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Fast Talk: What did the World Finals tell us?
Here’s the latest edition of Fast Talk, a DirtonDirt.com feature appearing each Monday and sponsored by Out-Pace Racing Products. Staffers Michael Rigsby, Todd Turner and Joshua Joiner gather weekly for a roundtable discussion about who’s hot, who’s not and other issues regarding Dirt Late Model racing. Staffer Andy Savary is subbing for Joshua today (edited for clarity and length):
Todd Turner: The World Finals hasn’t always been so kind to World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars, but the busy weekend at Charlotte that included sprint cars and big-block modifieds ended up with Darrell Lanigan (two-time champ and second in 2013 points) and Josh Richards (three-time champ including his 2013 crown) grabbing Late Model victories. It’s a relatively rare occasion in Dirt Late Model racing where things play out nearly perfectly to form, isn’t it?
Michael Rigsby: I thought the same thing Todd, that in a year where Lanigan and Richards separated themselves from the pack, that on what has really become dirt late model racing's "final" weekend, they shined the brightest. As we narrow down Driver of the Year numbers, stats, and opinions, these two didn't make it much easier by both grabbing a win. Also pointed out by someone … these might be the two best "teams" in the sport with their organization, balance, etc. … it’s an impressive ending to the season.
Andy Savary: It is a rarity these days when a major Dirt Late Model event can be categorized as status quo, but we probably shouldn't be surprised considering how dominant Darrell and Josh have been this year. Congratulations to both of them on their stellar seasons.
TT: Have we exhausted thoughts about the amazing accomplishments of Josh Richards through the first 10 years of his career with three national touring titles? It’s unprecedented and leaves us to wonder what’s in store the next 10 years.
AS: If Josh sticks around, the sky is the limit. He's already near the top of the World of Outlaws all-time wins list and he's only 25. If you think about that. Just wow.
TT: Really, considering his success, it's surprising how relatively few major events Josh has won. He dominated this year's Firecracker, he's got Cedar Lake, a couple of World Finals ... I expect over the next 10 years it'll take a lot longer to list his major victories.
MR: I've flat-out said it, he's on pace to be the greatest ever. He may not take the same path that Moyer, Bloomquist took, but we're sitting here having an argument about who's better: Richards, or a remarkable talent like Jimmy Owens who is more than 15 years. It makes you wonder 15-20 years from now what will Josh have accomplished by then? I don't think there are really any doubters about his talent left, but to any detractors, you gotta wake up — the kid is out of this world.
TT: As Michael hinted, let's go ahead and jump in with some thoughts about where everyone stands about Driver of the Year. We’ll have our final Top 25 power rankings tomorrow, then the DirtonDirt.com staff will come up with the consensus top five drivers of 2013 that will be announced next month. Did the World Finals make it as clear as mud?
Two of the three likely candidates for Driver of the Year posted victories in Lanigan and Richards, while Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Jimmy Owens lost his opportunity for his fifth straight victory in the World Finals finale when he was penalized for jumping the first start, then slipped out of contention after a poor second start.
Driver of the Year encompasses the whole season, but in a competitive field like with World Finals fresh in the memory, did Richards get a leg up by virtue of his third- and first-place finishes?
MR: I thought to myself Friday night: “Well, Darrell has it now,” and then Josh goes out and wins on Saturday night. The thing that makes this so tough is your weighing wins, titles, money earned, outside wins like Knoxville, etc. I really thought last year was difficult with Owens and Lanigan, but this might be even tougher. The margin between these two is paper thin. Some people will weigh Josh's title more heavily than others, while acknowledging that Darrell had more wins, including a huge victory at Knoxville's finale. Ugh. Either way, this once again won't be easy to pick. I yearn for the days of a clear-cut winner like 2010 when Billy Moyer made our life easier. Ha!
AS: For the second straight season, it's an extremely tight race. I really thought (or perhaps hoped) that one of the three drivers you mentioned would step up and really distance himself from the other two. With Richards and Lanigan each splitting victories, that obviously didn't happen. Like Michael mentioned, you can look at it one way and lean towards Josh, and look at it another way and lean towards Darrell.
TT: Besides Lanigan winning the opener, the Kentucky driver provided a few new details about his partnership with Ronnie Stuckey to launch a new chassis brand, something that’s become commonplace in recent seasons (albeit with mixed results). He’ll have a trio of drivers make their first starts in the yet unnamed cars in Tucson, Ariz., in January. How do you see this affecting the balance of power among car manufacturers, particularly regarding Lanigan’s long-time devotion to Rocket Chassis?
MR: I honestly don't think it will have a drastic shift on things. I mean, Darrell and Ronnie are obviously two talented and brilliant guys who will do well, but you see guys like Brian Birkhofer, Brady Smith, and more to come headed to the Rocket camp next year, the balance of power will even out, I have no doubt. Speaking of Arizona, with so many chassis swaps and changes, it's shaping up to be a great field, as so many guys (Tony Jackson Jr. and Birkhofer, among them) are headed out there to shake new stuff down. Don't forget (shameless plug alert) you can watch every lap in Arizona live right here at DirtonDirt.com.
AS: It seems like the landscape of who is in what chassis changes on a daily basis now. Just when it seems like there has been a lot of shifting towards the Rocket camp, Lanigan confirms that he's on his way out and they lose arguably their most successful driver. All in all, it probably equals out and we'll still find at least some parity among the chassis game.
TT: It’s tough to return to the topic of driver injuries, but Billy Moyer’s tough shot against the wall in Friday’s opening heat race sent him to the hospital and ended his weekend. Fortunately it sounds like nothing serious, but the 56-year-old obviously got banged up a bit.
Does the sport continue to chalk this season’s spate of injuries to coincidence? Or worth a combined meeting among series officials? A seminar at PRI?
MR: I think that while it's mainly coincidence, enough has happened this year that the powers that be in the sport need to sit back and take a hard look at things. Do drastic changes need made? Probably not, but any time this many incidents have happened in one season, a reset button on safety and safety-related issues may need to be pushed.
AS: Watching Moyer walk to the ambulance on Friday, the first thing I thought was, “Oh no, not again." Thankfully he was able to return to the track later and was checked out all good, but his hard hit was enough to catch the attention of everyone in the pit area. Reading our Joshua Joiner's piece on the other drivers' reactions to Moyer's hit was fascinating. Scott Bloomquist and Earl Pearson Jr. each had interesting takes on it and little safety tweaks that they thought could have helped in Moyer's case. I'd argue that bad luck and coincidence certainly account for most of the injuries this year, but as these drivers said, there are little things that can be done. Maybe a seminar wouldn't be the worst idea to at least discuss them and hear everyone out?
TT: And lastly, while the World Finals mostly wraps up the Super Late Model season, let me remind you that — after Arizona’s January action — February's Georgia-Florida Speedweeks is firming up with 17 consecutive nights of Super Late Model racing at six tracks, including four nights where tracks are going head-to-head. I guess bringing this up on your way home from Charlotte is asking too much, right?
AS: Thanks for the reminder, Todd.
MR: If we were together Todd, I'd give you a firm punch in the kidney right now. I'm looking forward to a few "off weeks,” although any more, there's no such thing in this sport. But the kidney punch still stands.
TT: I’m grateful this is a virtual roundtable, for sure.
