UNION, Ky. — Who will make a late-race rally to steal a victory at Florence Speedway's 29th annual Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100? Well, there's no guarantee we'll have another winner who takes the lead at the white flag, but the $50,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event has been fortunate enough to have such dramatics the past two seasons.

This year's event is shaping up to have some interesting storylines, but a few drivers stand out: last year's winner Jimmy Owens, two-time MORE

Traveling all over the country to cover Dirt Late Model races, you end up going to some racetracks repeatedly, while other ovals you might visit once every few years.

But even with infrequent visits to regional dirt tracks off the beaten path, it's always nice to develop relationships with the occasional friendly faces who, even if it's a few years between visits, welcome you with a smile.

Rusty Cummings always had one of those welcoming smiles.

I've probably made a dozen or so trips to Louisiana MORE

Picking up the phone, my poor buddy Russ must've thought I'd lost my marbles. On a steamy July afternoon more than 20 years ago, I unexpectedly called him from a banged-up pay phone attached to an outbuilding at St. Francois Raceway in Farmington, Mo., excitedly trying explain why in the world I was there — and how I'd just discovered the coolest dirt racing series ever.

"Where? St. Fran-what?" Russ must've been saying on the other end of the line.

The transcript of the phone call is lost, but MORE