Atomic Speedway
K-C brings Buckeye 100 back for WoO tour
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model SeriesA blast from K-C Raceway's storied past will return on May 1-2. The Buckeye 100, a traditional event at the Southeastern Ohio track during the ‘60s and into the ‘70s, has been reincarnated as a major World of Outlaws Late Model Series weekend.
Last run in 1971 when the 3/8-mile oval was known as Atomic Speedway, the Buckeye 100 roars back onto the K-C Raceway schedule offering a $20,000 first-place check from a total purse of nearly $100,000.
The two-day extravaganza kicks off May 1 with WoO time trials and qualifying heats plus complete shows for the modified hobby stock divisions. On May 2, consolation races and the Buckeye 100 will be joined by a full program for the open-wheel modifieds topped by a feature paying $1,000 to win.
“We're excited to bring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series to K-C Raceway for the first big-money weekend of dirt Late Model racing in the state of Ohio this season,” said series director Tim Christman. “The Buckeye 100 will be a great way to showcase the World of Outlaws to the Ohio fans for the first time in 2009 and rekindle a historic event from K-C Raceway's past.”
The Buckeye 100 will mark the WoO's second visit to K-C Raceway for a two-day, 100-lap show with a $20,000 top prize. Jackie Boggs of Grayson, Ky., earned that lucrative haul for winning the Veterans Appreciation 100, which was run on June 17-18, 2005.
The WoO has also contested a pair of 50-lap events at K-C since the tour's resumption in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was victorious on July 22, 2006, and Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, scored a popular win in front of his local fans in the tour's last appearance, on Aug. 23, 2008.
This will be the first WoO event at K-C Raceway under new track promoter Jeff Schrader, who recently purchased the track from the Nier family. The Niers had operated the facility since late in the 2002 season.
As is customary for WoO events held in Ohio, a strong field of national, regional and local dirt Late Model driving talent is expected to participate in the Buckeye 100.
Leading the charge to K-C Raceway will be the WoO regulars who are engaged in a tight early-season battle. Defending champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., enters the weekend holding a slight four-point edge over Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and less than 90 points separates third-place from 10th in the standings.
Twenty-one-year-old sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who finished second in the 2007 Dirt Track World Championship 100 at K-C Raceway, sits third in the standings, ahead of multi-time K-C winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.; 2006 DTWC winner Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; 2007 DTWC victor Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; and 2008 WoO Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y.
