Darrell Lanigan, seen here from earlier action, scored the World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory at at Merritt Speedway. Photo courtesy WoO Media
LAKE CITY, MI – Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY, topped a back-and-forth battle with Brady Smith of Solon Springs, WI, midway through Saturday’s NAPA Merritt 50 A-Main at Merritt Speedway and pulled away in the closing laps to earn his 13th World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of the season.
The 44-year-old Lanigan, a two-time series champion and current points leader, earned $10,650 for his series-leading 66th career WoO LMS victory and his first triumph at Merritt’s 3/8-mile oval.
“We went a little different (on tire selection) and I knew we would be better on the long run,” said Lanigan, who moved within two victories of his record 15-win mark set in 2012. “I was just biding my time and once my stuff came in it was like a rocket ship.”
Smith settled for second, fading to 4.925 seconds behind Lanigan at the finish, while home-track driver Dona Marcoullier of Haughton Lake, MI, made a late charge to finish third. Former WoO LMS champion Rick Eckert or York, PA, was fourth with Clint Smith of Senoia, GA, who led the first four laps from the outside pole, rounding out the top five in a race slowed by four cautions.
Dropping back to second on the start, the pole sitting Lanigan pressured Clint Smith through the first three laps before pulling ahead on lap four. Lanigan pulled away on three early restarts before 10th-starting Brady Smith reeled him just before lap 15.
Smith first took a look to the outside of Lanigan on the 15th lap, and was alongside the leader the following circuit. The two cars battle side by side over the next four laps before Smith pulled ahead just before the final caution waved with 19 laps complete.
Smith eased away from Lanigan after the restart, but Lanigan was soon making his bid to retake the point. Lanigan took advantage when Smith attempted to drive around a slower car on lap 30, dropping to the inside lane to make a three-wide pass for the lead on the back straightaway.
Once back in command, Lanigan’s Club 29 Race Car drove away from Smith and had only to avoid trouble in traffic to secure the victory. That was no simple task, however, as slower cars ran two and three wide ahead of him. But he skillfully handled the congestion, passing cars two at time on more than one occasion.
“There was a couple times I snuck in there and was like ‘Oh my God this is gonna get tight,’ ” Lanigan said of his run through traffic during the final 20 laps. “But we got enough room to get through and had an unbelievable car.”
Recovering from mechanical issues that forced him out after just one lap of Friday’s WoO LMS A-Main at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI, Brady Smith settled for the runner-up finish in his Big Red Motorsports Rocket Chassis. The solid result marked the 37-year-old standout’s fifth top-five finish in 15 WoO LMS A-Main starts this season.
“He had a little different tire selection than we did,” said Smith, whose highlights in part-time WoO LMS competition this season include a victory during Florida Speedweeks action in February. “Ours was good early, but his was good at the end.
“I was trying to pace myself. We started 10th and I knew we went soft on (right-rear tire). I was trying not to murder the thing early, but I was pretty much the only car running the top of guys in front of me. I just went for it and tried to hold on.”
Up next for the WoO LMS is a Labor Day weekend tripleheader at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA, and Selinsgrove Speedway in PA. Lernerville, the 4/10-mile oval that hosts the Firecracker 100 earlier in the summer, welcomes the tour for a second time this season for the inaugural Working Man 50 Friday, Aug. 29.
WoO LMS competitors move to Selinsgrove the remainder of the holiday weekend for the half-mile oval’s Showdown on Sand Hill on Saturday, Aug. 30 and the Late Model National Open on Sunday, Aug. 31.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit worldofoutlaws.com.
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World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Merritt Speedway – Lake City, MI
NAPA Merritt 50 – Aug. 23, 2014
1. (1) Darrell Lanigan/50 $10,650
2. (10) Brady Smith/50 $5,050
3. (4) Dona Marcoullier/50 $3,500
4. (3) Rick Eckert/50 $3,150
5. (2) Clint Smith/50 $2,600
6. (8) Tim McCreadie/50 $2,300
7. (11) Shane Clanton/50 $1,950
8. (15) Tim Fuller/50 $1,400
9. (7) Morgan Bagley/50 $1,750
10. (9) Ryan VanderVeen/50 $1,200
11. (5) Kris Patterson Jr./49 $1,050
12. (16) Eric Wells/49 $1,550
13. (6) Jeep Van Wormer/49 $950
14. (17) Eric Spangler/49 $1,000
15. (14) Mike Spatola/49 $900
16. (24) Kevin Juusole/49 $800
17. (18) Chub Frank/49 $1,320
18. (13) Chase Junghans/49 $1,500
19. (12) Boom Briggs/49 $1,280
20. (23) Herb Reich/47 $700
21. (22) Jordan Erickson/32 $700
22. (20) Curtis Roberts/22 $700
23. (21) Josh Knoll/19 $700
24. (19) Frank Heckenast Jr./9 $1,250
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