National notebook
Notes: WoO returns to Michigan in a big way
Brady Smith (2) was a special-event winner last season in Hartford, Mich. (Jim DenHamer)
Michigan will be a hotbed for World of Outlaws Late Model Series racing in 2011.
Ending a three-season absence from the Wolverine State, the national tour is set to contest three big events there this season. The World of Outlaws stars invade for a springtime date at Hartford Motor Speedway on April 29, and return for a late-summer doubleheader at Winston Speedway in Rothbury on Aug. 19 and Merritt Speedway on Aug. 20.
Each track will host the series for the first time, and each 50-lap, $10,000-to-win program will represent the richest Dirt Late Model race held at the three speedways.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to once again showcase the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in front of Michigan’s race fans,” said series director Tim Christman. “The promoters at Hartford, Winston and Merritt are welcoming the tour back to Michigan with open arms and giving fans all across the state a chance to see the country’s best Dirt Late Model drivers in person.”
Hartford Motor Speedway will have the honor of hosting Michigan’s first WoO LMS event since 2007. A fast half-mile oval located in the Southwest corner of the state about 100 miles from both Detroit and Chicago, the track’s historic show was recently moved to April 29 after appearing as a mid-September date on the tour’s original 2011 schedule released in December.
“This is my fourth year with the track and this World of Outlaws race is going to open our biggest season yet,” said Hartford owner and promoter Jim Borden. “We’ve built the track back up and we’re getting a pretty good car count for our weekly shows, so we decided this year we would step it up and have a real big Late Model race with the Outlaws.”
The WoO tour will roll back across the Michigan border in August, heading farther north to start the tour’s inaugural doubleheader in the state. Winston Speedway sits near the shores of Lake Michigan in the west-central part of the state, while Merritt Speedway is located about two hours to the northeast of Winston and about 45 miles southeast of Traverse City.
Winston’s event on Aug. 19 will be sponsored by Port City Racing-Integra Shocks, which is headquartered about 25 miles from the track. Integra Shocks representatives have conducted test sessions at Winston with many drivers in recent years, including WoO regulars.
“Every person I’ve talked to has just been so excited about what they’re expecting to see when the Outlaws come to town,” said Tom Sprague, a former Dirt Late Model racer who is entering his fifth season as the promoter of Winston Speedway. “This will by far be the biggest race this area of Michigan has ever seen.”
Merritt Speedway, meanwhile, is the latest addition to the 2011 WoO LMS schedule, which currently list 41 events at 34 tracks in 20 states. WoO officials and Merritt owner and promoter Rick Ancel jointly reached an agreement on the Aug. 20 date last week.
Ancel, a 40-year-old who is beginning his fourth season at Merritt’s helm, is as thrilled as his fans and racers to have the World of Outlaws come to northern Michigan for the Lane Automotive-All Star Performance 50.
“Our fans have gotten to see a few big guys run at Merritt here-and-there,” said Ancel, noting that 2006 WoO champ Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., made a special appearance at Merritt in 2008 and pocketed over $8,000 for winning the Who 55. “But they’ve never gotten to see a dozen of these big stars like they’ll see when the Outlaws come to town.” — Kevin Kovac
R.J. HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Hall of Fame diver Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn., was honored Saturday with the inaugural Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award at the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series banquet in Cartersville, Ga. The award is named in memory the late engineer at GM Racing that developed the economical crate powerplants; Cross died last April from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. “I never met Bob Cross, but I know what he has meant to Dirt Late Model racing, and I’m proud to receive this award honoring his memory,” Johnson said. “The GM Performance Crate Engines have been very good for my career because they are good affordable engines. We have Bob Cross to thank for that.” Johnson, a two-time Dirt Track World Champion, has won at 52 racetracks and his more than 500 career victories include several NeSmith tour triumphs. — Roby Helm
TUCSON'S COPPER ON DIRT COMING UP: USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., has already hosted more Dirt Late Model races than any track so far in 2011, and they've already scheduled a new early-season special. Late Models — sanctioned by the Total Seal Late Model Dirt Racing Series and West Coast Shootout — will be part of the card for the first time at the fifth annual Copper on Dirt scheduled for Feb. 18-19. Late Models will run for $1,000 and $2,000 winner's purses at the 3/8-mile oval. The four-division program is made up of Late Models, ASCA sprint cars, midgets and modifieds. See usaraceway.net for more information. — From track reports
THREE-WIDE START PLANNED FOR BALTES CLASSIC: One of the noteworthy events on the Sunoco American Late Model Series schedule will have a noteworthy distinction for 2011. The Baltes Classic, the Sept. 4 ALMS at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, will start a series-record 33 cars in 11 three-wide rows for the $3,000-to-win event, Eldora's Larry Boos recently announced. The Baltes Classic will be one of four ALMS events at Eldora, which also opens the series season April 16. Other multi-event ALMS tracks include Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio (May 28, June 18, Aug. 6 and Sept. 3); Hartford (Mich.) Motor Speedway (June 24 and July 22); and Kankakee County (Ill.) Speedway (May 20 and Aug. 12). New to the series schedule for 2011 is Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio. — From series and correspondent reports
I-5 DIRTcar TOUR RETURNING TO ACTION IN 2011: After the series was dormant in 2010, the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Series is returning for its 10th season with a 10-race schedule. Series events are scheduled for Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford and Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway. Tour drivers can also compete in 20 other DIRTcar-sanctioned weekly events at those three and other tracks toward a regional championship worth $2,000. — Dan Beaver
ODDS AND ENDS: The Comp Cams Mid-South Racing Association is getting a name change for 2011. The Arkansas-based tour has been renamed the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series. ... The 2011 Southern Nationals Series schedule closely resembles last year's slate with nine of 10 tracks returning. The Ray Cook-promoted tour runs from July 11-23 with the opener at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va., and the finale at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway. ... Hesston (Pa.) Speedway has added a third event on the UFO Race Championship Series. The Sonny and Peggy Eriksen Grand Prix is scheduled for Aug. 6 and pays $4,000 to the winner. ... Arizona Sports Shirts has bought half of the Monster Midwest Series, and Arizona's Gerald Newton will manage the tour along with founder Don Hammer. ... The Southern All Stars will limit Hoosier Tire compounds for 2011 after allowing any compounds in recent years. Permitted compounds are 1300, 1350, 1450, 1600 and D70 (open and spec tires). Spec 21s and 55s will also be permitted. Tires must durometer a minimum 40 and pass random chemical inspection and lab analysis.
