iRacing World of Outlaws Late Model World Championship Preview: Williams Grove
August 17th, 2020 by Chris Leone
Just two races remain in the iRacing World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model World Championship, and where the points battle—and the biggest share of the $25,000 series prize pool—goes from here is anyone’s guess.
Last week’s chaotic visit to Knoxville Raceway saw trouble for both championship front-runners, Hayden Cardwell and Dylan Wilson, while Kendal Tucker and Devon Morgan took full advantage by finishing first and second in the feature. The result was Wilson finding himself the leader once again by a single point, while Tucker and Morgan are now back in meaningful contention as the series returns to action tonight at Williams Grove Speedway.
The second of three consecutive half-mile tracks to end the year, Williams Grove has been a staple of the championship ever since it was introduced in 2018. Austin Carr was the winner of that inaugural race, while Alex Bergeron held off Kevin Dedmon in a spirited battle in last year’s event. All three are on tonight’s entry list, and with Bergeron sixth in points and both Dedmon and Carr outside of the top 20, another strong run for any of them would go a long way towards ending the season on a high note.
In fact, only four of the top eight drivers in points have visited Williams Grove in a Late Model World Championship event before. Alongside Bergeron, James Edens’ eighth place finish last year matches his current eighth place in the championship standings, while Evan Seay (fifth in points) and Tucker were 12th and 13th, respectively. Cardwell, Wilson, Morgan, and seventh place Zack McSwain will all be running the track at this level for the first time.
That begs the question of what’s going to be more important—experience or momentum. Tucker is the only driver bringing both into tonight’s race, but his disappointing run here last year was a key factor in his ability to close out the championship. Will he be able to make good on last year’s promise? Can Cardwell rebound from his Knoxville issues with a statement victory? Or will Wilson lay claim to the points lead for good, and $10,000 champion’s prize with it, by finally seizing his first career series win?
iRacing World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model World Championship action from Williams Grove Speedway kicks off tonight at 9PM ET and can be seen on the iRacing Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube pages. The championship wraps up next Monday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. For more information on iRacing and for special offers visit www.iracing.com.