Concord, NC – November 4, 2007 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
It was billed all year long as the 'Outlaws World Finals' with the action-packed three-day event at the Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the first time ever uniting the World of Outlaws Late Models and Sprint Cars on the same program. Although not scheduled on the race card, the Big-Block Modifieds were not forgotten as sprinkled throughout both the pits and grandstands were hundreds of racers and fans boasting ties to DIRTcar Racing NorthEast's premier division.
The biggest show of the year for the World Racing Group attracted a handful of stars from the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Region. And when history was made over the weekend in Concord, North Carolina, among those taking part in the trackside activity were 2005 Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion Tim Fuller and 1992 DIRTcar NE Big-Block Rookie of the Year Ricky Elliott.
Dubbed the 'Empire Executioner,' Edwards, New York native Fuller arrived at The Dirt Track having already clinched the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. He didn't enter the Jani-King Southern Showdown at Lowe's held earlier in the season because of commitments with the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds and failed to qualify for the Circle K Colossal 100, so he was looking to find the fast lane at Lowe's where he won the last Big-Block tour event staged there in 2005.
"All I ever knew was Modified racing. We dabbled with the Late Model in the past so this year we gave it our best shot and things just worked out," said Fuller, who turned 40 on Oct. 28. "John (Wight) gave us this opportunity so we moved all the equipment to our shop when the season started and just kept plugging away. I told the guys if we don't get any better this year we'd go back to Modified racing and never come back."
Fuller not only scored his first career WoO LM Series A-Main victory in 2007, he came 20 points short of capturing his second overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Modified Championship while taking three checkered flags in the demanding 32-race Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series.
"It seemed easier picking up a Late Model win than my first one in the Modifieds," figured Fuller, after ending the '07 DIRTcar NE campaign with four Big-Block feature wins and two more in the Small-Block ranks. Updated career totals include 79 BB and 40 SB victories, with 17 Advance Auto Parts Series and 14 358 tour wins affording him overall Mr. DIRTcar titles in the Modified (2005) and 358-Modified (1993 & '03) divisions. "Experience allowed me to bluff my way through a few times. Next year that won't happen as you have to be consistent to make any kind of run at the title."
"Looking back I never would've thought I'd be where I am today …. starting out with an Enduro car, even pulling it to the track with an old ambulance. Running a Big-Block was really just a pipe dream not too long ago. We're already looking forward to next year, you can't really talk about a championship but I think we can be a contender. We took real good notes and know what to work on over the winter. Best of all the family will be traveling along more. You want to race and need to run good to make a living. I want to see my kids grow up and having them around will make the schedule a little more tolerable," added Fuller, who failed to make the 'World Finals' starting grid on opening night yet put on the best performance in the nationally televised SPEED show Saturday steering the no. 19 Gypsum Wholesalers-JL Motorsports/Rocket machine from 22nd to third in 50-laps of nail-biting action.
Eventual race runner-up Elliott was far more successful, leading laps 31-43 in Friday night's 50-lap finale before all-time WoO LM race winner Scott Bloomquist put an exclamation point on his crowd-pleasing rally from the rear of the 26-car full-fender field. Elliott settled for 14th in the Saturday finale.
"I wish I could've started a little earlier in the Late Models," said Elliott, 42, prior to matching his best career WoO LM finish amidst a stellar field of 82 Late Model cars that signed to requirie six qualifying heats and a C-Main. The Seaford, Delaware driver dominated the Advance Auto Parts Series showdown at Lowe's in April of 2004 piloting the potent no. 85 J&M Roofing & Builders-Art Collins Trucking/TEO entry.
"I still love the Big-Blocks, but where I live is so much more conducive to Late Model racing. I think the open tire rule keeps a lot of teams coming back and there are a lot of high-paying events spread out with different groups. I still follow the Modifieds and have a lot of friends involved but right now this is the place I want to be," added Elliott, as he prepped the blue no. 45 Seaside Builders-Ocean RV Center/Rocket for the memorable night ahead.
SKIDMARKS
More DIRTcar NE influence came right from the top as all events held at Lowe's Dirt Track continue to be under the direction of personable Roger Slack, a 33 year-old native of York, Ontario, Canada. Slack is the son of former DIRT Modified driver Randy Slack and grandson of Bob Slack, the previous owner of Cayuga Speedway in Nelles Corners, Ont., site of the inaugural Advance Auto Parts Series DIRT/Asphalt Challenge event in 1988…..Complementing Slack throughout the week were Merrittville Speedway mainstays Pete & Nancy Bicknell and Howard Schram, head of track prep at the 56 year-old speedplant located in Thorold, Ontario. Nancy was even seen navigating the spacious red-clay 4/10-miler with the 'sheep's foot' in control as husband Pete ---DIRTcar NorthEast's all-time 358-Modified winner--- and Schram shared time pressing the water truck, tiller and grader into operation under the guidance of Randy Grove. Daughter Erica Bicknell joined DIRT Hall of Fame award winner Jean Lynch in providing pit pass upgrades at the ticket trailer throughout the weekend while former Lebanon Valley Speedway and Super DIRT Week handicapper John Harper assisted with scoring in the track tower…..Western Pennsylvania Big-Block standout and '03 Advance Auto Parts Series winner at Lowe's Kevin Bolland was also in the pits checking out the latest LM creations along with fellow Keystone State veterans Rick Laubach and Dave Schrader, current Advance Auto Parts Series star Dale Planck, plus former DIRT Modified-sportsman drivers Tim Clemons and Kent Peckham…..Jessica Zemken was the only female among 48 winged warriors that attempted to qualify for the WoO Sprint Car portion of the World Finals, time trialing 28th and 26th-quickest with the no. 1z Maxim in Thursday qualifying before falling just short in her bid to make both 30-lap A-Mains. "I'd love to follow the Outlaws tour with the right deal, right now we're about 100 horsepower short and that's a lot on this track against these guys," summed up Zemken, 21, a student at Hudson Valley College in Troy, NY who owns nine DIRTcar Sportsman feature wins with two scored on the Mr. DIRTcar Championship trail. On June 2, 2007 she made history, taking the lead with seven laps to go in the 25-Lap A-Main to win her first career ASCS Patriot feature at Brockville Ontario Speedway, becoming the first woman to accomplish such a feat…..Crew chief of Nextel Cupper Clint Bowyer's Dirt Late Model etam, Tommy Greco was also visitor to Lowe's over the weekend…..A media gathering at the neighboring National Speed Sport News headquarters ---in viewing distance of Lowe's superspeedway--- on Saturday morning announced the return of Rite Aid as the primary sponsor of the Advance Auto Parts Series' premier 200-lapper during Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds next October, along with title sponsorship of the Outlaw Showdown at Lowe's Dirt Track in May of 2008. The NSSN office building featured more than a dozen framed collages that were stuffed with a collection of legendary publication editor Chris Economaki's numerous press credentials, VIP passes, track licenses and special event buttons acquired over the past half-century. Included in the unique display area were a 1973 Weedsport (now Cayuga County Fair) Speedway press pass and a decal of the Schaefer International 100 --- today recognized as the Rite Aid 200 on the Syracuse Mile.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.
