Bristol Motor Speedway
Notes: Texas veteran enjoys WoO competition
Howard Willis
No driver received a more rousing ovation during the World of Outlaws Late Model Series-sanctioned Lone Star 100 driver introductions than Howard Willis, a well-known veteran from Dayton, not too far from Battleground Speedway in Highland, Texas.
“I was proud of those people,” said a smiling Willis, a 55-year-old who won five O'Reilly SUPR events at Battleground between 1992 and 1997. “When I heard that I told Chub (Frank), ‘They like me tonight.' "
Willis, a frequent modified and Late Model competitor throughout the region, gave his home crowd a show in the March 21 event, moving from the 11th starting spot to fifth by lap 22. But he slowed with a flat left-rear tire on lap 32 and later smacked the wall between turns one and two on lap 40, ending his night with a 20th-place finish.
"The car was fast,” said Willis. “We were cruising out there. I think we were even back up to 10th when I hopped the cushion on that (lap-40) restart.”
Willis drove a MasterSbilt Race Car owned by Tony Flynn of Oklahoma City, Okla., who also provided the engine that was bolted inside the car driven by another local favorite, Kevin Sitton of Baytown, Texas.
Willis said his 2009 schedule will consist mostly of modified and Late Model events close to home, but he might venture farther away for some bigger Late Model shows when Flynn is available to travel. Flynn maintains a five-weeks-home, five-weeks-out-of-the-country work schedule as a senior drilling manager of Transocean, the world's largest offshore drilling company. He currently oversees the operation of more than a dozen drilling rigs off the coast of India. — Kevin Kovac
DEEP SOUTH WILL REOPEN WITH NEW PROMOTERS: Deep South Speedway, the Loxley, Ala., track that hosted a well-attended World of Outlaws Late Model Series event March 13, will reopen next month after being shuttered two weeks because of a leasing dispute, the track owner said. The agreement with promoters Bill and Karen Webb was terminated because they failed to pay the lease, Michael Darby said in a March 25 phone interview, and unrevealed new promoters hope to reopen the track April 4. In a phone interview, Karen Webb denied they failed to make payments, saying the Darby family never presented a 2009 lease to sign. The Webbs, who first leased the track in December 2007, put $142,000 in improvements into the 4/10-mile oval over the 2008 season including a scoreboard and tech shed and were committed to making the track successful, Karen Webb said. The Webbs believe Michael Darby, who operated the track from 2005-07, "saw what potential the racetrack had and he just wanted it back," she said. — Todd Turner
UDLMCS PREPARES FOR RICHEST EVENT: The Florida-based United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series runs its richest event in the 2-year series history March 27-28 at Golden Isles Speedway near Brunswick, Ga. The winner of the 100-lap main event will earn $10,000 from a $30,000 purse at the 4/10-mile oval. Series officials warned drivers of continued penalties for drivers using too-soft tires after a spate of penalties were handed out Feb. 27 at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway. If tires don't pass durometer tests will start on the tail of heat races and drivers failing durometer tests before consolation races will be disqualified for the night. Also, drivers must run their heat races outfitted with the same tires they use for time trials. — From series reports
THREE TENNESSEE TRACKS FORM PARTNERSHIP: Three east Tennessee tracks have united to form the Tennessee Thunder Dirt Racing Association, an organization encouraging cooperation among local tracks for scheduling, rules and purses. Crossville Raceway, Wartburg Speedway and Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville are charter members of the organization founded by Brad Byrd, who also operates the Tennessee Thunder DirtCar Series for Super Late Models. TTDRA tracks will crown east Tennessee weekly champions in steel-head Late Model, street stock, mini stock and front-wheel drive divisions. — From series reports
O'REILLY SUPR DRIVERS PREPARE FOR PAVED TRACK: The O'Reilly Southern United Professional Racing tour has performed tire tests at Monroe (La.) Motor Speedway in preparation for the first-ever series event on a paved surface April 18. Two-time series champion Kenny Merchant helped the series test tires on the concrete oval on March 15. Other SUPR drivers can practice at Monroe on Thursday nights preceding the event and a Dirt Late Model-only practice session is scheduled for April 17, the night before the series event. SUPR drivers must compete in their regular cars April 18, but Merchant got some experience at the track in a pavement Late Model recently, finishing second to former dirt racer Garrett Durrett in the main event. — From series reports
ODDS AND ENDS: The O'Reilly Mid-South Racing Association has added the Mark Martin Auto Group as a sponsor for 2009. The dealerships will provide the official series pace truck. The series opens April 3 at 67 Speedway in Texarkana, Ark. ... In other MSRA news, the series will allow Hoosier LM-40 tires on the rear of cars for the first time in 2009. ... The O'Reilly Southern All Star East tour has changed a handful of dates, primarily regarding Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C. See the updated schedule. ... Southern Speedway in Hattiesburg, Miss., is now running under the label of Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in 2009. The track runs NeSmith Chevrolet-sanctioned Crate Late Models every Friday.
