The Dirt Track at Charlotte
Charlotte turnaround would pay off for Clanton
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Shane Clanton seeks his first World Finals success. (thesportswire.net)
Shane Clanton knows that it will take a nearly miraculous turn of events for him to emerge as the 2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion upon the conclusion of Nov. 7-9’s season-ending World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
But for Clanton to match his career-best finish of second in the points standings? Well, that’s something much more within his control.
Clanton, 38, of Zebulon, Ga., currently sits third in the WoO standings, 110 points behind presumptive champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. — who can clinch his third career title with a pair of 26th-place finishes in the twin 50-lap World Finals features — but just four points behind reigning champ Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. The razor-close margin separating Clanton and Lanigan pretty much means neither driver can go the conservative route in pursuit of the $60,000 points-fund payoff for second place.
“We’re going to Charlotte planning on winning both races,” said Clanton, who stands to increase his points-fund take by $20,000 if he can hop past Lanigan this weekend. “I guess you gotta be conscious of your surroundings — I mean, I got knocked out of about 50 points in one race (Sept. 14 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo.) because I got wrecked on the first lap in a deal that I don’t think was my fault but I think I could have prevented a little bit — but for the most we’re going in there with no different mindset than I’ve had all year long. I’ve tried to run as best as I can and let the points fall where they may and that’s what we’re gonna keep doing.
“The best I can do is win both races, so that’s what we’re looking for. I feel like we’ve built a lot of momentum over the past two months so we’re pretty confident about our chances of doing that.”
Clanton will enter the World Finals just a couple weeks removed from a $15,000 triumph in the unsanctioned Fall Classic at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss. He’s also enjoying his strongest season on the WoO since he joined the tour full time in 2005, equaling his career high in victories (four) and posting personal bests in top-five finishes (23) and top-10s (39, tied with Richards for the most through 44 features).
While he is experiencing a victory drought with his last win on the circuit coming on June 1 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y., he’s registered four of his five runner-up finishes in 2013 since then, including second-place outings in two of his last three starts.
“We’ve definitely had more consistency than we’ve ever had before,” said Clanton, who is completing his second season driving for Kennedy Motorsports. “We’ve had a lot of top 10s and top fives, but we just haven’t capitalized enough to get more wins. Especially here lately, things just haven’t fallen the way they need to fall for me to win races.
“We’ve been right with Josh and Lanigan for most of the season, but the bottom line is we need more wins to compete with them for the championship. Lanigan’s got 11 wins and Josh has nine — and if you can’t match that, it’s gonna be hard to win a title.
“I’m real proud of our season,” he added. “We have two new (crew) guys again this year and we’re still basically a new team that doesn’t have a thick (setup) notebook yet, so to have the success that we’ve had definitely has us excited about our future.”
Clanton would like to continue marching into that future with a memorable weekend at Charlotte, a 4/10-mile oval that has proven to be a thorn in his side throughout his career.
“Charlotte’s just one of them deals,” said Clanton. “You either like it or hate. I like Charlotte, but I’ve never had any real luck there. I’m hoping it finally turns around this year.”
Clanton’s performance record in the World Finals is littered with misery. Since the blockbuster event began in 2007, he has just two top-10 finishes in 12 starts, but nothing better than ninth. Consider the heartache that has befallen Clanton during the World Finals:
2007: After a quiet 10th-place finish in the first race, he led laps 29-36 in the second 50-lapper before being passed by eventual winner Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and fading to ninth at the finish following contact with Lanigan.
2008: He finished 25th in the first race after dropping out with distributor problems while running fifth; he placed 18th in the finale after spinning in turn four on lap 37 while attempting to pass Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., for third. Third in the points standings entering the weekend, he fell to fourth because of the poor finishes.
2009: Despite a pole starting spot in the first feature he failed to lead a lap and fell from fourth to 11th on the final lap due to a broken axle. He wasn’t a factor in the second event, finishing 16th.
2010: He used a provisional to start the first feature and dropped out early with a broken rear end, finishing 26th. He wasn’t a contender in Saturday night’s headliner, placing 11th.
2011: After finishing one lap down in 16th in the first race, he was battling for a top-10 spot in the second event when he was swept up in a multi-car tangle on lap 37 and was left with a 22nd-place finish. The troubles caused him to fall from sixth to seventh in the points standings.
2012: He struggled in the first race, finishing one lap down in 20th place. Saturday night’s event was even worse. Forced to use a provisional spot after his time-trial lap was short-circuited by a slap of the outside wall, he ended up slamming the turn-three wall on lap 38 and finishing 23rd. “Me and (Brandon) Sheppard got together and it broke the panhard bar halfway down the back straightaway,” Clanton recalled of last year’s accident. “I just went right into the outside wall head-on after that. That was probably the hardest wreck I’ve ever been in. I was OK, but I hit hard.”
Indeed, if anyone is due for a World Finals breakout, it’s Clanton.
