Shane Clanton scored his third World of Outlaws Late Model Series win of the week Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park. Photo courtesy WoO LMS Media
Shane Clanton’s 2014 struggles are no more than a distant memory.
Continuing his 180-degree transformation from a season ago, Clanton, 39, of Zebulon, GA, outdueled Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, GA, late in Friday’s DIRTcar Nationals main event at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL to earn his third World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory of the season. Clanton’s triumph marked his third of the week at Volusia’s 44th annual DIRTcar Nationals as he stretched his lead in the WoO LMS standings to 82 points.
“God dog this feels good,” said Clanton, who has a perfect six top-five finishes in six WoO LMS events this season. “Hats off to (car builder) Marshall Green and (car owner) Ron Davies and everyone that helps on this program. It’s been a long road. Hopefully we can keep on this road because we’re loving it.”
Clanton earned $10,100 in steering his Weldbank Energy-sponsored Capital Race Car to victory lane for the second straight night at Volusia’s half-mile oval. He took the checkereds 1.479 seconds ahead of McDowell’s Team Dillon Racing Warrior. Chub Frank of Bear Lake, PA, continued his resurgence with a third-place finish, while former WoO LMS champions Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN, and Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR, rounded out the top five.
Friday’s victory didn’t come nearly as easy as Clanton’s dominating performance on Thursday night. Starting from pole, Clanton cruised through the early portions of the 50-lap race before the first caution with 21 laps complete erased his massive half-track lead.
The seventh-starting McDowell took advantage of the restart to grab second from Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY, and quickly moved to challenge Clanton for the lead. After chasing Clanton for 10 laps, McDowell completed the pass on lap 31 when Clanton jumped the turn-four cushion.
As McDowell pulled away, Clanton lost second to Frank and was in danger of dropping ever farther back before the second of the race’s two cautions gave him a much-needed respite on lap 36.
The break in the action was just what Clanton needed to get his No. 25 machine back in gear. He quickly cleared Frank for second on the restart and after a side-by-side battle with McDowell, completed a high-side pass to regain the lead on lap 38.
“Dale made me get up on the wheel,” Clanton said of the battle with his fellow Peach State driver. “I was driving too hard and sealed the right-rear tire. Luckily that caution came out and let me cool it off and get the edges back cool so it would go again.”
McDowell fell just short of claiming his first WoO LMS victory since 2005, but his runner-up effort continued a solid week at Volusia for the 48-year-old former series regular.
“The caution killed us,” said McDowell, who enters Saturday’s DIRTcar Nationals finale with a pair of runner-up finishes and a sixth-place result in the three events he’s entered so far this week. “It kinda dirtied up his groove up top when we ran that long green. Under the caution, it packed it back down. I knew where he was going, but I was a little too tight to go up there.
“We’re happy with a top three a couple of times already. We’ll work on it a little bit more for tomorrow night and see if we can go one spot better.”
The third-place finish continues Frank’s string of improved performances since switching to a Longhorn Chassis at the start of the season. Looking to end a more than five-year WoO LMS winless streak, the 52-year-old series veteran is pleased with the performance of his new car.
“This car’s been really good,” Frank said. “We ran third over at Ocala and ran some top fives and stuff. We’re real happy with the car and the way things are gelling. We just gotta keep it going.”
Lanigan, the three-time and defending WoO LMS champion, slid back to sixth at the finish after charging from his ninth starting spot all the way to second in just six laps. Eric Wells of Hazard, KY, logged his best WoO LMS finish of the season with a seventh-place effort, while Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, IL, advanced from 22nd to eighth. Former WoO LMS champion Rick Eckert of York, PA, finished ninth with three-time series titlist Josh Richards of Shinnston, WV, taking 10th.
The race was slowed on just two occasions with the first yellow flag appearing when Chase Junghans of Manhattan, KS, slowed on lap 21. Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA, caused the second caution when he slowed from the fourth position with damage to the right front of his race car.
Rick Laubach topped the field for the win in Friday night’s Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified A-Main. Photo courtesy Dirtcar Nationals Media
In other action, Rick Laubach secured the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series feature win earlier in the evening.
Laubach started the night by riding around the rim and holding off Stewart Friesen to capture the 30-lap main event. Larry Wight, who had been sent to the rear after early contact with Billy Pauch, charged all the way back through the 26-car field to finish third. The win was Laubach’s first at DIRTcar Nationals since 2013.
“With three to go I saw Friesen underneath me and I thought, ‘Son of a gun, these guys never give up,'” said Laubach, of Quakertown, PA. “I just had to be on the top side, and it didn’t hurt starting on the pole even though we started second Thursday night and went backwards. I’m just thankful to be here. The last time we were here my boy was asleep in the truck and now he’s got another Gator trophy.”
The DIRTcar Nationals concludes on Saturday with another $10,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. Saturday’s slate features a complete program of time trials, heat races, Last-Chance Showdowns and the 50-lap main event. The Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds will also contest a complete program. More information is available at DIRTcarNationals.com.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.
(DIRTCar Nationals Event PR contributed to the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified portion of this story.)
DIRTcar Nationals
Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL
Race Results – Feb. 20, 2015
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
1. (1) Shane Clanton/50 $10,100
2. (7) Dale McDowell/50 $5,000
3. (6) Chub Frank/50 $3,050
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5. (10) Billy Moyer/50 $2,150
6. (9) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,850
7. (4) Eric Wells/50 $1,450
8. (22) Brandon Sheppard/50 $1,300
9. (19) Rick Eckert/50 $1,450
10. (11) Josh Richards/50 $1,250
11. (21) Morgan Bagley/50 $1,100
12. (3) Ricky Weiss/50 $1,550
13. (13) Jimmy Owens/50 $950
14. (26) Tim McCreadie/50 $1,150
15. (24) Ivedent Lloyd Jr./49 $900
16. (12) Mason Zeigler/48 $1,050
17. (27) Chase Junghans/48 $160
18. (25) Frank Heckenast Jr./48 $800
19. (26) Boom Briggs/47 $160
20. (18) Brandon Overton/45 $700
21. (5) Jonathan Davenport/36 $700
22. (23) Earl Pearson Jr./34 $700
23. (17) Don O’Neal/20 $700
24. (15) Kenny Pettyjohn/20 $700
25. (16) Casey Roberts/14 $725
26. (14) Jared Landers/13 $700
27. (8) Walker Arthur/13 $700
28. (20) Kent Robinson/11 $700
Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Series
1. Rick Laubach
2. Stewart Friesen
3. Larry Wight
4. Matt Sheppard
5. Mat Williamson
6. Jimmy Phelps
7. Neal Williams
8. Tim Fuller
9. Peter Britten
10. Vic Coffey
11. Billy Pauch
12. Mario Clair
13. Tyler Dippel
14. Dale Planck
15. Steve Bernard
16. Brett Hearn
17. Yan Bussiere
18. Erick Rudolph
19. Justin Haers
20. Jeff Heotzler
21. Tyler Siri
22. Randy Chrysler
23. Jamie Mills
24. Jeremy Wilder
25. Danny Johnson
26. Darwin Greene
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