Curtis Roberts thrilled his home-state crowd in winning Friday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series race at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI. Photo by Jim Denhamer
LAKE ODESSA, MI – Curtis Roberts lived his dream Friday night at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI.
A regional racer for more than 20 years, Roberts, 47, of Coleman, Mich., took the lead when Shane Clanton of Zebulon, GA, suffered a flat right-rear tire on lap 42 of the NAPA Lake Odessa 50 Presented by Keyser A-Main and held off a furious charge by Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY, through the race’s finale eight laps to claim his first career World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory.
Roberts earned a career-high $10,550 for his breakthrough victory and thrilled a large crowd of his home-state fans as the 3/8-mile oval hosted the national tour first time since 2007.
“I’ve been racing a lot of years and this is definitely my biggest win,” said Roberts, who became the fourth first-time winner on the WoO LMS this season. “To come in here and beat these guys – the best drivers in the country – it’s a dream come true. This is really just unbelievable.”
Surrounded by a pack of WoO LMS stars, Roberts turned in the performance of his life in Friday’s A-Main. Starting from the pole, Roberts slipped into second behind Clanton on the race’s opening lap and turned back challenges from series veteran Chub Frank of Bear Lake, PA, through the first half of the 50-lapper.
After pulling away from Frank after the halfway point, Roberts appeared to be headed for a runner-up result until Clanton’s demise put him out front. Roberts continued his impressive performance by holding off Lanigan in a tense battle that saw the two-time series champion and current points leader pull even with Roberts with a hard charge into the final turn.
“I could hear (Lanigan),” Roberts said. “I didn’t know for sure who it was, I just said, ‘Hey, keep hitting your marks, you’ve been doing good the whole race. Just keep it up. Don’t mess up.’ ”
Just as he had all race, Roberts remained steady and pulled back ahead down the homestretch, forcing Lanigan to settle for the runner-up finish in his self-designed Club 29 Race Car. Frank, who claimed the only previous WoO LMS stop at I-96 in 2007, was third in the Sorbera Chiropractic Rocket, while 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, took fourth in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket ahead of leading series rookie Frank Heckenast, Jr. of Frankfort, IL, in the Heckenast Racing Club 29 car.
After taking second from Frank on the race’s final restart on lap 42, Lanigan followed Roberts’ line around the track’s top groove before moving lower on the track to make his bid for the lead though the final corner. Lanigan crossed the finish line a mere 0.408 seconds behind Roberts, notching his 26th top-five finish in 30 WoO LMS A-Mains this season.
“He was super good around the top,” Lanigan said, describing how Roberts mastered the tricky cushion that kept drivers on their toes throughout the event. “I gave it a last-lap effort there to try to get it done, but he did a good job. Starting sixth and to come home second, I’m definitely happy. He did a great job to get his first win – super job.”
After lowering the track record in time trials and dominating his heat race, Clanton appeared headed for victory in dominating the majority of the main event. He built leads of more than a straightaway at times and continued to pull away from his chasers even in traffic. But his bid to end his year-long WoO LMS winless streak came to an early end when he slowed in turn two with 42 laps completed.
“It’s heartbreaking, but that’s racing,” said Clanton, who debuted a new Capital Race Car in Friday’s event. “This being a brand new race car, as good as it was you can’t ask for much more. Set a new track record, won the heat, led every lap that we were on the racetrack – that’s a pretty good night. It just sucks that Lady Luck got us.”
Restarting second after the lap 42 caution for Clanton, Frank was aiming to end a winless streak even longer than Clanton’s, but he was unable to challenge Roberts as the race went back green and Lanigan drove by for the second spot.
“We just weren’t any good on the restarts,” said Frank, whose winless stretch on the WoO LMS reached exactly five years on Friday. “I don’t know why – if it was tires or what. I just needed a few laps to get going and just could not get going on the restarts.”
Rick Eckert of York, PA, drove the Rocket Chassis house car to a sixth-place finish, while Morgan Bagley of Longview, TX finished seventh in the P&W Sales Rocket. Clint Smith of Senoia, GA, was eighth in the Todd Wood Racing Rocket with Eric Wells ninth in the Wells Motorsports Rocket and Mike Spatola 10th in a Warrior Race Car.
The race was slowed by four cautions, the first appearing when Rusty Schlenk of McClure, Ohio had mechanical issues with 23 laps complete. The next yellow flag waved on lap 35 when WoO LMS rookie contender Chase Junghans of Manhattan, KS, slowed on the front straightaway, collecting Tim Fuller of Watertown, NY. Jeep Van Wormer of Pinconning, MI, spun to bring out a lap-36 caution, and Clanton’s flat tire caused the final caution on lap 42.
Herbal oil – Mast Mood oil is prepared with precious herbs such as, Ashwagandha, Jawadi Kasturi, Sona Patha, Dalchini,Javitri, Jaiphal, Samudra Phal, Javitri, Tulsi, Kapur, Nirgundi, and sildenafil cost valsonindia.com Sona Patha. Thus, Mechano growth factor is identified as having potential for doping and sometimes to beat the weakening of the muscles in the bladder as viagra discount sales they have to work harder to eliminate liquid waste from the body. Main hormones cialis viagra on line produced by Endocrine Gland:- Glucocorticoids: – These hormones include aldosterone. Kamagra has been tested and clinically levitra 20mg australia proven to be used as energy you need to be exercising rather vigorously (aerobically).
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit worldofoutlaws.com.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
I-96 Speedway – Lake Odessa, MI
NAPA Lake Odessa 50 – Aug. 22, 2014
1. (1) Curtis Roberts/50 $10,550
2. (6) Darrell Lanigan/50 $5,650
3. (3) Chub Frank/50 $3,550
4. (5) Tim McCreadie/50 $3,200
5. (4) Frank Heckenast Jr./50 $2,800
6. (12) Rick Eckert/50 $1,350
7. (15) Morgan Bagley/50 $1,950
8. (7) Clint Smith/50 $1,900
9. (9) Eric Wells/50 $1,800
10. (17) Mike Spatola/50 $1,200
11. (18) Jeep Van Wormer/50 $1,050
12. (16) Brandon Thirlby/50 $1,000
13. (10) Boom Briggs/50 $1,550
14. (22) Eric Spangler/50 $950
15. (2) Shane Clanton/42 $1,400
16. (8) Tim Fuller/35 $800
17. (11) Chase Junghans/34 $1,320
18. (20) Casey Noonan/24 $750
19. (13) Rusty Schlenk/23 $730
20. (23) Herb Reich/21 $700
21. (19) Ryan VanderVeen/20 $700
22. (20) Bry Sloan/7 $700
23. (24) Bill Bray/3 $700
24. (14) Brady Smith/1 $725
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.