Francis flexes muscle for Volunteer Speedway ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100’ World of Outlaws victory

 

By Robert Walden

 

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Oct. 13) — In years’ past Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., dreaded making the trip to Volunteer Speedway … mainly because he just never could figure out getting his car dialed-in on the high banks. But in Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Tennessee Fall Brawl 100 presented by Rusty Wallace Automotive Group, Francis proved to be the class of the field as he overtook Ray Cook for the lead on lap 22, and once out front never looked back en route to going the remaining distance unchallenged to collect $20,225 for his winning effort.

 

The victory for the 40-year-old Francis, the current World of Outlaws point leader, is his fourth of the season. And factored in with an 11th-place finish by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., the “Kentucky Colonel” will carry a 62-point advantage over “Chubzilla” heading into the Outlaws World Finals on Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The championship event will be televised live on Nov. 3 beginning at 8 p.m. EST on the SPEED Channel, featuring both the WoO Late Models and Sprint Cars.

 

“Oh man, it’s great to finally win a big one here at ‘The Gap’ for sure,” said a relieved Francis after climbing from his car in victory lane. “For some reason I’ve just never really been able to get ahold of this place. Back in August in a preliminary night event held before the ‘Scorcher 100’ I ran well in that race to hold off Vic (Hill) for the $5,000 win. I learned a lot in that race and also the next couple of nights during the 100-lap main event.

 

“We were good last night in hotlaps and backed it up with a good fifth-place qualifying effort, and then we ran strong to win the first heat race. But with the draw for starting positions among the top-eight from the heats, it’s really just ‘luck of the draw.’ Fortunately for us we drew the outside front-row spot, and that immediately put us ahead of a lot of good cars.”

 

On a very chilly Friday night in East Tennessee, preliminary qualifying and heat races were held for the 52 race teams present. Thirty of the 52 cars to qualifying ran in the 12-second category.

 

Rick Rogers of Knoxville, Tenn., heated the action up by running a blistering lap at 12.364-seconds (116.467 mph) to set fast-time over Vic Hill of Morristown, Tenn., who timed-in at 12.386 to narrowly edge out Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who toured the high-banked 4/10-mile oval at 12.388. Fourth and fifth quickest, respectively, were Michael England of Glasgow, Ky. (12.465), and current WoO points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (12.474).

Four 15-lap heat races were held, with the top-4 finishers from each transferring into Saturday's Tennessee Fall Brawl 100. Francis easily outdistanced Rogers, Randy Weaver and Clint Smith to win the first heat. Owens, a local favorite from nearby Newport, Tenn., dueled early in the second heat with Hill before holding on for the victory over "The Thrill," with Scott Bloomquist and Brian Shirley finishing in third and fourth, respectively.

Chickamauga, Ga.’s held off fellow Peach State competitor Clanton for the win in the third heat, with Darrell Lanigan and Mark Douglas earning transfer spots. Heat four saw Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., win over England, Dan Schlieper and Josh Richards.

 

The top-eight (first two) finishers from the four heat races were brought down onto the front straightaway to draw for their starting positions, with the “Tarheel Tiger” Cook pulling out the No. 1 for the pole and Francis selecting the No. 2 spot.

 

With the enthusiastic crowd on their feet for the start of the Tennessee Fall Brawl 100, Cook launched into the lead racing into the first turn over Francis, McDowell, Owens and England. On the third lap, racing off the fourth turn, Owens on the outside rode around McDowell taking over third in the running order.

 

With Cook closing in on the rear of the field by lap 15, Francis closed to the back bumper of the leader to apply pressure. After sticking the nose of his Valvoline/Performance Rod & Custom/Duaralite Racing Wheels/VP Racing Fuels/Brittchar Trucking/Hoosier Racing Tires/Custom Race Engines/Rocket Chassis/No. 15 Chevrolet Monte Carlo under Cook on a few occasions racing off the corners, getting a good run on the top-side between turns one and two on lap 22, Francis carried momentum off (turn) two down the backstretch to pass Cook on the outside for the lead — which he would never relinquish.

 

Francis quickly began to put some distance between himself and Cook, who had a fast-closing Owens moving in to challenge for second place. Owens, who started fifth, pulled the trigger on lap 27 to overtake Cook for the runner-up spot, setting his sights out front on Francis. The event’s first caution waved on lap 45 when Mark Douglas slowed on the high-side between turns one and two and slowly coasted down the backstretch before heading into the pits and attention from his crew.

 

Francis sat all alone out front going back green, with the Delaware Double-File Restart seeing Owens choose the outside of the first row behind the leader and Cook dropping to the inside. Directly behind them lined-up side-by-side was McDowell and England.

 

Randy Weaver, after starting the 100-lap feature in ninth, moved around England on lap 46 racing off the fourth turn with a pass on the outside groove to take over fifth in the running order. The second caution of the race waved on lap 58 when both Vic Hill and Donnie Moran slowed with flat tires.

 

Ready to go back green Francis was in command out front followed by Owens, Cook, McDowell and Weaver. Back up to speed, “Dream” Weaver wasted no time in overtaking McDowell for fourth place with a pass for position racing off turn two on lap 59. One circuit later, Cook passed Owens between turns one and two to move into second. Just two laps later Owens slowed with a severe vibration underneath the car to bring out the third and final caution of the event.

 

“Man, I don’t really know what the problem was,” said Owens after the race. “We had a good car tonight and you never know, but I believe we had something for (Steve) Francis. Especially if we got in lapped traffic, because it’s easier to pick which line to run when you’re behind the leader and looking ahead at how the slower cars are stacking up.”

 

With less than 40 laps remaining to the checkers, Francis had a clear view ahead going back green for the stretch run to the finish, followed by Cook, Weaver, McDowell and Rick Rogers. Francis set sail out front while Weaver was riding in Cook’s rearview mirror. Racing down the front straightaway into the first turn on lap 69, Scott Bloomquist, after starting the Tennessee Fall Brawl 100 from the outside of row five, stuck his nose to the inside of Rogers to make the move stick and take away fifth place.

 

At the 75-lap mark, Francis was cruising out front holding right at three-quarters of a straightaway advantage over Cook and Weaver. Attention was “zeroed” in on the battle for position between McDowell and Bloomquist, with Bloomquist looking high and low in trying to maneuver his way past into the fourth spot. Lap 92 racing off the fourth turn, Bloomquist pulled alongside of McDowell and as they raced into the first turn he secured the position after a hard-fought battle.

 

But out front it was all Francis, as he recorded an impressive run to the checkers in winning over Cook, Weaver, Bloomquist and McDowell. The Tennessee Fall Brawl 100 victory was the 14th career World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory for Francis.

 

Finishing sixth through tenth were Brian Shirley, Rick Rogers, Shane Clanton, Rick Eckert and Clint Smith. Chub Frank, Donnie Moran and Austin Dillon (16-year-old grandson of legendary NASCAR multi-car team owner Richard Childress) finished respectively in positions 11-13, the last three cars to complete all 100 laps.

 

“Winning this World of Outlaws championship is very important to me,” said Francis. “With ‘The Gap’ being a tough place for me in the past, really all I wanted to do was come out of here by at least finishing one position ahead of my closest challenger (Chub Frank) to maintain my point advantage over him. To win the race and him finish in 11th helps take some pressure off heading into the last race over at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

 

“As well as we ran last night in qualifying and in winning our heat race, I felt we had the car to beat in this 100 lap feature. This car was on a rail, we were really good through (turns) one and two running up high in the banking. When you can run up there you really carry some speed off turn two down the backstretch. That’s how I got around (Ray) Cook for the lead early in the race, by shooting past him on the outside when we raced off turn two. Getting this $20,000 win sure changes my outlook about Volunteer Speedway. I’m looking forward to next year running down here again. I do believe we’ve really hit on something with the car that’s good.”

 

The runner-up finish for Cook, driving the Arvil Cook Property Investments/Fairway Ford of Kingsport/Jacky Jones Automotive/Hamrick’s of Gaffney/Youngblood Concrete/American Racer/MasterSbilt Race Cars/No. 53 Ford Fusion, was his best-ever run at Volunteer Speedway: “With a really strong field of cars here back in August for the ‘Scorcher 100’ we finished in seventh. That’s probably the best the car has ever felt for me here. We brought that setup back and tweaked it some and got even better. To come home tonight in second, ahead of someone like Scott (Bloomquist) who considers this to be his home-track, it’s an awesome run for us.

 

“We got off to a good start and grabbed the lead, but I was getting a little loose in after a few laps. I just couldn’t drive up in there (corners) as hard as I wanted to, and of course, when you’re loose in, it makes you tight off. Once Steve (Francis) got around me for the lead and after Jimmy (Owens) got past for second, I thought we had a third-place car. But unfortunately for Jimmy he had some kind of mechanical problem and dropped out, and that allowed us to bring our car home in second place. That’s the best we could expect, because I didn’t have anything for Francis.”

 

Shanon Buckingham of Morristown is definitely no stranger to victory lane at Volunteer Speedway. With his fifth overall win of the season Saturday night, he now has accumulated a total of 18 victories since the Crate Late Model class began at the start of the 2005 racing season. To start the evening off in qualifying, Buckingham toured the high banks at 13.618-seconds to establish a new track record, lowering the standard of 13.648 set by Allen Champ back on Sept. 1.

 

Buckingham grabbed the lead over Bobby Mays at the drop of the green flag on the 25-lap “Ramey Ford” Crate Late Model feature, and with Mays losing the runner-up spot to Kelly Glass on the second circuit, the top-three continued in those positions until the checkered flag waved.

 

Buckingham, driving the Rusty Wallace Toyota-sponsored No. 50 Camry, easily won over Glass, Mays, Ty Dillon and Jerry Broyles. Completing the top-10 finishers were Luke Laney, Joe “Dirt” Good, Stephen Rogers, Tony Trent and Chase McCormick.

 

WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL SERIES “TENNESSEE FALL BRAWL 100” PRESENTED BY RUSTY WALLACE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

Showing Finishing Position, Starting Position In Parentheses, Driver Name, Car Number, Hometown, Money Won, Laps Completed In Parentheses

1. (2) Steve Francis #15-Ashland, KY $20,225 (100)
2. (1) Ray Cook #53-Brasstown, NC $10,625 (100)
3. (9) Randy Weaver #116-Crossville, TN $6,000 (100)
4. (10) Scott Bloomquist #0-Mooresburg, TN $5,000 (100)
5. (3) Dale McDowell #17m-Chickamauga, GA $4,000 (100)
6. (14) Brian Shirley #3s-Chatham, IL $3,250 (100)
7. (7) Rick Rogers #44r-Knoxville, TN $2,850 (100)
8. (8) Shane Clanton #25-Locust Grove, GA $2,500 (100)
9. (22) Rick Eckert #24-York, PA $2,300 (100)
10. (13) Clint Smith #44-Senoia, GA $2,100 (100)
11. (20) Chub Frank #1*-Bear Lake, PA $1,900 (100)
12. (17) Donnie Moran #99-Dresden, OH $1,800 (100)
13. (18) Austin Dillon #3-Welcome, NC $1,700 (100)
14. (16) Josh Richards #1-Shinnston, WV $1,650 (98)
15. (12) Dan Schlieper #9-Sullivan, WI $1,600 (97)
16. (6) Vic Hill #1v-Morristown, TN $1,580 (70)
17. (5) Jimmy Owens #20-Newport, TN $1,560 (62)
18. (11) Darrell Lanigan #29-Union, KY $1,540 (58)
19. (4) Michael England #5-Glasgow, KY $1,520 (52)
20. (15) Mark Douglas #91-Knoxville, TN $1,500 (47)
21. (23) Eddie Carrier Jr. #28-Salt Rock, WV $1,500 (43)
22. (21) Anthony White #2x-Cinton, TN $1,500 (29)
23. (19) Ricky Arms #4a-Moss, TN $1,500 (0)
24. (24) Roy Mitchell #93-Hobart, IN $1,500 (0)

Time of Race: 32 Minutes, 59.858 Seconds

Margin of Victory: 2.473 Seconds

Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 45, 58, 62)

Lap Leaders: Cook (1-21); Francis (22-100)

Provisional Starters: Carrier, Mitchell

Rookie of the Race: Brian Shirley ($250)

WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Ray Cook ($500)

National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: Rick Rogers ($100)

National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Jimmy Owens ($50)

Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($100): Lee Logan (Steve Francis)

B-Main No. 1 (20 laps – Top 3 Finishers Transfer): 1) Donnie Moran, 2) Ricky Arms, 3) Anthony White, 4) Bryan Hendrix, 5) Dan Stone, 6) Shane Roberts, 7) Michael Smith, 8) Herman Goddard, 9) Brandon Kinzer, 10) Shanon Buckingham – (Did Not Start) Shannon Babb, Skip Arp, Damon Eller, Michael Jackson, Eric Wells, Jeff Neubert, Clint Solomon

B-Main No. 2 (20 laps – Top 2 Finishers Transfer): 1) Austin Dillon, 2) Chub Frank, 3) Rick Eckert, 4) Brady Smith, 5) Billy Ogle Jr., 6) Kerry Jones, 7) Brett Miller, 8) Eddie Carrier Jr., 9) Randy Davidson, 10) Chad Ogle, 11) John Blankenship, 12) Van Lester – (Did Not Start) Brad Neat, Brett Wyatt, David Crabtree, Travis Fultz, Steve Smith, Bobby Giffin

 

“RAMEY FORD” CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)

 

1) Shanon Buckingham #44, 2) Kelly Glass #01, 3) Bobby Mays #19, 4) Ty Dillon #2, 5) Jerry Broyles #72, 6) Luke Laney #9, 7) Joe “Dirt” Good #911, 8) Stephen Rogers #144, 9) Tony Trent #18, 10) Chase McCormick #5, 11) Josh Henry #B00, 12) Chuck Laney #91, 13) Todd Brooks #T1, 14) Brad Dyer #20, 15) Robbie Buchanan #29, 16) Casey Greenlee #02, 17) Dustin McNeil #31, 18) Brad Kenyon #98, 19) Ricky Moore #75, 20) Logan Hickey #16, 21) Mark Leach #66, 22) Greg Burchett #17, 23) Hugh “Wishbone” Scalf #56, 24) Chris Manning #03