Tyler County Speedway
Lanigan repels Richards, captures Jackpot 100
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Darrell Lanigan (center) stood triumphant among podium finishers. (Kevin Kovac)
MIDDLEBOURNE, W.Va. (May 26) — Darrell Lanigan held off the relentless late-race challenges of Josh Richards to emerge triumphant in Sunday night’s 70-lap finale of the second annual Jackpot 100 presented by NAPA Auto Parts weekend at Tyler County Speedway. | Slideshow | Video
The defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion from Union, Ky., never relinquished the lead after inheriting the top spot on lap 41 when Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., slowed with a flat right-rear tire, but he was dogged throughout the closing stages by Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards. The outcome was in doubt until Lanigan reached the finish line with a slim winning margin of 0.594 of a second over Richards.
Lanigan, 42, registered his tour-best fourth victory of 2013 but first since the final night of February’s season-opening swing through Georgia and Florida. He pocketed $15,650 for his performance, which gave him a big-money win at the quarter-mile oval for the second consecutive year. In 2012, Lanigan captured the inaugural Jackpot 100 by NAPA, which was run as a standalone, one-day 100-lapper.
Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., who started from the outside pole and led laps 1-21, finished about three seconds behind the pacesetters in third place. He was overtaken for the runner-up spot by Richards on the race’s sixth and final restart, on lap 41, and spent the remainder of the distance holding strong in the show position to record his best WoO finish of the season in his Victory Circle car.
Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., who started sixth, finished fourth in his brother Mike’s Rocket machine despite competing with a possible broken left wrist. He was injured during the previous night’s 30-lapper when his car lost power on a restart and was hit several times from behind, causing his hand to get jammed in the steering wheel.
Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., completed the top five in the Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car. He started fourth and briefly climbed up to third early in the event before settling into fifth place.
Lanigan, who started fifth in his Rocket mount, appeared to come alive shortly before the race’s halfway mark. He slid by Richards for third on lap 28 and slipped underneath McCool for second on lap 35, but he still found himself a full straightaway behind Fuller, who had driven his Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car around the outside of the track to move from the seventh starting spot to the lead by lap 22.
Fuller, 45, looked intent on erasing the bitter memory of his last-turn loss to Richards in Saturday race, but his bid ended in disappointing fashion when he slowed with a cut right-rear tire on lap 41 to bring out a caution flag. He pitted and returned but could only manage a 10th-place finish.
“Fuller had a good line out there on the outside,” said Lanigan, who pushed his WoO record career win total to 45. “But I knew we was a lot softer (on tire-compound selection) so I was just trying to conserve our tires.
“We was reeling him in (after reaching second). Whether or not we would’ve passed him or not, I don’t know. But he definitely had a good car.”
Richards, who started from the pole position in his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis house car but didn’t lead a single lap, immediately took up the chase of Lanigan following the lap-41 restart. The 25-year-old sensation was able to nose under Lanigan’s car several times, but Lanigan’s smooth style prevented Richards from pulling off more heroics to sweep the Jackpot 100 doubleheader.
“I really didn’t know he was back there,” Lanigan said of Richards. “You can’t really get any signals out there (from crew members), but the car was good and we just ran our own line out there.”
Richards credited Lanigan for his savvy maneuvering, but he felt he might have allowed the race to slip through his fingers.
“I think we were better than he was, and I was just kind of riding for a little bit trying to make something happen,” said Richards, who pushed his series lead to 48 points over Clanton. “But he did what he had to do and used the track. Once I found my sweet spot and ran a little bit wider I could run up over top of him, but there just wasn’t anywhere to go.
“I’m kind of mad at myself that we didn’t try a little harder (to pass Lanigan). Actually, I thought we had more laps left. It just kind of shocked me when I saw the white (flag).”
In a race slowed by six caution flags, the casualties included third-starter Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who had slipped to the back end of the top 10 before a lap-20 tangle in turn four left his car’s nose too damaged for him to continue.
Rick Eckert of York, Pa., finished sixth, rallying from the 22nd starting spot after qualifying through a consolation race. WoO rookie Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas finished seventh for his third top-10 run in a row; Scott James of Bright, Ind., was eighth after starting 20th; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., recovered from a lap-three tandem spin with Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., to place ninth; and Fuller rounded out the top 10.
The next action for the WoO LMS is two events in the Northeast: the Fulton Bank 50 on May 30 at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar and a 50-lapper on June 1 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y. Both races carry a first-place prize of $10,000.
Jackpot 100 presented by NAPA: (1) Darrell Lanigan, (2) Josh Richards, (3) Bub McCool, (4) Davey Johnson, (5) Shane Clanton, (6) Rick Eckert, (7) Morgan Bagley, (8) Scott James, (9) Clint Smith, (10) Tim Fuller, (11) Eric Wells, (12) Chub Frank, (13) Chris Garnes, (14) Donnie Moran, (15) Jared Hawkins, (16) Steve Weigle, (17) Devin Moran, (18) Tim McCreadie, (19) Derek Doll, (20) Mike Benedum, (21) Rick Williams, (22) Butch McGill, (23) Corey Conley, (24) Gregg Satterlee, (26) Mason Zeigler. Fast qualifier (among 34 cars): Richards, 16.620 seconds. Heat race winners: Richards, Johnson, Clanton, McCool. Consolation winners: Doll, Wells. Provisional starters: Benedum, Moran, Weigle.
Correction: Fixes finishing order of drivers 15th-25th.
