Donny Schatz, Shane Clanton and Matt Sheppard were crowned champions of their respective divisions Sunday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, concluding a wild weekend of racing at the ninth annual Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaws World Finals.
Joey Saldana, Jonathan Davenport and Tim Kerr captured the checkered flags in the A-Main feature events at the lightning-fast four-tenths mile oval.
Fans from 48 states and five foreign countries as far away as Australia packed the grandstands and braved the elements after inclement weather pushed the normally three-day event into an extra day. The World Finals brings together dirt racing’s three premiere divisions, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds to end their seasons and crown their respective champions.
Saldana earned his third sprint car victory of the 2015 season and his fifth at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Sunday night. He started on the pole and led all 30 laps in the A-Main.
“We’ve had a great car and led a lot of laps,” said Saldana. “The track raced well, even for a rubbered-up track.
“It’s kind of bittersweet really. This will probably be the last time driving the 71m and an awesome way to go out. The only thing better than this will be celebrating with my wife and boys.”
Although Saldana was dominant throughout the night, the win didn’t come easy for him. In the opening laps of the sprint car A-Main, he had to hold off Brad Sweet and Logan Schuchart, while racing through heavy lapped traffic during the beginning of the feature. The first caution came out on lap 8 when Bryan Clauson and Trey Starks crashed in Turn 4.
Following the restart, Saldana continued to lead, but it was Shane Stewart, who battled his way into the second position. On lap 17, the second and final caution of the feature came out when Danny Holtgraver spun down the frontstretch.
The restart was Stewart’s opportunity to overthrow Saldana, but in the end, he had to settle for second as Saldana went on to win the race. Finishing third was Sweet, and rounding out the top-five was Stevie Smith and Dale Blaney. At the end of the feature, Schatz was crowned the series champion.
“The Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Performance Tony Stewart Racing team did a phenomenal job,” said Schatz. “It’s an honor to drive that car.
“Whether we win or lose, we have fun with it and do our best. We’re going to go home as champions this weekend and wipe the slate clean while the crew works hard for next year.”
In the World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main, it was “Superman” Davenport claiming his fifth win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. He started sixth and ran up front all night long.
“This year has been unbelievable. The track crew has done a great job all weekend. To cap off this season we’ve had it makes it extra special to go out with a win and a big smile,” said Davenport.
Darrell Lanigan and Chris Madden started on the front row and battled for the race lead during the first half of the feature, swapping the lead on several occasions.
Thanks to multiple cautions, Davenport was able to stalk the leaders, finally passing Lanigan for the lead on lap 30 as Lanigan was held up by the lapped car of Brandon Sheppard on the backstretch.
Sheppard, Friday night’s late model A-Main feature winner, brought out a caution on Lap 34. On the restart, Davenport took off with Lanigan, Madden, Casey Roberts and Jimmy Owens on his back bumper. The top-five drivers battled it out, mimicking each other’s moves until the final caution of the night came on lap 41 when Roberts, who was running fourth, was slow on the track.
In the end, the Georgia native Davenport took the checkered flag, followed by Lanigan, Madden, Owens and Don O’Neal. Following the race, Clanton was crowned the 2015 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Clanton. “We won a lot of big races, but have never been able to put a full season together. To put one together like we have has been very special.”
In the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified feature, Kerr made a late-race charge to capture his first career A-Main victory in the series. Kerr, a native of Picton, Ontario, started eighth and led the final 10 laps of the race.
“We’ve had a great car since we unloaded. This is just awesome!” said Kerr.
Billy Paunch Jr. and Pete Britten brought the field to the green flag to start the 40-lap feature. Early on, Britten and Larry Wight battled each other for the race lead as they navigated through lapped traffic. The first caution came out on lap 18 when Keith Flach smacked the frontstretch wall.
On the restart, Britten and Wight tried to separate themselves from a fierce pack behind them, but it didn’t take long for Kerr to make his way around both drivers. On Lap 29, Kerr passed Wight, and on the following lap, overtook Britten for the lead.
Kerr went on to win, with the 2015 Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified champion Matt Sheppard finishing second.
“It says so much about this team to have everything prepared,” said Sheppard. “We took a tumble in the heat with the backup car and that backup car was just as good as the primary car. It is just a great season for us.”
Rounding out the top-five was Wight, followed by Friday’s A-Main feature winner, Danny Johnson, and Britten.
Next year’s Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaw World Finals will be held Oct. 27-29 and fans can renew their tickets for only $10 down per ticket and get a three-day pit pass included. To renew 2016 tickets, fans should call the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or go online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com. Connect with The Dirt Track at Charlotte and stay up to speed on all the action at the clay oval on Facebook and by following on Twitter.
World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series
Heat Race #1 (8 laps): 1. Shane Stewart; 2. Tim Shaffer; 3. Joey Saldana; 4. Daryn Pittman; 5. Rico Abreu; 6. Tyler Courtney; 7. Jason Sides; 8. Jacob Allen.
Heat Race #2 (8 laps): 1. Stevie Smith; 2. Sheldon Haudenso; 3. Brad Sweet; 4. Jason Johnson; 5. Dave Blaney; 6. Stewart Friesen; 7. Paige Polyak; 8. Ian Madsen; 9. Sam Hafertepe.
Heat Race #3 (8 laps): 1. Kerry Madsen; 2. Greg Hodnett; 3. Danny Holtgraver; 4. Cody Darrah; 5. Chad Kemenah; 6. Dusty Zomer; 7. Logan Forler; 8. Randy Hannagan.
Heat Race #4 (8 laps): 1. Sammy Swindell; 2. Bryan Clauson; 3. Terry McCarl; 4. Paul McMahan; 5. Brent Marks; 6. Steve Buckwalter; 7. Ryan Smith; 8. Brock Zearfoss; 9. Lance Moss.
Heat Race #5 (8 laps): 1. Kraig Kinser; 2. Trey Starks; 3. Dale Blaney; 4. Steve Kinser; 5. David Gravel; 6. Cole Duncan; 7. Dylan Cisney; 8. Chase Dietz; 9. Wayne Dadetto.
Heat Race #6 (8 laps): 1. Danny Lasoski; 2. Donny Schatz; 3. Logan Schuchart; 4. Paul Nienhiser; 5. Lucas Wolfe; 6. Jac Haudenschild; 7. Dominic Scelzi.
C-Main (10 laps): 1. Rico Abreu; 2. Dylan Cisney; 3. Paul Nienhiser; 4. Jason Johnson; 5. Dusty Zomer; 6. Randy Hannagan; 7. Stewart Friesen; 8. Logan Forler; 9. Chase Dietz; 10. Steve Buckwalter; 11. Jacob Allen; 12. Jason Sides; 13. Brock Zearfoss; 14. Steve Kinser; 15. Ian Madsen; 16. Jac Haudenschild; 17. Sam Hafertepe; 18. Lucas Wolfe; 19. Lance Moss; 20. Wayne Dadetto.
B-Main (13 laps): 1. Daryn Pittman; 2. David Gravel; 3. Brent Marks; 4. Paul McMahan; 5. Rico Abreu; 6. Cody Darrah; 7. Dave Blaney; 8. Cole Duncan; 9. Dominic Scelzi; 10. Ryan Smith; 11. Chad Kemenah; 12. Dylan Cisney; 13. Paige Polyak; 14. Tyler Courtney.
Dash (6 laps): 1. Joey Saldana; 2. Logan Schuchart; 3. Bryan Clauson; 4. Shane Clanton; 5. Danny Lasoski; 6. Brad Sweet; 7. Kerry Madsen; 8. Stevie Smith; 9. Sammy Swindell; 10. Kraig Kinser.
A-Main (30 laps): 1. Joey Saldana; 2. Shane Stewart; 3. Daryn Pittman; 4. Stevie Smith; 5. Dale Blaney; 6. Logan Schuchart; 7. Brad Sweet; 8. Donny Schatz; 9. David Gravel; 10. Rico Abreu; 11. Brent Marks; 12. Danny Lasoski; 13. Kerry Madsen; 14. Kraig Kinser; 15. Jason Sides; 16. Paul McMahan; 17. Cody Darrah; 18. Tim Shaffer; 19. Danny Holtgraver; 20. Sammy Swindell; 21. Sheldon Haudenso; 22. Greg Hodnett; 23. Jason Johnson; 24. Trey Starks; 25. Terry McCarl; 26. Jacob Allen; 27. Bryan Clauson.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Heat Race #1 (10 laps): 1. Darrell Lanigan; 2. Chris Brown; 3. Scott Bloomquist; 4. Dennis Erb Jr.; 5. Paul Wilmoth; 6. Morgan Bagley; 7. Jordan Yaggy; 8. Jim Rasey; 9. Willie Milliken; 10. Dustin Mitchell.
Heat Race #2 (10 laps): 1. Shane Clanton; 2. Casey Roberts; 3. Gregg Satterlee; 4. Chase Junghans; 5. Tim Shaffer; 6. Walker Arthur; 7. Garrett Alberson; 8. Allen Murray; 9. Kelly Guy; 10. Dale Hollidge; 11. John Henderson.
Heat Race #3 (10 laps): 1. Jonathan Davenport; 2. Rick Eckert; 3. WillVaught; 4. Matt Westfall; 5. Brandon Sheppard; 6. Mark Parks; 7. Kerry King Jr.; 8. Kyle Pierce; 9. Chub Frank.
Heat Race #4 (10 laps): 1. Chris Madden; 2. Josh Richards; 3. Brandon Overton; 4. Donny Schatz; 5. Max Blair; 6. Mason Zeigler; 7. Frank Heckenast Jr.; 8. Andy Fries; 9. Chad Hollenbeck; 10. Tyler Horst; 11. Mike Marler; 12. Nick Davis; 13. Dean Bowen.
Heat Race #5 (10 laps): 1. Jimmy Owens; 2. Steve Francis; 3. Eric Wells; 4. Donald Bradsher; 5. Dale McDowell; 6. Cody Mahoney; 7. Dennis Franklin; 8. Colton Flinner; 9. Boom Briggs; 10. Greg Clark; 11. Joey Coulter; 12. Pancho Lawler; 13. Justin Labonte.
Heat Race #6 (10 laps): 1. Billy Moyer Jr.; 2. Don O’Neal; 3. Chris Ferguson; 4. Chris Simpson; 5. Nick Latham; 6. Josh Rice; 7. James Rice; 8. Tim McCreadie; 9. Dan Stone; 10. Russell Erwin Jr.; 11. Jay Sessoms; 12. Reid Millard.
B-Main #1 (10 laps): 1. Chase Junghans; 2. Dennis Erb Jr.; 3. Paul Wilmoth; 4. Morgan Bagley; 5. Garrett Alberson; 6. Tim Shaffer; 7. Walker Arthur; 8. Dale Hollidge; 9. Dustin Mitchell; 10. Allen Murray; 11. Jordan Yaggy; 12. John Henderson; 13. Jim Rasey; 14. Kelly Guy.
DNS: Willie Milliken
B-Main #2 (10 laps): 1. Donny Schatz; 2. Brandon Sheppard; 3. Max Blair; 4. Mason Zeigler; 5. Frank Heckenast Jr.; 6. Matt Westfall; 7. Kyle Pierce; 8. Tyler Horst; 9. Chad Hollenbeck; 10. Dean Bowen; 11. Andy Fries; 12. Kerry King Jr.; 13. Mark Parks; 14. Nick Davis; 15. Brian Ledbetter; 16. Chub Frank.
DNS: Mike Marlar
B-Main #3 (10 laps): 1. Dale McDowell; 2. Nick Latham; 3. Chris Simpson; 4. Josh Rice; 5. Dennis Franklin; 6. Russell Erwin Jr.; 7. Dan Stone; 8. Donald Bradsher; 9. Cody Mahoney; 10. Colton Finner; 11. Greg Clark; 12. Jay Sessoms; 13. Joey Coulter; 14. Reid Millard; 15. Pancho Lawler; 16. Boom Briggs; 17. James Rice.
DNS: Tim McCreadie; Justin Labonte
A-Main (30 laps): 1. Jonathan Davenport; 2. Darrell Lanigan; 3. Chris Madden; 4. Jimmy Owens; 5. Don O’Neal; 6. Gregg Satterlee; 7. Josh Richards; 8. Rick Eckert; 9. Shane Clanton; 10. Chris Brown; 11. Donny Schatz; 12. Billy Moyer Jr.; 13. Scott Bloomquist; 14. Dennis Erb Jr.; 15. Chub Frank; 16. Steve Francis; 17. Brandon Overton; 18. Dale McDowell; 19. Boom Briggs; 20. Chase Junghans; 21. Nick Latham; 22. Morgan Bagley; 23. Eric Wells; 24. Chris Ferguson; 25. Casey Roberts; 26. Brandon Sheppard; 27. Frank Heckenast; 28. Will Vaught; 29. Jordan Yaggy; 30. Tim McCreadie; 31. James Rice.
Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds
Heat Race #1 (8 laps): 1. Billy Pauch Jr.; 2. Dave Blaney; 3. Pat Ward; 4. Rich Scagliotta; 5. Keith Flach; 6. Frank Cozze.
Heat Race #2 (8 laps): 1. Larry Wight; 2. Duane Howard; 3. Jessey Mueller; 4. Jeremiah Shingledecker; 5. Yan Bussiere; 6. Danny Johnson Jr.; 7. Brett Hearn.
Heat Race #3 (8 laps): 1. Kenny Tremont; 2. Tim Kerr; 3. Carey Terrance; 4. Mat Williamson; 5. Tim Fuller; 6. Jimmy Phelps.
Heat Race #4 (8 laps): 1. Billy Decker; 2. Matt Sheppard; 3. Vic Coffey; 4. Chris Hile; 5. Stewart Friesen; 6. Mike Mahaney; 7. Tyler Siri.
Heat Race #5 (8 laps): 1. Pete Britten; 2. Max McLaughlin; 3. Danny Johnson; 4. Tyler Dippel; 5. Gary Tompkins; 6. Dave Rauscher.
A-Main (40 laps): 1. Tim Kerr; 2. Matt Sheppard; 3. Larry Wight; 4. Danny Johnson; 5. Pete Britten; 6. Dave Blaney; 7. Billy Decker; 8. Duane Howard; 9. Billy Pauch Jr.; 10. Tim Fuller; 11. Kenny Tremont; 12. Pat Ward; 13. Mat Williamson; 14. Jimmy Phelps; 15. Gary Tomkins; 16. Rich Scagliotta; 17. Vic Coffey; 18. Frank Cozze; 19. Carey Terrance; 20. Max McLaughlin; 21. Yan Bussiere; 22. Brett Hearn; 23. Jeremiah Shingledecker; 24. Tyler Dippel; 25. Tyler Siri; 26. Jessey Mueller; 27. Dave Rauscher; 28. Chris Hile; 29. Danny Johnson Jr.; 30. Stewart Friesen; 31. Keith Flach; 32. Mike Mahaney.
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