Hey everyone, Chris "The Update Guy" and I made a stop this morning (12.10.04) to the press conference room for the DIRT Motorsports press conference. I have posted below a "10 Cent Tour" of the meeting. I typed them below in order of their topic being talked about during the conference.

- There will be ONE national late model tour in 2005.

- The "World of Outlaws" name will be branded as the National tour for all DIRT Motorports tours for both LM and Sprints.

- The "Xtreme" name will be branded as the Regional tours for the LM. I believe they will also include the Big Block (East Coast) modifieds as an Xtreme tour.

- The group of DIRT Motorsports (formerly known as Boundless) understands that this will not allow as many drivers to see the spotlight as they did with two national tours, but they have a goal.

- They want to make the National, Regional, and yes local, point systems easy to understand. It sounded like they will NOT run a National Point event with a Regional point event. It is one or the other. (opinion - this allows the regional guy to really decide whether to attend instead of deciding to attend).

- UMP Modifieds in Florida will be the same as originally planned.

- TV contract that UMP/Xtreme had will still be in plan with WoO LM with SPEED-TV. 15 dates at this present time.

- DIRT motorsports was happy with the Outdoor Life Channel coverage of WoO Sprints, and might try to work the WoO LM on that channel as well. They feel it has opened up a new audience base to dirt track racing.

- DIRT understands that there is a important need to develop a strong weekly, regional, and national in order to make this great porject work.

- MARS question about its look for 2005. There was no real quick answer, and quickly moved along to next topic. Basically it is to early to have an answer the transaction's ink is drying.

- They have a lot of work to get done for the WoO LM and Xtreme LM tours. Things like: purse, dates, tracks, and so on. One promise made to the drivers in a meeting held earlier this morning that they will have an announcement on DIRT's plan by Mid-January ... and yes January 2005.

- RaceRPM.com OPINION - Right now they have to sell the overall goal to race tracks and race teams. They need to show everyone involved what they feel are the pluses to the game plan.

I think they have to have the race teams and race fans in mind, but we have to realize that this is a corp' that its in the business of turning a profit. They may have to do a few things that we the racing community may not like, or understand, but I do think that they have a great passion for the overall goal of making dirt track racing better. How long it takes to get to that is a good question, or if everyone will ever see it. It sounds like there is a good staff that has been moved into place over the last month (or so), so it will be interesting to watch.

Talking with a few of the drivers that are more regional stars, they may not travel to Florida this February because they feel it might be a "testing pad" for the new program. Only time will tell if they still feel that way when February rolls around. A lot of the top names will still be there, and I would venture a guess that we will see a "three-digit" car count again for both East Bay and Volusia.

Official Story From RaceRPM.com:
DIRT Motorsports and Their World, and Xtreme, 2005 Plan

Brady Smith Took the World
December 5, 2005 | By: Bucky Doren

Brady Smith (Solon Springs, WI) had one mission in mind, to win the World Dirt Racing League driver's championship. Few knew the name Brady Smith when the 2004 campaign started, but race teams and race fans along the WDRL trail knew it by season's end.

"I have a lot of confidence in our program and myself as a driver," reflected Smith prior to the WDRL banquet. "I thought from the 'get-go' there was a shot that we could win the whole thing. When we sat down and decided to run the whole thing, of course we wanted to win the Rookie of the Year, and we are very proud to have done that, but our goal was to win the whole thing."

The decision to follow the World Dirt Racing League through out the upper Midwest did not come until early April. The team raced the WDRL's opening weekend at Davenport (IA) Speedway and West Liberty (IA) Raceway the first weekend of April. The team liked what they saw, combined that with a couple of good runs, and the team decided to go for it.

Brady Smith Racing Sponsors for 2004: Kapus Erickson Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Pro Power Racing Big River Motorsports Willow River Saloon Hood Loaders and Slashers VP Racing Fuels Bud Light Beer Copp Racing Products Key Reality Solon Springs Hardware Hawk Interstate Batteries Wehrs Machine Mastersbilt by Mars Buzz Signs and Graphix.

"Normally people would have their plans ironed out and all that stuff way before they start racing," explained Smith. "For what ever reason we didn't, and we had just decided that it was time to go out try and do more than what we had done before."

After three years running his Mastersbilt Late Model around his Solon Springs, WI home, Brady Smith ventured out to take on the world of dirt track racing. Three wins, sixteen top-five finishes, and twenty-one top-ten finishes (in twenty-six races) later, Smith was the WDRL Champion. Smith finished 121 points ahead of two-time defending WDRL champion Kyle Berck. Its an impressive feat when you consider it was only his fourth year in a late model, and it was his first on the road.

The 2004 WDRL Champion has been in a Mastersbilt chassis all four years of his late model career, and the last two years, it has been a "Mastersbilt by Mars." Smith says that it's the support from Mastersbilt and by Jimmy & Chris Mars that has really helped the team grow and understand chassis.

"Out first year in a (Mastersbilt by) Mars car, we got a lot better, and now this year," Smith said. "I just feel we've learned a tremendous amount about the car, and Jimmy & Chris (Mars) have really helped us out a lot.

"Jimmy & Chris have their cell phones on all the time. There were times at the race track I'd call them up. They were off racing 'Xtreme' racing somewhere. As a matter of fact, at Lakeside (Speedway in Kansas City, KS) I ended up called (them) Friday night during the middle of the races," Smith remembered. He knew what he wanted to do to the car that night, but wanted to ask if there was anything else that would help. Things must have worked out as Smith took the win that night at Lake Speedway.

The Kapus Erickson, Pro Power Engines, number "2" made a lot of new friends along the way. Smith realizes that race fans are a big part of this sport and what keeps it growing, and he felt a sense of pride to make so many new fans this past season.

"I've never, in one year, made more fans then I think I made this year," admitted Smith. "It's a neat deal to go out on the road for the first year, and you just meet so many people. There are nice people every where you go. The fans are a big part of racing."

So will there be a repeat as the WDRL championship for 'The Deuce' Brady Smith? That is still up in the air at this time.

"We are looking at running for Xtreme DirtCar Series for 'Rookie of the Year' or coming back and defending the (WDRL) title," explained Smith. "But we really can't commit to anything without look at both series schedule."

Racing is still not a full-time job for Smith who sells cars for a living at Kapus Erickson Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in Superior, WI, but driving full time is a major goal for Smith.

"I am in the process of trying to find some major sponsorship help to be able to go race full time," Smith commented. "That is my goal for next year. I want to race full time, and I just need some financial support to be able to do it, so that's where I am at right."

What ever the plan is, Brady Smith will be a name race fans will be reading about for years to come.

You can listen to more on Brady Smith with RaceRPM.com's "From the Driver's Seat: Brady Smith" by logging onto www.RaceRPM.com/Live.
Click Here for Audio

Thanks for stopping by. We are currently working on a new design layout. We have been working on the 2005 "Plan of Attack", and it includes a new design among many other things. I'll have a post herer in the next day or two about the entire plan for us. From Live Audio Updates, Interviews, Features, NEI Dirt Tour, and more, I'll let you know what we're going to be up to.

thanks ... BUCK