CHUBZILLA CONQUERS THE ‘WORLD’

CHUBZILLA CONQUERS

THE ‘WORLD’ 100

Photo By Rick Schwallie

More World 100 photos ...................here

September 11th, 2004

ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 10 & 11) -- For years, Chub Frank has dreamed of winning a race at Eldora Speedway, and Saturday night that dream came true - to the tune of $37,000 and in front of one of the largest crowds in history to witness a dirt Late Model race. More importantly it was a victory in the World 100, the nation’s most revered and time-honored event for dirt Late Models.

Earlier in the night, famed Eldora Speedway promoter announced his retirement from the sport and that added even more impact to Frank’s win. In victory lane, he was ecstatic. “Forget about tonight, I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow, because that is when it will finally sink in. I won the World 100! I can’t believe it and to do it in Earl’s last big race, is just incredible.

Saturday’s 34th annual running of the prestigious event was drama-filled, with many lead changes and action throughout the pack.

With Darrell Lanigan and Billy Moyer on the front row at the dropping of the green flag, it was Moyer beating Lanigan to the chase.

Deep in the pack, fast qualifier Scott Bloomquist missed a transfer position in his heat race and had to take one of the time trial provisionals. Starting in 19th position in the 24-car field, Bloomquist was possessed and was picking cars off rapidly. By two circuits around the one-half mile clay oval, he was up to 15th, but with the fast pace being set by Moyer and Lanigan, his advancements were stymied.

The front running duo opened a small margin over third place runner Jimmy Owens, who was, in turn, busy holding back the charges of Frank and Tim Hitt.

An unusual, but racy, track confronted the field throughout the night and played a major role in 100-lap grind. A considerably large ‘cushion’ in turns 3 and 4 required finesse amongst the field and one little slip up and over the ledge could affect positioning.

Scott James was among the first to realize that, as on lap 13, too many rides hard into the cushion resulted in a flat tire. James stopped on the track to bring out the first caution flag in the century grind. At the same time, the crowd was in amazement as Bloomquist chose to drop into the pit area to make a tire change and have his crew make a quick look under the hood. A quick return to green flag conditions nearly caught Bloomquist off guard, and got back on the track just ahead of the leaders as they were completely their first lap on the restart. The move cost Bloomquist dearly, as he spent the rest of the event trying to catch-up

Moyer flirted with the ledge many times in his efforts to hold back Lanigan, and ironically it was on lap 21, the same number as Moyer’s car, that he climbed the cushion one too many times, allowing Lanigan to slip underneath and into the lead on lap 22.

By this point, Jackie Boggs and Don O’Neal had replaced Frank and Hitt among the top five, running fourth and fifth behind Owens. Frank slipped back to sixth, while Jimmy Mars was tossing in his playing card by moved up to seventh.

With lapped traffic coming into play on lap 26, Boggs took advantage of the situation and shot under Moyer to assume the runner-up positioning behind Lanigan. Boggs quickly caught up to Lanigan and an intense battle for the lead began. Boggs pulled up alongside Lanigan several times, but couldn’t get the job done.

In a move of desperation, Boggs shot under Lanigan going into turn three on lap 33 and tried one of the slide jobs that has made Eldora Speedway famous. Unfortunately for both himself and Lanigan, it didn’t work. The twosome made contact , with both cars slowing drastically and the entire field checked up.

Boggs limped across the line as the leader, but slowed to a halt in turn one to bring out the caution flag. At the same point, Lanigan shot into the pits to get an assessment from his crew. Both cars suffered enough damage to eliminate them from further comptition, and Moyer re-inherited the lead.

Owens was now riding along in second, with O’Neal, Frank and Mars completing the top five.

Moyer was unable to match his earlier speeds and Owens began his quest towards reigning supreme over the nation’s most talented assemblage of dirt Late Models. The quest took even greater shape on lap 48 when he overtook a stumbling Moyer for the lead.

Owens was out to prove that his run was no fluke. He immediately opened a comfortable lead, only to have it closed up four laps later as Moyer found his night ended with a hard hit into the turn three concrete wall. Moyer was uninjured, but the damages to the car were severe enough to prohibit any further competition.

Owens tried again to run away and hide on the restart, but another caution three laps later, for a wall banging incident by Steve Casebolt, again bunched the field tight.

Owens’ newest challenger became O’Neal, who made several shots at Owens for the lead, but couldn’t connect on any of them.

A flat tire, and the resulting bitter disappointment, on lap 63 ended Owen’s Cinderella run at Eldora Speedway, as he had to dive into the pit area to make a tire change.

It was during this restart that Frank moved past the new leader, O’Neal, to take the lead he was to hold to the finish. But it wasn’t quite that simple.

O’Neal had made many stabs at Owens for the lead, but was unable to muster the right move to get the job done.

A strange quirk stopped all action on lap 68, as a race fan needed immediate medical attention and the field was red-flagged to allow the EMT unit to do their job.

Even stranger was the resulting restart of the race. As the field roared down for the green flag, Jeep VanWormer’s crew was desperately seeking to get their car back into the race. Unable to get VanWormer’s machine fired up, a crew member pushed the car onto the racing surface in front of the oncoming field, nearly causing havoc. That move was in direct violation of established Eldora Speedway policy and VanWormer was disqualified from further action.

One more time Frank took the green flag under restart conditions, and again he impressed the capacity crowd with his new-found Eldora dominance.

Photo By Rick Schwallie

With no further incidents to slow the field, Frank easily cruised to the biggest win of his career and a trip to Eldora’s hallowed stage and the acceptance the most sought after trophy in all of dirt Late Model racing; the globed trophy signifying a World 100 win.

Behind him, though the action was getting the attention of the fans. Former winner Brian Birkhofer was in the midst of a late-race charge which eventually rewarded him with a third place finish behing Frank and O’Neal, while defending champion Dan Schlieper also entered the scene late to gain enough momentum for a fourth place run. Mars slipped to fifth at the finish.

For the record, Bloomquist, with his vast knowledge of the Eldora surface, was able to move back to a ninth place finish.

Photo By Perry Hintz

34th Annual WORLD 100 - 215 Cars
Fast Time: Scott Bloomquist 16.153

Non-Qualifier Race 1:Michael England, Casey Noonan, Brad Erwin, James Huff, Denny Echrich, Ted Nobbe, Don Hammer, Rod Lamance, Victor Lee, Dennis Potridge, Tim Sabo, Dustin Moore, Nick Berry, Billy Dever, Darren Friedman, Jeff Clapp, Dean Anderson, Joe Overmyer, John Mehn, Reece O’Connor

Non-Qualiifier Race 2: George Lee, Eddie Rickman, Jayme Zidar, Lawrence Pickelheimer, Spencer Watson, Tim Stemler, Bryan Koebbe, Bill Blair Jr., Jay VanDyke, Todd Davis, Bill Williams, Curtis Deisenroth, Michael Stiltner, Gary Richard, Rod Carter Jr., Scott Goings, R. J. Gall, John Rhoades, Brett Owens

Non-Qualifier Race 3: Ryan Dauber, Chris Conley, Randy Boggs, Phil Walker, Wayne Maffet Jr., Tom Stafford, Ken Hahn, Hillard Miller, Mike Tinker, Tommy Carlton, Jim Kelly, Steve Rowe, Mike Montague, Jon Horner, Kerry Matthew, Darrell Scott, J.D. Lease, Justin Chance, Bobby Dietz, Frank Levesque

Heat 1: Chub Frank, Jimmy Mars, Shane Yoder, Bart Hartman, Dick Phillips, Shawn Negangard, Johnny Johnson, Bob Lanter, Scott Bowersock, Brad Erwin, Skip Arp, Jeff Bair, John VanDenberg, Steve Shaver, Wendell Wallace, Rodney Combs, Mark Barber, Bobby Wolter Jr., Terrry English, Scott Bloomquist

Heat 2: Darren Miller, Brian Birkhofer, Shan Clanton, Brad Neat, Jeremy Williams, John Bare, Rod Conley, John Mason, Jeff Taylor, Donnie Moran, Paul Harris, Kris Patterson, Terry Casey, Jason Feger, Richie Hedrick, Barry Doss, Benji Lee, Jerry Bowersock, Wes Steidinger, Scott Drake

Heat 3: Jimmy Owens, Eddie Carrier Jr., Steve Casebolt Jr., Scott James, Rick Aukland, Rohn Moon, Steve Lance Jr., Justin Allgaier, Cody Mahoney, Joe Harlan, Tim Lance, Nick Marolf, Earl Pearson Jr., Randy Woodling, Blake Chinn, Aaron Scott, Wayne Chinn, Jesse Lay, Audie McWilliams, Kelly Boen

Heat 4: Tim Hitt, Don O’Neal, Dan Schlieper, Dennis Erb, Delmas Conley, Shannon Babb, Shawn Toczek, Randy Korte, Mike Marlar, Billy Trueblood Jr., Gary Richard, Duane Chamberlain, Matt Miller, Frankie Coomer, Jerry Rice, Brady Smith, Whitney McQueary, Steve Francis, Chad Smith, Kevin Claycomb

Heat 5: Billy Moyer, Billy Drake, Dale McDowell, Jeep VanWormer, Davey Johnson, Mike Balzano, Rick Corbin, Joe Rice, Chris Carlson, Steve Smith, John Provenzano, Marc Kurth, Tait Davenport, Eric Smith, Sam Epling, Randle Chupp, Garrett Durrett, Earl Smith, Steve Kosiski, Kevin Weaver

Heat 6: Darrell Lanigan, Jackie Boggs, Clint Smith, Brian Ruhlman, Ray Cook, Rick Eckert, Terry Phillips, KeithBerner, Josh Williams, Brandon Kinzer, John Gill, Jay Johnson, Rick Rickman, Chuckie May, Randy Burrows, Jack Pencil, Randy Boggs, Greg Johnson, R.J. Conley, Rusty Schlenk

B Main: Scott James, Dennis Erb, Jeep VanWormer, Brian Ruhlman, Delmas Conley, Rick Eckert, Rick Aukland, Mike Balzano, Josh Williams, Rohn Moon, Rick Corbin, Shawn Negangard, Steve Lance, Davey Johnson, Dick Phillips, Ray Cook, Shawn Toczek, Brad Neat

A Main:1)Chub Frank 2)Don O’Neal 3)Brian Birkhofer, 4)Dan Schlieper 5)Jimmy Mars 6)Tim Hitt 7)Darren Miller, 8)Earl Pearson Jr. 9)Scott Bloomquist 10)Dennis Erb 11)Shane Clanton 12)Billy Drake 13)Brian Ruhlman 14)Shane Yoder 15)Jimmy Owens 16)Jeep VanWormer 17)Eddie Carrier Jr. 18)Steve Casebolt 19)Clint Smith 20)Scott James 21)Billy Moyer 22)Dale McDowell 23)Jackie Boggs 24)Darrell Lanigan

Lap Leaders: Moyer 1-21, 34-47; Lanigan 22-32; Boggs 33; Owens 48-62; Frank 63-100

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Chub Frank Racing

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Lottsville Niobe Rd.

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