Per DoD, Francis will has split from Tim Logan and will run on his own again. Sponsorship will determine whether he runs the LOLMS or WoO in 2017. Anyone surprised by this announcement?
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Per DoD, Francis will has split from Tim Logan and will run on his own again. Sponsorship will determine whether he runs the LOLMS or WoO in 2017. Anyone surprised by this announcement?
Nope.....zyoung announced it a couple weeks ago. Details people were waiting on is chassis choice, engine builder and major sponsorship
If he's smart he won't run either, just like I would encourage anybody to unless their big sponsor wanted otherwise. Stay close to the house, win some races, make some money.
If nobody ran the National tours there wouldn't be as many big money races for the regional guys to run. The National tours (both of them) are one of the reasons that DLM racing is still able to support $100k race cars. A driver like Francis would be a good addition to the WoO, and is also valuable to the LOLMDS series. There is money to be made for 6-7 drivers on each tour as long as you are running a good operation (not frivolously spending money).
Thanks,
Jeff.
Of course he would be good for THEM, but would they be good for HIM?
I think the WoO would be a little bit more friendly for him (I think there is more room in the 3-8 category than there is in the LOLMDS at this point). I do think it opens the door for more sponsorship, it keeps drivers sharp (look at guys like Tyler Erb, Eric Wells, and others who run the tour and then go back home and win big races) and it definitely pays out the most money. Especially in the area Francis lives, there are not a whole lot of huge paying races. He could probably run for $3-$4k every weekend (but he would still have to do a considerable amount of travelling to accomplish that) but I'm sure he would much rather be picking up $1k+ every time he unloads just to start (with start money, and full time bonuses) along with a share of a huge year end point fund.
Thanks,
Jeff.
We'll see, I hope the best for him, and everybody else for that matter.
I would like to see Steve Francis on the WoO tour.
Wasn't the travel schedule the reason he dropped off the WoO tour? A lot more travel vs. the Lucas tour.
He didn't set the world on fire with TLR the last time they were together before he went to Barry Wright, so it's probably not a bad move. I hope he finds whatever he's lost, and gets back to being a contender every time he pulls into the lot.
Marlar and Clanton win in the Capital cars, and I understand he's pretty good friends with Clanton anyway, so maybe he can get some feedback and get a competitive car. You can never go wrong with Cornett or Clements power no matter what chassis you throw them in.
Finally, it's good to know there are people on the board who actually provide solid info, not baseless rumors. Thanks to those of you who gave us the heads up a week or two ago.
The Capitol program is no joke......drop the Cornett in it .......pfffffffffffttttttt
Outa there like a fat kid in dodgeball.
I won't name any names, but like I've said before. Theres a lot more eyes on this place that are in the industry than what most people think on here. The source of my info is a member on here. If it wasn't for the idiots on here this place would probably be booming with inside info, which is what I'm here for mainly, but instead it turns into fights about people's wifes, or man regions. Who would want to associate with that?
All in all it sounds like Steve has set himself up good for next year, he has the best equipment and is working tight with Green/Clanton and his shock builder to have a better year.
Yeah a member here told me about the capitol chassis last week in a pm, so I know the info is here if you can talk to the right people. Its just too bad it has to be passed through PMs to keep it from getting derailed into another thread full of the same 3-4 men flirting with each other and disguising it as fighting.
I hope Francis has finally hit on something. He's still plenty young enough to make an impact at the track.
Like I said last year, Steve is at the point where he should be running locally for $5K to $10K. Lots of racing around50-150miles from his home to where he doesn't have to travel as much and potentially win. Look this guy is not a spring chicken, balls have shrunk a bit and he needs to realize that he can't hang with the elite teams anymore.
Come on in the gas if that's really true get a 5 point harness and a race car and see if he don't wax ya a couple laps
Francis is one of the good guys and I wish him the best!
The Dixie Shootout is just another race on the Lucas schedule.It used to be a big deal.
I think all the tours major races either series is watered down
Make the Dixie Shootout Great Again!
That definitely happens sometimes, but I think a lot of those regular old $10k to win shows would not occur without the tour(s) providing the star power. Tracks like Moler, Hibbing, Shawano, Winchester, Potomac, etc. would probably not have a $10k race. Hell, I'm not sure if Tyler Co. would have anything real big without the guarantee of the tour guys -- and right now they have three races paying over $8k per season. Aside from the WoO race the biggest payout Selinsgrove had was (I think) $3k. I'm not saying some tracks wouldn't still host big shows, but the amount of $8-$10k to win shows is much, much higher than it would be without the tours.
Thanks,
Jeff.
I keep forgetting he is from SC...........always loved the felony farms logo and sponsorships on his stuff.
Wheelman
Sometimes all you have to do is act like you have some sense. The ones that are involved will come to you, not everyone on here can seem to figure that out though.
It use to be 100 laps and the culmination of the HAT/UDTRA season championship. Now its just a stop on the Lucas tour prior to the DTWC. I wish the NDRL would've followed thru, we need the balance of power to keep everyone honest and considerate. Maybe the NDRL will rise again.
The only thing the NDRL did was try to kill off the WoO. They completely worked around the LOLMDS series, and scheduled on top of the WoO just about every time they raced.
I think there are enough top shelf drivers and cars out there to support three National touring series (as in, no need to schedule around either series). If a new one were to pop up and run 30-35 shows $8-$10k to win each night and pick up some of the currently unsanctioned big shows then I think they would have enough drivers jump on board. With the NDRL i know Chris Madden, Kent Robinson, Max Blair, Mason Ziegler, Williams Thomas, and Bub McCool are all examples of guys who don't run on a National Tour now but were running for points in NDRL. Add in one or two more big names like Bobby Pierce, Dale McDowell, Jesse Stovall, or Gregg Satterlee and you would have a series that would be just a strong as the WoO or LOLMDS is. That would do nothing but help DLM racing.
Jeff, I usually agree with 90% of what you post on this board.....BUT in this case I feel the polar opposite about having a third national series. The sport is just fine with the LOLMS & WoO along with the strong handful of the current traveling regional series,..... I just don't think there is enough owners/cars to support a third in my opinion.
I can definitely see how anyone would think that -- its hard to know for sure really one way or the other. The way I see it, I think there are drivers out there who have shown interest, or even started to run a series but ended up dropping off due to lack of success. Right now each tour can support about 12-14 drivers. I do think there are more than 28 drivers out there who have the ability, and ambition to run a National tour. I think of guys like Blair, Ferguson, Mcintosh, Diemel, Stovall, etc. who could definitely make some noise if there was room for them. In my opinion a third series would be a big benefit, as long as it did not partner up (and push out) one of the existing series. After all, more money on the table is always good. If you want a close to home example of that, just look at 2014 when the NDRL raced at Winchester for $10,000.00 to win, they also hosted the WoO later that year for another $10,000.00 to win show. That was two $10k to win shows at Winchester in one season, now they only run one. Less money to be had by the drivers over all.
Thanks,
Jeff.