Mississippi Driver Vaults From Third To First On Lap-29 Restart Of Sweeteners Plus 40

CANANDAIGUA, NY – June 25, 2013 – Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., charged from third to first on a lap-29 restart and held off Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., down the stretch to capture Tuesday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series Sweeteners Plus 40 at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

Racing just five days after celebrating his 36^th birthday, the 2012 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year broke through for his first victory of the season and the second of his career on the national tour. The $8,550 triumph culminated a successful swing through New York and Canada for McCool, who finished no worse than eighth in four starts behind the wheel of his family-owned Victory Circle car.

“We’ve been working hard at it,” said McCool, whose victory came two nights after he matched his season-best finish with a third-place run at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway. “I think we found a little something on the car that’s working good and the last couple nights we’ve done a little more to it. I felt like we may have figured something out.”

Fuller, 45, equaled his top finish of ’13 on the WoO LMS after starting 11^th in the Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car. The former DIRTcar big-block Modified regular at Canandaigua vaulted from fourth to second on the eventful lap-29 restart and raced within striking distance of McCool for the remainder of the distance but fell short at the checkered flag by 0.588 of a second.

WoO LMS rookie Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, placed third, registering a career-best tour finish and first-ever top-five outing on the circuit in his Rocket car. Polesitter Rick Eckert of York, Pa., finished fourth in his Team Zero by Bloomquist machine after leading laps 1-7 and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who owns 14 career DIRTcar big-block Modified feature wins at Canandaigua, completed the top five in the Sweeteners Plus Warrior.

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who sailed around the outside of Eckert to take the lead on lap eight and held the top spot until McCool gained control on lap 30, faded to an eighth-place finish after his soft tires gave out during the race’s second half.

The pivotal moment of the A-Main came after the caution flag waved for the first time on lap 29 for Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., who slowed between turns one and two. As Smith, whose commanding early lead had shrunk to almost nothing over Eckert just before the caution, struggled to fire off on the restart, McCool turned up the wick and surged past both Eckert and Smith to assume command as lap 30 was scored.

“When (Smith) and Eckert both took off (at the start) they probably got half a track or better on us,” said McCool, who started third. “I couldn’t even see ‘em up there no more, so I was just gonna try to drive my line and hold on to third there.

“We started running ‘em down, and then we had the caution (on lap 29). I tried to have my right-rear in the wet up there on the top (of turn four) when (Smith) fired (on the restart) and cut down and have a little more run than he did. I did on Eckert, and then we got by (Smith) when he slowed down getting into one.”

McCool’s strategy of cooling his jets until later in the race on the sprawling half-mile oval proved prescient.

“I knew they was a little softer than I was on tires,” McCool said of Smith and Eckert, “and if I could just keep it straight and keep it under me we’d be O.K. because I had a good car. It all ended up working out good.”

Fuller, who has one career DIRTcar big-block Modified feature win at Canandaigua, attempted to challenge McCool during the final circuits but couldn’t summon enough speed.

“I could run with him, but I didn’t know how I was gonna pass him unless he screwed up in lapped traffic,” said Fuller, whose winless streak reached 119 races since his last WoO LMS score on June 17, 2010, at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ont. “When it’s that black and this shape of track you just gotta keep turning left and not scrub any speed, and he was doing that real well. I could run with him but then I’d lose the nose, and then I’d try to get down lower and I couldn’t make no ground up that way.

“He was good,” he added. “Maybe more laps would’ve helped, but he ran a good race.”

Fuller credited his strong run from mid-pack to his pre-race selection of Hoosier rubber.

“We had the right tires,” said Fuller. “In the beginning of the race those 1325s (compound) took off really well, but in the end when it got black and shiny and slippery the 1425s were the tire to have – and the top three had ‘em.”

Bagley, who celebrated his 27^th birthday on June 10, moved forward from the seventh starting spot to nail down his career run on the WoO LMS. He sat sixth when the caution flag flew on lap 29, then picked up two spots on the restart and overtook Smith to reach third on a lap-31 restart following a caution flag for debris.

“That last restart ‘Cat’ (Smith) couldn’t get going,” said Bagley, who made his first-ever start at Canandaigua. “We got by him, but that just put a distance between us and Fuller and Bub. We started to get back to them at the end with some help from lapped traffic, so I would’ve loved 50 laps. I was real comfortable riding out there.”

Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., finished a steady sixth after starting ninth; WoO LMS rookie Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., moved up from the 14^th starting spot to place seventh; Smith settled for eighth two nights after finishing a season-best second at Cornwall; former Canandaigua DIRTcar big-block Modified regular Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., placed ninth; and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., rounded out the top 10.

WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who entered the evening riding a two-race win streak after sweeping the tour’s Canadian swing, experienced rare subpar nights. Richards started 12^th and was never a factor while struggling to a 13^th-place finish – a run that cut his points lead to eight markers over Clanton – and Lanigan backed up from the sixth starting spot to a 14 ^th-place finish.

Smith’s lap of 18.262 seconds in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials topped the night’s 23-car field. It was his seventh career WoO LMS fast-time honor but first since May 7, 2010, at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway

Heat winners were Smith, Eckert and Lanigan, who rallied to capture the third prelim after officials penalized him from the pole starting spot to third place for firing early at the initial green flag. No B-Main was run, but Fuller earned $740 for winning a special 4-lap dash for drivers with DIRTcar big-block Modified roots over McCreadie, Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., and Coffey.

The WoO LMS next heads to Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for the three-day Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com on June 27-29. Full WoO LMS programs topped by 30-lap, $6,000-to-win A-Mains will be contested on Thurs., June 27, and Fri., June 27, with the $30,000-to-win Firecracker 100 finale set for Sat., June 29.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Results of WoO Late Model Series at Canandaigua Motorsports Park (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (3) Bub McCool/40 $8,550

2. (11) Tim Fuller/40 $5,290

3. (7) Morgan Bagley/40 $3,500

4. (1) Rick Eckert/40 $3,000

5. (5) Tim McCreadie/40 $2,650

6. (9) Shane Clanton/40 $2,150

7. (14) Eric Wells/40 $2,000

8. (4) Clint Smith/40 $1,850

9. (8) Vic Coffey/40 $1,750

10. (16) Chub Frank/40 $1,650

11. (10) Dan Stone/40 $1,000

12. (2) Billy Decker/40 $900

13. (12) Josh Richards/40 $1,500

14. (6) Darrell Lanigan/40 $1,450

15. (17) Larry Wight/40 $800

16. (20) John Volpe/40 $750

17. (13) Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/39 $710

18. (18) Dave Zona/38 $640

19. (19) John Mason/37 $620

20. (23) Alan Fink/37 $610

21. (21) Gil Tegg Jr./20 $600

22. (15) Greg Oakes/15 $600

23. (22) Jon Rohacevich/2 $625

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses

Time of Race: 20 Mins., 16.229 Secs.

Margin of Victory: 0.588 Secs.

Yellow Flags: 2 (lap 29, 31)

Lap Leaders: Eckert (1-7); Smith (8-29); McCool (30-40)

Provisional Starters: none

Rookie of the Race: Bagley ($250)

WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Coffey ($500)

Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):

1. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 18.262

2. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 18.288

3. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 18.311

4. 2-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 18.339

5. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 18.408

6. 91-Billy Decker/Unadilla, NY 18.510

7. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX 18.529

8. 53-John Volpe/Lakewood, NY 18.647

9. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 18.702

10. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 18.742

11. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 18.754

12. 99z-Dave Zona/Montrose, PA 18.762

13. 99b-Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Bear Lake, PA 18.801

14. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 18.811

15. 25-Shane Clanton/Zebulon, GA 18.830

16. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 18.870

17. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 18.902

18. 22-Greg Oakes/Franklinville, NY 19.223

19. 24J-Jon Rohacevich/Prattsville, NY 19.460

20. 99L-Larry Wight/Phoenix, NY 19.510

21. 22x-Gil Tegg Jr./Rochester, NY 19.705

22. 72-John Mason/Millersburg, OH 19.880

23. 15-Alan Fink/Central Square, NY 20.077

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 redraw for A-Main): Smith, McCreadie, Bagley, Stone, Briggs, Frank, Mason, Rohacevich

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 redraw for A-Main): Eckert, McCool, Coffey, Fuller, Wells, Wight, Volpe, Fink

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 redraw for A-Main): Lanigan, Decker, Clanton, Richards, Oakes, Zona, Tegg

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners (awards presented to noted finisher/qualifier or next highest displaying decal:

Ohlins Shocks ($50 cash to fast qualifier): Rick Eckert

Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner): none

VP Race Fuels ‘Nice Jugs’ Award: (One VP 5-gallon container to fastest qualifier who misses A-Main): none

Wrisco Aluminum (3 sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner only): Bub McCool

Armor All (One case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main): Larry Wight

Comp Cams ($50 certificate to A-Main winner): Bub McCool

QuarterMaster ($100 certificate to A-Main winner, $50 certificate to 5^th-place finish): Bub McCool/Larry Wight

MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner): Bub McCool

STP ($50 cash to 2^nd-place finisher in A-Main): Tim Fuller

XS Power ($50 cash to 3^rd-place finisher in A-Main): Morgan Bagley

Roush Yates ($50 cash to 4^th-place finisher in A-Main): Rick Eckert

JE Pistons ($50 cash to 5^th-place finisher in A-Main): Tim McCreadie

Dominator ($50 cash to 6^th-place finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells

American Race Wheels ($50 cash to 7^th-place finisher in A-Main): Eric Wells

VP Race Fuels ($50 cash to 8^th-place finisher in A-Main): Clint Smith

Edelbrock Manifolds ($50 cash to 9^th-finisher in A-Main): Vic Coffey

Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10^th-place finisher in A-Main): Chub Frank

XS Power ($60 product certificate to 11^th-place finisher in A-Main): Darrell Lanigan

Cometic Gasket ($50 cash to 12^th-place finisher in A-Main): Josh Richards

JRI Shocks ($50 cash to 13^th-place finisher in A-Main): John Volpe

Super Flow Dynos ($50 cash to 14^th-place finisher in A-Main): Larry Wight

JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 16^th-place finisher in A-Main, redeemable w/next purchase of set): John Volpe

Klotz Lubricants ($50 cash to 17^th-place finisher in A-Main): Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs

Roush Yates ($50 gift card to 18^th-place finisher in A-Main): Dave Zona

QuarterMaster ($50 certificate to 19^th-place finisher in A-Main): Alan Fink

Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 certificate to 20^th-place finisher in A-Main): Gil Tegg Jr.

JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 21^st-place finisher in A-Main, redeemable w/next purchase of set): Greg Oakes

Roush Yates ($50 gift card to 22^nd-place finisher in A-Main): Gil Tegg Jr.

MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24^th-place finisher in A-Main): Jon Rohacevich

XS Power ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Bub McCool

Roush Yates ($25 gift card to driver who leads most laps in the A-Main): Clint Smith

Reliable Painting Award (free tire): Rick Eckert

2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 25 – 22 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Josh Richards 3090

2. Shane Clanton 3082 (-8)

3. Darrell Lanigan 3044 (-46)

4. Rick Eckert 3012 (-78)

5. Tim Fuller 2860 (-230)

6. Tim McCreadie 2838 (-252)

7. (tie) Eric Wells 2822 (-268)

7. (tie) Bub McCool 2822 (-268)

9. Chub Frank 2808 (-282)

10. Morgan Bagley 2796 (-294)

11. Clint Smith 2672 (-418)

12. Scott James 1958 (-1132)

13. Dillon Wood 1426 (-1664)

14. Dan Stone 1270 (-1820)

15. Gregg Satterlee 1248 (-1842)

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: American Racing Custom Wheels (Official Custom Wheel), Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), KMC (Official Custom Truck Wheel), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Vicci (Official Uniform), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors: Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos, Wrisco Aluminum and XS Power Racing Batteries; along with manufacturer sponsors Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, TNT Rescue, and Warrior Chassis.