Autodrome Drummond
Eckert ends WoO skid at Autodrome Drummond
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Rick Eckert won for the first time since July 8, 2006. (Kevin Kovac)
DRUMMONDVILLE, Quebec — Rick Eckert doesn’t have to answer the questions anymore. With his frustrating winless streak on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series approaching two full years, Eckert finally broke through with a flag-to-flag victory in the second annual Quebec 50 at Autodrome Drummond. Oh, what a relief it was for the popular driver known as Scrub.
“It’s been a long time between wins and a lot of grief,” said Eckert, who had gone without a win in 71 straight races since his last WoO triumph, on July 8, 2006, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. “I’m just glad it’s over now – and hopefully the next one won’t take nearly so long to come.”
Eckert, 42, of York, Pa., surged off the outside pole to grab the lead at the start and never looked back. He built an edge of as large as a full straightaway before turning back a final-lap challenge from Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who settled for runner-up money in an event that was contested in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the 4/10-mile oval for the second consecutive year. Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., extended his WoO points lead with a third-place finish, while Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., placed fourth and polesitter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., was fifth.
Driving a Raye Vest-owned GRT car that he debuted in the WoO Great Northern Tour opener on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway, Eckert was flawless from start-to-finish. His only real scare came when he reached a pack of lapped traffic on the 48th circuit.
“The first half of the race the racetrack was nice and you could pass lapped cars without a problem, but then it sort of one-laned up — and that’s terrible for the leader,” said Eckert, who used a Custom engine in his familiar orange No. 24. “I was dreading the lapped cars, so when I caught them with two to go I was like, ‘This is not gonna happen.’ ”
McCreadie, who advanced from the sixth starting spot to second in 10 laps, quickly erased a half-straightaway deficit when Eckert found his momentum dulled behind young Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga. McCreadie closed up behind Eckert entering turn one on the final circuit, but Eckert played his cards right down the backstretch to maintain control.
“When (Knowles) slipped a little off of two (on the last lap), I knew if I could get inside him and he could see me, that would cover both lanes into three and I’d be OK,” said Eckert. “That’s exactly what happened. It worked out perfect.”
The 34-year-old McCreadie, who scored his first WoO win since August 2006 the previous night at Ohsweken (Ontario) Speedway, had a front-row seat for Eckert’s race-saving move. “With about 10 to go (Eckert) pulled out a bunch, and I was thinking, ‘Let’s just stay in the rubber (lane) and hold on to to second,’” said McCreadie, who drove his Sweeteners Plus Rocket car. “But when he got held up by that lapped traffic, I got behind him heading into turn one on the last lap.
“Going down the backstretch I thought that the lapped car (Knowles) was coming left when Rick was right up in there, so I thought I could go around them both on the outside. But they didn’t even touch and kept both lanes blocked, so I was hung up there trying to make a move. I just got back down there before somebody passed me.”
Eckert pocketed the race’s $10,150 top prize — the biggest race purse he’s collected since slipping into a two-year slump that had tested his mettle. “It’s hard to keep your morale up when you go through a stretch like we did,” said Eckert, who finished in last year’s inaugural WoO event at Drummond. “That’s the first thing everybody mentions as soon as they see you — when are you going to win a race? Man, that starts to eat at you, but I understand it. Maybe I can stop that for a little bit now. Maybe I can go ahead tomorrow night and start a winning streak.”
Eckert, who won eight of the first 17 features in 2006 before losing the key to victory lane, made some history with his checkered flag. It was his 16th career WoO win, tying him with 2004 champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg,Tenn., for the most victories on the tour since 2004.
“Hopefully things will go a little smoother now,” said Eckert, while hailing car owner Raye Vest for “sticking with us” through the struggles of the past two years. “A win makes you a lot happier and makes you feel like you’re making progress.”
Lanigan, meanwhile, felt that his GottaRace.com Rocket No. 29 was “as good as Eckert’s car” early in the race, but he couldn’t maintain his speed as the track surface changed. “As soon as it rubbered up, I was way too tight,” said the 38-year-old Lanigan, who registered his seventh consecutive top-five finish on the WoO.
Clanton, 32, registered his second straight top-five finish on the tour’s three-race Canadian swing. He fell back as far as fifth after starting third, but kept firm control of fourth place once he drove his RSD Enterprises Rocket past the 20-year-old Richards’s Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket on the 13th circuit.
The event was slowed by five caution flags, including one for a multi-car tangle in turn one on the 13th lap. Among the drivers involved was Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., whose machine sustained significant body and suspension damage that forced him out of action shortly thereafter.
Defending WoO champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and top ’08 title contender Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., suffered similar fates in the A-Main — both drivers clipped the inside wall while bidding for top-five spots, breaking their cars’ left-front spindles. Babb hit the barrier in turn two while running sixth on lap 10, forcing him to pit and finish a dismal 23rd. Francis, meanwhile, slowed to bring out a caution flag on lap 33 and retired from further action after damaging the left-front corner of his Beitler Motorsports mount when he caught the turn-four wall while holding fifth place.
Twenty-five cars were signed in for the Quebec 50 at the long-time DIRTcar-sanctioned track promoted by Yan Bussiere. Bussiere, who races regularly in the DIRTcar 358-modified division, drove Chub Frank’s backup dirt Late Model in his event for the second consecutive year but completed only 12 laps after being involved in two tangles.
World of Outlaws @ Drummond: (1) Rick Eckert, (2) Tim McCreadie, (3) Darrell Lanigan, (4) Shane Clanton, (5) Josh Richards, (6) Chub Frank, (7) Neil Baggett, (8) Jeremy Miller, (9) Billy Decker, (10) Ricky Elliott, (11) Tim Fuller, (12) John Blankenship, (13) Dan Stone, (14) Tony Knowles, (15) Peter Mantha Jr., (16) Steve Francis, (17) Greg Oakes, (18) Boom Briggs, (19) Danny Johnson, (20) Clint Smith, (21) Adam Ferri, (22) Joe Isabell, (23) Shannon Babb, (24) Yan Bussiere, (25) Sean Beardsley. Fast qualifier (among 25 cars): Lanigan, 18.222 seconds. Heat race winners: Lanigan, McCreadie, Clanton. Dash winner: Lanigan.
