Crews will face off in during WoO action at Lowe's
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model SeriesThe mechanical minds behind this year’s top World of Outlaws Late Model Series racers will get a turn in the spotlight during the Nov. 1-3 Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Following the completion of Thursday night's time trials, the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge will be held in front of the track's massive grandstand. A $1,000 top prize will be on the line for the winner of the competition. Only recipients of the Integra Shocks Wrench of the Race award during the second half of the 2007 WoO season are eligible.
“We’ve worked with Brian Daugherty of Integra Shocks to put on a competition that’s fun and challenging,” said Tim Christman, the director of the WoO. “All of these crew chiefs have worked so hard all season long, and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge will give them a chance to test their skills against each other and earn some recognition from the crowd.”
Leading the field will be Lee Logan, crew chief for WoO points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and the only three-time winner of the Wrench of the Race award. Others qualified for the competition include Brad Baum (Chub Frank’s chief mechanic), Johnny Cloer Jr. (Clint Smith), Mark Lloyd (Shane Clanton), Chad Curran (Rick Eckert), Jimmy Frey (Josh Richards), Wayne Caskey and Chris Rogers (Darrell Lanigan), Mike Countryman (Tim Fuller), Zach Pointer (Brian Shirley), Jay Hunt (Shannon Babb) and Jamie Bedford (Dan Stone).
Each of the award winners will head a two-man team. Crew members will change the right-rear tire on their drivers’ cars against the clock. One crew member will operate the jack only and the other will both carry and change the right-rear tire using a battery-powered impact gun.
Each car and driver will start behind a chalk line, move forward to a pit box for the tire change, and then drop off the jack and drive to a second chalk line. Timing will begin when the car leaves the first chalk line and end when the car is completely past the second line.
The team that completes the Crew Chief Challenge in the fastest time — including any penalties assessed — will earn the $1,000 first prize from Integra Shocks.
A five-second penalty will be handed out for each lug nut that does not torque at 60 pounds after the tire change, and also for each lug nut that is not on the wheel.
The crew competition will close out the opening night of the inaugural Outlaws World Finals, which pair the World of Outlaws Late Models and sprint cars on the same program for the first time ever. Beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, two rounds of time trials for each class will be held, with the first setting the lineups for Friday’s heat races and the second aligning Saturday’s qualifying heats.
