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Kevin Kovac
WARTBURG, Tenn. (July 2) - Tim McCreadie scrawled his name all over Friday night's first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Wartburg Speedway.
But while the 2006 WoO LMS champion led every lap of the 'Invasion 50' presented by All-State Trailers of Knoxville, Tenn., his third victory of 2010 on the national tour didn't come without one especially anxious moment.
McCreadie, 36, of Watertown, N.Y., slid out of the preferred inside groove when he bumped a slower car between turns three and four on lap 41. The run-in nearly cost him the lead, but he regained control before Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., could sneak by and held on for the remainder of the distance in front of a huge crowd that promoter Scott Green called the biggest in Wartburg Speedway's history.
"Things got a little hairy in lapped traffic because you don't know where anybody is behind you," said McCreadie, who started second in his Sweeteners Plus Rocket car and outgunned the pole-sitting Clanton to assume command at the race's initial green flag. "I kind of forced the issue to get by that lapped car (driven by Charles Hurst of Knoxville, Tenn.) after following him for a couple laps, but I'm not any good at moving people out of the way so I almost took myself out.
"I started sliding up the track with (Hurst) and I was like, 'Man, I just got out of the rubber (lane) and somebody's gonna drive by me.' We were lucky to get back down in time to hold on."
The 34-year-old Clanton drew within a car length of McCreadie when the leader lost momentum, but that's as close as he got to the top spot. Clanton futilely chased McCreadie through the final laps and settled for a runner-up finish in his RSD Enterprises Rocket car, 0.418 of a second behind McCreadie at the checkered flag.
"When (McCreadie) hit that car, got sideways and pushed up the racetrack, he left the door open for me," said Clanton, whose second-place outing came six days after he pocketed over $30,000 for winning the Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. "But I just wasn't close enough to take advantage. I don't think I had enough gear in (the car) for the race."
Sixth-starter Billy Ogle Jr. of Harriman, Tenn., finished third in his GRT car - a career-best WoO LMS performance for the 46-year-old veteran who is a former dirt Late Model track champion at the circular quarter-mile oval. He earned the $500 WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hadn't won a tour A-Main and wasn't ranked among the top 12 in the series points standings.
Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., started and finished fourth in his Rocket mount - recording just his second top-five run of 2010 - and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who started third, placed fifth in his Rocket machine for his third top-five performance of the season.
Defending WoO LMS champion and current points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished a quiet-but-steady sixth, leaving him with an 18-point lead in the standings over McCreadie.
Just over one month ago McCreadie was third in the standings and trailed Richards by 70 points, but he's slowly-but-surely crept back into the thick of the battle for the $100,000 series championship. He's won two of the last three tour A-Mains to join five-time winner Richards as the only other driver with at least three victories this season.
"I think we've hit on a few things we found back at the shop," said McCreadie, who earned $10,775 for his 15th career win on the WoO LMS. "I told the (crew) guys after Lernerville last week (McCreadie won a preliminary A-Main and finished fourth in the Firecracker 100) that we had a car capable of running up front on a regular basis and tonight we proved it."
Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., was quickest of the 39 cars that were signed in for Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 12.912 seconds, earning his second fast-time honor of 2010 on the WoO LMS. But he drew the eighth starting spot for the A-Main and was never a factor, driving to a seventh-place finish in Dale Beitler's Rocket.
Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., improved four spots from his 12th starting position to finish eighth, while Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from 15th to place ninth and Eric Jacobsen of Sea Cliff Beach, Calif., was 10th in his first WoO LMS start since February's DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
Three caution flags slowed the action, all for minor tangles midway through the event. The first incident, between turns one and two on lap 23, involved Tommy Kerr of Maryville, Tenn., Stacy Boles of Clint, Tenn., and Mark Vineyard of Powell, Tenn., and nearly swept up McCreadie, Clanton and Smith.
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., pitted during the lap-23 caution period to change a flat right-rear tire, hurting his WoO LMS title aspirations. He managed only a 14th-place finish, leaving him third in the points standings, 68 points behind Richards.
Heat winners were Hubbard, Clanton, McCreadie and Billy Ogle Jr. The B-Mains were captured by Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and Hurst.
The much-anticipated WoO LMS stop at Wartburg was a nightmare for the track's top weekly Late Model competitor, Anthony White of Clinton, Tenn. A winner six times in eight starts this season at Wartburg, the 38-year-old racer never turned an official lap in racing competition on Friday.
White was scheduled to start fourth in the third heat but was black-flagged before the race began because he spent several pace laps refusing to fall to the rear of the field as a penalty for reporting late to the staging area. Later, an opening-lap tangle in the second B-Main left his car with night-ending damage.
The WoO LMS completes its Volunteer State doubleheader on Saturday night (July 3) at Tazewell Speedway. A $10,000 top prize will be on the line in the Coca-Cola 50.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series 'The Invasion 50' (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (2) Tim McCreadie/50 $10,775
2. (1) Shane Clanton/50 $5,500
3. (6) Billy Ogle Jr./50 $3,500
4. (4) Clint Smith/50 $3,000
5. (3) Chub Frank/50 $2,500
6. (7) Josh Richards/50 $2,300
7. (8) Austin Hubbard/50 $2,200
8. (12) Steve Francis/50 $1,900
9. (15) Rick Eckert/50 $1,700
10. (10) Eric Jacobsen/50 $1,100
11. (16) Russell King/50 $1,550
12. (17) Tim Fuller/50 $1,550
13. (21) Steve Smith/50 $950
14. (14) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,500
15. (22) Mark Vineyard/50 $850
16. (9) Tommy Kerr/50 $800
17. (18) Charles Hurst/48 $770
18. (19) Dan Tipton/48 $750
19. (24) Jill George/47 $730
20. (13) Stacy Boles/25 $700
21. (23) Brent Robinson/24 $700
22. (5) Mike Marlar/23 $700
23. (11) Chad Ogle/21 $725
24. (20) Perry Delaney/21 $700
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 25 Mins., 13.981 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.418 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 23, 24, 25)
Lap Leaders: McCreadie (1-50)
Provisional Starters: Robinson, George
Rookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Billy Ogle Jr. ($500)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 19-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 12.912
2. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 12.936
3. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 12.972
4. 201-Billy Ogle Jr./Harriman, TN 12.978
5. 4T-Tommy Kerr/Maryville, TN 13.011
6. 5-Eric Jacobsen/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 13.020
7. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 13.064
8. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 13.069
9. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 13.076
10. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 13.097
11. 10-Chad Ogle/Sevierville, TN 13.139
12. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 13.147
13. 66-Mark Leach/Heiskell, TN 13.155
14. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 13.172
15. 2x-Anthony White/Clinton, TN 13.196
16. 7-Darrick York/Oakdale, TN 13.206
17. 44R-Rick Rogers/Knoxville, TN 13.211
18. 12T-Dan Tipton/Kingston, TN 13.245
19. 4V-Mark Vineyard/Powell, TN 13.273
20. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 13.274
21. 11B-Stacy Boles/Clinton, TN 13.286
22. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 13.287
23. 157-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 13.318
24. 44M-Chris Marcum/Huntsville, TN 13.321
25. 357-Brian Hooks/Clinton, TN 13.330
26. 00-Rueben Mayfield/Lenoir, TN 13.340
27. 1H-Charles Hurst/Knoxville, TN 13.355
28. 30-Jeff Adkisson/Oliver Springs, TN 13.356
29. 34s-Steve Smith/Powell, TN 13.361
30. b15-Tim Damron/Oneida, TN 13.367
31. 01-Travis Armes/Petross, TN 13.386
32. 0-Ross White/Knoxville, TN 13.426
33. 14-April Farmer/Livingston, TN 13.479
34. 3-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA 13.564
35. 7d-Perry Delaney/Sparta, TN 13.678
36. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 13.688
37. H1-Johnny Lane/Clinton, TN 13.727
38. 71-Chuck Freels/Petross, TN 14.099
39. 31-Kenny Cobble/Cookville, TN 13.496 (DQ)
Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Hubbard, Frank, Kerr, Boles, S. Smith, Leach, Farmer, Hooks, Rogers, Lane
Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Richards, Jacobsen, Lanigan, Fuller, Tipton, Robinson, Damron, Mayfield, Freels
Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): McCreadie, Marlar, C. Ogle, Eckert, Hurst, Armes, Delaney, Cobble (DQ) White, Vineyard
Heat No. 4 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): B. Ogle, C. Smith, Francis, King, York, Adkisson, White, George, Marcum
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): Fuller, Tipton, S. Smith, Robinson, Hooks, Rogers, Lane, Mayfield, Damron, Freels, Leach, Farmer
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): Hurst, Delaney, Vineyard, Adkisson, Marcum, York, Armes, R. White, George, A. White (DNS) Cobble
2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 2 - 23 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 3122
2. Tim McCreadie 3104 (-18)
3. Darrell Lanigan 3054 (-68)
4. Steve Francis 3004 (-118)
5. Tim Fuller 2964 (-158)
6. Austin Hubbard 2942 (-180)
7. Shane Clanton 2902 (-220)
8. Rick Eckert 2874 (-248)
9. Chub Frank 2806 (-316)
10. Clint Smith 2754 (-368)
11. Russell King 2582 (-540)
12. Brady Smith 2338 (-784)
13. Brent Robinson 2292 (-830)
14. Jill George 1654 (-1468)
15. Vic Coffey 1100 (-2022)
16. Brian Birkhofer 1090 (-2032)
17. (tie) Billy Moyer 1040 (-2082)
17. (tie) April Farmer 1040 (-2082)
19. Dale McDowell 1036 (-2086)
20. Dan Stone 988 (-2134)
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