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Lincoln Speedway Hosts World of Outlaws Late Model Series For Third
Consecutive Year On Sunday Night (May 17)
LINCOLN, IL - May 14, 2009 - Lincoln Speedway will host the World of Outlaws
Late Model Series for the third consecutive year this Sunday night (May 17).
And if history is an indicator, the third running of the ‘Land of Lincoln
40' will be bigger and better than the previous editions at the quarter-mile
oval in central Illinois.
With a field that's expected to feature the top 16 drivers in the WoO LMS
points standings and a host of talented racers from Illinois and beyond,
Sunday's $7,000-to-win event has the makings of the grandest dirt Late Model
show ever presented at the fairgrounds track.
“This World of Outlaws Late Model Series race at Lincoln Speedway just keeps
growing every year,” said track promoter Don Hammer, a 36-year-old from
Clinton, Ill., who has operated Lincoln since June 2006 and Farmer City
(Ill.) Raceway since 2005. “We've had great crowds and memorable races the
past two years, and we're expecting an even more exciting night with all the
drivers who have indicated their intentions to run on Sunday.”
Lincoln's bleachers were packed to capacity for both of its previous WoO LMS
events, which were also run in May. The 2007 event saw Brian Shirley, of
nearby Chatham, Ill., score his emotional first career WoO LMS triumph in
front of family and friends, and last year WoO LMS star Chub Frank of Bear
Lake, Pa., survived a mid-race scrape with UMP DIRTcar national champ Dennis
Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and relentless pressure from Josh Richards
of Shinnston, W.Va., to emerge victorious.
Those four principals from Lincoln's previous WoO LMS events hope to figure
in the outcome again on Sunday. Frank and Richards return as WoO LMS
regulars – the 46-year-old Frank seeking his first tour victory since last
May at Lincoln (he's riding a 40-race winless streak), and the 21-year-old
Richards looking to continue his bid for a career-first series title (he's
currently third in points) – while Shirley and Erb will attempt to keep the
‘Land of Lincoln 40' trophy from leaving the state.
Defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., is the tour's
points leader entering the doubleheader weekend of racing, which begins with
a visit to Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Saturday night (May 16). Winless
so far in 2009, he owns finishes of fourth (2008) and eighth (2007) at
Lincoln.
Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who sits second in the standings just
four points behind Lanigan, will try for his first top-five finish at
Lincoln. He started from the pole position in last year's A-Main but faded
to a sixth-place finish.
The WoO LMS traveling roster also includes 2007 champion Steve Francis of
Ashland, Ky., who finished third last year at Lincoln; Rick Eckert of York,
Pa., who was fifth at Lincoln in 2008; '07 Rookie of the Year Tim Fuller of
Watertown, N.Y. (best Lincoln finish: 12th in 2007); Brady Smith of Solon
Springs, Wis. (won a heat last year but finished 25th without completing a
lap); Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (best finish: ninth in 2007); and '08
Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y. (finished 15th in his only
Lincoln appearance last year).
Shannon Babb, whose lives just an hour's drive from Lincoln in Moweaqua,
Ill., hasn't committed to following the entire WoO LMS in 2009 but currently
ranks fifth in the points standings. A winner of a UMP DIRTcar Summer
Nationals event at Lincoln in 2005, Babb hasn't had much luck in WoO action
at the track that's virtually in his backyard, finishing 11th in 2008 and
17th in 2007.
The WoO LMS will also bring five Rookie of the Year contenders to Lincoln,
including points leader Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky.; Russell King of
Bristolville, Ohio; Dustin Hapka of Grand Forks, N.D.; Brent Robinson of
Smithfield, Va.; and 14-year-old Tyler Reddick, who hails from Corning,
Calif., but attends school in DuQuoin, Ill.
Lincoln's event promises to provide the WoO LMS contingent some of their
toughest competition of the season. The central Illinois area, of course, is
home to some of UMP DIRTcar Racing's top stalwarts – rock-solid racers like
Jason Feger of Bloomington, 2007 Lincoln champion Matt Taylor of
Springfield, Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin,
Eric Smith of Bloomington and Ryan Unzicker of El Paso are among the
expected entrants. In addition, nearly a dozen well-known standouts from
across the country have the ‘Land of Lincoln 40' marked on their schedules,
including the red-hot Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; 2005 WoO LMS champ
Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.; recent Circle K Colossal 100 winner Earl
Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Scott
James of Greendale, Ind.; Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich.; Terry Casey
of New London, Wis.; and Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky.
The UMP DIRTcar 10-20-30-40 compound Hoosier tire rule will be in effect for
the WoO LMS event.
Lincoln Speedway's gates are scheduled to open at 1 p.m. on Sunday, with hot
laps set for 6 p.m., time trials for 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow. Crate
Late Models and Mini-Sprints will run on the WoO LMS undercard.
Admission is $25 for adults, $10 for ages 6-15 and free for kids
5-and-under. Pit passes are $35 for adults, $15 for ages 4-11 and free for
children 3-and-under.
Lincoln Speedway sits in an easily-accessible central Illinois location,
about 30 miles northeast of Springfield, 35 miles southwest of
Bloomington/Normal and 45 miles southeast of Peoria.
For more information on Lincoln Speedway, visit
www.lincolnspeedway.org
or call 217-735-1833 (track) or 217-737-7134 (promoters).
Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to
www.worldofoutlaws.com .
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