Surging Star Gains Measure Of Redemption On National Tour’s Red-Hot Points Leader

GRANBY, QUE – June 22, 2012 – Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., gained a measure of redemption on Friday night, outrunning World of Outlaws Late Model Series points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., to win the national tour’s first-ever 50-lap A-Main at Autodrome Granby.

After absorbing a pair of late-race defeats to the the red-hot Lanigan over the last month, McCreadie seized control of Friday’s headliner on lap 23 when he passed Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and never looked back. He was chased for the final 26 laps by Lanigan but never let the World of Outlaws circuit’s current points leader get close enough to make a serious bid at victory.

McCreadie, 38, crossed the finish line 1.690 seconds ahead of Lanigan, who entered the event having won four of the last six WoO LMS events, including a triumph on June 17 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., that saw him snatch the lead from McCreadie with just six laps remaining.

Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished a distant third in his Rocket car, but it was a season-best run for the struggling racer who started from the outside pole at a half-mile oval where he’s enjoyed success in DIRTcar Big-Block and 358-Modified action. DIRTcar 358-Modified regular Dale Planck of Homer, N.Y., recorded a career-high WoO LMS finish of fourth in the RezX Racing Rocket and Smith settled for fifth in his Rocket after leading the race’s first 22 laps from the pole position.

McCreadie’s $10,650 triumph was his third of 2012 on the WoO LMS. All of the checkered flags have come over the past nine races – a sizzling stretch that has seen the former DIRTcar Big-Block Modified star tally seven top-five finishes and no outings worse than seventh behind the wheel of his Sweeteners Plus Warrior mount.

“This car’s been clicking,” said McCreadie, who made his first-ever visit to Victory Lane at Granby, a longtime DIRTcar-sanctioned facility. “I’ve been comfortable. I haven’t been this comfortable in maybe five years in a Late Model.”

Lanigan, 42, did cause McCreadie to sit a bit uneasily in his car midway through the race. McCreadie, who started outside of Lanigan’s Rocket mount in the third row of the 24-car field, was running second on a lap-17 restart when Lanigan made a strong attempt to grab the spot using the outside of the track’s largely flat turns.

“On that restart he showed the outside twice and I thought, ‘Oh my God, here we go again,’” said McCreadie, who scored his 20^th career win on the WoO LMS. “We got lucky to get in front of him. I just nosed him a little bit of (turn) four (to stay ahead), and then I realized it was better up there (in the outside groove).

“Darrell found (the top) first. That’s why he’s been the best car on the tour all year long – he’s not scared to move around. We’re just fortunate we were able to get up there in front of him and then use the top to get past Clint (for the lead). Clint’s car was really good, but the bottom just got slower getting into the middle and we ran the outside by him.”

Lanigan was deposited on McCreadie’s rear bumper on lap 28 by the race’s fourth and final caution flag, for an accident between turns one and two involving Canadians Philip Potts of Frankford, Ont., and Charlie Sandercock of Belleville, Ont. But McCreadie opened a short lead on the restart and never let Lanigan draw closer than one second over the remaining caution-free circuits.

“I’m not happy with second, but we’re gonna take it tonight,” said Lanigan, who has 14 top-five finishes – including six victories and three runner-up placings – in 18 WoO LMS A-Mains this season. “I think I showed Timmy the outside too quick, and he got up there before I could get by him.”

The 44-year-old Fuller, meanwhile, was nearly a straightaway behind McCreadie and Lanigan when he passed his close friend Smith for third on lap 34 and never got any closer to the leaders, but a podium finish was a badly-needed boost to his self-owned program.

“Nobody likes to fade from the front row,” said Fuller, who slipped as far back as fifth before rallying. “But the way it’s gone this year, I’ll take it.

“I got some help from a friend of mine and he got me rolling better here of late, so hopefully this run will get us going into Cornwall (Motor Speedway for a WoO LMS event on Sun., June 24).”

Planck was the surprise of the night after advancing from the seventh starting spot to nab a milestone fourth-place finish with a last-lap pass of Smith. He didn’t decide to enter Granby’s WoO LMS event until Friday morning, when he hastily began preparing his team’s only dirt Late Model, a car that his DIRTcar 358-Modified teammate, Carey Terrance of Hogansburg, N.Y., drove in selected full-fender shows last year.

Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., finished sixth in the Leo Milus-owned Super Deuce car after battling for a top-five spot throughout the distance. Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., was a quiet seventh; Ron Davies of Warren, Pa., moved forward from the 20^th starting spot to place eighth; John Mason of Millersburg, Ohio, recovered from a lap-11 tangle in turn three with the lapped car driven by Caley Weese of Belleville, Ont. – an incident that knocked him from third place – to finish ninth; and defending WoO LMS champion Rick Eckert of York, Pa., rounded out the top 10.

Eckert drove his backup car in the A-Main after engine problems struck his primary machine during time trials.

WoO LMS rookie contenders Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., and Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., had rough nights in their first-ever racing visits to Canada. Both brought out caution flags – Sullivan on lap 12 for a left-front steering problem, and McCool on lap 17 for a flat left-front tire.

Twenty-four cars entered the event, which draw a large crowd of French-Canadian fans to the Dominic Lussier-promoted track.

Fuller was quickest in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials, turning a lap of 19.030 seconds to earn his second WoO LMS fast-time honor of 2012.

Heat winners were Fuller, Smith and McCreadie. No B-Main was run.

The WoO LMS continues its weekend Canadian swing on Sunday night (June 24) with a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.

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 at Autodrome Granby (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (6) Tim McCreadie/50 $10,650

2. (5) Darrell Lanigan/50 $5,650

3. (2) Tim Fuller/50 $3,550

4. (7) Dale Planck/50 $3,000

5. (1) Clint Smith/50 $2,550

6. (4) Dan Stone/50 $1,700

7. (8) Shane Clanton/50 $1,950

8. (20) Ron Davies/50 $1,300

9. (3) John Mason/50 $1,250

10. (14) Rick Eckert/49 $1,750

11. (9) Chub Frank/49 $1,600

12. (13) Kent Robinson/49 $1,600

13. (18) Bub McCool/49 $1,550

14. (11) Pat Doar/49 $1,450

15. (16) John Lobb/49 $850

16. (15) Greg Belyea/49 $800

17. (10) Jack Sullivan/33 $1,370

18. (21) Dan Davies/28 $750

19. (23) Philip Potts/26 $730

20. (18) Charlie Sandercock/26 $700

21. (17) Duane Treadwell/12 $700

22. (24) Ross Robinson/12 $700

23. (19) Caley Weese/9 $700

24. (22) Kyle Sopaz/9 $725

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses

Time of Race: 34 Mins., 57.866 Secs.

Margin of Victory: 1.690 Secs.

Yellow Flags: 4 (Laps 11, 12, 17, 28)

Lap Leaders: C. Smith (1-22); McCreadie (23-50)

Provisional Starters: None

Rookie of the Race: K. Robinson ($250)

WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Planck ($500)

Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):

1. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 19.030

2. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 19.143

3. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 19.150

4. 2-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 19.172

5. 72-John Mason/Millersburg, OH 19.287

6. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 19.294

7. 77x-Dale Planck/Homer, NY 19.364

8. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 19.451

9. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 19.542

10. 7R-Kent Robinson/Bloomington, IN 19.559

11. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 19.560

12. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 19.583

13. 1s-Jack Sullivan/Greenbrier, AR 19.601

14. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 19.796

15. 7-Ross Robinson/Georgetown, DE 19.965

16. 28-John Lobb/Frewsburg, NY 20.081

17. 71d-Ron Davies/Warren, PA 20.115

18. 25B-Greg Belyea/Frankford, ONT 20.349

19. 77-Caley Weese/Belleville, ONT 20.420

20. 29P-Philip Potts/Frankford, ONT 20.758

21. 57s-Charlie Sandercock/Belleville, ONT 20.871

22. 12-Kyle Sopaz/Brighton, ONT 21.294

23. 44T-Duane Treadwell/Lagrange, GA 21.488

24. 71-Dan Davies/Warren, PA 20.039 (DQ – light)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – All Transfer/Top 2 Redraw): Fuller, Stone, Planck, Sullivan, K. Robinson, Lobb, Weese, Sopaz

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – All Transfer/Top 2 Redraw): Smith, Mason, Clanton, Doar, Eckert, Treadwell, R. Davies, Potts

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – All Transfer/Top 2 Redraw): McCreadie, Lanigan, Frank, McCool, Belyea, Sandercock, D. Davies, R. Robinson

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:

Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 product certificate to 23^rd-place finisher I n A-Main or next highest w/decal): Duane Treadwell

Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Dan Stone

Cometic Gasket ($50 cash to 12^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Kent Robinson

Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Rick Eckert

Comp Cams ($50 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie

Dominator ($50 cash to 6^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool

Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner or next highest w/decal): None

Gravely ($50 cash to 7^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Shane Clanton

JE Pistons ($50 cash to 16^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jack Sullivan

JE Pistons (one compete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 11^th-place finisher or next highest w/decal – $285 value): Kent Robinson

JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 21^st-place finisher or next highest w/decal – $285 value): Kyle Sopaz

Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash to 17^th-place finisher or next highest finisher): Jack Sullivan

MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie

MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Kyle Sopaz

Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash to fast qualifier or next highest w/decal): John Mason

Quartermaster ($100 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie

Quartermaster ($50 product certificate to 5^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Clint Smith

Quartermaster ($25 product certificate to 15^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jack Sullivan

Roush-Yates Performance Products ($50 cash to 4^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Kent Robinson

Roush-Yates Performance Products (carburetor repair kit to 18^th-place finish in A-Main or next highest w/decal – $100 value): Philip Potts

Roush-Yates Lap Leader Award (one pair of Wiley X Sunglasses to driver who leads most laps in A-Main): Tim McCreadie

STP ($50 cash to 2^nd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Darrell Lanigan

SuperFlow ($50 cash to 14^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar

VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 9^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Chub Frank

VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (one VP 5-gallon container to fastest qualifier who misses A-Main or next highest with decal – $30 value): None

WIX Filters ($50 cash to 13^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool

Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner if decal displayed – $200 value): Tim McCreadie

XS Power ($50 cash to 3^rd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tim Fuller

XS Power ($60 product certificate to 8^th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Kent Robinson

XS ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Tim McCreadie

2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 22 – 18 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Darrell Lanigan 2586

2. Rick Eckert 2454 (-132)

3. Chub Frank 2376 (-210)

4. Tim McCreadie 2372 (-214)

5. Shane Clanton 2300 (-286)

6. Clint Smith 2220 (-366)

7. Bub McCool 2206 (-380)

8. Vic Coffey 2198 (-388)

9. Pat Doar 2108 (-478)

10. Tim Fuller 2034 (-552)

11. Kent Robinson 2030 (-556)

12. Jack Sullivan 1948 (-638)

13. John Lobb 1926 (-660)

14. Mike Marlar 1498 (-1088)

15. Greg Johnson 1390 (-1196)

16. Jill George 1228 (-1358)

17. Steve Shaver 1066 (-1520)

18. Brandon Sheppard 1046 (-1540)

19. Gregg Satterlee 1004 (-1582)

20. Josh Richards 974 (-1612)

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Gravely Tractors (Official Lawn Equipment), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Vicci (Official Uniform), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gaskets, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos, Wix Filter, Wrisco Aluminum and XS Power Racing Batteries; along with manufacturer sponsors Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Longacre, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, TNT Rescue, and Warrior Chassis.