FAMILIAR FACILITIES: Larson Looks to Build Momentum Through Northern Swing

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series now stares down the third-busiest week of competition it faces all year – four races over the course of the next six days, including two tracks brand-new to the Series. Starting with ABC Raceway in Ashland, Wisconsin on Tuesday, the tour will complete the first leg of the Northeast/Midwest swing with a Friday-Saturday-Sunday triple-header at River Cities Speedway, Ogilvie Speedway and Red Cedar Speedway on July 12, 13 and 14.

Each track is home to many WISSOTA Late Model stars, some of whom will be competing against the Outlaws at each race. Most notably, five-time WISSOTA Champion Ricky Weiss, of Hedingley, Manitoba, made the jump to join the Outlaws this year and compete for Rookie of the Year honors, which he currently leads by a whopping 288 points over current runner-up Cade Dillard.

Last year, Weiss sat on the pole of the Morton Buildings Feature at River Cities and led laps in the early stages before surrendering the top spot to eventual winner Mike Marlar. With six top-fives so far this season and a runner-up finish last Saturday at Deer Creek Speedway, he’s surely going to be one to watch out for as the tour now heads into his neck of the woods this weekend.

Another driver with recent strong finishes and a keen eye for the northern venues is none other than the “B1 Bomber,” Brent Larson.

A World of Outlaws career-best fourth-place finish for the Drydene Performance Products driver last Friday at Independence Motor Speedway and a ninth-place effort the next night at Deer Creek has given him quite a confidence boost over the past week, and said he feels much more comfortable in the car, heading back to some of the places that helped to start his career.

“My confidence is very high right now,” Larson, the Lake Elmo, Minnesota-native said. “Between generally running better, being in familiar territory and just knowing the dirt.”

Prior to his season-best finishes last weekend, Larson had yet to score a top-10 in 2019 with the Outlaws. But it’s all beginning to come together, now that everyone’s entering mid-season form and had a chance to find and patch any problematic holes in the side of the team. For Larson/Ranta Motorsports, their biggest improvement has been with talking it out in the pit area.

“It’s been a combination of things,” Larson said. “Myself and my team have been kind of quiet, so we’ve really been focusing on communication in between the three of us and trying to understand each other’s perspectives. We’ve also made some changes on the car, and just being back in familiar territory has made it a combination of things.”

In the weeks prior to the start of the Outlaws’ Northern/Midwest swing, Larson made a few trips down to Illinois and Indiana to mix it up with the stars of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals “Hell Tour.” Bringing his Longhorn Chassis #B1 to the Terre Haute Action Track for the regularly-scheduled clash between the Outlaws and Summer Nationals drivers, Larson also started the Hell Tour races at Highland Speedway and Lincoln Speedway as tune-up/testing sessions for future races.

“It was just a good time to try some stuff and figure out what I like and what I don’t,” he said. “We try to test when we can, but it’s not always convenient. It helps us find a few things with the car and gives us a bit of confidence for what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Confidence is certainly something Larson is not short on this time of year, as he trucks into the land where the fans of his former Modified and DTRA Late Model days will be happy to see him back at the local tracks. And that’s no added pressure, either.

“I’m not afraid of the pressure. In fact, I’m looking forward to it, I’m energized by it,” Larson said. “Racing well in our hometown, I want to make all of the people around here who are close to us proud.”

While Larson and his crew will be glad to visit back home this weekend, a widely known Late Model veteran and chassis-builder is expected to be in the house for several of the races over the next month, trying to rain on the Outlaws’ parade through the north.

Jimmy Mars, of Menomonie, Wisconsin, currently sits 17th on the World of Outlaws all-time wins list with eight victories. His last came in September of 2016 at Lernerville Speedway as part of the former Labor Day Late Model special.

A hard-fought podium finish at Deer Creek last Saturday demonstrated his prowess against the Outlaws’ best competition. But this week, the tour is stepping right into his backyard at Red Cedar Speedway – a place never before seen by the Series. Look for “The Iceman” to bring his best on Sunday and be up front when the checkered flag falls after 50 laps.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN & WHERE
Tuesday, July 9 at ABC Raceway in Ashland, Wisconsin
Friday, July 12 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Saturday, July 13 at Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, Minnesota
Sunday, July 14 at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wisconsin

TUESDAY
• Pit gate opens at 3:30 p.m.
• Spectator gate opens at 4 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 6 p.m.

FRIDAY
• Pit gate opens at 3 p.m.
• Spectator gate opens at 4 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY
• Pit gate opens at 4 p.m.
• Spectator gate opens at 4 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 6:15 p.m.

SUNDAY
• Pit gate opens at 3 p.m.
• Spectator gate opens at 4:30 p.m.
• Hot Laps at 5:45 p.m.

ABOUT THE TRACKS
ABC Raceway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked red clay oval. The track record is 15.480 seconds, set by Nick Anvelink on October 10, 2016.
Online – http://abcraceway.com/
Phone – (715) 682-4990

River Cities Speedway is a 1/4-mile high-banked oval. The track record is 11.321 seconds, held by Mike Marlar.
Online – http://www.rivercitiesspeedway.com
Phone – (701) 780-0999

Ogilvie Raceway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval. The track record is 14.883 seconds, set by Chris Madden on July 12, 2017.
Online – http://www.ogilvieraceway.com
Phone – (763) 267-4572

Red Cedar Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt oval. The track record is 16.773 seconds, held by Brady Smith.
Online – https://redcedarspeedway.com/
Phone – (715) 235-6318

TICKETS
Tickets for all tracks can be purchased at the gate; advance sale links and prices below.

ABC Raceway: $30 adult GA, $15 children 5-14
River Cities: $30 GA adult, $15 children 6-12, 5 and under free
OGILVIE ADVANCE SALE TICKETS
RED CEDAR ADVANCE SALE TICKETS

3/8-MILE WINNERS
There have been seven races on 3/8-mile tracks so far this season. Two at Screven Motor Speedway, Brandon Overton won the first on Feb. 8 and Shane Clanton won the second on Feb. 9. Ross Bailes won the third at Cherokee Speedway on May 3. Brandon Sheppard won the fourth at Wayne County Speedway on May 18, Brandon Overton won the fifth at Cochran Motor Speedway on May 31. Brandon Sheppard won both at Independence Motor Speedway on July 5 and at Deer Creek Speedway on July 6.

RIVER CITIES SPEEDWAY PREVIOUS WINNERS
2018 – Mike Marlar on July 13
2017 – Shane Clanton on July 14
2015 – Tim McCreadie on July 10
2014 – Tim Fuller on July 18
2012 – Darrell Lanigan on July 13
2011 – Tim McCreadie on July 15
2010 – Austin Hubbard on July 9
2009 – Josh Richards on 10
2008 – Brady Smith on July 11
2007 – Tim Fuller on June 12
2006 – Darrell Lanigan on May 30

OGILVIE RACEWAY PREVIOUS WINNERS
2018 – Chris Madden on July 14
2017 – Chris Madden on July 12
2016 – Josh Richards on July 13

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
The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series continues their North/Midwestern swing with a visit to the Davenport Speedway on Wednesday, July 24, followed by the 30th running of the Prairie Dirt Classic presented by Bank of Pontiac on Friday & Saturday, July 26 and 27.

2019 STATS
There have been 19 World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Feature events this season.

MORTON BUILDINGS FEATURE WINNERS (8 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 11
2 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 2
– Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 1
– Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 1
– Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 1
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 1
– Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 1
– Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 1

PFC BRAKES FAST TIME AWARD WINNERS (14 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Quick Times
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 5
2 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 1
– 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

DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (30 different winners)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 14
2 – Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 7
3 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 6
4 – Scott Bloomquist – Mooresburg, TN – 4
– Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 4
– Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 4
7 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 3
– Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL – 3
– Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV – 3
10 – Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 2
– Kyle Hardy, Stephens City, VA – 2
– Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 2
– Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 2
14 – Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 1
– Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA – 1
– Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 1
– Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 1
– Jason Covert, York Haven, PA – 1
– Kent Robinson, Bloomington, IN – 1
– Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL – 1
– Tanner English, Benton, KY – 1
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 1
– Chris Ferguson, Mt. Holly, NC – 1
– Ben Watkins, Lancaster, SC – 1
– Johnny Pursley, Clover, SC – 1
– Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1
– Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 1
– Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 1
– Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 1
– Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN – 1
– Chad Simpson, Mount Vernon, IA – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (26 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Wins
1 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 2
– Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 2
– Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 2
– Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 2
5 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1
– Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV – 1
– Steve Casebolt, Richmond, IN – 1
– Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN – 1
– Jimmy Owens, Newport, 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
– Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KY – 1
– Anthony Sanders, Spartanburg, SC – 1
– Dan Stone, Thompson, PA – 1
– John Kaanta, Elk Mound, WI – 1

PODIUM FINISHES (23 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – # of podiums
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 16
2 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 4
– Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 4
4 – Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 3
– Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 3
– Don O’Neal, Martinsville, IN – 3
– Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 3
8 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 2
– Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 2
– Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 2
– Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 2
– Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, WI – 2
13 – Kyle Hardy, Stephens City, VA – 1
– Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV – 1
– Scott Bloomquist, Mooresville, TN – 1
– Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN – 1
– Tanner English, Benton, KY – 1
– Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 1
– Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC – 1
– Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 1
– Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 1
– Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 1
– Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 1

HARD CHARGERS (16 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – # of merits
1 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 3
2 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 2
3 – Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 1
– 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

TOTAL LAPS LED (16 different drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps
1 – Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 424
2 – Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA – 83
3 – Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 72
4 – Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN – 60
5 – Ross Bailes, Clover, SC – 50
6 – Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 48
7 – Ricky Weiss, Headingley, Manitoba – 33
8 – Tanner English, Benton, KY – 32
9 – Michael Norris, Sarver, PA – 25
10 – Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 24
– Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY – 24
12 – Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL – 20
13 – Ben Watkins, Lancaster, SC – 19
14 – Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC – 11
15 – Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, PA – 5
16 – Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA – 3

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 (7)
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)

2019 World of Outlaws Championship Top 10 (Through Deer Creek Speedway)