Most enjoyable stop during your racing season and why? I’d have to say either deer creek because how much the fans and track owners love world of outlaw latemodels …..or Sharon for the world of outlaws races

Biggest influence on your career and why? I’d have to say my dad.  He has worked a lot to be able to make this hole deal happen for me.

Ricky Bobby vs. Cole Trickle:  Who wins? Rowdy Burns lol!

Who is your best friend at the races? My Rocket race car.

What is your most memorable race experience? Winning the BRP modified tour race at Expo Speedway in 2007 or driving Dave Schraders back up car to win the Dick Rankin Memorial.

What would you be doing if not racing for a living? Probably a 9-5 somewhere.  If I couldn’t be the driver I don’t think I could be involved.

Must-see TV (programs you watch regularly): Mad House, American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Speed Report, Wind Tunnel

Music that moves you: Katie Perry – California Girls

What is the very first car that you owned? 1990 Chevy 454 pick up

Career number of speeding tickets: 4 I think.

Movies not to be missed: Days of Thunder, Step Brothers, Hot Rod

What web sites do you visit regularly? dirtondirt.com…  It’s all you need.

Biggest superstition: I don’t really have any superstitions.  As long as your prepared you make your own luck.

Bad habit you’d like to kick: Letting other drivers get into my head.

Last supper (one meal to have if you could have just one more):  Steak

You’d be surprised to know that I was: kiddy pedal tractor pulling champion

Three things you won’t leave home without: Cell phone, Oakley sun glasses, Necklace Ash got me

Best vacation getaway: Niagara Falls

Favorite sports team as a kid: Dallas Mavericks

Hero worship (people you look up to for any reason): There are many but my top two are my dad and Tim McCreadie.

Bucket list (three things you hope to do while you’re alive): Win crown jewel late model events, move out of my parents house, get married.

Words to live by (your favorite race motto, or best advice you’ve ever been given): Cat Daddy – “Getcha
some!”

HARTFORD, OH – July 25, 2010 – In a perfect world, Russell King would enter the seventh annual World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Sharon Speedway this Wednesday night (July 28) brimming with the confidence of a young driver enjoying a breakout season.

But as King, 21, of Bristolville, Ohio, knows all too well, the learning curve in professional dirt Late Model racing is a steep one. So it is that the 2009 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year will head out on his home track’s three-eighths-mile surface for Wednesday night’s 50-lap, $10,000-to-win Ohio-Pennsylvania Speedweek show hoping that some familiar surroundings will help him shake his sophomore struggles on the national tour.

“After you do the whole World of Outlaws schedule for a season you naturally think it’s going to get easier,” said King, the scion of a family with a rich dirt-track racing history in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. “But the reality is that it just gets harder. Just because you have a year of experience doesn’t mean a thing.”

King’s second year as a regular on the grueling WoO LMS, which in 2010 is scheduled to contest 47 races at 40 tracks in 19 states and two Canadian provinces, has been a humbling test of his personal mettle. After making a giant leap in ’09 to follow the series with his family-owned team – a DIRTcar big-block Modified competitor since the age of 15, he had less than two-dozen dirt Late Model starts under his belt when he became an Outlaw traveler – he registered eight top-10 finishes en route to the rookie title and a 10th-place finish in the points standings. King was expecting improved results this season; instead, he’s experienced nothing but frustration, managing just two top-10 finishes while using 14 provisional spots to start A-Mains through 28 events.

A burly, hard-nosed competitor who wears his emotions on his sleeve, King got off to an extremely disappointing start this season – he relied on a provisional to gain entry in 11 of the first 16 A-Mains, including the first four – that sunk his morale.

“It’s been real tough to keep my mood and confidence up with the way we’ve been running,” said King, whose top finish of 2010 is a 10th on May 13 at Delaware International Speedway and June 15 at Can-Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville, N.Y. “Every day this is what I do. I don’t drive trucks or pour concrete (for his family’s business). I work on race cars – my cars, and the (big-block) Modifieds that my father (Rex Sr.) and brother (Rex Jr., aka ‘Cooter’) run – so when we’re running bad it’s all I think about. I don’t even get that mental break of doing something else during the day to take my mind off it all.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to do this fulltime, but you can get yourself in a bad circle when you’re young and you’re struggling like we’ve been. You run bad and all week you’re in a bad mood and hate yourself, and then you think, ‘I’ve got to get in the shop to get better,’ so you work even harder and when you still don’t get the results it makes you feel even worse.

“It takes a lot to get out of the rut,” he added. “You can really beat yourself up, so I’ve tried to listen to what veteran guys like Chub (Frank) tell me. He’s been in it long enough and says, ‘Don’t let yourself get down too much or over-think the situation. Just keep working and one day it’ll just turn around. Something will go your way.’”

King has seen an uptick in his performance recently, qualifying five times through a heat and once through a B-Main (which he won) in the six WoO LMS events run so far in July. He recorded consecutive 11th-place finishes at Wartburg (Tenn.) Speedway, Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway and Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., and during the four-race ‘Wild West Tour’ he turned heads with season-best time-trial efforts of fourth at Deer Creek and second at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D., where he also nearly won the first heat race of his WoO LMS career.

“It’s better lately – at least I don’t want to hang myself,” cracked King, who recently obtained the services of former Chub Frank and Clint Smith mechanic Brad Baum to enhance his existing crew that includes fulltimer Craig (‘Snowman’) McCrimmon and loyal volunteer Bobby Bachman. “We decided to just stick with our blue front-end (Rocket) car and get on the same page with more guys and we’ve had some better results.

“But even though we’ve qualified better, we’re not running good for 50 laps. We’ve run in the top 10 for most of the race a few times, but we’re falling apart at the end and finishing 11th or worse. We have to figure out how to maintain until the end.”

King would certainly like to put together his best outing of the season on Wednesday at Sharon, the top-notch facility co-owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran and former WoO Sprint Car Series champion Dave Blaney. He brings in a little momentum after authoring several solid runs during his mid-summer break from the WoO LMS, including 10th-place DIRTcar Summer Nationals finishes on July 16 at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park and July 17 at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, and a fifth-place performance in a weekly show on July 18 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

With his shop less than a 20-minute drive from Sharon, King will have the support of a large group of family and friends. He’s hoping to give them a good show at the track where he won his first big-block Modified feature in 2005.

“I’m excited about it,” said King, whose previous WoO LMS finishes at Sharon are 14th (2009) and 21st (2008). “We were sixth-quick at an All-Star (Late Model Series) show there last month (he didn’t start the feature due to mechanical trouble) and tested there after that, so I feel like we have a general idea about what we need to do. I don’t have to worry about figuring out how to get around the track.

“I’m not saying we’re gonna be an upset winner, but I would like to finish top-five at my home track.”

King will face an all-star cast of characters at Sharon, one of three tracks to host a WoO LMS event every year since the tour’s reincarnation in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner.

The roster of Outlaws regulars includes former champions Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (2005 tour winner at Sharon), Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., as well as Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (2009 tour winner at Sharon), Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (2007), Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (2006), Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., rookie sensation Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., and rookie Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Regional talents expected to challenge the WoO LMS regulars include defending O’Reilly All-Star Late Model Series champion Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., who won Sharon’s All-Star event on June 8, Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., and Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa.

Sharon’s Wednesday-night WoO LMS program, which is scheduled for a midweek date after running on Saturday for the past four years, is set to begin with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and time trials at 7 p.m. The FastTrack Touring crate Late Model division will also be part of the evening’s action.

General admission is $27, with kids ages 9-13 admitted for $12 and those 8-and-under free of charge. Pit passes will be $38.

Additional info on the event is available by logging on to www.sharonspeedway.com or calling 330-772-5481 (info) or 330-772-1186 (tickets).

In addition to Wednesday’s show at Sharon, the WoO LMS Ohio-Pennsylvania Speedweek also competes on Tues., July 27, at Central PA Speedway in Clearfield, Pa.; Fri., July 30, at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park; Sat., July 31, at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; and Sun., Aug. 1, at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

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

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and Chizmark Larson Insurance; in addition to contingency sponsors Eibach Springs, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, Pink Carburetors, Pro Power Engines, Quartermaster, Rocket Chassis, R2C Performance and Wrisco Aluminum.

BRISTOLVILLE, OH – May 20, 2010 – After a two week break to check over equipment and make necessary repairs, Russ King Racing headed back out on the road. Usually, there is a little more travel involved between races before the World of Outlaws Late Model Series enters into the meat of the summer schedule. This year is no different as the #56 team would travel to North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois and Kentucky over the course of nine days.

Fayetteville, NC – April 30 – The hauler pulled out on Thursday and the team planned to stop for a brief visit with Sis’s aunt and uncle, Tom and Judy, in North Carolina. They spent the night parked in a church parking lot across the street from his house before everyone headed to Fayetteville the next morning.

Fayetteville Motor Speedway drew thirty-six strong entries into the high-banked oval. The team had already decided to focus on the blue nose car in an effort to turn the performance around. Note: while the team’s cars are red in color, the current Rocket chassis designs are referred to as blue or black depending on the date of build and also the suspension mountings. Last year the track surface was slick with very little passing and the setup was based on this information.

Russ qualified twenty-fifth and struggled with a seventh place finish in his heat. The track had become slick already and they changed the carburetor in an attempt to retard the motor a bit. The car felt better in the B-Main and he finished fourth but still needing a provisional for the feature.

In the feature, Russ said the setup was off a little and the car felt as though is rolled over too hard. However he still managed a seventeenth spot when the checkers flew.

The team loaded the cars into the hauler and headed for the next race just after midnight. After stopping for fuel and a Vanilla Cappuccino, Sis’s new best friend, they began the nearly six hour drive to the next event.

Swainsboro, GA – May 1 – Swainsboro Raceway is located in the SE corner of the state and the humid 88 degree weather was somewhat uncomfortable, but still normal for the area. When the team arrived it was nearly 6:00 AM and everyone took a much needed sleep break before awaking about noon. They unloaded the cars before lunching on turkey sandwiches.

Continuing to look for answers, they moved the motor to the left a bit searching to find a comfortable feel for Russ. The battery was also shifted to the left side to aid in the weight transfer. After removing the transmission, Russ and Chub Frank completely went over the pieces as something just did not feel right in Fayetteville.

Russ qualified seventeenth out of the twenty-nine cars on hand. A sixth place finish in his heat was good enough to secure a starting spot in the A-Main. After driving to a finish of eleventh in the feature, Russ said, “We aren’t great yet, but we definitely made huge improvements in both the way the car feels and the way I drive it.”  “Baby steps,” commented Russ after qualifying through a heat for just the second time this season.

Leaving the Peach State, the King late model was still twelfth in WoO LMS points just ninety-two points behind Shane Clanton. It was well over a twelve hour drive back home to Bristolville.

Lincoln, IL – May 7 – With rain threatening the entire Midwest, the team headed for Indianapolis on Thursday. They thought this would be a midway point for the next race should Lincoln cancel due to inclement weather. With diesel fuel running around $3.25 per gallon, every factor needs to be considered. They met up with the teams of Tim Fuller and Chub Frank and spent the evening at a Flying J before convoying on to Lincoln the next morning. They encountered the severe winds that were attached to the storm front and wheeling the rig was likened to carrying a piece of plywood in a wind storm. After a total travel time of ten hours, the team pulled into the tight quarter-mile semi-banked track in central Illinois.

With thirty-nine late models in the pits, Russ qualified twenty-fifth with a time of 13.597. The bad luck demon once again reared its ugly head during the first lap of the heat race. Steve Sheppard spun in the middle of the track collecting Russ and two other cars. The #56 came back the pits on the back of the wrecker. A quick observation indicated they need to get the back-up car out in a hurry.

The B-Main took to the track before the car was ready relegating the team to take a provisional for the feature. Russ managed to gain two spots in the feature with the back-up car, coming home twenty-first.

Bardstown, KY – May 8 – Bluegrass Speedway is a beautifully manicured facility with plenty of grandstand seating and acres of grassy parking areas. The half-mile high-banked track was just over a five hour haul from Lincoln.

Obviously tired and frustrated, the team pulled both cars out to inspect last night’s damage and determine the best course of action. After consulting with fellow racer, Chub Frank, and Mark Richards, of Rocket Chassis, they decided to repair Russ’ favorite blue nose car. Everyone pitched in as the cross member had to be cut out and the tube chassis had to be jacked into place with the Porta-Power hydraulic system. After carefully measuring the dimensions, a new bar was welded into place and all damaged front end parts were replaced.

While Russ, crew chief Craig and Chub’s crew chief, Brandyn, were completing the front end repairs, Bobby Bachman was working on the rear end of the racer. Their hard efforts were rewarded when the car was sitting on four wheels in time for the night’s race activities.

Russ stormed the track with the first group of qualifiers and clicked off a 14.763 lap which held up to be fifth quick of the forty cars taking times. He finished third in his heat securing a ninth starting spot in the A-Main. The steering was off a little due to the major repairs but Russ still brought home an encouraging thirteenth place finish in the fifty lap main event.

Early Summer Review:

Certainly the team was still battling the sophomore jinx and bad luck bugs during this group of four races. The wreck at Lincoln tested the team’s mettle for sure but they proved to be up to the challenge. This was a test of determination and endurance and certainly will not be the last difficult situation they will face during the 2010 season.

Driving straight through to Ohio from Kentucky, would get them home at 7:00 AM on Mother’s Day. There was no time for rest as the modified teams were racing that evening and then both late models would need a thorough inspection before heading back on the road on Wednesday, just three days later.

Up Next:

The team will be heading east for races at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, DE and Hagerstown, MD over the May 13-15 weekend.

Note:

Be sure to visit Russ King Racing’s website for updates throughout the season. http://www.russkingracing.com/
We need to send special thanks out to Rhett Butler for re-designing the website and all of his help.

Thank You:

King Bros Racing #56 team would like to thank their 2010 marketing partners A-1 Racing Products, Port City racing Mike Schimmley Kontracting, King Bros Ready-Mix, and Keizer Aluminum Wheels.

For additional information or to inquire about motorsport’s marketing opportunities with King Motor Sports, please contact Sis King (330)727-0565. http://www.kingbrosracing.com/

One flip of the calendar, however, has produced a dramatic change in the up-and-coming driver’s mental outlook.

Coming off a 2009 season that saw him obtain a serious full-fender education while marching to World of Outlaws Late Model Series Rookie of the Year honors, King is a new (young) man entering the 39th annual mid-winter racing extravaganza at the half-mile oval outside Daytona Beach.

King, 20, of Bristolville, Ohio, simply has a much better vibe about the dirt Late Model portion of the 2010 DIRTcar Nationals, which features the season-opening WoO LMS events on Feb. 11 and 13 as well as UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned programs on Feb. 8, 9, 10 and 12.

“When we went to Volusia last year I didn’t really have any confidence at all,” said King, a DIRTcar big-block Modified transplant who had barely two dozen career dirt Late Model starts to his credit when he unloaded for the 2009 DCN. “It was a whole new experience for me. I didn’t know many guys, and we didn’t really know what we doing with a Late Model. We were just trying to find our way.”

King certainly isn’t returning to Volusia with everything figured out, but going through a season full of hard knocks on the grueling, hyper-competitive Outlaw trail has him in a different place. Though the tough-as-nails kid would have liked to put up a better performance record on the 40-event ’09 WoO LMS schedule (he had eight top-10s and a best finish of ninth), he understands that the campaign was all about learning the ropes.

And make no mistake – King absorbed all the lessons like an eager student. In fact, he chuckles when asked to compare the depth of his knowledge today to one year ago.

“It’s not even in the same ballpark,” said King, who earned the $10,000 Rookie of the Year award over Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., by a margin of 148 points (3,604-3,456) in a battle determined by the drivers’ best 30 finishes. “Knowing what we know now, I don’t even know how we attempted to race (as a WoO LMS regular) last year. It’s like anything else – you have to do it to learn what it really takes.”

King has enjoyed a very productive off-season preparing his family-owned equipment, assuring he’ll be in a much stronger position when the first green flag drops at Volusia. With his work in the shop assisted by the hiring of Craig (‘Snowman’) McCrimmon as a fulltime mechanic (last year King’s primary crewman for most of the season was veteran wrench Bobby Bachman, a dedicated volunteer who often had to arrange travel to races around his work schedule), he has black- and blue-front end Rocket cars re-skinned and ready to roll with fresh powerplants and his trailer stocked with spare parts.

Buoyed by the most active campaign of his short career, King can’t wait to leave freezing Northeastern Ohio for the Sunshine State. He will arrive in Florida several days before the start of competition at Volusia in order to participate in a test session with several other Outlaw regulars at Ocala Speedway, which will host its first-ever WoO LMS event on March 19.

“I’m really looking forward to that test,” said King, who validated his WoO LMS education when he broke through for his first career dirt Late Model feature victory (worth $12,000) on Oct. 3, 2009, at McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa. “Last year I would’ve just been out there testing to make laps, but this year I know guys like Chub (Frank) and (Tim) Fuller so I feel like I will understand more about what they’re talking about (during the practice) and can compare it to what my car feels like.”

King hopes the test will help him get off to a great WoO LMS start at Volusia, a track that happens to hold a special place in his heart. He made the first start of his racing career there, entering the DIRTcar big-block Modified action during the 2004 DIRTcar Nationals just one month shy of his 15th birthday.

“Volusia is where I learned how to put a car in high gear and go,” said King, whose 44-year-old father, Rex Sr., and 18-year-old brother, Rex Jr. (aka ‘Cooter’), will also travel south with their DIRTcar big-block Modifieds to compete in the DCN. “I’ll always have good memories of Volusia.”

King experienced some frustration last year at Volusia, failing to qualify for a dirt Late Model A-Main during the DCN. The two 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS events that highlight the week were especially heartbreaking to the upstart – he missed transferring on Thursday night by just two spots in a B-Main, and on Saturday night he was headed to victory in a B-Main when his car’s engine expired in a cloud of steam.

“We had finally gotten our act together at the end of the week last year and then we blew up,” said King, who turns 21 on March 18. “Hopefully we can run like we did that last night from the start this year and not run into any bad luck. We started (the WoO LMS) behind last year – not only in the points, but with our motor program – so it would be nice to get through Volusia in good shape.”

King has the right focus for the task at hand. With all indications pointing to the 2010 season boasting one of the most competitive, talent-laden fulltime driver rosters in WoO LMS history, he knows he can give nothing less than his best if he expects to improve upon his 10th-place finish in the 2009 points standings.

“I gotta take this thing real seriously,” said King, whose racing effort is funded primarily through his family’s business, King Bros. Concrete. “My family is still behind this whole deal, but I know they can’t fund it forever. They’re giving me a chance to do what I love to do, but it’s up to me to make this deal successful. You hope you can turn some heads so hopefully somebody will take notice and pick you up or back you.

“I feel like we can do it,” he continued, looking toward the ’10 campaign. “I felt more comfortable toward the end of last year – we were working with Chub and Fuller, and we had some good runs (top 10s in four out of five races) at Tri-City. So as a realistic goal, I’m looking at a top-seven (finish) in the points and maybe a win if we hit it right at the right track.

“It’s gonna be hard, but if we stay focused I think we can do it.”

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH begin on Feb. 2 and run nightly through Feb. 13. Joining the dirt Late Models on the schedule are the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 5-7); the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds (Feb. 10-13); the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series (Feb. 3-4); and the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds (Feb. 2-9).

For tickets to the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call Volusia Speedway Park at 386-985-4402. A ticket package for all six nights of dirt Late Model racing is available for $175.

In addition, for the first time in DIRTcar Nationals history, all fans will have the chance to see the competitors and their teams up close during each race nightt. A FREE Fan Pit Pass is available to every ticket-buying fan who comes through the main gates every night; fans can show their grandstand ticket and sign in to the pits at a table near the pit entrance.

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

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser) and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors Champ Pans, Eibach Springs, Hoosier Tires, Integra Shocks, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, Ohlins Shocks, Racing Electronics, Quarter Master, Wrisco Aluminum and Bill Pink Carburetors; Crane Cams Engine Builder’s Challenge participants Cornett Racing Engines, Custom Race Engines and Pro Power Racing Engines; and Chassis Builder Challenge participants Rocket Chassis and Team Zero by Bloomquist.

Bobby Bachman will return to lead the team as crew chief and Craig “Snowman” McCrimmon has been brought in as a full-time mechanic. Russ’ mom, Sis, will return to handle the duties of driving the rig and feeding the crew while on tour. Of course Rex Sr., Russ’ dad, and brother Rex Jr. “Cooter” and girlfriend Ashley Jackson will again lend support at the shop and at select events closer to home.

King Bros Ready-Mix Concrete, Mike Schimmley Kontracting will return as sponsors with additional support from product sponsors, Schaeffer Oil, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Rocket Chassis, A-1 Performance, Integra Racing Shocks, Team Simpson, Ringers Gloves, Dano Bad Ass Paint, Mahan Welding and Fab, Cizmar Racing, and Hoosier Racing Tire Mid-Atlantic.

Russ offered, “My family is still behind this whole deal, but I know they can’t fund it forever. They’re giving me a chance to do what I love to do, but it’s up to me to make this deal successful. You hope you can turn some heads so hopefully somebody will take notice and pick you up or back you.” He will be striving for a great start to the 2010 season in the hope that a business will recognize the opportunity and come aboard as a marketing partner.

The KMS team will be heading south on January 31 for a test session at Ocala (FL) Speedway as the WoO Late Model Tour is scheduled to race there on March 19. After the test session, they will head for Volusia Speedway Park for six nights of racing. The WoO LMS will host two nights’ events and the UMP DIRT-car Series will sanction the other four.