Late Models | Karnac Racing News

Lanigan Finds Winning Touch With Club 29 Car In Sunday Night’s Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals Finale

Kentucky Star Holds Off O’Neal For $12,000 Top Prize At Bubba Raceway Park

021614_LaniganVL OCALA, FL – Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., ended the Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals on a high note, breaking through to capture Sunday night’s 60-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Super Sunday Showdown’ at Bubba Raceway Park.

Finding the winning touch with his self-designed Club 29 car after top-five finishes in each of the first two events of the weekend, Lanigan passed Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., for the lead on lap seven and controlled the remainder of the distance. The two-time WoO LMS champion turned back a late challenge from O’Neal while racing through lapped traffic to pocket the race’s $12,650 top prize.

O’Neal settled for second place, about one second behind Lanigan at the checkered flag. The driver of NASCAR star Clint Bowyer’s Barry Wright car once again fell short of his elusive first-ever WoO LMS triumph.

Friday-night winner Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., finished close behind O’Neal in third place in his Rocket machine, sending him out the gates of the three-eighths-mile oval with the WoO LMS points lead. He scored a podium finish in all three events. (more…)

By Scott|2014-02-17T17:16:16-05:00February 17th, 2014|Bubba Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Race Results|Comments Off

Super-Sub Sheppard Powers To Convincing Victory In Saturday’s Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals A-Main

Young Star Drives Rocket Chassis House Car To Clean Sweep Of Program At Bubba Raceway Park

021514_BSheppVL OCALA, FL – Feb. 15, 2014 – Just call him Super Sub.

Continuing his spectacular performance as the interim driver of the Rocket Chassis house car, Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., powered to a convincing victory in Saturday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Bubba Raceway Park.

Sheppard, 21, surged forward from the fifth starting spot to take the lead from hometown favorite Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, Fla., on lap seven and never looked back. The 2014 DIRTcar Summer Nationals and DIRTcar Late Model national champion easily handled four restarts over the remaining distance to defeatFriday-night winner Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., by 4.348 seconds in the second night of action during the third annual Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals.

Lloyd, who started from the pole position and led laps 1-6, swapped second place with Smith twice before settling for a career-best WoO LMS finish of third. Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., ran as high as second midway through the race but slipped to fourth at the finish and outside-polesitter Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., placed fifth after starting from the outside pole. (more…)

By Scott|2014-02-17T17:06:56-05:00February 17th, 2014|Bubba Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Race Results|Comments Off

Brady Smith Steers New Rocket Car To Victory In World of Outlaws Late Model Season Opener At Bubba Raceway Park

Wisconsin Standout Holds Off Substitute Rocket Chassis House Car Driver Brandon Sheppard For $7,000 Triumph

021414_BRPNt1VL OCALA, FL – Feb. 14, 2014 – Brady Smith loves his new car.

After steering the three-race-old machine to a wire-to-wire victory in Friday night’s caution-free 35-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener at Bubba Raceway Park, Smith’s decision to join the Rocket Chassis fold in 2014 was vindicated.

“We just couldn’t be happier with the support we’ve been getting (from Rocket Chassis),” Smith said after capturing the milestone 400^th WoO LMS A-Main contested since the national tour was reborn in 2004 under the World Racing Group banner. “All those guys over there – (Steve) Baker, Mark (Richards), Cody (Duncan), Matt (Barnes), Josh (Richards) – have been just so helpful. I couldn’t be happier with the effort they’ve been giving me to help us get going here.”

Smith, 36, of Solon Springs, Wis., took off from his pole position starting spot and led the entire distance in his Vic Hill-powered car, but his $7,050 triumph in the first of three Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals events didn’t come easy. He had to hold off a furious late-race challenge from Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill. – the substitute driver of Mark Richards’s Rocket Chassis house car while reigning WoO LMS champ Josh Richards is sidelined by undisclosed medical issues – to secure his fifth career win on the WoO LMS. (more…)

By Scott|2014-02-15T14:30:33-05:00February 15th, 2014|Bubba Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Late Models|Comments Off

Defending Champion Josh Richards To Watch From Sidelines For Start Of 2014 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Season

SHINNSTON, W.Va. – Jan. 31, 2014 – By Andrea Cleveland/Josh Richards P.R. – Mark Richards Racing announced today that three-time World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Josh Richards will not be in the seat of the No. 1 Valvoline Rocket Chassis house car due to medical issues for the start of the national tour’s 2014 season.
Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., will be behind the wheel of the iconic blue No. 1 in Richards’s absence. Sheppard is a familiar face in the Rocket camp after filling in for the 25-year-old defending champion in 2012 as he ran a limited schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Sheppard also won the 33rd annual Red Buck Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park last October substituting for Richards.

(more…)

By Scott|2014-02-01T23:18:04-05:00February 1st, 2014|Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Racing News|Comments Off

Return To Rocket Chassis Has McCreadie Bullish About 2014 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship Prospects

New Yorker Ready To Kick Off Season Feb. 14-16 At Bubba Raceway Park & Feb. 20-22At Volusia Speedway Park

012413_TMac1 CONCORD, NC – Jan. 24, 2014 – Whether Tim McCreadie can raise his game sufficiently to make a serious run at the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship in 2014 remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: he isn’t lacking for confidence as he plunges into the chase.

When the national tour’s ’14 campaign kicks off with the Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals on Feb. 14-16 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., and the DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment on Feb. 20-22 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., McCreadie fully expects to be in the title conversation.

“I wouldn’t go out on tour if I didn’t think we had a shot at winning the championship,” Watertown, N.Y.’s McCreadie asserted with steely-eyed resolve. “That’s always the focus. Now, it hasn’t worked out that we’ve been a contender the last few years, but we’ve always thought we had good enough cars and help to win a championship and it’s no different this year.” (more…)

By Scott|2014-01-25T16:31:19-05:00January 25th, 2014|Featured, Front Page News, Late Models|Comments Off

Standout Roster Of Title Hopefuls Ready For Start Of Milestone World of Outlaws Late Model Series Campaign Feb. 14-16 At Bubba Raceway Park

Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals Begins Celebration Of National Tour’s 10^th Anniversary Season Under World Racing Group Banner

WoO_World_of_Outlaws_Logo_Dirt_Late_Models_Late_Model_RacingNewsNetwork_com OCALA, FL – Jan. 16, 2014 – The running of the third annual Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals on Feb. 14-16 at Bubba Raceway Park will mark two significant milestones for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

For starters, a season-long celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the national tour’s rebirth in 2004 will begin with the weekend tripleheader at the unique egg-shaped, three-eighths-mile oval. In addition, the opening night of the meet – a 40-lap, $8,000-to-win event on Fri., Feb. 14 – is set to be the 400th WoO LMS A-Main contested since the circuit resumed action 10 years ago under the World Racing Group banner.

Landmarks aside, the tour’s visit to BRP will also kick off the chase for the prestigious WoO LMS championship. A typically star-studded roster of drivers is eyeing the $100,000 title in 2014, including:

* Josh Richards. The three-time and defending WoO LMS champion from Shinnston, W.Va., is geared up to pursue another points crown with his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis house car team after making his triumphant return in 2013 following a season spent pursuing his NASCAR aspirations. There will be a couple new looks to Richards’s effort in ’14: veteran wrench-turner Randall Edwards has come on board to serve as his chief mechanic (’13 WoO LMS Crew Chief of the Year Matt Barnes won’t travel as extensively with Richards this season) – and sometime during the season, Richards, who turns 26 on March 22, plans to become a married man by tying the knot with Andrea Cleveland. (more…)

By Scott|2014-01-17T15:03:31-05:00January 17th, 2014|Bubba Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

Lanigan Earns First-Ever Win At The Dirt Track At Charlotte In Friday’s World of Outlaws World Finals A-Main

Richards Clinches Third Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series Title With Third-Place Finish

110913_WFSatVL CONCORD, NC – Nov. 8, 2013 – Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finally reached Victory Lane at The Dirt Track at Charlotte with a flawless performance in Friday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws World Finals A-Main.

Hitting paydirt in his 21^st career start at the four-tenths-mile oval, Lanigan burst off the pole position to grab the lead at the start of the event and never looked back. He kept Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., at bay late in the distance to register his long-awaited first-ever triumph at The Dirt Track and his tour-leading 12^th win of the 2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series campaign.

But while Lanigan, 43, beat Bloomquist to the finish line by 0.596 of a second for a victory worth $12,150, his year-long reign as WoO LMS champion came to an end. Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., finished third to clinch his third career World of Outlaws title.

Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., placed fourth and 2011 WoO LMS champion Rick Eckert of York, Pa., was fifth in a race that was contested before a massive capacity crowd on a chilly fall evening. (more…)

By Scott|2013-11-11T14:53:10-05:00November 11th, 2013|Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Race Results|Comments Off

Moyer Sweeps Qualifying Night Fast-Time Honors In World of Outlaws World Finals Debut

Veteran Driver Tops 74-Car Field On Opening Night Of Blockbuster Event At The Dirt Track At Charlotte

110713_WFQualifying CONCORD, NC – Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., made a spectacular debut at the World of Outlaws World Finals, sweeping fast-time honors in both rounds of Thursday’s Qualifying Night program at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

The legendary driver was perfect in his first-ever World Finals appearance, topping an ultra-competitive field of 74 cars that were signed in for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series portion of the huge tripleheader weekend. The event also attracted 55 winged machines for the companion World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series meet and 49 entries for the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified action.

World Finals Qualifying Night featured two rounds of WoO LMS time trials – the first to line upFriday night’s heat races and the second to align Saturday night’s preliminaries.

Moyer, 56, turned a lap of 15.413 seconds in Group ‘A’ during the first round of time trials and bettered that with a circuit of 15.304 seconds in Group ‘B’ during Round 2. His clockings were the overall fastest of both qualifying legs, giving him the 17^th and 18^th WoO LMS fast-time honors of his career. (more…)

By Scott|2013-11-08T16:00:46-05:00November 8th, 2013|Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Race Results|Comments Off

With Brandon Sheppard Playing ‘Super Sub’ Role, Mark Richards Celebrates First-Ever Victory In Dirt Track World Championship

Veteran Team Owner Enjoys $50,000 Triumph In Ohio During Break From World of Outlaws Late Model Series Schedule

10-21-MarkShep CONCORD, NC – Oct. 21, 2013 – When Mark Richards added the 33^rd annual Red Buck Dirt Track World Championship to his team’s racing schedule earlier this year, he assumed his son Josh would be behind the wheel of his familiar Rocket Chassis house car for the 100-lap event at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park.

But after Josh informed his father late in the summer that he couldn’t compete in promoter Carl Short’s traditional fall special because he had plans with his fiancée, the elder Richards kept the DTWC on his radar. He decided to enter the race with reigning DIRTcar Summer Nationals and UMP national champion Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., substituting for Josh – and considering the results, he’s glad he did.

In a dramatic cameo last Saturday night, Sheppard, 20, captured the DTWC’s $50,000 top prize to give Richards a coveted first-ever victory in the crown-jewel show that has its roots in his home state of West Virginia. (more…)

By Scott|2013-10-22T13:40:34-04:00October 22nd, 2013|Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Racing News, World of Outlaws|Comments Off

Richards Gets Elbows Up To Reach Victory Lane For Second Time In Pevely Nationals At Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55

West Virginia Star Pads World of Outlaws Late Model Series Points Lead With Ninth Triumph Of 2013 Season

091413_PevelyVL PEVELY, MO – Sept. 14, 2013 – Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., roared back into the World of Outlaws Late Model Series spotlight with an elbows-up victory in Saturday night’s 55-lap Pevely Nationals at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

Twenty-four hours after absorbing a rare DNF, Richards wrestled the lead from Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., on lap 32 and turned back a late challenge from Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., to register his ninth WoO LMS triumph of 2013. The $10,650 score also made him the first driver to win twice in the seven World of Outlaws A-Mains contested since 2005 at the high-banked, one-third-mile oval.

Adding more importance to his checkered flag, Richards, 25, padded his points lead in the chase for the $100,000 WoO LMS championship to a season-high 114 points over Lanigan and Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., who ended the night tied for second in the standings. Richards can clinch his third career title on the national tour by averaging an 11^th-place finish over the final five events of the campaign.

“It feels good to have a little bit of a cushion,” Richards said of his healthy edge in the World of Outlaws standings. “We lost it last night (after a broken rearend left him with a 19^th-place finish at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill.), so it feels good to come back with a win tonight.” (more…)

By Scott|2013-09-16T15:34:12-04:00September 16th, 2013|Featured, Front Page News, Late Models, Race Results|Comments Off