Kennedy Motorsports Teammates Clanton & Fuller Shine During Friday’s Illini 100 Qualifying At Farmer City Raceway
FARMER CITY, IL – April 5, 2013 – Kennedy Motorsports teammates Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., shined brightly on Friday night at Farmer City Raceway, claiming heat-race victories during the qualifying program that kicked off the Illini 100 weekend.
Clanton established himself as the early class of the event’s 40-car field, turning the overall fastest lap in split Ohlins Shocks Time Trials (12.786 seconds) and dominating the first of four 15-lap heat races. He will join Fuller and the evening’s other heat winners and runners-up in a redraw for the top eight starting spots in Saturday night’s $20,000-to-win Illini 100.
The only World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular to capture the Illini 100 in its four previous runnings, Clanton, 37, will attempt to join Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., as a two-time winner of the national tour’s lucrative event at the quarter-mile oval.
“Except for the year I won, I’ve always dug myself a hole here in this race,” said Clanton, whose Illini 100 triumph came in 2009. “Last year we the fastest car hot-lapping and qualified like 33rd, so we had to spend the rest of the weekend digging out of it. This year we were fast hot-lapping, set fast time, got a pole (start) in the heat and capitalized on it. Hopefully we can just keep the momentum running.”
Clanton, who registered the fastest lap during heat competition, had his Capital Race Car firing smoothly after experiencing some trouble during Thursday night’s open practice.
“I got some (hot) laps last night but not many,” said Clanton. “Every time I went out there the motor was missing and it took us all night to figure out what it was. We finally changed spark plugs and that was the problem.
“Tonight we went off some stuff that Tim learned last night, so it’s good to have a teammate that’s fast and we can rely on his notes.”
Fuller, 45, built up the largest heat-race margin of victory, topping defending Illini 100 champ Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., by 3.032 seconds in the second heat. He put himself in position for a career-best Illini 100 finish one year after failing to qualify for the extra-distance A-Main.
“I didn’t make the show last year so I’m happy and looking forward to tomorrow,” said Fuller, who also recorded the second-fastest overall lap in Ohlins Shocks Time Trials. “I’m in good stuff now and I feel good.”
Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and two-time WoO LMS titlist Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., were also triumphant in Friday night’s heat races. Feger will bid to become the first home-state driver to win the Illini 100 while Richards will seek to better his career-best third-place finish in the event.
Moyer and Mars were among the second-place finishers in the heat races, joining Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. Moyer also was the fastest qualifier in Group ‘B’ of time trials with a lap of 13.115 seconds.
Saturday’s program, which begins with hot laps at 5 p.m., includes WoO LMS B-Mains and the Illini 100. The UMP Modifieds will also run B-Mains and a 50-lap, $5,000-to-win feature, and the track’s regular Street Stock class will be in competition.
More information on Farmer City Raceway is available by logging on to www.farmercityracing.com.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):
Group A
1. 25-Shane Clanton/Fayetteville, GA 12.786
2. 19-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 13.001
3. 18b-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 13.016
4. b5-Brandon Sheppard/New Berlin, IL 13.079
5. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 13.181
6. 28-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 13.195
7. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 13.208
8. 75-Billy Drake/Bloomington, IL 13.240
9. B12-Kevin Weaver/Gibson City, IL 13.260
10. 89-Daren Friedman/Forrest, IL 13.282
11. 35-Derek Chandler/Pontiac, IL 13.293
12. 57J-Bub McCool/Vicksburg, MS 13.314
13. 14M-Morgan Bagley/Longview, TX 13.317
14. 99Jr-Frankie Heckenast Jr./Orland Park, IL 13.381
15. 83-Scott Bull/Fairbury, IL 13.476
16. 32J-Jason Jaggers/Wyanet, IL 13.686
17. 42-McKay Wenger/Fairbury, IL 13.721
18. 21K-Kyle Logue/Cisco, IL 13.767
19. 25B-Mike Benedum/Salem, WV 13.833
20. 11-Tyler Reddick/DuQuoin, IL N/T
Group B
1. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 13.115
2. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 13.139
3. 25F-Jason Feger/Bloomington, IL 13.307
4. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 13.309
5. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 13.347
6. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 13.369
7. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 13.400
8. 7R-Kent Robinson/Bloomington, IN 13.415
9. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 13.432
10. 1G-Scott James/Bright, IN 13.498
11. 7b-Mark Burgtorf/Quincy, IL 13.522
12. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 13.546
13. 1W-Dillon Wood/New Smyrna Beach, FL 13.593
14. 7K-Rodney Sanders/Happy, TX 13.729
15. 22d-Chris Dick/Deland, IL 13.767
16. 24-Ryan Unzicker/El Paso, IL 13.820
17. 18-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 13.927
18. 74-Russ Adams/Princeville, IL 14.437
19. 33-Bill Hough/Thomasboro, IL 15.142
20. 18-Ross Camponovo/Clarksdale, MA N/T
Heat No. 1 (15 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Clanton, Birkhofer, Lanigan, Babb, Weaver, Chandler, Bagley, Bull, Wenger, Benedum
Heat No. 2 (15 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Fuller, Mars, Sheppard, Drake, McCool, Friedman, Jaggers, Logue, Heckenast Jr. (DNS) Reddick
Heat No. 3 (15 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Feger, Moyer, Frank, Eckert, Satterlee, Wells, Dick, Wood, Burgtorf, Hough
Heat No. 4 (15 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Richards, McCreadie, James, Robinson, Shirley, Unzicker, Smith, Adams, Sanders (DNS) Camponovo
The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: American Racing Custom Wheels (Official Custom Wheel), Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), KMC (Official Custom Truck Wheel), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Vicci (Official Uniform), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors: Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Edelbrock, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos, Wrisco Aluminum and XS Power Racing Batteries; along with manufacturer sponsors Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, TNT Rescue, and Warrior Chassis.
Category: Farmer City, Illinois
