Club 29 Drivers Share the Spotlight on Thursday Night at the Dirt Track at Charlotte
Contact: Joshua Joiner
World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Coordinator
jjoiner@dirtcar.com | 850-232-9331
Lanigan and Owens Split Fast-Time Honors On Opening Night Of Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaws World Finals
Club 29 Drivers Share the Spotlight on Thursday Night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte
CONCORD, N.C. – Nov., 6, 2014 – Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., put Club 29 Race Cars in the spotlight Thursday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte by splitting fast-time honors during Qualifying Night at the eighth annual Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaws World Finals.
Kicking off his championship crowning weekend on a high note, Lanigan, 44, posted the fastest lap in the first of two rounds of Ohlins Shocks Time Trials for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Owens, 42, was fastest in Thursday’s second qualifying session.
The two qualifying rounds were part of the opening night of the World Finals weekend at Charlotte’s 4/10-mile oval. The three-night blockbuster event features season-ending doubleheaders for the WoO LMS, the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars and the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds.
The two Late Model qualifying sessions featured a field of 77 Late Model entries. The lap times will be used to determine the heat race lineups for separate $12,000-to-win WoO LMS programs on Friday and Saturday with first round qualifying times setting lineups for Friday night’s six heat races and round two aligning the six heats on Saturday.
Lanigan, who will clinch his third WoO LMS championship just by competing in the weekend’s two programs, enjoyed the preliminary night success as both a driver and a chassis builder. The 2008 and 2012 WoO LMS titlist launched Club 29 Race Cars this season after developing the new chassis and sister chassis brand Black Diamond Chassis with noted Late Model setup guru Ronnie Stuckey. Owens was among the early drivers to join the Club when he began fielding a Club 29 car in March.
“It’s definitely exciting for Club 29 and Black Diamond Chassis,” said Lanigan, whose lone Charlotte victory came in the opening round of last year’s World Finals. “It’s phenomenal to get fast time both rounds. Just can’t wait for the rest of the weekend.”
Lanigan will look to add to a stellar year that has already set a new record for the most WoO LMS wins in a single season. With his 16th WoO LMS victory of the year in the national tour’s most recent race Sept. 13 at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway, Lanigan broke his own single-season wins record from his championship-winning campaign in 2012.
With the championship virtually locked up, Lanigan’s primary focus at Charlotte is adding even more victories to his 2014 tally.
“It’s definitely nice to come down here and race and not have to worry about points,” said Lanigan, who leads the WoO LMS all-time wins list with 69 career series victories. “The car’s great right now and I can’t wait until tomorrow.”
Owens had perhaps the best night overall considering his first-round qualifying effort was second fastest behind Lanigan in Group B. With front-row starting spots for his heat race on both Friday and Saturday, Owens is in prime position to add to his five-career World Finals victories.
“We’ve got a good race car, got good qualifying times both rounds and looking forward to the rest of the weekend,” said Owens, who’s tied with three-time WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for the most World Finals victories. “It’s kinda like the same old Charlotte. Things seem to be working out for us right now. We’ve got a good starting spot in the heat races so maybe we can put a show on for the fans.”
Lanigan’s fast time in the first round of qualifying was quickest in Group B of the two-group session. Group A fast time went to 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. Owens topped Group A of round two time trials while Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., was fastest in Group B.
Other drivers turning in notable efforts on Thursday include Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., who was fourth in his group in round one and second in round two; Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who was third-fastest and fifth-fastest in his two qualifying groups; and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who posted qualifying times among the top five of his group in both rounds.
The Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaws World Finals continue on Friday and Saturday with gates opening at 3 p.m. and hot laps scheduled to begin at 4 each day. Each program will include a 50-lap A-Main for the WoO LMS, a 30-lap A-Main for the WoO Sprint Car Series and a 40-lap main event for the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds.
Tickets for the World Finals can be obtained by logging on to www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or calling 1-800-455-FANS.
For fans unable to attend the World Finals in person, live video of every lap of action for all three divisions is available through an online Pay-Per-View production. Ordering information is available by logging on to www.DirtonDirt.com or www.DIRTVision.com.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com. Fans can also follow the WoO LMS on Twitter at Twitter.com/WoOLateModels and Facebook at Facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws .