Bubba Raceway Park
Lanigan slips past Marlar, earns $10,000 at Ocala
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Mike Marlar (5B) chases Darrell Lanigan (29) early in the 50-lapper. (Jason Shank)
OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 16) — Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., continued his mastery of Bubba Raceway Park, winning Saturday night’s 50-lap Bubba Army Late Model Winternationals in dramatic fashion.
The defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion slipped his Cornett-powered Rocket car past Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., for the lead coming to the white flag, propelling him to his second Winter Nationals triumph in as many evenings. The $10,150 victory was his fifth in seven career starts over the past four years at the 3/8-mile tri-oval. | Complete Speedweeks coverage
Lanigan, 42, became the first driver to win twice during the young 2013 WoO season. He is coming off a championship season that saw him establish numerous records on the national tour, including a new single-season mark of 15 victories.
Marlar, 35, settled for a runner-up finish in the Bryson Motorsports Rocket, 0.499 of a second behind Lanigan. He appeared headed to his first-ever WoO win after grabbing the lead from Lanigan on lap 11, but his slight slip out of the preferred inside groove rounding turns three and four on the 48th circuit gave Lanigan the opportunity he needed to register his circuit-leading 43rd career victory.
Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., finished third in the Sweeteners Plus Warrior, advancing from the sixth starting spot to nab his second consecutive top-three run. Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., remained atop the WoO points standings after moving forward from the eighth starting position to place fourth in the Rocket Chassis house car and third-starter Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., was fifth in the Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car.
Lanigan, who started from the outside pole and assumed command at the initial green flag, thought he might have allowed the race to slip through his fingers when he watched Marlar surge underneath him off turn four to take the lead on lap 11. But Lanigan drew close to Marlar late in the event, which ran caution-free from lap 20 to the finish, and was able to steal the checkered flag.
“We gave (the lead) up there early,” Lanigan said. “I just didn’t get down quick enough (to the bottom). I thought the top (lane) was still good, and (Marlar) got around.
“I just screwed up myself there. Right there when I got passed the bottom was coming in good, and I just had to get down there and get in line.”
Lanigan never resigned himself to a runner-up finish, however. He was ready to seize the moment when Marlar ceded the inside line on lap 48.
“He went down there (in turns three and four) and just slipped out of the rubber,” said Lanigan. “He got bent a little too hard, slipped up and left a hole open.
“He had a really good car and I feel for him,” added Lanigan, who discussed the race with Marlar after victory lane ceremonies. “He’s trying to get an Outlaw win, but I gotta take what I can get and he left the bottom open down there and I just put the door in there. Your car’s gotta be good, but you gotta have luck on your side, too.”
Marlar was gracious in the wake of the difficult defeat, which came one year after he fell short of winning the Bubba Army Late Model Winternationals finale in heartbreaking fashion. His bid for the victory in 2012 ended when he got squeezed into the turn-three wall while attempting to pass eventual winner Rick Eckert of York, Pa., on the final lap.
“Within the last 10 laps I got to where I could hardly even keep up with the lapped cars off turn four,” said Marlar, who started fourth. “I guess a combination of my car going away and my tires going away hurt me, but ultimately I had the lead and I’m disappointed I didn’t win. I should’ve been able to fend (Lanigan) off a little better.
“But honestly, he was just a little faster. Basically, I passed him (on lap 11) because I found the groove faster than he did. Then he passed me because he could stay in it better.
“My first World of Outlaws win here is starting to feel elusive,” he added, “so I don’t like that at all. But even though I’m disappointed, I just try to look at the mental mistake and the chassis (tuning) mistake, and try to figure out why I didn’t win and why I lost. Tonight Darrell was definitely better, but I still maybe should have won because I was in the right position to capitalize.”
McCreadie, 38, had a front-row seat for Lanigan’s deciding pass of Marlar, racing only a few car lengths behind the leaders.
“Mikey didn’t mess up that bad,” McCreadie said. “It’s just that Darrell happened to find that little bit of brown down the straightaway on the bottom and that was it. Darrell just happened to find it the lap Mikey went in just a touch wide.”
Four caution flags slowed the A-Main. Three were needed for slowing cars — Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga. (lap three), Scott James of Bright, Ind. (lap 17) and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. (lap 20) — and one was put out on lap four after a turn-four tangle involving Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., and WoO rookie Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky.
Eckert finished sixth after briefly climbing as high as fifth from the 10th starting spot. Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., advanced from 12th to place seventh; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., scored a season-high finish of eighth after starting 18th; and WoO rookies Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, and Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., were ninth and 10th, respectively.
The Bubba Army Late Model Winter Nationals conclude on Sunday with the inaugural 75-lap Super Sunday Showdown, which offers a $20,000 first-place prize. Hot laps are scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Bubba Army Winternationals (Feb. 16): (1) Darrell Lanigan, (2) Mike Marlar, (3) Tim McCreadie, (4) Josh Richards, (5) Shane Clanton, (6) Rick Eckert, (7) Brady Smith, (8) Chub Frank, (9) Morgan Bagley, (10) Brandon Sheppard, (11) Clint Smith, (12) Tim Fuller, (13) Jonathan Davenport, (14) Dave Hess Jr, (15) Bub McCool, (16) Dillon Wood, (17) Tyler Ivey, (18) Kent Robinson, (19) Billy Moyer, (20) Scott James, (21) Pat Doar, (22) Eric Wells, (23) Gregg Satterlee, (24) Casey Roberts, (25) Ivedent Lloyd Jr. Fast qualifier (among 38 cars): Richards, 15.046 seconds. Heat race winners: Richards, James, Marlar, Lanigan. Consolation winners: Moyer, Frank. Keyser Mfg. Last-Chance Showdown winner: Hess. Provisional starters: Doar, Robinson.
