Photo Finish: Lanigan Passes Clint Smith on last lap for River Cities

[NickHolt]

Photo Finish: Lanigan Passes Clint Smith On Final Lap For Record-Tying Victory At River Cities Speedway - Points Leader Matches World of Outlaws Late Model Series Single-Season Win Record In Dramatic Fashion

 

GRAND FORKS, ND – July 13, 2012 – Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., tied the World of Outlaws Late Model Series single-season win record in dramatic fashion, overtaking race-long pacesetter Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., on the final lap to capture Friday night’s ‘Seven Clans Casinos 50’ at River Cities Speedway.

 

In another memorable WoO LMS event at the high-banked, quarter-mile oval, Lanigan, 42, chased Smith for the entire distance before finally slipping underneath the leader racing down the backstretch on the last circuit. Lanigan found just enough traction on the bottom of turns three and four to beat Smith back to the checkered flag by a mere 0.024 of a second – likely the closest finish in the history of the WoO LMS.

 

The $10,650 triumph was Lanigan’s ninth of 2012, matching the national tour’s modern-era (2004-present) single-season record held by Scott Bloomquist and Josh Richards. He will have his first opportunity to establish a new standard on Saturday night (July 14) when the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ concludes at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn.

 

“It’s definitely awesome to be able to tie (the single-season win record),” said Lanigan, whose 35th career WoO LMS victory moved him within three of tying Richards atop the circuit’s win list since 2004. “It definitely helps the bank account too. We’ll just keep on chugging and see what we can come up with.”

 

Smith, 47, started from the pole position and continually repelled Lanigan’s bids until the last-lap drama left him with a runner-up finish. It was his best outing of the season with his Rocket mount, but his WoO LMS winless streak reached 49 races since his last victory, on May 8, 2011, at Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga.

 

Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who won the first WoO LMS A-Main of his career at River Cities in 2008, finished third in his Team Zero by Bloomquist car. He started eighth and was still mired back in sixth when the race’s third and final caution flag flew on lap 36, but he charged into third on lap 40 and crossed the finish line just one second behind the leaders.

 

Sixth-starter Terry Casey of New London, Wis., battled inside the top five throughout the distance – even briefly slipping past Lanigan for second on a lap-30 restart – but settled for fourth place in his MasterSbilt car. Defending WoO LMS champion Rick Eckert of York, Pa., completed the top five, advancing from the ninth starting spot in his Team Zero by Bloomquist machine.

 

Lanigan, who started third but slid into second on the opening lap, actually had mixed emotions after earning a roar from the evening’s large crowd with his final-tour heroics. As much as he wanted a second consecutive triumph on the ‘Wild West Tour’ and a second career win at River Cities (he topped the track’s inaugural WoO LMS event in 2006), he would have loved to congratulate Smith on a slump-busting victory.

 

“I’d have rather seen ‘Cat’ win it,” said Lanigan, using Smith’s popular nickname. “We’ve been teaming up a little bit here, traveling together. We’ve been trying to help his program too and get him back in the winner’s circle.

 

“I was pulling for him (while running second), but he gave me a little bit of room (on the last lap)...and we gotta race our program too, so we had to take the win there. He kind of dropped off that cushion on the last lap and I got mine bent pretty hard, and I came down across that bottom and got a pretty good run.”

 

A brake problem that hampered Smith throughout the race finally bit him with the white flag flying.

 

“We had air in (the brakes) from last night and didn’t catch it through the night to bleed it out,” said Smith. “I was having to pump the brakes the whole race one time down the straightaway so I’d have a pedal. When I would miss that pump I would push bad getting in the corners and I’d have to really turn it with the fuel.

 

“Well, down the backstraightaway (on the last lap), with that lapped car ahead as I was trying to beat Darrell off the corner, I must have just missed the pump and it pushed right up to the cushion just enough that I couldn’t get it to rotate to get back to the good stuff leaving (turn four). I had to leave (the corner) outside him – and I almost had enough traction to beat him (to the finish line), but I didn’t.

 

“I needed to turn the car to come back down (off turn four) like I did the whole end of the race, but I just didn’t get it rotated enough – plus Darrell was already there under me, and we run each other clean so I didn’t want to get into him. He just had the better line and the better maintenance program today.”

 

Smith found little solace in coming so close to defeating the mighty Lanigan, whose dominant WoO LMS campaign has him leading the points standings by 148 points over Eckert and nearing the $200,000 mark in earnings after 26 events.

 

“There ain’t nothing good about this,” bottom-lined Smith. “I lost $5,000 by 23-thousandths of a second (actually 24-thousandths) after leading the whole race. I can’t think of nothing good about that.”

 

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., finished sixth after making a late surge. Outside-polesitter Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., ran fourth for much of the distance but faded after the race’s final restart, finishing seventh. Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., started fourth and climbed as high as third on lap 35, but an incorrect tire choice caused him to fall to eighth in the finishing order. Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., quietly worked his way forward from the 18th starting spot to place ninth and Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., rounded out the top 10.

 

Three caution flags slowed the event, all for stopped cars. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., went off the backstretch on lap 30, while Tim McCreadie, also of Watertown, N.Y., fell off the pace with mechanical trouble on lap 35 – moments after reaching fifth place – and stopped in turn four on lap 36 while trying to return to the track from the pits to trigger another caution.

 

McCreadie retired shortly after drawing the second caution, leaving him with a 19th-place finish. It was first outing outside the top 10 in his last 17 starts and just his fourth run outside the top five over that span.

 

Thirty-two cars entered the event, which marked the seventh consecutive year that the WoO LMS has competed at River Cities.

 

Clanton was quickest in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 12.121 seconds. It was his second fast-time honor of 2012.

 

Heat winners were Clanton, Brady Smith, Clint Smith and McCreadie. The B-Mains were captured by Dustin Strand of Grand Forks, N.D., and Mars.

 

The night’s lone crash came during time trials when two-time WISSOTA Late Model national champion Ricky Weiss of St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba, jumped the cushion between turns one and two and flipped wildly down the wall-less track’s steep embankment. He escaped the accident without injury and later started the B-Main in the same car and took the green flag in the A-Main thanks to the WoO LMS points provisional starting spot he received.

 

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

 

Fans can also follow the WoO LMS on Twitter at Twitter.com/WoOLateModels and Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws .

 

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Seven Clans Casinos 50’ at River Cities Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

 

 

1. (3) Darrell Lanigan/50 $10,650

 

2. (1) Clint Smith/50 $5,600

 

3. (5) Brady Smith/50 $3,050

 

4. (6) Terry Casey/50 $3,000

 

5. (9) Rick Eckert/50 $2,650

 

6. (12) Chub Frank/50 $2,250

 

7. (2) Vic Coffey/50 $2,000

 

8. (4) Shane Clanton/50 $1,850

 

9. (18) Jimmy Mars/50 $1,250

 

10. (7) Pat Doar/50 $1,700

 

11. (20) Kent Robinson/50 $1,850

 

12. (11) Brad Seng/50 $1,000

 

13. (16) Jack Sullivan/50 $1,500

 

14. (10) Don Shaw/50 $900

 

15. (13) Tim Fuller/50 $1,400

 

16. (15) Bub McCool/50 $1,350

 

17. (21) Dustin Strand/50 $820

 

18. (22) Dustin Hapka/47 $750

 

19. (8) Tim McCreadie/35 $1,380

 

20. (24) Steve Anderson/22 $700

 

21. (17) Steffen Snare/21 $700

 

22. (14) Joey Pederson/20 $700

 

23. (19) Jill George/3 $700

 

24. (23) Ricky Weiss/1 $725

 

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses

 

 

Time of Race: 18 Mins., 19.660 Secs.

 

Margin of Victory: 0.024 Secs.

 

Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 30, 35, 36)

 

Lap Leaders: C. Smith (1-49); Lanigan (50)

 

Provisional Starters: Weiss, Anderson

 

Rookie of the Race: Robinson ($250)

 

WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Casey ($500)

 

Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):

 

 

1. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 12.121

 

2. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 12.160

 

3. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 12.166

 

4. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 12.211

 

5. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 12.263

 

6. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 12.265

 

7. 28-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 12.290

 

8. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 12.350

 

9. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 12.458

 

10. 42s-Don Shaw/Alexandria, MN 12.474

 

11. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 12.486

 

12. 42-Terry Casey/New London, WI 12.578

 

13. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 12.587

 

14. 7P-Joey Pederson/E. Grand Forks, MN 12.653

 

15. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 12.744

 

16. 1s-Jack Sullivan/Greenbrier, AR 12.782

 

17. 17-Lance Schill/Langdon, ND 12.895

 

18. 22-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 12.899

 

19. 12s-Brad Seng/Grand Forks, ND 12.935

 

20. 7R-Kent Robinson/Bloomington, IN 12.954

 

21. 13-Bryan LePier/Bemidji, MN 13.003

 

22. 71-Steffen Snare/Hallock, MN 13.014

 

23. 11s-Troy Schill/Grand Forks, ND 13.076

 

24. 007-Jason Johnson/Karlstad, MN 13.111

 

25. 71s-Dustin Strand/Grand Forks, ND 13.114

 

26. 44s-Cole Schill/W. Fargo, ND 13.425

 

27. z17-Zach Naastad/Hatton, ND 13.552

 

28. 9-Steve Anderson/Grand Forks, ND 13.629

 

29. 84x-Josh Johnson/Fargo, ND 13.759

 

30. 41A-Matt Jarvis/Grand Forks, ND 14.310

 

31. 7-Ricky Weiss/St. Francois Xavier, MB N/T

 

32. Dustin Hapka/Grand Forks, ND N/T

 

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Coffey, Eckert, Fuller, Strand, L. Schill, LePier, Josh Johnson

 

 

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): B. Smith, Lanigan, Shaw, Pederson, George, Snare, Jarvis, C. Schill

 

 

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): C. Smith, Doar, Seng, McCool, Mars, T. Schill, Naastad (DNS) Weiss

 

 

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): McCreadie, Casey, Frank, Sullivan, Robinson, Hapka, Anderson, Jason Johnson

 

 

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Strand, George, Snare, L. Schill, LePier, C. Schill, Jarvis, Josh Johnson

 

 

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Mars, Robinson, Hapka, T. Schill, Anderson, Jason Johnson, Naastad, Weiss

 

 

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:

 

 

Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 product certificate to 23rd-place finisher I n A-Main or next highest w/decal): Dustin Strand

 

Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Brad Seng

 

Cometic Gasket ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jack Sullivan

 

Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar

 

Comp Cams ($50 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Clint Smith

 

Dominator ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Vic Coffey

 

Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Dustin Strand/Dustin Hapka

 

Gravely ($50 cash to 7th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Vic Coffey

 

JE Pistons ($50 cash to 16th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool

 

JE Pistons (one compete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 11th-place finisher or next highest w/decal - $285 value): Kent Robinson

 

JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 21st-place finisher or next highest w/decal - $285 value): Joey Pederson

 

Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash to 17th-place finisher or next highest finisher): Dustin Strand

 

MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Clint Smith

 

MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Ricky Weiss

 

Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash to fast qualifier or next highest w/decal): Brady Smith

 

Quartermaster ($100 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Clint Smith

 

Quartermaster ($50 product certificate to 5th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Rick Eckert

 

Quartermaster ($25 product certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool

 

Roush-Yates Performance Products ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Chub Frank

 

Roush-Yates Performance Products (carburetor repair kit to 18th-place finish in A-Main or next highest w/decal - $100 value): Dustin Hapka

 

Roush-Yates Lap Leader Award (one pair of Wiley X Sunglasses to driver who leads most laps in A-Main): Clint Smith

 

STP ($50 cash to 2nd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Clint Smith

 

SuperFlow ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tim Fuller

 

VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 9th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jimmy Mars

 

VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (one VP 5-gallon container to fastest qualifier who misses A-Main or next highest with decal - $30 value): Cole Schill

 

WIX Filters ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jack Sullivan

 

Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner if decal displayed - $200 value): Darrell Lanigan

 

XS Power ($50 cash to 3rd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar

 

XS Power ($60 product certificate to 8th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar

 

XS ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Darrell Lanigan

 

2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 13 – 26 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

 

 

1. Darrell Lanigan 3688

 

2. Rick Eckert 3540 (-148)

 

3. Tim McCreadie 3480 (-208)

 

4. Chub Frank 3424 (-264)

 

5. Shane Clanton 3418 (-270)

 

6. Bub McCool 3274 (-414)

 

7. Clint Smith 3234 (-454)

 

8. Vic Coffey 3174 (-514)

 

9. Pat Doar 3080 (-608)

 

10. Tim Fuller 3038 (-650)

 

11. Kent Robinson 2972 (-716)

 

12. Jack Sullivan 2870 (-818)

 

13. John Lobb 2300 (-1388)

 

14. Mike Marlar 1906 (-1782)

 

15. Jill George 1782 (-1906)