Former Tour Champ Leads Rocket Chassis House Car Teammate Brandon Sheppard To Finish Line At Michigan’s Merritt Raceway

LAKE CITY, MI – Aug. 18, 2012 – Welcome back, Josh Richards.

In just his second World of Outlaws Late Model Series start following a four-month absence to pursue his NASCAR Nationwide Series aspirations, Richards flashed his vintage hard-charging form with a triumphant run to victory in Saturday night’s NAPA Auto Parts Merritt 50 at Merritt Raceway.

Richards, 24, of Shinnston, W.Va., started from the pole position and led all but one circuit of a rough-and-tumble 50-lap A-Main. He repelled a late-race challenge from his Rocket Chassis house car teammate Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., who finished second to give Richards’s father, Mark, a memorable sweep of the top-two spots in a dirt Late Model feature for the first time in his career as a car owner.

WoO LMS rookie Kent Robinson of Bloomington, Ind., advanced from the 20th starting spot to place third and rising DIRTcar Late Model standout Mike Spatola of Manhattan, Ill., finished fourth – career-best World of Outlaws outings for both drivers. Defending series champion Rick Eckert of York, Pa., completed the top five.

Richards’s checkered flag was his second of 2012 and the 39th of his career on the WoO LMS, moving him back into a tie with Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., atop the national tour’s alltime win list. Lanigan, who has dominated the series this season to the tune of a record 13 victories, was never a factor in Saturday’s A-Main, finishing one lap down in eighth.

“It’s cool to come back here and have a weekend like we did,” said Richards, who finished second on Friday night at Winston Speedway in Montague, Mich., in what was his first WoO LMS appearance since March 31 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. “To lead laps and run second last night and then win tonight, it’s definitely a confidence booster to know we can come back and compete with the best.”

Considering the manner in which he manhandled his familiar blue No. 1 machine around the choppy and fast quarter-mile oval, Richards looked like he had never left as a WoO LMS regular. He survived seven caution flags and Sheppard’s strong bid to leave the Wolverine State with $11,150 in earnings, including a $1,000 bonus for winning the 10-lap Race of Champions dash that was contested at the start of the program by nine drivers who were past titlists of either the WoO LMS or dirt Late Model tracks in Michigan.

Sheppard, 19, actually nipped Richards at the start/finish line to lead lap 45, but Richards regained command moments later rounding turns one and two and controlled the remainder of the distance. A final caution flag, on lap 48 when Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., relinquished fifth place due to a broken shock mount, proved to be no problem for Richards, who pulled away on the restart to defeat Sheppard by 1.077 seconds.

“I know we started on the pole, but that was definitely the hardest I’ve worked to win a race,” said Richards, who decided to enter the WoO LMS’s doubleheader in Michigan because he did not have a ride for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series stop at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. “The track was heavy and rough – and that condition is usually what I’m good in – but it was changing every lap so you didn’t know if you were gonna push or hit a hole.

“I’m sure it was exciting for the fans because it was crazy from the driver’s seat.”

Richards enjoyed battling for the win with Sheppard, a budding star whom Richards recommended as his replacement in the Rocket Chassis house car.

“I saw a blue car underneath me, and I was like, ‘Man, I gotta get up on the wheel,’” said Richards, whose previous WoO LMS win this season came on Feb. 17 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. “Brandon does one heck of a job. If I didn’t have any confidence in him, then he wouldn’t be in our car. He’s gonna be really good and he’s gonna pass me up one of these days.”

Sheppard, who started third, was thrilled to go toe-to-toe with Richards for the win. He passed Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., for second on lap 15 and was able to pressure Richards several times before settling for a runner-up finish that tied his career high on the WoO LMS.

“Both of our cars were pretty similarly set up, so I don’t think either one of us really had an advantage,” said Sheppard. “It was just who hit the holes and who didn’t.

“The guys were showing him that he had a decent lead, so he was kind of slowing down to run the bottom. When he went to the bottom it wasn’t that rough so there wasn’t that much moisture, and I could catch him because of that. But once I got up to him and showed him a nose, he got back up top and then we were pretty even.”

Robinson, 24, fell out of touch with Richards and Sheppard shortly after reaching third place on a lap-21 restart, but he kept a firm grasp on the show position to the finish.

“I’m really happy and happy for my team,” said Robinson, who has experienced his share of hard knocks running his family-owned operation on the WoO LMS for the first time. “That nothing fell off and nothing broke on a rough track, that’s a testament to the maintenance of the race car and the quality of the parts that we use on this MasterSbilt.

“Tonight we got better as we went,” he continued. “I about flipped over in the heat race and broke something in the rearend, but we made it in the B (Main). We threw a few things at it and I said, ‘I’m just gonna run the bottom to stay out of the rough and see if we can pass people.’ I did that for a few laps and about got lapped, but luckily the yellow came out and saved us and then I said, ‘I can’t stay back here any longer,’ so I started trying to run the top and abuse it, trying to break it. It held up, and we made it.

“We had a softer left-rear tire on than (Richards and Sheppard) did. I think that helped me get up there (to third), but then once I got there I had abused it so much – and once I got near (Richards and Sheppard) I started running even harder and then my left-rear tire just started laying down on me.”

Just nine cars were running at the finish of the event, with sixth-place Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and seventh-place Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., the last drivers on the lead lap. Lanigan finished one lap down in eighth and Merritt regular Eric Spangler of Lake City, Mich., was two laps down in ninth. Clint Smith rounded out the top 10 despite completing only 46 laps.

Thirty-eight cars were entered in the event, which was contested on a cool summer evening in northern Michigan.

Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., set the pace in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, earning his first fast-time honor of 2012 with a lap of 13.591 seconds. He nipped Clanton by the narrowest of margins – a mere .001 of a second.

The fast time was the third of Coffey’s career on the WoO LMS. His previous came on July 13, 2008, at Williston (N.D.) Basin Speedway and June 23, 2009, at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park.

Heat winners were Coffey, Clanton, Spatola and Eckert. Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., captured the B-Mains.

The next action for the WoO LMS comes next weekend with a doubleheader on Sat., Aug. 25, at Winchester (Va.) Speedway and Sun., Aug. 26, at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway.

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 ‘NAPA Auto Parts Merritt 50’ at Merritt Raceway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (1) Josh Richards/50 $11,150

2. (3) Brandon Sheppard/50 $5,550

3. (20) Kent Robinson/50 $3,800

4. (8) Mike Spatola/50 $2,550

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

6. (11) Jason Feger/50 $1,750

7. (9) Dennis Erb Jr./50 $1,400

8. (7) Darrell Lanigan/49 $1,950

9. (13) Eric Spangler/48 $1,300

10. (12) Clint Smith/46 $1,700

11. (11) Shane Clanton/29 $1,600

12. (18) Tim Fuller/26 $1,550

13. (6) Vic Coffey/26 $1,500

14. (22) Adam Thrush/24 $900

15. (19) Duane Treadwell/21 $850

16. (15) Bub McCool/21 $1,550

17. (5) Chub Frank/16 $1,320

18. (21) John Mason/12 $750

19. (16) Jeep VanWormer/11 $780

20. (25) Jeremy Tulick/11 $700

21. (10) Rich Neiser/7 $700

22. (17) Pat Doar/5 $1,250

23. (23) Tim McCreadie/2 $1,350

24. (24) Brady Smith/0 $700

25. (14) Terry Casey/0 $750

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses

Time of Race: 31 Mins., 40.501 Secs.

Margin of Victory: 1.077 Secs.

Yellow Flags: 7 (Laps 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 48)

Lap Leaders: Richards (1-44); Sheppard (45); Richards (46-50)

Provisional Starters: McCreadie, B. Smith (WoO); Tulick (track)

Rookie of the Race: Robinson ($250)

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

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

1. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 13.591

2. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 13.592

3. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 13.697

4. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 13.821

5. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 13.830

6. 55-Duane Treadwell/LaGrange, GA 13.883

7. 89-Mike Spatola/Manhattan, IL 13.885

8. 7R-Kent Robinson/Bloomington, IN 13.926

9. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 13.952

10. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 13.992

11. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 14.003

12. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 14.025

13. 28e-Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL 14.046

14. 42-Terry Casey/New London, WI 14.053

15. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 14.054

16. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 14.058

17. 72-John Mason/Millersburg, OH 14.089

18. 1b-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 14.132

19. 25F-Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL 14.138

20. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 14.184

21. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 14.195

22. 87-Rich Neiser/Fruit Port, MI 14.428

23. 87K-Josh Knoll/Lake, MI 14.518

24. 91-Adam Thrush/Farwell, MI 14.557

25. 21s-Tom Sprague Jr./Muskegon, MI 14.614

26. 23v-Ryan VanderVeen/Six Lakes, MI 14.632

27. 3-Jeremy Tulick/Cadillac, MI 14.686

28. 8-Keith Gentz/Grant, MI 14.706

29. 12-Dave Hartman/Howard City, MI 14.735

30. 25b-Chris Brindley/W. Branch, MI 14.825

31. 5-Brook Brasington/Evant, MI 14.977

32. 13-Andy Galgoci/Mt. Pleasant, MI 15.053

33. 27-Eric Spangler/Lake City, MI 15.147

34. 18-Merv Hudson/Alger, MI 15.233

35. 58-Renton Hurley/Cairo, MI 16.075

36. 73-Steve Nieuwenhuis/Copemish, MI 16.080

37. 85-Mark Anderson/Blanchard, MI 34.619

38. 21-Bob Hammar/Boone, MI N/T

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Coffey, Lanigan, Erb, Spangler, Doar, Mason, Anderson, Hartman, McCreadie (DNS) Sprague

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Sheppard, Neiser, Casey, Treadwell, VanderVeen, Brindley, Hudson, B. Smith (DNS) Hammar

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Spatola, Richards, Feger, McCool, Fuller, Hurley, Knoll, Tulick, Brasington

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Eckert, Frank, C. Smith, VanWormer, Robinson, Thrush, Galgoci, Gentz, Nieuwenhuis

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Doar, Treadwell, Mason, VanderVeen, Anderson, Hartman, Brindley, Hudson, Sprague (DNS) McCreadie, B. Smith, Hammar

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Fuller, Robinson, Thrush, Galgoci, Hurley, Brasington, Tulick, Gentz, Knoll, Nieuwenhuis

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:

Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 product certificate to 23rd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Josh Knoll

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

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

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

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

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

Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar/Jeremy Tulick

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

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): Tim Fuller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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): Duane Treadwell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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): Josh Knoll

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

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

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

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

XS ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Kent Robinson

2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Aug. 18 – 32 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Darrell Lanigan 4472

2. Rick Eckert 4318 (-154)

3. Tim McCreadie 4142 (-330)

4. Shane Clanton 4114 (-358)

5. Chub Frank 4090 (-382)

6. Bub McCool 3974 (-498)

7. Clint Smith 3948 (-524)

8. Vic Coffey 3858 (-614)

9. Tim Fuller 3744 (-728)

10. Pat Doar 3730 (-742)

11. Kent Robinson 3642 (-830)

12. Jack Sullivan 3268 (-1204)

13. John Lobb 2300 (-2172)

14. Jill George 2190 (-2282)

15. Mike Marlar 1966 (-2506)