Richards Opens Three-Race World of Outlaws Late Model Series Weekend With First-Career Atomic Speedway Victory
Three-Time Series Champion Scores Seventh WoO LMS Victory of 2015 and His Third Triumph in Past Four Series Events
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Aug. 21, 2015 – Josh Richards kept his recent World of Outlaws Late Model Series hot streak rolling Friday night with a convincing victory during the first of the national tour’s back-to-back nights of racing at Atomic Speedway.
Richards, the three-time WoO LMS champion from Shinnston, W.Va., overtook race-long leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., on lap 26 of Friday’s 40-lap race at the 3/8-mile oval and drove his Valvoline-sponsored Rocket Chassis house car to his third victory in the past four WoO LMS events.
The $8,650 triumph marked Richards’ seventh WoO LMS win of the season and the 56th of his career. Even more significantly, the victory was Richards’ first at Atomic Speedway.
“This is an awesome racetrack,” Richards said of the historic Buckeye State race facility formerly known as K-C Raceway. “I love coming here, but this is one that’s always alluded me. I actually won my first big check here 10 years ago, but it was just a dash. It feels good to finally win one here.”
After pulling away on the race’s final restart with six laps remaining, Richards crossed the finish line 1.791 seconds ahead of Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va. WoO LMS points leader Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., finished third, while Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., charged from the 23rd starting spot to finish fourth and Frank Heckenast Jr. of Frankfort, Ill., advanced from 19th to fifth.
The first half of the race featured a battle between a pair of three-time WoO LMS champions in Richards and Lanigan. The polesitting Lanigan led the way through the race’s caution-plagued opening laps, as the third-starting Richards made an early move to take second from Jackie Boggs of Grayson, Ky.
Richards chased Lanigan through the first half of the race before turning up the pressure just after the midway point. Lanigan’s bobble exiting turn two on lap 26 gave Richards the opening he needed. He took advantage, using a slidejob to complete the winning pass in turns three and four.
“He was good out in clean air by himself, but after we’d run some laps I could gain on him,” Richards said of his battle with Lanigan. “He slipped up, and I knew I had to take it while I could because he doesn’t mess up very often.”
Lanigan wasn’t able to make a serious bid to retake the lead after losing it to Richards. He faded in the following laps, dropping back to fourth before slowing on lap 32 and retiring from the race.
Advancing from the seventh starting spot in his Optima Batteries Rocket, Carrier used a lap-35 restart to take second from Clanton. But the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular wasn’t able to keep pace with Richards through the closing laps. He settled for the runner-up finish in just missing what would’ve been his first career WoO LMS victory.
“I think we had a third place car, and then got a good run on Shane that last restart,” Carrier said. “I think he kind of hit a hole and pushed a little bit and I got him. I was probably holding him up, but I’ll take second.”
Clanton drove his Weldbank Energy Capital Race Cars house car to another solid finish in recording his 21st finish of the third or better on this year’s WoO LMS campaign. The series veteran holds a 162-point lead over Richards as he chases his first series championship.
“We had a good car tonight, just made the wrong adjustment for the feature and we bounced through the holes a little too much,” Clanton said. “Eddie got by me there, but overall, a good finish.”
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., recovered from problems that forced him to slow and cause a lap-three caution to finish sixth, while the night’s fast qualifier Chris Ferguson of Mount Holly, N.C., finished seventh after running as high as fourth midway through the race. Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan., rallied from 24th to finish eighth with Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, and Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., round out the top 10.
The race was slowed by eight cautions, including a number of yellow flags that involved front runners. Second-starting Boggs slowed and retired from the race on lap 12, while Matt Westfall of Ludlow, Ohio, slowed from a top-10 spot on lap 19. Lanigan’s slowing machine on lap 32 was hit by 10th-running Duane Chamberlain of Richmond, Ind. The final caution waved for a tangle resulting from a top-10 battle between Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio and Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind.
The WoO LMS returns to Atomic Speedway on Saturday for another complete program highlighted by a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win main event. The series moves to Eriez Speedway in Erie, Pa., on Sunday, where it will wrap up its three-race weekend with another $10,000-to-win program.
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/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries.
Results of World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Atomic Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (3) Josh Richards/40 $8,650
2. (7) Eddie Carrier Jr./40 $4,500
3. (4) Shane Clanton/40 $3,250
4. (23) Tim McCreadie/40 $2,950
5. (19) Frank Heckenast Jr./40 $2,550
6. (11) Rick Eckert/40 $2,250
7. (8) Chris Ferguson/40 $2,000
8. (24) Chase Junghans/40 $1,850
9. (14) Morgan Bagley/40 $1,800
10. (15) Mason Zeigler/40 $1,100
11. (21) Chub Frank/40 $1,550
12. (13) Devin Moran/40 $900
13. (20) Tim Dohm/40 $950
14. (12) Steve Casebolt/33 $850
15. (1) Darrell Lanigan/32 $850
16. (16) Duane Chamberlain/32 $700
17. (9) Eric Wells/32 $1,210
18. (6) Jared Hawkins/32 $640
19. (22) R.J. Conley/28 $620
20. (5) Matt Westfall/26 $600
21. (10) Mark Frazier/19 $600
22. (2) Jackie Boggs/17 $600
23. (18) Gregg Satterlee/12 $600
24. (25) Greg Oliver/8 $625
25. (17) Jason Montgomery/4 $600
Time of Race: 32 Mins., 40 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.791 Secs.
Yellow Flags: Eight (laps 1, 3, 4, 12, 19, 27, 32, 34)
Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-25), Richards (26-40)
Provisional Starters: McCreadie (WoO), Junghans (WoO), Oliver (track)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner ($500): Carrier
WoO LMS ‘Rookie of the Race” ($250): Yaggy
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
Group A
1. 22-Chris Ferguson, Mount Holly, N.C., 13.183
2. 37-Jared Hawkins, Fairmont, W.Va., 13.471
3. 25-Shane Clanton, Zebulon, Ga., 13.507
4. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr., Salt Rock, W.Va., 13.560
5. 18-Eric Wells, Hazard, Ky., 13.591
6. 9F-Mark Frazier, Chillicothe, Ohio, 13.643
7. 99-Devin Moran, Dresden, Ohio, 13.672
8. 39-Tim McCreadie, Watertown, N.Y., 13.719
9. 99jr-Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, Ill., 13.745
10. 21m-Jason Montgomery, Jackson, Ohio, 13.745
11. 1*-Chub Frank, Bear Lake, Pa., 13.845
12. 14m-Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, 13.859
13. 18c-Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., 13.924
14. 5-Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga., 13.954
15. 71R-Rod Conley, Wheelersburg, Ohio, 13.971
16. 93-Pancho Lawler, Glenville, Pa., 14.008
17. 71j-J.T. Conley, Wheelersburg, Ohio, 14.160
18. 21-Kenny Howell, Lovely, Ky., 14.756
19. 45-Ross Frohnapfel, Columbus, Ohio, 14.801
20. KB-Kerry King, Delmar, Del., 14.940
21. 77-Jordan Yaggy, Rochester, Minn., no time
Group B
1. 4B-Jackie Boggs, Grayson, Ky., 13.328
2. 1-Josh Richards, Shinnston, W.Va., 13.364
3. 71c-R.C. Conley, Wheelersburg, Ohio, 13.791
4. 6T-Tim Dohm, Cross Lanes, W.Va., 13.615
5. 54-Matt Westfall, Ludlow, Ohio, 13.779
6. 29-Darrell Lanigan, Union, Ky., 13.708
7. 22-Gregg Satterlee, Rochester Mills, Pa., 13.741
8. c9-Steve Casebolt, Richmond, Ind., 13.746
9. 99B-Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, Pa., 13.850
10. 71-Delmas Conley, Wheelersburg, Ohio, 13.856
11. 7-Rick Eckert, York, Pa., 14.009
12. 20c-Duane Chamberlain, Richmond, Ind., 14.062
13. 25z-Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, Pa., 14.127
14. 11-Billy Gullion, Waverly, Ohio, 14.142
15. 19-Chad Smith, Miamisburg, Ohio, 14.173
16. 1J-Davey Johnson, Imperial, Pa., 14.193
17. 47-Greg Oliver, Jackson, Ohio, 14.353
18. 29-Rocky Owens, Mansfield, Ohio, 14.384
19. 36-Craig Wofford, hometown unavailable, 14.777
20. 12-Derek Chaney, hometown unavailable, 16.299
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Ferguson, Clanton, Wells, Moran, Heckenast, Frank, Junghans, Yaggy, Rod Conley, J.T. Conley, Frohnapfel.
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Hawkins, Carrier, Frazier, Bagley, Montgomery, McCreadie, Overton, Howell, Lawler, King.
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Boggs, Westfall, Eckert, Zeigler, Satterlee, Briggs, Oliver, Smith, Wofford, R.J. Conley.
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, Lanigan, Casebolt, Chamberlain, D. Conley, Johnson, Dohm, Gullion, Owens, Chaney.
Last-Chance Showdown No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Montgomery, Heckenast, Frank, Junghans, Yaggy, Rod Conley, J.T. Conley, Lawler, Frohnapfel, Wofford, McCreadie, Overton, Howell, King.
Last-Chance Showdown No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Satterlee, Dohm, R.J. Conley, Briggs, Smith, Gullion, Johnson, Owens, Chaney, Oliver, D. Conley.
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): Ferguson
Comp Cams ($50 certificate to A-Main winner): Richards
MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner): Richards
Quartermaster ($100 certificate to A-Main winner): Clanton
Wrisco (three sheets of aluminum/certificate to A-Main winner): Richards
Mobil 1 ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main): McCreadie
JE Pistons ($50 cash to 5th-place finisher in A-Main): Heckenast
Lincoln Welders ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main): Eckert
VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 8th-place finisher in A-Main): Bagley
Edelbrock ($50 cash to 9th-place finisher in A-Main): Bagley
Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main): Frank
Cometic ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main): Dohm
JRI Shocks ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main): Dohm
Superflow Dynos ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main): Casebolt
Quartermaster ($25 certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main): Junghans
JE Pistons (one set of rings certificate to 16th-place finisher in A-Main): Junghans
Quartermaster ($50 certificate to 19th-place finisher in A-Main): Conley
Mobil 1 (20 percent certificate to 20th-place finisher in A-Main): Satterlee
JE Pistons (one set of rings certificate to 21st-place finisher in A-Main): Satterlee
MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main): Oliver
QA1 ($50 to driver with fastest lap of the night): Ferguson
Arizona Sports Shirts ($100 certificate to highest-finishing non-WoO driver): Ferguson
2015 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 22 – 33 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Shane Clanton 4654
2. Josh Richards 4492 (-162)
3. Chub Frank 4358 (-296)
4. Rick Eckert 4250 (-404)
5. Tim McCreadie 4246 (-408)
6. Morgan Bagley 4228 (-426)
7. Chase Junghans 4128 (-526)
8. Frank Heckenast Jr. 4104 (-550)
9. Eric Wells 4096 (-558)
10. Brandon Overton 3862 (-792)
11. Boom Briggs 3802 (-852)
12. Darrell Lanigan 3734 (-920)
13. Jordan Yaggy 3416 (-1238)
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Lincoln Welder (Official Welder), 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, Mobil 1, MSD, Ohlins Shocks, QA1, QuarterMaster, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors Capital Race Cars, Club 29 Chassis, Integra Shocks, Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, and TNT Rescue.