World of Outlaws Late Model Series
The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway
November 9, 2013
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Richards Caps Championship Season With Victory In WoO World Finals Finale
Celebrates Third World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title In Style At The Dirt Track At Charlotte



by Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director
CONCORD, NC (November 9) - Josh Richards capped his World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship season in style, scoring a powerful victory in Saturday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws World Finals finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

With the pressure of points racing removed after clinching his third career WoO LMS title the previous night, Richards calmly roared off the pole position to lead the A-Main from start-to-finish in his father Mark’s Valvoline-sponsored Rocket Chassis house car. He turned back challenges from John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., to register his 10th triumph of 2013 and the 49th of his career on the national tour.

Richards, 25, of Shinnston, W.Va., beat Eckert to the finish line by 0.941 of a second for a $12,650 payday that gave him two reasons to celebrate in front of the event’s standing-room-only crowd at the conclusion of the blockbuster program.

“It feels awesome,” said Richards, who became the first driver to win three WoO LMS championships since the WoO LMS was restarted in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. “It’s definitely icing on the cake (to win the A-Main).”



Sixteen-year-old Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., advanced from the 17th starting spot in his father Bob’s Pierce Race Car to finish third in his first career World Finals A-Main start. He cracked the top five on lap 25 and reached third place with a lap-44 pass of Blankenship.

Blankenship settled for a fourth-place finish – the same position from which he started –in a Rocket machine after running in second place for 29 of the race’s first 30 laps. Fifth was claimed by Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., whose family-owned Rocket sustained heavy left-front damage after the checkered flag when he inadvertently hit Blankenship on the backstretch because he didn’t realize the race had ended.

Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., finished sixth, bringing an end to his streak of capturing the Saturday-night World Finals A-Main in each of the last four years. He had high hopes of registering a fifth straight win after drawing the outside pole starting spot, but he was penalized one row by WoO LMS officials for firing before Richards on the original start and then was forced high in turn one on the ensuing restart and fell to mid-pack.

Richards, who returned to the WoO LMS fulltime this season after spending most of 2012 competing on the NASCAR Nationwide Series, secured the $100,000 championship prize on Friday night when a third-place finish left him with an insurmountable 100-point lead over defending champ Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. The early clinching put him in a nice spot for Saturday night’s finale.

“This is the most relaxed I’ve ever been here at Charlotte,” said Richards, who won a World Finals A-Main in 2008. “To be able to have the (points) cushion we had (entering the weekend) and wrap it up last night – compared to previous years when you’re (battling for the title) right down to the last lap (on Saturday) – was a relief. We were able to just go all-out for the win tonight.”

Richards had more than enough speed in his familiar blue No. 1 to handle six restarts between laps nine and 30 and threats early in the distance from Blankenship and later from Eckert.



“We were close last night,” said Richards, who chased Lanigan and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., across the finish line on Friday night. “We made some changes to the car today and it was so fun to drive. You could move around. My guys did a great job making adjustments.”

Richards ended the season with a commanding 150-point championship-winning margin over Lanigan, who retired with engine problems on lap nine and finished 25th but held on to place second in the WoO LMS standings by just two points over eighth-place-finisher Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga. His 10 victories on the tour were a personal single-season high.

Eckert, 47, hustled forward from the 12th starting spot to take second place from Blankenship on a lap-30 restart. He raced within striking distance of Richards for the remainder of the race but had to be satisfied with his sixth runner-up finish of the 2013 WoO LMS season.

“I feel like I was a little better than (Richards) in (turns) one and two and he was a little better than me through them holes in three and four,” said Eckert, who won the 2011 WoO LMS championship when Richards slowed with a flat tire on the last lap of the World Finals finale. “If I could’ve ever stayed with him down the straightaway I might’ve been able to fill the gap to where he couldn’t come back across, but it’s tough do that with these cars because they get rocked up and it’s hard to see guys to the left of you.

“We’re happy with a second though. We started 12th and got up through there, so it’s a good way to end the year.”



Finishing in positions 7-10 was DIRTcar UMP Summer Nationals and national champion Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., who started 21st; Clanton; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who spent the weekend driving the Todd Wood-owned car (renumbered ‘1CAT’) normally steered by Wood’s son Dillon.

Six caution flags slowed the event, including two for wall-banging incidents involving high-profile drivers. Bloomquist slapped the turn-four concrete on lap 20 while running seventh and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., hit the turn-one wall on lap 23 after tangling with Tyler Reddick of DuQuoin, Ill., while battling for fifth place.

Other caution flags were brought out by Lanigan, who slowed after losing power on lap nine; Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., whose run in the top five ended on lap 12; Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, who slowed with a right-rear flat tire on lap 29; and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who was sent spinning into the infield in a turn-four jam-up on lap 30.

Heat winners were Owens, Richards, Reddick, Blankenship, McCool and Stone. The B-Mains were captured by Lanigan, Kenny Moreland of Waldorf, Md., and Sheppard.

The stars of the 2013 WoO LMS will be honored – and share in nearly $400,000 in points-fund cash – during the tour’s annual awards banquet on Sunday night (Nov. 10) at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C

The 2014 WoO LMS campaign is scheduled to kick off on Feb. 7-8 with the ‘Winter Freeze’ doubleheader at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga.

The 2014 World of Outlaws World Finals, meanwhile, will be held at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Nov. 6-8.

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

Results of World of Outlaws Late Model Series World Finals Night No. 2 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (1) Josh Richards/50 $12,650
2. (12) Rick Eckert/50 $5,650
3. (17) Bobby Pierce/50 $3,550
4. (4) John Blankenship/50 $2,500
5. (5) Dan Stone/50 $2,000
6. (2) Jimmy Owens/50 $1,700
7. (21) Brandon Sheppard/50 $1,500
8. (13) Shane Clanton/50 $2,000
9. (22) Earl Pearson Jr./50 $1,350
10. (23) Clint Smith/50 $1,950
11. (26) Eric Wells/50 $2,100
12. (18) Morgan Bagley/50 $1,750
13. (24) Tim Fuller/50 $1,700
14. (16) B.J. Robinson/50 $1,200
15. (20) Kenny Moreland/37 $1,050
16. (10) Gregg Satterlee/30 $1,000
17. (9) Duane Chamberlain/29 $1,000
18. (25) Tim McCreadie/29 $1,650
19. (15) Ryan Gustin/28 $1,000
20. (7) Chris Ferguson/26 $1,000
21. (6) Tyler Reddick/23 $1,000
22. (8) Steve Francis/23 $1,100
23. (14) Scott Bloomquist/20 $1,100
24. (3) Bub McCool/11 $1,500
25. (19) Darrell Lanigan/9 $1,650
26. (11) Steve Shaver/9 $1,000
27. (27) Jeremy Miller/6 $1,000

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses

Time of Race: 27 Mins., 19.379 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.941 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 5 (laps 8, 12, 20, 23, 29)
Lap Leaders: Richards (1-50)
Provisional Starters: McCreadie, Wells (WoO); Miller (fastest pre-entered non-qualifier)
Rookie of the Race: Wells ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Pierce ($500)

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Darrell Lanigan, 2. Earl Pearson Jr., 3. Jason Feger, 4. Billy Decker, 5. Eric Wells, 6. Chris Madden, 7. Rod Conley, 8. J.T. Spence, 9. Dale Hollidge, 10. Brian Tavenner, 11. Kyle Hardy, 12. Chase Junghans, 13. Mike Benedum, 14. Chuck Harper, 15. Will Vaught, 16. James O'Hara, 17. Kevin Wilson

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Kenny Moreland, 2. Clint Smith, 3. Jeff Babcock, 4. Eric Jacobsen, 5. Chub Frank, 6. Andrew Reaume, 7. Dennis 'Rambo' Franklin, 8. Chad Hollenbeck, 9. Pancho Lawler, 10. Bryan Force, 11. Kerry King, 12. Mike Marlar, 13. Don Gordon, 14. Glenn Elliott, 15. Dale McDowell, 16. Coleby Frye

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Brandon Sheppard, 2. Tim Fuller, 3. Chris Brown, 4. Don O'Neal, 5. Austin Hubbard, 6. John Garvin, 7. Ricky Elliott, 8. Mason Zeigler, 9. Walker Arthur, 10. Jared Landers, 11. Devin Moran, 12. Dennis Erb Jr., 13. Matt Cochran, 14. Brian Ledbetter, 15. Jeremy Miller, 16. Jonathan Davenport

Heat No. 1 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Chris Ferguson, 3. Shane Clanton, 4. Darrell Lanigan, 5. Will Vaught, 6. Billy Decker, 7. Rod Conley, 8. Dale Hollidge, 9. Chris Madden, 10. Kyle Hardy, 11. Chase Junghans, 12. James O'Hara (DNS) Tim Allen

Heat No. 2 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Josh Richards, 2. Steve Francis, 3. Scot Bloomquist, 4. Eric Wells, 5. Earl Pearson Jr., 6. Jason Feger, 7. J.T. Spence, 8. Brian Tavenner, 9. Vic Hill, 10. Mike Benedum, 11. Chuck Harper, 12. Kevin Wilson

Heat No. 3 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Tyler Reddick, 2. Duane Chamberlain, 3. Ryan Gustin, 4. Kenny Moreland, 5. Jeff Babcock, 6. Chad Hollenbeck, 7. Dale McDowell, 8. Tim McCreadie, 9. Eric Jacobsen, 10. Pancho Lawler, 11. Don Gordon (DNS) Casey Roberts

Heat No. 4 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. John Blankenship, 2. Gregg Satterlee, 3. B.J. Robinson, 4. Mike Marlar, 5. Dennis 'Rambo' Franklin, 6. Clint Smith, 7. Chub Frank, 8. Andrew Reaume, 9. Coleby Frye, 10. Bryan Force, 11. Glenn Elliott, 12. Kerry King

Heat No. 5 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Bub McCool, 2. Steve Shaver, 3. Bobby Pierce, 4. Chris Brown, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Austin Hubbard, 7. Devin Moran, 8. Ricky Elliott, 9. Jared Landers, 10. Mason Zeigler, 11. Brian Ledbetter, 12. Jonathan Davenport

Heat No. 6 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dan Stone, 2. Rick Eckert, 3. Morgan Bagley, 4. Brandon Sheppard, 5. Tim Fuller, 6. Don O'Neal, 7. Dennis Erb Jr., 8. Walker Arthur, 9. John Garvin, 10. Matt Cochran, 11. Billy Ogle Jr.

Event Photos courtesy of Thomas Hendrickson

World of Outlaws Late Model Series
The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway
November 7, 2013
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Moyer Sweeps Qualifying Night Honors In World of Outlaws World Finals Debut
Veteran Driver Tops 74-Car Field On Opening Night Of Blockbuster Event At The Dirt Track At CMS



by Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, NC (November 7) - Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., made a spectacular debut at the World of Outlaws World Finals, sweeping fast-time honors in both rounds of Thursday’s Qualifying Night program at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. | Event Photos |

The legendary driver was perfect in his first-ever World Finals appearance, topping an ultra-competitive field of 74 cars that were signed in for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series portion of the huge tripleheader weekend. The event also attracted 55 winged machines for the companion World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series meet and 49 entries for the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified action.

World Finals Qualifying Night featured two rounds of WoO LMS time trials – the first to line up Friday night’s heat races and the second to align Saturday night’s preliminaries.

Moyer, 56, turned a lap of 15.413 seconds in Group ‘A’ during the first round of time trials and bettered that with a circuit of 15.304 seconds in Group ‘B’ during Round 2. His clockings were the overall fastest of both qualifying legs, giving him the 17th and 18th WoO LMS fast-time honors of his career.

The three-time WoO LMS champion also became the third Late Model driver to sweep both qualifying rounds of the seven-year-old World Finals, joining Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va. (2007) and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga. (2010).



Moyer’s standout performance came in what was surprisingly his first stab at the World Finals. He traveled to Charlotte to compete in the 2009 weekend but headed home without even entering the Qualifying Night program after pulling out of the rescheduled WoO LMS Topless Showdown that preceded that year’s World Finals.

“I came out here last year just as a fan and watched,” said Moyer, who still holds the one-lap track record at The Dirt Track (14.672 seconds on April 18, 2008). “It was a good show to get to watch all of the classes and the track was good. That kinda made me want to go ahead and come back this year.”

With the evening’s large field split for both rounds of qualifying, drivers in Group ‘A’ competed for starting spots in Heats 1-3 on Friday and Saturday and those in Group ‘B’ qualified for positions in Heat 4-6 both nights. Moyer will start from the pole position in Friday night’s first heat and Saturday evening’s fourth preliminary.

“We haven’t been here for a while,” said Moyer, “but to come back and run as well as we have so far, that’s a good thing for sure.”

WoO LMS regulars Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., also registered group fast times during Qualifying Night. Lanigan was quickest in Group ‘B’ during Round 1 with a lap of 15.484 seconds, while Clanton was best in Group ‘B’ during Round 2 with a circuit of 15.619 seconds.



Clanton’s strong showing during the second round was a complete turnaround from the problems he experienced earlier in the night. During Round 1 he was 35th-fastest of 37 qualifiers in Group ‘A’ after hitting a rut and breaking the right-front frame rail on his Kennedy Motorsports car.

WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who sits on the cusp of clinching his third career WoO LMS championship, was fourth-fastest in his group during Round 1 and second-fastest in his group during Round 2. He will start Friday night’s first heat from the outside pole and Saturday night’s second heat from the pole position. | 2013 WoOLMS Point Standings |

The World Finals continue on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 8-9), with gates opening at 3 p.m. and hot laps scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. each day. Each card will include a 50-lap A-Main for the WoO LMS, a 30-lap A-Main for the WoO STP Sprint Car Series and a 40-lap headliner for the Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds.

Round 1 Time Trial Results

Group 'A'
1. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 15.413
2. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.582
3. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 15.616
4. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.635
5. 201-Billy Ogle Jr./Knoxville, TN 15.687
6. 4ds-Chad Hollenbeck/Kingsley, PA/15.694
7. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 15.714
8. 88-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 15.811
9. 2-Dennis 'Rambo' Franklin/Gaffney, SC 15.825
10. 24-Kenny Moreland/Waldorf, MD 15.861
11. 1CAT-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.874
12. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 15.94
13. 2-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.944
14. b5-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 15.954
15. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.973
16. 21-Chris Ferguson/Mt. Holly, NC 16.043
17. 44-Chris Madden/Gray Court, SC 16.049
18. 49-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 16.05
19. 32-Bobby Pierce/Oakwood, IL 16.083
20. 5-Jared Landers/Batesville, AR 16.135
21. 19-Ryan Gustin/Marshalltown, IA 16.174
22. 18W-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 16.205
23. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 16.223
24. 25b-Mike Benedum/Salem, WV 16.24
25. 25z-Mason Zeigler/Chalk Hill, PA 16.257
26. 157-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 16.357
27. 1-Jeff Babcock/Wayne, OH 16.364
28. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 16.409
29. 1V-Vic Hill/Morristown, TN 16.52
30. 101-Casey Roberts/Toccoa, GA 16.592
31. 17-Tim Allen/Kannapolis, NC 16.599
32. 31-Bryan Force/Indiana, PA 16.645
33. 37-Brian Tavenner/Winchester, VA 16.705
34. 93-Pancho Lawler/Glenville, PA 16.785
35. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 16.864
36. 618-Kevin Wilson/Stoneville, NC 17.061
37. 33-Don Gordon/Chatham, ONT 17.072

Group 'B'
1. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.484
2. 21-Chris Brown/Spring, TX 15.71
3. 91-Billy Decker/Unadilla, NY 15.725
4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL 15.739
5. 11-Tyler Reddick/DuQuoin, IL 15.776
6. 71-Don O'Neal/Martinsville, IN 15.809
7. 1M-Jeremy Miller/Littlestown, PA 15.819
8. 6-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 15.896
9. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.907
10. 00H-Chuck Harper/Beverly, WV 15.952
11. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX 15.953
12. 18c-Chase Junghans/Manhattan, KS 15.972
13. 44-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 16.036
14. 11-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 16.041
15. 87-Walker Arthur/Forest, VA 16.043
16. 20-Duane Chamberlain/Richmond, IN 16.052
17. J4-John Garvin/Sarver, PA 16.09
18. 71R-Rod Conley/Wheelersburg, OH 16.091
19. 5-Eric Jacobsen/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 16.107
20. 91-J.T. Spence/Winchester, VA 16.142
21. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 16.188
22. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 16.201
23. 1V-Will Vaught/Crane, MO 16.202
24. 0-Dale Hollidge/Mechanicsville, MD 16.289
25. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 16.356
26. 16-Matt Cochran/Williamsport, PA 16.372
27. 25-Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL 16.408
28. 32-Coleby Frye/Dover, PA 16.431
29. F5-B.J. Robinson/Haughton, LA 16.594
30. 88-Andrew Reaume/Blenheim, ONT 16.99
31. 07-Brian Ledbetter/Dallas, NC 16.996
32. 19H-Kyle Hardy/Stephens City, VA 17.014
33. KB-Kerry King/Delmar, DE 17.346
34. 44s-James O'Hara/Covington, PA 19.039
35. 1K-Devin Moran/Dresden, OH N/T
36. 116-Randy Weaver/Crossville, TN N/T
37. 5-Glenn Elliott/Finksburg, MD N/T

Event Photos courtesy of Thomas Hendrickson