Wednesday, February 20, 2008

WoO LMS updates 3-2-08

NO BREAKS: WoO LMS standout Shane Clanton still has a black cloud hovering over his head. The star-crossed driver from Locust Grove, Ga., was hoping to shake his early-season bad luck with a trip to Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., for Sunday’s ‘March Madness’ event, but misfortune struck him again. He tangled with 2004 WoO LMS champ Scott Bloomquist while running third on a lap-two restart during the fourth heat race, ending his day with left-front suspension damage. MARCH MADNESS ENTRANTS: WoO LMS regulars Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., and Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., joined Clanton in Cherokee’s field. Babb, making his first start in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s dirt Late Model since the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, enjoyed a respectable outing. He advanced from the seventh starting spot to finish fifth in the 60-lap A-Main won by Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. Smith, meanwhile, was unable to repeat his 2007 ‘March Madness’ victory at the four-tenths-mile oval. He started ninth but dropped out of the event, settling for a 19th-place finish on a challenging, rough track surface. ----- KARMA: Clint Smith would have preferred to win a WoO LMS A-Main during the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, but he still happily celebrated his victory in the 50-lap UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model finale on Feb. 15. Besides, he might have been destined to pocket the night’s $10,000 checkered flag. Smith, 42, of Senoia, Ga., triumphed on his daughter Jenna’s 15th birthday. “And I came from the 15th starting spot to win it, so that’s pretty cool,” he said. Jenna wasn’t on hand for her father’s winning run, however. She remained back in the Peach State in order to attend her high-school classes and take the driving test for her learner’s permit, which her proud papa said she earned with flying colors. Smith’s victory – and a fifth-place finish in the next night’s WoO LMS finale – came after he began the week shuttling back-and-forth between Georgia and Volusia. After his step-father, Clint Roberts, passed away on Feb. 10, Smith immediately drove home that morning to be with his family, then got a ride back to Florida on Monday to compete in the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals opener for the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models. Smith flew home on Tuesday for the viewing – he didn’t miss any action at Volusia because that night’s action was rained out – and planned a return to Florida on a Wednesday flight, but a full plane forced him to jump in a car at 1 o’clock and make a banzai six-hour drive down to Volusia; he arrived just in time for his time-trial lap during the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned program. MR. MISFORTUNE: As Smith talked with fellow Georgia driver Shane Clanton in the pit area following the Saturday-night WoO LMS finale of the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals, he perfectly pegged Clanton’s downtrodden outlook. “You got the ‘dial’ in that bad spot,” quipped Smith, alluding to a racer’s mythical ‘luck’ meter. “Fortunately, there’s a whole season ahead to get it turned around.” The 32-year-old Clanton could only nod his head in agreement with Smith after experiencing two heartbreaking WoO LMS outings at Volusia. On Thursday night he was leading on lap 30 when a broken right-rear axle tube knocked him out, and on Saturday night he was racing for a top-five spot on lap 35 when a broken left-rear wheel ended his hopes. Back-to-back DNFs for a WoO LMS regular who’s become known for his ability to complete races – that’s not the way Clanton envisioned opening his campaign. The bad luck put him in an immediate points hole on the tour, sitting 19th in the standings, 84 points out of the lead. UP NEXT: The WoO LMS is idle until March 28-29, when the inaugural ‘March Through Dixie 100’ takes center stage at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. The early-season blockbuster will pay $20,000 to win. For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

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