ran second at Lernerville Friday for his points this week. In non-scoring action, he won Saturday at Mercer.

7. Michael Lake**, 18 points. Michael's points came from a fifth at Dog Hollow this week.I didn't see his name in any other results this weekend, but I hear he went to Ohio Valley for the Jim Dunn Memorial on Saturday.

7. Joe Martin*, 18 points. Joe didn't score any points this eek, but he did run seventh at Dog Hollow Friday. I didn't see his name in any other results this weekend.

9. Rob Blair*, 17 points. Rob got a third at Eriez Sunday for his points this week. I didn't see his name in any other results.

9. Mike Blose*, 17 points.  Mike didn't score any points this week. Only place I saw his name in any results was Dog Hollow Friday, where he came home eleventh.


And that's the first ten names on my list this week. It's the biggest late model weekend of the year this coming weekend with the WoO coming to town for three days at Lernerville, and I hope you're coming out to see it. If not, you're missing out. If you see me, stop and say hey. I'll be wandering around the place all three days so it's pretty likely you'll see me somewhere. It could be like a Where's Waldo kind of thing. Find me and win a prize. The only prize would be a friendly conversation, though.

If not, I'll see ya next Monday when I update these rankings for next week.

The Story From Lernerville; Williamson Makes It Four Out of Five; Bowser and Pegher Earn Hard Fought Wins; Young Owns Sportsman

Underneath a beautiful sky, the mid season championships took center stage at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night, and with it came the guaranteed starting spots to four important future events for all four feature winners. And for two drivers, the added incentive couldn't have come at a better time as Carl Bowser and Mike Pegher Jr. each turned around a miserable season with a feature win that put them in the show for the Don Martin Silver Cup and Firecracker 100 respectively. Canadian sensation Mat Williamson also put the skills on display picking up his fourth win in five weeks in the Diehl Automotive Dirt Car Modifieds, and Terry Young found victory lane for the second time in three weeks in the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Sportsman.


Diehl Automotive Modifieds

For most of the young season, the modifieds had treated fans in attendance to some of the most hotly contested and caution free features of the season. They provided more than their share of edge of the seat moments for fans in attendance at the action track. But this night...was not exactly one of those as Mat Williamson took the trophy back to his native Canada for the fourth time in five weeks in a caution marred feature event.

Jimmy Weller III and Brian Swartzlander brought the field to the first of many green flags as Swartlander darted out to the early advantage as a formidable chase pack formed behind him consisting of Garrett Krummert, Jeremiah Shingledecker and Kevin Bolland. But the action was halted early when a lap two tangle between last week's runner up, Mike Maresca, Mike Turner and Mark Frankenhouser reset the field.

Bolland exited the scene on the restart when his car broke something in the front end, causing his night to come to an end while in between yellow flags, Shingledecker and Krummert looked to provide the stiffest challenge to Swartzlander.  Following a lap six caution for a Rick Regalski and Shawn Kozaar tangle in turn two, the race finally picked up some momentum. Following the restart, Swartzlander looked to be in command as the stretched out a fairly comfortable lead up on the top of the speedway. But behind him, lurked Williamson, who had made use of the restarts to get within striking distance as the race progressed.



Pat Miller Photo

At the midway point, Swartzlander had all he could handle behind him as Shingledecker had made up significant ground and began to challenge for the lead. Shingledecker would eventually find one great oppportunity on lap 16 when he went to the bottom of the surface in an attempt to dive underneath the race leader. But the maneuver came up just short. Swartzlander looked to be headed straight for lapped traffic when the yellow flag waved once again on lap 17.

On the restart, Swartzlander elected the top side but managed to slide up and over the cushion coming out of turn two which opened the door for Shingledecker and Williamson, and the latter of the two went right through to the lead on lap 19.  But once there from his ninth starting spot, Williamson had to deal with two pivotal restarts in the waning moments, but was able to keep the field behind him on both occasions to collect the victory.

"It's tiresome," Williamson said. When you get up front like that, you don't want to see a caution, but it also helps you get to the front. It's kind of like a double negative, you wish some guys would settle down a bit and we could get some laps in because fans don't want to sit through yellows. We always want to put a good show on, and tonight I don't think we did."

Top 10:

1. Mat Williamson
2. Rex King Jr.
3. Jeremiah Shingledecker
4. Garrett Krummert
5. Brian Swartzlander
6. Rex King Sr.
7. Dave Murdick
8. Jimmy Weller III
9. JR McGinley
10. Mike Turner


Feature Video Courtesy of Joel Schlosser

People's Gas Dirt Car Sprints


Unexpectedly, the season had been a lost one of sorts for Carl Bowser. The former Lernerville sprint car champion had found himself on the end of bad luck and plagued mechanical gremlins. But with a new car and a favorable starting spot in the twenty five lap feature event, Bowser found himself with an opportunity to turn his season around and took advantage of it with a convincing performance.


Scott Priester started on the poll, but failed to fire on the initial green flag, altering the course of the race Ohio invader Shawn Velnti, a much improved Dan Shetler and Davey Jones were collected down the front stretch.   Once action resumed, Bowser went to the top of the track with authority qne looked to be in complete control in the early going.  Behind him, Jack Sodeman Jr. and Brandon Matus occupied positions two and three as Bowser began to enter his first round of lapped traffic at the five lap mark and he navigated through it as smooth as could be slicing and dicing between cars high and low.  Sodeman Jr. meanwhile, was able to follow him through and looked to find bite on the low side of the speedway.  

Pat Miler Photo

By lap 13, Sodeman Jr's new line was working like a charm, enabling him to get close enough to Bowser to attempt a slide job for the lead on lap 13 which came up short and almost cost him several positions as he nearly went over the banking. The lack of lapped traffic and Sodeman Jr's miscalculation meant that Bowser was back in clean air as he built up a sizable lead over Sodeman Jr once again.

With 20 laps in the books, Bowser found himself once again approaching heavy lapped traffic, but Bowser needed to use none of the lappers the rest of the way as his lead over Sodeman Jr was a substantial one. It was the first win for Bowser since last season, and he emotionally explained what brought  about the success following the feature event.

"We just found a few things recently," Bowser said in victory lane. "Two weeks ago we just left after the heat races we were so bad. So we went home that Friday night an built a new car and it's just really been the difference. We just brought out a new J & J and every time we get one of their cars and we put it together and they go on the race track and do what we did here tonight."

Top 10:

1. Carl Bowser
2. Jack Sodeman Jr.
3. Brandon Matus
4. AJ Flick
5. Dan Kuriger
6. Brent Matus
7. John Garvin Jr.
8. Sye Lynch
9. Ralph Spithaler
10. Alex Paden


Feature Video Courtesy Of Joel Schlosser

Precise Racing Products Super Late Models

Mike Pegher Jr. found himself in almost identical circumstances to Bowser when the night began. And, like Bowser, he found a way to put the negative start to the year behind him in an effort that saw him overtake some stout front runners en route to his first victory of the 2016 campaign.

Russ King looked to be in charge in the early going as he quickly assumed the lead followed by Alex Ferree and Pegher Jr. Then action was then brought to a halt on lap two when Mike Miller spun in turn two.  King's restart was perfect once the action resumed as Pegher Jr. slid underneath Ferree to take the second spot away. Behind them a pack of pursuers formed as Michael Norris, Dave Hess Jr. Matt Lux and Kenny Schaltenbrand set to hunt down the top three.

King then found himself amongst the lappers on lap three as Pegher Jr. was close behind and the traffic helped him find his way around King on lap 11. Once in the lead Pegher Jr. began to stretch out a comfortable margin while making his way forward was Hess Jr. who had climbed from his 11th starting spot to fifth.  However the issue of who would take home the coveted Firecracker 100 starting spot looked to be a forgone conclusion as Pegher Jr. kept setting a torrid pace with the laps winding down.

Mike Miller then brought out the caution for yet another spin on lap 17, resetting the field for one final time.  But on the ensuing restart, Pegher Jr. pounded the top side of the speedway with authority, leaving only the matter of the remainder of the podium spots in doubt. Hess Jr. made the most of the restart and found himself in second position, but in the end, the night belonged to Pegher Jr. who got the monkey off his back as he cruised to victory with ease over the remaining laps.

"We've had nothing but bad luck this year," Pegher remarked upon winning his first feature event of the season. "Some of it was my fault, but I really have to thank my car owner Lynn Geisler. I've cost him a lot of money here lately but he shows up at the shop with me, helping me get the car together and if it wasn't for him...we wouldn't be here."

 



Top 10:

1. Mike Pegher Jr.
2. Russ King
3. Dave Hess
4. Alex Ferree
5. Michael Norris
6. Matt Lux
7. Kenny Schaltenbrand
8. Gary Lyle
9. Bump Hedman
10. Ed Ferree

Feature Video Courtesy of Joel Schlosser

Millerstown Pic-A-Part Sportsman

If the first half of the season has taught fans in attendance anything, it is that Corey McPherson , Joey Zambotti, and Terry Young seem destined to do battle to the very end. And it's going to be amazing to watch. But on this night, it was Young's turn to rule the field as he checked out to a large margin on the way to his second win of the season.

From the drop of the green flag, the sportsman feature looked to be a two car battle between the hottest drivers in the division.  Terry Young started on the poll, but starting fourth was division points leader Cory McPherson, and it did not take long for him to make it a two car battle in the first few laps. Behind them, Aaron Easler, McPherson and Joey Zambotti began their pursuit as Young sought the bite at the top of the track while Easler and Zambotti kept their sights a little lower on the surface.



Pat Miller Phto

McPherson was able to make his way around both of them by lap nine and set his sights on the leader while Easler and Zambotti continued to do battle for the third spot. But in the second half of the race, all anybody could do was watch and admire, as Young made no mistakes to capitalize on the rest of the way. Tyler Dietz moved forward from his 11th starting spot to finish fourth as the race's hard charger, but Young could not and would not be caught as he toook his second win in three weeks

"I knew if I kept making mistakes running into traffic that Cory (McPherson) would be along any second, but I never did see him again so that's always good when you don't see Cory out the door," Young said. "This is what it's all about right here, getting the picture take with your kids, everybody loves it, the crew loves it, they all come to the garage and they deserve to be up here."

Top 10:

1. Terry Young
2. Corey McPherson
3. Joey Zambotti
4. Tyler Dietz
5. Aaron Easler
6. Jim Fosnaught
7. Brandon Wearing
8. Joe Kelley
9. Brett McDonald
10. Paul Schreckengost

Feature Video Courtesy Of Joel Schlosser

The Tenth Annual Firecracker 100 Preview

So here we are exactly one week away from Christmas in June for super late model fans in Pennsylvania. It's the tenth annual Firecracker 100 for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. So  we here at TDN are give give you the skinny, in typical big race preview fashion. We'll answer the same six questions we always do for our big race previews, and top it off with some predictions.

Who?

Somewhere around 65 or so of the best late model racers in the nation. Expect to see all the World of Outlaws drivers, a handful of Lucas regulars, some of the nations independent touring drivers, all of Pennsylvania's best late model racers, and there's always a surprise or two that shows up. 

What?
Three nights of full racing programs, concerts after the races Thursday and Friday, and various activities around the track during the day. Thursday's and Friday's programs will consist of qualifying, heats, b-mains, and 30 lap features paying 6k to win. Saturday's program will consist of heats set up from the driver's best finishes in the previous night's action, b-mains, the Uncle Sam 30 for non qualifiers paying 3k to win, and the 30k to win 100 lap Firecracker 100. 

Where? 
Lernerville Speedway, located in Sarver, Pennsylvania on PA Rt. 356. Directions can be had here. 

When? 
Thursday, June 23rd, through Saturday June 25th. A full schedule of the weekend's activities can be found here.  

Why? 
 Why not? I mean, we all love super late model racing, right? 

How? 
You buy a ticket to the races, or bring your late model to sling a little mud. It's pretty easy, actually. Tickets can be bought here, or at the gate the day of the race.

Now that we got all that out of the way, let's get to some predictions. 


Who will win:

 

Josh Richards. He's very good at Lernerville, and has turned thouands of laps there over the years. With the incredible season he's having (he's entered something like 40 races, and finished on the podium in something like 32 or 33 of them), coming into what is more or less his home track, he really  has to be the favorite.


Who won't win:

 It's been a rough few years for Chub. He hasn't competed for a win in a really long time. I know, I know, he's got even more laps at Lernerville over the years than Richards, but he used to pop in once in a while for weekly shows and was basically guaranteed to be walking out with the big check. He doesn't even do that anymore. And this year, he'll be in a different brand chassis for the third time in 4 years. That's not a recipe for success. 


Who could shock the world:

 Alex Ferree is the defending Lernerville champ yet again. He's Lernerville's resident badass. He had a rather workmanlike start to the season, but has come alive recently and won on consecutive weeks. I admit he's got a bit of a problem keeping tires under him sometimes, and that could be a hinderance in a 100 lap race, but I have seen him keep tires under a car that long before, albeit at PPMS. He's matured a bunch as a driver in the last few years and I believe if he can manage to qualify well, he could absolutely be in the mix come Saturday night. 

And that's it for our preview. Hope to see you all of you at the races next week.