Josh Richards Streaks To WoO LMS Victory At Atomic

Josh Richards scored his third victory in the last four World of Outlaws Late Model Series races Friday night at Atomic Speedway. Photo courtesy Josh Richards Racing

Josh Richards scored his third victory in the last four World of Outlaws Late Model Series races Friday night at Atomic Speedway. Photo courtesy Josh Richards Racing

Josh Richards kept his recent World of Outlaws Late Model Series hot streak rolling Friday night with a convincing victory during the first of the national tour’s back-to-back nights of racing at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Richards, the three-time WoO LMS champion from Shinnston, WV, overtook race-long leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY, on lap 26 of Friday’s 40-lap race at the 3/8-mile oval and drove his Valvoline-sponsored Rocket Chassis house car to his third victory in the past four WoO LMS events.

The $8,650 triumph marked Richards’ seventh WoO LMS win of the season and the 56th of his career. Even more significantly, the victory was Richards’ first at Atomic Speedway.

“This is an awesome racetrack,” Richards said of the historic Buckeye State race facility formerly known as K-C Raceway. “I love coming here, but this is one that’s always alluded me. I actually won my first big check here 10 years ago, but it was just a dash. It feels good to finally win one here.”

After pulling away on the race’s final restart with six laps remaining, Richards crossed the finish line 1.791 seconds ahead of Eddie Carrier, Jr. of Salt Rock, WV. WoO LMS points leader Shane Clanton of Zebulon, GA, finished third, while Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, charged from the 23rd starting spot to finish fourth and Frank Heckenast, Jr. of Frankfort, IL, advanced from 19th to fifth.

The first half of the race featured a battle between a pair of three-time WoO LMS champions in Richards and Lanigan. The polesitting Lanigan led the way through the race’s caution-plagued opening laps, as the third-starting Richards made an early move to take second from Jackie Boggs of Grayson, KY.

Richards chased Lanigan through the first half of the race before turning up the pressure just after the midway point. Lanigan’s bobble exiting turn two on lap 26 gave Richards the opening he needed. He took advantage, using a slidejob to complete the winning pass in turns three and four.

“He was good out in clean air by himself, but after we’d run some laps I could gain on him,” Richards said of his battle with Lanigan. “He slipped up, and I knew I had to take it while I could because he doesn’t mess up very often.”

Lanigan wasn’t able to make a serious bid to retake the lead after losing it to Richards. He faded in the following laps, dropping back to fourth before slowing on lap 32 and retiring from the race.

Advancing from the seventh starting spot in his Optima Batteries Rocket, Carrier used a lap-35 restart to take second from Clanton. But the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular wasn’t able to keep pace with Richards through the closing laps. He settled for the runner-up finish in just missing what would’ve been his first career WoO LMS victory.

“I think we had a third place car, and then got a good run on Shane that last restart,” Carrier said. “I think he kind of hit a hole and pushed a little bit and I got him. I was probably holding him up, but I’ll take second.”

Clanton drove his Weldbank Energy Capital Race Cars house car to another solid finish in recording his 21st finish of the third or better on this year’s WoO LMS campaign. The series veteran holds a 162-point lead over Richards as he chases his first series championship.

“We had a good car tonight, just made the wrong adjustment for the feature and we bounced through the holes a little too much,” Clanton said. “Eddie got by me there, but overall, a good finish.”

Rick Eckert of York, PA, recovered from problems that forced him to slow and cause a lap-three caution to finish sixth, while the night’s fast qualifier Chris Ferguson of Mount Holly, NC, finished seventh after running as high as fourth midway through the race. Chase Junghans of Manhattan, KS, rallied from 24th to finish eighth with Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, and Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, PA, round out the top 10.

The race was slowed by eight cautions, including a number of yellow flags that involved front runners. Second-starting Boggs slowed and retired from the race on lap 12, while Matt Westfall of Ludlow, Ohio, slowed from a top-10 spot on lap 19. Lanigan’s slowing machine on lap 32 was hit by 10th-running Duane Chamberlain of Richmond, IN. The final caution waved for a tangle resulting from a top-10 battle between Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio and Steve Casebolt of Richmond, IN.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.

World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Atomic Speedway – Chillicothe, Ohio
It has an important role of arterial blood flow to the usa viagra store penis, so it may help men with erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation can also use the device for strengthening erection. Swelling of the legs and feet are super cialis professional major symptoms. After buy cheap cialis valsonindia.com a long term relationship your sex life doesn’t remain the same. This a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction worldwide and have come up bulk generic viagra valsonindia.com with amazing results. Race Results – Aug. 21, 2015

1. (3) Josh Richards/40 $8,650
2. (7) Eddie Carrier Jr./40 $4,500
3. (4) Shane Clanton/40 $3,250
4. (23) Tim McCreadie/40 $2,950
5. (19) Frank Heckenast Jr./40 $2,550
6. (11) Rick Eckert/40 $2,250
7. (8) Chris Ferguson/40 $2,000
8. (24) Chase Junghans/40 $1,850
9. (14) Morgan Bagley/40 $1,800
10. (15) Mason Zeigler/40 $1,100
11. (21) Chub Frank/40 $1,550
12. (13) Devin Moran/40 $900
13. (20) Tim Dohm/40 $950
14. (12) Steve Casebolt/33 $850
15. (1) Darrell Lanigan/32 $850
16. (16) Duane Chamberlain/32 $700
17. (9) Eric Wells/32 $1,210
18. (6) Jared Hawkins/32 $640
19. (22) R.J. Conley/28 $620
20. (5) Matt Westfall/26 $600
21. (10) Mark Frazier/19 $600
22. (2) Jackie Boggs/17 $600
23. (18) Gregg Satterlee/12 $600
24. (25) Greg Oliver/8 $625
25. (17) Jason Montgomery/4 $600

Time of Race: 32 Mins., 40 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.791 Secs.
Yellow Flags: Eight (laps 1, 3, 4, 12, 19, 27, 32, 34)
Lap Leaders: Lanigan (1-25), Richards (26-40)
Provisional Starters: McCreadie (WoO), Junghans (WoO), Oliver (track)

 

About Joshua Joiner