{"id":4790,"date":"2011-02-11T12:57:10","date_gmt":"2011-02-11T12:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/?p=4790"},"modified":"2011-02-11T12:57:10","modified_gmt":"2011-02-11T12:57:10","slug":"clanton-anxious-to-start-season-strong-in-40th-annual-dirtcar-nationals-by-unoh-at-volusia-speedway-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/front-page-news\/clanton-anxious-to-start-season-strong-in-40th-annual-dirtcar-nationals-by-unoh-at-volusia-speedway-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Clanton Anxious To Start Season Strong In 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH At Volusia Speedway Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Director<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Was Still Recovering From Serious Thumb Infection During Last Year\u2019s DIRTCar Nationals<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

BARBERVILLE, FL \u2013 Feb. 10, 2011 \u2013 When Shane Clanton arrives at Volusia Speedway Park on Monday (Feb. 14) for the start of the dirt Late Model portion of the DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio, he\u2019ll be thinking only about chasing checkered flags and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship.<\/p>\n

Compared to his mindset heading into the 2010 edition of the mid-winter racing extravaganza, it\u2019s a welcomed relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year it was kind of scary for me about this time,\u201d Clanton said last week while preparing for six straight nights of Florida full-fender action that features the season-opening WoO LMS events on Feb. 17 and 19. \u201cI was in the hospital and I didn\u2019t even know if I\u2019d be able to get to Volusia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clanton, 35, of Fayetteville, Ga., made it to the half-mile oval last year, but without his familiar RSD Enterprises No. 25. Unable to race competitively while still recovering from the major health issue that put him in an Atlanta-area hospital bed for eight days, he made the trip merely to start the week\u2019s pair of WoO LMS A-Mains in teammate Tony Knowles\u2019s car using emergency provisional spots, allowing him to salvage last-place points each night.<\/p>\n

The lead-up to last year\u2019s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH was simply horrifying for Clanton, whose focus on the Sunshine State meet ceased abruptly after he suffered a minor cut on his left thumb while working in his shop on Jan. 26, 2010. His finger swelled at an alarming pace the next day so he visited a hospital emergency room; he was immediately admitted for treatment of what was diagnosed as a serious strep infection that had poisoned his blood and was literally eating away at the flesh of his thumb. Doctors told Clanton that if he hadn\u2019t sought medical attention the night of Jan. 27 \u2013 the eve of his son Ryan\u2019s seventh birthday \u2013 he likely \u201cwould\u2019ve been dead in another 10 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Clanton signed in for last year\u2019s WoO LMS lidlifter at Volusia, he still had a PICC line in his left arm (so he could receive IV bags of powerful antibiotics every eight hours to combat the strep bacteria in his bloodstream) and gauze wrapped around his mangled left thumb (he had already undergone several surgeries to help eliminate the infection). His only appearance on the racetrack during the DIRTcar Nationals was for the pace laps of the tour\u2019s 50-lap A-Mains; he pulled off as the races began and was credited with finishes of 29th<\/sup> and 30th<\/sup>, sending him home tied for 29th<\/sup> in the points standings.<\/p>\n

Saddled with a 112-point deficit in the points race after just two events, Clanton\u2019s championship hopes were effectively dashed before the season had barely begun. He opted to remain a WoO LMS regular, however, after doctors deemed his bloodstream clear of the strep bacteria (he had time to recover with the tour off following Volusia until mid-March) and he put together a respectable campaign, winning three times (including the Firecracker 100 at Pennsylvania\u2019s Lernerville Speedway) and finishing sixth in the points standings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe considered not running the series last year after I got hurt because we fell so far behind, but I\u2019m glad we did it,\u201d said Clanton, whose left thumb was left disfigured by the ravages of the infection. \u201cWe had a pretty good season and we learned a lot of stuff during the year that should put us further ahead than we would\u2019ve been right now with this new car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, Clanton is diving into 2011 with brand-new equipment. He\u2019s made a dramatic change in his racing program, parking the Rocket Chassis machines he\u2019s run since becoming a WoO LMS regular in 2005 in favor of a collaborative chassis-building deal with fellow Georgian Marshall Green, a former Dirt Track World Championship winner who is retired as a driver.<\/p>\n

Green, who owns a machine shop and assists his in-laws in the operation of Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., suggested last summer that he and Clanton should work together on a car and Clanton was intrigued. Clanton has enjoyed plenty of success with his Ronnie Dobbins-owned Rocket cars, including a triumph in the 2008 World 100 at Ohio\u2019s Eldora Speedway, but his increasingly deep conversations with Green convinced him that a partnership might just be for the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known Marshall for a while, but about a year-and-a-half ago we crossed paths when I went to Dixie a couple times and we started talking more,\u201d said Clanton, who built his own cars when he ran Limited Late Models early in his career and also briefly drove GRT chassis before connecting with Rocket. \u201cAbout halfway through last year he said, \u2018Why don\u2019t we build a race car?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing is, I\u2019ve never been able to do to my Rocket car what all of the so-called Rocket people are doing. I\u2019ve always done something a little bit different, basically because of my driving style. Me and Marshall talked about that, and we saw that his setup book versus my setup book look real similar as far as things we\u2019ve done for different track conditions, so things kind of evolved from there. We got to talking about how we do different things than most people in the country, so we figured, Why not get together and build a car ourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

The construction of their first dirt Late Model \u2013 dubbed a Capital Race Cars Chassis \u2013 began in Green\u2019s shop last July. Progress was slow but steady before picking up after Clanton\u2019s racing schedule ended in November, and Clanton will head to Volusia with two of the cars in his team\u2019s trailer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an ongoing process because with me racing I couldn\u2019t go up there (to Green\u2019s shop at Dixie Speedway) all the time,\u201d said Clanton. \u201cI\u2019ve been involved every step of the way \u2013 everything from the first piece of tubing ordered to where it is today.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re always out to better yourself, and that\u2019s what I think I can do with this deal. We feel like we\u2019ll be able to better ourselves by being able to change things on the jig. If we want to move something a half-inch or so, we got a jig right here now to do it versus having to cut a Rocket apart and change something here or change something there that we want to try.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m real excited to get started,\u201d concluded Clanton, who noted that while he\u2019s on the road this year Green will be in the shop building more cars, bumpers and other necessary pieces. \u201cI can\u2019t wait for the first race at Volusia. We\u2019ve worked hard to be in the position we are, so hopefully everything works out and we\u2019ll contend for a (WoO LMS) championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clanton is optimistic about getting off to a strong start at Volusia, a track that has provided him an ample share of frustration over the years. He\u2019ll have three nights of DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Late Model action (30-lap A-Mains paying $7,000 to win on Feb. 14, 15 and 16) to use as tune-ups for the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS events on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, as well as a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win DIRTcar UMP show on Fri., Feb. 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always liked Volusia,\u201d said Clanton, whose career-best WoO LMS points finish is second, in 2006. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my favorite tracks we go to all year, and I\u2019ve been real fast there. It just seems like something always bites me. I\u2019ve been top-five, top-three, and something happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully this year we turn the page, have a little bit of luck on our side and we can win one of the Outlaw nights to start the year off in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

In DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH competition at Volusia since 2005, Clanton has a top WoO LMS finish of third, in the first half of the \u201905 doubleheader. He also owns solid finishes of fifth (second 2005 event), sixth (2009 finale) and seventh (2007 finale and 2009 opener). What\u2019s more, in 2008 he was a serious contender in both WoO LMS A-Mains but headed home with nothing to show for his efforts \u2013 he finished 21st<\/sup> in the opening event after breaking a left-rear axle while leading on lap 30, then placed 24th<\/sup> in the finale because a broken left-rear wheel knocked him out after he had advanced from the 10th<\/sup> starting spot to fourth.<\/p>\n

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night short-track blockbuster just a half-hour drive from Daytona Beach that kicked off on Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 19. Joining the Late Models on the meet\u2019s remaining schedule are the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the O\u2019Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 10); the Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19); and the UMP Modifieds (Feb. 10-15).<\/p>\n

Pit gates open at 1 p.m., grandstand gates are unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. each day of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, which boasts a \u2018Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket\u2019 offer that allows fans to sign into the pits for an up-close-and-personal view of the race teams each night.<\/p>\n

Additional information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is available by logging on to www.DIRTcarNationals.com<\/a> or calling 386-985-4402.<\/p>\n

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Director World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Was Still Recovering From Serious Thumb Infection […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"publish_to_discourse":"","publish_post_category":"","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22,3,21,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-front-page-news","category-upcoming-events","category-volusia-speedway-park"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4790"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4794,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4790\/revisions\/4794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}