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Billy Moyer claims Wild West Shootout Opener at USA
Raceway!
by Ryan Neuharth
TUCSON, Ariz (January 14) – Having picked up three wins at the Wild West
Shootout in 2011, including the $10,000-to-win Bill Cheesborg Memorial
finale, it didn’t take long for Billy Moyer to return to victory lane in
2012. Drawing the pole after a dominating heat race performance, the
Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer scored his eighth career series win by
leading all 30-laps of the opening nights main event.
While Moyer enjoyed leads of half a straightaway at times, many
positions in the races final rundown were in-doubt until the checkered
flag waved.
Moyer would grab the lead from the pole as his Victory
Circle teammate Shannon Babb would secured second over Ronnie Lee
Hollingsworth, Will Vaught, Jimmy Mars, Brad Looney, Frank Heckenast,
Jr., John Anderson, Tim McCreadie, Bub McCool and Don O’Neal.
Vaught would quickly dispatch of Hollingsworth and begin a battle for
the runner-up spot with Babb which lasted the duration. McCreadie was
also an early mover, not surprisingly using the vacant top-side, to
quickly advance from thirtieth to seventh.
The Babb, Vaught duel allowed Moyer to slip away and set a torrid pace,
and he quickly caught the back of the field on lap eight. As the lead
trio maneuvered through lapped traffic, Mars closed in on the battle for
second as Hollingsworth, Heckenast, McCreadie and O’Neal negotiated
position within the top ten.
The first yellow would appear for Ricky Weiss on lap twelve as he slowed
to a stop in turn one, bunching the field for a Delaware double-file
restart. Back under green, trouble would immediately strike Heckenast as
he struck and infield tire in turn three before a lap could be complete.
In the mealy of drivers trying to avoid, Billy Moyer, Jr. and Duke
Whiseant got together and each driver ended-up hard into the turn three
fence.
With open track ahead after the restart, Moyer again stretched his lead
while Babb and Vaught resumed their fight for second. Even though the
duo seemingly swapped the position several time each circuit, it wasn’t
until the final five laps that Vaught officially wrestled the spot from
Babb.
Maybe the surprises of the evening were McCreadie in his new Warrior
“House Car” mount and Don O’Neal. Both the drivers had to advance via
the “B-Main” and made the most of their opportunity. McCreadie, the
first driver to use the cushion, quickly moved from thirteenth to
seventh on the start before more methodically ending-up fifth in the
final rundown. O’Neal was glued to the rear of the Sweeteners Plus 39,
following it an opening night sixth.
After staring on the outside pole, Hollingsworth would slip back outside
the top five during the races mid-point, finding himself waged in a
battle with Looney, Morgan Bagley, and John Anderson with whom he had a
door-banging heat race fight for the win. The trio would get the best of
Hollingsworth regulating the Alabama driver to the tenth spot at the
checkered.
Upfront Moyer was never contested, and he is just one behind Terry
Phillips for the all-time series lead. He knows, however, that he can’t
rest on his laurels the remainder of the series. For Moyer, the triumph
was the 753rd of his career.
A-Main
1 1 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR $3,000
2 5 1V Will Vaught
Crane, MO
3 3 18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, IL
4 7 28 Jimmy Mars
Menomonie, WI
5 13 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY
6 14 71 Don
O’Neal Martinsville, IN
7 4 14 Brad Looney Republic, MO
8 11 14M
Morgan Bagley Longview, TX
9 6 2J John Anderson Omaha, NE
10 2 18x
Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth Northport, AL
11 19 15K Justin Kay
Wheatland, IA
12 8 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS
13 16 27 Nick
Bartels El Segundo, CA
14 12 00x Jesse Stovall Galena, MO
15 15
11K Jon Kirby Russellville, AR
16 22 32S Chris Shannon Merced, CA
17 20 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO
18 23 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr
Chandler, AZ
19 24 A1 Duke Whiseant Texarkana, AR
20 17 21JR Billy
Moyer Jr Batesville, AR
21 9 99JR Frank Heckenast Jr Orland Park, IL
22 18 7 Ricky Weiss Headingly, MB
23 10 00 Randy Korte Highland, IL
24 21 10 Mike Balcaen Winnipeg, MB
B-Main #1
1 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY *
2 27 Nick Bartels
El Segundo, CA *
3 15K Justin Kay Wheatland, IA *
4 32S Chris
Shannon Merced, CA *
5 9I Steve Isenburg Marshfield, WI
6 9T Tim
Isenburg Marshfield, WI
7 31 Scott Creel Franklinton, LA
8 51 Joey
Moriarty Tucson, AZ
9 18C Ross Camponova Clarksdale, MS
10 8P
Lonnie Parker Jr El Mirage, AZ
11 11M Paul Mueller Bismarck, ND
12
77A Justin Asplin Birch Tree, MO
13 2 Trevor Glaser Tangent, OR
14
37 Rob Mayea Bend, OR
15 91P Jason Papich Santa Maria, CA
16 10EH
Ed Turnbull Estevan, MB
17 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA
dns
25 Shane Clanton Locust Grove, GA
dns 54 Dane Dacus Memphis, TN
B-Main #2
1 71 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN *
2 21JR Billy Moyer Jr
Batesville, AR *
3 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO *
4 20rt
Ricky Thornton Jr Chandler, AZ *
5 43 Garret Alberson Las Cruces, NM
6 14M Dean Moore Grand Junction, CO
7 91T Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA
8 42s Don Shaw Ham Lake, MN
9 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA
10 77
Jason McBride Carbonville, IL
11 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA
12
23 Brad Williams Tucson, AZ
13 6H Al Humphries Giltner, NE
14 7V
David Vennard Edmonton, AB
15 17s Rick Shafer Vacaville, CA
16 92K
Brant Kehrer New Memphis, IL
17 4R Dereck Ramirez Woodward, OK
18
26 Mark Carrell Redmond, OR
19 5B Klint Byars Carrollton, MS
B-Main #3
1 11K Jon Kirby Russellville, AR *
2 7 Ricky Weiss
Headingly, MB *
3 10 Mike Balcaen Winnipeg, MB *
4 A1 Duke
Whiseant Texarkana, AR *
5 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA
6 37 Rob
Mayea Bend, OR
7 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
8 32B Clay
Daly Bakersfield, CA
9 28X Jeff Provinzino Hibbing, MN
10 10X Leon
Henderson Laurel, MS
11 25 Shane Clanton Locust Grove, GA
12 93
Ray Moore Shreveport, LA
13 21F Todd Frank Mellen, WI
14 5E Shane
Edginton Winnipeg, MB
15 94 James Chavez Jr Tucson, AZ
16 96M Matt
Micheli Yuba City, CA
17 6 Rick Butler Tucson, AZ
18 72 Travis
Gorsuch Chanhassen, MN
19 38 Marc Herrera Las Cruces, NM
dns 28
John Lobb Frewsburg, NY
Heat #1 (unofficial)
1 2 00K Randy Korte Highland, IL *
2 1 31
Scott Creel Franklinton, LA
3 3 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr Chandler, AZ
4 6 9I Steve Isenburg Marshfield, WI
5 9 75 Terry Phillips
Springfield, MO
6 8 43 Garret Alberson Las Cruces, NM
7 10 8 John
Lowrey Bakersfield, CA
8 7 17s Rick Shafer Vacaville, CA
9 4 96M
Matt Micheli Yuba City, CA
10 5 7V David Vennard Edmonton, AB
Heat #2
1 1 00 Jesse Stovall Galena, MO *
2 7 14 Brad Looney
Republic, MO
3 4 37 Rob Mayea Bend, OR
4 10 99JR Frank Heckenast
Jr Orland Park, IL
5 5 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
6 8 28X
Jeff Provinzino Hibbing, MN
7 6 11M Paul Mueller Bismarck, ND
8 2
37W Scott Ward Watertown, SD
9 3 94 James Chavez Jr Tucson, AZ
10
9 92K Brant Kehrer New Memphis, IL
Heat #3
1 7 28 Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI *
2 5 71 Don O’Neal
Martinsville, IN
3 10 18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, IL
4 9 27 Nick
Bartels El Segundo, CA
5 3 9T Tim Isenburg Marshfield, WI
6 4 25
Shane Clanton Locust Grove, GA
7 2 51 Joey Moriarty Tucson, AZ
8 8
21F Todd Frank Mellen, WI
9 6 54 Dane Dacus Memphis, TN
10 1 5B
Klint Byars Carrollton, MS
Heat #4
1 5 2J John Anderson Omaha, NE *
2 7 18 Ronnie Lee
Hollingsworth Northport, AL
3 1 32B Clay Daly Bakersfield, CA
4 9
39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY
5 3 42s Don Shaw Ham Lake, MN
6 8
32S Chris Shannon Merced, CA
7 4 91P Jason Papich Santa Maria, CA
8 2 23 Brad Williams Tucson, AZ
9 6 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville,
CA
dns 28 John Lobb Frewsburg, NY
Heat #5
1 4 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS *
2 5 11K Jon Kirby
Russellville, AR
3 3 8P Lonnie Parker Jr El Mirage, AZ
4 1 2
Trevor Glaser Tangent, OR
5 9 A1 Duke Whiseant Texarkana, AR
6 10
10 Mike Balcaen Winnipeg, MB
7 7 5E Shane Edginton Winnipeg, MB
8
2 38 Marc Herrera Las Cruces, NM
9 8 72 Travis Gorsuch Chanhassen, MN
10 6 6H Al Humphries Giltner, NE
Heat #6
1 6 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR *
2 2 15K Justin Kay
Wheatland, IA
3 8 1V Will Vaught Crane, MO
4 9 21JR Billy Moyer Jr
Batesville, AR
5 1 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA
6 7 14M Dean Moore
Grand Junction, CO
7 3 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA
8 10 4R
Dereck Ramirez Woodward, OK
9 5 6 Rick Butler Tucson, AZ
10 4 18
Ross Camponova Clarksdale, MS
Heat #7
1 2 14M Morgan Bagley Longview, TX
2 1 91T Tony Toste
Pismo Beach, CA
3 3 77 Jason McBride Carbonville, IL
4 8 7 Ricky
Weiss Headingly, MB
5 5 77A Justin Asplin Birch Tree, MO
6 7 93
Ray Moore Shreveport, LA
7 6 26 Mark Carrell Redmond, OR
8 9 10X
Leon Henderson Laurel, MS
9 4 10 Ed Turnbull Estevan, MB
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