Clanton Gives His Wife A Memorable Birthday Present Saturday Night At Stateline Speedway
Georgian Rolls To Fourth World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory Of 2013
By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director
BUSTI, NY – June 1, 2013 – Shane Clanton made sure he gave his better half a 25th birthday present to remember on Saturday night at Stateline Speedway.
Racing at a track where his wife Michelle grew up watching her father Ron Davies in action, Clanton surged into the lead on lap 11 and marched on to a $10,550 victory in the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main.
“Michelle’s birthday is today,” said Clanton, whose wife’s hometown of Warren, Pa., is less than a half-hour drive from the one-third-mile Stateline oval. “She sent me a message this morning and said, ‘I need a W for my birthday.’ I got her one I guess.”
Clanton, 37, of Zebulon, Ga., registered his fourth win of 2013, equaling his single-season career-high on the WoO LMS. He has won three of the national tour’s last eight events and sits second in the points standings, 34 points behind Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who finished sixth after starting 24th because a broken valve spring in his primary car’s engine forced him to hastily switch to his backup machine and relinquish the sixth starting spot.
Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y., chased Clanton for the final 12 laps but wasn’t able to draw close enough to make a serious bid for his first-ever WoO LMS victory. The 26-year-old settled for a career-best finish of second, flashing under the checkered flag 1.194 seconds behind the victor.
Defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who started ninth, climbed as high as second following a lap-33 restart but finished third. It was his seventh consecutive top-three run on the tour.
John Volpe of Lakewood, N.Y., also recorded a career-high WoO LMS finish, placing fourth in a head-turning run forward from the 11th starting spot. The 22-year-old racer traveled most of last year’s WoO LMS as a crewman for Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and still works for Frank during the week, but he isn’t accompanying Frank on road trips this season so he can pursue his driving career by competing on a weekly basis at Stateline and Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from the 12th starting spot to complete the top five. He reached fifth place on lap 44 when he overtook Clanton’s father-in-law, Ron Davies of Warren, Pa., who set fast time, won a heat and started from the pole position but failed to lead a lap and faded to a seventh-place finish.
Clanton started sixth in his Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car – moving up one row from his original starting spot thanks to Richards’s car change that sent him to the tail of the field – and steadily steered to the front. His deciding maneuvers came on a lap-nine restart when he immediately passed Knight for second and on lap 11 slid underneath race-long pacesetter Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., for the lead.
“We were just waiting, biding our time,” said Clanton, whose only previous starts at Stateline came in the track’s WoO LMS events in 2005 (he finished third) and 2006 (seventh). “(The leaders) were after their tires pretty hard there early in the race and I was just waiting and waiting and waiting, just easing up to ’em. The opportunity came on the double file restart (on lap nine). I got under Boom and he pushed a little bit and gave me just enough room to get by him.
“We had a good car all night,” he added. “We were good on the bottom just picked ’em off one at a time.”
After easily handling restarts on lap 18 and 33, Clanton cruised to his 20th career win on the WoO LMS. He was greeted in Victory Lane by a throng of well-wishers, including many of his wife’s family members and friends and his car owner John Kennedy, who flew across the country from his home in Phoenix to spend the weekend with his team.
“This is like racing at home for me now,” said Clanton. “We’ve picked up a lot of fans around here because we’ve spent so much time at Ron’s shop the last few years. It’s like all of Ron’s fans have become my fans now too.”
Clanton also noted the deep-seeded history that his wife’s family has at Stateline. Michelle’s late grandfather (and Ron Davies’s father-in-law), Leonard Briggs, was one of the track’s five founders in 1956.
“The coolest thing about (winning at Stateline) is (Michelle’s) grandfather built it,” said Clanton. “She’s fond of her grandfather, misses him a lot, so for her to have a win here at a big race is pretty special.”
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Knight, a two-time dirt Late Model champion at Eriez, outdueled Lanigan for second place by hustling his Rocket machine around the extreme outside of the track but didn’t have the speed to deal with Clanton.
“I’m really happy with our run tonight,” said Knight, who started third. “These (WoO LMS) guys are some of the best out there, and it’s fun to run side-by-side with them when they come here.
“I’d like to finish one place further (ahead), but maybe next time. I’ll keep trying. It’s a good payday anyway for us being weekend racers.”
Finishing in positions 8-10 was Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who started 16th; WoO LMS rookie Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., who started 17th; and Frank, who rallied after pitting on lap five to change an axle that broke as he was battling for fifth place with Clanton.
Six caution flags slowed the event, including a lap-33 yellow for David Scott of Garland, Pa., who stopped in turn two while running in third place.
A field of 28 cars was signed in for the event, which was run rapidly with showers and storms threatening the area.
Ron Davies, Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., and Briggs were heat winners, and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., captured the B-Main.
The WoO LMS is off until embarking on a five-track, seven-race swing through the Northeast in late June. The stretch of racing includes Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway on June 19; Brighton (Ont.) Speedway on June 20; Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on June 23; Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park on June 25; and the Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com on June 27-29 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.
Results of World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Stateline Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (6) Shane Clanton/50 $10,550
2. (3) Mike Knight/50 $5,600
3. (9) Darrell Lanigan/50 $3,650
4. (11) John Volpe/50 $2,550
5. (12) Rick Eckert/50 $2,650
6. (24) Josh Richards/50 $2,350
7. (1) Ron Davies/50 $1,400
8. (16) Tim Fuller/50 $1,850
9. (17) Eric Wells/50 $2,100
10. (8) Chub Frank/50 $1,650
11. (19) Clint Smith/50 $1,600
12. (13) Rich Gardner/50 $1,000
13. (7) Jason Dupont/50 $1,100
14. (22) Dick Barton/50 $900
15. (20) Greg Oakes/50 $900
16. (14) Bub McCool/50 $1,350
17. (10) Morgan Bagley/50 $1,320
18. (23) Bump Hedman/50 $750
19. (5) David Scott/33 $730
20. (15) Chris Hackett/31 $700
21. (18) Tim McCreadie/17 $1,350
22. (2) Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/15 $700
23. (21) Andy Boozel/14 $700
24. (4) Dave Hess Jr./5 $725
* NOTE: Josh Richards was scheduled to start sixth but was forced to start last (24) after changing to his backup car for the A-Main
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 27 Mins., 42.581 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.194 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 6 (laps 0, 5, 5, 9, 18, 33)
Lap Leaders: Briggs (1-10); Clanton (11-50)
Provisional Starters: Hedman, Barton
Rookie of the Race: Wells ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Knight ($500)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 71d-Ron Davies/Warren, PA 16.155
2. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 16.578
3. 99B-Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 16.585
4. N07-Jason Dupont/Cyclone, PA 16.599
5. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 16.604
6. 9K-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 16.615
7. 3-David Scott/Garland, PA 16.620
8. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 16.669
9. B22-Bump Hedman/Sugar Grove, PA 16.684
10. 14b-Dick Barton/Ashville, NY 16.688
11. 53-John Volpe/Lakewood, NY 16.690
12. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX 16.705
13. 9-Scott Gurdak/Bear Lake, PA 16.720
14. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 16.727
15. 33-Chris Hackett/Corry, PA 16.767
16. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 16.791
17. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 16.803
18. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 16.807
19. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 16.819
20. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 16.853
21. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 16.854
22. 1g-Rich Gardner/Waterford, PA 16.883
23. 22B-Darrell Bossard/Centerville, PA 16.897
24. 40-Dutch Davies/Warren, PA 16.917
25. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 16.945
26. 22-Greg Oakes/Franklinville, NY 17.007
27. 72-John Mason/Millersburg, OH 17.189
28. 12B-Andy Boozel/Clymer, NY 17.314
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): R. Davies, Scott, Dupont, Frank, Gardner, McCool, McCreadie, Boozel, Gurdak, Barton
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Hess, Richards, Clanton, Volpe, Eckert, Wells, Smith, Oakes, Bossard
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Briggs, Knight, Lanigan, Bagley, Hackett, Fuller, Hedman, Mason, D. Davies
B-Main (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Smith, McCreadie, Boozel, Oakes, Hedman, Gurdak, D. Davies, Bossard, Mason, Barton
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners (awards presented to noted finisher/qualifier or next highest displaying decal:
Ohlins Shocks ($50 cash to fast qualifier): Jason Dupont
Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner): Andy Boozel
VP Race Fuels ‘Nice Jugs’ Award: (One VP 5-gallon container to fastest qualifier who misses A-Main): Scott Gurdak
Wrisco Aluminum (3 sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner only): Shane Clanton
Armor All (One case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main): Mike Knight
Comp Cams ($50 certificate to A-Main winner): Shane Clanton
QuarterMaster ($100 certificate to A-Main winner, $50 certificate to 5th-place finish): Mike Knight/Greg Oakes
MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner): Mike Knight
STP ($50 cash to 2nd-place finisher in A-Main): Mike Knight
XS Power ($50 cash to 3rd-place finisher in A-Main): Darrell Lanigan
Roush Yates ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main): John Volpe
JE Pistons ($50 cash to 5th-place finisher in A-Main): Josh Richards
Dominator ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells
American Race Wheels ($50 cash to 7th-place finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells
VP Race Fuels ($50 cash to 8th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim Fuller
Edelbrock Manifolds ($50 cash to 9th-finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells
Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main): Chub Frank
XS Power ($60 product certificate to 11th-place finisher in A-Main): Rich Gardner
Cometic Gasket ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main): Jason Dupont
JRI Shocks ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main): Jason Dupont
Super Flow Dynos ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main): Greg Oakes
JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 16th-place finisher in A-Main, redeemable w/next purchase of set): Bub McCool
Klotz Lubricants ($50 cash to 17th-place finisher in A-Main): Morgan Bagley
Roush Yates ($50 gift card to 18th-place finisher in A-Main): Bump Hedman
QuarterMaster ($50 certificate to 19th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie
Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 certificate to 20th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie
JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 21st-place finisher in A-Main, redeemable w/next purchase of set): Tim McCreadie
Roush Yates ($50 gift card to 22nd-place finisher in A-Main): Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs
MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main): Dave Hess Jr.
XS Power ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Mike Knight
Roush Yates ($25 gift card to driver who leads most laps in the A-Main): Shane Clanton
Reliable Painting Award (one free tire): Rick Eckert
2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of – A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):
1. Josh Richards 2560
2. Shane Clanton 2526 (-34)
3. Darrell Lanigan 2500 (-60)
4. Rick Eckert 2458 (-102)
5. Tim Fuller 2330 (-230)
6. Tim McCreadie 2312 (-248)
7. Eric Wells 2294 (-266)
8. Chub Frank 2262 (-298)
9. Bub McCool 2260 (-300)
10. Morgan Bagley 2250 (-310)
11. Clint Smith 2138 (-422)
12. Scott James 1958 (-602)
13. Dillon Wood 1426 (-1134)
14. Gregg Satterlee 1248 (-1312)
15. Mike Benedum 994 (-1566)
LIVE UPDATES 6/1: World of Outlaws Late Model Series at Stateline Speedway
BUSTI, NY – June 1, 2013 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is set to make its return to Stateline Speedway tonight, contesting its first event at the Empire State oval since 2006.
A one-third-mile oval hard on the Pennsylvania/New York border, Stateline Speedway has hosted the WoO LMS twice. John Blankenship was victorious in 2005 and Dick Barton captured the ’06 A-Main.
For live updates of news, pit notes and results from tonight’s action, click the ‘Full Story’ link below. Be sure to refresh your browser throughout the night to see the latest information.
No. 4 for Clanton
10:25 p.m. – Shane Clanton passed Boom Briggs for the lead on lap 11 and marched on to his fourth WoO LMS victory of 2013 in the 50-lap A-Main.
Racing at a track where his wife, Michelle, grew up watching her father Ron Davies in action, Clanton beat local favorite Mike Knight to the finish line by 1.194 seconds. Darrell Lanigan settled for third — his seventh top-three finish in a row — after being overtaken by Knight on lap 38.
A-Main Finish: 1. Shane Clanton, 2. Mike Knight, 3. Darrell Lanigan, 4. John Volpe, 5. Rick Eckert, 6. Josh Richards, 7. Ron Davies, 8. Tim Fuller, 9. Eric Wells, 10. Chub Frank, 11. Clint Smith, 12. Rich Gardner, 13. Jason Dupont, 14. Dick Barton, 15. Greg Oakes, 16. Bub McCool, 17. Morgan Bagley, 18. Bump Hedman, 19. David Scott, 20. Chris Hackett, 21. Tim McCreadie, 22. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 23. Andy Boozel, 24. Dave Hess Jr.
Qualifying Notes
9 p.m. – Ron Davies, Dave Hess Jr. and Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs – three drivers with plenty of laps around Stateline – were heat winners, shutting WoO LMS regulars out in the preliminary victory category…. First-heat runner-up Josh Richards was the only WoO LMS traveler to make the A-Main redraw. He picked the worst position (sixth) just moments ago…. Davies, who turned the fastest lap of the heats, saw his great night continue when he drew the pole position for the feature…. Four caution flags slowed the first heat, including an original-start incident that saw David Scott spin and collect Tim McCreadie. Scott certainly benefitted from the WoO LMS rule allowing drivers to return to the starting position following multi-car tangles without a lap complete; he went on to finish second and will start fifth in the A-Main…. Dick Barton, the 2006 WoO LMS winner at Stateline, was running fourth midway through the first heat when he was involved in a six-car tangle and ended up pulling off…. McCreadie and Clint Smith were the lone Outlaws who failed to qualify through a heat. Smith won the B-Main moments ago over McCreadie, with Andy Boozel and Greg Oakes also transferring…. Bump Hedman and Barton claimed the two provisional starting spots because they were the fastest qualifiers who did not transfer…. Rain continues to threaten the area, so the A-Main draw was done in the pit area to save time and the 50-lapper will soon be called to the track….
A-Main Lineup:
Row 1: Ron Davies/Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs
Row 2: Mike Knight/Dave Hess Jr.
Row 3: David Scott/Josh Richards
Row 4: Jason Dupont/Shane Clanton
Row 5: Darrell Lanigan/Chub Frank
Row 6: John Volpe/Morgan Bagley
Row 7: Rich Gardner/Rick Eckert
Row 8: Chris Hackett/Bub McCool
Row 9: Eric Wells/Tim Fuller
Row 10: Clint Smith/Tim McCreadie
Row 11: Andy Boozel/Greg Oakes
Row 12: Bump Hedman/Dick Barton
Davies digs in
8 p.m. – Veteran Ron Davies began his defense of his home turf in impressive fashion, blistering the one-third-mile oval in 16.155 seconds in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials to earn his third career WoO LMS fast-time honor. The 55-year-old driver from nearby Warren, Pa., previously registered fast times in 2008 and 2010.
Davies, a 2011 WoO LMS regular whose career-best finish on the tour is second, would love to make Stateline the site of his first-ever triumph on the circuit. After all, he has some history here. Not only has Davies run here often during his 37-year racing career, but his father-in-law, Leonard Briggs, was one of the five men who built Stateline Speedway in 1956.
For complete results from time trials, click here.
The first of three 10-lap heat races (six qualify/top two redraw) is now on the track….
Back underway
7:35 p.m. – WoO LMS practice resumed at 7:20 p.m. with more moisture in the racing surface, which was significantly better.
Josh Richards topped the speed chart in hot laps with a circuit of 15.933 seconds. Morgan Bagley was second-fastest (16.058), followed by Ron Davies (16.358), Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs (16.381) and Shane Clanton (16.387).
Ohlins Shocks Time Trials have already begun. With showers and storms to the north of the speedway and the possibility of others developing to the south and west, officials plan to push the show along.
Start pushed back
7:05 p.m. – There’s a slight delay in the start of the program after the track surface, which was swept by a stiff wind throughout the day, blew excessive dust when the first group of WoO LMS hot laps got the green flag. The Stateline track crew has hit the speedway with the water truck to add some moisture and the Limited Late Model division is heading out to run in the reworked track before WoO LMS practice resumes.
Ready to go
6:35 p.m. – A field of 28 cars is signed in for action, including 11 WoO LMS travelers and such challengers as Dick Barton, who won the last WoO LMS A-Main at Stateline in 2006 (becoming the first-ever local driver to win on the tour); Ron Davies, who won the season opener at Stateline; Dave Hess Jr.; Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs; Bump Hedman; John Volpe; Chris Hackett; Mike Knight; John Mason; Scott Gurdak; and Jason Dupont.
Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m.
Back to work
6:20 p.m. – One week after experiencing arguably the most eventful two days of his racing career, Dave Hess Jr. has a new, black-colored No. 44H unloaded and ready to race.
Last Friday night, of course, Waterford, Pa.’s Hess won his long-awaited first-ever WoO LMS A-Main at NAPA Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, N.Y. Twenty-four hours later, however, the 28-year-old’s Memorial Day weekend took a decided turn for the worse right here at Stateline Speedway when his car broke a right-rear wheel late in the feature and barrel-rolled onto the concrete wall between turns one and two.
“What an up-and-down weekend that was,” bottom-lined Hess, who escaped serious injury in the wild wreck but did visit a local hospital for a checkup. He complained of neck pain, but an evaluation by doctors found no fractures. He also bumped his leg and cracked a tooth.
Hess said the biggest problem he had after flipping was the way he landed: upside down on the wall. “I was hanging there all bunched up and couldn’t catch my breath,” he remarked.
Hess said the chassis of the car he crashed — not the same one he drove to victory at Wayne County, by the way — was “pretty much junk.” He bought a Rocket car from a local team this week and has prepared it for action tonight — without his familiar red-and-white color scheme, however.
Busting on Clanton
5:40 p.m. – A few minutes ago Shane Clanton was over visiting with Rick Eckert and Eric Wells — Team Zero by Bloomquist Chassis drivers who have been traveling the tour together — when Clanton was asked if he’d do an interview on a local radio show broadcasting remotely from the pit area. Clanton jokingly declined, saying with a smile, “They don’t like me up here.”
The always quick-witted Eckert didn’t let that slip by. “There’s a reason for that,” Eckert quipped. “You came up here and stole one of their women.”
Clanton, who is married to veteran area racer Ron Davies’s daughter Michelle, couldn’t help laughing at that.
On a roll
4:50 p.m. – No WoO LMS team will carry more momentum into tonight’s action than the Sweeteners Plus operation of driver Tim McCreadie and crewmen Craig (‘Snowman’) McCrimmon and Johnny Coco, who have piled up $18,150 in earnings over the past two days. McCreadie pocketed $10,650 for his second WoO LMS triumph of 2013 on Thursday night at Delaware International Speedway and added a $7,500 ULMS victory last night at McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pa.
McCreadie has appeared to be on the verge of putting together a surge like this for a couple months, but cruel twists of fate continually kept his solid-running Warrior machine out of Victory Lane. On three occasions over the past month he’s been knocked out of the lead by bad breaks: May 4 at Southern Ohio Speedway (unsanctioned Southern 100), May 11 in the WoO LMS show at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. (tangle with a lapped car five laps from the finish) and May 25 at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. (flat tire).
“Maybe our luck is finally changing,” said McCreadie, who is walking with a definite spring in his step as he prepares his No. 39 for tonight’s competition.
Last night was actually a spectacular one for the Sweeteners Plus outfit, as McCreadie’s teammate Vic Coffey, who is running a pick-and-choose schedule of events this season, was also victorious. Coffey scored the biggest dirt Late Model win of his career, capturing the Appalachian Mountain Speedweek opener at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md.
Here they come
4:25 p.m. – Dirt Late Model teams are steadily filing into the expansive Stateline Speedway pit area, which wraps around the track from turn one through turn three.
With this being the first WoO LMS show at Stateline in seven years and general admission for tonight’s event an economical $20 — the lowest-priced ticket on this year’s WoO LMS — a big crowd is expected to fill the bleachers. Temperatures are in the low 80s under overcast skies and breezy conditions.
