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Kevin Kovac
SARVER, Penn. (June 26) - Shane Clanton has experienced the painful side of racing at Lernerville Speedway.
But lately the Locust Grove, Ga., star has made some very enjoyable visits to the western Pennsylvania track - the kind of appearances, in fact, that have him eyeing a $40,000 victory in this weekend's Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com, which is part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series that Clanton follows as a regular.
"The first few times I raced at Lernerville it seemed like I had bad luck," said Clanton, whose worst outing at the Action Track came in April 2005 when an on-track incident left him with a separated left shoulder that sidelined him for nearly two months. "But that's changed. We've hit the right combination the last few times we've been there, so hopefully we're due for a win."
Clanton, 32, nearly pulled off a dramatic late-race pass to win last year's inaugural Firecracker 100 before settling for a sixth-place finish. He backed that up this year with a second-place finish on April 15 in the four-tenths-mile oval's WoO LMS 'Showdown in Sarvertown 50.'
So make no mistake - Clanton deserves to be listed as a pre-race favorite in this weekend's second annual Firecracker extravaganza. Time trials and qualifying heats are scheduled for Friday night (June 27), and last-chance events and the blockbuster 100-lapper are set for Saturday night (June 28).
"We came close last year, so I'd like to win it this time," said Clanton, who is still searching for his first WoO LMS checkered flag of 2008 but has been knocking on the door to Victory Lane in recent weeks. "Winning a big show sure would be nice."
Clanton certainly remembers how close he was to grabbing the Firecracker 100 trophy one year ago. He made a stirring bid for victory following a lap-74 caution flag, tossing his RSD Enterprises No. 25 through the track's thick cushion on the extreme outside of the track to pass Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., for third, on lap 87, and Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., for second as lap 88 was scored.
Moments later Clanton appeared set to simply blow by leader Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. He drove into turn three on the outside with a head of steam behind him - and then Bloomquist suddenly shot to the cushion, taking Clanton's lane and effectively propelling the dirt Late Model legend to victory.
With his momentum killed, Clanton lost several spots over the ensuing circuits and finished a disappointing sixth.
"He kinda caught me off guard there," Clanton remembered of Bloomquist's groove-switch. "He just moved right up the racetrack in front of me, so I had to get on the brakes. As fast as I was closing on him, if I would've hit him it probably would've taken me and him out and that wouldn't have been good.
"I thought I was gonna take the lead right then, but I lost all my momentum and rhythm when he shot in front of me. Rhythm is a big key (at Lernerville), and I had a good rhythm going at the time.
"I don't know if there's certain 'circumstances' why I didn't take the lead," added Clanton, harkening back to his post-race comment that Bloomquist "miraculously" changed lanes at just the right time. "If we get in the same situation this year, though, maybe I will take the lead."
Clanton, who ranks sixth in the current WoO LMS points standings, has reserved his newest Custom-powered Rocket car for duty in the Firecracker 100. He's very excited about his chances with the machine, which he debuted earlier this month with a fast-time award and third-place finish in the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
"Every year we run the Firecracker at Lernerville it's going to get bigger and bigger," analyzed Clanton. "I'd love to be one of the first guys to win it."
Here's other WoO LMS regulars to watch in the Firecracker 100:
* Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., considers Lernerville Speedway one of his favorite tracks and his results show it. He's won several features at the oval, including WoO LMS events in 2004 and 2005.
The 46-year-old star surprisingly wasn't a major factor in last year's Firecracker 100, however, finishing a quiet fifth after starting 10th.
* Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who owns a WoO LMS A-Main win at Lernerville in 2006, finished 16th (one lap down) in the '07 Firecracker but brings plenty of momentum into the race's second edition. He broke a nearly two-year WoO LMS winless streak on June 21 at Quebec's Autodrome Drummond and has strung together five consecutive top-five finishes.
* The tour's hottest driver - points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. - enters the weekend coming off a victory on Wednesday night at Pennsy's Big Diamond Raceway and riding a 10-race streak of top-five finishes. He finished 14th (one lap down) in last year's Firecracker 100.
* Defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., is hoping the Firecracker 100 snaps him out of a 'Great Northern Tour' funk that he calls "one of the worst trips I've ever had." He was seventh in last year's Firecracker.
* Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., has been fast at Lernerville but is still searching for his first win at the track. A ninth-place finisher in last year's Firecracker, he won back-to-back WoO LMS events earlier this week and sits second in the points standings.
* The 2007 Firecracker 100 was a nightmare for Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. He finished 28th after completing only 11 laps due to mechanical trouble - a disastrous DNF that was a huge hit to his '07 title hopes.
* Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., raced to a respectable eighth-place finish in the 2007 Firecracker en route to the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. Struggling this year, he could use a similar outing to get him back on the right track.
* Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., won last year's April WoO LMS event at Lernerville, but he dropped off the tour in late June and didn't enter the Firecracker 100. He's a series regular this season, however, and will take his first stab at the event.
* John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., failed too qualify for last year's Firecracker.
* WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contenders Vic Coffey of Leiceister, N.Y., Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., and Joe Isabell of Pennellville, N.Y., have plans to make their first starts in the Firecracker.
A 60-car field assembled for last year's Firecracker 100 and a similarly large and talented gathering is expected once again.
Bloomquist, who won the 2004 WoO LMS title, will be back to defend his Firecracker 100 title.
"Any race over $30,000 (to win) gets a lot of extra attention from me," said Bloomquist.
Three-time WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who won the tour's April event at Lernerville, is scheduled to run the Firecracker for the first time. Ditto for 2006 WoO LMS titlist Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who will be behind the wheel of the Sweeteners Plus No. 39 this weekend.
A host of other well-known dirt Late Model names have the Firecracker 100 in their crosshairs, including Chris Madden, who finished second in last year's event; Earl Pearson Jr. (third last year); Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. (fourth); Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.; Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa.; Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va.; and Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va.
Lernerville's healthy dirt Late Model contingent will also be well represented with such standouts at Alex Ferree, Lynn Geisler, Gary Lyle and Matt Lux.
The Firecracker 100 begins Friday with time trials and heat races in addition to fireworks and a post-race concert. Saturday afternoon includes a weenie roast, best burger and banner contests, a horseshoe tournament and driver autographs before getting to the B-mains, Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the main event -- the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.
Pit gates open at 3 p.m. on Friday with grandstands opening at 4 p.m. and hot laps at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, the pits open at 3 p.m. with a driver autograph session from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on this weekend's event, visit www.lernerville.com and www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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