Race Week For The World Of Outlaws Late Model Series – Lernerville’s Firecracker 100
Story By: JORDAN DELUCIA / WORLD OF OUTLAWS – SARVER, PA – First came the Firecracker, then came the party. Now in the 13th year, the two are synonymous. For three nights at Lernerville Speedway beginning this Thursday, race fans will set up camp for the biggest Dirt Late Model event in Pennsylvania and party all day around the races each night.
There’s a concert on Thursday and Friday, kickball on Saturday, autograph sessions, weenie roasts, cornhole and horseshoes, and of course some of the most imaginable ways to keep cool on sunny June days.
For World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series drivers, the Firecracker is one of the most prestigious events on the calendar each season. Ultimately paying $30,000-to-the winner on Saturday night, plus the unique 40-pound trophy, every driver has the event circled on their calendar.
A crown jewel race worthy of hosting some of the biggest names in Dirt Late Model racing, the off-track fan experiences at the Firecracker are just as important. The LUNGevity Foundation Kick-it to Cancer kickball game and racing memorabilia auction, post-race fireworks and live music acts, horseshoe and cornhole tournaments, and the massive camping turnout that fills the parking lot every year helps to make this unforgettable event.
NEWS & NOTES
Outlaws Dominate #DLMDream25 at Eldora: Four of the five Features contested in last weekend’s Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway were taken by full-time World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series drivers, headlined by current Series points leader Brandon Sheppard’s big win in Saturday’s $125,000-to-win finale.
This win bagged Rocket1 Racing and team owner Mark Richards’ very first crown jewel victory of any kind at “The Big E.” Decades of racing experience with several different drivers behind the wheel of the Rocket Chassis house car had previously resulted in only a handful of preliminary Feature wins and no big trophy to show for it.
But as Sheppard pulled into Victory Lane after leading the final 29 laps, the ink barely dry on another chapter in the book of Mark Richards Racing, Inc.’s legacy in Late Model racing, a message had been sent to every other team in the pit area that weekend: the Rocket1 team is not to be taken lightly this summer.
A nail-biting, late-race charge by 2014 Dream winner Dale McDowell made it one of the most unforgettable finishes in Dream history, culminating with an incredible drag race to the line that ended in a 0.056-second margin of victory for Sheppard.
Also picking up Feature wins in Dream competition last weekend were Darrell Lanigan, Ricky Weiss and Shane Clanton, who looked the strongest he’s been all year, putting on a clinic of speed in Friday night’s Group B Feature.
Madden Out, Clanton in for Team Skyline: After experiencing some hardships at the Dream last weekend, Chris Madden and Skyline Motorsports team owner Greg Bruening made the formal announcement they have decided to part ways.
This news comes in the wake of a disappointing end to Madden’s Saturday night at the Dream, as he got caught up with a lapped car in his heat race, heavily damaging his #44 Capital.
In his place, 2015 Series Champion Shane Clanton will hop into the now-vacant Bruening Rock Products/ Bennett Explosives/ Super K Express/ Clements Racing Engines/ Capital Race Cars #25 and join Skyline Motorsports for the remainder of the season.
I-55 Battle with Summer Nationals Stars Falls to Flooding: When excessive flooding from the nearby Mississippi River forced Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 officials to postpone their World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series vs. DIRTcar Summer Nationals event to July 6, it also forced the event to change invited guests, since the Outlaws race that same day in the Gopher 50 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, MN. The race at I-55 will now focus solely on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals standouts.
