NEXTEL CUP STAR CLINT BOWYER TO RACE WITH WDRL LATE MODELS IN KANSAS CITY
WDRL point leader Brian Harris' appearance is questionable as he recovers from a recent crash
By Bucky Doren
WORLD Dirt Racing League

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 25, 2007) - When the WORLD Dirt Racing League hits Lakeside Speedway here this weekend, it will be during the NASCAR Nextel Cup racing weekend at the nearby Kansas Speedway. And, as an added attraction for WDRL fans, Nextel Cup star Clint Bowyer is expected to compete on the Lakeside Speedway dirt oval.

On Friday, Sept. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 29, the WDRL cars and stars will battle on the ultra-fast Lakeside Speedway half-mile in a race being co-sanctioned by MLRA. The Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown features a separate racing program each night. Bowyer is slated to be on hand Friday night to duke it out with the best Late Model drivers in the Midwest.

Among the WORLD Dirt Racing League regulars Bowyer will race against are Justin Fegers, Dave Eckrich, Eric Pember, John Kaanta, Denny Eckrich and Chris Simpson.

"This should be a great two nights of racing for the fans," said Lakeside Speedway promoter Marc Olsen. "This event has grown into one of the best Late Model shows in the upper Midwest. When you have the WDRL and you throw in a NASCAR star or two, the fans eat it up."

Gates will open at 4 p.m. Hot laps are set for 6:45, and heat races are slated for 7:30 each night.

Attendance at the events this weekend by current WDRL point leader Brian Harris is questionable. Harris was involved in a horrific crash last Saturday during a non-WDRL-sanctioned event at the West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway and was hospitalized due to the seriousness of those injuries.

He may be wearing a cervical collar for a while to aid in the healing of his injuries, according to Jim Groves of Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation, a major sponsor for Harris.

But if he cannot attend, Harris qualifies for the "WDRL Hardship Rule," which awards a driver 50 points one time per season if he is unable to attend an event due to a hardship, a breakdown during travel, a family medical emergency or a similar situation.

Harris currently holds a 64-point lead over Justin Fegers -- 3,025 to 2,961. If Fegers does well in the Capital Federal Savings Late Model Showdown, he could become the new points leader. Dave Eckrich sits third in points, only 62 markers behind Fegers. Eric Pember and John Kaanta round out the top five, and they both are within 100 points of Fegers.

For more information on WDRL or the latest PolyDome Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com .