Moyer Out Maneuvers McCreadie for Ninth Wild West Shootout Win
Ties Phillips A-Top the All-Time WWSO Win List, 754th of his Career
by Ryan Neuharth
Tucson, Ariz (January 20) – On a racetrack that Billy Moyer described as “The best he’s had it all week,” the Hall of Famer from Batesville, AR outdueled fellow front row starter and Sunday winner Tim McCreadie for the win in round four of the Wild West Shootout presented by Total Seal Piston Rings at USA Raceway. The win was the second of the week for Moyer, his ninth all-time in the series, and 754th of his career.
While Moyer was credited with leading all 30-laps, the race was anything but a runaway as McCreadie kept steady pressure on the leader during the mid-stages of the caution free event. Between laps ten and twenty, McCreadie would show the nose to Moyer several times in heavy lapped traffic. The most serious challenge came on lap seventeen when the leaders split a lap car off of turn two, and running door-to-door into turn three. Moyer would find the moisture rich cushion to his liking off of turn four to repeal the New York driver’s most serious challenge.
“This place is really fun to race on when it gets like this,” McCreadie said from the front-straight after the race. “He’s (Moyer) been in his car for four years, and we’ve been in ours for four days. We’re just a tick off but were gaining on it every night and building something special with these Warrior cars.”
Behind the two leaders a great battle for the next six positions was taking place between Brad Looney, Jimmy Mars, Will Vaught, Randy Korte, Jesse Stovall, and Shannon Babb.
Looney and Mars would run third and fourth for the first two-thirds of the event before the seventh starting Vaught, who was shuffled back to ninth early, also found the topside to his liking. Blasting around both Stovall and Korte on lap six, he stalked Looney and Mars before overtaking that duo between laps twenty and twenty-five.
“We got shuttled back early there but we had a fast car,” Vaught said post-race. “This is new car and we were lucky to not blow-up the other night when we knocked the fan belt off in the B-Main.”
Maybe the fastest driver on track, who also may have passed the most cars on the evening, was Shannon Babb. After starting eight and finishing fourth in his heat race, Babb cruised to a B-Main win earning the fifteenth starting spot in the A-Main. He would crack the top ten less then ten-laps into the 30-lapper, sitting eighth. Babb methodically picked his way forward, passing Stovall for seventh on lap fifteen, Korte for sixth on lap eighteen, and clipping Mars in a photo-finish for the fifth spot in the final rundown.
With the Moyer/McCreadie battle taking place in front of him, and the charging Vaught coming from behind, Brad Looney was the steadiest driver in the top five. Running third from the outset until lap twenty-five, the 2011 MARS series champion turning a very quiet fourth, his best finish of the week.
Moyer’s ninth Wild West Shootout win ties him with Terry Phillips for the all-time series lead. Having stated repeatedly throughout the week that his car is not quite perfect, but he’s looking forward to Sunday’s Bill Cheesborg Memorial finale, and now standing alone a-top the series all-time win list.
A-Main
1 2 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR $3,000
2 1 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY
3 7 1V Will Vaught Crane, MO
4 3 14 Brad Looney Republic, MO
5 6 28 Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI
6 15 18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, IL
7 4 00K Randy Korte Highland, IL
8 8 00x Jesse Stovall Galena, MO
9 9 54 Dane Dacus Lakeland, TN
10 22 2J John Anderson Omaha, NE
11 16 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS
12 13 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA
13 5 8P Lonnie Parker Jr El Mirage, AZ
14 21 9T Tim Isenburg Marshfield, WI
15 12 14M Morgan Bagley Longview, TX
16 20 91P Jason Papich Santa Maria, CA
17 17 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA
18 18 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO
19 14 77 Jason McBride Carbondale, IL
20 24 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA
21 10 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
22 11 28X Jeff Provinzino Hibbing, MN
23 23 21JR Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR
24 19 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr Chandler, AZ
________________________________________
B-Main #1
1 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA *
2 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS *
3 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr Chandler, AZ *
4 2J John Anderson Omaha, NE *
5 18x Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth Northport, AL
6 32B Clay Daly Bakersfield, CA
7 14M Dean Moore Grand Junction, CO
8 02x Tommy Weder Jr Woodward, OK
9 37 Rob Mayea Bend, OR
10 A1 Duke Whiseant Texarkana, AR
11 6H Al Humphries Giltner, NE
12 93 Ray Moore Shreveport, LA
13 11K Jon Kirby Russellville, AR
14 11M Paul Mueller Bismarck, ND
15 5K Mike Kirby Torrance, CA
16 17s Rick Shafer Vacaville, CA
17 92K Brant Kehrer New Memphis, IL
dns 31 Scott Creel Franklinton, LA
B-Main #2
1 77 Jason McBride Carbondale, IL *
2 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA *
3 91P Jason Papich Santa Maria, CA *
4 21JR Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR *
5 42s Don Shaw Ham Lake, MN
6 32S Chris Shannon Merced, CA
7 9I Steve Isenburg Marshfield, WI
8 21F Todd Frank Green Bay, WI
9 10X Leon Henderson Laurel, MS
10 23 Brad Williams Tucson, AZ
11 91T Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA
12 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA
13 96M Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA
14 7 Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB
15 77A Justin Asplin Birch Tree, MO
16 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA
dns 37W Scott Ward Watertown, SD
dns 71 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN
B-Main #3
1 18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, IL *
2 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO *
3 9T Tim Isenburg Marshfield, WI *
4 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA *
5 99JR Frank Heckenast Jr Orland Park, IL
6 18c Ross Camponova Clarksdale, MS
7 15K Justin Kay Wheatland, IA
8 26 Mark Carrell Redmond, OR
9 43 Garret Alberson Las Cruces, NM
10 72 Travis Gorsuch Chanhassen, MN
10 51 Joey Moriarty Glendale, AZ
11 5E Shane Edginton Winnipeg, MB
12 2 Trevor Glaser Tangent, OR
13 37H Garrett Higgins Tucson, AZ
14 10eh Ed Turnbull Estevan, SK
dns 5B Klint Byars Carrollton, MS
dns 10 Mike Balcaen Winnipeg, MB
________________________________________
Heat #1
1 1 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
2 6 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY
3 5 42s Don Shaw Ham Lake, MN
4 3 75 Terry Phillips Springfield, MO
5 8 91P Jason Papich Santa Maria, CA
6 9 7 Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB
7 10 57J Bub McCool Vicksburg, MS
8 7 43 Garret Alberson Las Cruces, NM
9 2 17s Rick Shafer Vacaville, CA
10 4 31 Scott Creel Franklinton, LA
Heat #2
1 1 28X Jeff Provinzino Hibbing, MN
2 4 32 Chris Simpson Oxford, IA
3 8 00x Jesse Stovall Galena, MO
4 7 99JR Frank Heckenast Jr Orland Park, IL
5 9 11K Jon Kirby Russellville, AR
6 6 23 Brad Williams Tucson, AZ
7 5 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA
8 2 2 Trevor Glaser Tangent, OR
9 10 72 Travis Gorsuch Chanhassen, MN
DQ 3 71 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN
O’Neal disqualified for not going to the scales
Heat #3
1 2 54 Dane Dacus Lakeland, TN
2 7 8P Lonnie Parker Jr El Mirage, AZ
3 1 6H Al Humphries Giltner, NE
4 8 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA
5 9 77 Jason McBride Carbondale, IL
6 3 14M Dean Moore Grand Junction, CO
7 6 26 Mark Carrell Redmond, OR
8 5 37H Garrett Higgins Tucson, AZ
9 4 96M Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA
Heat #4
1 3 1V Will Vaught Crane, MO
2 1 18c Ross Camponova Clarksdale, MS
3 8 28 Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI
4 5 77A Justin Asplin Birch Tree, MO
5 6 32S Chris Shannon Merced, CA
6 4 15K Justin Kay Wheatland, IA
7 7 21F Todd Frank Green Bay, WI
8 2 11M Paul Mueller Bismarck, ND
9 9 92K Brant Kehrer New Memphis, IL
Heat #5
1 1 14M Morgan Bagley Longview, TX
2 3 5K Mike Kirby Torrance, CA
3 2 51 Joey Moriarty Glendale, AZ
4 6 2J John Anderson Omaha, NE
5 5 21JR Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR
6 7 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA
7 4 93 Ray Moore Shreveport, LA
8 8 10X Leon Henderson Laurel, MS
9 9 91T Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA
Heat #6
1 4 14 Brad Looney Republic, MO
2 1 20rt Ricky Thornton Jr Chandler, AZ
3 2 18x Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth Northport, AL
4 8 18 Shannon Babb Moweaqua, IL
5 6 5B Klint Byars Carrollton, MS
6 9 9T Tim Isenburg Marshfield, WI
7 5 5E Shane Edginton Winnipeg, MB
8 7 A1 Duke Whiseant Texarkana, AR
9 3 10eh Ed Turnbull Estevan, SK
Heat #7
1 4 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR
2 1 9I Steve Isenburg Marshfield, WI
3 8 00K Randy Korte Highland, IL
4 5 10 Mike Balcaen Winnipeg, MB
5 3 37 Rob Mayea Bend, OR
6 9 32B Clay Daly Bakersfield, CA
7 6 02x Tommy Weder Jr Woodward, OK
8 7 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA
9 2 37W Scott Ward Watertown, SD
________________________________________
race updates courtesy of Ryan Neuharth
