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• Owens Outduels Eckert & Lanigan In Friday’s PEAK World Finals A-Main

110212 FridayVL

Owens Outduels Eckert & Lanigan For Friday-Night Victory At PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA

Tennessee Driver Becomes Winningest Driver In History Of Season-Ending Event At The Dirt Track At Charlotte

By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 2, 2012 – Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., became the winningest driver in the six-year history of the PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts with a hard-fought victory in Friday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Owens, 40, advanced from the ninth starting spot to run third behind Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., by lap nine. He battled with the WoO LMS regulars until overtaking Lanigan for second on lap 27 and Eckert for the lead on lap 30.

A winner of the Saturday-night finale of the PEAK World Finals Presented by NAPA in each of the last three years, Owens controlled the final 20 circuits of the feature to register his fourth career triumph during the season-ending spectacular at the four-tenths-mile oval. Eckert crossed the finish line 1.869 seconds behind Owens in second, while Lanigan, who clinched the 2012 WoO LMS championship by entering the weekend’s action, settled for third to remain winless in 19 career starts at The Dirt Track.

Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who entered the event tied with Owens atop the alltime PEAK World Finals Presented by NAPA win list, finished fourth after starting from the outside pole and sixth-starter Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., placed fifth.

A massive crowd watched Owens outduel the 2012 WoO LMS campaign’s two biggest winners to pocket a $10,000 top prize. It was his first victory of the season and the sixth of his career on the national tour.

“I know the fans got to see a heck of a race,” said Owens, who piloted Mike Reece’s Cornett-powered Team Zero by Bloomquist car. “It’s not very often you get to see three cars battling for the lead.”

Owens spent nearly 20 laps dicing through lapped traffic with Eckert and Lanigan before finally grabbing the lead from Eckert on lap 30 with a surge to the inside of turn three.

“I think they were both kind of occupied with one another,” said Owens. “Lanigan knew I was there but Eckert didn’t, so we were able to slip up on Eckert and get by him.

“The track was a little heavy early during the heats and we weren’t as good, but I knew that if it dried out we’d be O.K. The track came to us in the feature and we were able to pull it off.”

Eckert, 46, saw his two-race win streak on the WoO LMS come to an end. A victor at The Dirt Track for the first time in his career on Oct. 10 when he captured the Circle K World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown, he swapped the lead twice with Lanigan before falling to Owens’s charge.

“Darrell and I had a dogfight there for a while,” said Eckert, who started third in his Team Zero by Bloomquist mount and led laps 15-24 and 26-29. “I heard somebody drivin’ in there into (turn) three under me and I’m like, ‘Here comes Darrell again.’ Then I glanced and it was Owens. I knew we were in trouble then because he started deep so he must have been pretty good.”

Eckert, who won the 2011 WoO LMS championship in a dramatic season-ending A-Main during the PEAK World Finals Presented by NAPA, secured a runner-up finish behind Lanigan in this year’s points standings simply by entering the weekend’s action.

Lanigan, 42, had his bid to extend his single-season WoO LMS victory record to 16 dive-bombed by a tire choice that didn’t quite work out.

“The car was pretty good, but I think we went a little softer on the right-rear than (Owens and Eckert) did,” said Lanigan, who started from the pole position in his Rocket car and led laps 1-14 and 26. “We went all-out for (the win) tonight and gambled a little bit on tires. I guess if we were in a points race we would’ve went the other way.”

Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., finished sixth, earning him a career-best finish in WoO LMS action. Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., placed seventh, former WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., was eighth, Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., took ninth and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind, rounded out the top 10.

Just one caution flag slowed the A-Main, on lap four when Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., executed a single spin in turn one.

Heat winners were Lanigan, Wells, Eckert, Madden, McDowell and Bloomquist. The B-Mains were captured by Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., and Chris Ferguson of Mt. Holly, N.C.

The 2012 PEAK World Finals Presented by NAPA conclude on Saturday night (Nov. 3) with a tripleheader featuring the WoO LMS, the WoO Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds. Gates open at 3 p.m., hot laps are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and racing is set to begin at 5 p.m.

Saturday night’s World Finals program will be televised live by the SPEED cable network from 8 p.m. to 12 midnight ET.

For more information, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com or www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Results of WoO Late Model Series PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts Race No. 1 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (9) Jimmy Owens/50 $10,000
2. (3) Rick Eckert/50 $5,650
3. (1) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,650
4. (2) Scott Bloomquist/50 $2,700
5. (6) Dale McDowell/50 $2,000
6. (4) Eric Wells/50 $2,250
7. (10) Earl Pearson Jr./50 $1,400
8. (7) Steve Francis/50 $1,400
9. (5) Chris Madden/50 $1,250
10. (11) Don O’Neal/50 $1,100
11. (22) Brandon Sheppard/50 $1,150
12. (8) Jason Feger/50 $1,050
13. (27) Josh Richards/50 $1,100
14. (14) Tim McCreadie/50 $1,600
15. (13) Gregg Satterlee/50 $850
16. (12) Vic Coffey/49 $1,350
17. (20) Tim Fuller/49 $1,320
18. (19) Steve Shaver/49 $750
19. (16) Bub McCool/49 $1,580
20. (17) Shane Clanton/49 $1,250
21. (23) Zack Dohm/38 $700
22. (26) Clint Smith/49 $1,250
23. (25) Chub Frank/48 $1,250
24. (24) Jared Landers/36 $700
25. (15) Kent Robinson/30 $1,200
26. (18) Ross Camponovo/24 $725
27. (21) Chris Ferguson/22 $700

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
NOTE: Finish corrected to place Zack Dohm 21st, Clint Smith 22nd and Chub Frank 23rd

 

Time of Race: 17 Mins., 21.469 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.869 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 1 (Lap 4)
Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-14); Eckert (15-24); Lanigan (25); Eckert (26-29); Owens (30-50)
Provisional Starters: Frank, C. Smith (WoO); Richards (fastest pre-entered driver who failed to qualify)
Rookie of the Race: McCool ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Wells ($500)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Darrell Lanigan, 2. Steve Francis, 3. Gregg Satterlee, 4. Steve Shaver, 5. Eddie Carrier Jr., 6. Jerry Bowersock, 7. Josh Richards, 8. Chris Farrell, 9. Chad Hollenbeck, 10. Duane Chamberlain, 11. Justin Coulter, 12. Morgan Bagley

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Eric Wells, 2. Jason Feger, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Ray Cook, 5. Dennis Erb Jr., 6. Brandon Sheppard, 7. Pat Doar, 8. Andrew Reaume, 9. Kenny Moreland, 10. Brett Miller, 11. Coleby Frye, 12. Brian Ledbetter

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Rick Eckert, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Kent Robinson, 4. Tim Fuller, 5. Zack Dohm, 6. Dan Stone, 7. Jay Sessoms, 8. Matthew Sponaugle, 9. Timothy Culp, 10. Denny Fenton, 11. R.J. Conley, 12. Billy Decker

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Chris Madden, 2. Earl Pearson Jr., 3. Bub McCool, 4. Jonathan Davenport, 5. John Mason, 6. Bob Gordon, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. Josh McGuire, 9. Kerry King Sr., 10. Corey Weaver, 11. Randy Sterling, 12. Walker Arthur

Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Don O’Neal, 3. Shane Clanton, 4. Jared Landers, 5. Chub Frank, 6. Dennis Franklin, 7. Jerry Lierly, 8. Rich Bell, 9. Joe Ramey, 10. Rod Conley (DNS) Brian Force, Don Gordon

Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Vic Coffey, 3. Ross Camponovo, 4. Austin Hubbard, 5. Chris Ferguson, 6. Ron Davies, 7. Pancho Lawler, 8. Dustin Mitchell, 9. Jacob Hawkins, 10. Dale Hollidge, 11. Clint Smith, 12. B.J. Robinson

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Steve Shaver, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Dennis Erb Jr., 4. Josh Richards, 5. Ray Cook, 6. Eddie Carrier Jr., 7. Pat Doar, 8. Kenny Moreland, 9. Duane Chamberlain, 10. Jerry Bowersock, 11. Chad Hollenbeck, 12. Andrew Reaume, 13. Chris Farrell, 14. Justin Coulter, 15. Brain Ledbetter (DNS) Brett Miller, Coleby Frye, Morgan Bagley

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Tim Fuller, 2. Zack Dohm, 3. Jonathan Davenport, 4. Timothy Culp, 5. Dan Stone, 6. Walker Arthur, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. John Mason, 9. R.J Conley, 10. Josh McGuire, 11. Bob Gordon, 12. Jay Sessoms, 13. Denny Fenton, 14. Corey Weaver, 15. Matthew Sponaugle, 16. Kerry King Sr., 17. Randy Sterling, 18. Billy Decker

B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Chris Ferguson, 2. Jared Landers, 3. Chub Frank, 4. Dennis Franklin, 5. Ron Davies, 6. Jerry Lierly, 7. Rod Conley, 8. Clint Smith, 9. Austin Hubbard, 10. Rich Bell, 11. Dustin Mitchell, 12. Dale Hollidge, 13. Joe Ramey, 14. Pancho Lawler (DNS) Jacob Hawkins, Brian Force, Don Gordon, B.J. Robinson

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:

Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 product certificate to 23rd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Scott Bloomquist
Cometic Gasket ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie
Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Brandon Sheppard
Comp Cams ($50 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Brandon Sheppard
Dominator ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar/Dan Stone/Ron Davies
Gravely ($50 cash to 7th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jason Feger
JE Pistons ($50 cash to 16th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Vic Coffey
JE Pistons (one compete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 11th-place finisher or next highest w/decal – $285 value): Brandon Sheppard
JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 21st-place finisher or next highest w/decal – $285 value): Clint Smith
Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash to 17th-place finisher or next highest finisher): Bub McCool
MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Brandon Sheppard
MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Ross Camponovo
Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash to fast qualifier or next highest w/decal): Eric Wells
Quartermaster ($100 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Rick Eckert
Quartermaster ($50 product certificate to 5th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Dale McDowell
Quartermaster ($25 product certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Vic Coffey
Roush-Yates Performance Products ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Scott Bloomquist
Roush-Yates Performance Products (carburetor repair kit to 18th-place finish in A-Main or next highest w/decal – $100 value): Chub Frank
Roush-Yates Lap Leader Award (one pair of Wiley X Sunglasses to driver who leads most laps in A-Main): Jimmy Owens
STP ($50 cash to 2nd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Rick Eckert
SuperFlow ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie
VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 9th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Chris Madden
VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (one VP 5-gallon container to fastest qualifier who misses A-Main or next highest with decal – $30 value): Eddie Carrier Jr.
WIX Filters ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Josh Richards
Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner if decal displayed – $200 value): Darrell Lanigan
XS Power ($50 cash to 3rd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Scott Bloomquist
XS Power ($60 product certificate to 8th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
XS ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Jimmy Owens

2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Nov. 2 – 39 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Darrell Lanigan 5484
2. Rick Eckert 5292 (-192)
3. Shane Clanton 5058 (-426)
4. Chub Frank 4970 (-514)
5. Tim McCreadie 4948 (-536)
6. Clint Smith 4888 (-596)
7. Bub McCool 4852 (-632)
8. Vic Coffey 4740 (-744)
9. Tim Fuller 4632 (-852)
10. Pat Doar 4484 (-1000)
11. Kent Robinson 4366 (-1118)
12. Jack Sullivan 3474 (-2010)

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Gravely Tractors (Official Lawn Equipment), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Vicci (Official Uniform), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos, Wix Filter, Wrisco Aluminum and XS Power Racing Batteries; along with manufacturer sponsors Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Longacre, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, TNT Rescue, and Warrior Chassis.

110212 FourWide

LIVE UPDATES 11/2: PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts At The Dirt Track At Charlotte

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 2, 2012 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series goes racing in earnest tonight, contesting the first half of its PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts doubleheader at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Heat-race lineups were set by the first round of last night’s Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, and a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win A-Main will top the full-fender division’s card at the four-tenths-mile oval.

For live updates of all the news, pit notes and results from tonight’s action, click the ‘Full Story’ link below. Be sure to refresh your browser throughout the night to see the latest information.

It’s the ‘O-Show’

11:10 p.m. – Jimmy Owens became the winningest driver in the history of the PEAK World Finals by NAPA with a victory in the 50-lap A-Main.

Owens advanced from the ninth starting spot to run third behind Rick Eckert and Darrell Lanigan by lap nine. He battled with the WoO LMS regulars until overtaking Lanigan for second on lap 27 and Eckert for the lead on lap 30.

Owens went on to register his fourth career win during the World Finals by 1.869 seconds over Eckert. Lanigan settled for third, remaining winless in 19 career starts at The Dirt Track.

A-Main Finish: 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Rick Eckert, 3. Darrell Lanigan, 4. Scott Bloomquist, 5. Dale McDowell, 6. Eric Wells, 7. Earl Pearson Jr., 8. Steve Francis, 9. Chris Madden, 10. Don O’Neal, 11. Brandon Sheppard, 12. Jason Feger, 13. Josh Richards, 14. Tim McCreadie, 15. Gregg Satterlee, 16. Vic Coffey, 17. Tim Fuller, 18. Steve Shaver, 19. Bub McCool, 20. Shane Clanton, 21. Clint Smith, 22. Chub Frank, 23. Zack Dohm, 24. Jared Landers, 25. Kent Robinson, 26. Ross Camponovo, 27. Chris Ferguson

Off to good start

10:28 p.m. – With the field under caution on lap four after a turn-one spin by Chub Frank, Darrell Lanigan sits at the head of the pack as he bids for his 16th WoO LMS win of 2012. Scott Bloomquist is second, followed by Rick Eckert, Dale McDowell and Eric Wells.

Outlaws dominate big-block ranks

10:18 p.m. – WoO LMS regulars Tim Fuller and Tim McCreadie tuned up for the full-fender 50-lapper — which is pulling onto the track — by finishing one-two in the 40-lap Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified feature. Fuller overtook McCreadie for the lead on lap 28 and never looked back en route to his first big-block Modified triumph at The Dirt Track since 2005.

Pre-race spectacular

10 p.m. – Moments ago, just prior to the start of the big-block Modified feature, the starting fields of the Modified, WoO LMS and WoO Sprint Car A-Mains took to the racetrack and performed an unprecedented simultaneous, three-division four-wide pace lap for the packed house of over 14,000 fans (photo above). Fans across the grandstand had their cell-phone cameras out to capture the unique moment (photo below).

The big-block Modified feature is now underway. Halfway through the 40-lap Super DIRTcar Series feature, WoO LMS regulars Tim McCreadie and Tim Fuller are running one-two. The New Yorkers were big-block Modified regulars before moving to the dirt Late Model division.

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Lanigan in catbird’s seat

9:25 p.m. – Darrell Lanigan will begin his chase for a career-first victory at The Dirt Track from the pole position after picking the spot in the pre-race draw for heat winners. Scott Bloomquist will bid for his fourth career World Finals A-Main triumph by starting from the outside pole.

Three drivers received provisional starting spots in the 50-lapper: Chub Frank and Clint Smith received the WoO LMS points provisionals, while Josh Richards was granted the track provisional reserved for the fastest pre-entered driver in time trials who failed to qualify.

A-Main Lineup:

Row 1: Darrell Lanigan/Scott Bloomquist
Row 2: Rick Eckert/Eric Wells
Row 3: Chris Madden/Dale McDowell
Row 4: Steve Francis/Jason Feger
Row 5: Jimmy Owens/Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 6: Don O’Neal/Vic Coffey
Row 7: Gregg Satterlee/Tim McCreadie
Row 8: Kent Robinson/Bub McCool
Row 9: Shane Clanton/Ross Camponovo
Row 10: Steve Shaver/Tim Fuller
Row 11: Chris Ferguson/Brandon Sheppard
Row 12: Zack Dohm/Jared Landers
Row 13: Chub Frank/Clint Smith
Row 14: Josh Richards

One more thriller

9:15 p.m. – A spectacular series of B-Mains concluded with another side-by-side finish that saw North Carolina’s Chris Ferguson nose out Jared Landers to win the third event by just 0.015 of a second.

B-Main No. 3: 1. Chris Ferguson, 2. Jared Landers, 3. Chub Frank, 4. Dennis Franklin, 5. Ron Davies, 6. Jerry Lierly, 7. Rod Conley, 8. Clint Smith, 9. Austin Hubbard, 10. Rich Bell, 11. Dustin Mitchell, 12. Dale Hollidge, 13. Joe Ramey, 14. Pancho Lawler (DNS) Jacob Hawkins, Brian Force, Don Gordon, B.J. Robinson

Photo finish

9 p.m. – The second B-Main produced another thrilling finish, with Tim Fuller nipping West Virginia’s Zack Dohm at the checkered flag by a mere 0.023 of a second. Jonathan Davenport, who has won a World Finals A-Main in each of the last two years, missed a transfer spot by one, finishing third.

B-Main No. 2 Finish: 1. Tim Fuller, 2. Zack Dohm, 3. Jonathan Davenport, 4. Timothy Culp, 5. Dan Stone, 6. Walker Arthur, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. John Mason, 9. R.J Conley, 10. Josh McGuire, 11. Bob Gordon, 12. Jay Sessoms, 13. Denny Fenton, 14. Corey Weaver, 15. Matthew Sponaugle, 16. Kerry King Sr., 17. Randy Sterling, 18. Billy Decker

Shaver controls first B-Main

8:55 p.m. – B-Main action — three 12-lap Last Chance Showdowns qualifying two drivers from each — began with West Virginia’s Steve Shaver winning the first event. He beat the hard-charging Brandon Sheppard to the finish line by a mere 0.094 of a second.

B-Main No. 1 Finish: 1. Steve Shaver, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Dennis Erb Jr., 4. Josh Richards, 5. Ray Cook, 6. Eddie Carrier Jr., 7. Pat Doar, 8. Kenny Moreland, 9. Duane Chamberlain, 10. Jerry Bowersock, 11. Chad Hollenbeck, 12. Andrew Reaume, 13. Chris Farrell, 14. Justin Coulter, 15. Brain Ledbetter (DNS) Brett Miller, Coleby Frye, Morgan Bagley

Bloomer closes out heat action

7:35 p.m. – Scott Bloomquist, who is tied with Jimmy Owens for the most A-Main wins in World Finals history (three), captured the sixth and final heat by 1.386 seconds over WoO LMS regular Vic Coffey. Mississippi’s Ross Camponovo finished third, moving on to the A-Main in his first-ever appearance at Charlotte.

Clint Smith’s miserable Friday night at The Dirt Track continued in the sixth heat. Driving his backup car after engine woes sidelined his primary mount during hot laps, Smith was running in a transfer spot on lap four of the prelim when his right-rear wheel came off in turn four. He limped into the pits and did not return.

The WoO Sprint Cars are now on the track contesting heat races.

Heat 6 Finish: 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Vic Coffey, 3. Ross Camponovo, 4. Austin Hubbard, 5. Chris Ferguson, 6. Ron Davies, 7. Pancho Lawler, 8. Dustin Mitchell, 9. Jacob Hawkins, 10. Dale Hollidge, 11. Clint Smith, 12. B.J. Robinson

Dale does it

7:15 p.m. – Dale McDowell, who was a WoO LMS regular from 2004-2006, raced to victory in the fifth heat by 2.027 seconds over Don O’Neal, who is driving the Louisiana-based Childress Racing machine. Shane Clanton grabbed the final transfer position.

McDowell owns nine career WoO LMS A-Main triumphs, but he hasn’t reached Victory Lane in a tour event since Sept. 23, 2005, at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.

Heat 5 Finish: 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Don O’Neal, 3. Shane Clanton, 4. Jared Landers, 5. Chub Frank, 6. Dennis Franklin, 7. Jerry Lierly, 8. Rich Bell, 9. Joe Ramey, 10. Rod Conley (DNS) Brian Force, Don Gordon

Madden rolls

7:10 p.m. – Perennial Charlotte favorite Chris Madden controlled the fourth heat, winning by 2.274 seconds over Earl Pearson Jr. WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Bub McCool placed third.

California’s Eric Jacobsen ran into trouble at the start of the prelim, losing control between turns one and two to bring out a caution flag. He gave up the third starting spot, restarted at the rear and could only climb back to seventh at the finish.

Virginia’s Walker Arthur, meanwhile, slammed the turn-four wall midway through the event and limped into the infield with heavy right-rear damage.

Heat 4 Finish: 1. Chris Madden, 2. Earl Pearson Jr., 3. Bub McCool, 4. Jonathan Davenport, 5. John Mason, 6. Bob Gordon, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. Josh McGuire, 9. Kerry King Sr., 10. Corey Weaver, 11. Randy Sterling, 12. Walker Arthur

Eckert still hot

7:05 p.m. – Picking up where he left off when he won his first-ever feature at The Dirt Track on Oct. 10, Rick Eckert rolled to a dominating victory in the third heat. He beat Jimmy Owens to the finish line by 2.076 of a second and WoO LMS rookie Kent Robinson by over five seconds.

Heat 3 Finish: 1. Rick Eckert, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Kent Robinson, 4. Tim Fuller, 5. Zack Dohm, 6. Dan Stone, 7. Jay Sessoms, 8. Matthew Sponaugle, 9. Timothy Culp, 10. Denny Fenton, 11. R.J. Conley, 12. Billy Decker

Wells likes Charlotte

6:50 p.m. – Kentucky’s Eric Wells continued to show strength at The Dirt Track, winning the second heat after track reconditioning was completed. He also won a heat here on Oct. 10 during the Circle K World of Outlaws Late Model Showdown and started the 50-lap A-Main from the pole, but he ran into trouble and was an early retiree from the feature.

Jason Feger and Tim McCreadie also transferred to the A-Main.

Heat 2 Finish: 1. Eric Wells, 2. Jason Feger, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Ray Cook, 5. Dennis Erb Jr., 6. Brandon Sheppard, 7. Pat Doar, 8. Andrew Reaume, 9. Kenny Moreland, 10. Brett Miller, 11. Coleby Frye, 12. Brian Ledbetter

Short delay

6:20 p.m. – Track officials have sent the grader and packer trucks onto the speedway to work on some rough spots before the second WoO LMS heat gets the green flag.

Champ looks good

6:10 p.m. – Newly-crowned WoO LMS champ Darrell Lanigan got off to a good start, winning the first heat race by 0.709 of a second over former WoO LMS champ Steve Francis. Pennsylvania’s Gregg Satterlee finished third to grab the final transfer spot.

The prelim continued a tough night for Josh Richards, who had to jump cold into his backup car after his primary mount was sidelined due to engine woes during practice. He struggled to get a handle on the fast track surface, falling to seventh at the finish.

Four caution flags flew in the rough-and-tumble event, for Morgan Bagley; Justin Coulter and Chris Farrell (opposite ends of the track); Duane Chamberlain (turn two wall); and Chad Hollenbeck (turn one wall).

Heat 1 Finish: 1. Darrell Lanigan, 2. Steve Francis, 3. Gregg Satterlee, 4. Steve Shaver, 5. Eddie Carrier Jr., 6. Jerry Bowersock, 7. Josh Richards, 8. Chris Farrell, 9. Chad Hollenbeck, 10. Duane Chamberlain, 11. Justin Coulter, 12. Morgan Bagley

Green flag

5:55 p.m. – WoO LMS heat action is now underway. The event’s first casualty was 2013 WoO LMS rookie hopeful Morgan Bagley, who got out of shape off turn four early in the prelim, saved his car from disaster but shortly thereafter stopped on the track to bring out a caution flag.

Bad luck for Cat & T-Mac too

5:15 p.m. – Hot laps also were hard on Clint Smith and Tim McCreadie, both of whom were struck by mechanical problems that have forced them into their backup cars.

Smith was felled by a broken engine, while a busted rearend was McCreadie’s undoing. Both drivers are disappointed with their fortunes after turning solid qualifying laps with their primary cars last night — McCreadie starts second in tonight’s second heat and Smith starts from the outside pole in the sixth heat.

Practice for the WoO Sprint Cars is nearing completion. Two big-block Modified B-Mains will then hit the track before the six WoO LMS heat races are contested.

Fast track

5 p.m. – Speeds in tonight’s WoO LMS hot laps have picked up from last night’s qualifying, with Jason Feger topping the time chart at 14.692 seconds. Chris Madden was second-fastest at 14.860 seconds, followed by Eric Wells (14.901), Brandon Sheppard (14.913) and Josh Richards (14.929).

Trouble for Josh

4:50 p.m. – Josh Richards — the only WoO LMS regular who has won an A-Main during the World Finals since the event’s birth in 2007 — has already seen his night take a detour. He turned a blistering lap of 14.929 seconds during his practice session — faster than the fast-time speeds last night — but when he returned to the pit area his crew immediately removed his car’s hood and diagnosed terminal engine trouble.

With too much residual damage to allow for a hasty engine swap, Richards has unloaded a backup car to run tonight. He will keep his outside-pole starting spot in the first heat, however, because under WoO LMS rules for a multi-day event (time trials were, of course, last night) teams are not required to start the heat in the same car that they qualified.

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Eye on ’13

3:55 p.m. – Morgan Bagley has already mapped out what he wants to do in 2013: apply for Rookie of the Year status with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and follow the national tour for the first time.

A 26-year-old from Longview, Texas, who’s completing his second season of dirt Late Model racing, Bagley plans to become a fulltime tourer with the Outlaws in ’13. The former open-wheel Modified standout won the SUPR Late Model Series title in 2011 and has spent the ’12 campaign traveling to special Super Late Model events across the country to “get our feet wet.”

“We feel that the best way for us to get experience is get out there and race on a national level with the Outlaws,” said Bagley. “To get better you have to run with the best, night and night out.”

Bagley, who will start sixth in tonight’s first heat race, receives mechanical assistance at the racetrack from former WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Randall Edwards. “Having Randall on board has really helped our learning curve,” said Bagley, who won the $3,000 Uncle Sam 30 Non-Qualifiers’ Race during this year’s Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

110212 Bagley

Getting ready

3 p.m. – WoO LMS race director Bret Emrick has just begun tonight’s drivers’ meeting at the tour’s command trailer. Hot laps for the WoO LMS — as well as the WoO Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modifieds — are set to begin at 4 p.m., with heat action scheduled to get the green flag at 5 p.m.

Rough night for Shane

2:45 p.m. – A trip into the wall between turns one and two during the second round of last night’s WoO LMS time trials left Shane Clanton with hours of repair on his battered Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car.

Clanton didn’t even get a lap in during the second round of qualifying. He got over the cushion and slammed the wall, damaging virtually “every bolt-on part we have on the car,” said Clanton. The machine’s driveshaft also broke upon impact.

“I know what happened, but you don’t want to know,” Clanton quipped when asked what caused him to get into the concrete. He then came clean: “It was driver error.”

Clanton will have to start last in a heat race on Saturday night as a result of his accident, but tonight he’ll take the green flag from the fifth spot in the fifth heat.

Lineups! Get your lineups!

2:25 p.m. – The lineups for tonight’s six 10-lap WoO LMS heat races have been posted. The top-three finishers in each prelim will transfer to the A-Main, with the winners of each redrawing for the top-six starting spots in the headliner. Three B-Mains will also be run a total of six more drivers.

Heat 1

Row 1: Darrell Lanigan/Josh Richards
Row 2: Steve Francis/Steve Shaver
Row 3: Eddie Carrier Jr./Morgan Bagley
Row 4: Gregg Satterlee/Duane Chamberlain
Row 5: Jerry Bowersock/Chad Hollenbeck
Row 6: Justin Coulter/Chris Farrell

Heat 2

Row 1: Eric Wells/Tim McCreadie
Row 2: Jason Feger/Brandon Sheppard
Row 3: Dennis Erb Jr./Ray Cook
Row 4: Andrew Reaume/Pat Doar
Row 5: Kenny Moreland/Brett Miller
Row 6: Coleby Frye/Brian Ledbetter

Heat 3

Row 1: Rick Eckert/Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Zack Dohm/Kent Robinson
Row 3: R.J. Conley/Tim Fuller
Row 4: Jay Sessoms/Billy Decker
Row 5: Dan Stone/Timothy Culp
Row 6: Matthew Sponaugle/Denny Fenton

Heat 4

Row 1: Chris Madden/Walker Arthur
Row 2: Eric Jacobsen/Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Earl Pearson Jr./Bub McCool
Row 4: Josh McGuire/John Mason
Row 5: Kerry King Sr./Bob Gordon
Row 6: Corey Weaver/Randy Sterling

Heat 5

Row 1: Don O’Neal/Dale McDowell
Row 2: Dennis Franklin/Chub Frank
Row 3: Shane Clanton/Jerry Lierly
Row 4: Jared Landers/Rod Conley
Row 5: Brian Force/Joe Ramey
Row 6: Rich Bell/Don Gordon

Heat 6

Row 1: Scott Bloomquist/Clint Smith
Row 2: Ron Davies/Austin Hubbard
Row 3: Vic Coffey/B.J. Robinson
Row 4: Ross Camponovo/Chris Ferguson
Row 5: Dale Holledge/Pancho Lawler
Row 6: Dustin Mitchell/Jacob Hawkins

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