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Fast Talk: Lanigan likes a little asphalt with his dirt
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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):
Joshua Joiner: After a relatively dry summer, we were back in spring mode this weekend, watching race after race fall to mother nature. Luckily, many of the weekend’s biggest events were ran with $15,000 victories by Darrell Lanigan and Don O’Neal highlighting the results.
Let’s begin at the dirt-covered Berlin Raceway in Marne, Mich., where Lanigan claimed the Down & Dirty 75, an event that was cut 25 laps in distance and $5,000 in winner’s pay after weather condensed the show into a single-day event on Saturday. The victory was Lanigan’s 11th on the season on the World of Outlaws and was a repeat of his victory in the inaugural event last year. With his performance at Berlin the past two seasons, do you guys think Lanigan might push to see more asphalt ovals cover their tracks for major races?
Todd Turner: With a 2-for-2 record on dirt-covered ovals, there's no doubt he'd like to see more of it. Lanigan has had a great September with a single finish worse than fourth. And if it wasn't for his 15-victory season last year with the World of Outlaws, the 11 he's racked up this year would seem all the more impressive.
Michael Rigsby: Just looking at Berlin, it's a place that screams "Lanigan track." Half-mile, fast, racy, and a place that lends itself to his style completely. I wonder how many wins he'll get this year? I guess he could match his 15 with four in a row to end the year.
JJ: Aside from the weather issues, do you all feel like this weekend’s event went as well as last year’s at Berlin? Are we still all in favor of covering the track for some dirt racing each year?
TT: I know it's a major headache, expense and commitment, but it would be fun to see some other asphalt tracks take the plunge for a few more weekends of dirt-covered paved ovals. Winchester (Ind.) Speedway would be a fun one.
It's hard to get a feel for Berlin without being there, I guess, and all novelties eventually play out over time ... but it's definitely held some interest its first two years. If not Berlin, elsewhere would be fun.
MR: I'm with Todd ... in that I'd like to see it more, but it's flatout so expensive and such a process to go through that I highly doubt we get much more of it. Crowd was good, racing was solid ... that's better than a lot of dirt tracks that are covered with dirt, (that’s a joke), so I guess maybe we should do it more.
TT: Dirt-covered dirt tracks. There's an idea. Sometimes it is hard to tell, no?
JJ: The Lucas Oil Series weekend included one of the most appealing doubleheader combinations in recent memory, but it was hampered by Friday’s rainout at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky. The storms moved out in time for the tour to move to Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway for Saturday’s Jackson 100, where Don O’Neal proved he’s back from the neck and back injuries by claiming his fourth Jackson 100 trophy.
After his injury at Volunteer Speedway back in August, there were a few rumblings about whether or not O’Neal would ever return to his high performance level, but it seems like more of just a bump in the road with O’Neal already returning to form. What do you guys think?
TT: I think he was honestly worried about lasting 100 laps if the track would've stayed as rugged in the main event as it was for the heats. O'Neal is as tough as they come, and it took every bit of that to not only survive a long-distance race, but be able to outduel Jimmy Owens during the race's key moments.
MR: If there was ever a track to test his back and his health, it was this past weekend at Brownstown, where the massive amount of overnight rain caused the track to be daunting as we saw with Steve Francis' near-tumble and trip to the hospital. I think O'Neal isn't totally healthy yet, but he's taking steps back. Even he said the World 100 was too soon to come back, so as with most things, time will get O'Neal back into racing shape.
TT: One thing I think about — and not because I'm old or anything — is that O'Neal at age 20 would've bounced back quicker than the O'Neal at 49. It's impressive he's back relatively soon, and even he hinted that coming back for the World 100 two weeks earlier was probably pushing it.
JJ: Before we move ahead to the upcoming Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model Nationals, how about a little potpourri to hit on some of regional action. Were there any performance that stood out to you guys this weekend and/or are there any events you’ve got your eye for the upcoming weekend?
TT: Virginian J.T. Spence has had another impressive season, winning seven races at his hometown Winchester Speedway, including $8,000 on Sunday. ... Crazy that WISSOTA's Scott Gilberts wins $5,000 for the second straight weekend at the expense of his brother-in-law Jimmy Mars, this time at Red Cedar Punky Manor Challenge. ... Twice a winner at Tri-City, Bobby Pierce just keeps clicking off victories, doesn't he? .... California’s Steve Drake had an impressive sweep at Canyon Speedway in Arizona. ... And Jesse Stovall, whose second half of the season has been virtually opposite of the first half, when he couldn't buy a victory. His sweep in Salina, Okla., continues a solid surge.
MR: Hard not to take notice of Jesse Stovall's recent hot-streak in that new Bob Pierce Race Car. Wondered how that marriage would work out, and he's been nothing but good since he's been in it. ... How about the fields at Tri-City Speedway in Illinois for $2,000-to-win shows in late September? Those fields are really good.
JJ: For the upcoming weekend, I'm excited to see how things play out at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala., where the 35th annual Alabama State Championship event will feature a doubleheader of $4,000-to-win events for the Southern All Stars Series after many years as a single unsanctioned event. I really liked this move when it was announced at the beginning of the year, so I'm definitely interested to see how fans and drivers react to it this weekend.
TT: I’ll also give a shoutout to fellow Kentuckian Jackie Boggs for another $5,000 victory. ... His victories are sometimes overshadowed, it seems. All in all a good weekend for Swartz Race Cars with Boggs winning and Dustin Linville's runner-up finish at Brownstown.
MR: Yeah I thought the same thing Todd, Swartz Cars had a good weekend.
JJ: Turning our focus to the upcoming weekend, Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway’s Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals is an event that everyone seems to look forward to. From the extra-money purses ($7,000-to-win prelim events Thursday and Friday and the $40,000-to-win finale on Saturday) to the great racing the half-mile track always seems to produce, drivers and fans alike all seem to rank this race as one of the biggest of the year. How do you guys see this weekend’s action playing out?
TT: With three nights at Knoxville, there's always time for some interesting storylines to develop, maybe about a potential sweep by a driver who dominates Thursday or how Iowa favorite Brian Birkhofer is running (he's always got a ton of fans there).
MR: First of all, don't forget you can watch the Thursday and Friday portions live right here via DirtonDirt.com pay-per-view. (That’s my shameless plug for the day). It's just such a great weekend of racing from top to bottom, and I really enjoy it every year. It'll be interesting to see if we can get a showdown of the top Outlaw and Lucas guys all running up front at the end of the day on Saturday. I'd love to see Owens, Francis, Richards and Lanigan in a battle royale.
TT: What usually stands out to me most is the format is so good with the heat inverts and full-weekend points system that's fair and even-handed, there's little griping among drivers about how things are done. That's a breath of fresh air compared to some other weekends we'll hit.
MR: When you can invert 10, and the drivers don't complain, you know the racing is good.
TT: Being a short-track guy, It took me a few years to warm up to Knoxville, but now it's one of my favorite weekends of the year.
