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Kevin Kovac
SARVER, Penn. (April 15) - Billy Moyer didn't take long to get back on track.
After seeing his three-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series win streak snapped four days earlier, the short-track legend from Batesville, Ark., roared back into the tour's limelight with a convincing victory in Tuesday night's 50-lap 'Showdown in Sarvertown' at Lernerville Speedway.
The 50-year-old Moyer, who started third, overtook polesitter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., for the lead on lap four and never looked back. He raced virtually unchallenged to his fourth win in six WoO LMS events this season, erasing memories of his rare loss on April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway.
"We all know that you can't win them all," said Moyer, thinking back to his 17th-place VMS run that was dulled by a blown left-rear tire as he battled for the lead. "We had a tire problem (at Virginia Motor), but I don't know if I'd have beat (eventual winner Jeremy Miller) anyway because he did a heckuva job.
"We just chalked it up as one of those nights, then went back to work and tweaked on the car a little more before coming here. We just keep making some small changes, playing with the whole chassis part of it, and keep getting it a little bit better.
"I think for the condition here tonight," he added, "it felt pretty good."
There's no doubt that Moyer's Banner Valley Hauling-sponsored Victory Circle M1 Chassis looked good on the four-tenths-mile oval, which opened its 2008 season with the mid-week WoO LMS event. He pulled away following restarts on laps 21, 33 and 34 and handled late-race lapped traffic with ease en route to a victory margin of 1.663 seconds over Clanton, whose runner-up finish in the RSD Enterprises Rocket was his season-best on the WoO LMS.
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., marched forward from the 10th starting spot to place a close third in his Lester Buildings Rocket. Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., started and finished fourth in Dale Beitler's Reliable Painting/Valvoline Rocket, and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from the seventh starting position to complete the top five in Raye Vest's GRT.
Fifty cars entered the program, which was run on a cool but sparklingly clear evening.
Francis was fastest in time trials for the first time this season, rounding the track in 15.433 seconds.
Heat winners were Moyer, who pulled off a last-lap pass to nip Francis at the finish line by 0.032 of a second, Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa., Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y., and Clanton. The B-Mains were captured by Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.
Following his B-Main triumph, Hess was honored trackside for winning the 'Alltel DIRTcar All-Star' contest. He received a check for $12,000 after coming out on top of on-line and text-message voting among all the drivers who won features during February's Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
Results of WoO Late Model Series 'Showdown in Sarvertown' (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (3) Billy Moyer/50 $10,150
2. (1) Shane Clanton/50 $5,100
3. (10) Chub Frank/50 $3,000
4. (4) Steve Francis/50 $2,500
5. (7) Rick Eckert/50 $2,000
6. (13) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,700
7. (8) Josh Richards/50 $1,400
8. (9) Brian Shirley/50 $1,300
9. (12) Mike Balzano/50 $1,700
10. (16) Jeep VanWormer/50 $1,100
11. (2) Vic Coffey/50 $1,300
12. (19) Clint Smith/50 $1,000
13. (17) Dave Hess Jr./50 $950
14. (21) Mike Knight/50 $900
15. (6) Matt Lux/50 $850
16. (15) Shannon Babb/50 $800
17. (18) John Blankenship/50 $770
18. (5) Doug Horton/50 $750
19. (26) Gary Lyle/50 $730
20. (24) Danny Johnson/48 $700
21. (25) Alex Ferree/33 $700
22. (11) Tim Fuller/33 $700
23. (14) David Scott/29 $700
24. (23) Joe Isabell/22 $700
25. (20) Davey Johnson/21 $700
26. (22) Billy Decker/20 $700
Time of Race: 29 Mins., 21.635 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.663 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 4 (Laps 3, 21, 33, 34)
Lap Leaders: Clanton (1-3); Moyer (4-50)
Provisional Starters: Isabell, Danny Johnson (WoO); Ferree, Lyle (track)
Rookie of the Race: Vic Coffey ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Mike Balzano ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Chris Burton (Darrell Lanigan)
Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Shane Clanton (half-off tire warmers)
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.433
2. 5-Alan Dellinger/Hermitage, PA 15.571
3. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 15.608
4. 39-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 15.680
5. 99B-Rick Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 15.687
6. 21L-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA 15.698
7. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.717
8. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.726
9. 40-Dutch Davies/Warren, PA 15.740
10. 9k-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 15.743
11. 46-Doug Horton/Bruceton Mills, WV 15.751
12. 13-Steve Wilmoth/Clarksburg, WV 15.760
14. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.783
15. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.809
16. E1-Mike Balzano/Parkersburg, WV 15.843
17. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 15.849
18. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.871
19. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 15.873
20. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 15.884
21. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.889
22. 17-Keith Barbara/South Park, PA 15.904
23. 2s-Sam Stile/Charleroi, PA 15.918
24. B22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 15.922
25. 33-Chris Hackett/Erie, PA 15.966
26. 3-David Scott/Garland, PA 15.997
27. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 16.007
28. 1J-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA 16.027
29. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 16.060
30. T8-Mark Banal/St. Clairsville, OH 16.116
31. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 16.126
32. 48-John Flinner/Zelionople, PA 16.146
33. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 16.148
34. 4-Alex Ferree/Saxonburg, PA 16.175
35. 1c-Lynn Geisler/Cranberry Twp., PA 16.196
36. 91-Billy Decker/Unadilla, NY 16.198
37. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 16.278
38. 7J-Joe Isabell/Pennellville, NY 16.285
39. 67-Ken Schaltenbrand/Sarver, PA 16.286
40. 10-Gary Lyle/Hyde Park, PA 16.410
41. J4-John Garvin/Sarver, PA 16.481
42. H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA 16.504
43. 8H-Sheetz McGarvey/Colport, PA 16.592
44. 27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY 16.598
45. 1L-Dane Laraway/Irwin, PA 16.626
46. 4J-John Mollick/Toronto, OH 16.728
47. 18s-Sean Beardsley/Central Square, NY 16.802
48. 0-Ryan Scott/Garland, PA 17.161
49. 65-Jesse Smith/New Richmond, PA 18.490
50. 17T-Tom Kitchen/Indiana, PA 18.562
Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Moyer, Francis, Shirley, Lanigan, C. Smith, D. Davies, Hess, Satterlee, Briggs, Hackett, Garvin, J. Smith, Laraway
Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Lux, Eckert, Frank, D. Scott, Knight, Dellinger, Ferree, Banal, Miley, Mollick, Barbara, Isabell (DNS) Kitchen
Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Horton, Fuller, Babb, J. Miller, Blankenship, Stone, Stile, McGarvey, Schaltenbrand, Geisler, Beardsley
Heat No. 4 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Coffey, Richards, Balzano, VanWormer, Davey Johnson, Flinner, Decker, Lyle, Danny Johnson, R. Scott, Hedman, S. Wilmoth
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): Hess, C. Smith, Knight, Ferree, Briggs, D. Davies, Hackett, Mollick, Garvin, Satterlee, Miley (DNS) Dellinger, Banal, Barbara, J. Smith, Isabell, Laraway, Kitchen
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): Blankenship, Davey Johnson, Decker, Flinner, Lyle, Danny Johnson, Schaltenbrand, Beardsley, S. Wilmoth, R. Scott, Stone, Miller, Geisler, Stile, McGarvey (DNS) Hedman
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