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CHIMNEY TECH OUTLAW PREVIEW
April 26, 2008
Can't get closer than last year
You’ll hear better sales pitches from us, we promise, but here’s
what we can tell you about the 2008 Chimney Tech Outlaw season at
Oxford Plains Speedway: It won’t be closer than last year’s
points race.
That’s because mathematically, it
can’t be. Mike Ballard and Steve Moon concluded the final
Wednesday night 20-lap ‘A’ feature in a deadlock atop the
standings.
Ballard’s two regular-season
feature victories broke the tie and brought an elusive championship
to one of the charter members of the now decade-old division. It was
the first virtual tie for a title since Dennis Spencer Jr. relied
upon his race wins to edge Leon Heckbert for the 1999 Oxford
Networks Late Model crown.
Ballard was so thrilled with that
liberating result that he has “retired” for a second time.
We’ll see how well his boat-buying process moves along and how
soon we see the patriotically painted, gold-lettered No. 666 back
where it belongs.
The natural conclusion is that his
departure could open the door for Moon, also one of the veteran
drivers in the division, to pick up the long-awaited championship
trophy in August. Few drivers are smooth and consistent as Steve,
and likely no car over the last five years has logged as many
top-five finishes as that trusty, black grocery-getter. Moon never
has a problem finding the brand of consistency that wins
championships.
Moon sometimes gets overlooked among
the speed merchants of the division. That’s no knock against him
but rather a credit to the likes of David Childs, Rich Spaulding and
Guy Childs Sr. Those three drivers combined for 10 race wins a year
ago, with David capturing the Grand Slam title that recently more
than doubled in size and was rechristened the “Saturday
Showdown.” If the practice day closeness of competition between
Spaulding and David Childs was any indication, the two of them are
destined to go door-to-door from now until the fall finale.
Like Moon, Shannon Judd and Addison
Bowie parlayed persistence and steady performance into top-five
finishes in the 2007 Wednesday point standings. Bubba Collins, Bob
Ferguson, Ron Abbott Jr., and Jerry Freve also have that sneaky way
of running in the lead group every week and staying near the
mountaintop. Then add John Patria, who is almost certain to rebound
from a hard-luck season.
Eleven different drivers took
advantage of an expanded schedule to post multiple feature wins last
season. Jim Archer and Mark MacDonald were just a notch behind the
Childs uncle-nephew tandem with three victories apiece. Tom Averill,
Tyler Belanger, Thom Bell, Kevin Lawrence and rookie Dan Brown each
carried a pair of checkered flags and will be reckoned with, as
usual.
Every Outlaw season produces its
share of breakthrough winners, and the gang of Fred Clavet, Scott
Ellis, Rodney Englehaupt, Leo Hatch, Maurice Martel Jr. and Mike
Rainville each hope to build upon that foundation this season.
Rainville, he of the five-hour round trip from the New Hampshire
north country, was Rookie of the Year in his first full OPS
campaign.
Launched as a developmental class in
the late-1990s, Outlaw has become home to many experienced drivers
with the talent to win any given Wednesday or Saturday night.
Don’t drum up a list of championship challengers without including
Randy Robitaille, Josh Paradis, Tina Titus, Gordon Bell, Scott and
Don Veinott, Rick Vining, Bruce and Carey Robertson, Jim Drake,
Keith Landry and Jay Wilkins.
Who’s next on the horizon as a
first-time winner? Well, it’s tough to imagine young Zach Bowie
staying winless much longer, what with his family tradition and the
great gains he made last season. Kevin Leighton, Gerry Richard, John
Spencer, Phil Knowlton, Mike Haynes and Kevin Plummer have knocked
on the door of victory lane and seem poised to kick it down.
Nick Coates and Bill Coolidge will
battle for unofficial comeback driver of the year honors. Coates
spent a promising, low-budget season in Strictly Stock, while
Coolidge makes a triumphant return as he continues to win his fight
with cancer.
There’s never a shortage of rookies
in the Outlaw mix. Give the early edge to drivers with prior
experience in a Rebel or Truck, namely Mike Ward, Justin Hynes and
Todd Foss.
Fifty-or-so names into this
well-intentioned preview, we’ve admittedly missed a half-dozen
drivers who could contend for a win or more in 2008. That, in
itself, captures the reason you’d be wise not to miss one Outlaw
race … even if somebody does “run away” and win the title by a
whopping four points.
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