ELDON, MO – Aug. 15, 2006 – Billy Moyer’s summer slump is officially over.

And suddenly the defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion is the hottest driver on the tour.

Moyer cemented his status with a victory in Tuesday night’s Lake Ozark 50 at Lake Ozark Speedway, giving him back-to-back triumphs after he had gone winless in the first 23 events of the 2006 WoO LMS.

“We’re not really doing a whole lot different,” Moyer said of his hot streak, which started with his first win of the season 24 hours earlier at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. “It’s just funny how things go in cycles. Back a little bit Rick (Eckert) could do no wrong, and now it’s our turn I guess.”

Moyer, 48, of Batesville, Ark., started from the pole position and led from flag-to-flag in the first-ever WoO LMS show at the three-year-old Lake Ozark Speedway, where passing was at a premium all night. The three-eighths-mile oval’s surface developed a rubber-laden inside groove, forcing the field to race in single-file formation.

Outside-polesitter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., chased Moyer for the entire distance and finished second in his father’s Rocket house car. Also starting and finishing in the same positions were Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., in third, Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., in fourth and Jason Bodenhamer of Centerview, Mo., in fifth (a career-best WoO LMS run for the 31-year-old driver).

Moyer and his J&J Steel-sponsored team noticed that the track was “rubbering up” while watching the preliminary UMP-type Modified feature.

“We were still up in the air about what tires to run at that point,” said Moyer, who drove a Pro Power Engines-equipped Rayburn car. “But we saw it getting blacker during the Modified race, so we knew it was taking rubber. We put on hard tires and just tried to stay in front.”

The conditions also made Moyer realize the importance of his dash victory, which earned him the pole for the main.

“For the first time this year I picked a front-row (starting) spot for the dash,” said Moyer, who made his first career start at Lake Ozark. “That draw definitely helped me win the race. I was able to get around Josh (Richards) on the outside to take the lead at the start and stayed there, and then we were in the best spot for the feature.”

Richards, 18, was able to close up on Moyer’s rear bumper several times during the race, which was run without interruption after a single caution flag on lap four. But Moyer played the lapped traffic like the 30-year veteran he is, keeping Richards at bay.

Following the race Richards, who flashed under the checkered flag 1.063 seconds behind Moyer, commented that his only chance of overtaking Moyer was if the 30-year racing veteran slipped up the track – and he obviously didn’t think that would happen. Kid Rocket had to be satisfied with his best finish of the season on the WoO LMS.

Moyer, meanwhile, gave the young Richards credit for not forcing the issue when they reached lapped traffic.

“Josh did an excellent job,” said Moyer, who earned $10,000 for his eighth career DIRT MotorSports-era WoO LMS win. “He ran me as clean as I’d run him. He didn’t touch me the whole time.

“Some of these other guys from other series that we run against, when they get up to your back bumper, you better be hanging on because they’re gonna boot you out of the way. But everybody here runs clean, like Josh did. You can have some trust in them when you get into the lapped cars.”

Moyer’s triumph helped him creep back into the battle for the $120,000 WoO LMS points title. He moved by Lanigan to sit second in the standings, 16 points behind Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who finished seventh.

With five races remaining on the ’06 WoO LMS schedule, Moyer thinks he’s regained his touch for the stretch run. The next tour event is Sat., Aug. 26, at Columbus (Miss.) Speedway.

“It’s a shame we had to have some bad races to kick ourselves in the butt and get going again,” said Moyer, who entered the Farmer City/Lake Ozark doubleheader reeling after four straight subpar outings. “My guys never give up…it was all me. I wasn’t doing something right on the car.

“I’ve been dirtier myself the last couple weeks -- dirtier than I’ve been for awhile. I guess I’m the problem. My guys do whatever I ask them to do, but I have to get under there and be more involved helping out I guess.”

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., set fast time during the 24-car qualifying session, turning a lap of 15.226 seconds.

Heat winners were Francis, Moyer and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill.

Results of WoO Late Model Series(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won): 1. (1) Billy Moyer/50 $10,000; 2. (2) Josh Richards/50 $6,000; 3. (3) Steve Francis/50 $3,500; 4. (4) Darrell Lanigan/50 $2,500; 5.
(5) Jason Bodenhamer/50 $2,200; 6. (6) Brian Shirley/50 $2,000; 7. (8) Tim McCreadie/50 $1,800; 8. (9) Shane Clanton/50 $1,600; 9. (11) Johnny Cloer Jr./50 $1,400; 10. (10) Chub Frank/50 $1,200; 11. (12) Clint Smith/50 $1,000; 12. (13) Eddie Carrier Jr./50 $900; 13. (14) Rick Eckert/50 $800; 14. (15) Garrett Durrett/50 $700; 15. (16) Eric Jacobsen/49 $700; 16. (23) Zach Forster/49 $700; 17. (17) John Blankenship/49 $700; 18. (7) Dale McDowell/45 $700; 19. (18) Reed Millard/45 $700; 20. (24) Robert Sanders/25 $700; 21. (19) Billy Moyer Jr./15 $700; 22. (20) Ed Dixon/12 $700; 23. (22) Shane Thompson/3 $700; 24. (21) Craig Smith/3 $700.

Time of Race: 15 Mins., 38 Secs.
Margin of Victory:  1.063 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 1 (Lap 4)
Lap Leaders: Moyer (1-50)

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

1. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.226
2. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 15.256
3. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 15.469
4. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.690
5. 41-Johnny Cloer Jr./Chatsworth, GA 15.725
6. 8K-Jason Bodenhamer/Centerview, MO 15.740
7. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.749
8. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.840
9. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.862
10. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 15.906
11. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.967
12. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.985
13. 17M-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 16.033
14. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 16.044
15. 3x-Craig Smith/Springfield, IL 16.113
16. 5-Eric Jacobsen/Santa Cruz, CA 16.131
17. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 16.151
18. 58c-Garrett Durrett/Simsboro, LA 16.225
19. 21jr-Billy Moyer Jr./Batesville, AR 16.516
20. 60-Ed Dixon/Washington, MO 16.540
21. 14-Reed Millard/Jefferson City, MO 16.585
22. 25x-Shane Thompson/Opalaka, AL 16.948
23. 1F-Zack Foster/Bakersfield, CA 17.037
24. Robert Sanders/Bakersfield, CA 18.194

Heat No. 1 (10 laps): Francis, Lanigan, McDowell, Frank, Carrier, Jacobsen, Moyer Jr., Thompson.

Heat No. 2 (10 laps): Moyer, Richards, McCreadie, Cloer, Eckert, Blankenship, Dixon, Forster.

Heat No. 3 (10 laps): Shirley, Bodenhamer, Clint Smith, Durrett, Millard, Craig Smith, Sanders.

Dash (6 laps): Moyer, Richards, Francis, Lanigan, Bodenhamer, Shirley.

WoO Late Model Series Points Standings (after Aug. 15): 1. Tim McCreadie 3,430; 2. Billy Moyer 3,414; 3. Darrell Lanigan 3,410; 4. Steve Francis 3,404; 5. Shane Clanton 3,388; 6. Chub Frank 3,358; 7. Rick Eckert 3,342; 8. Dale McDowell 3,260; 9. Clint Smith 3,253; 10. Josh Richards 3,196; 11. Eddie Carrier Jr. 2,833; 12. John Blankenship 2,808; 13. Eric Jacobsen 2,736; 14. Garrett Durrett 2,704; 15. Mike Balzano 998.

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 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 webmaster@dirtvision.com.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by several sponsors and partners, including Series sponsor Hoosier Tire; Promotional sponsors AMB i.t., Choice Hotels International, COESfx, The University of Northwest Ohio and Snap-on. Contingency sponsors include DART Machinery, Holley Performance Products Inc., MSD Ignition, Quarter Master, Ohlins and Wrisco Industries.