Where the WoO Late Models Regulars stand heading back into competition

Prior to the break forced upon the entire racing world by the cornoavirus pandemic, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series had completed a total of nine feature races with three of those having been contested back in January at New Mexico’s Vado Speedway Park then four more events held at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, and finally, events were run in Tennessee at Duck River Raceway Park and Smoky Mountain Speedway. Granted, the number of races completed so far only provides a very small sample size of what had originally been set as a 56-race slate planned for 2020, but still, we do now have data to go on that can, at least to some degree, provide an indication as to the performance level of the teams and drivers who plan to race full-time on this series.

Keep in mind, also, that with no scheduling conflicts between the WoO Late Models and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the fields for many of the events sanctioned by both tours have been very stout which can skew the view as those who will compete against each other over the course of the long season have, so far, been mixed in with drivers and teams they may not encounter very many more times throughout the remainder of the year.

Click here for the list we have compiled of drivers and teams who have indicated their intention of racing with the WoO Late Models throughout the entirety of the 2020 season. This Team Chart includes chassis type and primary engine builder information as well.

With all that said, here are re-caps for the regular competitors on the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series in this abbreviated season:

Scott Bloomquist: Coming off of a 2019 season in which he was injured in a motorcycle accident that caused him to miss multiple races, Bloomquist made the move from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to the WoO Late Models. A hip surgery related to the motorcycle crash over the winter caused the legendary driver to abbreviate his Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks schedule so that he ultimately only raced at Volusia Speedway Park.

His 2020 results to date have not been what would normally be expected from this Hall of Fame member with no victories, two top-5 finishes, and four top-10s earned so far. Further, there have been tech issues in the early season races that have impacted this team. However, the additional time off has no doubt aided in Bloomquist’s recovery. The leader of Team Zero currently sits 6th in the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series standings.

Boom Briggs: This veteran driver entered 13 races during all of Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks, ultimately making ten main features. He has shown speed by being fastest in his group for qualifying twice this year, once at East Bay Raceway Park and once at Volusia Speedway Park. In WoO Late Models competition so far in 2020 he has yet to earn a top-10 finish and sits 11th in the overall standings.

Matt Cosner: This Rookie of the Year contender has found the going to be a bit rough so far in his first attempt at running a full season on a national tour. He did score one B-main win during Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks. He currently sits 10th in the overall WoO Late Models standings with a best single event finish if 13th to this point.

Cade Dillard: Coming off a rookie season in 2019 that saw him place 7th in the final WoO Late Models standings, Dillard kicked off 2020 in strong fashion by winning a $15,000 feature at Vado Speedway Park in New Mexico back in January. After a somewhat lackluster SpeedWeeks at Volusia, the No. 97 rebounded to earn a top-5 at Duck River Raceway Park prior to the shutdown. Dillard’s total of four top-10s have placed him 8th in the WoO Late Models standings.

Dennis Erb Jr.: Erb has had a solid season to date that could have bordered on spectacular except for a misunderstanding regarding post-race tech inspection that caused a feature win at Volusia Speedway Park to be taken away. He has shown speed by earning three heat race wins during Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks. One top-5, which was a 3rd place effort at Duck River, and a total of four top-10 finishes in series competition currently have him in the 5th position of the WoO Late Models standings.

Kody Evans: This is another Rookie of the Year candidate that has found the going tough racing against the stellar fields that have entered the WoO Late Models races so far in 2020. With no finish higher than 14th, the Ohio native currently resides in the 12th position in the series standings.

Chase Junghans: This driver entered 2020 coming off of a solid 2019 campaign. Currently 7th in the standings with five top-10 finishes in the nine series races to his credit, Junghans will look to improve those results and contend for wins when the season resumes. While he did have a pair of top-5s in the Wild West Shootout in Arizona back in January, his best finish in WoO competition so far has been an 8th place at Volusia.

Darrell Lanigan: Following an off-season move that placed him in the Barry Wright Race Cars house car Lanigan had shown early season strength prior to the stoppage. The former WoO Late Models champion currently sits third in the series standings by posting five top-5 and six top-10 results in nine series starts. Although he has yet to post a victory, there have been three podium finishes for the No. 29 machine. However, the ‘Bluegrass Bandit’ limped into the break by scoring finishes of 27th and 25th at Duck River Raceway Park and Smoky Mountain Speedway.

Brent Larson: After losing primary sponsor Drydene last year, the Minnesota driver has struggled by only making four features out of 11 attempts during Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks. He is currently 13th in the tour standings with no top-10 finishes to his credit.

Chris Madden: Although he has cooled down some following the red hot start he got off to in the second half of last season after joining forces with Scott Bloomquist Racing, Madden has run well enough to place himself 4th in the standings. Since winning the WoO Late Model season opener at Vado(NM) Speedway Park, he has gone on to earn a total of two top-5 and five top-10 results in series competition. Outside the series Madden recorded a runner-up result in the unsanctioned Palmetto Invitational at Cherokee Speedway when racing returned following the break.

Brandon Sheppard: Due to the fact that there had not yet been any schedule conflicts prior to the pandemic shutdown, Sheppard led both the WoO Late Models and the LOLMDS standings. To date, the Rocket Chassis house car team has scored five total wins with one of those coming against the WoO Late Models fields. As has become the norm for this driver and team, Sheppard has earned a top-10 finish in all nine WoO starts to date.

For anyone who has designs on winning the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series title, this is the team they will have to go through.

Blake Spencer: Spencer currently sits 14th in the standings. He is still looking for his first top-10 finish in series action.

Ricky Weiss: The Canadian proved himself to be a title contender in 2019 and he has begun 2020 in much the same way. Weiss scored a win early on at Vado Speedway Park and has a total of five top-5 and seven top-10 finishes in the nine WoO events held so far. He currently resides in the second position in the series standings and is coming off a strong second place effort in the last series race at Smoky Mountain.

Ashton Winger: The highest placed of the Rookie of the Year contenders is now 9th in the series standings. To this point he has scored one top-10 finish in series competition.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series is slated to get back underway this weekend at Jackson(MN) Motorplex with a $6,000-to-win and a $20,000-to-win features. Those races will be broadcast by DirtVision.com on a pay-per-view basis.

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