BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Aug. 21-23) — Scott Bloomquist and his boys led the way once again in a major dirt Late Model event. But this time Bloomquist didn’t lead the charge of his “Team Zero” chassis contingent across the finish line. Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., has always run strong at Volunteer Speedway … recording runner-up finishes and consistently placing in the top-five. But Thursday night he stepped forward to win the World of Outlaws Late Model Series “Fourth Annual Scorcher 100” presented by Young Oil Corp., pacing a memorable sweep of the race’s top-four finishing positions by Bloomquist-built cars in the event which paid over $100,000 in purse money. After finishing second to Bloomquist in several special shows over the past two years – including the 2006 Scorcher 100 and two big-money races this season – Madden broke through for a huge victory worth $20,225. He overtook his mentor for second place on a lap 41 restart and passed fellow Team Zero driver Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., for the lead on lap 95 en route to his second World of Outlaws Late Model Series win of 2007. Owens, who led laps 14-94, settled for the $7,625 runner-up money, just ahead of Bloomquist and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who started 21st, was the first driver under the checkered flag who didn’t steer a Bloomquist machine. Bloomquist was a proud car builder when he congratulated Madden and Owens in Victory Lane. But he also joked that they better not make a habit of overshadowing him. “If these guys keep beating me,” Bloomquist smiled during the post-race ceremonies, “I’m gonna have to stop building cars.” Of course, Bloomquist knows the demand for his cars is increasing thanks to big-show results like the Scorcher 100, the Firecracker 100 on June 30 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. (Bloomquist, Madden and Owens swept three of the top-four spots) and the Circle K Colossal 100 on April 21 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (Bloomquist, Madden and Owens were one-two-three). “I’m sure if we wanted to get in the car (building) business (fulltime),” said Bloomquist, “it would be a good time to start.” The Scorcher 100 marked the first time Bloomquist’s cars have swept the top-four finishing positions in an event, and it was fitting that Madden, his longest-tenured Team Zero racer, finally led the charge. The 32-year-old Madden has been waiting to catch a break to put him over the top in a major event this season, and it came on lap 95 of Thursday night’s A-Main. He watched as Owens, who had led since passing WoO LMS regular Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., on lap 14, slipped high in turn two while negotiating slower cars, leaving the door open for the driver known as “Smokey” to grab the top spot. “Jimmy just got caught up in that lapped traffic,” said Madden, who ran second behind Owens for more than 40 laps. “He chose the wrong line and pushed up off of two, and I was able to capitalize on it.” Owens arguably possessed the fastest car in the 100, but Madden, demonstrating Bloomquist-like patience, was flawless for the entire distance. He calmly worked lapped traffic in the final laps to beat Owens by 0.435 of a second. “We just set a pace and kept it,” said Madden, who started fifth in his Century Plastics Inc./Xtreme Customs & Cycles/Allstar Performance/Ohlins Shocks/VP Racing Fuels/CV Products/Peterson Fluid Systems/Eibach Springs/Simpson/Hoosier Racing Tires/Bloomquist Race Cars-sponsored No. 44. “I just ran my own race. I didn’t let anybody force me into running a race I didn’t want to run. It was all about patience. You learn patience because you get tired of putting bodies on your car (after wrecks), and tonight it paid off.” The low-key Madden appeared more relieved than elated after securing the lucrative triumph. “We should’ve gotten a win a few times before in one of these big shows here at Volunteer Speedway,” Madden said when asked his feelings about defeating Bloomquist. “I’m just happy to win the race, and now we’ll go on to the next one and try to win again. I know we have the team that can do it.” The victory was the third of Madden’s career in WoO LMS competition. He won earlier this year at Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La., and he pocketed $20,000 for capturing last October’s season-finale Gator 100 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Just two weeks removed from his career-highlight $50,000 win in the North-South 100 at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., Owens was gracious in the face of a disappointing defeat. “I know I probably had the quickest car tonight,” said Owens, who started from the pole position in his Reece Monument Co./Gantte Appraisals/Performance Rod & Custom/Red Line Oil/VP Racing Fuel/Hoosier Tire South/Bloomquist Race Cars/No. 20 Ford Fusion. “I just made a bad move in traffic.” Owens found it difficult to overtake lapped cars late in the distance on the high-banked, 4/10-mile oval, but he accepted blame for relinquishing the lead. “The track got a little rubbered up down there in one and two, so it got a little one lane down at the bottom and it was tough to deal with the lapped cars,” said Owens. “I just didn’t know how bad (the rubber) was, so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll try the high side and see what I can do up there,’ and it was just a bad idea. I pushed the front end, and Chris went by me. It’s disappointing, but it’s part of it. It’s just racing.” Owens made a few runs at Madden in the final laps, but he couldn’t regain the lead. “I knew Chris would just stay down in the rubber, so I figured I had to try the high side a time or two,” said Owens. “I was hoping that maybe ‘Rocket’ (Josh Richards, who was in front of Madden) and those other (about-to-be-lapped) guys would hold them up enough, but it didn’t happen.” Bloomquist, meanwhile, climbed from the sixth starting spot to second by lap 19, but he didn’t have the speed in his Miller Brothers Coal/Hawkeye Trucking/Allstar Performance/Sweet Mfg. Inc./Ohlins/VP Racing Fuel/Hoosier by Pup/Hypercoils/Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars/No. 0 Monte Carlo to handle Madden and Owens. He experimented with a combination that was a bit different from that used by Madden, Owens and Smith, and he experienced some other headaches. “All four of us had on a different (compound) left-rear tire,” said Bloomquist. “I’ve won here with all four tires, so I felt any of them could win. But actually, I won’t run the one I ran again, I’ll tell you that.” The 43-year-old Bloomquist paused, and then added, “We actually had something bound up in the car. I don’t usually tell where I had problems, but we had a couple mechanical things that definitely hurt us.” Smith closely tailed Bloomquist across the finish line, giving the up-and-coming 30-year-old driver another strong run in a major event this year. “We were right there,” said Smith, who started seventh after setting fast-time in qualifying on Wednesday evening over 58 competitors. “Depending on what decisions these other guys made, we could’ve struck at any time. When Jimmy got high and loose and Chris slipped by him, I thought Scott and I might slip by him too. But we’re happy with a fourth. We’ve been running up front consistently in these big races, so we’ve got a lot of things going well for us right now.” The race’s biggest mover was Eckert, who is uncharacteristically winless in 2007 on the WoO tour but appears revitalized and primed to break through since debuting a new GRT car last weekend. Eckert, 41, was involved in a homestretch tangle with Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., and Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., on a lap 26 restart, but he survived with only minimal front-nose damage to his car. He then charged steadily through the field, finally reaching fifth on lap 63 when he passed Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. “We had a real good car,” said Eckert. “I just dug myself a hole for the weekend on that second lap of qualifying (on Wednesday). I missed the bottom that one lap, and I lost two-tenths of a second. That put me back in the heat race, and it’s such a struggle to pass early in them. I think we were as good as those guys in front of us, but there at the end it got harder to pass – and when you get to better cars, it’s also harder to pass.” Seven caution flags slowed the event, but there were no serious incidents. Drivers who experienced problems included Damon Eller of Crumpler, N.C., whose car was towed off the track on lap 25; WoO LMS title contender Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who stopped with engine trouble on lap 28; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who relinquished 10th-place due to mechanical trouble on lap 38; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who spun between turns one and two on lap 41; Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who pitted with a flat right-front tire during the caution for Clanton; and Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., who spun in turn four on lap 70 after Owens made contact with the teenager while trying to lap him. Clint Smith took a hit in the WoO LMS points standings due to his woes. He finished 19th, costing him second in the rankings to Frank and leaving him 56 points behind leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who finished ninth despite racing much of the distance with a bent front end from a restart incident. Finishing in positions 6-10 were Frank, who started 18th; third-starter Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C.; 20th-starter Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; Francis; and Steve Smith of Powell, Tenn., a popular East Tennessee driver who started 22nd. Bobby Mays of Jonesborough dominated the 25-lap “Ramey Ford” Crate Late Model feature by sitting on the pole and leading flag-to-flag for his fifth victory of the season. It appeared that Mays had been bumped from the top qualifying spot when Brad Dyer turned a fast-lap at 13.799-seconds to Mays’ 13.891 run. But Dyer came up a four pounds light when crossing the scales and his time was disallowed, relegating him to a last-place starting position. With Mays starting out front, he blasted into the lead at the drop of the green flag and never looked back, easily cruising to the win over Luke Laney, Jerry Broyles, Steven Rogers and Kelly Glass. Completing the top 10 finishers at the checkers were Ricky Moore, Warren McMahan, Todd Brooks, Ty Dillon and Brad Kenyon. Ty Dillon is the youngest grandson of legendary NASCAR multi-team owner Richard Childress, and he’s the younger brother of Austin Dillon. Jesse Helton of Rogersville continued his remarkable 2007 racing season at “The Gap” as he rolled to his eighth “Rusty Wallace Toyota” Hobby Stock feature win over Mike Mays, Dale Reed, Phillip Nichols and Jamie Whitt. Shawn Henry of Newport grabbed the lead on lap 14 of the “Century 21 Masengill-McCrary Realtors” Mini Stock feature when pole-sitter Kevin Atwell slowed with mechanical problems, and held off a hard-charging Kurt Owens at the stripe for his division-leading sixth. Owens’ nosepiece was pushing Henry’s rear bumper as they received the checkered flag. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were John Broce Jr., Barrett Lowe and Toby Jones. WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL SERIES “FOURTH ANNUAL SCORCHER 100” PRESENTED BY YOUNG OIL CORPORATION Showing Finishing Position, Starting Position In Parentheses, Driver Name, Car Number, Hometown, Money Won, Laps Completed In Parentheses 1. (5) Chris Madden #44-Gray Court, SC $20,225 (100) 2. (1) Jimmy Owens #20-Newport, TN $7,625 (100) 3. (6) Scott Bloomquist #0-Mooresburg, TN $5,000 (100) 4. (7) Brady Smith #2-Solon Springs, WI $4,600 (100) 5. (21) Rick Eckert #24-York, PA $3,800 (100) 6. (18) Chub Frank #1*-Bear Lake, PA $3,750 (100) 7. (3) Ray Cook #53-Brasstown, NC $3,700 (100) 8. (20) Donnie Moran #99-Dresden, OH $3,650 (100) 9. (16) Steve Francis #15-Ashland, KY $ 3,600 (100) 10. (22) Steve Smith #3-Powell, TN $3,550 (100) 11. (8) Shane Clanton #25-Locust Grove, GA $3,500 (100) 12. (4) Josh Richards #1-Shinnston, WV $3,450 (99) 13. (25) Austin Dillon #3-Welcome, NC $3,350 (98) 14. (2) Darrell Lanigan #29-Union, KY $3,300 (93) 15. (11) Michael England #5-Glasgow, KY $3,250 (91) 16. (24) Tim Fuller #19-Watertown, NY $3,200 (90) 17. (13) Shanon Buckingham #44-Morristown, TN $3,150 (57) 18. (10) Brian Birkhofer #15b-Muscatine, IA $3,100 (37) 19. (23) Clint Smith #44-Senoia, GA $3,050 (34) 20. (19) Jeep VanWormer #55-Pinconning, MI $3,000 (32) 21. (12) Brad Neat #41-Dunnville, KY $3,000 (30) 22. (14) Mark Douglas #52D-Knoxville, TN $3,000 (26) 23. (17) Damon Eller #I4-Crumpler, NC $3,000 (24) 24. (15) Dan Schlieper #9-Sullivan, WI $3,000 (24) 25. (9) Dale McDowell #17m-Chickamauga, GA $3,000 (21) Time of Race: 47 Min.., 06.621 Sec. Margin of Victory: 0.435 Sec. Yellow Flags: 7 (Laps 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 41, 70) Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-13); Owens (14-94); Madden (95-100) WoO Late Model Series Provisional Starters: C. Smith, Fuller Volunteer Speedway Promoter's Option: Dillon National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: Brady Smith ($100) National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Clint Smith ($50) Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($100): Dave Atkins (Rick Eckert) B-Main No. 1 (20 laps – Top 2 Finishers Transfer): Jeep VanWormer, Rick Eckert, Billy Ogle Jr., Kerry Jones, Randy Weaver, Shane Roberts, Michael Smith, John Blankenship, Clint Smith, Dale Groves, Van Lester, Jeff Maupin, Lewis Hudson II, Tim Fuller (DNS) Herman Goddard, Jimmy Mars, Marty Calloway, Aaron Ridley, Scott Sexton, Joe Armes, Brandon Kinzer B-Main No. 2 (20 laps – Top 2 Finishers Transfer): Donnie Moran, Steve Smith, Brian Shirley, Austin Dillon, Mike Marlar, Justin Rattliff, Bryan Hendrix, Greg Burchett, Roy Mitchell, Ben Adkins (DNS) Bobby Giffin, Rick Rogers, Earl Pearson Jr., Rodney Kiker, Mike Jackson, Tony Martin, Lamar Scoggins, Vic Hill, Ricky Arms “RAMEY FORD” CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps) (Wednesday, Aug. 22) 1) Bobby Mays #19, 2) Luke Laney #9, 3) Jerry Broyles #72, 4) Steven Rogers #144, 5) Kelly Glass #01, 6) Ricky Moore #75, 7) Warren McMahan #33, 8) Todd Brooks #T1, 9) Ty Dillon #2, 10) Brad Kenyon #98, 11) James Cole #5, 12) Joe “Dirt” Good #911, 13) Tony Trent #18, 14) Gerald Smith #12, 15) Travis Trent #5, 16) Wendell Petty #43, 17) Chuck Laney #91, 18) Logan Hickey #16, 19) David Smith #11, 20) Brad Dyer #20, 21) Casey Greenlee #02, 22) Mark Leach #66 – Did Not Start: Josh Henry #B00 “RUSTY WALLACE TOYOTA” HOBBY STOCK (20 laps) (Thursday, Aug. 23) 1) Jesse Helton #28, 2) Mike Mays #30, 3) Dale Reed #52, 4) Phillip Nichols #33, 5) Jamie Whitt #1, 6) Dustin Shaver #7, 7) Roger Hunter #7-11, 8) Chris Long #75, 9) Chris Gregg #9, 10) Jason Light #50, 11) Robert Davidson #4, 12) Jeremiah Carr #18, 13) Robbie Woods #16, 14) Ray Jarnigan #31, 15) Robbie Jones #29, 16) Jesse Wilder #79, 17) Craig Schmalzried #6, 18) Heath Alvey #7, 19) Dennis Metcalf #55 – Did Not Start: Patrick Flannery #38, , Terry Cobb #14, Shorty Ledford #41 “CENTURY 21 MASENGILL-MCCRARY REALTORS” MINI STOCK (20 laps) (Tuesday, Aug. 21) 1) Shawn Henry #B00, 2) Kurt Owens #0, 3) John Broce Jr. #44, 4) Barrett Lowe #72, 5) Toby Jones #66, 6) Brent Hensley #70, 7) Allen Carrier #B1, 8) Ernie Stubblefield #21, 9) Kevin Atwell #95, 10) Chuck McMahan #99, 11) Chad Jeffers #38, 12) Brandon Johnson #B01, 13) Terry Dean #20r, 14) Brandon Petit #05b

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Regulars Richards & Lanigan Among Heat Winners In Wednesday’s ‘Scorcher 100’ Qualifying

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Aug. 22) – World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., were among the heat winners in Wednesday night’s Scorcher 100qualifying action at Volunteer Speedway. A field of 58 cars was signed in for the Young Oil Corporation-sponsored event, which is part of the WoO LMS for the first time in its four-year history. Richards, 19, drove his Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket No. 1 to top honors in the second of six 10-lap heat races. He held off a spirited challenge from fellow tour traveler Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., to score a preliminary victory in his first-ever start at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval. “We had an awesome car all night,” said Richards, a three-time winner on the 2007 WoO LMS. “It was a little on the free side, but once we tighten it up for tomorrow night we should be OK.” The 37-year-old Lanigan, meanwhile, benefited from Earl Pearson Jr.’s misfortune to win the fifth heat. Jacksonville, Fla.’s Pearson appeared headed to victory in the prelim until slowing on the sixth lap with a broken lower-control arm on his Bobby Labonte-owned mount. Lanigan then assumed command and never looked back behind the wheel of his gottarace.com Rocket. Other heat winners included defending Scorcher 100 champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who has won a pair of major WoO LMS events this season (the Colossal 100 and Firecracker 100); Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C.; Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C.; and recent North-South 100 winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who turned the fastest lap of the six heat winners (12.810 seconds). The heat winners will redraw for the top-six starting positions in Thursday night’s $20,000-to-win Scorcher 100. WoO LMS points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., transferred to the Scorcher 100 with a third-place finish in the night’s fourth heat, giving him the 16th starting spot for the headliner. But Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who ranks second in the points standings, had a miserable evening. He was forced to make a hasty engine swap after discovering terminal problems following time trials and reported late to the track for the third heat, which he started from the rear of the field. Smith dropped out of the heat when his car began to overheat. He is scheduled to start 11thin the first of Thursday night’s two 20-lap B-Mains, each of which will transfer only two drivers to the Scorcher 100. Third-place WoO LMS points man Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., finished third in the evening’s sixth heat, giving him the 18th starting spot for the 100-lapper. His team had worked until the early-morning hours to install a backup engine after encountering problems during Tuesday night’s open practice session. Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., earned $100 for winning the National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award with a lap of 12.400 seconds. Thursday’s racing program will begin with hotlaps around 8 p.m. (once the sun begins to go down). The $20,000-to-win ... $3,000-to-start Scorcher 100 will highlight the evening’s racing program. Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap): 1. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 12.400 2. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 12.503 3. 44M-Chris Madden/Gray Court, SC 12.510 4. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 12.513 5. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 12.531 6. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 12.559 7. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 12.571 8. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 12.612 9. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 12.620 10. 53-Ray Cook/Brasstown, NC 12.635 11. 44p-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 12.645 12. 41-Brad Neat/Dunnville, KY 12.656 13. 44b-Shannon Buckingham/Morristown, TN 12.676 14. 116-Randy Weaver/Crossville, TN 12.677 15. 9-Dan Schlieper/Sullivan, WI 12.688 16. 99-Donnie Moran/Dresden, OH 12.691 17. 1H-Vic Hill/Morristown, TN 12.693 18. 3-Austin Dillon/Welcome, NC 12.697 19. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 12.730 20. 52d-Mark Douglas/Knoxville, TN 12.733 21. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 12.738 22. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 12.746 23. 44R-Rick Rogers/Knoxville, TN 12.793 24. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 12.767 25. 52s-Scott Sexton/Sevierville, TN 12.793 26. 0M-Jeff Maupin/Greenville, TN 12.796 27. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 12.803 28. 16-Justin Rattliff/Campbellsville, KY 12.806 29. 5E-Michael England/Glasgow, KY 12.819 30. 34-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 12.836 31. 77-Joe Armes/Petroes, TN 12.857 32. 6-Kerry Jones/Bristol, TN 12.869 33. 32w-Shane Roberts/Blountville, TN 12.884 34. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 12.900 35. 97-Bobby Giffin/Maryville, TN 12.913 36. 25K-Rodney Kiker/Greenville, TN 12.922 37. 201-Billy Ogle Jr./Knoxville, TN 12.938 38. 28-Jimmy Mars/Memomonie, WI 12.945 39. 18-Brandon Kinzer/Allen, KY 12.959 40. B7-Ben Adkins/W. Portsmouth, OH 12.965 41. i4-Damon Eller/Crumpler, NC 13.024 42. 5-Bryan Hendrix/Knoxville, TN 13.049 43. 81-Aaron Ridley/Chatsworth, GA 13.055 44. 4s-Michael Smith/Rogersville, TN 13.057 45. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 13.065 46. 32s-Lamar Scoggins/Cleveland, TN 13.128 47. 35-Tony Martin/Madisonville, TN 13.148 48. 17-Greg Burchett/Churchill, TN 13.194 49. 22-Herman Goddard/Knoxville, TN 13.209 50. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 13.218 51. 7-Marty Calloway/Maynardville, TN 13.268 52. Q-Mike Jackson/Greenville, TN 13.358 53. 3ss-Steve Smith/Powell, TN 13.418 54. 4A-Ricky Arms/Moss, TN 13.439 55. 50-Van Lester/Dandridge, TN 13.698 56. 63-Dale Groves Jr./Tallahassee, FL 13.753 57. 0H-Lewis Hudson II/Waynesboro, VA 14.343 58. 93-Roy Mitchell/Rensselaer, IN 15.004 Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bloomquist, B. Smith, Buckingham, VanWormer, Ogle, Armes, Goddard, Lester, Ridley (DNS) Sexton Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Clanton, Douglas, Weaver, Jones, Maupin, M. Smith, Mars, Blankenship, Groves Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Madden, McDowell, Schlieper, Eckert, Roberts, Kinzer, Fuller, Calloway, Hudson, C. Smith Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Cook, Birkhofer, Francis, Moran, Shirley, Rattliff, Adkins, Jackson, Mitchell (DNS) Scoggins Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lanigan, England, Eller, S. Smith, Giffin, Rogers, Pearson, Martin, Hill Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Owens, Neat, Frank, Dillon, Marlar, Hendrix, Kiker, Burchett (DNS) Arms

Francis holds off Hill for 'Crumley House Super Late Model Shootout' $5,000 victory at Volunteer Speedway