DIRT LATE MODEL: Darrel Lanigan Holds Off Moyer To Win At Dirt Covered Berlin Raceway (PHOTOS)

MARNE, MI – Darrell Lanigan’s drive to victory in Saturday night’s Keyser Manufacturing ‘Down & Dirty 100’ Presented by NAPA Auto Parts at Berlin Raceway was so dramatic, even he couldn’t hold back his excitement.

With rain pouring down on the Victory Lane celebration, the normally reserved driver from Union, Ky., was as pumped as the big crowd that watched him rally to overtake Billy Moyer for the lead on lap 95 and bag his unprecedented third 100-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series triumph of 2012.

“Unbelievable,” a visibly overjoyed Lanigan said after his WoO LMS record 15th win of the season. “Man, what a race! That car came on there at the end. I could just run wide open almost all the way around the racetrack.”

Lanigan, 42, appeared dead in the water after a lap-30 scrape damaged his Rocket car’s right-rear corner and dropped him from second to sixth, but he came alive with a late-race charge that carried him to a $20,650 win in the first dirt event since 1965 at the historic Berlin track. The renowned 7/16th-mile paved oval was covered with over 300 truckloads of clay for the big weekend of racing.

After pulling away from Batesville, Ark.’s Moyer following a lap-96 restart to win by 2.978 seconds, Lanigan had high praise for Berlin’s newly-laid track surface.

“That track was amazing,” said Lanigan, who recorded his record 41st career victory on the WoO LMS. “Man, we could race all over that thing. It was smooth and slick – just unbelievable.

“I think they need to do this to all asphalt tracks – put dirt on top of it, and once a year we’ll go racing.”

Written By: Kevin Kovac

PHOTOS

2012 World of Outlaw Late Models Down and Dirty 100 (Berlin Raceway)

Results of WoO Late Model Series Keyser Manufacturing ‘Down & Dirty 100’ Presented by NAPA Auto Parts at Berlin Raceway
(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (9) Darrell Lanigan/100 $20,650
2. (4) Billy Moyer/100 $10,200
3. (2) Rick Eckert/100 $6,650
4. (1) Shane Clanton/100 $5,550
5. (23) Clint Smith/100 $4,550
6. (12) Tim Fuller/100 $3,550
7. (15) Brandon Sheppard/100 $2,800
8. (5) Dennis Erb Jr./100 $2,600
9. (8) Chub Frank/100 $2,850
10. (6) Vic Coffey/100 $2,650
11. (14) Mike Spatola/99 $2,450
12. (17) Duane Treadwell/97 $1,800
13. (24) Eric Spangler/96 $1,800
14. (22) Brad Harden/94 $1,700
15. (19) Ryan VanderVeen/94 $1,600
16. (11) Pat Doar/90 $2,130
17. (16) Rich Neiser/81 $1,610
18. (18) Bub McCool/57 $2,340
19. (7) Tim McCreadie/53 $2,170
20. (3) Kent Robinson/33 $2,050
21. (20) Tom Sprague Jr./25 $1,500
22. (10) Jeep VanWormer/11 $1,500
23. (21) Johnny Benson Jr./9 $1,500
24. (13) Curt Spalding/2 $1,550
* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
Time of Race: 43 Mins., 19.976 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 2.978 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 4 (laps 46, 51, 58, 96)
Lap Leaders: Clanton (1-22); Moyer (23-94); Moyer (95-100)
Provisional Starters: C. Smith, Spangler
Rookie of the Race: McCool ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Spatola ($500)

Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Eckert, Erb, McCreadie, VanWormer, Spalding, Neiser, D. Ausra, Sprague, Sheehy, Wenell (DQ) C. Smith
Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Moyer, Clanton, Frank, Doar, Spatola, Treadwell, VanderVeen, P. Ausra, Harden, Ehlert, Meeuwsen
Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Coffey, Robinson, Lanigan, Fuller, Sheppard, McCool, Benson, Weisner, Mesman, Spangler
B-Main (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): VanderVeen, Sprague, Benson, Harden, Smith, D. Ausra, P. Ausra, Spangler, Weisner, Sheehy, Mesman, Meeuwsen, Ehlert (DNS) Wenell

Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results
(Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
1. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.433
2. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 15.939
3. 32c-Vic Coffey/Caledonia, NY 15.998
4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr./Carpentersville, IL 16.027
5. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 16.214
6. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 16.248
7. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 16.266
8. 89-Mike Spatola/Manhattan, IL 16.336
9. 7R-Kent Robinson/Bloomington, IN 16.413
10. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 16.501
11. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 16.513
12. 1-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 16.532
13. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 16.602
14. 55-Duane Treadwell/LaGrange, GA 16.704
15. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 16.756
16. 111-Curt Spalding/Hartford, MI 16.796
17. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 16.919
18. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 16.937
19. 15-Rich Neiser/Fruitport, MI 16.952
20. 23V-Ryan VanderVeen/Six Lakes, MI 17.152
21. 10-Johnny Benson Jr./Charlotte, NC 17.154
22. 22-Doug Ausra/Dowagiac, MI 17.205
23. 15A-Phil Ausra/Dowagiac, MI 17.348
24. 27-Eric Spangler/Lake City, MI 17.401
25. 21s-Tom Sprague Jr./Muskegon, MI 17.483
26. 52x-Brad Harden/Ovid, MI 17.627
27. 20-Kody Weisner/Lima, OH 17.983
28. 51-Dale Sheehy/Twin Lakes, MI 18.105
29. 32-Ross Meeuwsen/Zeeland, MI 18.227
30. 66-Curt Mesman/Grand Rapids, MI 18.321
31. 3-Scott Wenell/Muskegon, MI 18.345
32. 71e-Pat Ehlert/Ovid, MI 18.926