Brady Smith held off Brandon Sheppard for the win and a $7,000 payday in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener at Bubba Raceway Park Friday night. Photo by Photos By Schnarzy
Brady Smith loves his new car.
After steering the three-race-old machine to a wire-to-wire victory in Friday night’s caution-free 35-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL, Smith’s decision to join the Rocket Chassis fold in 2014 was vindicated.
“We just couldn’t be happier with the support we’ve been getting (from Rocket Chassis),” Smith said after capturing the milestone 400th WoO LMS A-Main contested since the national tour was reborn in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. “All those guys over there – (Steve) Baker, Mark (Richards), Cody (Duncan), Matt (Barnes), Josh (Richards) – have been just so helpful. I couldn’t be happier with the effort they’ve been giving me to help us get going here.”
Smith, 36, of Solon Springs, WI, took off from his pole position starting spot and led the entire distance in his Vic Hill-powered car, but his $7,050 triumph in the first of three Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals events didn’t come easy. He had to hold off a furious late-race challenge from Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, IL – the substitute driver of Mark Richards’s Rocket Chassis house car while reigning WoO LMS champ Josh Richards is sidelined by undisclosed medical issues – to secure his fifth career win on the WoO LMS.
The 21-year-old Sheppard’s last-lap bid fell short by 0.367 of a second as he settled for runner-up money. Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY, finished about one second behind Sheppard in third driving his new self-designed Club 29 car. Rick Eckert of York, PA, burst forward from the 12th starting spot to fourth place in 11 laps and stayed there to the finish in his Bloomquist car, while seventh-starter Tim Fuller of Watertown, NY, completed the top five in his Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car.
In a non-stop race that was completed in a mere 9 minutes, 28.214 seconds, Smith found himself dealing with heavy lapped traffic throughout the closing stages. Never far behind was Sheppard, who started fourth and reached second with a lap-10 pass of Lanigan.
Sheppard repeatedly slid underneath Smith in the corners of the egg-shaped, three-eighths-mile oval over the final 10 laps, but Smith made the correct moves to hang on for his first WoO LMS checkered flag since Aug. 20, 2011, at Merritt Speedway in Lake City, MI.
“The lapped traffic was somewhat hellacious tonight so we had our hands full out there,” said Smith, whose best finish in four previous WoO LMS starts at BRP was a seventh on Feb. 16, 2013. “I was just trying to do the best I could without roughing anybody up too bad and still keep my pace up.
“I saw that blue nose (of Sheppard’s car) poked under me a couple times but just got back up on the wheel and tried to finish the job.”
Smith smiled broadly through a bushy winter’s beard while celebrating with family and friends during the post-race ceremonies. An annual competitor in Florida dirt Late Model Speedweeks events since 2005, Smith was triumphant during the February stretch of action for the first time since Feb. 13, 2010, at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL.
“I’m extremely happy to be here in victory lane,” said Smith. “I’ve got almost all my best supporters here – my family (wife Jenni and young children Travis and Rowan), a couple of my great sponsors (Michaletz Trucking and Jim Gummerson from Mid-States Equipment Inc.). This means a lot.”
Sheppard, meanwhile, graciously accepted his solid second-place finish.
“The lapped traffic was just tough,” said Sheppard, who registered a career-best WoO LMS finish in the state of Florida. “Every time I’d get up there to (Smith), get close to him, we’d always catch up to lapped traffic. Every batch of lapped traffic we got to was two-wide, so it was hard to do anything with him.”
Shane Clanton of Zebulon, GA, improved four positions to finish sixth in his first WoO LMS start driving a car fielded by his father-in-law Ron Davies while Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN, was seventh and earned the $500 WoO LMS Bonus Bucks for being the highest-finished non-touring regular who has never won a series event. Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. of Ocala, FL, placed eighth at his hometown track; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, advanced from the 20 th starting spot to finish ninth; and possible WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Frankie Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, IL, rounded out the top five.
Sheppard topped the evening’s 27-car field in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 14.872 seconds. It was his second career WoO LMS fast-time honor.
Heat winners were Sheppard, Brandon Overton of Appleton, GA, and Brady Smith. Morgan Bagley of Tyler, Texas, captured the B-Main.
The Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals continue with a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event on Saturday night (Feb. 15) and a 60-lap finale paying $12,000 to win on Sunday evening (Feb. 16).
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For more information on the WoO LMS, visit worldofoutlaws.com.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Bubba Raceway Park – Ocala, FL
Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals – Feb. 14, 2014
1. (1) Brady Smith/35 $7,050
2. (4) Brandon Sheppard/35 $3,500
3. (3) Darrell Lanigan/35 $2,650
4. (12) Rick Eckert/35 $2,400
5. (7) Tim Fuller/35 $2,050
6. (10) Shane Clanton/35 $1,650
7. (9) Mike Marlar/35 $1,900
8. (15) Ivedent Lloyd Jr./35 $1,300
9. (20) Tim McCreadie/35 $1,450
10. (18) Frankie Heckenast Jr./35 $1,050
11. (5) Brandon Overton/35 $950
12. (6) Eric Wells/35 $950
13. (13) Chase Junghans/34 $800
14. (11) Chub Frank/34 $850
15. (14) Jack Sullivan/34 $700
16. (19) Morgan Bagley/34 $680
17. (17) Clint Smith/34 $660
18. (16) Dalton Myers/34 $640
19. (21) Raymond Merrill/34 $620
20. (23) Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/33 $600
21. (22) Casey Roberts/17 $600
22. (8) Austin Kirkpatrick/14 $600
23. (2) Mark Whitener/13 $700
24. (24) John Winge/3 $625
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