dirt4m-admin
01-18-2006, 12:04 PM
By Bret Emrick
It may be January when most race fans don’t think of the sport they love actually taking place this time of year. As most race teams that compete with the DIRT MotorSports™ owned World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Mid American Racing Series (MARS) gear up for the fast approaching season some teams are already at it.
2005 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship runner-up Steve Francis along with 2005 MARS Champion Terry Phillips and fellow MARS competitors Wendell Wallace and Jack Sullivan competed in two events last week-end with great success. Wallace captured Saturday’s opening round of the ‘Wild West Shootout Series’ at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Arizona while Phillips grabbed round two on Sunday. The five race series continues tonight followed by rounds four and five this Saturday and Sunday.
Francis, of Ashland, Kentucky, opened up his ‘Wild West Shootout Series” aboard the MOPAR Performance Parts/Valvoline/MDI Environmental Services/Freeport Recycling No. 15 Larry Moring Motorsports Rocket Chassis/Stanton MOPAR Engines Dodge Intrepid R/T. Finishing third in his heat race Saturday had ‘The Kentucky Colonel’ starting seventh in the feature field where he raced to a third place finish.
Sunday was not a good day for Francis as a fifth place finish in his heat race dropped him into a “B” Main event which Francis won to transfer to the main event. Starting deep in the field for the feature race, Francis methodically worked his way forward claiming a seventh place finish.
After admittedly suffering one of his worst seasons of his career in 2005,Wallace, of Batesville, Arkansas, is off to a terrific start in his ’06 campaign. The driver known as the “Batesville Bullet” has been one of the strongest cars at the Central Arizona Raceway during the ‘Wild West Shootout Series’ events. Wendell drove his Reva’s Western & Work Wear/J&J Steel/Garrett Racing No. 88 Wendell Wallace Racing GRT Race Cars/Gaerte Engines Pontiac Grand Prix to a $3,000 victory last Saturday in round one of the five race series.
In that event, Wallace came from the eighth spot in his heat race to finish second and earn a spot in the feature event. He then took the lead from John Anderson on lap fourteen of the A-Main and held off fellow Mid-America Racing Series (MARS) competitor Terry Phillips, a heat race winner, for the $3,000 win.
However, Phillips repaid Wallace the favor on Sunday, as the Springfield, Missouri native bested Wallace for the $5,000 top prize. Driving the Don Babb Motorsports/Presley’s Country Jubilee/Andy’s Frozen Custard No. 75 Terry Phillips Motorsports GRT Race Cars/Hatfield Racing Engines Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Phillips won his heat race to advance to the feature event. Starting from the fourth row Phillips powered into the lead on lap seven before cruising to the win. Wallace, a heat race winner, ended up a close second and took home $2,500 for his second place performance in round two of the ‘Wild West Shootout Series.’
“Our car is performing very well right now and hopefully that will continue throughout the next three nights of racing action out here,” commented Wallace while out on a hunting trip on his day off Tuesday. “I think we had a chance at the win on Sunday, but a late caution came out and that ended our run. The track was great on Saturday, but it took a lot more rubber for Sunday’s race. Hopefully, the track prep crew will have it racy again for tomorrow night.”
Sullivan of Greenbrier, Arkansas scored a fifth place finish Saturday at Central Arizona Raceway and a third place finish Sunday. Finishing tenth in his heat race Saturday, Sullivan powered his Bryant Motorsports No. 18 Jack Sullivan Racing GRT Race Cars/Kuntz Engines Pontiac Grand Prix to a “B” Main win just to make the opening round main event. Sullivan rebounded to a heat race win Sunday and parlayed a great starting spot into his third place finish.
It may be January when most race fans don’t think of the sport they love actually taking place this time of year. As most race teams that compete with the DIRT MotorSports™ owned World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Mid American Racing Series (MARS) gear up for the fast approaching season some teams are already at it.
2005 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship runner-up Steve Francis along with 2005 MARS Champion Terry Phillips and fellow MARS competitors Wendell Wallace and Jack Sullivan competed in two events last week-end with great success. Wallace captured Saturday’s opening round of the ‘Wild West Shootout Series’ at Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande, Arizona while Phillips grabbed round two on Sunday. The five race series continues tonight followed by rounds four and five this Saturday and Sunday.
Francis, of Ashland, Kentucky, opened up his ‘Wild West Shootout Series” aboard the MOPAR Performance Parts/Valvoline/MDI Environmental Services/Freeport Recycling No. 15 Larry Moring Motorsports Rocket Chassis/Stanton MOPAR Engines Dodge Intrepid R/T. Finishing third in his heat race Saturday had ‘The Kentucky Colonel’ starting seventh in the feature field where he raced to a third place finish.
Sunday was not a good day for Francis as a fifth place finish in his heat race dropped him into a “B” Main event which Francis won to transfer to the main event. Starting deep in the field for the feature race, Francis methodically worked his way forward claiming a seventh place finish.
After admittedly suffering one of his worst seasons of his career in 2005,Wallace, of Batesville, Arkansas, is off to a terrific start in his ’06 campaign. The driver known as the “Batesville Bullet” has been one of the strongest cars at the Central Arizona Raceway during the ‘Wild West Shootout Series’ events. Wendell drove his Reva’s Western & Work Wear/J&J Steel/Garrett Racing No. 88 Wendell Wallace Racing GRT Race Cars/Gaerte Engines Pontiac Grand Prix to a $3,000 victory last Saturday in round one of the five race series.
In that event, Wallace came from the eighth spot in his heat race to finish second and earn a spot in the feature event. He then took the lead from John Anderson on lap fourteen of the A-Main and held off fellow Mid-America Racing Series (MARS) competitor Terry Phillips, a heat race winner, for the $3,000 win.
However, Phillips repaid Wallace the favor on Sunday, as the Springfield, Missouri native bested Wallace for the $5,000 top prize. Driving the Don Babb Motorsports/Presley’s Country Jubilee/Andy’s Frozen Custard No. 75 Terry Phillips Motorsports GRT Race Cars/Hatfield Racing Engines Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Phillips won his heat race to advance to the feature event. Starting from the fourth row Phillips powered into the lead on lap seven before cruising to the win. Wallace, a heat race winner, ended up a close second and took home $2,500 for his second place performance in round two of the ‘Wild West Shootout Series.’
“Our car is performing very well right now and hopefully that will continue throughout the next three nights of racing action out here,” commented Wallace while out on a hunting trip on his day off Tuesday. “I think we had a chance at the win on Sunday, but a late caution came out and that ended our run. The track was great on Saturday, but it took a lot more rubber for Sunday’s race. Hopefully, the track prep crew will have it racy again for tomorrow night.”
Sullivan of Greenbrier, Arkansas scored a fifth place finish Saturday at Central Arizona Raceway and a third place finish Sunday. Finishing tenth in his heat race Saturday, Sullivan powered his Bryant Motorsports No. 18 Jack Sullivan Racing GRT Race Cars/Kuntz Engines Pontiac Grand Prix to a “B” Main win just to make the opening round main event. Sullivan rebounded to a heat race win Sunday and parlayed a great starting spot into his third place finish.