Richards Charges to Second-Place Finish from Ninth
MASON CITY, Iowa – July 8, 2016 – Shane Clanton was stronger than stone Friday night, dominating The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series 50-lap feature at Mason City Motor Speedway. Clanton not only solidified his fifth win of the season, but also tied Rick Eckert for fourth all time in career wins (35) in the series.
“Oh man, that car was good,” Clanton said. “It’s pretty special right now. It was a good win here that eluded me the last time I was here [in 2004]. I went a little hard on the tire [then], but tonight we ran a little softer than everyone else, and it was pretty good.”
Clanton, the series defending champion, rose to the top of the track as the green flag waved-on the 24-car field. Within a half of a lap, he reeled-in Eckert with his No. 25 Weldbank Energy/ Coopers Meat Packers Capital car. The long 1/2-mile oval lent enough room for Clanton to separate himself from the pack lap-by-lap. By lap nine in a caution-free feature, Clanton was 2.402 seconds away.
As Eckert began to fade, other drivers took advantage. Eric Wells, who captured his first podium finish the night before, replaced Eckert for the second position. Chad Simpson, following behind Wells in his No. 25s Liebe Trucking/ GATR Truck Center Victory Circle car, followed suit. By lap 15, the podium was spaced by more than one-second between the trio of drivers.
The only immediate challenge for Clanton came with 37 laps to go when he approached the caboose of the field. Clanton’s lead diminished by .400 seconds for the lap; however, Clanton quickly rebuilt his lead to a 1.2 second margin. The gap widened 16 laps later to 3.913 seconds.
“Yeah, 50 laps here is kind of grueling just trying to hit your marks,” Clanton said. “We had to do what we did [passing lapped traffic]. Nothing was going to slow us down.”
While Clanton pulled away, Josh Richards charged to the front; he started ninth in the feature. Richards early in the race battled for fifth position with Tyler Erb, who is second in the rookie of the year standings. From there, Richards had little opposition to his strong push to the front.
Richards passed Eckert for fourth when a lapped car prevented Eckert from slamming the door on his advances. The No. 1 Valvoline/ Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket car proceeded to gain ground on Wells, who he passed a few laps later; Wells finished seventh in the feature. With 10 laps remaining, Richards made the move on Simpson for second place.
“It’s a lot of fun racing right here in Iowa,” said Simpson, who was awarded the fast time award in qualifying. “We had a good car. We’re getting closer. The tire game hurts us a little when we come to these deals because we run on hard tires around here all the time. But, I guess we’re guessing pretty good so far [on our setup].”
With fewer than five laps remaining, Richards ran out of real estate. From a 3.116 lead, Richards managed to only close the gap between him and Clanton to 2.017 seconds. This is Richards’ 18th top five finish of the season.
“Shane and those guys did a great job,” Richards said. “We got stuck on the outside from our heat race, lost position and had to start ninth. We were just green flag the whole way, and it just took so long to run everybody down. I think we were better than he was at the end, but we were just strung out way too far.”
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World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series Statistical Report; July 8, 2016; Mason City Motor Speedway; Mason City, Iowa
A-Main (50-laps): 1. 25- Shane Clanton [2] [$10,875]; 2. 1- Josh Richards [9] [$5,800]; 3. 25s- Chad Simpson [3] [$4,100]; 4. 7- Rick Eckert [1] [$3,300]; 5. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr. [11] [$3,000]; 6. 91- Tyler Erb [5] [$1,950]; 7. 18- Eric Wells [4] [$1,950]; 8. 16B- Tyler Bruening [8] [$1,350]; 9. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr. [7] [$1,750]; 10. 14M- Morgan Bagley [17] [$1,700]; 15. 1*- Chub Frank [20] [$1,400]; 16. 32- Chris Simpson [6] [$800]; 17. 28M- Jimmy Mars [14] [$770]; 18. 76- Brandon Overton [12] [$800]; 19. 29- Spencer Diercks [24] [$730]; 20. 77- Jordan Yaggy [19] $700]; 21. 11- Austin Smith [18] [$700]; 22. 20- Rodney Sanders [13] [$700]; 23. 2c- Joey Coulter [16] [$700]; 24. 98- Jason Rauen [22] [$700]
Last-Chance Showdown (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 77- Jordan Yaggy; 2. 1*- Chub Frank; 3. C9- Steve Casebolt; 4. 98- Jason Rauen; 5. 90- Lance Matthees; 6. 29- Spencer Diercks; 7. 16- Austin Siebert; 8. B1- Brent Larson
Qualifying: 1. 25s- Chad Simpson, 18.512; 2. 18- Eric Wells, 18.519; 3. 91- Tyler Erb, 18.528; 4. 25- Shane Clanton, 18.606; 5. 7- Rick Eckert, 18.627; 6. 1- Josh Richards, 18.675; 7. 18c- Chase Junghans, 18.680; 8. 16b- Tyler Bruening, 18.721; 9. 32- Chris Simpson, 18.818; 10. 99B- Boom Briggs, 18.857; 11. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr., 18.686; 12. 11- Austin Smith, 18.871; 13. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr., 18.890; 14. 28M- Jimmy Mars, 18.894; 15. 76-Brandon Overton, 18.948; 16. 20- Rodney Sanders, 18.967; 17. 1*- Chub Frank, 19.026; 18. C9- Steve Casebolt, 19.043; 19. 29- Spencer Diercks, 19.067; 20. 14m- Morgan Bagley, 19.095; 21. 3s- Brian Shirley, 19.160; 22. 16- Austin Siebert, 19.168; 23. 90- Lance Matthees, 19.172; 24. 77- Jordan Yaggy, 19.186; 25. 2c- Joey Coulter, 19.204; 26. 98- Jason Rauen, 19.602; 27. B1- Brent Larson, 19.978
Heat No. 1 (10 laps- Top 6 Transfer): 1. 25s- Chad Simpson; 2. 25- Shane Clanton; 3. 99JR- Frank Heckenast Jr.; 4. 99B- Boom Briggs; 5. 20- Rodney Sanders; 6. 2c- Joey Coulter; 7. 16- Austin Sierbert; 8. 18c- Chase Junghans; 9. 29- Spencer Diercks
Heat No. 2 (10 laps- Top 6 Transfer): 1. 18- Eric Wells; 2. 7- Rick Eckert; 3. 16b- Tyler Bruening; 4. 21JR- Billy Moyer Jr.; 5. 28M- Jimmy Mars; 6. 14M- Morgan Bagley; 7. 1*- Chub Frank; 8. 98- Jason Rauen; 9. 90- Lance Matthees
Heat No. 3 (10 laps- Top 6 Transfer): 1. 32- Chris Simpson; 2. 91- Tyler Erb; 3. 1- Josh Richards; 4. 76- Brandon Overton; 5. 3s- Brian Shirley; 6. 11- Austin Smith; 7. 77- Jordan Yaggy; 8. C9- Steve Casebolt; 9. B1- Brent Larson
World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners (awards presented to noted finisher/qualifier or next highest displaying decal):
Comp Cams – $50 Product certificate: Shane Clanton
MSD – $50 Cash: Shane Clanton
QuarterMaster – $100 Product certificate: Shane Clanton
Wrisco Aluminum – 3 Sheets of aluminum: Shane Clanton
Penske Shocks – TBD Product certificate: Rick Eckert
JE Pistons – $50 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
VP Racing Fuels – $50 Cash: Tyler Bruening
Edelbrock – $50 Cash: Morgan Bagley
Comp Cams – $50 Cash: Morgan Bagley
Morton Buildings – $50 Cash: Brian Shirley
Cometic Gasket – $50 Cash: Steve Casebolt
JRI Shocks – $50 Cash: Boom Briggs
SuperFlow – $50 Cash: Boom Briggs
QuarterMaster – $25 Product certificate: Chub Frank
JE Pistons – Set of rings: Chris Simpson
QuarterMaster – $50 Product certificate: Spencer Diercks
Arizona Sport Shirts – $100 Product certificate: Rodney Sanders
JE Pistons – Set of rings: Rodney Sanders
MSD – $25 Cash: Shane Clanton
QA1 – $50 Cash: Tyler Erb
Bonus Bucks – $500 Cash: Chad Simpson
Rookie Bonus – $250 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Craftsman Bonus – $100 Cash: Chad Simpson
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Shane Clanton
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Josh Richards
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Rick Eckert
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Billy Moyer Jr.
Craftsman Bonus – $200 Cash: Tyler Erb
Hard Charger- $500 Cash: Chase Junghans
Fast Time Award- $500 Cash: Chad Simpson
2016 World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 8 – 22 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/residence/points/deficit to leader):
| Pos. | Car # | Driver | Residence | Earnings | Points | Trail By |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $139,175 | 3116 | 0 |
| 2 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | $93,550 | 2900 | 216 |
| 3 | 7 | Rick Eckert | York, PA | $54,375 | 2824 | 292 |
| 5 | 3S | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | $60,830 | 2752 | 364 |
| 4 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | $42,695 | 2742 | 374 |
| 5 | 21JR | Billy Moyer Jr. | Batesville, AR | $38,395 | 2680 | 436 |
| 6 | C9 | Steve Casebolt | Richmond, IN | $33,520 | 2666 | 450 |
| 7 | 1* | Chub Frank | Bear Lake, PA | $37,510 | 2656 | 460 |
| 8 | 99JR | Frank Heckenast Jr. | Frankfort, IL | $32,860 | 2626 | 490 |
| 9 | 18 | Eric Wells | Hazard, KY | $31,675 | 2612 | 504 |
| 10 | 14M | Morgan Bagley | Gladewater, TX | $30,170 | 2594 | 522 |
| 11 | 18C | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | $25,275 | 2534 | 582 |
| 12 | 91 | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | $17,855 | 2240 | 876 |
| 13 | 2C | Joey Coulter | Union Grove, NC | $12,740 | 2166 | 950 |
| 14 | 99B | Boom Briggs | Bear Lake, PA | $15,570 | 1950 | 1166 |
| 15 | 11 | Austin Smith | Cedartown, GA | $8,230 | 1180 | 1936 |
| 16 | 77 | Jordan Yaggy | Rochester, MN | $4,335 | 1126 | 1990 |
| 17 | 0 | Scott Bloomquist | Mooresburg, TN | $57,800 | 1116 | 2000 |
| 18 | 17M | Dale McDowell | Chickamauga, GA | $27,800 | 1088 | 2028 |
| 19 | 22 | Gregg Satterlee | Indiana, PA | $11,400 | 1070 | 2046 |
| 20 | 6 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $20,300 | 916 | 2200 |
The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Bad Boy Off Road (Official Side-by-Side Vehicle), Craftsman (Official Tool), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Morton Buildings (Official Building), Sears (Official Home Store), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience, VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel) and DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, MSD, Penske Shocks, QA1, QuarterMaster, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis and TNT Rescue.