When Shane Clanton returned to the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series in May, one part of the 2022 schedule caught his eye.
Since Labor Day weekend, the Series hasn’t raced outside of his home region. And as The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet prepare for a Southeast doubleheader at Cherokee Speedway on Friday, Sept. 30, and Senoia Raceway on Saturday, Oct. 1, he’ll get to defend his home turf.
Zebulon, GA, is less than 40 minutes from Senoia Raceway, where Clanton has found success throughout his career.
But Saturday’s appearance at the 3/8-mile oval isn’t just another race for the “Georgia Bulldog.” The 40-lap, $10,000-to-win event is the “Billy Clanton Classic,” a race named after his late father.
“It means a lot; it’s a memorial for my dad,” Clanton said. “He did a lot for the sport of racing around the Southeast. He helped a lot of guys get where they are. For them to do a race in his name, it means a lot.”
As the track prepares for Saturday’s “Billy Clanton Classic,” officials put new clay down on the track’s gumbo clay surface.
Clanton looks for the new clay to treat fans to a great race.
“They just put new dirt in the corners a few weeks ago,” Clanton said. “Once again, it’s gotten back to the good, gray dirt. Hopefully, it prevails to be a good race. I know it’ll be slick in the corners.”
Despite finishing outside the top-10 at Boyd’s Speedway, Clanton has had a successful September. He scored two wins a Knoxville Raceway and Kokomo Speedway and said he feels capable of winning several races before the season ends.
“We are (hitting a stride at the right time,)” Clanton said. “If we can keep all the parts together on the car, I think our car is fast enough to win a bunch of races. We need to make sure the parts are good, and everything’s good, and we’ll win some.”
Clanton hopes that stride continues into October as the Series makes its only stop at Senoia in 2022. It’s his chance to win the race named after his dad on a national stage—one he hopes to add to his resume for the third time.
“We’ve won it twice, and hopefully, we can do it again,” Clanton said.
The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to action on Friday, Sept. 30, at Cherokee Speedway for the Mike Duvall Memorial. Then, the Series makes its highly anticipated return to Senoia Raceway for the Billy Clanton Classic on Saturday. Oct. 1.
If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.
Want to race Clanton’s car or race against him? The World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing video game is out now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. CLICK HERE to buy it today.
