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Kevin Kovac
OHSWEKEN, Ont. (June 18) - A trip to Canada - and a brand-new car - got Josh Richards back on the winning track with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
Richards, 21, of Shinnston, W.Va., marched to his second tour triumph of the season on Thursday night at Ohsweken Speedway, holding off Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., in a nail-biting finish to capture the second annual 'Six Nations 50.'
A victor on the WoO LMS for the first time since topping the 2009 season opener on Feb. 12 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Richards became just the second driver to win more than once on this year's tour. He joined five-time winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who saw his two-race winning streak end and points lead almost completely evaporate after absorbing a 19th-place finish because he hit the turn-four wall while running fourth on lap 14.
"We've been off a little bit lately with our stuff, but we got back on track with this new car," said Richards, who debuted a fresh Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket mount in the opening event of the WoO LMS Great Northern Tour. "They (the Rocket Chassis staff) built it in like three days. It's a twin to the (Ernie Davis-owned) 25 car (that Richards has driven to six non-WoO victories this season), and it worked great tonight.
"Hopefully this will help us build some momentum up and win some more races. It's a great way to start this trip."
The $10,600 victory was also Richards's second on Canadian soil, making him the first repeat winner in six WoO LMS events run north of the border since 2007. He won last year's race at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.
Richards, who started ninth, made some early moves on the physical, traction-filled three-eighths-mile oval to sit second when a flat left-front tire forced Lanigan to relinquish the lead during a lap-five caution period. The former WoO LMS Rookie of the Year then inherited the top spot on lap 15 when 17-year-old Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., who had taken control with Lanigan's misfortune, slowed with terminal engine problems on a restart.
The remainder of the distance belonged to Richards, but it was anything but an easy drive to his 14th career WoO LMS victory. He held as much as a straightaway edge midway through the race, but some formidable lapped traffic in the closing circuits allowed Smith to draw within striking distance.
But while Smith, 32, pulled his Team Zero by Bloomquist car up to Richards's rear bumper, he settled for second place in his first-ever visit to Ohsweken. He was 0.429 of a second behind Richards at the checkered flag and less than a hood's length ahead of the hard-charging Lanigan, who erased more than a full straightaway deficit to the leaders over the final 15 laps with his fleet Fusion Energy Rocket car.
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., finished a distant fourth in his Raye Vest Racing Team Zero by Bloomquist car after starting 10th, and fourth-starter Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., placed fifth in his Rocket for his best WoO LMS run since scoring an upset win in 2007 at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.
Only the top-five finishers were on the lead lap at the finish of the rough-and-tumble A-Main. The event lasted nearly 45 minutes thanks to four caution flags for minor incidents and one red flag for a lap-10 crash in which Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., was sent spinning out of fourth place in turn four, collecting Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., in the process.
Richards survived the tough track conditions, which were left tacky and fast by overnight rain and damp, overcast day.
"I was pretty much commiteed to the top," said Richards, who tied Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., for fourth on the WoO LMS career win list since 2004. "I really couldn't maneuver that well. The last five or six laps I was dead off turn two - my left-rear tire just died - but I was lucky enough to stay up front."
Smith registered the third second-place finish of his first full WoO LMS season, following runner-up outings on Feb. 14 at Volusia Speedway Park and May 28 at Delaware International Speedway. He remains winless on the '09 tour.
"I honestly couldn't go any faster than I was going," said Smith, who started eighth. "It was a very physically demanding race. I was shook up like I don't know what.
"I felt like I might have been a little better on this end (pointing to turns one and two) than Josh, but on the other end there were ruts and I just couldn't find a way to get around there and be fast enough to get around him, over him, through him - whatever."
Lanigan, the defending WoO LMS champion who turned 39 on June 3, once again fell short of his first tour victory of the season after making a gallant rally. He could only shake his head after running out of laps.
"Maybe one more lap," said Lanigan, who started from the pole position and led laps 1-5. "That's all I might have needed."
Lanigan did close to within two points of Francis in the WoO LMS points standings. Richards sits third, just six points behind Francis.
Tony Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., finished a WoO LMS career-best sixth after a B-Main victory gave him the 18th starting spot. The 21-year-old pocketed the $500 WoO LMS Bonus Bucks cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn't won a tour A-Main and wasn't ranked among the top-12 in the series points standings.
Finishing in positions 7-10 was Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., whose career-best WoO LMS finish earned him the $250 Rookie of the Race bonus; NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader of Concord, N.C.; rookie Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., who scored a career-best series finish driving a newly-bodied car that sported a Canadian Maple Leaf on its left-side door; and rookie Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio.
A field of 42 cars was signed in for the evening's action, including a strong contingent of dirt Late Model racers from the UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned South Buxton (Ont.) Raceway about two hours to the west.
Lanigan registered his third fast-time honor of the 2009 season, setting a new dirt Late Model track record of 14.718 seconds in Ohlins Shock Time Trials. He led an army of 31 drivers who topped the previous one-lap standard of 16.094 seconds established last year by Clint Smith.
Heat winners were Lanigan (by a mere 0.020 of a second over Richards), Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., Clanton and Francis. The B-Mains were captured by King and Knowles.
Former WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., made his long-awaited return to the cockpit from a back injury suffered in a January accident during the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. But the winner of the tour's '08 event at Ohsweken experienced a frustrating evening, failing to qualify after being forced pitside by flat tires while holding a transfer spot in both the third heat and second B-Main.
McCreadie, 35, returned to the B-Main after pitting and was bidding for the final transfer position with two laps remaining when his Sweeteners Plus car bounced in turn four, breaking the rear suspension and ending his hopes.
The Canadian stretch of the WoO LMS 'Great Northern Tour' continues this weekend, visiting Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., on Saturday night (June 20) and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on Sunday night (June 21).
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series 'Six Nations 50' (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (8) Josh Richards/50 $10,600
2. (9) Brady Smith/50 $5,500
3. (1) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,650
4. (10) Rick Eckert/50 $3,000
5. (4) Dan Stone/50 $2,000
6. (18) Tony Knowles/49 $2,200
7. (15) Jordan Bland/49 $2,150
8. (6) Kenny Schrader/49 $1,300
9. (12) Brent Robinson/49 $1,200
10. (17) Russell King/48 $1,200
11. (7) Tim Fuller/48 $1,600
12. (23) Dustin Hapka/47 $1,000
13. (13) Clint Smith/46 $1,450
14. (11) Peter Mantha Jr./22 $900
15. (14) Chub Frank/16 $1,350
16. (24) Tyler Reddick/16 $800
17. (2) Austin Hubbard/14 $770
18. (19) Greg Oakes/14 $750
19. (5) Steve Francis/13 $1,330
20. (21) Adam Ferri/10 $700
21. (3) Shane Clanton/9 $1,200
22. (16) Gregg Satterlee/9 $700
23. (20) Brent Rhebergen/2 $700
24. (22) Chris Ross/1 $700
NOTE: Russell King and Brent Rhebergen started from the rear of the field after changing cars; King went to a backup car after the B-Main, and Rhebergen took the green flag in Mike Knight's No. 9K after mechanical trouble in his own machine at the end of the B-Main
Time of Race: 42 Mins., 49.874 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.429 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 4 (Laps 5, 7, 14, 16)
Red Flag: 1 (Lap 10)
Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-5); Hubbard (6-14); Richards (15-50)
Provisional Starters: Hapka, Reddick
Rookie of the Race: Bland ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Tony Knowles ($500)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race: Brandon Bender (Brady Smith)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 14.718 (NTR)
2. 18H-Dustin Hapka/Grand Forks, ND 14.807
3. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 14.936
4. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 14.951
5. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 14.973
6. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 14.999
7. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.002
8. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.005
9. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.029
10. 11H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 15.035
11. 11-Tyler Reddick/Corning, CA 15.077
12. 18R-Chris Ross/Wallaceburg, ONT 15.085
13. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.122
14. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.155
15. 9-Kenny Schrader/Concord, NC 15.220
16. 21-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA 15.238
17. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 15.246
18. 14-April Farmer/Livingston, TN 15.275
19. 12-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 15.301
20. 22s-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 15.339
21. 1A-Brad Authier/Chatham, ONT 15.437
22. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.454
23. 07R-Brent Rhebergen/Clymer, NY 15.474
24. 3-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA 15.518
25. 1F-Adam Ferri/Port Colbourne, ONT 15.548
26. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 15.554
27. 1*CFR-Peter Mantha Jr./Gatineau, QUE 15.566
28. 60-Dale Glassford/Thomasville, ONT 15.846
29. 22G-Greg Oakes/Franklinville, NY 15.919
30. 38-Kirk Hooker/Chatham, ONT 16.026
31. RH21-Gregg Haskell/Chatham, ONT 16.086
32. 88-Andrew Reaume/Blenheim, ONT 16.104
33. 77-Brett Reaume/Blenheim, ONT 16.238
34. 05-Mike Lewis/Wallaceburg, ONT 16.935
35. 92-Adam West/Ridgetown, ONT 17.422
36. 26-Tony Knowles/Tyrone, GA 17.768
37. 81-Tim Mackenzie/Chatham, ONT 18.904
38. 9k-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 24.583
39. 78-Rick Baker/Ridgeway, ONT N/T
40. 90-Mark Glassford/Goderich, ONT N/T
41. 00-Jim Dale Jr./Shrewsbury, ONT N/T
42. 7-Jeff Dayman/Welland, ONT N/T (DQ - light)
Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Richards, B. Smith, C. Smith, Ferri, Oakes, Authier, Mackenzie, B. Reaume, Hess, Dale
Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Hubbard, Eckert, Frank, Knight, King, Hapka, Farmer, Dayman, Hooker, Lewis
Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Schrader, Mantha, Bland, Rhebergen, McCreadie, Haskell, Baker, Reddick (DNS) West
Heat No. 4 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Stone, Robinson, Satterlee, Knowles, A. Reaume, D. Glassford, M. Glassford, Ross, Lux
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): King, Oakes, Ferri, Authier, B. Reaume, Dayman, Hooker, Lewis, Dale, Farmer, Knight (DNS) Hapka, Mackenzie, Hess
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): Knowles, Rhebergen, Ross, D. Glassford, A. Reaume, McCreadie, M. Glassford (DNS) Haskell, Baker,
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