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"Kentucky Colonel" Looking for Second Straight Win at The Dirt Track
@
Lowe's Motor Speedway
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 26, 2008) - Defending World of Outlaws Late
Model Series champion Steve Francis enters the Oct. 8 Armour Vienna
Sausage
Showdown searching for his second straight victory at The Dirt Track @
Lowe's Motor Speedway.
The "Kentucky Colonel" has piloted his No. 19 late model to six
wins
in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series this season, with his first
victory coming in the Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track on April 19. After
starting from the pole, Francis managed to stretch his fuel mileage to
lead
the race from start to finish, surviving 16 caution flags to take the
win.
"I've always enjoyed racing at The Dirt Track," Francis said.
"For
the last three or four events there, the track has been in great
condition."
The Ashland, Ky., driver is currently second in the series
point
standings, 126 points behind leader Darrell Lanigan. But, Francis has
been
on a hot streak lately, scoring five wins since late July.
"It's going to be extremely difficult to catch Darrell," said
Francis in reference to the points race. "But, we're coming in trying
to
win
every race."
Francis began racing at age 15 and won his first dirt late model
event in 1984. He has a total of 40 wins in the Xtreme Dirt Car Series,
World of Outlaws Late Model Series, Renegade Dirt Car Series, and the
World
Dirt Racing League. Francis has more than 200 overall feature wins. He
has
also been named an official and honorary Kentucky Colonel by the
governor of
the Commonwealth of Kentucky for his success in auto racing.
In last year's Showdown the 41-year-old racer started 25th and
finished fourth. Several weeks later he returned to The Dirt Track and
finished second in the World of Outlaws World Finals to clinch the 2007
championship.
Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers, the Armour Vienna
Sausage
Showdown will kick off Bank of America 500 Week and features a possible
$30,000 first-place prize for the winner of the 50-lap feature.
The unique format of the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown provides
an
opportunity for drivers to earn up to $30,000 for scoring the win. If
the
driver who wins the 50-lap finale submitted an official entry form prior
to
Sept. 13, he will receive the $10,000 first-place prize along with an
amount
equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position.
"Ideally, I would like to start in the sixth to tenth spot,"
remarked Francis. "You're close enough to the front to avoid some of
the
incidents and close enough to the back to get a good pay day. But,
you've
got to finish it to win it."
The event will be the first "topless" event in World of Outlaws
Late
Model Series racing history. The term "topless" refers to the fact
that
each
dirt late model must compete without its fiberglass top, giving fans a
better view of the drivers as they navigate the lightning-fast
four-tenths-mile oval.
More than 50 of the biggest names in dirt late model racing are
expected to be on hand for the Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown, including
World of Outlaws points leader Darrell Lanigan along with series
regulars
Chub Frank, Francis, Josh Richards, Shane Clanton, Shannon Babb, Rick
Eckert
and Clint Smith.
Joining the World of Outlaws series regulars for the Showdown is
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman, along with dirt-track
superstars Scott Bloomquist and Donnie Moran.
If purchased in advance, adult tickets for the Oct. 8 Armour
Vienna
Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers are $25 with
children
12 and under admitted for just $5.
Tickets for this event can also be purchased as part of the
four-race $99 SUPER Ticket which includes Bojangles' Pole Night on
Thursday
night, Oct. 9; the Dollar General 300 on Friday night, Oct. 10; and the
Bank
of America 500 on Saturday night, Oct. 11.
Tickets are available online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by
calling the Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.
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