World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Lernerville Speedway
June 29, 2013
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Richards Completes Sweep Of Firecracker 100 Preliminary Features At Lernerville Speedway
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Leader Rolls To Victory In Saturday Afternoon’s Postponed 30-Lapper



by Kevin Kovac
SARVER, PA (June 29) – Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., completed an unprecedented sweep of the Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com preliminary events with a victory in Saturday afternoon’s postponed 30-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Lernerville Speedway.

The two-time WoO LMS champion started from the pole position and led the entire distance to become the first driver to win both Firecracker 100 preliminary features since the weekend was expanded to three full nights of racing in 2010. He earned $6,150 for his fifth triumph of the season on the national tour with his father Mark’s Valvoline-sponsored Rocket Chassis house car.

Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., shared the front row with Richards for the start and chased the WoO LMS points leader from flag-to-flag. He closed within a couple car lengths of Richards in the final laps but settled for a second-place finish, 0.397 of a second behind the victor.

Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., placed third, earning a career-best finish on the WoO LMS. Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., and Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., completed the top five after swapping the fourth position twice.

Richards, 25, cited his performance in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials and his heat race for propelling him to the checkered flag on a challenging track surface baked by the afternoon sun. Heavy rain on the event’s originally-scheduled date on Friday night forced officials to run the program on Saturday afternoon before the evening’s Firecracker 100 finale.

“The pill draw was huge,” said Richards, who picked the pole position for the A-Main in the redraw among heat winners, “but we still had to earn our spot up front. We went out second-to-last in qualifying (Group ‘B’), but I knew we had a really good car so I just tried to make a smooth lap and we ended up qualifying fifth. Then I was able to get by (Ron) Davies there in the heat (for the win); I had to make the move early because I knew once everybody got in line it would be hard to pass and we were able to get that done.”

Richards cruised alone out front for most of the race, which was slowed by just a single caution flag on lap nine for a turn-four tangle involving John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Don Angellichio of Greensburg, Pa. Clanton, 36, drew close only when Richards began nearing slower cars.

“We got a little closer there at the end because I think Josh didn’t want to get in lapped traffic,” said Clanton, who remained second in the WoO LMS points standings, 28 points behind Richards. “With a rubbered-up (afternoon) racetrack it’s kind of hard to deal with lapped traffic, so he just done his job. He got out there to the lead and didn’t make any mistakes.

“We’re pretty good, but we got some work to do to catch the ‘1’ car.”

Richards is confident entering tonight’s $30,000-to-win Firecracker 100. He will start the first heat race from the pole position.

“Overall we really didn’t make any changes to the car from Thursday night,” said Richards, who outdueled Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., to win the first preliminary A-Main. “I know the track was different today, but I still feel like it had a pretty good balance to it. I know the racetrack is gonna be 180-degrees different tonight, but I feel pretty good about our chances.”

Fifty-nine cars were signed in for Saturday afternoon’s racing program.

Ohlins Shocks Time Trials were split into ‘A’ and ‘B’ groups, with the first half competing for starting positions in heats one and two and the second half racing against the clock to align heats three and four. Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ont., was one of the first drivers on the track in Group ‘A’ and clicked off a lap of 16.260 seconds that was the fastest overall of the night.

Reaume’s first-ever WoO LMS fast-time honor made him just the second Canadian to achieve the milestone. He joined Ricky Weiss of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who was the quickest qualifier in 2008 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.

Heat winners were Clanton, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Hubbard, Satterlee, Richards and Landers. The B-Mains were captured Blankenship, Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, and Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss.

After the afternoon program teams began preparing their cars for the Firecracker 100 by GottaRace.com finale on Saturday night. Officials expect to start the evening show on schedule with hot laps at 6:50 p.m. and the first of six heat races at 7:35 p.m.

More information on the Firecracker by GottaRace.com can be obtained by logging on to www.lernerville.com.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Results of WoO Late Model Series Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com Preliminary A-Main No. 2 at Lernerville Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (1) Josh Richards/30 $6,150
2. (2) Shane Clanton/30 $3,050
3. (3) Jared Landers/30 $2,550
4. (5) Austin Hubbard/30 $1,750
5. (4) Gregg Satterlee/30 $1,550
6. (8) Darrell Lanigan/30 $1,400
7. (12) Scott Bloomquist/30 $1,250
8. (10) Russ King/30 $1,200
9. (6) Rick Eckert/30 $1,300
10. (9) Jimmy Mars/30 $1,000
11. (14) Mike Marlar/30 $1,000
12. (16) Steve Shaver/30 $825
13. (13) Steve Francis/30 $900
14. (18) Jonathan Davenport/30 $725
15. (20) Morgan Bagley/30 $1,000
16. (22) Eric Wells/30 $730
17. (17) Brian Birkhofer/30 $670
18. (27) Chub Frank/30 $210
19. (15) Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/30 $640
20. (25) Tim Fuller/30 $670
21. (23) Dave Hess Jr./30 $600
22. (21) Bub McCool/30 $650
23. (19) John Blankenship/30 $600
24. (11) Ron Davies/12 $625
25. (26) Tim McCreadie/10 $750
26. (7) Andrew Reaume/9 $600
27. (24) Dan Angelicchio/8 $600
* Earnings include cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 14 Mins., 51.703 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.397 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 1 (lap 9)
Lap Leaders: Richards (1-30)
Provisional Starters: Fuller, McCreadie (WoO); Frank (WoO emergency)
Rookie of the Race: Bagley ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Landers ($500)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Reaume, Francis, Zeigler, Ferree, Blankenship, D. Casner, Burke, Bachman, Bertolini
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Eckert, Lanigan, Marlar, Watts, Wells, Miley, Schaltenbrand, Garvin, Beck, Fosnaught
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Hubbard, Mars, Briggs, Hess, Bagley, Rasey, Rider, Hedman, Stefanick, Wilson
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Satterlee, King, Shaver, McCreadie, Pegher, Johnson, C. Smith, C. Casner, Kann, Tavenner
Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Davies, Birkhofer, McCool, Fuller, McDowell, Krummert, Rhodes, Holmes, Wearing
Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Landers, Bloomquist, Davenport, B. Smith, Angelicchio, Norris, Frank, Stone, Camponovo
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Blankenship, Wells, Ferree, Miley, Watts, D. Casner, Bertolini, Burke, Beck, Fosnaught, Garvin, Bachman, Zeigler, Schaltenbrand
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Bagley, Hess, Johnson, Pegher, C. Smith, Rider, Rasey, Tavenner, C. Casner, Hedman, Kann, Wilson, Stefanick, McCreadie
B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): McCool, Angelicchio, B. Smith, Fuller, McDowell, Frank, Krummert, Rhodes, Norris, Holmes, Wearing (DNS) Stone, Camponovo

Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):

Group ‘A’
1. 88-Andrew Reaume/Blenheim, ONT 16.260
2. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 16.285
3. 11-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 16.388
4. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 16.694
5. 5b-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 16.713
6. 32-Jim Rasey/Southington, OH 16.729
7. 10-Alex Ferree/Saxonburg, PA 16.979
8. 04-David Watts/Buchanan, VA 17.005
9. 28-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 17.009
10. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 17.022
11. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 17.085
12. 99B-Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 17.087
13. 41-Derrick Casner/Mifflintown, PA 17.235
14. J4-John Garvin Jr./Sarver, PA 17.394
15. 76-Jason Rider/Clinton, PA 17.420
16. 23T-Tony Burke/Sarver, PA 17.620
17. 29s-Ken Schaltenbrand/Sarver, PA 17.667
18. B22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 17.686
19. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 17.692
20. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 17.906
21. 618-Kevin Wilson/Stoneville, NC 17.967
22. 25z-Mason Zeigler/Chalk Hill, PA 17.982
23. 1-Tommy Beck/Murraysville, PA 18.003
24. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 18.134
25. 66-Todd Bachman/Natrona Heights, PA 18.372
26. J19-Jason Fosnaught/Creighton, PA 18.442
27. 44g-Derek Stefanick/Oakdale, PA 18.542
28. 7x-Herman Bertolini/Creighton, PA 18.917
29. H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA DQ – deck height
30. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX DQ – deck height

Group ‘B’
1. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 18.013
2. 71d-Ron Davies/Warren, PA 18.052
3. 5-Jared Landers/Batesville, AR 18.256
4. C33-Chris Casner/Mifflintown, PA 18.344
5. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 18.500
6. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 18.548
7. 6-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 18.562
8. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 18.577
9. 49-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 18.633
10. 56-Russ King/Bristolville, OH 18.778
11. 29K-Garrett Krummert/New Castle, PA 18.809
12. 18c-Ross Camponovo/Clarksdale, MS 18.874
13. 1c-Mike Pegher Jr./Cranberry Twp., PA 18.963
14. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 19.005
15. 72-Michael Norris/Sarver, PA 19.061
16. 66K-Justin Kann/Hesston, PA 19.492
17. CR9-Chris Rhodes/Windber, PA 19.654
18. 14-Dan Angelicchio/Greensburg, PA 20.057
19. 1J-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA DQ – deck height
20. B1-Brandon Wearing/Callery, PA DQ – deck height
21. 2s-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA DQ – deck height
22. 37-Brian Tavenner/Winchester, VA DQ – deck height
23. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA DQ – deck height
24. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, PA DQ – deck height
25. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA DQ – deck height
26. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY DQ – deck height
27. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA DQ – deck height
28. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY DQ – deck height
29. 91-Michael Holmes/Perth, W. Australia DQ – deck height

2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 29 (afternoon)
24 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 3390
2. Shane Clanton 3362 (-28)
3. Darrell Lanigan 3322 (-68)
4. Rick Eckert 3274 (-116)
5. Tim Fuller 3090 (-300)
6. Eric Wells 3084 (-306)
7. Tim McCreadie 3070 (-320)
8. Bub McCool 3044 (-346)
9. Morgan Bagley 3034 (-356)
10. Chub Frank 3026 (-364)
11. Clint Smith 2872 (-518)
12. Scott James 1958 (-1432)
13. Dan Stone 1466 (-1924)
14. Gregg Satterlee 1448 (-1942)
15. Dillon Wood 1426 (-1964)