 BARBERVILLE,
FL (October 29, 2005) -- The final race of the season in the Stacker 2® World
of Outlaws Late Model Series was contested at Florida's Volusia Speedway Park
on Saturday with Scott Bloomquist collecting $30,000 for his fourth win of the
season. "The Gator 100" marked the end of another exciting season
where the Hoosier brand went undefeated. But the real story was championship
battle between Billy Moyer (photo) and Steve Francis.
Going into the final race of the season, Moyer
trailed Francis by just two points in the driver standings. The duo started
11th and 9th, respectively. On the final lap, Moyer passed Francis to finish in
second place, and more importantly, tie Francis for the top spot in the points
chase with 5384 points.
Thirty-nine races, and two drivers end the
season tied for first place in the standings. The tie breaker is determined by
the driver with the most wins. Each had five wins each. With both drivers
having the same number of wins, who had the most second place finishes would
determine the winner. Moyer's five would best Francis' two runner-up finishes
and give Billy Moyer the Stacker 2® World of Outlaws Late Model Series
championship.
Steve Francis settled for runner-up for the
second year in a row. In addition to compiling a 39-0 record, the Hoosier brand
was used by the top 12 drivers in the final point standings. It was also the
second year in a row for a Hoosier-shod champion in the
series.
A $100,000 purse drew a strong contingent of
late model dirt drivers to Florida for the final event of the season. Rick
Eckert set fast time on the 1/2-mile oval turning a lap in 16.793 seconds.
(107.188 mph).
Three heat races were contested to determine
the the 24-car starting field for the $30,000-to-win 100-lap race. Heat race
winners included Rick Eckert, Darrell Lanigan and Shane Clanton. All three
drivers won their respective races on Hoosier tires.
In the 100-lap feature, defending series
champion Scott Bloomquist used the momentum of his outside starting position to
take the lead at the green flag. Bloomqust, using a new generation Hoosier
right rear tire (29.0/11.0-15 C3000 1600), led all 100 laps en route to
pocketing the $30,000 top prize.
Billy Moyer passed Steve Francis on the final
lap of the race to take second place and the $15,000 payout. The move proved to
be for the series championship with Francis finishing in third place, while
winning $8,000 and forcing a tie-breaker to determine the 2005 champion. Moyer
will receive a $120,000 check for winning the title, while Francis settles for
a $70,000 payout for his runner-up finish. It was Moyer's third World of
Outlaws championship.
Rick Eckert finished in fourth place followed
by Tim McCreadie to round out the top five.
In addition to Moyer being awarded the series
championship, West Virginia's Josh Richards won the Rookie of the Year award
which comes with a $15,000 bonus. Richards, piloting his father's Rocket
Chassis house car, also claimed 8th place in the year-long championship
standings.
You can relive the excitement of the
season-ending "Gator 100" with SPEED Channel replaying the event on
Saturday December 3rd at 4:00pm (EDT).
For more information about the Stacker 2®
World of Outlaws Late Model Series visit their website at http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/LMS/index.php.
The entire Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. extends
its heartfelt congratulations to both Billy Moyer and Steve Francis for their
part in making the 2005 Stacker 2® World of Outlaws Late Model Series season a
memorable one. Additionally, the entire Hoosier organization wishes to thank
all the late model teams, drivers and fans who have supported us throughout the
season.
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