Port Royal Speedway
Lanigan anxious for WoO return to Port Royal
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Darrell Lanigan
Darrell Lanigan has become the hottest driver on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. So do you think he’s happy to see the tour’s next race June 17 come up at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway? You bet he is.
“I’m looking forward to going back there,” said the low-key Lanigan, a resident of Union, Ky., who turned 38 on June 3. “You always like running at a track where you’ve had success in the past — and we have a real good car right now, which makes us feel better about our chances.”
Lanigan, of� course, was the winner of last year’s inaugural WoO event at the venerable fairgrounds track in central Pennsylvania, one of the highlights of a disappointing 2007 season in which he was already effectively out of title contention by the time the tour hit the Port. He returns for this year’s 40-lap, $7,000-to-win midweek show in a position of much more strength, sitting in a tie for the points lead with defending champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.
“Everything is going right for us right now,” said Lanigan, who finished seventh in last year's points. “It can all turn around and go the other way real quick, though, so we have to just keep at it. There’s a lot of racing left this year.”
Lanigan enters Port Royal’s program with four straight top-five finishes to his credit on the WoO, including his first win of the 2008 season when the tour was last in action, on May 29 at Delaware International Speedway. Last year the best streak of consecutive top-fives achieved on the series was just five (by Francis and Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.), making it clear that Lanigan is on an impressive run.
With Lanigan being an unabashed lover of big, fast tracks, it would be no surprise to see him continue his streak by becoming the second driver in 2008 to capture back-to-back events. Port Royal, which sits right in the middle of town, is a sprawling half-mile oval — one of the largest tracks on the WoO schedule — that plays right into Lanigan’s style.
Lanigan, who runs a family-owned Rocket car, had no trouble finding the prime setup for Port Royal’s layout last year. He dominated the headliner, leading from flag-to-flag. “The car was perfect all night long,” recalled Lanigan, who has nine career WoO victories. “We barely made any changes to it. Hopefully we’ll be able to pull out those notes and get the car running the same way again this year.”
It's the biggest Dirt Late Model show of the season at Port Royal, which runs the division on a weekly basis but headlines 410 sprint cars. Port's regulars and a host of other area talents are expected to turn out in force. Last year’s first-ever WoO program at Port Royal drew a field of 46 cars, as well as one of the track’s largest crowds of the season, and a repeat is anticipated.
The home-track contingent will be led by veteran Scott Haus of Hamburg, Pa., who sits atop the track points standings with four victories to his credit already this season. Regional standouts with plans to enter the Port Royal card include former WoO feature winners Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa. (who has won twice this season at Port Royal) and Gary Stuhler of Greencastle, Pa.
