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Kevin Kovac
MINERAL WELLS, W.V. (May 29) - Steve Shaver was a Hometown Hero on Saturday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway.
Racing in front of a legion of family members and friends at a track just 10 miles from his home in Vienna, W.Va., Shaver came out on top of a titanic four-car duel to win the 30-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main that opened the five-eighths-mile oval's two-day 'RaceFest World Championships.'
Shaver, 46, snuck by Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, for the lead on lap 25 and spent the remainder of the distance holding off Hartman, Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., to pocket a first-place prize of $8,075.
There was plenty for Shaver to smile about after the event, which brought WVMS back into the national spotlight after two years of inactivity. Not only did he win at the track he lists as his favorite for the first time in years, he also scored his initial victory since taking over as the driver of the Greenville, N.C.-based K&L Rumley Motorsports Rocket No. 6 earlier this year.
"It's been a long time since we've won down here so it feels great," said Shaver, who registered his second career win on the WoO LMS. "But more than anything, I'm just so happy to get a win for the Rumleys (Kevin and Lee Roy). I've raced against them for years and I've always really respected them, so it's been a real pleasurable experience to get a chance to drive for them."
Hartman settled for a second-place finish in his Rocket car, a couple car lengths behind Shaver at the checkered flag. The race's polesitter inherited the lead when early pacesetter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., slowed with a flat left-rear tire on lap 10 but couldn't beat back Shaver's challenge.
The eighth-starting McCreadie finished third in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket and third-starter Frank placed fourth in his Corry Rubber Rocket - after both drivers made bids for the lead in the closing laps. Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., improved one spot from his starting position to complete the top five in the RSD Enterprises Rocket.
Shaver, who started fourth in a car that carries a Chevy engine built by team co-owner Lee Roy Rumley, seized an opening in lapped traffic to steal the lead from Hartman with an inside move through turns one and two on lap 25. He had erased Hartman's half-straightaway edge to put himself in position to slide in front.
"Before that one caution (on lap 10 for Lanigan) I actually got underneath Bart," said Shaver, whose first WoO LMS victory came on July 24, 2009, at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park. "He got away a little on the restart, but after a few laps I just felt like his car was coming back to me.
"Once I caught him I made a couple - I don't want say crazy moves, but pretty aggressive moves in lapped traffic. I did it because Bart's won more races here than anyone, so I knew if I got the opportunity to get by him I had to take it right now.
"I was just lucky it worked," he added. "I think I just saw an opening and was lucky enough to make it happen."
Shaver survived several anxious moments during the final circuits, including a near-spin in turn four when he tangled with a lapped car and virtual non-stop threats from Frank (he dived underneath Shaver twice in turn three), McCreadie (he nearly snuck outside Shaver off turn two on lap 27) and Hartman (he made one more inside bid to regain the lead rounding turns three and four on the last lap).
Hartman, 41, was gracious in defeat. He was looking for his first WoO LMS victory since 2004, when he won five times in his only season a tour regular.
"I just couldn't get through lapped traffic like Steve," said Hartman. "(The lapped cars) were side-by-side and my car wouldn't move around the bottom like his would.
"We had a good lead for awhile, but a little after the caution it just dwindled and then I had those guys on top of me. We just did the best we could."
The 36-year-old McCreadie nearly swept by all three drivers ahead of him on lap 27 when he discovered the outside lane around the track, but he couldn't make a move stick.
"I just found the outside late," said McCreadie. "I didn't go up there until like three or four to go. I got a good run on Shav, but he never knew I was all the way out there so I could never stay out there. If I could've just got up beside him a little more getting in the corner, I might have been able to get by him.
"It was a heck of a race, though. The four of us were thrashing it out."
McCreadie's 10th top-five finish of the season moved him to second in the WoO LMS points standings, jumping him past Lanigan, who could only salvage a 14th-place finish after suffering a flat tire while leading for the third time in 2010. McCreadie closed to within 54 points of Shinnston, W.Va.'s Josh Richards, who was never a factor all night and finished 11th.
Frank, 48, enjoyed his best finish of the 2010 WoO LMS, but he felt he was just a slight adjustment from perhaps securing a victory.
"I was good, but I was little too tight," said Frank, who recorded just his second top-five finish of the season. "I'll tell 'ya, if it would've turned getting in, I might have had a shot at those guys. I just picked up a push getting in and I couldn't hold the car down where I needed to be."
Frank raced after spending much of the afternoon at a local hospital with his wife Mary, who was admitted for observation after falling ill at the track. Frank returned to the speedway just before the start of the hot laps.
Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., advanced from the 12th starting spot to finish sixth. Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., was seventh after slipping backward from the fifth starting spot, Rick Eckert of York, Pa., placed eighth, 17th-starter Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., was ninth and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., was 10th.
Twenty-seven cars entered the event, which was run on a clear, summer-like evening and brought the WoO LMS to WVMS for the first time since 2004.
Davenport was quickest in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, blistering the sprawling track in 19.805 seconds. It was the second WoO LMS fast-time honor of his career.
Heat winners were Hartman, Shaver and Carrier, and the B-Main was captured by Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.
The RaceFest World Championships will conclude on Sunday (May 30) with a 40-lap WoO LMS A-Main paying $10,000 to win topping the agenda. On-track action begins at 7 p.m.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series 'RaceFest World Championships' Night 1 (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (4) Steve Shaver/30 $8,075
2. (1) Bart Hartman/30 $4,000
3. (8) Tim McCreadie/30 $3,400
4. (3) Chub Frank/30 $2,800
5. (6) Shane Clanton/30 $2,500
6. (12) Tim Fuller/30 $2,100
7. (5) Eddie Carrier Jr./30 $1,900
8. (11) Rick Eckert/30 $1,800
9. (17) Steve Francis/30 $1,800
10. (7) Jonathan Davenport/30 $1,150
11. (13) Josh Richards/30 $1,600
12. (18) Clint Smith/30 $1,400
13. (23) Austin Hubbard/30 $1,600
14. (2) Darrell Lanigan/30 $1,400
15. (14) Vic Coffey/30 $750
16. (16) Zach Dohm/30 $700
17. (9) Rod Conley/30 $660
18. (21) Brent Robinson/30 $640
19. (15) Chuck Harper/30 $620
20. (20) David Williams/30 $610
21. (24) Russell King/29 $1,100
22. (19) Brady Smith/28 $1,125
23. (10) Doug Drown/21 $600
24. (22) Corey Conley/9 $600
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Yellow Flags: 1 (Lap 10)
Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-10); Hartman (11-24); Shaver (25-30)
Provisional Starters: Hubbard, King
Rookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Carrier ($500)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 49-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, Ga 19.805
2. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 19.818
3. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 19.927
4. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 20.005
5. 6-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 20.010
6. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 20.015
7. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 20.059
8. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 20.106
9. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 20.110
10. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 20.218
11. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 20.240
12. 71R-Rod Conley/Wheelersburg, OH 20.298
13. 75-Bart Hartman/Zanesville, OH 20.300
14. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 20.314
15. 19H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 20.366
16. 17T-Zach Dohm/Cross Lanes, WV 20.375
17. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 20.392
18. 00H-Chuck Harper/Beverly, WV 20.437
19. 12-Doug Drown/Wooster, OH 20.483
20. 14-Corey Conley/Wellsburg, WV 20.624
21. 3-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA 20.707
22. 24W-David Williams/Charlotte Hall, MD 20.763
23. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 20.995
24. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 21.187
25. Y4-Anthony Huber/Vienna, WV 21.245
26. 24K-Ronnie Key/Summersville, WV 22.969
27. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 23.949
Heat No. 1 (8 laps - Top 6 Transfer): Hartman, Lanigan, Davenport, Drown, Richards, Dohm, B. Smith, Williams, Huber
Heat No. 2 (8 laps - Top 6 Transfer): Shaver, Frank, McCreadie, Eckert, Coffey, Francis, C. Conley, King, Key
Heat No. 3 (8 laps - Top 6 Transfer): Carrier, Clanton, R. Conley, Fuller, Harper, C. Smith, Robinson, George, Hubbard (DQ)
B-Main No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): B. Smith, Williams, Robinson, C. Conley, Hubbard, King, George, Huber, Key
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:
Arizona Sports Shirts ($50 product certificate): Jill George
Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main w/decal): Steve Shaver
Eibach Springs (one free spring): Brent Robinson
MSD Ignition ($75 cash award): Steve Shaver
MSD Ignition ($25 cash award): Brady Smith
Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash award to fastest qualifier w/decal): Jonathan Davenport
Pink Carburetors ($100 product certificate): Rick Eckert
Quartermaster ($100 product certificate): Steve Shaver
Quartermaster ($50 product certificate): Shane Clanton
Quartermaster ($25 product certificate): Vic Coffey
R2C Performance ($100 cash): Tim McCreadie
STP ($50 cash award): Brady Smith
VP Racing Fuels 'Nice Jugs Award' (two five-gallon plastic fuel jugs to fastest qualifier who does not make the A-Main if decal is displayed): Jill George
Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner w/decal): Steve Shaver
2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of May 20 - 15 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 2106 (-0)
2. Tim McCreadie 2052 (-54)
3. Darrell Lanigan 2044 (-62)
4. Steve Francis 1990 (-116)
5. Tim Fuller 1966 (-140)
6. Austin Hubbard 1960 (-146)
7. Rick Eckert 1906 (-200)
8. (tie) Brady Smith 1904 (-202)
8. (tie) Chub Frank 1904 (-202)
10. Shane Clanton 1874 (-232)
11. Clint Smith 1844 (-262)
12. Russell King 1694 (-412)
13. Brent Robinson 1614 (-492)
14. Jill George 1102 (-1004)
15. Brian Birkhofer 830 (-1276)
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