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Kevin Kovac
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (July 9) - Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., was declared the winner of Friday night's World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at River Cities Speedway after rain forced officials to call the event complete short of its scheduled 50-lap distance.
The 18-year-old rookie sensation didn't perform his trademark post-race Ricky Bobby celebratory run in front of the crowd, however, because the race was checkered with the field of cars sitting in the pit area and a Victory Lane ceremony was not conducted due to the wet conditions. He had to be content receiving a trophy for the second WoO LMS win of his young career while dressed in street clothes near his Beitler Motorsports team's hauler.
"I like to celebrate (after a win) with all the fans out on the homestretch, but I couldn't do that tonight," said Hubbard, who stripped down to his fireproof long underwear after capturing his first WoO LMS A-Main on March 20 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. "Maybe we can come back and show 'em some skin next year."
Hubbard, who started from the pole position in Dale Beitler's Reliable Painting Rocket car, had led from the initial green flag when intensifying rain slickened the quarter-mile oval's surface enough to prevent the race from restarting on lap 21. The field was sent to the pit area to wait out the weather, but nearly an hour of steady rain left the track too soaked for officials to dry it in time to beat the impending curfew.
While WoO LMS rules stipulate that an A-Main must reach the halfway point to be considered an official race, tour director Tim Christman made the decision to declare the event complete at 21 laps because the series can't return to the North Dakota facility this season due to travel logistics. He also announced that the race would offer only 60 show-up points to all drivers regardless of their finish.
In a related agreement reached between WoO LMS and River Cities officials, all drivers who competed in the shortened A-Main were paid 75 percent of the regular posted purse for each finishing position.
"It's unfortunate that we weren't able to run the A-Main to its scheduled conclusion because of the weather," said Christman. "The feature was definitely building toward another great finish at River Cities for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, but all we can do now is look forward to returning next year."
Hubbard was chased throughout the race's 21 laps by 2008 WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who started from the outside pole. Lanigan, 40, had yet to offer Hubbard a serious challenge when the event reached its early end, leaving him with a runner-up finish for the third time in as many 'Wild West Tour' starts.
Defending Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., was the biggest mover in the event, advancing from the 10th starting spot to finish third. He passed Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., for third on a lap-14 restart and was threatening Lanigan when the race was slowed for the final time on lap 21 for the spinning car driven by Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, who also spun on lap 14 to bring out a caution flag.
McCreadie settled for a fourth-place finish after starting third and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who won the previous night at Superior (Wis.) Speedway, gained one position to finish fifth.
Hubbard happily accepted the abbreviated victory, relating that he felt confident that he would have been able to stay at the front of the pack for the full 50 laps.
"I think if that rain never came we could've held 'em off," said Hubbard, who earned $8,250 for his night's work. "The car was great all night. We had a good qualifying run (eighth-fastest time), the last-lap pass (of Mars) to win the heat helped set us up to pull the number one pill (for the A-Mains), and we were real fast in the feature. The car was a little tight in (the corners), but as soon as I could get the right-rear hooked on the (outside) lip it would just go right around there.
"It's always nice to get the whole 50 in, but I'll take it either way. There's nothing like winning, and winning two races in our rookie season - being the first rookie to win two races - is more than I could ask for."
The A-Main was marred by a wild crash on lap 12 involving Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, whose car slipped over the turn-two berm and rolled once as he battle for fifth place. His machine landed on its wheels and he quickly climbed out uninjured.
Finishing in positions 6-10 were Rick Eckert of York, Pa., Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., who for the second straight night earned the $500 '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 points standings.
Lanigan was quickest in the 37-car Ohlins Shocks Time Trials session, rounding the track in 11.842 seconds. It was his second fast-time honor of 2010.
Heat winners were Lanigan, McCreadie, Francis and Hubbard. The B-Mains were captured by Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., and Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio.
The WoO LMS 'Wild West Tour' concludes on Saturday night (July10) with the 'Great Plains 50' at Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D. A $10,000 top prize will be on the line in the third alltime series event held at the four-tenths-mile oval promoted by Orville Chenoweth.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series at River Cities Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (1) Austin Hubbard/21 $8,250
2. (2) Darrell Lanigan/21 $4,350
3. (10) Josh Richards/21 $2,850
4. (3) Tim McCreadie/21 $2,475
5. (6) Jimmy Mars/21 $1,500
6. (4) Rick Eckert/21 $1,775
7. (9) Clint Smith/21 $1,550
8. (8) Shane Clanton/21 $1,475
9. (7) Steve Francis/21 $1,500
10. (16) Pat Doar/21 $1,325
11. (11) Chub Frank/21 $1,287
12. (17) Brent Robinson/21 $1,250
13. (12) Brady Smith/21 $712
14. (14) Brad Seng/21 $675
15. (15) Zach Johnson/21 $637
16. (13) Tim Fuller/21 $1,100
17. (18) Russell King/21 $1,077
18. (21) Eric Mass/20 $562
19. (23) Jill George/19 $547
20. (19) Jason Hughes/14 $525
21. (5) Brian Birkhofer/12 $525
22. (24) Larry Wight/10 $525
23. (20) Keith Foss/6 $525
24. (25) Mike Balcaen/6 $525
25. (22) Joey Pederson/1 $525
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 13 Mins., 10.789 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.496 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 11, 14, 21)
Red Flags: 1 (Lap 14)
Lap Leaders: Hubbard (1-21)
Provisional Starters: George, Wight (WoO); Balcaen (track)
Rookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250)
WoO LMS 'Bonus Bucks' Winner: Doar ($500)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 11.842
2. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 11.854
3. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 11.938
4. 28-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 12.017
5. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 12.061
6. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 12.077
7. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 12.083
8. 19H-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 12.107
9. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 12.148
10. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 12.190
11. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 12.190
12. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 12.193
13. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 12.198
14. 12s-Brad Seng/Grand Forks, ND 12.209
15. 73-Zach Johnson/Kensington, MN 12.224
16. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 12.282
17. 3-Brent Robinson/Smithfield, VA 12.283
18. 12H-Jason Hughes/Westfield, OK 12.296
19. 95-Keith Foss/Winona, MN 12.415
20. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 12.436
21. 10-Mike Balcaen/Winnipeg, MAN 12.474
22. T1-Tommy Corcoran/E. Grand Forks, MN 12.735
23. 17J-John Winge/Ringgold, GA 12.756
24. 18-Dustin Hapka/Grand Forks, ND 12.867
25. 8-Gregg Hill/Eveleth, MN 12.871
26. 99E-Doyle Erickson/Baglen, MN 12.882
27. 7p-Joey Pederson/E. Grand Forks, MN 12.946
28. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 12.956
29. 44M-Eric Mass/Rapid City, SD 12.958
30. 2W-Darryn Waldo/Billings, MT 13.089
31. 71-Todd Truedson/Kennedy, MN 13.125
32. 99L-Larry Wight/Baldwinsville, NY 13.129
33. 13-Bryan LePier/Bemidji, MN 13.381
34. 14-Bruce Hart/Larimore, ND 13.769
35. 96-Justin Osowski/Kennedy, MN 13.924
36. 9-Steve Anderson/Grand Forks, ND 12.928 (DQ)
37. F9-Brandon Fuller/Grand Forks, ND 13.150 (DQ)
Heat No. 1 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, Eckert, C. Smith, T. Fuller, Robinson, Mass, Hill, B. Fuller, LePier
Heat No. 2 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): McCreadie, Birkhofer, Richards, Seng, Hughes, Corcoran, Erickson, Waldo, Hart
Heat No. 3 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Clanton, Frank, Johnson, Foss, Pederson, Truedson, Winge, Osowski
Heat No. 4 (10 laps - Top 4 Transfer): Hubbard, Mars, B. Smith, Doar, King, Wight, Hapka, Anderson, George
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): Robinson, Hughes, Mass, Balcaen, Corcoran, Hill, Waldo, Erickson, B. Fuller, LePier, Hart
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps - Top 3 Transfer): King, Foss, Pederson, Hapka, Winge, Anderson, George, Osowski, Truedson, Wight
2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 9 - 27 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 3600
2. Tim McCreadie 3578 (-22)
3. Darrell Lanigan 3540 (-60)
4. Steve Francis 3472 (-128)
5. Austin Hubbard 3398 (-202)
6. Shane Clanton 3386 (-214)
7. Tim Fuller 3346 (-254)
8. Rick Eckert 3344 (-256)
9. Chub Frank 3276 (-324)
10. Clint Smith 3192 (-408)
11. Russell King 3018 (-582)
12. Brent Robinson 2694 (-906)
13. Brady Smith 2644 (-956)
14. Jill George 2008 (-1592)
15. Brian Birkhofer 1428 (-2172)
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