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Kevin Kovac
CONCORD, N.C. (February 8) - Shane Clanton knows that car owner Ronnie Dobbins has provided him all the equipment necessary to win the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series points championship.
But does the man behind the wheel think he has enough dirt Late Model experience to reach the tour's summit?
Clanton, 32, of Locust Grove, Ga., believes he's this close to finally perfectly meshing his talent with the top-notch machinery underneath him.
"I still make mistakes (on the track) because I'm still learning," said Clanton, who tore up the Sportsman division across the Southeast before advancing to dirt Late Model racing in 2002. "I know guys I'm racing with have 10, 12, even 20, or more, years of experience in these cars, but I've only been running a Late Model for six years. Some of the mistakes I've made because of inexperience are what have killed me.
"I've always been comfortable with racing up front, but it's learning to handle different situations (in traffic) that's been the main thing for me. When you can figure out how you can work yourself out of predicaments without tearing any stuff up, then you're getting somewhere - and I think I'm getting there."
Of course, if Clanton has basically been getting a dirt Late Model education on the fly with the WoO LMS for the last four years, then look out in 2008. The driver known as 'Coconut' has already put up some pretty impressive stats on the national tour.
One of five drivers who has won at least one WoO LMS event in each of the past four seasons, Clanton captured his first victory on the tour in 2004 when he was a regular on the UDTRA/Xtreme DirtCar Series. He became a WoO LMS traveler in 2005, winning once and finishing 10th in the points standings despite missing two months of action with a separated left shoulder. The 2006 campaign was his breakout - he won twice and battled for the points title down to the last race before settling for a runner-up placing - and last year he won two more A-Mains en route to a fourth-place finish in the standings.
For a driver who considers himself to still be developing as a dirt Late Model racer, Clanton has proven to be remarkably steady on the grueling WoO LMS trail. Consider that in '06 he completed more A-Main laps than any other driver (he failed to run just three of 1,601 circuits), and last year he registered the most consecutive top-10 finishes (17, even beating the impeccably consistent '07 champ Steve Francis in that category).
The difference between Clanton's 2006 and 2007 WoO LMS seasons - competing for a championship versus being satisfied with a top-five finish in the points race - was a springtime lull and a few too many early departures from A-Mains. Clanton actually led the points standings after the sixth event of '07, but then he went without a top-10 finish for eight consecutive shows, dropping him to eighth in the standings and effectively dive-bombing his title hopes. Four DNFs - four more than he had all of '06 - cemented his fall from championship contention.
"We struggled for awhile and had too many DNFs," Clanton said of his '07 results. "If you're gonna win a championship, you have to keep rolling up the top-fives, or at least top-10s. (Steve) Francis did that, but we didn't do it for the whole season."
Clanton heads into the 2008 WoO LMS, which kicks off on Feb. 14 and 16 during the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., confident that he can erase his hiccups of a year ago.
"We feel good about our equipment," said Clanton, who has three RSD Enterprises/SAE Parts Rocket cars ready to go and an ample arsenal of powerplants built by Custom Race Engines. "Our cars are fresh. Our engines are fresh. We feel good about the people we have working with us (led by returning chief mechanic Mark Lloyd). Everything is as good as ever.
"But we still have to run good and have some good luck too. If we don't, it won't be for lack of effort."
Yes, Clanton understands that he and his team will have to be totally focused from start-to-finish of the 2008 WoO LMS schedule, which currently shows 46 events at 39 tracks in 22 states and three Canadian provinces. With all 10 drivers committed to chasing the tour already boasting WoO LMS victories on their resumes, the talent level he'll have to deal with is immense.
"This group (of WoO LMS regulars) is tougher than ever," said Clanton, who has six career WoO LMS triumphs. "It's going to be hard to finish in the top five every night.
"This is a tough business. There's so many good guys out there running weekly shows, and then you put 10 guys out there who are proven winners - man, you can't have an off night."
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Tickets for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals are available on-line at www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com.
Fans unable to attend the spectacular week at Volusia can still catch all the action on the DIRTVision Cybercast. For just $29.99 fans can purchase the 'Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Racepass' and watch live streaming video of all 12 nights of racing action from Feb. 5-16. Log on to www.dirtvision.com for more information.
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