‘Chubzilla’ Puts Tough Mid-Atlantic Swing Behind Him





*‘Chubzilla’ Puts Tough*
*Mid-Atlantic Swing Behind Him*


Photo By Rick Schwallie

April 19, 2007

BEAR LAKE, PA – April 19, 2007 – All race car drivers know that no matter how good things seem to be going, they will eventually experience a forgettable stretch of action. Such was the case for Bear Lake, Pa.’s Chub Frank, who would like to quickly put the five-day 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series swing through the Mid-Atlantic region behind him. The 45-year-old star known as ‘Chubzilla’ wasn’t happy following a frustrating five-day period that included the postponement of the Friday-night (April 13) ‘Cabin Fever 50’ at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway; a quiet 10^th-place finish at Virginia Motor Speedway on Saturday evening (April 14); and an unspectacular 15^th-place outing on Tuesday night (April 17) at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. Chub kicked off the swing on Friday by seeing his 400-mile-plus haul to New Egypt Speedway go for naught. He parked his hauler in the pit area early in the afternoon with those of nearly two dozen other racers, but he never unloaded his Lester Buildings/Corry Rubber/All Star Performance/Corry Laser/Slavic Corporation/Farr MotorSports/Lake Shore Paving/Custom Race Engines Chevrolet Impala SS Rocket Chassis No. 1. With the half-mile oval’s surface turned to soupy mud by heavy rain the previous day and little sun peeking through the clouds to help the drying process, it was clear that the speedway would not be ready for racing on time. Considering that strong winds and cool temperatures would create uncomfortable conditions for fans, track and 360 OTC WoO LMS officials announced that the event would be postponed to Thurs., June 21, when the $10,000-to-win race will be part of the ‘Great Northern Tour.’ While seven race teams took the New Egypt cancellation as an opportunity to pay a visit to the casinos of nearby Atlantic City, N.J., Chub hit the road and started chugging toward Virginia Motor Speedway. The weather forecast for Saturday’s ‘Rumble on the River III’ gave Chub and Co. reason to wonder if a second straight show would be lost, but despite some early-afternoon showers the program was spun off before a huge rain system arrived at the track as the midnight hour approached. Chub qualified well (eighth-fastest in time trials, third place in his heat), but he was never a factor in the feature. He started eighth and fell back to a 10^th-place finish – keeping his 360 OTC WoO LMS ledger perfect with five top-10s in as many races, but still not pleasing the hard-nosed driver. “We just missed something,” said Chub. “We weren’t very good. We were just out there holding on.”* Chub left VMS tied with Clint Smith for second in the 360 OTC WoO LMS point standings – and with high hopes for the next event, which happened to be at Lernerville Speedway, one of his favorite tracks. He owns two WoO victories at the four-tenths-mile oval. ‘Chubzilla’ was uncharacteristically a non-factor, however, in Lernerville’s ‘Showdown in Sarvertown 50,’ which was run on a cold, damp and windy night. His problems began during time trials – he got sideways in turn four on his first lap and could only manage the 24^th-fastest time (out of 50 cars) on his second – and got worse from there. He missed transferring in both the heat and B-Main by one spot, forcing him to use a points provisional to get in the feature. Chub started 23^rd and was able to climb within shouting distance of the top 10 before heading to the pit area during a lap-15 caution period. The culprit: a broken birdcage shock mount on his car. Chub’s crew fixed the machine and got him back on the track to complete 37 laps. At the start of Lernerville’s program Chub had expressed concern that the track surface wouldn’t slick off the way he likes it due to two days of rain, and he was right. “This wasn’t the typical Lernerville,” said Chub, pointing at the heavy, fast track. Chub departed Lernerville ranked fifth in the 360 OTC WoO LMS point standings, 22 points behind co-leaders Shannon Babb and Clint Smith. Chub’s next appearance in WoO tour competition will be this weekend’s (April 20-21) Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Last weekend’s 360 OTC WoO LMS events at Virginia Motor Speedway and Lernerville Speedway were taped for broadcast on SPEED. The cable network will air the VMS action on Sun., May 20, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET and the Lernerville racing on Sun., May 27, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET.





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