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Daily Dirt 03/28/2024 09:53:54

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May 26
Atomic Speedway,
Alma, OH
Sanction: World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series - $10,000
Information provided by: Alli Collis (last updated May 27, 6:46 pm)
Home turf fertile for Moran's first WoO win
  1. Devin Moran
  2. Steve Casebolt
  3. Brandon Sheppard
  4. Rick Eckert
  5. Chub Frank
  6. Chris Madden
  7. Shane Clanton
  8. Eric Wells
  9. Rod Conley
  10. Eddie Carrier Jr.
  11. Morgan Bagley
  12. Jeremy Berwanger
  13. Donald Bradsher
  14. Shannon Thornsberry
  15. Joey Coulter
  16. Tyler Erb
  17. R.J. Conley
  18. Brian Shirley
  19. Austin Mills
  20. Jason Montgomery
  21. Frank Heckenast Jr.
  22. Jacob Hawkins
  23. Delmas Conley
  24. Jackie Boggs
presented by
Eric Nickelson/Nickelson Racing Photos
Devin Moran climbed atop his car after his first World of Outlaws victory.
What won the race: Winning his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series feature in his home state, Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, led all 50 laps for a $10,000 payday at Atomic Speedway. The second-starting Moran turned back Frank Heckenast Jr. in the early going, Brandon Sheppard in the middle stages and Steve Casebolt in the final laps for the victory.
On the move: Steve Casebolt (13th to second), Rick Eckert (15th to fourth) and Chris Madden (16th to sixth) each improved at least 10 positions.
Winner's sponsors: Moran’s Rocket Chassis is powered by a Malcuit Racing Engine and sponsored by Tye Twarog Racing, Tommy Pope Conoruction, DMR Driving School, Keyser Mfg. Accu-Force Shock & Dynos, Dow Cameron Oil and Gas, All About Wraps, Kendrick Excavating and Eddie’s.
Points chase: WoO standings after Atomic: 1. Brandon Sheppard (1,782 points), 2. Rick Eckert (1,680), 3. Chris Madden (1,674), 4. Tyler Erb (1,662), 5. Shane Clanton (1,634), 6. Devin Moran (1,624), 7. Eric Wells (1,624), 8. Brian Shirley (1,588), 9. Chub Frank (1,576), 10. Frank Heckenast Jr. (1,566), 11. Morgan Bagley (1,490), 12. Joey Coulter (1,476), 13. Donald Bradsher (1,384).
Car count: 33
Fast qualifier: Devin Moran
Time: 13.406 seconds
Polesitter: Frank Heckenast Jr.
Heat race winners: Devin Moran, Shane Clanton, Brandon Sheppard, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Consolation race winners: Joey Coulter, Morgan Bagley
Provisional starters: Donald Bradsher, Shannon Thornsberry
Next series race: May 27, NAPA Wayne County Speedway (Orrville, OH) $10,000
Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.
By Alli Collis
DirtonDirt.com staff writer

ALMA, Ohio (May 26) — After coming close earlier this season, Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, finally broke through for his first career World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series victory on Friday night at Atomic Speedway.

Leading all 50 laps, second-starting Moran turned back early challenges from Frank Heckenast Jr. of Frankfort, Ill., and Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill, holding off a late-race charge from Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., for a $10,000 payday in his fifth victory of the 2017 season.

“I finally got that first World of Outlaws win with the new team this year,” Moran said in Atomic victory lane. “It’s been not a long time coming, but we’ve been there a couple of times. We finally put it all together tonight, got a good pill draw and you see where we’re standing. It’s awesome.”

Charging around the top side of the racetrack, Moran shot to the lead at the drop of the green flag, approaching the rear of the field by the seventh lap. As the leaders worked their way through lapped traffic, Heckenast began reeling in the race leader, only to have his charge slowed by a caution.

Maintaining his lead, Moran entered lapped traffic again on lap 22. With Heckenast retiring on lap 25, Sheppard inherited the second-place spot, pulling alongside Moran to challenge for the lead when another yellow flag waved on lap 30.

As the race went back green, it was 13th-starting Casebolt using the restart to his advantage, shooting ahead of Sheppard down the backstretch to take over the second-place spot. Casebolt closed in on Moran in the race’s final stages, but it was the second-generation driver pulling ahead at the checkers for his first series victory.

“Right before that one caution, I saw Brandon (Sheppard) underneath of me, so under the whole caution I was like, ‘Man do I go to the bottom in (turns) three and four or do I stay up?’ I stayed committed where I was and I saw the No. 9 was in second and I figured he was probably passing around the top on that restart. Regardless, we got it in the bag. I like standing up here.”

Casebolt finished runner-up, with Sheppard running third. Rick Eckert of York, Pa., advanced from the 15th starting position to finish fourth, with 11th-starting Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., rounding out the top five.

Making his debut with the Indiana-based Jim Beeman Motorsports team, Casebolt was happy with his runner-up finish.

“It came together in a hurry,” Casebolt said of his new partnership. “We put this thing together in a hurry. I worked a couple of long days on it. It’s been a lot of fun working with Tader (Masters). It’s always been a dream of mine. I know how good he is at race cars and I’ve just always wanted to learn from him. I think tonight showed that he isn’t no dummy. Sooner or later hard work’s got to pay off.”

While it was another good points night for Sheppard, who held a solid lead in the Outlaws standings entering the weekend, the Rocket driver thought he could have finished a couple of spots higher.

“I thought I was going to get a good enough run to get up alongside Moran there, but he had a really good car,” Sheppard said. “I probably should have just chose the top. I kind of went out on a limb there trying something. I got passed after that. It’s my fault. I feel like I had a car to win the race, I just needed to be in a couple of different spots a few different times.”

Notes: All five of Moran's 2017 victories have come in Ohio. ... Runner-up Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., made his debut behind the wheel of a Jim Beeman Motorsports MasterSbilt Race Car. ... Winless since Aug. 22, 2009, WoO regular Chub Frank, returned to the site of his most recent series victory (when the track was then known as K-C Raceway) and recorded a fifth-place finish. ... Polesitter Frank Heckenast Jr. ran second for the first half of the race before retiring with mechanical issues. ... A tangle between Tyler Erb and R.J. Conley led to a lap-34 caution when Erb suffered a flat tire; Conley made contact with Erb during the slowdown and was sent pitside. ... Morgan Bagley slowed on lap 30 for a yellow flag; fourth-running Shane Clanton suffered a flat tire under caution and was forced to pit for a change. ... Jackie Boggs slowed to draw a lap-11 caution; Delmas Conley retired along with Boggs. ... Atomic kicked off a three-race holiday weekend for the WoO tour, which also visits NAPA Wayne County Speedway on Saturday and Tyler County Speedway on Sunday. ... Rod Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, currently leads Atomic's weekly Late Model point standings.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Heckenast, Moran
Row 2: Carrier, Erb
Row 3: Shirley, Sheppard
Row 4: Clanton, Boggs
Row 5: Wells, R.J. Conley
Row 6: Frank, D. Conley
Row 7: Casebolt, Rod Conley
Row 8: Eckert, Madden
Row 9: Coulter, Bagley
Row 10: Berwanger, Hawkins
Row 11: Mills, Montgomery
Row 12: Bradsher, Thornsberry
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