BEAR LAKE, PA – March 23, 2011 – Chub Frank is never happy with a DNF, but he at least saw some positive signs before suffering an early departure in last Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Cash Cow 100’ at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway.
The 49-year-old veteran from Bear Lake, Pa., appeared primed to vault into the top five on a lap-64 restart during the inaugural early-season event. But just as he had a head of steam built up with an outside charge into turn three, his Corry Rubber/Hino Toyota Rocket car’s right-rear wheel broke and flew off, bringing him to an abrupt stop in turn four.
After starting fifth and running solidly inside the top 10 for the first 64 circuits, Frank found himself riding back to the pit area on the back of a tow vehicle. He did not return, leaving him 20th in the final finishing order.
“We had no vibration, no nothing – the wheel just broke,” said Frank, who sat in seventh place for the lap-64 restart. “Who the hell knows why it broke? It just did – just bad luck.”
Frank, who on Friday night timed ninth-fastest in the 49-car field and finished second in a heat race (despite crossing the finish line with his car’s engine silent due to a seized fuel pump that sheared off his power-steering pump on the final lap), tried to look at the bright side of his visit to Columbus.
“The car was pretty good,” said Frank. “I thought we were a little harder on tire than everybody – although I guess we had the same tire as (winner Darrell) Lanigan had on – and those yellows (on laps 61 and 64) came when we needed ‘em. I think we were gonna get a good finish.
“And that’s all I wanted – just to finish. I was gonna be happy with that, but it didn’t happen.”
Frank, who left Columbus tied for 11th in the WoO LMS points standings after three events, has spent the week on the road in anticipation of this weekend’s WoO LMS tripleheader. He’ll enter races at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway (March 25), Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. (March 26) and Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga. (March 27).
For more information on Chub Frank, visit his Web site at www.chubfrank.com.
Chub Frank Racing receives support from many valued sponsors, including Corry Rubber, Lake Shore Paving, Hino Toyota, Sorbera Family Chiropractic, All-Star Performance, Slavic Corporation, Custom Race Engines, GW Performance, Integra Shocks and Hoosier Tire.