WoO LMS Points Leaders Shine,
McCreadie Flips During Firecracker 100 Qualifying Night Action
SARVER, PA - June 26, 2009 - The top three drivers in the World of
Outlaws Late Model Series points standings shined during Friday
night's heat-race action for the third annual Firecracker 100
presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway.
Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.,
and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. – who rank 1-3, respectively, in
the tour's hotly-contested points battle – scored victories in the
series of six 15-lap heats that kicked off western Pennsylvania's
premier dirt Late Model event.
A stellar field of 61 cars was signed in for the qualifying program,
which also saw 2007 Firecracker 100 winner Scott Bloomquist of
Mooresburg, Tenn., Jamie Lathroum of Mechanicsville, Md., and Doug
Horton of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., register heat-race triumphs.
The six heat winners will redraw for the top-six starting positions
in Saturday night's Firecracker 100, which tops off a full day of
entertainment at Lernerville.
Former WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., meanwhile,
barrel-rolled his car twice in a tangle off turn four during
Friday's second heat. Making just his fifth start since returning
last week from a back injury suffered in a Jan. 15 crash during the
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., McCreadie slid up the
track when he hit a spot of water along the inside berm, made
contact with Jared Miley of South Park, Pa., and then was hit by his
Sweeteners Plus teammate Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y.
The shove from Coffey sent McCreadie's car into a pair of flips. It
came to rest on its wheels and McCreadie gingerly climbed out of the
cockpit, sore but otherwise uninjured. He expects to drive his
backup car on Saturday night in an attempt to qualify for the
Firecracker 100.
Richards, 21, put his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket machine back at
the front of the pack 24 hours after winning the postponed WoO LMS
‘Showdown in Sarvertown' A-Main at the four-tenths-mile oval. The
tour points leader raced to a convincing victory in the fourth heat
on a slick track surface that was completely different than the
heavy one he mastered on Thursday night.
“I think that's as slick as (the surface) will get tomorrow (in the
Firecracker 100), so I feel pretty good about our chances,” said
Richards, a five-time WoO LMS winner this season who is hoping to
make Saturday's $30,000-to-win blockbuster his first-ever victory in
a crown-jewel event. “Usually when it's slick and I'm creeping
around, nothing feels good (on the car). But tonight I actually had
a good feel in that condition and that gives me some confidence.”
Both Francis and Lanigan won heats after installing backup engines
in their cars earlier in the day. Francis found a broken lifter in
the powerplant of his Beitler Motorsports Rocket after finishing
fourth in Thursday night's A-Main, while Lanigan's Fusion Energy
Rocket was sidelined by terminal motor problems as he led the
‘Showdown in Sarvertown.'
Lanigan enjoyed a perfect qualifying night, preceding his win in the
first heat with the fastest lap in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials. He
toured the track in 17.754 seconds to record his series-leading
fourth fast-time honor of the 2009 season.
Lanigan, who finished second in last year's Firecracker 100 after
leading laps 1-69, will seek to end a frustrating 45-race winless
streak on the WoO LMS in Saturday night's headliner.
Bloomquist drove his Team Zero by Bloomquist car to victory in the
third heat over defending Firecracker 100 winner Brian Birkhofer of
Muscatine, Iowa. Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who earlier this
month won the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned $100,000 Dirt Late Model
Dream event at Ohio's Eldora Speedway, grabbed the third-and-final
transfer spot in the preliminary.
The evening's upset heat winners were Lathroum, who captured his
first career WoO LMS A-Main victory last month at Delaware
International Speedway, and Horton. Lathroum's triumph came in his
first-ever appearance at Lernerville.
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who sits fourth in the WoO LMS points
standings, grabbed the final transfer position in the first heat
when he slid around the outside of New Bethlehem, Pa.'s Mike Blose
exiting turn four with the checkered flag waving.
“I just threw it in on the top,” said Eckert. “It was the last lap
and I didn't want to run the B-Main.”
For fans of Lernerville Speedway’s Fab Four Racing, the following
drivers from the Friedman’s Freshmarkets DIRTcar Late Models
division qualified directly into the $30,000-to-win 3rd
Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com; Doug Horton,
Jared Miley and Keith Barbara. Horton dominated the sixth and final
heat race of the night, while Barbara stole the position away from
Matt Lux and Dave Hess Jr., whom were battling for third. Miley ran
a strong race to finish second in his heat race.
Gregg Satterlee
(Mid-Season Champion) and Two-Time Defending Track Champion Alex
Ferree (currently second in points behind Satterlee) are locked into
provisionals for the A-Main. Both will do their best to race into
the A via the B-Mains, (which will be contested Saturday Night), but
it’s nice to have the provisional in your back pocket just in case!
Regional Late Model
drivers Rick “Boom” Briggs and Coleby Frye, whom frequently drop
into the Action Track for weekly competition while not on the road
with the O’Reilly All Star Late Model Series, also locked up
$2000-to-start positions in the Firecracker A-Main feature.
Friday's program
ended with Lanigan's crewmen, Randall Edwards and Eric Fulwood,
earning a $1,000 check for winning the Integra Shocks Crew Chief
Challenge. They survived four rounds of head-to-head battles in the
tire-changing competition, beating Tim Fuller's wrenches, Mike
‘Smoke' Countryman and Barry Knapp, in the final.
Fifteen two-crewman teams participated in the tournament-style
event, which was contested on the track's homestretch. The crews had
to change the right-rear tires on their cars in each round.
The Firecracker 100 weekend continues on Saturday with a full day of
activities, starting at 12 noon with a driver/fan horseshoe
tournament, a Weenie Roast and a driver question-and-session session
in front of the fans. A driver autograph session is scheduled for
underneath the grandstand from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by
B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the
main event — the $30,000-to-win Firecracker 100.
Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on the Firecracker 100 and the WoO LMS, visit
www.lernerville.com or
www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best
Lap):
1. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 17.754
2. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 17.767
3. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 17.804
4. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 17.830
5. won11-Robbie Blair/Titusville, PA 17.966
6. 11H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 18.007
7. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 18.015
8. H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA 18.028
9. 71d-Ron Davies/Erie, PA 18.038
10. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 18.060
11. 21-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA 18.069
12. 46-Doug Horton/Bruceton Mills, WV 18.080
13. 5-Mike Blose/New Bethlehem, PA 18.108
14. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 18.208
15. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 18.213
16. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 18.244
17. 6-Jamie Lathroum/Mechanicsville, MD 18.250
18. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 18.253
19. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 18.254
20. 11-Tyler Reddick/Corning, CA 18.256
21. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 18.266
22. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 18.291
23. 99B-Rick Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 18.317
24. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 18.321
25. 72M-John Mason/Millersburg, OH 18.337
26. 44p-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 18.345
27. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 18.362
28. 2J-Mike Johnson/Imperial, PA 18.377
29. 4J-John Mollick/Toronto, OH 18.431
30. 28M-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 18.434
31. 18K-Brandon Kinzer/Allen, KY 18.455
32. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 18.544
33. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 18.571
34. 10-Gary Lyle/Hyde Park, PA 18.574
35. 29s-Ken Schaltenbrand/Sarver, PA 18.612
36. 4-Alex Ferree/Saxonburg, PA 18.630
37. 38R-Nick Reges/Butler, PA 18.666
38. 9k-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 18.667
39. 1c-Lynn Geisler/Cranberry Twp., PA 18.748
40. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 18.814
41. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 18.818
42. 12-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 18.824
43. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 18.868
44. F1-Coleby Frye/Dover, PA 18.914
45. 1J-Dave Murdick/Slippery Rock, PA 18.917
46. 22s-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 18.975
47. 17-Keith Barbara/South Park, PA 19.012
48. 30-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 19.034
49. 66-Todd Bachman/Natrona Heights, PA 19.054
50. 14-April Farmer/Livingston, PA 19.062
51. 22G-Greg Oakes/Franklinville, NY 19.132
52. J4-John Garvin/Sarver, PA 19.222
53. 7x-Herman Bertolini/Creighton, PA 19.290
54. 1M-Peter Mantha Jr./Gatineau, QUE 19.342
55. 3-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA 19.353
56. 23-Tony Burke/Sarver, PA 19.372
57. 72N-Michael Norris/Sarver, PA 19.415
58. 21M-Tony Musolino/Scott Twp., PA 19.704
59. B22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 19.862
60. J19-Jason Fosnaught/Creighton, PA 20.529
61. 18H-Dustin Hapka/Grand Forks, ND N/T
Heat No. 1 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lanigan, Fuller, Eckert,
Blose, Kinzer, Stone, Robinson, Mason, Hapka, Bachman, Reges
Heat No. 2 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Francis, J. Miley, Frye,
Pearson, Reddick, Knight, Burke, Farmer, McCreadie, Coffey
Heat No. 3 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bloomquist, Birkhofer, Owens,
Carrier, Davies, King, Oakes, Geisler, Norris, Murdick
Heat No. 4 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, B. Smith, Frank, C.
Smith, J. Miller, Lyle, Musolino, Garvin, Satterlee (DNS) M. Johnson
Heat No. 5 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lathroum, Briggs, Barbara,
Hess, Lux, Hedman, Bertolini, Schaltenbrand, Mollick, Blair
Heat No. 6 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Horton, McDowell, Mars,
Hubbard, Shaver, Clanton, Ferree, Bland, Mantha, Fosnaught
FOLLOW THE ACTION ON TWITTER: Fans can now keep up-to-date
with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series online and through text
messages on cell phones via the Twitter, the internet's fast-growing
social-networking and micro-blogging website. Updates are provided
to Twitter ‘followers' of the WoO LMS throughout each race night,
and fans also receive breaking news and interesting notes from the
tour.
To sign-up as a WoO LMS ‘follower' on Twitter to receive updates
anywhere at anytime, visit
http://twitter.com/WoOLateModels.
LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can't get to a track to see the World
of Outlaws Late Model Series, they can experience the excitement of
the nation's premier tour live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT
Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to
www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to
the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail
customerservice@dirtvision.com.
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the
country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona
Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car
Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing
Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy
Boost), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser) and VP Racing
(Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors Champ
Pans, Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tires, Integra Shocks, Jake's Custom
Golf Carts, Ohlins Shocks, Racing Electronics, Quarter Master and
Wrisco Aluminum; Crane Cams Engine Builder's Challenge participants
Cornett Racing Engines, Custom Race Engines and Pro Power Racing
Engines; and Chassis Builder Challenge participants Rocket Chassis
and Team Zero by Bloomquist.
