CONCORD, NC – Oct. 1, 2007 – In need of a positive performance, Shane Clanton enjoyed a great one.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series star shook off his recent doldrums in fine fashion on Saturday night, storming to victory in the 18th Magnolia State 100 at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway.
With a weekend off from WoO LMS competition, Locust Grove, Ga.’s Clanton invaded the one-third-mile, high-banked clay oval and cured what had been ailing him. His powerful triumph was worth $25,007 – the biggest payoff the 32-year-old has ever pocketed for a win, surpassing the $18,000 he collected for capturing the 2006 WoO LMS ‘Pittsburgher 100’ at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
“We’ve been struggling the last few weeks,” said Clanton, who hasn’t recorded a top-five finish in his last five WoO LMS starts. “We needed to turn things around, and I think we were able to do that (at Columbus).”
 
A dismal 22nd-place finish in the WoO LMS ‘Pittsburgher’ event on Sept. 22 served as a catalyst for his big unsanctioned victory. Totally disgusted with his run at PPMS just one year after winning the track’s season-closer, he focused on fixing his sputtering Ronnie Dobbins-owned RSD Enterprises Rocket No. 25.
 
“We were no good at all in the ‘Pittsburgher,’” said Clanton, who has two victories on the 2007 WoO LMS but is winless since July 20 at Virginia Motor Speedway. “We came home after that race and changed everything on the car. We couldn’t keep running the way we had been.”
 
With some input from Rocket Chassis co-owner Mark Richards, Clanton and his crew made some significant alterations to their car.
 
“We changed the rear suspension. We changed some things in the front end,” said Clanton. “We wanted to try to get our car more like Josh (Richards) and (Steve) Francis have been running theirs, because they’ve been good. It worked.”
 
Clanton was fastest when it counted in the Magnolia State 100, sliding by two-time ’07 WoO LMS winner Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., on lap 83 to take the lead for good. He built a commanding edge over the remaining circuits and crossed the finish line ahead of Pearson, Chris Wall of Holden, La., Michael England of Glasgow, Ky., and fellow WoO LMS regular Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who made a noteworthy charge forward from the 17th starting spot.
 
“It was a pretty tough race,” said Clanton, who had previously won the 2003 ‘Winter Classic’ and 2005 ‘James King Memorial’ at Columbus. “Earl was good, but he had a little softer tire on than us and he killed his tires running that bottom. I knew that when it finally cleaned up on the top we’d have a good shot to pass him, and that’s what happened.”
 
Confident again after some sorely-needed success, Clanton can now look forward to the final four events of the 2007 WoO LMS. He currently holds fourth place in the standings, but he is only 12 points ahead of Shinnston, W.Va.’s Richards and 14 points ahead of York, Pa.’s Rick Eckert.
 
Clanton also hasn’t given up hope of catching Clint Smith for third place. He’s 84 points in arrears of ‘Cat Daddy’ – a fairly hefty deficit, but not insurmountable with unpredictable events coming up on Oct. 12-13 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. (the $20,000-to-win ‘Tennessee Fall Brawl 100’) and Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals’).
 
“You can make up a bunch of points at Bulls Gap and Charlotte (Lowe’s), and you can lose a bunch of points too,” said Clanton, who knows there’s thousands of dollars difference in points-fund cash from third to sixth in the standings. “Anything can happen in a hundred-lap race, and a lot of things can happen over two nights of racing at Charlotte.”
 
Clanton will get a chance to tune up for the pivotal ‘Outlaws World Finals’ when the WoO LMS sanctions the ‘Jani-King Southern Showdown’ on Wed., Oct. 10, at The Dirt Track. The event will offer only show-up points toward the WoO LMS title, so there will be no points pressure for Clanton.
 
Earlier this year, Clanton finished 15th in the ‘Circle K Colossal 100’ at The Dirt Track after B-Main trouble forced him to use a provisional to start the A-Main.
 
“I’ll be looking for good things at Charlotte (on Oct. 10),” said Clanton, who finished second in the 2006 WoO LMS points chase. “We were pretty good there back in the Colossal, but we had some trouble. I know we got slowed down after a mud clod knocked half of our rear spoiler loose, so we’ve strengthened the rear of our car and we’re looking forward to going back there.”
 
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.