NEWS & NOTES

SYLVANIA, GA - March 6, 2010 - James 'Redd' Griffin gets pumped up every time he brings the renowned World of Outlaws Late Model Series to his Screven Motor Speedway.

And judging by the sweet offer he's come up with to generate more buzz about the national tour's third annual visit to his Peach State track on Sat., March 20, Griffin wants to make sure fans from far-and-wide will have an economical opportunity to see first-hand why the Outlaws thrill him so much.

The burly track owner known for his outgoing personality has set a price of just $20 for all general admission tickets to the blockbuster evening of action, which features a 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main that pays $10,000 to its winner. Billed as "Redd's Stimulus Program," the great deal will be one of the biggest bargains of the 2010 WoO LMS -- and Griffin hopes it will help attract a standing-room-only crowd to witness the country's brightest dirt Late Model stars battle at the three-eighths-mile Screven oval.

"I want to make this show a great value for everyone -- especially the people in our area," said Griffin, who has also scheduled a 35-lap National Late Model Series event with a $3,000 top prize and a $1,000-to-win Super Street feature on the WoO LMS undercard. "I want guys to see that 20 bucks is a pretty good price for a World of Outlaws race and say, 'Come on honey, let's go to the races to see the finest drivers in the country and bring the kids along too (children 12-and-under will be admitted free). Let's go check out the biggest night of the year at Screven Motor Speedway.'"

Griffin, 42, is "looking for a great turnout" on both sides of the fence come March 20. If Mother Nature cooperates with a splendid day to usher in spring, he can even envision a record attendance figure and WoO LMS car count for the track, which is located less than 60 miles northwest of Savannah.

The timing of this year's WoO LMS event at Screven should provide a boost as well. Both of the tour's previous visits there, in 2008 and 2009, came on blazing hot-and-humid August days, so a March date will be much more comfortable for fans and racers alike. What's more, those late-summer shows at Screven faced off directly against a number of other special dirt Late Models events; on March 20 there will be no major conflicting races within reasonable driving distance of Screven, dramatically opening up the possible entry list.

"I think running in March is going to work out great for us," said Griffin, whose facility anchors a weekend WoO LMS doubleheader in the Southeast that kicks off on Fri., March 19, at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway. "Now more drivers can come race with us, and we can get more moisture in the racetrack because we won't have to deal with that hot summer sun."

A banner field of drivers is expected to invade Screven on March 20, led by the track's two previous WoO LMS victors -- former tour champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. (2008) and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (2009) -- and defending series titlist Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., a soon-to-be 22-year-old who finished second to Fuller in last year's A-Main at Screven.

Homestate standouts Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., are also members of the traveling WoO LMS roster, which features current points leader Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., 2008 champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., 2009 Rookie of the Year Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio, and '10 rookie candidate Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del. Several other racers will trek to Screven in hopes of building momentum to join the established Outlaws as 2010 regulars, including 2006 champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who will make his first-ever appearance at Screven, rookie candidates Tim Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., and Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and '09 rookie contenders Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., and Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va.

Other drivers who have listed both the Ocala and Screven events on their schedules are three-time DIRTcar UMP Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., two-time O'Reilly Southern All-Stars Series titlist Ivedent Lloyd of Ocala, Fla., 2006 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., and Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., while the local contingent at Screven is expected to be led by brothers Ben and Jeremy Faircloth of Swainsboro.

All of Screven's attendees will certainly notice one off-season change that Griffin made to the track.

"We added some clay to put a little more banking at the top of the turns," said Griffin, who had to add height to the guardrails at both ends of the speedway to compensate for the increased banking. "We want to open it up and get those cars racing right to the wall. I think we're gonna see more side-by-side racing now."

On-track action is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. on March 20.

Pit passes are $35 and $10 for children 12-and-under.

Screven Motor Speedway is located between Mile Markers 6 and 7 on GA Route 21 in Screven County, Ga.

Additional info is available by visiting www.screvenmotorspeedway.com or calling 912-547-1777 (Redd Griffin) or 912-754-5882 (track).

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