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AT A GLANCE: Rum Running South

Overton

CONCORD, NC – Just five races remain on the 2019 World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series schedule. Five more chances for points leader Brandon Sheppard to make history and get his 19th Feature win of the year, which would break the all-time single-season wins record.

This weekend, when the Outlaws take on another Thursday-Friday-Saturday tripleheader at Lavonia Speedway, Cherokee Speedway and 411 Motor Speedway, there will be another driver by the name of Brandon in the field who has defeated the Outlaws twice already this season and will, no doubt, be a big contender to do it again. Commonly referred to by his nickname of “Big Sexy,” it’s the 2015 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year, Brandon Overton.

The Evans, GA-driver slayed the Outlaws in the season opener back in February at Screven Motor Speedway and again in late May at Cochran Motor Speedway; two tracks in his home state that he certainly knows his way around. Armed with several Super Late Model wins around the Southeast and a Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals Series championship title, Overton has definitely shown what he’s capable of in his first year behind the Rum Runner Racing #2.

Those new trophies on the shelf look great to everyone involved in the shop, but Overton’s competitive spirit keeps driving him forward every week to make it to Victory Lane every time he’s on the track. In short, he can never have too much success.

“I feel like we’ve accomplished what we set out to do,” Overton said. “But I also feel like we could have done better. I think when I first joined the team, we all had really high expectations. We haven’t done bad, it’s just that we set the bar so high for what we thought we were going to do this year that we’re now still urgently searching every week to win more races.”

Team owner and former full-time World of Outlaws wheelman Joey Coulter brought Overton onto the team over the winter of 2018-19, where they had almost immediate success with the expertise of crew chief Harold Holly – a personal friend of Overton and former crew chief of Coulter in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series days.

The trio has spent lots of time at the track and in the shop working on both their cars and communication skills throughout the season, which Overton and Coulter agree has helped the development of their team immensely.

“Sometimes, Joey helps Harold understand what I’m saying because they’ve been together for so long,” Overton said. “I can tell Joey something and then he’ll explain it to Harold a bit better than I can.”

“Once we all figured out how best to communicate with each other, Brandon adjusted to the way we run our program and we adjusted to the way Brandon drives the car, that’s when the wins started coming in,” Coulter said.

Overton and Holly’s friendship has remained the same, but the way they interact in the pit area has not. Overton said he’s had to make efforts throughout the season to work more professionally with his crew chief.

“Harold and I, we’ve been friends since I was about 13 years old,” Overton said. “He’s my crew chief but he’s been my friend for so long. Now he’s got a role to play with being my crew chief so it’s definitely different. I have to learn how to work differently with him than I used to.”

Coulter hasn’t forgotten the days of his time as an Outlaw in 2016 with Holly’s tutelage beside him. The things the two had become accustomed to while a part of NASCAR carried over into the new Super Late Model team, which Overton eventually had to get familiar with himself.

“They’ve both raced at much higher level than I have,” Overton said. “I’ve never been a part of a team that operates like a NASCAR team does. They do things a lot different than I’m used to seeing, and that takes a little bit of time to get used to.”

At the end of the day, Coulter knows he made the right decision by putting Overton in the seat this year. He’s proud of the team he’s built since stepping out of the driver’s seat full-time and has nothing but positive aspirations for the road ahead. The consistency the team has shown over the past several months, he said, has been the biggest benchmark of success so far this year.

“Obviously, you can’t win every race. But when you can at least give yourself a chance to, night-after-night, from a car owner’s perspective, that gets everybody excited because it shows the strength and potential that your program has,” Coulter said.

With an eye toward the tracks ahead this weekend, both the driver and owner are confident in the team’s abilities to put it in Victory Lane at least once. Overton’s runner-up finish in the Southern Nationals event at 411 Motor Speedway back in late July showed just how close he could come to picking up a win at the Tennessee oval. But now, playtime’s over. He’s back with vengeance for a $10,000 check he just missed by one spot.

“I’ve actually gotten a little better at 411 the last few times I’ve raced there, so this is a good weekend to try and get another win,” Overton said.

“I think we’ve got a lot of good notes from running down there earlier this year, especially at 411,” Coulter added. “At this point, that place owes him a win. He’s been really close there the last few times and had some really strong runs. Obviously, he’s got a lot of great history at Cherokee. Lavonia might be the wildcard, but I know he’s been there before.”

Come see Overton and the entire Southeastern Super Late Model posse take on Sheppard and the rest of the Outlaws this weekend in the final three races before the Can-Am World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in November!

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN & WHERE
Thursday, October 3 at Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, Georgia
Friday, October 4 at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina
Saturday, October 5 at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tennessee

THURSDAY
• Pit gate opens at 2 p.m.
• Spectator gate opens at 3 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY
• Pit gate opens at 2 p.m.
• Spectator gate opens at 3 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
• Pit gate opens at noon.
• Spectator gate opens at 3 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m.

ABOUT THE TRACKS
Lavonia Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked, red clay oval. The track record is 14.996 seconds, set by Steve Francis in 2006.
Online: http://www.lavoniaspeedway.net
Phone: (706) 612-0893

Cherokee Speedway is a 3/8-mile red clay oval. The track record is 14.654 seconds, held by Chris Ferguson.
Online: http://www.cherokeespeedwaysc.com/
Phone: (864) 489-1969

411 Motor Speedway is a 3/8-mile red clay oval. The track record is 13.028 seconds, set by Cory Hedgecock on January 1, 2015.
Online: http://www.411motorspeedway.net/
Phone: (865) 257-7223

TICKETS
Tickets for all tracks can be purchased at the gate on race day. Prices listed below.

Lavonia GA – $30
Cherokee GA – $30
411 GA – $30, kids 12 and under FREE

3/8-MILE WINNERS
There have been 13 races on 3/8-mile tracks so far this season.
1: Screven Motor Speedway – Brandon Overton on Feb. 8
2: Screven Motor Speedway – Shane Clanton on Feb. 9
3: Wayne County Speedway – Brandon Sheppard on May 18
4: Cochran Motor Speedway – Brandon Overton on May 31
5: Independence Motor SpeedwayBrandon Sheppard on July 5
6: Deer Creek SpeedwayBrandon Sheppard on July 6
7: ABC Raceway – Brandon Sheppard on July 9
8: Ogilvie Raceway – Shane Clanton on July 13
9: Red Cedar Speedway – Chase Junghans on July 14
10: Cedar Lake Speedway – Jonathan Davenport on Aug. 1
11: Cedar Lake SpeedwayChris Madden on Aug. 3
12: I-96 Speedway – Brandon Sheppard on Aug. 29
13: Sharon SpeedwayBrandon Sheppard on Aug. 30

LAVONIA SPEEDWAY PREVIOUS WINNERS
2018 – Brandon Sheppard on May 3
2014 – Darrell Lanigan on May 3

CHEROKEE SPEEDWAY PREVIOUS WINNERS
2019 – Ross Bailes on May 3
2018 – Mike Marlar on May 4
2017 – Shane Clanton on May 5

411 MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREVIOUS WINNERS
2018 – Cory Hedgecock on June 1

ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws Late Model Series – www.worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels
Twitter – Twitter.com/ WoOLateModels (@WoOLateModels)
Instagram – Instagram.com/ WoOLateModels (@WoOLateModels)
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – YouTube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – Dirtvision.com – Get your Late Model Fast Pass to watch all races LIVE for only $39/month!
Twitter – Twitter.com/DIRTVision – @DIRTVision
Facebook – Facebook.com/WatchDIRTVision

DRIVER INFO
Follow full-time World of Outlaws drivers on Twitter:
Brandon Sheppard – @B_Sheppard_B5
Shane Clanton – @clanton25
Darrell Lanigan – @DarrellLanigan
Chase Junghans – @ShopQuik18
Dennis Erb Jr. – @DennisErbJr
Boom Briggs – @boom99b
Brent Larson – @BrentLarsonB1
Ricky Weiss – @weissracing7
Cade Dillard – @CDillard97
Blake Spencer – www.blakespencer.com (not on Twitter)

AROUND THE TURN
After the checkered falls on Saturday at 411, the Outlaws get four-and-a-half weeks off from Series competition to prepare for the Can-Am World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Nov. 7-9, where the Series champion will be crowned alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Super DIRTcar Series! The event kicks off with Hot Laps and Qualifying sessions on Thursday night for Sprint Cars and Late Models, accompanied by Heat races for the Big-Block Modifieds. Two full shows on Friday and Saturday for all three divisions will complete the event before the ceremonial championship presentations on Saturday night!

2019 STATS
There have been 36 World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Feature events this season.

MORTON BUILDINGS FEATURE WINNERS (14 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 18
– Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 4
3 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 2
Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 2
5 – Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 1
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 1
– Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 1
– Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 1
– Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 1
– Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA – 1
Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 1
– Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 1
– Max Blair, Titusville, PA – 1
– Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1

PFC BRAKES FAST TIME AWARD WINNERS (23 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Quick Times
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 10
2 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 3
3 – Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 1
– Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN – 1
– Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA – 1
– Jason Covert, York Haven, PA – 1
– Kent Robinson, Bloomington, IN – 1
– Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 1
– Tanner English, Benton, KY – 1
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 1
Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 1
– Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX – 1
– Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 1
– Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 1
– Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, WI – 1
– Don Shaw, Ham Lake, MN – 1
– Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1
Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 1
Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA – 1
– Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL – 1
– Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1
– Max Blair, Titusville, PA – 1
Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 1

DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (41 different winners)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 25
2 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 11
3 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 10
4 – Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 8
– Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 8
– Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 8
7 – Scott Bloomquist – Mooresburg, TN – 4
– Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 4
– Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL – 4
– Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL – 4
11 – Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV – 3
– Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 3
– Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 3
Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 3
– Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, WI – 3
– Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 3
17 – Kyle Hardy, Stephens City, VA – 2
Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 2
– Chris Ferguson, Mt. Holly, NC – 2
Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA – 2
– Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA – 2
– Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, IA – 2
– Jason Covert, York Haven, PA – 2
24 – Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 1
– Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 1
– Kent Robinson, Bloomington, IN – 1
– Tanner English, Benton, KY – 1
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 1
– Ben Watkins, Lancaster, SC – 1
– Johnny Pursley, Clover, SC – 1
– Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 1
– Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 1
Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN – 1
– Chad Simpson, Mount Vernon, IA – 1
– Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN – 1
Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 1
– Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX – 1
– Earl Pearson Jr., Jacksonville, FL – 1
– Max Blair, Titusville, PA – 1
– David Scott, Garland, PA – 1
Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (38 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 3
– Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 3
3 – Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 2
– Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 2
– Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KY – 2
Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 2
7 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1
– Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV – 1
– Steve Casebolt, Richmond, IN – 1
– Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN – 1
Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN – 1
Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA – 1
– Kent Robinson, Bloomington, IN – 1
– Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX – 1
– Kyle Hardy, Stephens City, VA – 1
– Tanner English, Benton, KY – 1
– John Ownbey, Cleveland, TN – 1
– Cory Hedgecock, Loudon, TN – 1
– Tommy Kerr, Maryville, TN – 1
– Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL – 1
– Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL – 1
– Bob Gardner, Washington, IL – 1
– Blake Spencer, St. Augustine, FL – 1
– Donald Bradsher, Burlington, NC – 1
– Anthony Sanders, Spartanburg, SC – 1
– Dan Stone, Thompson, PA – 1
– John Kaanta, Elk Mound, WI – 1
– Brody Troftgruben, Grand Forks, ND – 1
– Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1
– Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA – 1
Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND – 1
– Terry Casey, New London, WI – 1
– Earl Pearson Jr., Jacksonville, FL – 1
– Gary Stuhler, Greencastle, PA – 1
– Bryan Bernheisel, Jonestown, PA – 1
– Andy Haus, Hamburg, PA – 1
– Jake Finnerty, Niobe, NY – 1
– Coleby Frye, Dover, PA – 1

PODIUM FINISHES (31 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – # of podiums
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 30
2 – Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 12
3 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 9
4 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 8
5 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 5
6 – Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, WI – 4
Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 4
8 – Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 3
– Don O’Neal, Martinsville, IN – 3
Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 3
11 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 2
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 2
Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 2
– Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN – 2
– Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 2
– Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 2
17 – Kyle Hardy, Stephens City, VA – 1
– Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV – 1
– Scott Bloomquist, Mooresville, TN – 1
– Tanner English, Benton, KY – 1
– Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC – 1
– Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 1
– Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 1
– Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL – 1
Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 1
– Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA – 1
– Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, IA – 1
Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA – 1
– Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL – 1
– Max Blair, Titusville, PA – 1
– Dave Hess Jr., Waterford, PA – 1

HARD CHARGERS (30 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – # of merits
1 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 4
2 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 2
Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 2
4 – Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL – 1
Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 1
– Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 1
– Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN – 1
– Morgan Bagley, Longview, TX – 1
– Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 1
– Spencer Diercks, Davenport, IA – 1
Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN – 1
Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 1
– Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL – 1
– Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IA – 1
– Blake Spencer, St. Augustine, FL – 1
– John Kaanta, Elk Mound, WI – 1
– Brody Troftgruben, Grand Forks, ND – 1
– Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1
– Rick Hanestad, Boyceville, WI – 1
– Mike Fryer, Freeport, IL – 1
– Brad Mueller, Random Lake, WI – 1
– Nick Anvelink, Navarino, Wisconsin – 1
– Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX – 1
– Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN – 1
– Gary Stuhler, Greencastle, PA – 1
– Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE – 1
– Brandon Thirlby, Traverse City, MI – 1
– Tyler Dietz, Pittsburgh, PA – 1
– Chad Valone, Jamestown, NY – 1
– Michael Smith – 1

TOTAL LAPS LED (22 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 691
2 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 232
3 – Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 98
4 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 89
5 – Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 82
6 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 76
7 – Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 74
8 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 72
9 – Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 60
10 – Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 50
– Max Blair, Titusville, PA – 50
12 – Tanner English, Benton, KY – 32
13 – Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA – 30
14 – Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 29
15 – Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 25
16 – Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 24
17 – Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 20
18 – Ben Watkins, Lancaster, SC – 19
19 – Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 17
20 – Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 3
21 – Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, IA – 2
22 – Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1

2019 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SCHEDULE & WINNERS
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Friday, Feb. 8 / Screven Motor Speedway / Sylvania, GA / Brandon Overton (1)
2. Saturday, Feb. 9 / Screven Motor Speedway / Sylvania, GA / Shane Clanton (1)
3. Wed, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Sheppard (1)
4. Thursday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Sheppard (2)
5. Friday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Sheppard (3)
6. Saturday, Feb. 16 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Sheppard (4)
7. Friday, March 22 / Duck River Raceway Park / Lewisburg, TN / Brandon Sheppard (5)
8. Saturday, March 23 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN / Jimmy Owens (1)
9. Friday, April 4 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Brian Shirley (1)
10. Saturday, April 5 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Brandon Sheppard (6)
11. Friday, May 3 / Cherokee Speedway / Gaffney, SC / Ross Bailes (1)
12. Saturday, May 18 / Wayne County Speedway / Orrville, OH / Brandon Sheppard (7)
13. Friday, May 31 / Cochran Motor Speedway / Cochran, GA / Brandon Overton (2)
14. Saturday, June 1 / Lancaster Motor Speedway / Lancaster, SC / Brandon Sheppard (8)
15. Friday, June 21 / Lernerville Speedway / Sarver, PA / Michael Norris (1)
16. Saturday, June 22 / Lernerville Speedway / Sarver, PA / Tim McCreadie (1)
17. Friday, June 28 / Terre Haute Action Track / Terre Haute, IN / Brandon Sheppard (9)
18. Friday, July 5 / Independence Motor Speedway / Independence, IA / Brandon Sheppard (10)
19. Friday, July 6 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN / Brandon Sheppard (11)
20. Tuesday, July 9 / ABC Raceway / Ashland, WI / Brandon Sheppard (12)
21. Friday, July 12 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Brandon Sheppard (13)
22. Saturday, July 13 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Shane Clanton (2)
23. Sunday, July 14 / Red Cedar Speedway / Menomonie, WI / Chase Junghans (1)
24. Wednesday, July 24 / Davenport Speedway / Davenport, IA / Jimmy Owens (2)
25. Saturday, July 27 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL / Brandon Sheppard (14)
26. Monday, July 29 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI / Brandon Sheppard (15)
27. Tuesday, July 30 / Shawano Speedway / Shawano, WI / Shane Clanton (3)
28. Thursday, August 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Jonathan Davenport (1)
29. Saturday, August 3 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Chris Madden (1)
30. Friday, Aug. 16 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brandon Sheppard (16)
31. Saturday, Aug. 17 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA / Mason Zeigler (1)
32. Thursday, Aug. 29 / I-96 Speedway / Lake Odessa, MI / Brandon Sheppard (17)
33. Friday, Aug. 30 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Brandon Sheppard (18)
34. Thursday, Sept. 19 / Stateline Speedway / Jamestown, NY / Max Blair (1)
35. Friday, Sept. 20 / Outlaw Speedway / Dundee, NY / Shane Clanton (4)
36. Saturday, Sept. 21 / Selinsgrove Speedway / Selinsgrove, PA / Darrell Lanigan (1)

Which Schedule Would You like to Print?

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Which Schedule Would You like to Add to Your Calendar

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