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Eckert Preps For Friday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Stop At U.S. 36 Raceway By Calling Missouri Sprint Car Star Danny Lasoski
OSBORN, MO (May 19) - U.S. 36 Raceway is uncharted territory for all the
followers of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
So what would be a good way for a World of Outlaws star to gather some
inside information on the high-banked track in advance of the national
full-fender tour's first-ever visit for a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Main this
Friday night (May 22)? Dialing up the cell phone of a famed Missouri racer
from the other side of the Outlaws aisle would seem to be a smart move.
That's the thought process of WoO LMS stalwart Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who
called Show-Me State Sprint Car standout Danny (‘The Dude') Lasoski on
Monday for a driver-to-driver conversation about U.S. 36 Raceway. A former
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion, Lasoski lives about an
hour-and-a-half from the track and has raced there in WoO and other Sprint
Car competition.
“All these guys (WoO LMS regulars) are good and can figure out a track we've
never been to pretty quick,” said Eckert, who won his first WoO LMS A-Main
in nearly 11 months on Sunday night at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway. “You're
never gonna get some big advantage on them, but it can't hurt to talk to a
guy like Lasoski who's raced (at U.S. 36) before.”
Eckert, 43, picked Lasoski's brain for generalities about U.S. 36 Raceway
more than specific setup ideas.
“The main thing would be to know what tires to run, but it's hard to
transfer what the Sprint Cars do to our Late Model deal because they
normally run softer (compounds) than us,” said Eckert. “But from talking to
(Lasoski) you can learn some things, like what gear to run, what the
racetrack does during the night and if it's usually rough or smooth.
“He told me that it's normally wet and wide-open all night long, and it's
banked pretty good so it's real fast. He said the Sprint Cars really fly
around the place.”
Indeed, the track boasts some of the lowest lap times on the WoO Sprint Car
Series, which ran at U.S. 36 Raceway in 2006 and 2007. (The 2008 Sprint Car
event was rained out.) Listed at three-eighths-of-a-mile with banking of 21
degrees in the turns and 10 degrees on the straightaways, the WoO Sprint Car
track record was set in '06 by Paul McMahan at a blistering 9.846 seconds.
There's plenty of anticipation concerning the lap times that will be turned
by the dirt Late Models, a rare attraction at the track that sits less than
an hour from Kansas City, Mo. The track's last touring-series event for the
division was a Midwest Late Model Racing Association show in 2006.
Friday's program will be the biggest dirt Late Model event in the history of
U.S. 36 Raceway – both in purse ($50,000) and the level of talent that takes
to the track.
Coming off a 17th career win on Sunday that moved him into a tie with Scott
Bloomquist for second on the WoO LMS win list since 2004, Eckert will lead
the tour's traveling contingent to U.S. 36 Raceway. He hopes his pre-race
talks with Lasoski will help him gather a victory that would give him his
first multiple-win WoO LMS season since 2006, when he led the tour with
eight wins.
“It would be nice to win two in a row,” said Eckert, who sits fifth in the
WoO LMS points standings entering this weekend's ‘Tri-State Late Model
Challenge' tripleheader at U.S. 36 Raceway, 34 Raceway in West Burlington,
Iowa (Sat., May 23) and Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis. (Sun., May
24). “Then we won't have to hear everybody keep talking about how long it's
been since we've won a race.”
A longtime friend of Lasoski's, Eckert plans to spend Wednesday with Lasoski
at the Sprint Car driver's home in Higginsville, Mo. Lasoski doesn't have a
WoO Sprint Car Series event on his schedule until Friday in Concord, N.C.,
so he invited Eckert, who stayed on the road following Sunday's race in
Illinois, to visit and play some golf at a nearby course.
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., leads the WoO LMS points standings by just 12
points over 21-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., entering the
weekend. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Steve Francis of Ashland,
Ky., sit third and fourth, respectively, in front of Eckert.
Other WoO LMS contenders with U.S. 36 Raceway in their crosshairs on Friday
include Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Tim
Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Clint Smith
of Senoia, Ga., and Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., as well as 2009 Rookie of
the Year candidates 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 of Corning, Calif.
The list of drivers planning to challenge the Outlaws at U.S. 36 Raceway
includes NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader of Concord, N.C., two-time defending
UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champion Dennis Erb Jr. of
Carpentersville, Ill., rising UMP DIRTcar star Jason Feger of Bloomington,
Ill., Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., and Denny Woodworth of Mendon, Ill.
SLS Promotions is offering an advance-purchase deal for Friday's program at
U.S. 36 Raceway that includes a reserved seat in the top two rows of the
grandstand (rows 20-21) and a pit pass for $35. Other reserved seats are $30
(adults) and $15 (children 12-and-under).
Fans can purchase tickets by calling SLS Promotions at 815-344-2023 (8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. CT).
U.S. 36 Raceway's gates are scheduled to open at 2 p.m. (pits) and 4 p.m.
(grandstands), with hot laps set for 6 p.m., time trials at 6:30 p.m. and
racing at 7:30 p.m.
All three Tri-State Late Model Challenge programs will be run as
co-sanctioned UMP DIRTcar events with the UMP DIRTcar Hoosier tire rule
(10-20-30-40 compounds) in effect. SLS Promotions has posted a $10,000 bonus
for any driver who can win two of the three A-Mains runs over the holiday
weekend.
To get to U.S. 36 Raceway from Interstate 35, take U.S. 36 West
approximately seven miles and turn north on State Rt. 33. A sign for the
track will be on the right 500 feet down the road.
For more information, visit
www.slspromotions.com or
www.us36raceway.com
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