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Fast Talk: Has Richards wrapped up WoO title?
Here’s the latest edition of Fast Talk, a DirtonDirt.com feature appearing each Monday and sponsored by Out-Pace Racing Products. Staffers Michael Rigsby, Todd Turner and Joshua Joiner gather weekly for a roundtable discussion about who’s hot, who’s not and other issues regarding Dirt Late Model racing (edited for clarity and length):
Todd Turner: Where’d the season go? That’s sometimes how I feel the weekend after the World 100. Everything’s crazy busy through Labor Day with the World 100 beckoning ... and suddenly at mid-September the reality hits that things are winding down. Not that I mind, and not that there’s not still plenty of interesting action out there.
Let’s jump into the World of Outlaws Late Model Series first, where halfway through the weekend it appeared points leader Josh Richards might be in trouble points-wise after he dropped out while chasing winner Brandon Sheppard at Belle-Clair Speedway. But Richards reversed any worries the following night at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 with a victory that’s going to make it incredibly difficult for Darrell Lanigan or Shane Clanton, who was the first retiree at I-55, to catch him.
So go ahead, you two. You’ve been saying all season Richards had it in the bag. Go ahead and gloat.
Michael Rigsby: Did I say that? Oh that's right — I did! I thought from the second he stepped back on tour full time this year he was going to be determined to not let this championship get away from from ... and that's exactly what he's doing. Not only do I have him as my No. 1 driver in America this week in my poll ... but I think he rattles off several wins to end the year and lock things up, if you will.
Joshua Joiner: Nothing against Richards, but I really wanted to see a close points chase this year. The World Finals at Charlotte is always a great atmosphere, but there's just so much more too it when there's a championship to be decided. But even as badly as I wanted to see it come down to Charlotte, I've really just had that feeling all year that Richards was a man on a mission this season. He held steady through the first half of the season, and we were just waiting for him to really blow it opening here the past few races. He done that this weekend. If there was any doubt before this weekend, it's over now. Richards has this one in the bag.
TT: This is a little bit of an aside, but watching the Belle-Clair video, it’s flabbergasting those drivers are able to maneuver those seemingly huge Late Models around that tiny fifth-mile oval. At least little Macon (Ill.) Speedway has more of an open infield, but with walls inside and out at Belle-Clair, to me it’s almost a miracle there's not a five-car pileup every lap. Do you guys get the same feeling?
JJ: I always get that watching races at Belle-Clair, even more so when I'm there in person. This year's Summernationals race was my third trip there, and I still got that “How the heck are they gonna race on this track?" feeling when I first looked at the track.
MR: I actually thought this was some of the best racing Belle-Clair has ever produced as well. Sometimes they're more racing "near" each other than actually racing, but this time it was full-on, get-up-and-go. I have always liked that race track, and to answer your question, yes. The saying jet planes in a gymnasium is totally accurate for that place. If you've never been, you need to go and check it out.
JJ: It’s even more amazing when you thinking about the fact that most of these guys were racing on Eldora's huge half-mile oval the week before!
TT: Let’s go ahead and look toward next weekend with the World of Outlaws as the national tour makes its second trip to a dirt-covered Berlin Raceway, the 7/16-mile asphalt oval in Marne, Mich., which hosted one of the tour’s most thrilling races last year. This time around, WoO won’t be first on the track — Brandon Thirlby rallied to win the Michigan Dirt Cup finale there on Saturday in a race with five leaders. Reports said the track was a bit rough Saturday, but at last year’s WoO race, it appeared the surface was perfect. You all predicting another victory for Darrell Lanigan?
JJ: I'm sure they'll get the surfaced straightened out with another week to prepare it. While Richards has been the most steady performer on the WoO tour this season, it's hard to pick against Lanigan for any single race with as many races as he's won on the series this season — not to mention he was great there last year. He'll definitely be hard to beat at Berlin again this weekend.
MR: I'm working through my preview interviews for this week's VideoCast, and the question I'm asking: "Can it be that good again?!" That race last year was one of the most interesting and fascinating shows I've seen in my seven seasons of covering races for DirtonDirt.com. The way they moved on the track, and the way they were passing cars almost defied typical dirt track logic. They really were almost moving at a different pace and style than we've ever seen. Throw in the Moyer-Lanigan tussle at the end, and it was that much better. I'm really looking forward to it again.
TT: Let’s move to the other national tour with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series running a rare — but attractive — doubleheader for Florence Speedway’s Ralph Latham Memorial in Union, Ky., and Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway’s Jackson 100. The tracks are less than 90 miles apart, and have often shared some of the same drivers over the years, but because both have been entrenched as Saturday night tracks, doubleheaders are rare — I can’t remember it ever happening. It’s a nice mix on the weekend with the larger, walled Florence and the smaller, wide open Brownstown providing contrasting challenges for the series. It should be a compelling weekend, don’t you guys think?
MR: I was thinking to myself, of the dozens and dozens of races I've been to at Brownstown and Florence, have I ever gone on back-to-back nights? The answer is no. This is one of those rare weekends where two of the most famous dirt tracks in the Midwest, especially for hosting late models host an event on consecutive nights. I'm really looking forward to it. And yes, talk about two totally different nights and kinds of racing. Should be fun.
JJ: This really has the potential to be one of the most interesting weekends on the Lucas Oil tour. It certainly is compelling just from a schedule standpoint, but both of those tracks always seem to not just produce good racing, but usually some drama to go along with it. I'm predicting a great weekend for the Lucas Oil tour, so much so that maybe such a doubleheader weekend becomes a permanent fixture on the series schedule.
TT: How about a little potpourri to wrap up? None of us were surprised Jackie Boggs and Eddie Carrier Jr. splits Brushcreek’s Epic Weekend, were we? How about the letdown of the WISSOTA 100 feature being scrapped by rain and drivers splitting the purse money to conclude a four-day weekend? Jimmy Mars being interviewed for his Legendary 100 victory at Cedar Lake when officials decide he’d been nipped at the line by brother-in-law Scott Gilberts? William Thomas continuing his Chevy Performance Series domination? Or toss something else out there.
MR: I have to start with the Mars thing. I mean, Jimmy and I have talked countless times this year about how it just hasn't been his year, and then to get to victory lane, get interviewed, and then realize that you hadn't won? That's brutal. Eddie Carrier Jr. didn't take the Harley! How about that also. Sounds like Grover Motorsports is well-stacked in the motorcycle department, so they left the Epic Weekend at Brushcreek with $10,000 instead.
JJ: Jackie Boggs has quietly had a great season with a number of good regional victories. His $10,000 payday at Brushcreek adds even more to that. ... Dennis Franklin won for at least the 10th time this season (I may have missed one or two when counting up his win total). He's another driver that has quietly had a great season. He's absolutely dominated the Carolina Clash tour. ... Max Blair won for the 25th time this season in Saturday's RUSH event at Sharon Speedway. I know it's Crate Late Models, but for any driver to win that many races deserves mentioning. I actually put him in my top 25 this week, No. 25 for win 25.
