Legendary Arkansas Driver Pockets $10,150 Home-State Victory
LITTLE ROCK, AR – March 29, 2014 – Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., blasted from third to first on a lap-18 restart and marched on to capture Saturday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at I-30 Speedway.
The 56-year-old Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer sailed around the outside of WoO LMS regulars Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., rounding turns one and two and was in front for good when lap 19 was scored. He turned back a late challenge from Lanigan while negotiating lapped traffic to earn $10,150 in front of his home-state fans.
“It’s cool that we could pull one off for ’em this close to home,” said Moyer, who registered his 19th WoO LMS triumph since 2004 and the 41st overall of his career, including the national tour’s original 1988-89 seasons. “It’s nice. We’re just an hour-and-a-half away (from the shop). It makes for a short trip home.”
Driving his Moyer Extreme by Longhorn car, Moyer made a move worthy of an aggressive youngster to seize command following a lap-18 red flag for a multi-car accident in turn two involving contenders Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., and Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill.
“When I was running fourth and Rick was second and took that outside (on a lap-15 restart), it surprised me that he went so good up there,” said Moyer, who started sixth. “It turned out that the outside wasn’t bad on the restart there. If you just were brave enough to get up there and not think that guy was gonna get underneath you, you could run up there in the middle a little bit.”
Moyer’s first WoO LMS win since April 6, 2013, at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway came by 0.384 of a second over Lanigan, who closed up to Moyer’s rear bumper in the final laps but couldn’t find a way to regain the lead. Lanigan started from the pole position and led laps 1-6 in his Club 29 car.
“The track was a little choppy getting into one and you had to find the right groove – and I just hit the wrong groove and got out of the lead,” Lanigan said of an early-race miscue that allowed Clanton to overtake him for the top spot. “That just put me behind, and then Billy got going on the outside on that resart and kind of killed us.”
Clanton, who last year’s WoO LMS event at I-30, led laps 7-18 but settled for a third-place finish in his Capital Race Car. Though disappointed his shot at the checkered flag was hampered by a tire that sealed over during the red flag, he recorded his first WoO LMS top-five finish of 2014.
Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., also cracked the top five for the first time on the ’14 tour, placing fourth in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket after starting 11th. He closely tailed Clanton throughout the race’s second half.
Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., completed the top five in his Rocket mount, finishing in the same spot he started the race.
Rounding out the top 10 was WoO LMS rookie Frankie Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill.; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who started 17th driving one of Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs’s No. 99B machines; Sheppard, who rallied from the lap-18 incident; WoO LMS rookie Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kans., who bagged a career-best finish on the tour; and 23rd-starter Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky.
Thirty-nine cars entered the event, which brought the WoO LMS to Tracey Clay’s track outside Little Rock for the second consecutive year.
Lanigan turned the fastest overall lap of Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, circling the three-eighths-mile oval in 12.604 seconds during Group ‘A’ of the split qualifying session.
Heat winners were Lanigan, Babb, Moyer and Eckert. Frank and Morgan Bagley of Tyler, Texas, captured the B-Mains.
The WoO LMS will be back in action April 4-5 with the sixth running of the Illini 100 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. Time Trials and heat races will be run on Friday night and the $20,000-to-win finale is set for Saturday evening.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Fans can also follow the WoO LMS on Twitter at Twitter.com/WoOLateModels and Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws.
Results of World of Outlaws Late Model Series at I-30 Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (6) Billy Moyer/50 $10,150
2. (1) Darrell Lanigan/50 $5,650
3. (3) Shane Clanton/50 $3,550
4. (11) Tim McCreadie/50 $3,150
5. (5) Shannon Babb/50 $2,050
6. (8) Frankie Heckenast Jr./50 $2,350
7. (17) Chub Frank/50 $1,950
8. (7) Brandon Sheppard/50 $1,850
9. (10) Chase Junghans/50 $1,750
10. (23) Eric Wells/50 $1,650
11. (22) Clint Smith/50 $1,600
12. (4) Rick Eckert/50 $1,650
13. (19) Tommy Surrett/50 $1,450
14. (18) Morgan Bagley/50 $1,450
15. (9) Robbie Baker/49 $950
16. (16) Timothy Culp/49 $800
17. (13) Garrett Alberson/49 $770
18. (14) Jack Sullivan/38 $1,300
19. (21) Chandler Petty/27 $730
20. (12) Billy Moyer Jr./21 $700
21. (15) Jared Landers/18 $700
22. (24) Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/14 $700
23. (20) Raymond Merrill/9 $700
24. (2) Wendell Wallace/9 $725
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 22 Mins., 33.778 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.384 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 3 (laps 9, 15, 17)
Red Flag: lap 18
Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-6); Clanton (7-18); Moyer (19-50)
Provisional Starters: Wells, Briggs
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Surrett ($500)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
Group ‘A’
1. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY12.604
2. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL12.769
3. 43-Garrett Alberson/Las Cruces, NM 12.868
4. 18-Jack Sullivan/Greenbrier, AR 13.018
5. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 13.067
6. 6M-Wendell Wallace/Batesville, AR 13.118
7. 17M-Robert Baker/Bryant, AR 13.157
8. 18c-Chase Junghans/Manhattan, KS 13.157
9. 8c-Keith Craft/Hollywood, AR 13.157
10. 27s-Tommy Surett/Little Rock, AR 13.159
11. 99*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 13.17
12. 99-Clay Fisher/Dewitt, AR 13.185
13. 86-Kyle Beard/Trumann, AR 13.279
14. 1B-Anthony Burroughs/Minden, LA 13.28
15. 47-Chandler Petty/Austin, AR 13.323
16. 5-Jon Mitchell/Texarkana, TX 13.353
17. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 13.53
18. 15-Odie Green/Texarkana, AR 13.862
19. 5x-Kody Mea/Southaven, MS 14.707
20. 12-David Dietz/Las Cruces, NM 15.785
Group ‘B’
1. 12M-Raymond Merrill/Salisaw, OK 13.081
2. 1-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 13.087
3. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 13.151
4. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 13.231
5. 99Jr-Frankie Heckenast Jr./Frankfort, IL 13.269
6. 21Jr-Billy Moyer Jr./Batesville, AR 13.282
7. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 13.324
8. 99b-Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 13.342
9. 17K-Cody Kierre/Beebe, AR 13.343
10. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Tyler, TX 13.467
11. 40b-Kyle Bronson/Tampa, FL 13.471
12. 777-Jared Landers/Batesville, AR 13.485
13. c8-Timothy Culp/Sheridan, AR 13.519
14. 11c-Jeff Chanler/Minden, LA 13.522
15. 6x-Rob Litton/Alexandria, LA 13.573
16. 96-Tanner English/Benton, KY 13.651
17. 6R-Robbie Stuart/DeRidder, LA 13.72
18. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 13.769
19. M98-Clint Mashburn/Hermitage, AR N/T
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Clanton, Baker, Alberson, Frank, Craft, Petty, Wells, Beard, Mea
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Wallace, Junghans, Sullivan, Mitchell, Surrett, Fisher, Burroughs, Green, Deetz
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Heckenast, McCreadie, Landers, Bagley, English, Merrill, C. Smith, Chanler, Mashburn
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Eckert, Sheppard, Moyer Jr., Culp, Stuart, Litton, Briggs, Kierre, Bronson
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Frank, Surrett, Petty, Craft, Burroughs, Mitchell, Fisher, Wells, Mea, Green, Deetz, Beard
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bagley, Merrill, C. Smith, Stuart, Briggs, Chanler, Litton, Kierre, Mashburn (DNS) Bronson (DQ) English
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners (awards presented to noted finisher/qualifier or next highest displaying decal):
Ohlins Shocks ($50 cash to fast qualifier): Shannon Babb
Comp Cams ($50 certificate to A-Main winner): Billy Moyer
MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner): Billy Moyer
Quartermaster ($100 certificate to A-Main winner): Billy Moyer
Wrisco (three sheets of aluminum/certificate to A-Main winner): Billy Moyer
STP ($50 cash to 2nd-place finisher in A-Main): Darrell Lanigan
Penske Racing Shocks ($50 to 3rd-place finisher in A-Main): Robbie Baker
Roush-Yates ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie
JE Pistons ($50 cash to 5th-place finisher in A-Main): Frankie Heckenast Jr.
Lincoln Welders ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main): Frankie Heckenast Jr.
American Racing Wheels ($50 cash to 7th-place finisher in A-Main): Frankie Heckenast Jr.
VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 8th-place finisher in A-Main): Clint Smith
Edelbrock ($50 cash to 9th-place finisher in A-Main): Chase Junghans
Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells
Cometic ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main): Rick Eckert
JRI Shocks ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main): Robbie Baker
Superflow Dynos ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main): Morgan Bagley
Quartermaster ($25 certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main): Robbie Baker
JE Pistons (one set of rings certificate to 16th-place finisher in A-Main): Jack Sullivan
Roush-Yates ($50 certificate to 18th-place finisher in A-Main): Jack Sullivan
Quartermaster ($50 certificate to 19th-place finisher in A-Main): Billy Moyer Jr.
Arizona Sports Shirts ($100 certificate to 20th-place finisher in A-Main): Billy Moyer Jr.
JE Pistons (one set of rings certificate to 21st-place finisher in A-Main): Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs
Roush-Yates ($50 certificate to 22nd-place finisher in A-Main): Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs
MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main): Wendell Wallace
Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO driver): Billy Moyer
Reliable Painting Award (one free tire): Morgan Bagley
2014 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of March 29 – 6 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Darrell Lanigan 860
2. Brandon Sheppard 838 (-22)
3. Rick Eckert 798 (-62)
4. Shane Clanton 780 (-80)
5. Tim McCreadie 766 (-94)
6. Frankie Heckenast Jr. 748 (-112)
7. Morgan Bagley 742 (-118)
8. Eric Wells 734 (-126)
9. Chub Frank 726 (-134)
10. Clint Smith 702 (-158)
11. Brady Smith 692 (-168)
12. Tim Fuller 650 (-210)
13. Chase Junghans 646 (-214)
14. Jack Sullivan 634 (-226)
15. Ivedent Lloyd Jr. 628 (-232)
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: American Racing Custom Wheels (Official Custom Wheel), Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), KMC (Official Custom Truck Wheel), Lincoln Welder (Official Welder), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors: Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis and TNT Rescue.