Wartburg Speedway
White welcomes WoO foes to his home track
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Anthony White
Wartburg Speedway is completely uncharted territory for every single regular on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
But does that mean a driver with intimate knowledge of the tricky quarter-mile oval — a driver like Anthony White of Clinton, Tenn. — has an edge when the national tour makes its highly-anticipated debut at Wartburg on Friday for the $10,000-to-win Invasion 50 presented by All-State Trailers of Knoxville, Tenn.?
“I guess I should have a little advantage,” said the 38-year-old White, who began his racing career 20 years ago in the street stock division at Wartburg. “I’ve been running there a long time, so as far as knowing what to do (for setup) and how to drive the place, that’s not a problem for me.
“But all of these (Outlaw) guys run more races than I do and probably have a lot more resources than I’ve ever had, and I’m sure they’ve seen something similar (to Wartburg) somewhere else. It won’t take them long to figure a new place out.”
White paused for a moment. Considering his chances in a major race contested at Wartburg Speedway, he added, “I was telling somebody earlier today – hell, it would be the race of my career if could win against these guys.”
A hard-nosed racer affectionately known as the Dirty White Boy, White will likely be the driver with the most Wartburg experience in Friday night’s star-studded field. He’s rung up some prolific victory totals at the track in recent years and is in the midst of another big season, dominating Wartburg’s headline Limited Late Model division to the tune of six wins in eight starts so far in 2010.
White’s nearly flawless effort at Wartburg this season is highlighted by a $3,000 triumph in Southern Regional Racing Series event on May 8, a race that saw him defeat open-motor cars with a crate engine bolted under the hood of his family-owned, home-built No. 2 machine. The July 1 WoO program will mark his first appearance of 2010 with a big open motor providing his car’s power.
“Vic Hill is letting us borrow an open motor for the Outlaw show,” White said of the well-known Tennessee engine builder. “We haven’t been doing much open-motor racing lately. We’ve been pretty busy with the business (a construction-supply firm called Stone Plus), so we’ve mostly been doing crate and steel-block stuff close to the house. We’re looking forward to putting an open motor back in and seeing what we can do.”
White has a single WoO start to his credit, finishing 22nd in a 100-lap event on Oct. 13, 2007, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. But he’s proven his mettle in open-motor action over the years, with his resume topped by a 2006 Southern Nationals series championship.
Can White summon the speed to defend his egg-shaped home track against the World of Outlaws invaders, including former champions (and first-time Wartburg visitors) Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.?
“Realistically, it would be a great night for us if we can get at least a top-five,” said White, a two-time Late Model champ at Wartburg (2003 and 2007) and father of two daughters (ages 12 and 9) and a 7-year-old son. “I know my chances of winning are pretty slim — these guys are just better equipped than me. But I’ll give it 110 percent, and if everything falls our way maybe we can be there at the end.
“Hopefully we’ll give everybody a good show and they’ll know we were there.”
