Dirt Late Model Racing’s King of All Media

Clint Smith: Dirt Late Model racing’s King of All Media?

In a manner of speaking, that’s what the veteran World of Outlaws Late Model Series standout is becoming.

He has a sharp, up-to-date Web site (www.clintsmith.com). He’s on top of the social media scene, keeping fans informed of his exploits on both Facebook (facebook.com/clintsmithracing) and Twitter (twitter.com/clintsmith44).

Clint Smith (r) in the WEKS radio studio.

And last month Smith expanded his reach to the airwaves, joining a local radio show, the Southern Race Report on WEKS-92.5 ‘The Bear’ in Griffin, Ga., as a co-host.

Now if the driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ can land a job as a pit reporter for DirtonDirt.com, a color commentator for SPEED and a columnist for a magazine, he’ll have all his media bases covered – and just might get that WoO LMS press card he’s been asking tour director Tim Christman about.

At the moment, Smith’s most high-profile media role is as a budding radio personality. He made his in-studio radio debut Feb. 8, accepting an opportunity to share the microphone with Southern Race Report co-hosts ‘Uncle Rich,’ Brad Myers and longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution motorsports writer Rick Minter. He’s been a regular on the show ever since, offering his insider’s view of the dirt-track scene every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m.

“They called me to come be on the show one time,” Smith said of his path to the radio gig. “Then me coming on got to be habit forming, so they just said, ‘The hell with it, you’re just gonna be a co-host of it.’ It’s not a paid deal, but it’s fun.”

The always opinionated Smith, who celebrates his 47th birthday on March 20, isn’t merely an expert analyst for the show. He’s right in the mix, lining up guests from the dirt-track arena and questioning them when they call in or visit the studio.

“I got all the dirt guys’ phone numbers so I usually handle getting up with them to come on the show,” said Smith, whose home in Senoia, Ga., is just a couple miles from the radio station’s studio. “The other guys on the show do the (NASCAR) Cup stuff, and I bring some dirt stuff to the show. Now that we’re getting more into the season we’ll probably get the biggest (dirt) winner in the south each week, and we’ll probably cover a World of Outlaws guy each week because that’s what I do.”

Cat Daddy on the air.

Smith has already had several of his WoO LMS brethren on the show, including Shane Clanton, Tim Fuller and Tim McCreadie. Other dirt Late Model guests have included locals Bubba Pollard and Brian Reese.

How does Smith rate his interviewing style? He thinks he handles the role well.

“I’ve been asked so many questions over the years, I know you have to phrase the question so it’s gonna get more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer,” said Smith. “It’s gotta be direct, but still enough to make the guy talk. Just keep it to a certain topic and make sure it will take a little bit to answer.

“Of course, you get Clanton on there and he’s gonna ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer things anyway.”

So is ‘Cat’ saying that his Georgia buddy Clanton doesn’t rank at the top of his list of interview subjects?

“Yeah, Clanton was too much ‘yes’ and ‘no,’” Smith said with a laugh. “My best interview was probably me and Tim Fuller; we called in on our phones from down in Florida (on Feb. 15 at Bubba Raceway Park), which was pretty cool. T-Mac was good too, and I’d say one of the best was one of my first, Brian Reese. I went to lunch with him first and I told him how to answer questions on the radio and he did a heck of a job.”

Fans outside the radio station’s coverage area south of Atlanta can listen live to Smith and his Southern Race Report cohorts every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. by logging on to www.925fmthebear.com. Smith also posts audio of past shows on his Facebook page.

Clint Smith at speed (www.rewingphotos.com)

To keep abreast of the show’s dirt-track guests, fans should be sure to follow Smith on Twitter. Each week he Tweets a reminder to tune in to the show – one of many updates he sends out on his very active Twitter feed. It’s unlikely you’ll find a dirt Late Model driver who pumps out as much info over Twitter as Smith, who had 933 followers as of the morning of March 20 and hopes to reach the 1,000 mark before the next WoO LMS event, the Illini 100 on March 30-31 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway.

“I Tweet every word myself,” Smith proudly stated. “I’ve been thinking I might even take a picture (from inside the car) under the caution and Tweet it out.”

Just remember, Cat Daddy -- no texting and driving.

The World of Outlaws’ Number One Fan…From Ireland

Sean O’Donnell has no illusions about the first impression he presents when he’s at a dirt track. Wearing green shorts, green sneakers, a green cap, a sleeveless t-shirt and strands of green party beads around his neck, he knows he doesn’t look like the typical World of Outlaws Late Model Series fan.

Irish WoO LMS fan Sean O'Donnell.

“People always ask me, ‘Why are you dressed like this?’” O’Donnell said last month while getting ready for an evening of WoO LMS action during the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. “I tell them, ‘This is the way I dress every day.’”

O’Donnell, of course, is a proud Irishman, so his penchant for sporting the color green is no surprise. It’s his habit of flashing his unique style at WoO LMS events that turns so many heads.

While O’Donnell, 62, is a native of West Belfast in Northern Ireland – not exactly a hotbed of dirt-track stock car racing – he’s become an unabashed fan of the WoO LMS. Currently a resident of Winter Garden, Fla., he attends World of Outlaws shows throughout the Southeast. This year he’s already taken in races at Volusia, Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., and Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., and in recent years he’s seen the tour compete at such ovals as The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., Swainsboro (Georgia) Raceway, Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga., and Columbus (Miss.) Speedway.

The seeds of dirt-track racing were planted in O’Donnell when he was a youngster and spent time living outside Albany, N.Y. He remembers watching Big-Block Modified races at the nearby Lebanon Valley Speedway and other area tracks.

After an extended period away from the dirt-track scene, O’Donnell reconnected with the sport in 2005. Living in Florida at the time, he saw that the DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds would be racing at Volusia during the DIRTcar Nationals and decided to check out a night of competition. He enjoyed the Modified action, but he fell in love with the full-fender division that shared the card.

“I saw them World of Outlaws Late Model boys out there and I was impressed,” said O’Donnell. “They really do some racing. I’ve been following them ever since.”

The 2005 DIRTcar Nationals happened to be the dirt Late Model coming-out party for Tim McCreadie, who that year at Volusia won his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main as well as two other DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned features. O’Donnell adopted the former DIRTcar Big-Block Modified regular from Watertown, N.Y., as his favorite driver.

“He’s one of the best guys that does the Outlaws right,” O’Donnell said of McCreadie. “He’s a good guy and I can remember watching his father ‘Barefoot’ Bob run a Big-Block back up in New York.”

O’Donnell proclaims his backing of McCreadie to the public as part of the distinctive parking-lot display he sets up behind his Toyota at each WoO LMS event he attends. He hangs a T-Mac shirt on a chair, puts a McCreadie hat on one of the three stuffed animals (Jerry, Connor and Seamus) he positions on another and shows off a Sweeteners Plus No. 39 license plate. O’Donnell also flies an Irish flag from his car, arranges a variety of Irish-themed items in the open hatch of his car, plays Irish music out of his vehicle's speakers and sits in a fold-out chair between two large coolers. His pre-race tail-gate party includes drinking pints of Guinness beer (“Guinness is not a drink,” he likes to say, “it’s a meal”), sipping some Paddy Old Irish Whiskey and chowing down on various delicacies (shrimp and cold cuts were on his menu the afternoon of Volusia’s WoO LMS finale).

While O’Donnell travels to the races alone (his wife and two kids – a 21-year-old son who attends the University of Florida and an 18-year-old daughter – aren’t into the sport), he’s never at a loss for conversation. He has a cheery, “Hi, Lads!” for all passersby and breezily makes new friends. He’s also easy to spot, either in the parking lot (he arrives hours before race time) or meandering through the pit area with his homemade shillelagh, a traditional Irish walking stick (he makes them in his spare time and has given one to McCreadie as a gift).

“We have fun,” said O’Donnell, who typically returns to Ireland for several months each year to work as a lobbyist. “I enjoy all the people at the racetrack. If anybody wants to stop by and talk racing or politics about Ireland, we’ll sit there and talk – and maybe have a pint too.”

'Hulkamania' Runs Wild At Bubba Raceway Park

Hulkster, meet the Outlaws. Outlaws, meet the Hulkster.

Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan made a special appearance during Saturday night’s Bubba Army Late Model Winter Nationals finale at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., sending a dose of ‘Hulkamania’ through the stands and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series pit area.

Hulk Hogan directs the field. (Butler photo)

A close friend of BRP owner/radio show host Bubba ‘The Love Sponge’ Clem, Hogan visited the three-eighths-mile oval to serve as the Grand Marshal of the biggest event that Clem has hosted since taking over the facility in the spring of 2011. He watched time trials from the infield and qualifying events from the roof of the scoring tower before heading trackside for one of the most unique pre-race driver introductions in the history of the WoO LMS.

After the 25-car starting field for the 60-lap A-Main was parked in double-file formation on the homestretch, Hogan walked from the back to the front of the pack, shaking hands and posing for a photo with each driver. The pictures were Clem’s “Hogan-themed” gift to the race’s competitors; he said he would get each driver an autographed print of their meeting with the Hulkster.

Judging by the excited looks on the drivers’ faces, they all enjoyed their photo-ops with the 58-year-old Hogan. Wearing a sleeveless ‘Bubba Army Racing’ shirt and a blue do-rag, Hogan provided them some of his trademark bravado, pointing at each driver as the photos were snapped and telling them, “Good luck, brother.”

Jason Feger with the Hulkster. (Butler photo)

Hogan seemed to be most impressed with DIRTcar UMP Late Model star Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., who struck a Hulkster point-to-the-sky pose as the wrestler approached. Hogan smiled and gave Feger a hand-clasp rather than the handshake everyone else received.

Once the feature lineup was introduced, Hogan stood alongside WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman – a huge professional wrestling fan who, with his pre-race interview of Hogan, had the opportunity to picture himself as famed WWE Hall of Fame announcer Mean Jean Okerlund – and put his own twist on the most famous words in racing.

“Gentleman, start your engines…brother!” yelled Hogan.

Finally, Clem enlisted Hogan to throw the green flag for the A-Main. But rather than have Hogan squeeze his 6-foot, 7-inch body into the flagstand, Clem parked a golf cart in the infield grass at the edge of the homestretch racing surface so Hogan could wave the flag and then ride away.

Rick Eckert meets Hulk Hogan.

Standing so close to a charging pack of dirt Late Models did concern Hogan at least a little bit. When WoO LMS director Tim Christman suggested to Clem that Hogan should back away from the track surface, the Hulkster quipped, “I’m with ‘ya brother.”

Mark & Josh Richards's Top 10 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Tracks

Here’s two more Top 10 lists of World of Outlaws Late Model Series tracks, these from the father-and-son combo of Mark and Josh Richards.

Josh & Mark Richards (www.thesportswire.net)

Mark, of course, has fielded at least one car in 312 of the 313 WoO LMS events contested from 2004-2011; the only race he sat out as an owner was on June 18, 2011, at Winchester (Va.) Speedway, when his son ran the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25. (Mark attended the race, however, keeping his personal WoO LMS perfect attendance record intact.) Josh, meanwhile, has entered every WoO LMS event since the start of the 2005 season (he ran just over half the schedule in ’04 during his first season behind the wheel) and now stands as a two-time champion and the tour’s winningest driver since ’04, with 37 wins.

*****

Below is Mark Richards’s Top 10 WoO LMS Tracks List in his order of preference. The number of WoO LMS events each track has held since ’04 is in parenthesis and Mark’s comments about each track are in quotes.

1) Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway (one race, in 2007) – “The alltime raciest racetrack there is. It’s a driver’s track. No matter where you start, if you’re good you can go to the front. Number one track in the country in my book.”

2) Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, Fla. (17 races) – “I’ve always loved to race at that place. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best track in the south. Actually, I consider it not even being in the south because it races like a northern track. It’s a great track.”

3) The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, N.C. (18 races) – “For us, it’s the type of track we like to race on. Anywhere that’s aggressive and nobody can hold you up on it, we like.”

4) Cedar Lake Speedway/New Richmond, Wis. (three races) – “It’s a neat place for me because it’s where we won two of our biggest races as a car owner (2000 and 2011 USA Nationals with drivers Davey Johnson and son Josh Richards, respectively). Now that we’re running there with the World of Outlaws again, we always look forward to going there. The atmosphere there is always good, the people around that area are real race fans and the racing is the way we like it.”

5) Eldora Speedway/Rossburg, Ohio (two races) – “If it’s the ‘old’ Eldora, I’d move it up to number one. But I guess we’ll average it out and call it number five, because the ‘new’ Eldora I don’t really like as much. Eldora today has gotten to where it’s tough to race on, but it was number one for me so long I have to have it on a Top 10 list.”

6) Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, Pa. (18 races) – “It’s always been a great place to go to. Track conditions are always great there. The guys who take of it do a great job and it always provides great racing.”

7) Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (10 races) – “Unless it’s rubbered, nobody’s gonna hold you up at Hagerstown. You can race there. One thing about Hagerstown – nine chances out of 10, it’s gonna be smooth, and unless it’s a daytime show it’s not gonna rubber.”

8) Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway (five races) – “It’s just a neat little place to race. There’s a lot of action. When I went to Farmer City years ago I didn’t really like it, but going back with the World of Outlaws the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

9) River Cities Speedway/Grand Forks, N.D. (six races) – “That’s probably one of the most awesome little quarter-miles there is in the United States. It’s so racy. If a guy’s interested in building a quarter-mile, he should go pattern River Cities.”

10) Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, Minn. (nine races) – “Just an awesome place. The people who take care of it do an unbelievable job. Everybody in the United States could take lessons from Deer Creek. They probably have the best track prep in the country.”

Honorable Mention: Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55/Pevely, Mo. ( ) – “Ray Marlar does a great job at that place with track prep. Most every time we go there, you know you’re gonna get a race. It’s mini ‘old’ Eldora, a downscaled version of the old-type Eldora where you’re racing multiple grooves and not just pinned up against the wall.”

*****

Below is Josh Richards’s Top 10 WoO LMS Tracks List in his order of preference. The number of WoO LMS events each track has held since ’04 is in parenthesis and Mark’s comments about each track are in quotes.

1) Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway/Imperial, Pa. (three races) – “It’s my favorite place to race at by far. That place has always meant a lot to me. You go fast there, it’s close to home, growing up I went to the Pittsburgher every year, and I feel like I should’ve won my first race there (in 2004).”

2) Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway (one race, in 2007) – “It would be number one for me if Pittsburgh wasn’t there. It’s just an honor to get to race there. It would’ve really meant a lot to win that Outlaw race there, but we broke leading.”

3) Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, Fla. (17 races) – “I’ve always loved that place. My cup of tea is being aggressive and keeping speed up, and, like at Pittsburgh and Knoxville, you have to keep you speed up but still be real smooth at Volusia. That’s what I enjoy the most.”

4) The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, N.C. (18 races) – “It’s just a phenomenal facility and a great place to race. It’s another fast track that fits my style.”

5) Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, Pa. (18 races) – “In my book it’s the coolest short-track you can go to as far as a weekly show, with the best crowds and great racing all the time.”

6) Atomic Speedway (former K-C Raceway)/Alma, Ohio (four races) – “It’s a place we always seem to run well at. I just wish we got to race there more.”

7) Cedar Lake Speedway/New Richmond, Wis. (three races) – “I remember going there back in 2000 when Davey (Johnson) won the (USA) Nationals for us. Ever since that day, I’ve just been like, I can’t wait to go there and race. Winning the USA Nationals there (in 2011) for my first crown-jewel makes it an even more special place for me.”

8) Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (10 races) – “I used to dread going to that place because it was such a tough racetrack I couldn’t understand how to get around it. It frustrated me as a driver. But you just have to learn to respect the track because it’s so different from any other places we go to. Now it’s one of the best places for me.”

9) Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, Minn. (nine races) – “Those guys (the track promoters) deserve to be up there on my list just because of all the hard work that they do to make the track racy. They treat you well, and they do all they can to get the track good. It’s the whole package there. It really meant a lot to finally win there (in 2011).”

10) Eldora Speedway/Rossburg, Ohio (two races) – “It’s definitely one of the tracks I enjoy driving at the most. Just in terms of qualifying, just going as fast as you can by yourself, it’s probably right below Pittsburgh for me. But in terms of racing, I gotta put in number 10. It’s tough to pass there. I guess if I would’ve ever won a big race there, I would move it up my list.”

Darrell Lanigan’s Top 10 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Tracks

In recognition of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series running its milestone 300^th A-Main since 2004 on July 26 at Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown, Pa., I presented a simple project to the four drivers and one car owner who participated in tour events at each of the 118 tracks in 30 states and three Canadian provinces that hosted World of Outlaws programs over the eight-and-a-half-year span: Make a Top 10 list of your favorite speedways.

Darrell Lanigan (Dalesandro photo)

Below is the Top 10 WoO LMS Tracks List for Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who won the tour’s historic 300^th A-Main. One of the original 12 contract drivers signed to run the series when it was re-launched in 2004 by the World Racing Group, the 40-year-old has started 302 of the 309 A-Mains contested to date. He failed to qualify twice in 2004, once in ’05 and twice in ’07, and there are two events that he did not enter – July 3, 2007, at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway (mechanical trouble forced him to regroup) and the 2011 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. (due to health problems). Third on the tour’s career win list with 26 victories and the 2008 points champion, Lanigan has visited every track that the series has competed at since ’04.

Note: Lanigan’s tracks are listed in his order of preference. The number of WoO LMS events each track has held is in parenthesis, and Lanigan’s comments about each track are in quotes.

1) Eldora Speedway/Rossburg, Ohio (two races) – “I always like going there – they have the bigger races, so you’re always pumped up to go to them. I liked the ‘old’ Eldora more – it was racy from top-to-bottom and didn’t matter where you started – but even though it’s changed a little bit I still like it.”

2) Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway (one race, in 2007) – “It’s a wide-open, big racetrack, and you can race all over it. I’ve always liked the big tracks like Knoxville – it seems like you have more room to move around and race.”

3) Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, Fla. (17 races) – “It’s a decent racetrack – a nice half-mile where you usually can go down and race without tearing a lot of stuff up.”

4) Virginia Motor Speedway/Jamaica, Va. (eight races) – “They treat you good there, it’s a great facility with nice pits, and it’s a racy half-mile.”

5) Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, Minn. (nine races) – “Track-prep is definitely the big thing there – those guys go out and work on the track hard every night. I haven’t seen anywhere else in the country where they work as hard on the track as they do there.”

6) Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, Pa. (18 races) – “Just a real good racetrack. Early in the night it’s fast and hammer-down, and by feature-time it’s like glass and slick so you gotta have your stuff right. We’re usually good there, but we need a little bit more luck to win a race.”

7) The Dirt Track at Charlotte/Concord, N.C. (15 races) – “A wide-open track. We usually run good there and the atmosphere there is always pretty neat. I like it.”

8) Hartford (Mich.) Motor Speedway (one race, in 2011) – “We’ve only been there once, but I liked it. Of course, we won there, but it was definitely wide-open and hammer-down in the feature and fit our driving style.”

9) Tri-City Speedway/Franklin, Pa. (10 races) – “Another big, pretty-flat track. We run pretty decent there and it’s a place you can pass at.”

10) K-C Raceway/Alma, Ohio (four races) – “It’s close to the house, so it’s nice to go there. But it’s also a nice facility, and as long as they work on it enough to keep it from rubbering up it’s usually a pretty good race.”

Chub Frank’s Top 10 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Tracks

In recognition of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series running its milestone 300^th A-Main since 2004 on July 26 at Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown, Pa., I presented a simple project to the four drivers and one car owner who participated in tour events at each of the 118 tracks in 30 states and three Canadian provinces that hosted World of Outlaws programs over the eight-and-a-half-year span: Make a Top 10 list of your favorite speedways.

Chub Frank. (Lee Smith photo)

Below is the Top 10 WoO LMS Tracks List for Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who has entered all but two of the 308 tour events that have been contested to date since the World Racing Group re-launched the series in 2004. The only races he didn’t compete in were the 2009 World Finals doubleheader at The Dirt Track at Charlotte – not by choice, but because of the facial injury (broken orbital bone and other fractures) he suffered from a flying clod of clay that struck his helmet during heat action for the World of Outlaws Showdown on the eve of the Finals. For his career, Frank owns 16 WoO LMS victories and has experienced just three DNQs in the 306 events he’s entered.

Note: Frank’s tracks are listed in his order of preference. The number of WoO LMS events each track has held is in parenthesis, and Frank’s comments about each track are in quotes.

1) Lernerville Speedway/Sarver, Pa. (18 races) – “It’s always been racy. The tire rule they have there now has made it tougher to pass, but it’s still my favorite place to go. I wish we had more races there every year.”

2) Deer Creek Speedway/Spring Valley, Minn. (nine races) – “For a racer, there’s no better place we go to. They have real good equipment and they take such good care of the racetrack. You never have to worry about whether the racetrack is gonna be racy.”

3) Fulton (N.Y.) Speedway (two races) – “One of those New York State tracks that has good clay. The surface kind of reminds me of Lernerville. It’s too bad we haven’t been there in a while (since 2004).”

4) I-55 Raceway/Pevely, Mo. (four races) – “Ray (Marlar) and (Ken) Schrader take real good care of their track. Every time we’ve been there it’s been racy.”

5) Weedsport Speedway (formerly Cayuga County Fair Speedway)/Weedsport, N.Y. (two races) – “When you look at that place it looks like you can’t even run two cars side-by-side around it. But when you get out there you can really race on it. I really like the place – but of course, I’m also two-for-two (winning) there!”

6) Mohawk International Raceway/Akwesasne, N.Y. (one race, in 2010) – “We’ve only been there once but I thought it was a real good track. We ran 100 laps on it, and at the end of the race it was still pretty racy.”

7) Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park (three races) – “We haven’t been there in a long time (since 2004), but that’s a place I always liked going to and had a lot of success at. It always got slippery and you could run all over it.”

8) Brewerton (N.Y.) Speedway (two races) – “Good clay, good shape and you can come from the back there. That’s a good racetrack in my book.”

9) Screven Motor Speedway/Sylvania, Ga. (three races) – “Probably one of the best tracks in the south. It starts out slippery in qualifying, and then by the feature you can usually race on it.”

10) Eagle Raceway/Lincoln, Neb. (one race, in 2004) – “It reminded me of Lernerville – it gets slippery, but it had traction spots too. It’s all about hard racing there – you can’t just run on the curb or run the bottom.”