Post by LMR on 05/31/13 at 3:40am
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Delaware International Speedway
May 30, 2013
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McCreadie Outduels Lanigan Down The Stretch For Victory In Fulton Bank 50 At Delaware International Speedway
New Yorker Claims Second World of Outlaws Late Model Series Triumph Of 2013
by Kevin Kovac
DELMAR, DE (May 30) – Tim McCreadie wasn’t going to let another World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main slip through his fingers.
Erasing memories of several recent disappointments on the national tour, McCreadie outdueled Darrell Lanigan down the stretch to capture Thursday night’s Fulton Bank 50 at Delaware International Speedway.
McCreadie, 39, of Watertown, N.Y., started on the outside pole and led all but one lap en route to his second WoO LMS triumph of 2013, but he found himself in a dogfight with Union, Ky.’s Lanigan over the final 10 circuits. After Lanigan slipped ahead to lead lap 43, McCreadie regained command the following circuit and made all the right moves the rest of the way to defeat the defending World of Outlaws champion by 0.875 of a second.
It was a satisfying $10,650 win for McCreadie, who snapped a run of tough luck with his Sweeteners Plus Warrior car.
“It’s been a bunch of races leading with no results for us lately, so this is nice,” said McCreadie, who over the past two weeks suffered heartbreaking losses on May 11 at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. (tangled with lapped car while leading with five laps to go) and May 25 at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. (flat tire while in front). “The Warrior car’s been fast but we haven’t had anything to show for it. It was just our day this time.”
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., finished a hard-earned third. He charged forward from the 14th starting spot to reach the show position on lap 36 and shrank a near-straightaway deficit to Lanigan to a few car lengths within 10 laps, but he overheated his tires running down the leaders and thus was unable to mount a challenge.
Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., who entered the event undefeated in five dirt Late Model starts this season at DIS, finished fourth after starting fifth and climbing as high as third. It marked the third time in nine WoO LMS events at DIS that he placed fourth.
Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., finished fifth. He started from the pole position but was outgunned for the lead by McCreadie at the initial green and gradually fell through the top five, finally settling into fifth place when Eckert sailed by him on lap 36.
McCreadie held firm control of the top spot for most of the distance, maintaining a half- to full-second edge until Lanigan pulled close late in the race. Lanigan nosed his Rocket machine underneath McCreadie for the first time on lap 40 and eventually surged in front as lap 43 was scored, but the winningest WoO LMS driver in 2013 couldn’t make the pass stick.
“I was trying to run that middle-to-the-top (line) and he pretty much drove right on by me,” McCreadie said of Lanigan. “I just thought, Oh my God, I just gave this one away. But then he just slipped up in (turns) one and two.
“But we were lucky that Darrell just slipped up a little bit off of (turn) two (the following lap) and I could get back by him. Then we just held on.
“Darrell’s been the guy the last three years,” he added, “and anytime you can get lucky enough to beat him, we’ll take it for Sweeteners Plus and our whole program.”
With a fresh ProPower engine under his car’s hood, McCreadie registered his 22nd career victory on the WoO LMS and first-ever at the half-mile Delaware oval. His previous win this year came on April 20 at 311 Motor Speedway in Pine Hall, N.C.
Lanigan, who will celebrate his 43rd birthday on June 3, fell short in his bid for a circuit-leading fifth win of 2013. He was coming off a $15,000-plus triumph in Sunday night’s Jackpot 100 by NAPA Auto Parts finale at Tyler County.
“(McCreadie) changed his groove a little bit and went down to the bottom and kind of blocked our groove,” said Lanigan, who ran his streak of top-three finishes to six in a row. “But that’s what you’re supposed to do. Timmy had a good car tonight. We come home second and we’re happy with that.”
Eckert, 47, might have been able to turn the race into a three-car battle for the winner’s check if he had caught the right break in the closing laps.
“I would’ve really liked to have a caution when I got to third there,” said Eckert. “They (McCreadie and Lanigan) were a straightaway ahead, and until I run ‘em down I had my tires overheated from running so hard. If I could’ve cooled ‘em down during a caution I think we would’ve had a shot at it.
“But that’s what you get when you qualify terrible. I dug us a hole and didn’t dig us all the way out.”
WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished a quiet sixth, improving one position from where he started. Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., who switched to his backup car after his primary machine was sidelined by engine trouble during hot laps, was next in seventh place; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., placed eighth; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., hustled forward from the 20th starting spot to finish ninth; and DIS regular Andrew Mullins of Bethel, Del., smoothly advanced from the 19th starting spot to complete the top 10 in his first career WoO LMS appearance.
Just two caution flags slowed the event. Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., was left spun in turn four on the 15th lap after an apparent scrape with Mark Pettyjohn of Milton, Del., and Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., spun off turn four on lap 28 while running eighth.
A field of 31 cars was signed in for the program, which was run in summer-like conditions.
David Williams of Mechanicsville, Md., was quickest in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 19.264 seconds. It was the first-ever WoO LMS fast-time honor for the four-time champion at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md.
Heat winners were Lanigan, Kenny Pettyjohn of Millsboro, Del., and Clanton. Pettyjohn’s heat victory was his first-ever in WoO LMS competition.
Mullins captured the 12-lap B-Main.
The WoO LMS has a day off before making its first visit of 2013 to the Empire State on Saturday night (June 1) for a 50-lap A-Main at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y.
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 ‘Fulton Bank 50’ at Delaware Int'l Speedway
(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (2) Tim McCreadie/50 $10,650
2. (3) Darrell Lanigan/50 $5,650
3. (14) Rick Eckert/50 $3,650
4. (5) Ricky Elliott/50 $2,500
5. (1) Shane Clanton/50 $2,550
6. (7) Josh Richards/50 $2,350
7. (9) Austin Hubbard/50 $1,400
8. (8) Tim Fuller/50 $1,850
9. (20) Dan Stone/50 $1,200
10. (19) Andrew Mullins/50 $1,650
11. (12) Jamie Lathroum/50 $1,050
12. (16) Bub McCool/50 $1,750
13. (15) Clint Smith/50 $1,500
14. (21) Chub Frank/50 $1,500
15. (11) Morgan Bagley/49 $1,650
16. (23) Eric Wells/49 $1,350
17. (6) Vic Coffey/49 $770
18. (13) Mark Byram/44 $800
19. (18) Donnie Lingo Jr./26 $730
20. (17) Mark Pettyjohn/22 $700
21. (10) David Williams/14 $700
22. (22) Andy Haus/13 $700
23. (24) Gregg Satterlee/8 $725
24. (4) Kenny Pettyjohn/3 $700
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 22 Mins., 55.049 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.875 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 2 (laps 15, 28)
Lap Leaders: McCreadie (1-42); Lanigan (43); McCreadie (44-50)
Provisional Starters: Wells, Satterlee
Rookie of the Race: Bagley ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Mullins ($500)
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Lanigan, Elliott, Richards, Williams, Byram, McCool, King Sr., Dennis, Stone, Schirmer (DNS) Satterlee
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): K. Pettyjohn, McCreadie, Fuller, Bagley, Eckert, M. Pettyjohn, Mullins, Frank, Wells, King Jr.
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Clanton, Coffey, Hubbard, Lathroum, C. Smith, Donnie Lingo Jr., Haus, Dale Lingo IV, Snyder, Davis
B-Main (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Mullins, Stone, Frank, Haus, Davis, Wells, Satterlee, King Sr., Schirmer, Snyder, Dale Lingo IV, King Jr., Dennis
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 72-David Williams/Mechanicsville, MD 19.264
2. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX 19.285
3. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 19.451
4. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 19.452
5. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 19.464
6. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 19.615
7. 88-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 19.624
8. 38-Kenny Pettyjohn/Millsboro, DE 19.646
9. 11-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 19.678
10. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 19.685
11. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 19.720
12. 92-Nick Davis/Gumboro, DE 19.919
13. 10-Brandon Dennis/Harrington, DE 19.929
14. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 19.998
15. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 20.000
16. 45-Mark Byram/Georgetown, DE 20.045
17. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 20.097
18. 55L-Donnie Lingo Jr./Millsboro, DE 20.098
19. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 20.127
20. 51-Andrew Mullins/Bethel, DE 20.141
21. 6-Jamie Lathroum/Mechanicsville, MD 20.207
22. KB-Kerry King Sr./Delmar, DE 20.240
23. 8-Mark Pettyjohn/Milton, DE 20.264
24. 76-Andy Haus/Hamburg, PA 20.288
25. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 20.373
26. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 20.480
27. 4s-Danny Snyder/Green Lane, PA 20.646
28. 118-Rob Schirmer/Ellendale, DE 20.808
29. KB1-Kerry King Jr./Delmar, DE 20.927
30. 99L-Dale Lingo IV/Millsboro, DE 23.296
31. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA N/T
2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 30
17 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 2422
2. Shane Clanton 2376 (-46)
3. Darrell Lanigan 2356 (-66)
4. Rick Eckert 2318 (-104)
5. Tim McCreadie 2204 (-218)
6. Tim Fuller 2196 (-226)
7. Eric Wells 2162 (-260)
8. Bub McCool 2142 (-280)
9. Morgan Bagley 2134 (-288)
10. Chub Frank 2132 (-290)
11. Clint Smith 2010 (-412)
12. Scott James 1958 (-464)
13. Dillon Wood 1426 (-996)
14. Gregg Satterlee 1248 (-1174)
15. Mike Benedum 994 (-1428)