LAWRENCEBURG, IN – July 26, 2007 – Patrick Sheltra didn’t hesitate when asked to rate the importance of his victory in Thursday night’s 40-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Lawrenceburg Speedway.
“I’d consider it my biggest win ever,” said Indiantown, Fla.’s Sheltra, a 21-year-old who has been driving a dirt Late Model for only four years. “This has always been my dream – to win a World of Outlaws race against the best in the business.”
Sheltra sprung a major upset in the opening event of National Interstate Speedweek, leading from flag-to-flag to score his first career triumph on the national tour. He pocketed $7,500, including the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ for being the highest-finishing driver who wasn’t ranked among the top 12 in the series points standings and hadn’t previously won a WoO feature.
A regular this season on the ARCA stock-car circuit, Sheltra showed his strength on the dirt en route to a convincing victory in his family-owned Rayburn car. He shot off the outside pole to grab the lead from polesitter Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., at the initial green flag and was never challenged during the frenetic 39-lap stretch of caution-free action that closed the event.
Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., slipped by teenager Justin Ratliff of Campbellsville, Ky., for second place on lap 36 and cut Sheltra’s straightaway lead in half over the final circuits, but the WoO LMS star settled for runner-up money in his gottarace.com Rocket.
Ratliff, who started fourth, held on to finish third in his family-owned Rayburn – a career-best outing in WoO LMS competition for the young talent.
Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., who won last month’s UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream event at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, finished fourth in Dale Beitler’s Rocket.
Completing the top five was ninth-starter Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., who grabbed fifth place on the final lap with a controversial, paint-swapping pass of Chatham, Ill.’s Brian Shirley. Shirley, a WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender, took exception to VanWormer’s move and exchanged angry words with VanWormer in the pit area after the race.
There was nothing but happiness in the Sheltra camp following the first-ever WoO LMS event at the high-banked, half-mile oval.
“We’ve got our program turned around right now,” said Sheltra, whose dirt Late Model equipment is maintained in a shop in Richmond, Ind. “Ever since we brought this new Rayburn car out at Brownstown (in the track’s WoO LMS show on May 16), we’ve been good.”
Sheltra finished sixth in that 50-lap A-Main at Brownstown, by far his career-best WoO LMS finish. In seven feature-event starts on the tour from 2004-06, he had not finished better than 15th.
The driver known as ‘Showtime’ looked like a WoO LMS veteran at Lawrenceburg, outgunning four-time ’07 series winner Babb at the start and racing away from the pack using the top side of the tacky, circular track.
“I just held ‘er to the floor on the outside,” Sheltra who had competed twice previously at Lawrenceburg Speedway. “I kinda looked back in the center of the corners to see who was behind me, but I never saw anyone. I was just trying to run up there in the loose stuff to keep my tires cool, and I guess it worked pretty well for me.”
“This just builds my confidence so much,” concluded Sheltra, who for the remainder of the season will enter selected dirt Late Model shows while continuing to run family-owned equipment in ARCA events.
Lanigan, 39, would have liked to emerge victorious at a track that is only a half-hour driver from his home, but he simply took too long to overtake Ratliff for second place.
“I needed to clear him quicker,” said Lanigan, who challenged Ratliff repeatedly before sliding by with a mere four laps remaining. “I try to race everybody clean, and when I finally got up under him enough where I could get by him, it was just too late.
“I could see (Sheltra) getting closer to me, but I just needed a few more laps to catch him.
“But I’ll take second,” added Lanigan, whose last appearance at Lawrenceburg came about a dozen years ago. “This ain’t really the type of racetrack I typically run well at, so I’m happy.”
The race got off to a rough start, with one caution flag and one red flag needed on the first lap.
The caution came first, for a multi-car tangle in turn two that began when a car got sideways, setting off a chain-reaction pileup. Scott James of Greendale, Ind., Steve Shaver of Vienna, W.Va., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., were left stacked up on the inside of the track.
James and Shaver were forced to retire, but Richards returned to the fray after his crew made hasty repairs to his car’s front-end damage, including welding its left-front spindle back in place. He soldiered on to finish 11th.
The event’s wildest incident occurred on the ensuing restart, bringing out a red flag. Babb’s Billy Moyer Sr.-owned car dug into the spongy turn-one surface and bicycled onto its right-side wheels. While he did not flip, his bounce into the air caused a jam-up behind him that left Robbie Blair of Titusville, Pa., sitting atop the hood of Richmond, Ind.’s Duane Chamberlain.
Also involved in the tangle were WoO LMS title contenders Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis. Brady Smith ran only seven more laps before retiring, while Francis and Clint Smith made pit stops and returned to complete the distance.
Clint Smith, whose car sustained significant left-rear suspension damage, ran most of the remaining distance without brakes but salvaged a 12th-place finish. He finished one spot ahead of Francis, who lost just two markers from his points lead to Smith despite racing a car he could barely turn to the right because its rack plate was bent back into its lower control-arm bolts.
Babb, meanwhile, fell back when the race restarted and pulled off on lap eight. His car wasn’t damaged when it slammed back on its wheels on lap one, but he said his setup choice made the machine too tight for him to compete effectively.
Finishing in positions 6-10 was Shirley, who started 10th but ran in the top five for most of the distance; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., whose advance from the 16th starting spot was helped by his avoidance of the two wrecks; Mike Balzano of Parkersburg, W.Va.; Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., who qualified through a B-Main after breaking a driveshaft in his heat; and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who started 24th after using a provisional to get in the A-Main.
Thirty-two cars entered the event, which was threatened by rain. The program appeared doomed when dark storm clouds closed in on the track around 4:30 p.m., but only a momentary light rain fell before the skies cleared.
Babb set a new track record in time trials, earning the $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award with a lap of 12.068 seconds.
Heat winners were Babb, Casebolt, Ratliff and Lanigan, and the B-Mains were captured by Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., and Richards.
The heats were marred by a frightening series of flips executed by Chad Ruhlman of Bemus Point, N.Y. During the fourth heat race he slipped over the berm in turn one and barrel-rolled several times before coming to rest upside down, but he escaped injury and later received the night’s National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award.
National Interstate Speedweek continues on Fri., July 27, at Eldora Speedway and Sat., July 28, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.
For more information on the WoO LMS and National Interstate Speedweek, visit
www.worldofoutlaws.com or
www.nationalinterstateracing.com.
Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Lawrenceburg 40’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1. (2) Patrick Sheltra/40 $7,500
2. (3) Darrell Lanigan/40 $3,500
3. (4) Justin Ratliff/40 $2,000
4. (6) Steve Casebolt/40 $1,700
5. (9) Jeep VanWormer/40 $1,500
6. (10) Brian Shirley/40 $1,550
7. (16) Chub Frank/40 $1,200
8. (15) Mike Balzano/40 $1,100
9. (19) Eddie Carrier Jr./40 $1,000
10. (23) Shane Clanton/40 $900
11. (18) Josh Richards/40 $850
12. (5) Clint Smith/40 $800
13. (7) Steve Francis/40 $750
14. (24) Rick Eckert/40 $740
15. (21) Wayne Chinn/40 $1,210
16. (8) Tim Fuller/16 $680
17. (22) Shawn Negangard/12 $650
18. (17) Jared Hawkins/11 $930
19. (1) Shannon Babb/8 $720
20. (11) Brady Smith/8 $610
21. (20) Duane Chamberlain/5 $600
22. (12) Robbie Blair/4 $600
23. (14) Scott James/1 $600
24. (13) Steve Shaver/1 $600
Time of Race: 31 Mins., 19.372 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.739 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 1 (Lap 1); 1 Red Flag (Lap 1)
Lap Leaders: Sheltra (1-40)
Provisional Starters: Clanton, Eckert
Rookie of the Race: Shirley ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Sheltra ($500)
National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: Babb ($100)
National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Ruhlman ($50)
National Interstate Insurance Ohio Driver/Team ‘Bonus Bucks’: Chinn ($500), Hawkins ($300), Mike Amell ($200)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($100): Johnny Cloer Jr. (Clint Smith)
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap): 1. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 12.068 (NTR)
2. 19c-Steve Casebolt/Richmond, IN 12.198
3. 16R-Justin Ratliff/Campbellsville, KY 12.253
4. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 12.328
5. 23-Patrick Sheltra/Indiantown, FL 12.350
6. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 12.366
7. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 12.396
8. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 12.416
9. 30-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 12.486
10. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 12.517
11. 2b-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 12.521
12. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 12.533
13. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 12.565
14. 11-Jerry Rice/Verona, KY 12.577
15. E1-Mike Balzano/Parkersburg, WV 12.597
16. 16N-Shawn Negangard/Osgood, IN 12.604
17. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 12.630
18. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 12.637
19. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 12.664
20. won11-Robbie Blair/Titusville, PA 12.693
21. 1wc-Wayne Chinn/Tipp City, OH 12.713
22. 83-Scott James/Greendale, IN 12.770
23. 1dc-Duane Chamberlain/Richmond, IN 12.801
24. 20-Chad Ruhlman/Bemus Point, NY 12.833
25. 17H-Jared Hawkins/Fairmont, WV 12.859
26. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 12.892
27. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 12.927
28. 07R-Brent Rhebergen/Clymer, NY 13.130
29. 34-Ky Harper/Holland, OH 13.258
30. 86-Mike Amell/Cincinnati, OH 13.404
31. 1x-Jason Jameson/Lawrenceburg, IN 13.978
32. 93-Roy Mitchell/Rensselaer, IN 14.256
Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Babb, Sheltra, VanWormer, Shaver, Harper, Carrier, Hawkins, Chinn
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Casebolt, Fuller, Shirley, James, Rice, Eckert, Clanton, Amell
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Ratliff, Francis, B. Smith, Balzano, Richards, Jameson, Chamberlain, Moyer
Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Lanigan, C. Smith, Blair, Frank, Rhebergen, Negangard, Ruhlman (DNS) Mitchell
B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Hawkins, Carrier, Chinn, Eckert, Clanton, Amell, Harper, Rice
B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Chamberlain, Negangard, Rhebergen, Mitchell, Jameson (DNS) Ruhlman, Moyer
2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of July 26 - 30 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader): 1. Steve Francis 1-16-26-$71,500-4,120 (-0)
2. Clint Smith 3-14-23-$91,050-4,090 (-30)
3. Chub Frank 4-13-23-$82,830-4,064 (-56)
4. Shane Clanton 2-11-21-$70,510-4,038 (-82)
5. Josh Richards 3-9-19-$75,190-4,030 (-90)
6. Rick Eckert 0-9-18-$58,910-3,994 (-126)
7. Darrell Lanigan 2-6-20-$63,590-3,817 (-303)
8. Tim Fuller 1-6-9-$52,680-3,297 (-823)
9. Shannon Babb 4-10-13-$69,910-3,044 (-1076)
10. Brian Shirley 1-3-9-$41,790-2,983 (-1137)
11. Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-2-5-$23,720-2,571 (-1549)
12. Chris Madden 1-7-11-$68,990-2,229 (-1891)
13. Billy Moyer 1-9-11-$40,325-2,117 (-2003)
14. Brian Birkhofer 0-1-5-$17,810-1,624 (-2496)
15. John Blankenship 0-0-0-$10,570-1,588 (-2532)
16. Roy Mitchell 0-0-0-$5,670-1,336 (-2784)
17. Jimmy Mars 0-4-6-$22,830-1,322 (-2798)
18. Billy Decker 0-0-1-$7,390-1,267 (-2853)
19. Dennis Erb Jr. 2-4-6-$30,800-1,173 (-2947)
20. Ricky Elliott 0-0-3-$7,280-957 (-3163)
LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.
To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.
Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail
[email protected].
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including National Interstate Insurance Company and contingency sponsors Wrisco Industries, Crane Cams, Ohlins Shocks, Quarter-Master, Hawk Brake, MSD Ignitions, Eibach Springs and Integra Shocks.
