Darrell Lanigan won on Friday night in Charlotte with a last lap pass.
*Story composed from DirtVision.com audio, Race Monitor and various social network sources.
The World of Outlaws Late Models Series hit the track for its penultimate race of the 2014 season on Friday night on The Dirt Track at Charlotte for a $12,000-to-win event. And there would be a familiar winner in Victory Lane when all was said and done as Darrell Lanigan picked up his 17th series victory of the season with a last lap pass on his way to the checkered flag.
In qualifying on Thursday evening, Lanigan had set fast time among the 75 drivers signed in for competition with a time of 15.376 seconds around the 4/10 mile clay oval. Also earning pole positions for their respective heat races as a result of that qualifying session was Tim McCreadie, Scott Bloomquist, Jonathan Davenport, Jimmy Owens and Chris Madden.
Heat #1: Dennis Erb, Jr. passed Tim McCreadie with two laps to go and sailed on to the win. Rick Eckert also transferred to the feature by finishing in the 3rd spot. Morgan Bagley, John Blankenship and Gregg Satterlee were among the drivers who failed to move into the feature from this heat.
Heat #2: Scott Bloomquist took the lead at the start from his pole starting position and drove away to a sizeable advantage. Don O’Neal took the runner-up spot while Casey Roberts also transferred to the main event. Steve Francis, Bobby Pierce and Billy Moyer, Jr. failed to make the feature from this race.
Heat #3: Jonathan Davenport and Billy Moyer, Sr. battled for the early lead until Davenport took over for good at the halfway point. Eric Wells was able to get by Moyer for 2nd on the last lap. Chub Frank, Duane Chamberlain and D.J. Troutman were among those who failed to make the big show from this preliminary.
Heat #4: Darrell Lanigan started from the pole and seized the lead immediately as he drove on to a relatively easy victory. Jason Feger beat out Dale McDowell for the runner-up position. Chase Junghans, Austin Hubbard and Boom Briggs were among those who have to go to the B-main.
Heat #5: Front row qualifier James Rice was moved back one row for jumping the initial start which moved Shane Clanton up to the outside of the front row. Clanton then took the lead on the ensuing start. Pole sitter Jimmy Owens moved around Clanton for the lead as the cars completed the fourth lap. WoO Sprint Cars star Donny Schatz captured the 3rd spot and transferred to the feature as well. Chad Stapleton, Josh Richards and James Rice were among those who failed to advance from this heat.
Heat #6: Chris Madden took the lead from his pole position at the very beginning and outdueled Mason Zeigler to score the win. Jared Landers had to beat back a challenge from Dennis Franklin to earn the final transfer spot. Clint Smith and Eric Jacobsen were unable to transfer to the main event from this preliminary.
The six heat race winners were sent to the World of Outlaws Late Models redraw to determine the first three rows on the starting grid for the feature. The lottery style picks resulted in Erb being awarded the pole with Madden, Davenport, Lanigan, Owens and Bloomquist set to follow him to the green flag.
Last Chance Showdown #1: Steve Francis took the lead from the beginning and would lead all the way. The real battle was for the final transfer spot as Morgan Bagley had to fight off an early challenge from Billy Moyer, Jr. and a late run by John Blankenship to come home in the runner-up position.
Last Chance Showdown #2: Chase Junghans cruised to the win, pulling Austin Hubbard into the feature starting lineup with him.
Last Chance Showdown #3: Bub McCool emerged as the winner after a race long battle with Josh Richards for the lead. Those two drivers would advance to the A-main.
Feature: At the start of the 50-lap main event, Erb went to the early lead but his time at the front of the field proved to be short lived as Madden got around to claim the top spot on the second circuit. Meanwhile, Feger employed the high groove around the track to seize the 3rd position as he battled Owens and Lanigan in the initial laps.
Owens moved to 2nd around Feger just before a lap 9 caution for the stalled car of Junghans briefly slowed the action.
Bloomquist moved around Feger to claim 3rd immediately after the lap 9 restart as Madden continued to show the way. On lap 14, the top-5 car of Feger slowed to a stop on the track as apparent mechanical troubles ended his night prematurely.
The race ran green over the next 12 laps as Madden lead while Lanigan worked his way around Bloomquist and Owens to grab the runner-up spot. But just after halfway, Chub Frank stopped on track with a flat tire to bring out the third yellow flag of the evening.
Several cars hit the hot pit area at that time to change tires but the top-5 of Madden, Lanigan, Owens, Bloomquist and Erb remained on track.
It was on lap 36 when a key moment in the race would occur. Madden tangled with Frank as he attempted to lap the veteran driver. That resulted in a spin by Frank and slight body damage for Madden.
As drivers made their final dash to the checkered flag after the lap 36 restart, Madden continued in the low line he had been using for the entire race while Lanigan stayed in the high lane. Owens briefly moved into 2nd but was just as quickly shuffled back to 4th behind Bloomquist.
On the final lap, Madden found himself again bogged down behind slower cars as Lanigan carried momentum around the top side to surge into the lead and score the win.
At the finish it Darrell Lanigan, Chris Madden, Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Dennis Erb, Jr., Don O’Neal, Eric Wells, Tim McCreadie, Dale McDowell and Bub McCool rounding out the top-10.
The win earned Lanigan $12,000 and clinched his third World of Outlaws Late Models Championship.
