The World of Outlaws Late Models opened their 2016 season on Friday night at the Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA with a feature that was won in thrilling fashion by home state driver Shane Clanton. The defending series champion collected $8,000 for his efforts as he executed a daring three-wide pass to take the lead then held off one of the sport’s hottest drivers throughout the second half of the race to score the victory on the first of a two-night double header weekend.
Former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Joey Coulter led the way in Group A qualifying as he posted a quick time of 14.232 seconds around the clay oval. He was followed by Clanton, Donald Bradsher, Austin Rettig and Josh Richards in that group.
Jason Covert proved to be the fastest in Group B qualifying and overall after he turned a lap in 14.118 seconds. He bested Brandon Overton, Chub Frank, Dennis Franklin and Kenny Pettyjohn in that group.
Richards won the first heat race of the night over Brian Shirley, Bradsher and Coulter while Clanton took the second heat ahead of Paul Wilmoth, Rettig and Ray Cook.
It was Covert who emerged as the victor in the night’s third preliminary by beating out Frank, Boom Briggs and Dillon Wood while Overton claimed the fourth and final heat over Franklin, Rick Eckert and Chase Junghans.
The top-2 finishers in each heat then went to a redraw to determine the starting order for the first four rows of the feature. Richards was awarded the pole position with Covert, Shirley, Wilmoth, Clanton, Franklin and Frank set to follow him to the green flag.
Colby Frye and Casey Barrow won the two last chance B-main races used to set the remainder of the starting lineup for the main event.
At the start of the 40-lap feature, Richards and Covert exchange slide jobs on each end of the track until Covert emerged with the lead over Richards, a fast moving Clanton and Shirley. It would ultimately be those four drivers who would set the pace over the rest of the field for most of the night.
By lap 3, Clanton was already knocking on Richards’ door in an attempt to wrest second place away from the red hot driver who has already claimed four feature races during this year’s version of Georgia/Florida SpeedWeeks. Meanwhile those top-4 runners were able to break away from the pack briefly until slower traffic became a factor in the race on the sixth circuit.
Three cautions, all during the event’s first half, would slow the action. None of which was for a significant accident.
It was just before the first of those yellow flags in which the race’s most pivotal moment occurred. As the leaders circulated around the track and worked their way through traffic, both Richards and Clanton seized upon an opportunity while Covert was picking his line through the slower machines. As the trio roared down the front straightaway to complete lap 13, Richards dove to the inside of the leader while, at the same time, Clanton moved to Covert’s outside.
By the time they reached turn one, Clanton had seized the top spot with Richards right on his rear spoiler in the runner-up position.
During the final 20 laps of the feature, Richards would try on several occasions to move under Clanton to take the lead away but the No. 25 machine would not be denied as it carried its driver to the checkered flag.
Feature Finish: 1. Shane Clanton, 2. Josh Richards, 3. Brian Shirley, 4. Brandon Overton, 5. Jason Covert, 6. Paul Wilmoth, Jr., 7. Chub Frank, 8. Dennis Franklin, 9. Rick Eckert, 10. Donald Bradsher, 11. Ray Cook, 12. Joey Coulter, 13. Kenny Pettyjohn, 14. Morgan Bagley, 15. Chase Junghans, 16. Ivedent Lloyd, Jr., 17. Eric Wells, 18. Boom Briggs, 19. Frank Heckenast, Jr., 20. Colby Frye, 21. Austin Rettig, 22. Billy Moyer, Jr., 23. Casey Barrow, 24. Dillon Wood
