Bristol Motor Speedway
Notebook: Francis hopes title is still within reach
From series and other reports
Steve Francis
Time is running out on Steve Francis. But with momentum finally on his side, the defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion is ready to make a final push for a $100,000 repeat. “This is about the time we got on our roll last year,” said Francis, recalling how a strong close to the 2007 season resulted in his first career WoO LMS points title. “Hopefully we can do it again.”
Francis, 40, of Ashland, Ky., is arguably the hottest Outlaw entering the national tour’s upcoming Southeastern doubleheader, on Aug. 15 at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 16 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. He won two of the four feature that made up the recent Alltel Ohio Speedweek, and he’s registered a top-five finish in five of the last six WoO LMS events.
The problem for Francis, of course, is that, unlike a year ago, his late-season surge isn’t padding his points lead. He’s playing catch-up on Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., whose amazing campaign has him on course to beat the series record championship points margin of 126 points, established in 2007 by Francis.
With 31 events completed and 14 events currently remaining on the 2008 WoO LMS schedule, Francis sits tied with 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for second in the points standings, 146 points behind Lanigan. What kind of uphill climb does Francis face in his pursuit of the ultra-steady Lanigan, who owns 19 top-five finishes in his last 21 starts? Consider that during his run of success over the last six events, Francis has made up exactly zero points on Lanigan.
“A bad night for Darrell right now is fifth (place),” Francis said in admiration of Lanigan’s rock-solid performance on tracks big and small, banked and flat, slick and tacky. “You don’t beat that kind of consistency, so really, for us to beat him for the championship, he’s gonna have to default to us a few times.
“Darrell is on the ride that I was on last year,” he continued. “You’re just on an even keel. You’re not necessarily winning a lot of shows (Lanigan has two victories versus three for Francis), but you’re third, fourth, fifth, second — you run that way every night, and that’s hard to beat.”
Driving Rocket cars fielded by Maryland’s Dale Beitler this season after steering his own Valvoline-sponsored equipment to the 2007 championship, Francis finds himself racing from behind thanks to some uncharacteristic lulls and bad luck. His worst stretch was the six-race Great Northern Tour in June — he tumbled from a tie for the points lead with Lanigan to 70 points behind in fourth place — but he also lost significant ground during July’s eight-race Wild West Tour, hitting a season-low sixth in the standings early in the swing and dropping 146 points in arrears of Lanigan by the end of it.
“We struggled on the Northern Tour and were hit-and-miss out west,” analyzed Francis. “We did a lot of testing with Dale before we really got into the season and we thought we had everything figured out, but when we got into the heat of summer we were off a little bit. Now we’re back gaining on it again. We finally got our car good again.”
Francis is the leader in one very important series category: money won. He’s the only driver who’s cracked six-figures in earnings this season, with $127,450 to date thanks to his $50,000-plus victory in April’s Circle K Colossal 100 at the Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. But Francis would also like to add a $100,000 seires championship check.
“We won Zanesville (Ohio’s Muskingum County Speedway on July 24) then went to Eldora (the following night) and had everything in the world go wrong,” said Francis, whose victory in the Alltel Ohio Speedweek finale on July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., made him the winningest WoO LMS driver since 2004 (17 wins). “We can’t afford to follow up a good night with a bad one any more. Clint Smith always says, ‘When you’re dial’s right, you’re dial’s right, and when it falls off, it falls off.’ Hopefully we can keep that dial pegged the right way for the rest of the year.” — Kevin Kovac
Hilltop closing ...: Promoter Jeff Norris announced Aug. 7 he was closing Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, Ohio, citing a weak economy. The track sat idle for 35 years before Norris reopened it in 2006 and hosted several special events, including the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Independent Racing Series and Mid-Atlantic Championship Series. — Ken Cunningham
... and Brown County reopening: While one Ohio track is closing, Brown County Speedway in Russellville, Ohio, is reopening Aug. 9 after being shuttered for a month. Taking over as promotor at the track, which runs Late Models weekly, is Doug Seaman, who previously served as the track reporter and photographer. — From track reports
Odds and ends: Greg Weld, founder of Weld Wheels, died Aug. 7 in Kansas City, Mo. The 64-year-old Weld, a former championships sprint car driver, founded the company in 1970. The reason for his death wasn't announced. ... Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C., hosts its 36th annual Shrine 100 on Aug. 12. The Super Late Model winner could earn a possible $4,500. ... With the recent Southern All Star rainout at Dixie Speedway rescheduled for Aug. 23, the Woodstock, Ga., track has moved its next Carl Black Top Tracks Challenge Series event to Sept. 13. ... Phil Hall has resigned as a promoter of Friendship Motor Speedway, a formerly asphalt track that reopened with a dirt surface in 2008. ... The Sept. 26-27 events at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth have been removed from the O'Reilly SUPR schedule. The track didn't have sponsorship for the event.
