Josh Richards Experiences Emotional High After VAULT World Finals Victory In Front Of Huge Crowd & National Television Audience On SPEED
CONCORD, NC – Nov. 1, 2008 – Josh Richards was on an emotional high after capturing Saturday night’s 50-lap VAULT World Finals dirt Late Model A-Main at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
“This is definitely my biggest win ever,” said the normally reserved Richards. “To win a race like this, on live T.V. and in front of all these people, is just awesome.
With a packed house of over 14,000 fans and a national television audience on the SPEED cable network looking on, the 20-year-old star from Shinnston, W.Va., charged forward from the eighth starting spot to overtake Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., for the lead on lap 36. He held off Pearson’s late bid to emerge triumphant.
It was the sixth World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of 2008 for Richards, who ended the season tied with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., atop the tour’s win list. He also book-ended the 43-race WoO LMS campaign with wins, capturing the season opener, on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., as well as Saturday’s season finale.
Richards secured a career-high finish of second in the WoO LMS points standings, worth $60,000. He ended the season 160 points behind Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who was crowned the 2008 champion on stage at the end of the program after clinching the $100,000 title for the first time in his career the previous night.
“If we just learn the middle of the year a little better, I think we’ll be all right,” Richards said of his 2008 points-chasing. “We’ve got the beginning and the end figured out pretty good, but we gotta do better in the middle to have a shot at the championship.”
Pearson, 36, settled for runner-up money after leading laps 32-35, crossing the finish line 0.535 of a second behind Richards. Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who led laps 2-31, placed third, followed by 2007 VAULT World Finals Night 2 winner Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and 2007 WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who locked down a third-place finish in the points standings.
Richards’s performance exceeded his expectations for the second night of feature-event action at the blockbuster VAULT World Finals, which also included the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series.
“I had no intentions of winning,” conceded Richards. “Our main goal was to focus on beating Francis and Clanton to try and wrap up second in the points. But then I got rolling and I said, ‘O.K., we’re running fourth. We might have a chance.’
“When I drove through the middle (groove) when Earl and Dale got caught in lapped cars, my car stuck really hard. From then on out it was pretty good, and here we are (in Victory Lane).”
Richards didn’t cruise to the checkered flag once he put his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises/Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket into the top spot. He survived three late-race caution flags – on laps 37, 41 and 47 – and some heavy pressure from Pearson to win at The Dirt Track for the first time in his young career.
“I don’t know if (the cautions) got my nerves worse or better, because the whole time I was a nervous wreck,” said Richards, who earned $10,150 for his 12th career WoO LMS triumph. “But I think the cautions probably got me to focus more. With all the times I’ve been leading races and lost in the last couple laps, I wasn’t gonna let it happen this time.”
Pearson sure tried to send Richards home dejected. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion got close enough to bump Richards’s rear bumper racing down the homestretch with the white flag waving, but he slid high in turn one and lost too much ground to make a move for the win.
“When I got right up under (Richards) I lost my front end,” said Pearson, who started second in NASCAR star Bobby Labonte’s LifeLong Locks MasterSbilt car. “I got an aero-push and just couldn’t steer when I got to turn one. My car just slid right up to the wall.
“My biggest problem, though, was when I passed McDowell for the lead, I stayed down low too much and Josh ended up driving by me on the outside. If I would’ve moved up to the middle it would’ve made it a lot harder for (Richards) to pass me.”
McDowell, 42, appeared primed to record his first WoO LMS victory since Sept. 23, 2005, at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, Ky., after blasting from the fourth starting spot to the lead on lap two. He completed the surge by passing polesitter Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., who led the first lap before later bringing out caution flags on laps 15 (turn-four spin) and 20 (stopped in turn two).
But McDowell’s Sanford Goddard-owned Warrior house car wasn’t quite fast enough to keep him in front.
“We ran the wrong left-rear tire,” said McDowell, whose sterling visit to the The Dirt Track also included a second-place finish the previous night and a third-place run in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown. “I thought I had a good read on what we should do, but we were a little too soft with the tire. The track was a little harder and drier off turn four than I thought it was and I just worked by left-rear tire too hard.
“But I can’t complain. We exceeded our expectations for the weekend, so we’re excited.”
Finishing in positions 6-10 were Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who clipped the turn-four wall on lap 39 while battling for fourth with Moran; Lanigan, who used a Chevy engine (borrowed from winning team owner Mark Richards) for the first in more than a decade; Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings; Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky.; and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who struggled to climb forward from the 21st starting spot after capturing Friday night’s A-Main.
Six caution flags slowed the event, including incidents involving top contenders Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.
McCreadie was running just outside the top 10 when he slowed on lap 14. He pitted to change his car’s left-rear tire and returned to finish 11th.
Clanton, meanwhile, saw his hopes for victory – and a third-place finish in the points standings – effectively end on lap 37 when he spun between turns three and four. He went around while attempting to pass Pearson for third.
“I just got in there too hard I guess,” said Clanton, who started 12th. “I thought I was far enough up for him to see me, but he was probably trying to focus on his line and didn’t see me when I tried to fill the gap.
“When I hit the brakes to avoid hitting (Pearson), that was it. You spin every time when you do that.”
Clanton, who entered the event tied with Francis for third in the points standings, had to settle for a fourth-place finish in the 2008 WoO LMS rankings.
Winners of Saturday night’s heat races, which were aligned by the results of Thursday night’s second-round time trials, were McDowell, Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. (who dropped out of the A-Main on lap 22 while running third), Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., Davey Johnson, McCreadie and Pearson. The B-Mains were captured by Francis, Michael England of Glasgow, Ky., and Bloomquist.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/.
Results of WoO Late Model Series VAULT World Finals Night 2 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (8) Josh Richards/50 $10,150
2. (2) Earl Pearson Jr./50 $5,100
3. (4) Dale McDowell/50 $3,100
4. (13) Donnie Moran/50 $2,500
5. (19) Steve Francis/50 $2,000
6. (9) Chub Frank/50 $1,700
7. (14) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,400
8. (10) Steve Shaver/50 $1,800
9. (7) Josh McGuire/50 $1,200
10. (21) Scott Bloomquist/50 $1,100
11. (3) Tim McCreadie/50 $1,050
12. (26) Rick Eckert/50 $1,000
13. (25) Shannon Babb/50 $950
14. (5) Chris Madden/50 $900
15. (16) Tim Fuller/50 $850
16. (18) Jonathan Davenport/50 $800
17. (29) Clint Smith/50 $70
18. (12) Shane Clanton/50 $750
19. (20) Michael England/50 $730
20. (24) Matt Miller/50 $700
21. (17) Dan Schlieper/50 $700
22. (27) Vic Coffey/50 $950
23. (11) Ricky Weeks/50 $700
24. (23) Mike Balzano/49 $700
25. (22) Danny Johnson/46 $700
26. (1) Davey Johnson/41 $700
27. (28) Jeff Rine/40 $700
28. (6) Jimmy Owens/22 $700
29. (15) Ricky Elliott/6 $700
Time of Race: 32 Mins., 51.384 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.535 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 6 (Laps 14, 15, 20, 37, 41, 47)
Lap Leaders: Davey Johnson (1); McDowell (2-31); Pearson (32-35); Richards (36-50)
Final 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings
1. Darrell Lanigan 5866
2. Josh Richards 5706
3. Steve Francis 5686
4. Shane Clanton 5660
5. Chub Frank 5626
6. Shannon Babb 5556
7. Rick Eckert 5522
8. Clint Smith 5472
9. Tim Fuller 5323
10. Vic Coffey 4583
11. John Blankenship 4013
12. Joe Isabell 3765
13. Sean Beardsley 3070
14. Tim McCreadie 2988
15. Danny Johnson 2437
-end-
Bloomquist Dominates From Flag-To-Flag In Friday Night’s VAULT World Finals Late Model A-Main; Lanigan Clinches World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title
CONCORD, NC – Oct. 31, 2008 – Did Scott Bloomquist ever feel a sense of worry while rolling to a flag-to-flag victory in Friday night’s 50-lap VAULT World Finals Late Model A-Main at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
Silly question.
“I think I was probably as good, or better, than I’ve ever been here,” Bloomquist said after capturing the Friday-night feature of the VAULT World Finals for the second consecutive year. “I looked over to my (crew) guys to see how far ahead I was when the cautions were out, but I really didn’t feel like I needed to do that because I thought, Man, if anybody can run faster than this, then hell, they deserve it.
“I didn’t see how I could run much faster.”
Mooresburg, Tenn.’s Bloomquist, who turns 45 on Nov. 14, was simply in a league of his own at the four-tenths-mile oval. He roared into the lead from the pole position at the start of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series event and never looked back, racing unchallenged for the entire distance in his Miller Brothers Coal Team Zero machine.
Bloomquist, who earned $10,150 for his 18th career WoO LMS triumph but first since last year’s VAULT World Finals, crossed the finish line with a commanding 2.112-second margin of victory over Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga. McDowell never got close to the 2004 WoO LMS champion after taking over second place when Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., retired with rearend failure on lap 43.
Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., finished third, followed by 20th-starter Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and outside-polesitter Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, who earned the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ award for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main since 2004 and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.
In a race that saw Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., officially clinch his first career WoO LMS points championship when he joined the starting field, Bloomquist grabbed the attention of the evening’s huge crowd and the SPEED television cameras that taped the action for broadcast on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET.
“The car was just super,” said Bloomquist, who drove the self-built machine that earlier this season carried him to big-money victories in the Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway and the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway. “The car rotated so sweet going in (the corners) and throttled up with as much traction as if it was a wet racetrack. I was amazed at how good it felt.
“I’m not even gonna touch it (for Saturday night’s VAULT World Finals program). I can’t even think of anything I can do to improve it.”
Bloomquist recorded his fifth career Super Late Model win at The Dirt Track – the most of any driver in the facility’s nine-year history. He pulled one victory ahead of his protégé Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., who had tied Bloomquist at four wins with a triumph in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown but failed to qualify on Friday night.
Not only have Bloomquist and Madden combined to win nine of the 19 Super Late Model events contested alltime at The Dirt Track, but they’re also the only two drivers with multiple victories at the speedway.
“If I can’t win it, I’d just as soon see (Madden) or any of my guys win,” said Bloomquist. “But Chris was one of the first (drivers) I’ve worked with, and I’ve never questioned him and he’s never questioned me. We have a great releationship, but I still like to be one up on him.”
Owens, who steered his Bloomquist Chassis car owned by Mike Reece from the seventh starting spot to second place by lap 24, was the only driver who made even a fleeting run at Bloomquist. The 36-year-old cut Bloomquist’s margin to less than one second shortly before a lap-35 caution period for the stopped car driven by Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., but couldn’t draw any closer before dropping out.
McDowell, 42, inherited second place with Owens’s departure and kept Sanford Goddard’s Warrior Chassis house car in the runner-up position for the remaining circuits. It was his best WoO LMS finish since a runner-up placing on July 25, 2006, at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway.
“We had a third-place car,” said the sixth-starting McDowell, indicating the break Owens gave him. “For the first six, seven laps, I felt like we were where we needed to be. Then when the racetrack cleaned off and got a groove worn in there, I was a little tight.
“(Bloomquist) was a little bit better than me right across the center of the corner. I had to wait on picking my throttle up and just lost a little bit every lap. His car just stayed nice and straight and had a nice attitude.
“But I can’t complain,” added McDowell, who finished third in Wednesday night’s Showdown. “We’ve exceeded what we wanted to do coming here.”
The most intense racing late in the distance was waged between Babb and McCreadie, who ran together through the top 10 over the final 15 laps. Both drivers made impressive rallies to secure their top-five placings.
Babb, 34, started fourth, but he slipped high in turn two on lap 11 and fell out of the top 10. He finally reached third place on a lap-43 restart and kept his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket car ahead of McCreadie the rest of the way.
After a close second-place finish in Wednesday night’s Showdown, Babb knocked on the door to Victory Lane again.
“Maybe the third time will be the lucky charm and we’ll get one tomorrow night,” he said of Saturday’s VAULT World Finals finale.
McCreadie, 34, saw his night become more difficult during his heat race when he clipped one of the foam markers lining the inside of the track. The contact bent the left-front nosepiece of his Sweeteners Plus Rocket car and he lost the final transfer spot to Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va., on the last lap.
While McCreadie came back to win the B-Main and charged forward from the 20th starting spot in the A-Main to finish fourth, he wasn’t satisfied.
“The damage I got in the heat put us behind for the whole night,” said McCreadie. “We had a real good car. I don’t know if we would’ve been able to run with Scott, but I would’ve liked to start further up to at least try.”
Six caution flags slowed the event, but none were for serious incidents.
Finishing in positions 6-10 was Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who cracked the top five midway through the A-Main; 19th-starter Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va.; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio; and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.
Richards vaulted from fourth to second in the WoO LMS points standings with just Saturday night’s 50-lap A-Main remaining thanks to the misfortune suffered by Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.
Francis, whose reign as WoO LMS champion ended with Lanigan’s clinching on Friday night, didn’t even complete a lap in the A-Main. He pulled his Beitler Motorsports Rocket to the pit area after the four-wide pace lap due to a busted transmission.
Clanton, who entered the night third in the WoO LMS standings just six points behind Francis, appeared primed to overtake Francis as he settled into fifth place in the A-Main. But distributor problems in his RSD Enterprises Rocket car forced him to retire on lap 23, leaving him in a tie for third in the points standings with Francis.
Lanigan, 38, experienced a frustrating night, but he nonetheless secured the $100,000 WoO LMS points crown by starting the A-Main. A faulty fuel regulator during heat action forced him to use a provisional to gain entry to the headliner and he quietly advanced from the 25th starting spot to finish 11th.
“I’m happy,” Lanigan said when asked for his emotions after clinching the title, “but mostly I’m relieved. I don’t have to worry about the points anymore.”
Winners of Friday night’s heat race, which were aligned by the results of Thursday night’s first-round time trials, were Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, Moran, Clanton, Babb, McDowell and Bloomquist. The B-Mains were captured by Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., McCreadie and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.
Coming off a victory two nights earlier, Madden saw his fortunes turn around for the worse during the fourth heat. Moments after losing several positions when he nearly spun in turn four, the 33-year-old driver slapped the backstretch wall and had his car towed off with front-end damage.
Madden returned to run the second B-Main and made a gallant come-from-behind bid. He advanced from the 18th starting to finish fourth, leaving him two spots short of a transfer position. He also ended up two positions shy of claiming the provisional that went to the fastest driver from time trials who failed to qualify.
The VAULT World Finals continue on Saturday (Nov. 1) with the second and final night of WoO Late Model and Sprint Car activity. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing getting the green flag at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday’s action will be televised live by the SPEED cable network from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/.
Results of WoO Late Model Series VAULT World Finals Night 1 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (1) Scott Bloomquist/50 $10,150
2. (6) Dale McDowell/50 $5,100
3. (4) Shannon Babb/50 $3,000
4. (20) Tim McCreadie/50 $2,600
5. (2) Matt Miller/50 $2,500
6. (11) Ricky Elliott/50 $1,700
7. (19) Steve Shaver/50 $1,400
8. (9) Earl Pearson Jr./50 $1,300
9. (5) Donnie Moran/50 $1,200
10. (10) Josh Richards/50 $1,100
11. (25) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,050
12. (26) Chub Frank/50 $1,000
13. (18) Jonathan Davenport/50 $950
14. (8) Tim Fuller/50 $900
15. (16) Mike Balzano/50 $850
16. (17) Jeff Rine/50 $800
17. (27) Rick Eckert/49 $770
18. (22) Tommy Kerr/49 $750
19. (23) Jackie Boggs/48 $730
20. (28) Bob Gordon/47 $700
21. (7) Jimmy Owens/43 $700
22. (14) Don O’Neal/43 $700
23. (21) Clint Smith/35 $700
24. (15) Davey Johnson/33 $700
25. (3) Shane Clanton/23 $700
26. (24) Jeff Smith/22 $700
27. (12) Josh McGuire/10 $700
28. (13) Steve Francis/0 $700
NOTE: Clint Smith went to the rear of the field for the start of the A-Main because he ran a backup car
Time of Race: 30 Mins., 37.010 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 2.112 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 6 (Laps 11, 23, 24, 24, 35, 43)
Lap Leaders: Bloomquist (1-50)
Point Standings as of Oct. 31
1. Darrell Lanigan 5730
2. Josh Richards 5174
3. Steve Francis 5546
3. Shane Clanton 5546
5. Chub Frank 5488
6. Shannon Babb 5432
7. Rick Eckert 5396
8. Clint Smith 5356
9. Tim Fuller 5203
10. Vic Coffey 4477
11. John Blankenship 4013
12. Joe Isabell 3765
13. Sean Beardsley 3070
14. Tim McCreadie 2860
15. Danny Johnson 2337
-end-
Owens, McDowell Share Fast-Time Honors As VAULT World Finals Kicks Off Thursday Night With 78-Car Late Model Field
CONCORD, NC – Oct. 30, 2008 – Southern stars Jimmy Owens and Dale McDowell shared the spotlight on Thursday night, grabbing fast-time honors in the two rounds of World of Outlaws Late Model Series time trials that opened the second annual VAULT World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
A field of 78 dirt Late Models jammed the pit area for the blockbuster doubleheader, which also attracted 47 machines for the companion Advance Auto Parts Sprint Car Series meet.
Owens, 36, of Newport, Tenn., controlled the first round of time trials, roaring around the four-tenths-mile oval in 14.825 seconds to earn his first WoO LMS fast-time honor of 2008. The performance behind the wheel of Mike Reece’s Bloomquist Chassis car gained him the pole position starting spot for the first VAULT World Finals heat race on Friday night.
McDowell, 42, of Chickamauga, Ga., denied Owens a sweep of the qualifying night, topping the second round of time trials with a lap of 14.832 seconds. The former WoO LMS regular will start Sanford Goddard’s Warrior Chassis house car from the pole position in the first heat on Saturday night after nipping Owens, whose lap of 14.945 seconds left him just short of duplicating the double fast-time accomplishment turned in by Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., during last year’s World Finals.
Owens’s powerful evening helped him erase memories of a frustrating outing in the previous night’s WoO LMS Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown. After his primary car was sidelined by terminal engine problems during heat action, Owens jumped in his backup machine to start the 50-lap A-Main thanks to a fast-time provisional but was the first retiree.
McDowell, meanwhile, was strong for the second consecutive night. He backed up a third-place finish in the Showdown and appears primed to chase his first WoO LMS victory since Sept. 23, 2005, at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, Ky.
Thursday’s first round of time trials set the lineups for Friday night’s heats, while the second round of qualifying was used to align Saturday night’s heats.
WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., earned a pole position starting spot in a Friday-night heat and an outside-pole start in a Saturday-night prelim with his steady qualifying laps of fifth and eighth. He will clinch his first career WoO LMS championship by starting Friday night’s 50-lap A-Main.
Thursday night’s program concluded with the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ dashes – a series of nine match races among the top-five drivers in the WoO LMS points standings and five of the fastest qualifiers from the evening. The winner of each lap-and-a-half dash earned $300 and had the opportunity to select his next opponent, building the drama to a final two-and-a-half-lap ‘championship’ race that was captured by Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.
Lanigan made a bid to sweep the dashes, ripping off five straight wins by defeating in succession Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., McDowell, Josh McGuire of Grayson, Ky., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga. But Lanigan’s run ended with $1,500 in earnings after Owens knocked him off in Round 6.
Owens pocketed only one $300 win before falling in Round 7 to O’Neal, who proceeded to defeat Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., in Round 8 and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., in the extended-distance finale. O’Neal earned a total of $1,600 for his efforts in the Rattliff Motorsports mount.
O’Neal is scheduled to start from the pole position in heat action on both Friday and Saturday night. His time was second-fastest in the first round and third-fastest in the second round.
“Hopefully we can start off the heat race tomorrow night better than we did last year,” said O’Neal, recalling the wild flip during last year’s Friday-night World Finals heat competition that left him with a weekend-ending concussion.
The Integra Shocks ‘Crew Chief Challenge’ scheduled for the end of Thursday night’s program was canceled due to the falling temperatures. The competition will be rescheduled to take place during February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
The VAULT World Finals continue on Friday and Saturday, with hot laps scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and racing set to take the green flag at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday night’s VAULT World Finals program will be televised live by the SPEED cable network from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, and Friday night’s action will taped for broadcast on SPEED on Sat., Nov. 8, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
For more information, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/ or http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/.
Round 1 Time Trial Results For Fri., Oct. 31 Heat Races (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 14.825
2. 71-Don O’Neal/Martinsville, IN 14.943
3. 44P-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 14.954
4. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.054
5. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.059
6. 41-Josh McGuire/Grayson, KY 15.075
7. 7M-Matt Miller/Waterville, OH 15.080
8. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.096
9. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.098
10. 44M-Chris Madden/Gaffney, SC 15.115
11. 1G-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 15.137
12. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 15.165
13. 30-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 15.179
14. 99-Donnie Moran/Dresden, OH 15.215
15. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 15.216
16. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 15.247
17. 45-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 15.259
18. 75-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 15.261
19. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.290
20. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 15.297
21. 17d-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA 15.307
22. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 15.311
23. 6W-Ricky Weeks/Rutherfordton, NC 15.327
24. 12B-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 15.328
25. s9-Dan Schlieper/Sullivan, WI 15.369
26. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.380
27. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.390
28. 20R-Chad Ruhlman/Beemus Point, NY 15.412
29. 2J-Jeff Rine/Danville, PA 15.423
30. 3A-Austin Dillon/Welcome, NC 15.447
31. 5E-Michael England/Glasgow, KY 15.452
32. 15d-Dean Bowen/Whiteville, NC 15.453
33. 5R-Justin Rattliff/Campbellsville, KY 15.466
34. 00K-Randy Korte/Highland, IL 15.472
35. 18M-Jeff Smith/Gastonia, NC 15.482
36. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.494
37. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 15.513
38. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 15.514
39. 44L-Justin Labonte/Trinity, NC 15.526
40. 22F-Chris Ferguson/Mount Holly, NC 15.527
41. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.557
42. 17A-Tim Allen/Kannapolis, NC 15.558
43. 18E-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 15.568
44. 1c-Wayne Chinn/Tipp City, OH 15.582
45. 6T-Tim Dohm/Cross Lanes, WV 15.592
46. 11-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 15.594
47. E1-Mike Balzano/Parkersburg, WV 15.595
48. 54-G.R. Smith/Cornelius, NC 15.636
49. 32c-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 15.637
50. 4T-Tommy Kerr/Maryville, TN 15.639
51. 3c-Chesley Dixon/Swainsboro, GA 15.654
52. 5J-Eric Jacobsen/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 15.655
53. 11H-Jackie Boggs/Grayson, KY 15.658
54. 20J-Jerry Bowersock/Wapakoneta, OH 15.698
55. 53-Ray Cook/Brasstown, NC 15.699
56. 22G-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 15.701
57. H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA 15.702
58. 00H-Chuck Harper/Beverly, WV 15.724
59. 7J-Jeff Isabell Sr./Pennellville, NY 15.730
60. 9K-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 15.772
61. A1-Duke Whiseant/Texarkana, AR 15.836
62. 16c-Curt Spalding/Hartford, MI 15.912
63. 4F-Jeremy Faircloth/Swainsboro, GA 15.954
64. 16-Tony Izzo Jr./Yutica, IL 16.072
65. 22J-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 16.179
66. L8-Norman Short Jr./Georgetown, DE 16.221
67. 18W-Rick Whaley/Millsboro, DE 16.326
68. 17J-John Winge/Riggold, GA 16.333
69. 57-Wes Burton/Kannapolis, NC 16.576
70. s2-Bruce Hall/North Wilkesboro, NC 16.652
71. 7JR-Jeff Isabell Jr./Pennellville, NY 16.672
72. 00M-Rob McLaughlin/Stanley, NC 16.744
73. 0H-Lewis Hudson II/Waynesboro, VA 17.885
74. 27F-Ben Faircloth/Swainsboro, GA N/T
75. 31-Bob Gordon/Keyser, WV N/T
76. 32r-Jim Rasey/Southington, OH N/T
77. 27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY 15.291 (DQ – light)
78. 6J-Joe Isabell/Pennellville, NY 16.019 (DQ – light)
Round 2 Time Trial Results For Sat., Nov. 1 Heat Races (Position/No./Driver//Best Lap):
1. Dale McDowell 14.832
2. Jimmy Owens 14.945
3. Don O’Neal 15.045
4. Davey Johnson 15.091
5. Shannon Babb 15.095
6. Shane Clanton 15.101
7. Donnie Moran 15.109
8. Darrell Lanigan 15.127
9. Chris Madden 15.149
10. Tim Fuller 15.163
11. Tim McCreadie 15.169
12. Tony Izzo Jr. 15.187
13. Danny Johnson 15.219
14. Josh Richards 15.221
15. Chub Frank 15.261
16. Steve Shaver 15.265
17. Dan Schlieper 15.270
18. Matt Miller 15.280
19. Josh McGuire 15.292
20. Steve Francis 15.301
21. Mike Balzano 15.306
22. Michael England 15.323
23. Ricky Weeks 15.333
24. Jonathan Davenport 15.342
25. Vic Coffey 15.350
26. Rick Eckert 15.380
27. Ricky Elliott 15.387
28. G.R. Smith 15.395
29. Jeremy Miller 15.437
30. Earl Pearson Jr.15.448
31. Eric Jacobsen 15.461
32. Eric Wells 15.468
33. Jared Miley 15.473
34. Clint Smith 15.475
35. Scott Bloomquist 15.497
36. Dan Stone 15.499
37. Jeff Rine 15.508
38. Tommy Kerr 15.541
39. Jeff Smith 15.575
40. Tim Allen 15.590
41. Eddie Carrier Jr. 15.604
42. Chad Ruhlman 15.609
43. Austin Hubbard 15.630
44. Ray Cook 15.641
45. Mike Knight 15.643
46. Austin Dillon 15.694
47. Justin Rattliff 15.715
48. Jeff Isabell Sr. 15.737
49. Chuck Harper 15.743
50. Jerry Bowersock 15.765
51. Chris Ferguson 15.768
52. Duke Whiseant 15.770
53. Jackie Boggs 15.791
54. Wayne Chinn 15.794
55. Jordan Bland 15.795
56. Jeremy Faircloth 15.830
57. Jeep VanWormer 15.836
58. Curt Spalding 15.902
59. Brian Shirley 15.905
60. Dean Bowen 15.929
61. Wes Burton 15.941
62. Randy Korte 15.966
63. Justin Labonte 15.999
64. Chesley Dixon 16.009
65. Rick Whaley 16.047
66. Joe Isabell 16.208
67. Jeff Isabell Jr. 16.241
68. Jill George 16.339
69. John Winge 16.351
70. Norman Short Jr. 16.666
71. Bruce Hall N/T
72. Tim Dohm N/T
73. Ben Faircloth N/T
74. Bob Gordon N/T
75. Lewis Hudson N/T
76. Gregg Satterlee 15.641 (DQ – light)
Results of ‘Breaking the VAULT’ Match Races:
Round 1: Darrell Lanigan ($300) defeats Chub Frank
Round 2: Lanigan ($300) defeats Dale McDowell
Round 3: Lanigan ($300) defeats Josh McGuire
Round 4: Lanigan ($300) defeats Steve Francis
Round 5: Lanigan ($300) defeats Shane Clanton
Round 6: Jimmy Owens ($300) defeats Lanigan
Round 7: Don O’Neal ($300) defeats Owens
Round 8: O’Neal ($300) defeats Earl Pearson Jr.
Round 9: O’Neal ($1,000) defeats Josh Richards
-end-
Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series Season Finale On Saturday Night (Nov. 1) Serves As Championship Coronation For Lonnie Parker Jr.
TUCSON, AZ – Oct. 30, 2008 – Lonnie Parker Jr. has already clinched an unprecedented fifth consecutive Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series championship.
So that means the 32-year-old star from El Mirage, Ariz., will have nothing less than victory on his mind when the region’s premier dirt Late Model tour closes its 2008 season this Saturday night (Nov. 1) at USA Raceway in Tucson.
There’s no points concerns for Parker, who will receive his title coronation while completing one of the most dominant campaigns in SWDLMS history at the three-eighths-mile oval. He’s captured eight of the 11 features contested this season.
A second-generation racer whose father, Lonnie Sr., is ranked eighth in the SWDLMS points standings, Parker enters Saturday’s action riding a two-race win streak. His last triumph came on Sept. 27 at USA Raceway, putting him in position to register a sweep of the four SWDLMS events held at the track this season.
Hoping to short-circuit Parker’s bid for a season-ending victory will be Mark Fowler of Peoria, Ariz., who has secured a second-place finish in the SWDLMS points standings but is winless on the 2008 tour.
Plenty of attention will also be focused on local favorite Brad Williams of Tucson, who will once again have a large contingent of family members and friends in the stands at USA Raceway. A third-place finisher in the Sept. 27 tour event at USA Raceway, Williams scored his lone SWDLMS victory this season at Prescott Valley (Ariz.) Raceway.
Williams will battle for a third-place finish in the SWDLMS points standings. He sits fourth in the rankings, just two points behind third-place Mark Tahtinen of Casa Grande, Ariz., and nine points ahead of fifth-place Tommy Hussak III of Picacho, Ariz.
USA Raceway’s gates are scheduled to open at 5 p.m. and racing is set to get the green flag at 6:30 p.m. Adult general admission is $12, with senior, military and junior (ages 12-16) tickets priced at $9 and children 11-and-under admitted free.
USA Raceway is located east of Tucson off I-10 Exit 265, then south on Alvernon to Los Reales, then turn left to the track. Fans should follow the signs furnished by Speedy Striping.
For more information on USA Race Park, visit http://www.usadirttrack.com/ or call 520-574-8515.
Info on the Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series can be obtained by logging on to http://www.swdra.com/, and additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at http://www.dirtcar.com/.
Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings (as of Sept. 27):
1. Lonnie Parker Jr. 608
2. Mark Fowler 477
3. Mike Tahtinen 382
4. Brad Williams 380
5. Tommy Hussak III 371
6. Jerry Fincher 355
7. Joey Moriarty 341
8. Lonnie Parker Sr. 278
9. Randy Carder 215
10. Wes Hall 204
11. Wayne Noyes 189
12. Randy Anderson 175
13. Andy Rudy 156
14. Mike Brigner 151
15. Keith McKinney 132
-end-
Madden Turns Back Babb’s Last-Lap Bid To Register $16,150 Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown Victory At The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway
CONCORD, NC – Oct. 29, 2008 – Chris Madden thought he could cruise to victory in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
The standout driver from Gaffney, S.C., ended up in a dramatic, down-to-wire dogfight instead.
After seeing his once-commanding lead in the 50-lap A-Main wiped out by several late caution flags, Madden had to hold off a stirring challenge from Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., to capture the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event run ‘topless’ – or more specifically, without roofs on the cars.
Madden, 33, beat Babb to the finish line by a scant 0.077 of a second and pocketed $16,150, including a $6,000 ‘passing’ bonus for winning from the sixth starting spot.
It was both Madden’s fourth career win on the WoO LMS and at The Dirt Track, which drew a massive 81-car field for the mid-week ‘topless’ special that was postponed by rain on its original Oct. 8 date.
Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who started seventh, finished third in Sanford Goddard’s Warrior house car after racing in second place from lap 21 until Babb glided by on a lap-43 restart. It was the former tour regular’s second top-five finish in three 2008 WoO LMS A-Main starts.
Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., advanced from the 12th starting spot to place fourth in his Team Zero machine, while Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., made a steady march forward from the 21st starting spot to complete the top five in the RSD Enterprises Rocket.
Madden, who started sixth but was in the lead for good by lap five after overtaking early pacesetter Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., built a full straightaway edge during a green-flag stretch from laps 4-28. But five of the race’s six caution flags flew between laps 28 and 43, dulling Madden’s momentum and allowing Babb to mount a last-ditch bid.
“All those cautions killed us,” said Madden, who drove his familiar Clements-powered Bloomquist car. “I was hoping it was gonna stay green so we could keep our comfort zone. We had really gotten away from everyone – at one point I could even see Babb (on the same straightaway).
“But those double-file restarts (in place for the entire distance by event rules) just kept bunching us up.”
Madden soon found himself with company on his rear bumper in the form of Babb, who came alive after the halfway point. Babb, who started 14th in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rocket car, blasted around the outside of the four-tenths-mile oval on a lap-42 restart to skip from fifth to third, and then he passed McDowell for second on another restart one circuit later.
“When I saw (Babb’s) number up on the (score) board, I knew he was gonna be up on the top (lane) and hammer-down,” said Madden. “The racetrack was good and wide, and I knew if he running up there it was gonna be a good race.”
The close of the race was almost too good for Madden’s liking.
On the final lap Babb charged inside of Madden exiting turn four and the two drivers raced side-by-side to the checkered flag. Madden crossed the finish line with a miniscule margin of victory while dodging the slowing car driven by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was limping down the homestretch due to a dead battery.
“The last lap was awesome,” said Madden, whose last WoO LMS victory came on Aug. 23, 2007, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. “I went into (turn) three and chose to run the middle of the racetrack. I was gonna come off on the top side because I knew (Babb) would be up there, so I thought I’d be able to take his line away off the corner.
“But when I went through there, there sat Chub. I didn’t know what he was doing, so I had to turn back left and that made me crack the throttle. I guess when I did that, Shannon turned left and come up under me, and then I turned left and we touched a little.
“I was looking dead out the door at (Babb) as we went down the homestretch,” he continued. “Then, just before the starter’s stand, I cranked the car to avoid (Chub). I know there wasn’t a foot on both sides of me. It was tight quarters, but we made it.”
Babb, 34, saw his hopes of winning the Showdown for the second consecutive year fall short in heartbreaking fashion. He also lost a chance at a $24,000 payday, since the race’s unique bonus system – if pre-entered by Sept. 13, the winner was eligible to receive a bonus equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position – would have added $14,000 to the base first-place purse of $10,000.
“If we would’ve made a zig and a zag at the right time, we would’ve been alright,” said Babb. “But I can’t really complain. We had a few lucky breaks to get us up there, like having the cautions come out to stick me where I needed to be.
“We were a long way back there at one time, so we made up a lot of ground. There just weren’t enough laps.”
Babb earned a hearty cheer from the Showdown’s chilled crowd for his effort.
“Madden was gonna be tough to beat no matter what – he’s good here,” said Babb. “But when we went into (turns) three and four the last time, he made a good corner but I ran right up on him, so I thought, ‘Man, maybe we are gonna beat him at the line here.’
“I think we were both leaning forward in our seats trying to get to the (finish) line.”
Madden’s victory continued his run of success at The Dirt Track, where he’s now tied with his mentor Bloomquist as the facility’s alltime winningest dirt Late Model driver.
“This racetrack suits me,” said Madden, who became the 20th different winner on the 2008 WoO LMS. “I love the big high-speed, momentum deal here. If we haven’t broke or gotten in a wreck, we’ve been in the top five every time we’ve been here.
“We actually shouldn’t have a tie (for the overall win lead) with Scott,” he added with a hint of a smile crossing his lips. “The Colossal (100) should’ve been mine two years ago. That double-file restart stuff cost me that race or we’d be out in front (on the win list).”
Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who lost fifth to Clanton with five laps remaining; Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., who drove the Tracy Seymour No. 17J; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.; and Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, Ky., who steered fellow Kentuckian Michael England’s second Bloomquist Chassis car.
The 21-year-old Knight had a memorable night in his first career visit to The Dirt Track. He received recognition during the program for winning the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star on-line contest, and his ninth-place finish earned him the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.
The fact that the Showdown offered only WoO LMS show-up points was a break for several tour regulars. Five of the race’s six caution flags were brought out by drivers who chase the series.
Points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., suffered just his second DNF in 41 A-Mains this season, slowing with a rare engine failure while running third on lap 34. He is in line to clinch his first career WoO LMS championship, however, by simply starting Friday night’s VAULT World Finals A-Main.
Other WoO LMS steadies who experienced caution-causing problems were Fuller (flat tire on lap 28), Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (lap 40), Frank (flat on lap 42) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (a turn-four spin on lap 43 after a scrape with Richards while battling for fifth).
Richards was quickest in time trials, earning his series-leading fifth fast-time honor of 2008 with a lap of 14.955 seconds.
Heat winners were Davey Johnson, Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., Lanigan, Bloomquist, McDowell and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C., Frank and Clanton.
Four NASCAR drivers – Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader, David Gilliland and Jason Leffler – climbed behind the wheel of dirt Late Models for the Showdown. Schrader, who fields his own dirt Late Model in many events every season, was the only stock-car standout to qualify for the A-Main, finishing 12th.
Gilliland, who drove his own Rayburn car, and Leffler, who made a surprise appearance in the No. 23 normally campaigned by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., did not challenge for transfer spots in a heat or B-Main.
Newman, meanwhile, escaped injury when he rode out a wild flip on the opening lap of the first B-Main. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner’s Steve Francis-prepared Alltel No. 12 was sent airborne at the end of the backstretch in a chain-reaction scramble after Chas Shellenberger of Winfield, Pa., slammed the turn-two wall.
The four-day festival of speed at The Dirt Track continues on Thursday (Oct. 30) with the opening night of the VAULT World Finals, which pairs the WoO LMS with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in a spectacular doubleheader.
Thursday’s program features two rounds of time trials for both divisions – one to set the heat lineups for Friday’s action, one to align Saturday’s heats – plus the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ match-race dashes and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for Late Model teams.
Complete programs of heats, B-Mains and A-Mains will highlight the cards on Fri., Oct. 31, and Sat., Nov. 1. The WoO LMS standouts will chase a first-place prize of $10,000 in each evening’s 50-lap A-Main.
Saturday’s competition will be aired live on the SPEED cable network starting at 8 p.m. ET, while Friday’s action will be taped for telecast by SPEED on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET.
VAULT World Finals ticket information is available by calling 1-800-455- 3267 or visiting http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/.
Results of WoO Late Model Series Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (6) Chris Madden/50 $16,150
2. (14) Shannon Babb/50 $5,200
3. (7) Dale McDowell/50 $3,000
4. (12) Scott Bloomquist/50 $2,500
5. (21) Shane Clanton/50 $2,000
6. (8) Josh Richards/50 $1,700
7. (3) Davey Johnson/50 $1,400
8. (10) Clint Smith/50 $1,300
9. (15) Mike Knight/50 $1,700
10. (11) Justin Rattliff/50 $1,100
11. (18) Rick Eckert/50 $1,050
12. (13) Ken Schrader/50 $1,000
13. (20) Chub Frank/50 $950
14. (23) Dan Schlieper/49 $900
15. (24) Eddie Carrier Jr./49 $850
16. (26) Joe Isabell/49 $1,050
17. (17) Donnie Moran/45 $770
18. (1) Ricky Elliott/38 $750
19. (25) Vic Coffey/38 $730
20. (19) Ricky Weeks/33 $700
21. (2) Tim Fuller/32 $700
22. (4) Darrell Lanigan/32 $700
23. (5) Jonathan Davenport/28 $700
24. (16) Steve Francis/27 $700
25. (22) Brian Shirley/27 $700
26. (9) Eric Wells/27 $700
27. (27) Tim Allen/27 $700
28. (28) Jimmy Owens/12 $700
Time of Race: 35 Mins., 51.381 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.077 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 6 (Laps 4, 28, 34, 40, 42, 43)
Lap Leaders: Fuller (1-4); Madden (5-50)
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Oct. 29
1. Darrell Lanigan 5602
2. Steve Francis 5452
3. Shane Clanton 5446
4. Josh Richards 5426
5. Chub Frank 5362
6. Shannon Babb 5288
7. Rick Eckert 5280
8. Clint Smith 5252
9. Tim Fuller 5081
10. Vic Coffey 4402
11. John Blankenship 4013
12. Joe Isabell 3690
13. Sean Beardsley 3070
14. Tim McCreadie 2718
-end-
