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CONCORD, N.C. (Feb. 16, 2007) - Donnie Moran, a member of the
National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, will be among those chasing the
$50,000 first-place prize when the nation's top dirt late model drivers
converge on The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway April 20-21 for the
second annual Circle K Colossal 100.
Moran, 44, of Dresden, Ohio, was born into dirt-track racing. His
father, Ron, was a car owner and became a track owner/operator in 1980
when
he purchased Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio.
"When I was a kid, my dad had race cars and we went to the races,"
Moran explained. "That got me hooked, and I've been going ever since."
The younger Moran first climbed behind the wheel of a stock car at
age 16, launching a career that has seen him win more than 100 races
and
claim seven major championships. Moran is a four-time winner of the
prestigious World 100 at Eldora Speedway and he secured a permanent
place in
short-track racing history in 2001 when he earned $1 million for
winning a
late model race known as the Eldora Million.
"People know me as the 'Million Dollar Man' because we won that
million dollar prize at Eldora," Moran said. "I've been pretty
fortunate in
my career-won a lot of big races and I thank God that we won the
million.
That is the only dirt race of any type in the world that's ever paid $1
million to win."
Even though dirt racing is in his blood, Moran once considered a
career on asphalt.
"I actually ran some ARCA races a long time ago," he noted. "I ran
fourth at Talladega and was running up front in Atlanta when the engine
blew. I tried it a couple of times, but didn't have the funding to keep
going.
"The number one thing is that I love to race dirt cars, and that's
what I've done my entire career."
Moran charged through the field from the 25th starting spot to
finish second in last year's Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track
and he
knows a strong showing in the April 20-21 event is very important for
his
team.
"I like racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway. It's one of the high-class
dirt venues for late model racing," Moran said. "If we go there and do
exceptionally well, maybe it will catch the eyes of some of the
corporate
people up in the suites. Someone might say, 'hey, I want to put my
corporation with that team,' and we could get some corporate
involvement.
"Dirt racing is making a step toward more corporate sponsorship,"
Moran added. "It's nothing like NASCAR, but we're getting more TV time
than
we ever have. It's a hidden avenue that a lot of corporations haven't
realized yet."
Moran and his wife, Brenda, have five children-four boys and a
girl-and the owner/driver is already thinking about what the future may
hold
for the family's No. 99.
"Hopefully, we can get some corporate sponsors here in the latter
part of my career that will move on to the next generation of Donnie
Moran
Racing," Moran explained. "I have one son (Brodie) who seems very
interested
in racing and he's 12. I want to be able to step down as a driver in
five or
10 years and still be able to carry on the Moran name."
After more than 25 years of barnstorming dirt tracks across the
nation, Moran is still on top of his game. He won the 2007 late model
opener
on Jan. 31 in Georgia and recorded six top-10 finishes in the season's
first
nine races.
"We've already won a race this year, and hopefully we're off to a
better season than we had last year," said Moran. "We're looking
forward to
a good year and we are very thankful for all the sponsors that help us
do
this."
The Friday night portion of the Circle K Colossal 100 will feature
group time trials and heat races. The top two finishers in each heat
will
secure a spot in the 100-lap finale and a draw will determine the
starting
lineup.
Saturday night's program begins with a driver autograph session and
the on-track action includes at least four additional qualifying races
prior
to the main event. The race will be part of the 360 OTC World of
Outlaws
Late Model Series, but The Dirt Track's traditional format, including
the
extremely popular double-file restarts, will be utilized.
If purchased in advance, reserved tickets for both Friday and
Saturday nights are $49 for adults and $19 for children ages 12 and
under.
Two-day pit passes are $60 in advance.
Tickets and pit passes for the April 20-21 Circle K Colossal 100 can
be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling
1-800-455-FANS.
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