Dennis Erb Jr. Crowned Champion Of Late Model Week At Volusia Speedway Park
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 25, 2012 – Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., capped the 41st UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment with a stirring victory in Saturday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Volusia Speedway Park.
The 54-year-old dirt Late Model legend grabbed the lead in memorable fashion on lap 32, bursting past Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., with a power move down the inside of the backstretch. He then turned back a brief late-race challenge from O’Neal en route to collecting the race’s $10,000 top prize.
Moyer became the lone two-time winner during the six-race Late Model portion of the 2012 UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit. He also won Tuesday night’s 30-lap DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned feature.
“I made some adjustments on the hot rod today that I should’ve made a couple days ago,” Moyer said of his Clements-powered Victory Circle Chassis. “It was right back where it should’ve been.”
O’Neal settled for a runner-up finish – 2.850 seconds behind Moyer – after leading laps 3-31 driving Larry Moring’s MasterSbilt car. Clanton advanced one position to finish third in the Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car, while seventh-starter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., placed fourth in a Rocket to remain the WoO LMS points leader and polesitter Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who led laps 1-2, was fifth in the Barry Wright house car.
Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., finished seventh and was crowned the Late Model points champion of the 2012 UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit, earning him a unique gator-shaped trophy. He won the week’s first WoO LMS event on Thursday night.
Moyer, who started ninth, mastered a track surface that he said “couldn’t have been more racy.”
“Earlier in the night I thought it was going to be one of those married-to-the-top deals because it looked like there was a treacherous berm,” said Moyer. “It turned out that, when we put the harder tires on, we were able to run everywhere on it, wherever you felt the car was the best at. I think I run the top, the bottom, the middle – a little bit everywhere.”
It was Moyer’s strength running the inside groove that proved key to his division-leading ninth win at Volusia since 1998. When he approached battling frontrunners O’Neal and Clanton, he simply stuck low and drove by them.
“Them guys were racing hard up there,” said Moyer. “I could tell Shane just wanted to give (O’Neal) a slide job and get on by him, (but) I don’t think anyone could circle around the bottom like I could. I just stayed with what I was doing and it worked out for us.”
Moyer’s win was the 38th of his career on the WoO LMS, including 22 he registered in 1988-89 during the first incarnation of the national tour run under the auspices of late WoO Sprint Car Series founder Ted Johnson. He moved back into a tie for the alltime WoO LMS victory lead with Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who finished a quiet 16th in Saturday night’s A-Main.
Finishing in positions 6-10 was Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who made a solid charge forward from the 18th starting spot; Erb, who slipped backward from the fifth starting slot; Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga.; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who started 21st; and John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., who won the previous night’s 40-lap DIRTcar UMP Late Model feature.
Three caution flags dotted the event, all for slowed cars: Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa. (lap two), Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y. (lap six) and Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis. (lap 16).
Fifty-four cars were entered in the sixth WoO LMS event of 2012.
Francis was quickest in Ohlins Shock Time Trials with a lap of 16.024 seconds. It was his 25th career WoO LMS fast-time honor and made him just the second driver to time fastest at least once in each season since 2004, joining Richards.
Heat winners were Francis, Clanton, Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., Erb and O’Neal. McCreadie and WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., captured the B-Mains.
Next on the WoO LMS schedule is the fourth running of the Illini 100 on March 30-31 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. The $20,000-to-win event is returning this year to the exciting quarter-mile oval after a one-year absence.
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 ‘UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment’ Night 2 at Volusia Speedway Park (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (9) Billy Moyer/50 $10,200
2. (3) Don O’Neal/50 $5,500
3. (4) Shane Clanton/50 $3,050
4. (8) Darrell Lanigan/50 $2,650
5. (1) Steve Francis/50 $2,100
6. (18) Jimmy Owens/50 $1,750
7. (5) Dennis Erb Jr./50 $1,450
8. (11) Dale McDowell/50 $1,300
9. (21) Tim McCreadie/50 $1,350
10. (7) John Blankenship/50 $1,100
11. (6) Scott Bloomquist/50 $1,150
12. (14) Rick Eckert/50 $1,200
13. (12) Frankie Heckenast Jr./50 $950
14. (17) Clint Smith/50 $1,000
15. (24) Bobby Pierce/50 $900
16. (19) Josh Richards/50 $1,000
17. (20) Brady Smith/50 $770
18. (28) Vic Coffey/50 $100
19. (25) Chub Frank/50 $780
20. (27) Tim Fuller/49 $50
21. (22) Brandon Sheppard/49 $700
22. (26) Bub McCool/49 $700
23. (27) Morgan Bagley/49 $700
24. (15) Donnie Moran/49 $725
25. (23) Jason Feger/40 $700
26. (2) Jimmy Mars/30 $700
27. (13) Dennis Franklin/26 $700
28. (16) Pat Doar/15 $750
29. (10) Dan Stone/2 $700
* Earnings include cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 25 Mins., 43.186 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 2.850 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 3 (Laps 2, 6, 16)
Lap Leaders: Francis (1-2); O’Neal (3-31); Moyer (32-50)
Provisional Starters: Frank, McCool (WoO); Bagley (DCN); Coffey, Fuller
Rookie of the Race: Sheppard
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: O’Neal ($500)