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Wisconsin Standout Holds Off Substitute Rocket Chassis House Car Driver Brandon Sheppard For $7,000 Triumph
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 400th 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.
The 21-year-old Sheppard’s last-lap bid fell short by 0.367 of a second as he settled for runner-up money. Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., finished about one second behind Sheppard in third driving his new self-designed Club 29 car. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., burst forward from the 12th starting spot to fourth place in 11 laps and stayed there to the finish in his Bloomquist car, while seventh-starter Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., completed the top five in his Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car.
In a non-stop race that was completed in a mere 9 minutes, 28.214 seconds, Smith found himself dealing with heavy lapped traffic throughout the closing stages. Never far behind was Sheppard, who started fourth and reached second with a lap-10 pass of Lanigan.
Sheppard repeatedly slid underneath Smith in the corners of the egg-shaped, three-eighths-mile oval over the final 10 laps, but Smith made the correct moves to hang on for his first WoO LMS checkered flag since Aug. 20, 2011, at Merritt Speedway in Lake City, Mich.
“The lapped traffic was somewhat hellacious tonight so we had our hands full out there,” said Smith, whose best finish in four previous WoO LMS starts at BRP was a seventh on Feb. 16, 2013. “I was just trying to do the best I could without roughing anybody up too bad and still keep my pace up.
“I saw that blue nose (of Sheppard’s car) poked under me a couple times but just got back up on the wheel and tried to finish the job.”
Smith smiled broadly through a bushy winter’s beard while celebrating with family and friends during the post-race ceremonies. An annual competitor in Florida dirt Late Model Speedweeks events since 2005, Smith was triumphant during the February stretch of action for the first time since Feb. 13, 2010, at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.
“I’m extremely happy to be here in Victory Lane,” said Smith. “I’ve got almost all my best supporters here – my family (wife Jenni and young children Travis and Rowan), a couple of my great sponsors (Michaletz Trucking and Jim Gummerson from Mid-States Equipment Inc.). This means a lot.”
Sheppard, meanwhile, graciously accepted his solid second-place finish.
“The lapped traffic was just tough,” said Sheppard, who registered a career-best WoO LMS finish in the state of Florida. “Every time I’d get up there to (Smith), get close to him, we’d always catch up to lapped traffic. Every batch of lapped traffic we got to was two-wide, so it was hard to do anything with him.”
Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., improved four positions to finish sixth in his first WoO LMS start driving a car fielded by his father-in-law Ron Davies while Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., was seventh and earned the $500 WoO LMS Bonus Bucks for being the highest-finished non-touring regular who has never won a series event. Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, Fla., placed eighth at his hometown track; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., advanced from the 20 th starting spot to finish ninth; and possible WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Frankie Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill., rounded out the top five.
Sheppard topped the evening’s 27-car field in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 14.872 seconds. It was his second career WoO LMS fast-time honor.
Heat winners were Sheppard, Brandon Overton of Appleton, Ga., and Brady Smith. Morgan Bagley of Tyler, Texas, captured the B-Main.
The Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals continue with a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event on Saturday night (Feb. 15) and a 60-lap finale paying $12,000 to win on Sunday evening (Feb. 16).
More information on the Winter Nationals is available by logging on to www.bubbaracewaypark.com.
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 World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Bubba Army Dirt Late Model Winter Nationals’ Night 1 at Bubba Raceway Park (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (1) Brady Smith/35 $7,050
2. (4) Brandon Sheppard/35 $3,500
3. (3) Darrell Lanigan/35 $2,650
4. (12) Rick Eckert/35 $2,400
5. (7) Tim Fuller/35 $2,050
6. (10) Shane Clanton/35 $1,650
7. (9) Mike Marlar/35 $1,900
8. (15) Ivedent Lloyd Jr./35 $1,300
9. (20) Tim McCreadie/35 $1,450
10. (18) Frankie Heckenast Jr./35 $1,050
11. (5) Brandon Overton/35 $950
12. (6) Eric Wells/35 $950
13. (13) Chase Junghans/34 $800
14. (11) Chub Frank/34 $850
15. (14) Jack Sullivan/34 $700
16. (19) Morgan Bagley/34 $680
17. (17) Clint Smith/34 $660
18. (16) Dalton Myers/34 $640
19. (21) Raymond Merrill/34 $620
20. (23) Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/33 $600
21. (22) Casey Roberts/17 $600
22. (8) Austin Kirkpatrick/14 $600
23. (2) Mark Whitener/13 $700
24. (24) John Winge/3 $625
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 9 Mins., 28.214 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.367 Secs.
Yellow Flags: None
Lap Leaders: B. Smith (1-35)
Provisional Starters: Briggs, Winge
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Marlar ($500)
Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/
1. 1-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 14.872
2. 76-Brandon Overton/Appleton, GA 15.176
3. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.215
4. 58-Mark Whitener/Middleburg, FL 15.222
5. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 15.244
6. 2-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 15.246
7. 18c-Chase Junghans/Manhattan, KS 15.275
8. 11-Austin Kirkpatrick/Ocala, FL 15.309
9. 157-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 15.310
10. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 15.400
11. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Tyler, TX 15.481
12. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.502
13. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.547
14. 18x-Jack Sullivan/Greenbrier, AR 15.554
15. 21L-Ivedent Lloyd Jr./Ocala, FL 15.196
16. 101-Casey Roberts/Toccoa, GA 15.557
17. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.581
18. 99Jr-Frankie Heckenast/Orland Park, IL 15.591
19. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 15.716
20. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.815
21. 2M-Allen Murray/San Antonio, TX 15.925
22. 54-Daltn Myers/Riverview, FL 15.968
23. 99B-Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 15.987
24. 12M-Raymond Merrill/Salisaw, OK 16.130
25. 1G-Michael Lake/Uniontown, PA 16.134
26. 17J-John Winge/Sioux Falls, SD 16.329
27. 16H-Mike Hammerle/St. Charles, MO 17.500
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Sheppard, Whitener, Fuller, Clanton, Junghans, Myers, McCreadie, Roberts, Lake
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Overton, Wells, Kirkpatrick, Frank, Sullivan, C. Smith, Bagley, Winge, Briggs
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): B. Smith, Lanigan, Marlar, Eckert, Lloyd, Heckenast, Merrill, Murray, Hammerle
B-Main (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Bagley, McCreadie, Merrill, Roberts, Briggs, Lake, Winge, Hammerle
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): Mark Whitener
Comp Cams ($50 certificate to A-Main winner): Brady Smith
MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner): Brady Smith
Quartermaster ($100 certificate to A-Main winner): Rick Eckert
Wrisco (three sheets of aluminum/certificate to A-Main winner): Brady Smith
STP ($50 cash to 2nd-place finisher in A-Main): Darrell Lanigan
Penske Racing Shocks ($50 to 3rd-place finisher in A-Main): Mark Whitener
Roush-Yates ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main): Rick Eckert
JE Pistons ($50 cash to 5th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim Fuller
Lincoln Welders ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main): Shane Clanton
American Racing Wheels ($50 cash to 7th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie
VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 8th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie
Edelbrock ($50 cash to 9th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie
Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main): Frankie Heckenast Jr.
Cometic ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells
JRI Shocks ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main): Chub Frank
Superflow Dynos ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main): Chub Frank
Quartermaster ($25 certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main): Jack Sullivan
JE Pistons (one set of rings certificate to 16th-place finisher in A-Main): Morgan Bagley
Roush-Yates ($50 certificate to 18th-place finisher in A-Main): Dalton Myers
Quartermaster ($50 certificate to 19th-place finisher in A-Main): Raymond Merrill
Arizona Sports Shirts ($100 certificate to 20th-place finisher in A-Main): Casey Roberts
JE Pistons (one set of rings certificate to 21st-place finisher in A-Main): Casey Roberts
Roush-Yates ($50 certificate to 22nd-place finisher in A-Main): Mark Whitener
MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main): John Winge
Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO driver): Brady Smith
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: American Racing Custom Wheels (Official Custom Wheel), Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), KMC (Official Custom Truck Wheel), 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 Gasket, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos, Wrisco Aluminum and XS Power Racing Batteries; along with manufacturer sponsors Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, TNT Rescue, and Warrior Chassis.