‘Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals’ At La Salle Speedway Is VanWormer’s First-Ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory

LA SALLE, IL (Sept. 16) – Now Jeep VanWormer is in the club. VanWormer was victorious in Sunday night’s 16th annual ‘Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals 40’ at La Salle Speedway, becoming the 28th driver to win a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event since 2004.

“When you win with these guys, it’s top-notch,” VanWormer said of his first career triumph on the national tour. “They’re not the World of Outlaws for nothing, so winning a race against them is huge for your resume, huge for your career.”

VanWormer, 32, of Pinconning, Mich., drove a flawless race to pocket $7,725, including the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who had never won a tour event and was not ranked among the top 12 in the current points standings. He was the 18th different driver to win a WoO LMS A-Main in 2007.

Taking advantage of the third starting spot, VanWormer overtook Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, for the lead on lap two and never looked back. He turned back late challenges from WoO LMS regulars Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who finished second and third, respectively, to register one of his biggest wins ever.

WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished fourth and points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., placed fifth.

While VanWormer is known across the dirt Late Model landscape for his ‘Spiderman’ nickname and hard-charging style, it was his cool, calm approach that propelled him to victory at the high-banked, quarter-mile oval.

Once VanWormer was in the lead, he eschewed his usual rim-riding in favor of an effective line around the extreme inside of the track.

“I knew the bottom was gonna be good, so we tightened our car up and put a hard tire on so I could run through the middle,” said VanWormer, who was very familiar with the event’s UMP DIRTcar Racing Hoosier 20/40 tire rule thanks to his years spent chasing the UMP Summernationals series. “There was a lot of moisture on the bottom, and that helps you get good drive off the corners.”

“I wasn’t gonna get off the bottom. They were gonna have to go around me on the top.”

Several guys tried to unseat VanWormer, most notably Lanigan and Frank.

After the race’s fifth and final caution flag flew, on lap 23 for the stopped car driven by UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model national points leader Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., Lanigan closely tailed VanWormer around the inside of the speedway and Frank tossed his car around the extreme outside of the track.

VanWormer was too strong, however, and beat Lanigan to the finish line by about five car lengths. Not surprisingly, he was a very happy race car driver when he reached Victory Lane.

“Over this weekend I thought we had some good cars, but we just had some bad fortune,” said VanWormer, who finished 10th on Friday night at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway (he relinquished the pole starting spot and started last in the 50-lapper because a leaking water pump forced him to run his backup car) and placed 12th on Saturday night at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. “Tonight we started close to the front and really capitalized on it – and I’m stoked.”

VanWormer, whose previous career-best WoO LMS finish was a fifth on July 26 at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway, dedicated the triumph to his late Uncle Rick.

“This one was for him,” VanWormer said of his uncle, who passed away on Aug. 31. “He always supported me. It was behind the scenes, but he was always there to support me.”

Lanigan, 37, came from the ninth starting spot to bid for the lead after the halfway mark, but his hopes were hampered by a mechanical problem on his gottarace.com Rocket.

“We broke a bolt in the shock mount with about 10 to go, and it let the car rock up too high,” said Lanigan, who had been rained out after qualifying in his only previous visit to La Salle. “Before that we were pretty good, but once it did that the car started getting too much roll-steer and I was getting loose.

“(VanWormer) kept scooting out some, so I thought if I could get up to him I’d be alright on the bottom. But I didn’t have enough to really get up there.”

The night’s showstopper was Frank, who spiced up the final 17 laps with his bid to win the race running the track’s unruly cushion.

Frank, 45, looked like he was ready to sail by both Lanigan and VanWormer shortly after the race’s final restart, on lap 23, but he gradually lost ground to the leaders and had to settle for third place in his Lester Buildings Rocket.

“I needed a restart with about four or five (laps) to go so I didn’t have to wear myself out up there,” said Frank, who closed to within 54 points of Francis in the WoO LMS standings with six events remaining. “It was so far out and rough up there, I just couldn’t make it work for many more laps than that in a row.

“If I got a yellow with about four to go and then just hammered it for the rest of the race, I would’ve had a chance to win.”

The 39-year-old Fuller’s Gypsum Racing Rocket might have been the fastest car in the closing laps. He slid by 2007 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and Francis in the closing stages to reach fourth place – and nearly overtook Frank as well.

“Man, I wish the race was a little longer,” said Fuller, who flew from Albany, N.Y., to Peoria, Ill., on Sunday morning after competing in Saturday night’s Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified 200 at New York’s Lebanon Valley Speedway (he finished fifth in that event to keep his Mr. DIRTcar Modified points lead). “It was going on, it was happening the last five laps. I found some traction right there in the middle, and no one else was running there.”

Francis, 40, started fourth and climbed as high as second early in the distance, but couldn’t keep pace with the leaders. He said his tire selection cost him dearly.

“We gambled on tires,” said Francis. “We went with four 20s (softer compound tires), and should have had (harder) 40s on the right side – or at least one on the right-rear, like Jeep did.

“I knew we were in trouble after I ran about 10 laps. I said to myself, ‘Uh oh, we messed up here.’ But that’s how it goes. We said we’re going to all these races to win, and we gambled to win it. It just bit us at the end.”

Finishing in positions 6-10 was Erb, who started 14th; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who started 17th after winning a B-Main; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., who recovered from a heat-race spin to transfer through the prelim; Rick Eckert of York, Pa.; and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis.

WoO LMS title contender Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., finished 11th after being forced to the rear of the field by a half-spin in turn one on lap two, and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., had to be content with a 13th-place finish after he pitted during an opening-lap caution period to repair nosepiece damage his car sustained in a scrape with an inside tractor tire.

Thirty-eight cars were signed in for the event, which was promoted by Bob Sargent’s Macon, Ill.-based Track Enterprises, Inc. It was the first-ever WoO LMS stop at La Salle Speedway.

Frank earned $100 for his second National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award of the season. He circled the track in 12.725 seconds.

Heat winners were Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., Miller, Fuller and Francis, and the B-Mains were captured by Babb and Mike Mataragas of Dekalb, Ill.

The night’s most spectacular accident occurred during the fourth heat when Roger Brickler of Springfield, Ill., flipped wildly down the homestretch on a lap-two restart. Brickler’s four-race-old MasterSbilt car was destroyed, but he escaped injury in the wild wreck.

The WoO LMS returns to action this weekend with stops at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway on Friday night (Sept. 21) and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday night (Sept. 22).

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

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Best Western Illinois Fall Nationals’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (3) Jeep VanWormer/40 $7,725
2. (9) Darrell Lanigan/40 $3,625
3. (8) Chub Frank/40 $2,100
4. (7) Tim Fuller/40 $1,950
5. (4) Steve Francis/40 $1,500
6. (14) Dennis Erb Jr./40 $1,300
7. (17) Shannon Babb/40 $1,200
8. (16) Shane Clanton/40 $1,100
9. (19) Rick Eckert/40 $1,000
10. (13) Brady Smih/40 $900
11. (10) Clint Smith/40 $850
12. (5) Jimmy Mars/40 $800
13. (11) Josh Richards/40 $750
14. (20) Darren Friedman/40 $740
15. (18) Mike Mataragas/40 $710
16. (15) Steve Sheppard Jr./40 $680
17. (24) Jason Feger/40 $650
18. (22) Kerry Hansen/31 $630
19. (6) Brian Shirley/30 $620
20. (1) Wes Steidinger/23 $610
21. (23) Roy Mitchell/18 $600
22. (2) Matt Miller/16 $600
23. (12) Terry Casey/15 $600
24. (21) Ryan Dauber/4 $600

Yellow Flags: 5 (Laps 1, 2, 10, 16, 23)
Lap Leaders: Miller (1); VanWormer (2-40)
Provisional Starters: Mitchell, Feger
Rookie of the Race: Fuller ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: VanWormer ($500)
National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award: Frank ($100)
National Interstate Insurance Hard Luck Award: Brickler ($50)
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($100): Wayne Caskey (Darrell Lanigan)

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

1. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 12.725
2. 7M-Matt Miller/Waterville, OH 12.940
3. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 12.988
4. J1-Wes Steidinger/Fairbury, IL 13.013
5. 28M-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 13.065
6. 64-Ryan Dauber/Tonica, IL 13.067
7. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 13.067
8. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 13.111
9. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 13.131
10. M-Mike Provenzano/Aurora, IL 13.137
11. 5s-Steve Sheppard Jr./New Berlin, IL 13.155
12. 89-Darren Friedman/Forest, IL 13.158
13. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 13.204
14. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 13.208
15. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 13.317
16. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 13.385
17. 2b-Brady Smith/Solon Springs, WI 13.400
18. 83-Scott Bull/Fairbury, IL 13.431
19. 32J-Jason Jaggers/Wyanet, IL 13.462
20. 25-Kerry Hansen/Spencer, WI 13.469
21. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 13.513
22. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 13.516
23. 1M-Mike Mataragas/Dekalb, IL 13.535
24. 42-Terry Casey/New London, WI 13.545
25. 49-Brian Ruhlman/Clarklake, MI 13.595
26. 28e-Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL 13.597
27. B5-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 13.725
28. 82-Roger Brickler/Springfield, IL 13.737
29. 25-Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL 13.805
30. 43-Jim Felker Jr./Bloomington, IL 13.961
31. 10x-Scott Schmitt/Tonica, IL 14.115
32. 13-Mike Fannin/LeRoy, IL 14.223
33. DC3-Don Cisco/Blue Mound, IL 14.255
34. 38-Will Harris/Malden, IL 14.370
35. M10-Bryan Moon/Wyanet, IL 14.408
36. 53-Mike Anderson/Chicago, IL 14.653
37. 93-Roy Mitchell/Hobart, IN 15.145
38. 16-Tony Izzo Jr./Utica, IL N/T

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Mars, Frank, Lanigan, B. Smith, Babb, Eckert, Feger, Ruhlman, Cisco, Mitchell

Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Miller, Shirley, C. Smith, Erb, Dauber, Provenzano, Bull, Felker, Harris, Izzo

Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, VanWormer, Richards, S. Sheppard, Mataragas, Jaggers, B. Sheppard, Schmitt, Moon

Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Francis, Steidinger, Casey, Clanton, Friedman, Hansen, Fannin, Anderson, Brickler

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Babb, Eckert, Dauber, Feger, Bull, Felker, Provenzano, Harris, Cisco, Mitchell, Ruhlman (DNS) Izzo

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Mataragas, Friedman, Hansen, Jaggers, Schmitt, B. Sheppard, Fannin, Moon, Anderson (DNNS) Brickler


2007 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Sept. 16 - 38 features completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to eader):

1. Steve Francis 3-22-34-$108,725-5,252 (-0)
2. Chub Frank 5-18-31-$112,955-5,198 (-54)
3. Clint Smith 4-16-28-$113,175-5,154 (-98)
4. Shane Clanton 2-13-26-$84,647-5,080 (-172)
5. Josh Richards 3-10-23-$88,732-5,066 (-186)
6. Rick Eckert 0-11-23-$72,110-5,058 (-194)
7. Darrell Lanigan 2-8-24-$77,365-4,804 (-448)
8. Tim Fuller 1-9-14-$67,455-4,115 (-1137)
9. Brian Shirley 1-4-11-$51,229-3,682 (-1570)
10. Shannon Babb 4-12-16-$82,060-3,582 (-1670)
11. Eddie Carrier Jr. 0-2-5-$23,720-2,571 (-2681)
12. Chris Madden 2-8-12-$89,215-2,379 (-2873)
13. Billy Moyer 1-9-12-$42,575-2,373 (-2879)
14. Roy Mitchell 0-0-0-$10,280-2,104 (-3148)
15. Brian Birkhofer 0-1-7-$23,410-2,004 (-3248)
16. Jimmy Mars 0-5-7-$27,930-1,773 (-3479)
17. John Blankenship 0-0-0-$10,720-1,663 (-3589)
18. Dennis Erb Jr. 2-4-7-$33,000-1,433 (-3819)
19. Dan Stone 1-1-3-$17,305-1,340 (-3912)
20. Brady Smith 0-2-4-$13,240-1,284 (-3968)