Ready For The Big Weigh-In

They’ve tried their best to cut burgers, fries, candy bars, sodas, beers and other unhealthy staples of life on the road from their diets. Now the time has come for five familiar faces from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series – three crewmen, one manufacturer’s rep and one driver – to put up or shut up.

It’s the national tour’s version of the ‘Biggest Loser’ contest – and there’s cash, prizes and personal pride on the line.

Sometime this Thursday evening (Aug. 18), during the open-house/pig roast at Keyser’s Port City Racing in Coopersville, Mich., that precedes this weekend’s first-ever WoO LMS events at Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Mich. (Aug. 19) and Merritt Raceway in Lake City (Aug. 20), a month-long contest will come to a ceremonious end. The five participants – crewmen Robby Allen (Austin Hubbard’s chief mechanic), Matt Barnes (car chief for Josh Richards) and Randall Edwards (crew chief for Darrell Lanigan); Port City Racing’s Integra Shocks tech consultant Brian Daugherty; and WoO LMS regular Vic Coffey – will file separately onto an electronic scale for an official weigh-in to determine who has dropped the largest percentage of their body weight over the past five weeks.

Contestants (l-r) Daugherty, Coffey, Allen, Edwards and Barnes

 If the winner is Daugherty, he’ll get $200 from each of his four weight-loss rivals. If the victory goes to one of the other four contestants, they will receive $100 from each of the vanquished as well as a set of Integra Shocks from Daugherty.

This is serious business for the ‘WoO LMS Biggest Loser’ quintet, who have been striving to cut weight since they brain-stormed the idea for the contest while waiting for the ‘Gopher 50’ to start on July 13 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. Each participant stood on an electronic scale that day for an initial weigh-in – Allen led the way at 286 pounds, followed by Edwards (278), Coffey (253), Barnes (223) and Daugherty (183) – and the battle was underway.

It was quickly determined that body-weigh percentage would be the determining factor. As Daugherty noted midway through the contest, “We had to do it like this. There’s no way I could lose as much total weight as these tanks I’m going up against.”

As tough as it can be to eat well while traveling the WoO LMS, all five guys have largely stayed true to the task. They’ve resisted the temptations of racetrack concession stands and late-night junk food.

“I’ve never eaten as much chicken and salads in my life as I have the last few weeks,”said Daugherty, who had “already gained one belt loop” after the first two weeks of the contest.

“I’ve never not eaten so much in my life,” added a smiling Edwards, who is known to be a burger connoisseur (just don’t him ‘Cheeseburger’ because of it).

Of course, the boys have fallen off the wagon a few times. Edwards, for instance, admitted that, while he’s religiously cut soda-pop from his diet in favor of water, he has snuck in a few burgers. Coffey, meanwhile, conceded that he couldn’t contain himself after a birthday party for his daughter in late July; he initially resisted enjoying a piece of cake, but during a midnight run to the fridge the sweet treat called his name. “I did some damage to that thing,” said Coffey. “It was like seven layers and I must have polished off a couple inches of it.”

Nevertheless, when the participants checked their progress with a weigh-in during the recent USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., all five had dropped pounds. They have a couple more days to shed some more before they jump on the scale for the last time.

“The cook-out (at Keyser’s Port City Racing on Aug. 18) is supposed to start at 8 o’clock,” said Daugherty, “so the weigh-in is probably gonna be at like 7 o’clock.”

“Seven in the morning,” joked Edwards, eagerly eyeing the end of the contest. “All I’m gonna say is that after we do the weigh-in, people better move. We are going to be ready to eat.”

“Yeah,” added Daugherty, “I think Randall and ‘Hog’ (Allen) might attack that pig before it’s even cooked.”