Holds off three-time series champ Lanigan to score the win

WHEEL, Tenn. – April 8, 2016 – Dale McDowell hopped out of his car, pumping his fist to a near-capacity crowd Friday night at Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn. This is a feeling of accomplishment he has not felt in 11 years.

McDowell snapped his winless streak with the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series, a streak dating back to May 20, 2005 when he was last victorious at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio. But, this was not an easy feat, as the 26-car feature was one filled with many battles.

“The draw was big for us tonight,” said McDowell, whose No. 17M Bad Boy Off Road Team Dillon Racing Inc. car started the race in the top spot. “It’s was awfully racey, especially in lapped traffic.”

McDowell held the inside groove of the track for most of the race, while others – Darrell Lanigan especially – tested him on the high side. Lanigan, who finished runner-up to McDowell, kept his No. 15 Georgia Boot/Peak Performance car at the top of the track, building speed to close less than the two-second gap between them.

On lap 29 Lanigan closed the margin; he contested McDowell further with five laps to go. But, on the 1/4-mile oval, lapped traffic kept McDowell safe from losing his lead.

“Yeah, I had to get him hung-up in traffic and get a good groove around that top,” Lanigan said. “But, the top was so far out there so there really wasn’t a whole lot left. He didn’t miss his marks on the bottom, so it was going to be really hard to win it.”

Others gambled when choosing their line for the race. Josh Richards kept his No. 1 Valvoline Rocket Chassis low on the track, but moved up to the center of the track towards the latter part of the race. The ever-changing track conditions coupled with some “missed adjustments” resulted in him rounding out the podium.

“The bottom early was definitely good, but then it got a black ring around the bottom,” said Richards about the bottom race-line becoming slick late in the race. “Dale did a great job. He was definitely the car to beat.”

McDowell had another ulterior motivation fueling him toward the checkers. After the race, he smiled not for the winless streak he just snapped, but for his late-mother. His mother passed away in 2011, and all he could say after the race is that the win was for her.

“My mom has always loved this place,” McDowell said. “I’d like to dedicate this win to her.”

Shane Clanton maintained his quick lap-times from last weekend, recording the fastest qualifying time of both groups with a 12.472. Clanton won his heat race before eventually placing fourth in the A-Main. Clanton’s No. 25 Weldbank Energy Corporation car and Richards’ car rubbed paint throughout the race.

“I got a little bit of body damage being stuck in the middle,” said Richards about the battle for third. “It was just racing. Shane was right there on our bumper the whole time.”

The World of Outlaws will travel to Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. next, where they will take-on the 4/10th mile clay oval. Tickets will be available at the track on the day of the event.

To learn more about the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series visit WoOLMS.com. Follow the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series on Twitter at Twitter.com/WoOLateModels, like it on Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.

World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series Statistical Report; April 9, 2016; Duck River Raceway Park; Wheel, Tenn.

A-Main (50-laps): 1. 17M-Dale McDowell [1][$10,350], 2. 15-Darrell Lanigan [2][$5,250], 3. 1-Josh Richards [6][$3,300], 4. Shane Clanton [7][$2,750], 5. 3s-Brian Shirley [3][$2,000}, 6. 7-Rick Eckert [9][$1,750], 7. 157-Mike Marlar [4][$1,900], 8. 18c-Chase Junghans [12][$1,450], 9. 101-Casey Roberts [17][$1,250], 10. 212-Josh Putnam [13][$1,150], 11. 14M-Morgan Bagley [18][$1,100], 12. 4-Cody Mahoney [11][$1,050], 13. 76-Brandon Overton [8][$1,150], 14. 39-Tim McCreadie [14][$900], 15. 99jr-Frank Heckenast Jr. [15][$1,150], 16. C9-Steve Casebolt [23][$800], 17. 18-Eric Wells [24][$770], 18. 1*-Chub Frank [10][$750], 19. 14r-Brad Skinner [19][$780], 20. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr. [16][$750], 21. 2c-Joey Coulter [25][$800], 22. 5-Don O’Neal [21][$850], 23. 91-Tyler Erb [26][$160], 24. 96-Tanner English [22][$750], 25. 18s-David Siebers [20][$950], 26. 777-Jared Landers [5][$700]

Last-Chance Showdown No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. 101-Casey Roberts, 2. 17r-Brad Skinner, 3. 5-Don O’Neal, 4.18H-Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, 5. 4L-Brian Ligon, 6. 11-Austin Smith, 7. 98-Eric Hickerson, 8. C9-Steve Casebolt, 9. 7N-Clint Nichols

Last-Chance Showdown No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. 14M-Morgan Bagley, 2. 18s-David Seibers, 3. 96-Tanner English, 4. 2c-Joey Coulter, 5. F26-Mark Fields, 6. 10j-Tony Morris, 7. 91-Tyler Erb, 8. 18- Eric Wells (DNS)

Qualifying Group A: 1. 25-Shane Clanton, 12.472; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell, 12.477; 3. 212-Josh Putnam, 12.549; 4. 1-Josh Richards, 12.602; 5. 18H-Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, 12.616; 6. 39-Tim McCreadie, 12.657; 7. 15-Darrell Lanigan, 12.684; 8. 1*-Chub Frank, 12.749; 9. 7-RickEckert, 12.769; 10. 5- Don O’Neal, 12.81; 11. 101-Casey Roberts, 12.822; 12. 11-Austin Smith, 12.871; 13. 17r. Brad Skinner, 12.921; 14. C9-Steve Casebolt, 12.933; 15. 98-Eric Hickerson, 13.036; 16. 4L Brian Ligon, 13.203; 17. 7N-Clint Nichols, 13.608

Qualifying Group B: 1. 777-Jared Landers, 12.594; 2. 3s-Brian Shirley, 12.681; 3. 157-Mike Marlar, 12.758; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley, 12.758; 5. 99jr-Frank Heckenast Jr., 12.818; 6. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr., 12.829; 7. 4-Cody Mahoney, 12.832; 8. 18-Eric Wells, 12.881; 9. 96-Tanner English, 12.892; 10. 18c-Chase Junghans, 12.936; 11. 18sDavid Seibers, 12.938; 12. 76-Brandon Overton, 12.944; 13. F26-Mark Fields, 13.057; 14. 91-Tyler Erb, 13.062; 15. 2c Joey Coulter, 13.25; 16. 10j-Tony Morris, 13.299

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton, 2. 15-Darrell Lanigan, 3. 7. Rick Eckert, 4. 212-Josh Putnam, 5. 101-Casey Roberts, 6. 18H, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, 7. 17r-Brad Skinner, 8. 98-Eric Henderson, 9. 7N-Clint Nichols

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Josh Richards, 2. 17M-Dale McDowell, 3. 1*-Chub Frank, 4. 39-Tim McCreadie, 5. 5-Don O’Neal, 6. C9-Steve Casebolt, 7. 4L-Brian Ligon, 8. 11-Auston Smith

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 777-Jared Landers, 2. 157-Mike Marlar, 3. 4-Cody Mahoney, 4. 99jr- Frank Heckenast Jr., 5. 96-Tanner English, 6. 18s-David Seibers, 7. F26-Mark Fields, 8. 2c-Joey Coulter

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. 3s-Brian Shirley, 2. 76-Brandon Overton, 3. 18c-Chase Junghans, 4. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr., 5. 14M-Morgan Bagley, 6. 10J-Tony Morris, 7. 91-Tyler Erb 8. 18-Eric Wells

2016 World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series Point Standings as of April 8 – 8 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/residence/points/deficit to leader):

The World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Bad Boy Buggies (Official Side-by-Side Vehicle), Craftsman (Official Tool), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Morton Buildings (Official Building), Sears (Official Home Store), The Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience (Official Racing Experience, VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel) and DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, MSD, Ohlins Shocks, Penske Shocks, QA1, QuarterMaster, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, Impact Racing Products, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis and TNT Rescue.