Mike Marlar On The Brink Of The WoO LM Bull’s Eye Entering The World Finals In Charlotte

Story By: CRISTINA CORDOVA / DIRTCAR – CONCORD, NC – A sequence of misfortunes for defending Series Champion Brandon Sheppard has left Winfield, TN’s Mike Marlar in prime position to clinch the title in his maiden World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series voyage.

Despite his 12 wins to Marlar’s five this season, the 25-year-old New Berlin, IL native sits in third place behind Chris Madden, who has eight wins. This is where consistency and luck are key — and where Sheppard’s strategic, aggressive driving style, which has placed him at the top of the Series earnings this season with $269,155 (still substantially less than last year), may have hurt him in the championship. Two blown engines and several poorly-timed flats have left the Rocket Shepp 40 points back, but his determination could see him through yet. A couple of trips to Victory Lane during the World of Outlaws World Finals presented by Can-Am could give him a much-needed boost, but Marlar would still need to fall short of 10th, which he’s only done four times this season.

That said, both Sheppard and Madden have a history of success at the Dirt Track at Charlotte, with two wins apiece.

In his World of Outlaws full-season debut last year, Madden finished second in points behind Sheppard in the title chase. This season, after swapping the points lead with Marlar several times, Smoky sits in second again by a mere 22 points. A tipping of the scales is a bit more realistic for him than for Sheppard, though still no easy task. The Gray Court, SC native needs to beat Marlar by an average of six positions in the two remaining races — two trips to Victory Lane, with Marlar out of the top five.

Devin Moran, 24, from Dresden, OH has put in a solid sophomore season for the Tye Twarog Racing/DMR team. He’s back in fourth place for the second year in a row, with two wins again on the season, but he’s managed to cut the points spread in half, and he’s gained some consistency with 22 Top-Five finishes over last year’s 14.

The battle for the final spot in the top five is also very much alive as former Series Champions Rick Eckert (2011) and Shane Clanton (2015) sit just 16 points apart with Eckert in the lead. Although it has been a disappointing season for both drivers, no wins for either of them, the former champs sit fourth and fifth on the all-time wins list — Clanton with 42 and Eckert with 37. Last year, Clanton finished third, with Eckert in fifth, but he’ll have his work cut out for him this weekend just to crack the top five.

Don’t disregard Tyler Erb, 21, from New Waverly, TX, who has enjoyed an impressive third season in the family-owned No. 91 car. It has been a month since the last Series activity at Atomic Speedway on September 28 and 29, where Terbo scored his first-ever World of Outlaws win on Friday and followed that up with his second on Saturday. And it was no easy task; Erb scored the Hard Charger award both nights, starting 17th on Friday and 13th on Saturday, then mounting two spirited comebacks for back-to-back wins. Sitting in sixth, 448 points behind the leader, Erb is no threat in the points chase, but will certainly be looking for that third (and fourth) Series win.

Of course, an abundance of other drivers will be making the trip to Charlotte to join the Outlaws this weekend. Here’s a few to keep an eye on.

Jonathan Davenport was recently crowned Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Champion, amassing seven wins on tour this year. Superman has six career victories in World of Outlaws competition, half of those coming at the Dirt Track (11/6/10, 11/4/11 and 11/7/15). Davenport also won a preliminary feature at Eldora in the Dirt Late Model Dream earlier this year, proving his talent on these wide-open racetracks. Expect him to ride this huge wave of success into Charlotte.

Speaking of waves, 2005 Rookie of the Year and four-time Series Champion Josh Richards just scored a $100k victory two weekends ago at the Portsmouth Raceway Park. He was only able to muster three wins in Lucas Dirt competition this season, but his consistent finishes placed him runner-up in overall points. He’s also tied with Jimmy Owens for the most wins at the Dirt Track in World of Outlaws competition (6) since 2007. If history is any indication of his chances this weekend, Richards could be a threat to win on both nights of the World Finals.

Jimmy Owens will also be in town this weekend, looking for his seventh Outlaw win at the Dirt track. His last Outlaw victory came earlier this year at the Volunteer Speedway after a tense battle with Chris Madden in the closing circuits. The O-Show also bagged an Outlaw win three weeks earlier in the First in Flight 100 at the Fayetteville Motor Speedway. He finished fifth in Lucas Dirt points this year and also broke the bank at Knoxville last month with a win in the Late Model Nationals. He’s dominant; ‘nuff said.

World Finals Late Model competitors will have an opportunity to learn the track during Hot Laps at 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 1 before Time Trials later that night. Friday and Saturday will feature Heats and Last Chance Showdowns before each evening’s 50-lap feature