Tri-City Raceway Park
Surprising Stone rolls to huge upset at Tri-City
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
FRANKLIN, Pa. (Sept. 2) — Dan Stone had a hard time grasping the magnitude of his victory in the Oil Region Labor Day Classic finale at Tri-City Speedway.
“I’m in shock," said the modest driver from Thompson, Pa., searching for the right words to describe his emotions. “I don’t know how I did it.”
Stone, 30, pulled off one of the biggest upsets World of Outlaws Late Model Series history. He did it in grand style, driving by six of the tour’s brightest stars en route to a career-high $10,725 paycheck and an emotional postrace celebration.
A true underdog universally well-liked by his fellow competitors, Stone was showered in adulation following the race. He received a loud standing ovation from the appreciative fans after conducting a heartfelt interview in victory lane, and he was mobbed by drivers and team members offering congratulatory handshakes and high-fives upon returning to the pit area.
“I can’t believe we hit it that good with the car,” said an awed Stone, who completed his march forward from the ninth starting spot by passing WoO points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., for the lead on lap 38. “I knew it was close last night (he finished seventh) and we made a little adjustment today, but I never thought it would be so perfect.
“I mean, we definitely weren’t planning on this outcome.”
Stone simply sailed away from Francis once in command, beating the previous night's winner to the finish line by a commanding margin of 3.791 seconds.
An army of WoO regulars followed Stone and Francis under the checkered flag in positions 3-7 – in order, Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; 16th-starting Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; polesitter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who led laps 1-7 before yielding to Francis; and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa.
It was by far the biggest victory for Stone, who had never collected more than $2,000 for capturing a race behind the wheel of his family-owned equipment.
A Late Model champion in 1997 at Penn-Can Speedway in Susquehanna, Pa., and 2000 at Skyline Raceway in Blodgett Mills, N.Y., Stone has spent recent years competing in dirt Late Model events at numerous tracks across the Northeast. He’s enjoyed some success and even shown some flashes in WoO action, but nothing prepared him for what he experienced at Tri-City.
“I didn’t think we were ready to win a World of Outlaws show,” conceded Stone, who has entered 13 WoO events this season and qualified for seven main events. “It’s just an honor to win a World of Outlaws race, and it’s real hard. But our car was just so good, and we passed some great cars.
“And to win my first race legitimately like this means a lot,” added Stone, who became the 17th different winner in 35 WoO events this season. “Everybody didn’t break down. There wasn’t a big crash. We earned it.”
With American Racer tiresin a field filled predominantly with Hoosier-shod machines, Stone hit on a combination that clicked. But he had his doubts about his tire selection before taking the green flag.
“I thought I was in trouble, because when we were out there on the frontstretch (for driver introduction) I saw I was a little bit harder (with tire compound) than everybody,” said Stone. “I didn’t think we’d be able to keep up at the beginning the way we did.”
Stone was in sixth place when the race’s second and final caution flag flew on lap 18 for the stopped car driven by Mike Johnson of Imperial, Pa. Then he went to work using the inside lane, passing David Scott of Garland, Pa., for fifth on the restart; Richards for fourth on lap 26; Smith for third on lap 29; and Clanton for second on lap 31.
“There was a little more moisture down low than there was last night, and if I stayed right in that moisture we got a good drive off the corner,” Stone said of his stirring march forward. “The car was free enough off the corner for me to just come off there nice.”
Stone quickly erased his half-straightaway deficit to Francis, who had appeared headed to a second straight victory after hustling from the fifth starting spot to the lead by lap eight. Stone made his winning move on lap 38, ducking under the lapped car of Waterford, Pa.’s Dave Hess Jr. and Francis in turn two to assume command.
“Francis went around that lapped car, and the lapped car left that bottom open,” said Stone. “I don’t think Francis realized the lapped car was gonna slide up like that. That held Francis up enough for me to get by him and the lapped car.
“It would’ve been hard to pass Francis in open track. That lapped car just really helped us out, and after that I could just really run a smooth race. I didn’t have to push the car.
“I knew the bottom was the place to be, so I knew Francis was gonna have to be awful good to pass me,” asserted Stone. “The top just wasn’t coming in, so I just tried to not screw up in lapped cars and keep the car straight and low.”
Francis, who turns 40 on Sept. 10, conceded that he was no match for Stone.
“When he come by me I went, ‘Wow, this is impressive!’” said Francis, who extended his points lead to 52 markers over Frank with nine events remaining in the 2007 season. “I just watched his car, and it was working great. I had nothing for what he had going on.
“I’m telling you, Dan’s car, his tires — he was dead-on. I know he was on the American Racers, and they just had a combination that hit in between everything we had; everything Hoosier’s got for (the track) condition is either too hard or too soft. But I’m not taking anything away from him. It’s not all tires — he had everything going.
“Congratulations to him and his guys,” added Francis. “I know how much and how hard they work. It’s good to see a guy like that win a race. Hey, I’d like to have won, but I don’t care a bit to run second to Dan. I know he needed it. He works hard and drives hard, and you gotta give him credit.”
Notebook
Stone's Bernheisel Race Cars Lazer III chassis has an Edge Racing Engine and sponsorshipo from Stone Excavating. ... Besides his $10,000 winner's check, Stone also earned a $500 bonus that goes to the highest-finishing driver who isn’t ranked among the top 12 in series points and hasn’t won a WoO event. ... Gregg Satterlee's ninth-place finish was his best ever on the WoO circuit.
