World Crown. Ask any Pro Late Model driver in Georgia what those words mean and many different adjectives will be given. Prestige, money, notoriety and fame are just a few. Famous names have claimed the World Crown victory at Peach State Speedway, including Darrell Waltrip and Larry Pearson when it was ran as a NASCAR Busch Series race. Now Michael Pope hopes to be the next one added to that list.
“We have been running at Peach State quite a bit lately,” said Pope. “It has really helped build up my confidence. Last time that we ran there we had a really good car but the rear end was messed up. We took it out and got everything fixed on it and we are going to be putting it back together before the World Crown Weekend.
“That has been making the car really tight for the last five races so I think that it should be really good when we go back.”
Pope has already had a career season. He has racked up the top-10 finishes and is knocking on the door of his first victory. Even with the car troubles, he has continued to bring home the solid finishes. His #44 team is doing everything possible in preparation for the World Crown event to make sure that is goes as smoothly as possible.
“We are changing the motor for the race and we are going to run it. We talked with some other people and everyone seems to think that the crate motors run better at Peach State so that is what we are going to do and then we are going to change our built motor over to a four-barrel for next year.
“I am really hoping for the best this weekend.”
Michael himself is actually doing a little bit of preparation away from racecar. He has been working on his endurance and hydration to prepare him for the 200-lap event, 100 laps more than the Georgia Asphalt Series typically runs.
“I am out of school for fall break this weekend and that has given me
a lot of time to prepare for the World Crown. I am working out in the
morning, just trying to build up my stamina since it is such a long
race. I’ve just drinking a lot of fluids and trying to eat smart.”
In last year’s World Crown event, Pope had a good car and was
running consistently when bad luck bit him and relegated him to
a 22nd place finish. He and his team hope that all of the preparation
and cautions they are taking will now ensure that this doesn’t
happen two years in a row.
“Last year we had a bolt come loose in the rear end and oil was
coming out and we really missed the set up. Now we have a Grand American Race Car, I think that we should be a lot better. To get my first win at the World Crown would be really special and I think that we have a good chance at it.”
The World Crown event will be held October 20-22nd, with feature racing starting at 3:00pm on Sunday afternoon.
For more information on The Wild Child, Michael Pope please contact Amy Hayes at 704-455-2051 and be sure to check out Michael Pope’s new website at www.michaelpopeonline.com
