World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Red River Co-op Speedway
July 11, 2013
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Richards Turns Back Late Challenge From McCreadie For Seventh Victory Of 2013 Thursday At Red River Co-op Speedway
World of Outlaws Late Model Points Leader Triumphant In First-Ever Start At Manitoba Track



by Kevin Kovac
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA (July 11) – Josh Richards didn’t take long to master Red River Co-op Speedway.

Making his first-ever start at the four-tenths-mile Canadian oval after missing last year’s inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series event while racing on the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Richards rolled off the outside pole to score a wire-to-wire victory in Thursday night’s 50-lap Wild West Tour A-Main.

Richards, 25, of Shinnston, W.Va., used some daring moves in lapped traffic late in the race to turn back a furious challenge from Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who ducked underneath Richards several times but ultimately crossed the finish line 3.421 seconds behind in the runner-up spot.

Defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who won last year’s feature at Red River, finished a distant third after starting fourth. But he had to rally after a scramble between turns one and two on the race’s initial start left his car with a flat left-rear tire, forcing him to pit and restart at the rear of the field.

Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., finished fourth after running in third place for much of the distance and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., placed fifth after bolting into the top five from the eighth starting spot early in the A-Main.

Richards’s $10,650 triumph was his seventh of the 2013 WoO LMS campaign, tying him with Lanigan for the lead in the high-profile category. He also extended his lead in the circuit’s standings to 38 points over Lanigan, who moved past sixth-place finisher Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., in the championship battle.

It was a perfect evening of competition for Richards, who set fast time and won his heat race before capturing an A-Main that ran non-stop after a caution flag flew on the opening circuit.

“We were fortunate,” said Richards, who reached Victory Lane for the first time since sweeping the three-race Firecracker 100 by GottaRace.com weekend June 27-29 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. “We kind of hit it right from the start. We were good in hot laps – I was a little tight, but the guys said we were fast so we just left it alone and I just tried to focus on driving a little better. Then we were able to set fast time, win our heat, and, obviously draw the number two spot for the feature.

“We had everything going for us, so I just had to do my part and try to get out there and get some open track and get through lapped traffic the best we could.”

That wasn’t always an easy task. Richards built a lead of as much as a straightaway over McCreadie, who moved from the seventh starting spot to second by lap three, but the gap shrunk when Richards’s Valvoline-sponsored Rocket Chassis house car became enveloped by slower cars.

On lap 37 McCreadie caught Richards, ducking inside the leader on the backstretch. McCreadie pulled alongside Richards again the following, but Richards fought off the threat by aggressively slipping between the lapped cars driven by Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., and John Mason of Millersburg, Ohio, racing down the homestretch on lap 39.

“It was a little hairy in lapped traffic,” said Richards, who registered his 46th career win on the WoO LMS. “They would dirty the track a little bit and take all the air off your car, so any little hole you got, you gotta take it. I didn’t know McCreadie was there, but I knew that he was pretty close as slow as we were going there.”

McCreadie, 39, was unable to stick with Richards over the final laps, but the former WoO LMS champion was more than satisfied with his bridesmaid finish in his Sweeteners Plus Warrior.

“We ran the same tires in the feature we ran in the heat – and we were horrible in the heat,” said McCreadie, who won the Wild West Tour opener on July 5 at Asmoil Speedway in Superior, Wis. “The track just looked like it kept peeling open and getting softer, and (before the feature) I told the guys (on his crew), ‘Well, what do you think?’ They came up with a combination, and I thank them because I was stumped all night.

“I’m just happy to come home second. Traffic helped us catch Josh. We both got clean (on the track) there and he was a little bit better.”

Lanigan, 43, authored the night’s most stirring drive, tearing through the field after his opening-lap misfortune. His car’s left-rear tire was cut in the jam-up that occurred when the polesitting Wells got out of shape between turns one and two.

“We went down in there and the 18 got a little sideways and I checked for him and the guy behind me got me,” said Lanigan, who reached third place on lap 43 but was too far behind McCreadie to bid for another position. “It really wasn’t his fault. We were all checking up – just a racing incident.

“We just got another tire and put the hammer down. The car was awesome. One caution and I think we would’ve been right there. But we didn’t get a caution and wound up third.”

Finishing in positions 7-10 was Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who was the last driver on the lead lap at the checkered flag; Red River standout Ricky Weiss of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who started third; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who was coming off his first WoO LMS win of 2013 two nights earlier at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway.

Richards topped the 26-car field in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, turning a lap of 18.043 seconds to earn his series-leading fifth fast-time honor of 2013. It was his 36th career fast time, moving him one ahead of Eckert for the alltime tour lead in the category.

Heat winners were Richards, Wells and Lanigan, and Ward Imrie of Winnipeg, Manitoba, captured the B-Main.

The WoO LMS Wild West Tour is scheduled to conclude on Friday night (July 12) at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D.

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

Results of World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Red River Co-op Speedway
(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (2) Josh Richards/50 $10,650
2. (7) Tim McCreadie/50 $5,650
3. (4) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,650
4. (6) Brady Smith/50 $2,500
5. (8) Chub Frank/50 $2,600
6. (9) Shane Clanton/50 $2,250
7. (15) Clint Smith/50 $1,950
8. (3) Ricky Weiss/49 $1,950
9. (11) Tim Fuller/49 $1,750
10. (12) Rick Eckert/49 $1,750
11. (1) Eric Wells/49 $1,850
12. (17) Pat Doar/49 $1,050
13. (10) Morgan Bagley/49 $1,500
14. (20) Shane Edginton/49 $900
15. (5) Jimmy Mars/49 $850
16. (14) Bub McCool/49 $1,400
17. (18) John Mason/48 $770
18. (22) Bill Mooney/48 $750
19. (16) Brad Seng/33 $730
20. (21) Scott Greer/31 $700
21. (23) Steve Anderson/18 $700
22. (19) Ward Imrie/1 $750
23. (13) Mike Balcaen/1 $700
24. (24) Steffen Snare/1 $725
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 19 Mins., 7.561 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 3.421 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 1 (original start)
Lap Leaders: Richards (1-50)
Provisional Starters: Anderson, Snare
Rookie of the Race: Wells ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Weiss ($500)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Richards, Mars, McCreadie, Bagley, Balcaen, Seng, Greer, Imrie, Fawcett
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Wells, Weiss, Frank, Fuller, McCool, Doar, Edginton, Anderson, Snare
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Lanigan, B. Smith, Clanton, Eckert, C. Smith, Mason, Mooney, Allard
B-Main (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Imrie, Edginton, Greer, Mooney, Anderson, Snare, Allard, Fawcett

Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 18.043
2. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 18.058
3. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 18.159
4. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 18.390
5. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 18.427
6. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 18.460
7. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX 18.470
8. 7w-Ricky Weiss/Winnipeg, Manitoba 18.499
9. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 18.518
10. 28-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 18.519
11. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 18.524
12. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 18.536
13. 10-Mike Balcaen/Winnipeg, Manitoba 18.555
14. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 18.655
15. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, Wi 18.655
16. 12-Brad Seng/Grand Forks, ND 18.971
17. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 19.165
18. 72-John Mason/Millersburg, OH 19.228
19. 10x-Ward Imrie/Winnipeg, Manitoba 19.300
20. 9-Steve Anderson/Grand Forks, ND 19.440
21. 2M-Bill Mooney/Selkirk, Manitoba 19.513
22. 5G-Scott Greer/E. St. Paul, MN 20.064
23. 71-Steffen Snare/Hallack, MN 20.391
24. 92c-Coard Allard/Winnipeg, Manitoba 20.701
25. 71F-Rick Fawcett/Grand Pointe, Manitoba 21.166
26. 5e/Shane Edginton/Winnipeg, Manitoba N/T

2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 11
29 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 4088
2. Darrell Lanigan 4050 (-38)
3. Shane Clanton 4046 (-42)
4. Rick Eckert 3966 (-122)
5. Tim McCreadie 3784 (-304)
6. Tim Fuller 3756 (-332)
7. Eric Wells 3750 (-338)
8. Morgan Bagley 3684 (-404)
9. Bub McCool 3670 (-418)
10. Chub Frank 3666 (-422)
11. Clint Smith 3528 (-560)
12. Scott James 1958 (-2130)