BULLS GAP, Tenn. — Steve Francis can taste the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship.
A convincing $20,225 victory in Saturday night’s Tennessee Fall Brawl 100 at Volunteer Speedway allowed Francis to pad his point lead, putting him on the brink of a first title with the nation’s premier dirt-late-model tour.
Francis, 40, holds a 62-point edge over Chub Frank, who finished 11th, heading into the two A mains that comprise the Outlaws World Finals Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
“It ain’t over yet,” cautioned Francis, the WoO LMS point runner-up in 2004 and 2005. “I’m happy that we’re finishing the season strong, but we still have to put together two more good nights to finish the points deal up.”
Francis, who started from the outside pole, was flawless. He passed polesitter Ray Cook for the lead on lap 22 and never looked back in his Valvoline Rocket No. 15.
After Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., saw his bid to overtake Francis end with apparent mechanical trouble on lap 62, the “Kentucky Colonel” was home free. He handled late-race lapped traffic and beat Cook’s mount by 2.473 seconds.
Randy Weaver advanced from the ninth to finish a close third, followed by 10th-starter Scott Bloomquist and third-starter Dale McDowell.
Francis’s triumph was his fourth of the season on the WoO LMS and his first at Volunteer Speedway.
The finish:
Steve Francis, Ray Cook, Randy Weaver, Scott Bloomquist, Dale McDowell, Brian Shirley, Rick Rogers, Shane Clanton, Rick Eckert, Clint Smith, Chub Frank, Donnie Moran, Austin Dillon, Josh Richards, Dan Schlieper, Vic Hill, Jimmy Owens, Darrell Lanigan, Michael England, Mark Douglas, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Anthony White, Ricky Arms, Roy Mitchell.