Kevin Kovac's Take Five
Take Five: Georgian settles into Illinois ride
In a new feature appearing regularly on DirtonDirt, senior writer Kevin Kovac will offer readers five things worth mentioning from around the Dirt Late Model landscape (index to previous Take Fives):
No. 1: A driver from Hawkinsville, Ga., joining a team fielded by car owners from Benton, Ill.? That unique partnership of Southern and Midwestern racers materialized last weekend with 30-year-old Wil Herrington climbing in the Steve Lampley-owned No. 33 for a St. Louis-area MARS Championship Series tripleheader at Benton (Mo.) Speedway, I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Mo., and Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill. With UMP modified veteran Mike Harrison of Highland, Ill., announcing he’s stepping away from Lampley’s ride to focus on his mod action, former DIRTcar Late Model national champion Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., who handles preparation of Lampley’s equipment, worked out the details to bring in Herrington to fill the seat. “Wil and I have been friends for many years and we’ve talked about doing this for a long time,” Korte wrote in a Facebook post. “The timing was just never right … until now.” Herrington’s finishes in his debut weekend weren’t eye-popping — 10th at Benton, sixth at Pevely, 20th at Belle-Clair — but he flashed plenty of contending speed, most notably at Benton where a tangle with a lapped car knocked him from the lead.
No. 2: Herrington noted afterward that he “just couldn’t seem to catch a break when we needed it” but he was “really happy with the car” and thankful for the opportunity. He’ll be back in the seat for this weekend’s MARS events in Illinois at La Salle Speedway, Farmer City Raceway and Fairbury Speedway and is expected to continue with the team into the future. Korte, for one, was impressed with Herrington. “Wil is young, competitive and hungry,” remarked Korte, who called Harrison “a great racer” and wished him the best in his return to full-time modified competition. “He has a real drive to win, and with the talent he showed this weekend I have no doubt he has a bright future in racing. Aside from racing with my kids and grandkids, this weekend was the most fun I’ve had at the track in a long time. This makes me extremely excited to work with Wil and what’s ahead for this team moving forward.”
No. 3: The 51-year-old Harrison, one of the Midwest’s most decorated open-wheel modified drivers, has raced Lampley’s No. 33H since 2022, but this season he made just eight starts (with three wins) and he hasn’t piloted it at all for the past two months. He announced in a Facebook post last week that he and Lampley mutually agreed to part ways as Harrison wants to devote more time to his family-owned modified effort. “Our modified program has always been very important to us,” Harrison said. “Over the past month, I’ve really enjoyed being back behind the wheel and racing (regularly) with our family and friends. We have a great group of guys who put a lot of time and effort into this program and it’s been a lot of fun having everyone together at the track. Being able to race with family, and having the grandkids really enjoy being at the track with us, makes it that much more special. At this point in my career, enjoying racing, spending time with family and friends and making memories together is what’s most important to me. I’m looking forward to continuing to have fun with our modified program and seeing what the future holds.” Harrison also thanked Lampley for the Dirt Late Model opportunity and noted that while him “stepping away from the Late Model doesn’t mean you’ve seen the last of me in one.”
No. 4: In my colleague Kyle McFadden’s story about Pennsylvania racer Hayes Mattern’s memorable Saturday at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway — where Mattern won a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heat race and shocked the crowd in his interview by revealing that his wife, Shianne, was going into labor that very moment in Lewisburg, Pa. — he wrote that Mattern might considering naming his newborn boy “Lucas” if he ran well in the $50,000-to-win feature. Alas, Mattern hit the wall running third just three circuits in the 50-lapper, so Lucas was ruled out. When the baby arrived at 11:33 a.m. Sunday, the couple decided to name him Rhetlee Charles. Mattern told me by Facebook Messenger that he and his wife “went to the hospital with two names in mind and didn’t use either of them. After being overwhelmed — in a good way — with name suggestions, we ended up going with a totally different name!” He also sent along a picture of the dry-erase board in his wife’s hospital room that had another name jokingly written in. “James Essex Mattern wasn’t out of the picture,” Mattern quipped, referring to the possibility of naming his son after the longtime Lucas Oil Series announcer.
No. 5: Speaking of babies, Lucas Oil Series regular Brandon Overton’s wife, Heather, is nearing the due date of the couple’s second child, this one a boy after they previously welcomed a daughter. The day she’s expected to deliver? Sept. 14 — the Monday after the World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Overton said he’s planning to tune up for the World 100 by running this Sunday’s Baltes Classic at Eldora, but then he’ll fly home to Evans, Ga., just in case Heather goes into labor early, before he has to return for the start of the World 100 activities. He’s hopeful the baby will arrive when he’s home, but he joked that he’s fearful it’ll “probably be lap 50 of the World (with) how my luck’s going.”
