Dennis Erb, Jr. came away with the WoO Late Model Series vicory in the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park Thursday night. Photo courtesy WoO Late Model Series
Dennis Erb, Jr. of Carpentersville, IL, tamed a demanding track to capture Thursday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL.
The 39-year-old DIRTcar UMP veteran overtook WoO LMS standout Chub Frank of Bear Lake, PA, for the lead on lap 28 and never looked back in the national tour’s first event of the 41st annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals. He pocketed $10,000 for his first-ever triumph at the half-mile oval outside Daytona Beach.
It was Erb’s third career win on the WoO LMS. Both of his previous victories came in a one-week span of May 2007.
“This is a big win for us,” said Erb. “The car’s been working real good the last couple nights and to get here in victory lane at Volusia for the first time really makes me excited.”
Scott Bloomquist, of Mooresburg, TN, who swept last year’s pair of WoO LMS A-Mains run during the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals, passed Frank on lap 48 and went on to finish second. He crossed the finish line 1.935 seconds behind Erb.
Frank, who raced off the outside pole starting spot to lead laps 1-27, settled for a third-place finish. Steve Francis of Ashland, KY, started and finished fourth, and Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN, advanced from the 11th starting spot to place fifth.
Erb, who started from the pole position but was outgunned for the top spot by Frank at the race’s initial green flag, chased the 50-year-old WoO LMS regular through six caution flags and one red flag before finally making his winning move. He ducked underneath Frank exiting turn two and was in front for good as lap 28 was scored.
“We were just sitting back there trying to get a run on him,” Erb said of Frank. “We were looking for the right time to get by him. We were able to get up underneath him, and then after that I knew it was gonna be pretty tough to beat us because we had a pretty good car.”
Erb, who preceded his victory with finishes of second (Monday) and fifth (Tuesday) in DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned 30-lappers at Volusia, built a straightaway-plus advantage before the field was tightened on lap 47 by the the race’s seventh and final caution flag. Frank was unable to offer a challenge on the restart and ultimately lost second to Bloomquist on lap 48.
“I couldn’t get through (turns) one and two,” said Frank, who is winless on the WoO LMS since Aug. 22, 2009 (a span of 87 races). “I was horrible unless I hit it just right. I was trying to cut across the bottom, but it would just wash out because I was too tight.
“We’re tickled though. I wanna win, but we’ll take a top three at this place for the points.”
Bloomquist spent most of the distance running in third place. He reached the spot on lap 18 after starting sixth.
“We tightened our car up – and even though it wasn’t much, it was just too much,” said Bloomquist. “I just thought the couple adjustments I made would be alright, but it was just miserable tight.
“Considering that, I’m happy for Dennis to win, and I’m happy to run second.”
With heavy, extremely fast track conditions prevailing after a rainout of Wednesday’s UMP-sanctioned program and several showers through early afternoon on Thursday, the race proved tough on equipment.
The event was just three laps old when a multi-car accident in turn four swept up Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, WS, Tim Fuller of Watertown, NY, Vic Coffey of Caledonia, NY, and John Lobb of Frewsburg, NY Fuller and Mars were eliminated from competition.
The A-Main’s most significant incident occurred on lap nine. Mid-pack jostling caused a pileup that saw defending DIRTcar UMP national champion Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, IL, roll onto his roof. Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR, Tyler Reddick of Corning, CA, and Frankie Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, IL, were also involved in the tangle.
Unzicker climbed out of his car and gingerly walked to the ambulance for a check-up.
Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, GA, moved from the 16th starting spot to sixth at the finish. Defending WoO LMS champ Rick Eckert of York, PA, was seventh after using a provisional to start 25th because a last-lap heat-race tangle with the lapped car driven by St. Charles, MO’s Mike Hammerle knocked him from a transfer spot. Josh Richards of Shinnston, WV, was eighth, WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY, finished a quiet ninth and Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, GA, faded to 10th at the finish after climbing as high as third.
Richards, who started 10th, got as high as third and was still running fifth when he brought out the race’s last caution flag on lap 47. He slowed because he had used all his helmet tear-offs and could barely see through his mud-caked shield. He made a quick pit stop to change a flat right-rear tire, which was cut by a hit he absorbed as he slowed, and exchange his helmet.
Seventy-nine cars were signed in for the event – the biggest dirt Late Model field of the 2012 UNOH DIRTcar Nationals.
Clanton registered the quickest lap in time trials, blazing around the tacky surface in 15.446 seconds. It was his 15th career fast-time honor on the WoO LMS but first since 2010.
Heat winners were Erb, Moyer, Chub Frank, Bloomquist, Francis and Jason Feger of Bloomington, IL. The B-Mains were captured by John Blankenship of Williamson, WV, Dennis ‘Rambo’ Franklin of Gaffney, SC, and Mars.
Three dirt Late Model events remain on the schedule of the 2012 UNOH DIRTcar Nationals, beginning with a huge UMP-sanctioned doubleheader tonight (Friday) featuring a 30-lap, $7,000-to-win A-Main in the afternoon and a 40-lap, $10,000 feature at night. A 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main paying $10,000 to win will close out the week’s full-fender action on Saturday evening (Feb. 25).
The Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds will join the dirt Late Models on the card of all three UNOH DIRTcar Nationals programs.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit worldofoutlaws.com.
WoO Late Models
Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL
UNOH DIRTcar Nationals – Feb. 23, 2012
Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won
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2. (6) Scott Bloomquist/50 $5,100
3. (2) Chub Frank/50 $3,550
4. (4) Steve Francis/50 $2,600
5. (11) Jimmy Owens/50 $2,000
6. (16) Dale McDowell/50 $1,700
7. (25) Rick Eckert/50 $2,050
8. (10) Josh Richards/50 $1,950
9. (13) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,850
10. (7) Shane Clanton/50 $1,650
11. (19) John Blankenship/50 $1,050
12. (27) Clint Smith/49 $850
13. (17) Mike Marlar/49 $1,450
14. (18) Frankie Heckenast Jr./49 $900
15. (15) Bub McCool/49 $850
16. (26) Vic Coffey/45 $1,350
17. (3) Jason Feger/31 $770
18. (14) Tim McCreadie/ $1,400
19. (22) Earl Pearson Jr./23 $730
20. (9) Steve Isenberg/17 $700
21. (12) Don O’Neal/16 $700
22. (29) Pat Doar/16 $550
23. (30) John Lobb/15 $0
24. (20) Dennis Franklin/13 $700
25. (5) Billy Moyer/8 $800
26. (8) Ryan Unzicker/8 $700
27. (24) Tyler Reddick/8 $700
28. (21) Jimmy Mars/2 $700
29. (28) Tim Fuller/2 $550
30. (23) Brady Smith/0 $700
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Margin of Victory: 1.935 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 7 (Laps 3, 5, 5, 13, 16, 24, 47); 1 Red Flag (Lap 9)
Lap Leaders: Frank (1-27; Erb 28-50)
Provisional Starters: Eckert, Coffey (WoO); C. Smith, Fuller, Doar, Lobb (WoO emergency)
Rookie of the Race: McCool
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Marlar ($500)
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Erb, Clanton, Lanigan, Davenport, Blankenship, Landers, Pearson, George, Lowery, Garvin, Bruening, J. Beyers, Ausra (DNS) Korte
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moyer, Unzicker, McCreadie, Robinson, Bagley, Hotovy, Stone, McBride, Zeigler, Harbaugh, James, Hollenbeck, T. Frank
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): C. Frank, Isenberg, McCool, B. Smith, Peacock, Wood, Mitchell, Sheppard, Fuller, Hubbard, Moyer Jr., Sandercock, Davies
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bloomquist, Richards, McDowell, Franklin, Babb, Yoder, Coffey, Lobb, Eckert, Pierce, Hammerle, Sullivan, Shirley
Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Francis, Owens, Marlar, Decker, C. Smith, Miles, Satterlee, Doar, Carpenter, Casey, Fink (DNS) Jacobsen, Matthees
Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Feger, O’Neal, Heckenast, Mars, Reddick, Ridley, Moran, Wells, Hawkins, Johnson, Norris, Nash, Ogle
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Blankenship, Pearson, Robinson, Bagley, Bruening, Hotovy, George, Ausra, McBride, Lowery, Hollenbeck, Davenport, Landers, J. Beyers (DNS) Stone, Zeigler, Garvin, Harbaugh, James, T. Frank, Korte
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Franklin, B. Smith, Fuller, Sullivan, Yoder, Coffey, Sheppard, Sandercock, Lobb, Moyer Jr., Peacock, Hammerle, Pierce, Eckert, Babb (DNS) Wood, Mitchell, Hubbard, Davies, Shirley
B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Mars, Reddick, Decker, C. Smith, Moran, Wells, Hawkins, Miles, Doar, Ridley, Carpenter, Johnson, Ogle, Norris, Matthees, Satterlee (DNS) Casey, Fink, Jacobsen, Nash
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