WoO Late Models set for $20K to win 8/20-21 at Mohawk

[NickHolt]

Huge Inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series Weekend Set For Aug. 20-21 At Refurbished Mohawk International Raceway

 

‘Battle At Eastern Door’ Will Be Topped By 100-Lap A-Main Paying $20,000 To Win

 

Akwesasne, New York (Aug. 13, 2010) – John Lazore and Don Thompson wanted to make a big splash with the inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at their Mohawk International Raceway.

 

Well, is the richest dirt Late Model show ever held at a short track in the state of New York big enough for you?

 

The homegrown co-owners of the refurbished North Country facility are going all out with the ‘Battle at Eastern Door,’ a historic two-day WoO LMS extravaganza on Aug. 20-21 that will be topped by a 100-lap A-Main paying $20,000 to win.

 

“We want to do something special – something that’s never been done before around here,” said Lazore, a DIRTcar 358-Modified driver who is partnered with Thompson in several businesses on the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation where the speedway is located. “Bringing the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in for a huge weekend is creating a lot of interest and excitement that’s going to help us bring more attention to what we’ve done with the racetrack.”

 

Lazore and Thompson have worked wonders since purchasing the former Frogtown International Speedway prior to the 2009 season. They took a rundown facility that opened in 1988 and – with an investment of an estimated $2 million – turned it into a showplace.

 

“It’s as nice a dirt track as you’ll go to,” said WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who has won DIRTcar 358-Modified features at the track and carried sponsorship from Lazore in the past. “Anybody who hasn’t been there in a couple years and walks in now, what they see will blow their mind.”

 

For all intents and purposes, the only part of the speedway that Lazore and Thompson haven’t changed is the racetrack layout itself, a circular four-tenths-mile oval that has traditionally produced a fast, unique brand of action. Work crews razed the wooden grandstands and associated spectator and pit area buildings and put up brand-new structures – aluminum bleachers, modern VIP booths, concession stands, restrooms. MIR was also revitalized with a new homestretch wall, new safety and perimeter fencing, an enlarged pit area and the installation of a bright Musco stadium lighting system; a fire destroyed the track’s new ticket building and clubhouse earlier this year, but it has already been completely rebuilt and will be operational for the WoO LMS weekend.

 

A stalwart DIRTcar-sanctioned track since its birth, Mohawk International headlines the 358-Modified division on Friday nights. But Lazore’s association with Fuller’s dirt Late Model efforts – as well as the overwhelming success in recent years of WoO LMS events in upstate New York, Ontario and Quebec – prompted Lazore and Thompson to plan a blockbuster full-fender weekend for their ever-growing fanbase.

 

“Our fans are really buzzing about this World of Outlaws show,” said Lazore, who drives a 358-Modified as a sidelight to his varied business interests on the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation. “We’re anticipating that it will be the biggest event in the history of the track.”

 

The WoO LMS will debut at Mohawk International on Fri., Aug. 20, as part of the track’s regular weekly program, including the DIRTcar 358-Modified class, which just might see Fuller and some other moonlighting Outlaw stars join the field to add some excitement. Friday’s WoO LMS competition will feature Ohlins Shocks Time Trials and heat races.

 

Action will continue on Sat., Aug. 21, with WoO LMS B-Mains and the 100-lap ‘Battle at Eastern Door,’ which will boast a 24-car starting field and a total purse of nearly $100,000. A 50-lap Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series event and Mohawk’s Bandit division will also be on Saturday night’s agenda.

 

The name of MIR’s WoO LMS event draws upon the tribal history of the Mohawk people, who are known as the traditional “Keepers of the Eastern Door” of the Iroquois Confederacy.

 

Fuller and his fellow former DIRTcar big-block Modified regular and North Country native, 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., will headline the field for the ‘Battle at Eastern Door.’ Fuller has two wins on this season’s tour – both at tracks in the Northeast during a June swing – while McCreadie owns four victories and is in a tight battle for the $100,000 World of Outlaws points title with defending champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and 2008 champ Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.

 

The roster of WoO LMS travelers at MIR will also include 2007 champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, rookie sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., and rookie Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

 

Mohawk’s fans will see several recognizable names from the DIRTcar Modified ranks behind the wheel of dirt Late Models on Aug. 20-21, including Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., 2008 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., teenager Larry Wight of Baldwinsville, N.Y., and Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, Que. A talented array of regional standouts is also expected to compete, including reigning O’Reilly All-Star Late Model Series champion Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., Ron Davies of Erie, Pa., Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., and Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa.

 

Reserved seats are available for the ‘Battle at Eastern Door’ by calling the MIR office at 518-358-3225.

 

General admission is $25 and $10 (children 12-and-under) on Friday, and $35 and $15 (children 12-and-under) on Saturday. Two-day general admission passes are priced at $50 and $20 (children 12-and-under), while reserved seats are $10 additional per day or $65 for the weekend.

 

Pit passes will be $30 (with license) and $35 (without license) on Friday and $40 (with) and $45 (without) on Saturday.

 

Race time is 7:45 p.m. each day.

 

Mohawk International Raceway is located midway between the Seaway International Bridge to Cornwall, Ont., and the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. It is just off Rt. 37 on Frogtown Road.

 

Additional info can be obtained by logging on to www.MohawkInternationalRaceway.com.

 

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.