Column: GA Double Marks Last World Of Outlaws Late Model Series Stop Before World Finals
News Director 
Column By: MIKE WARREN / WORLD OF OUTLAWS – SENOIA, GA – A mid-October doubleheader in the South awaits the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series as it travels to Georgia for the first time this season.
The two-night trip to the Peach State kicks off with the Billy Clanton Classic at Senoia Raceway on Saturday, Oct. 14 in a 50-lap Feature paying $15,000-to-win.
Then, the Series heads North for its debut at Rome Speedway in Rome, GA, for the World of Outlaws ARP Southeast Showdown. Drivers will battle for $10,000 in a 40-lap Feature.
Here are the storylines to watch this weekend:
Closing In: After sweeping the weekend at Brownstown Speedway and Fairbury Speedway, Bobby Pierce is on the cusp of his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Models championship. The Oakwood, IL driver enters the weekend with a 156-point lead over Chris Madden and could mathematically secure the championship entering the World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Nov. 1-4.
Pierce also has the chance to break the single-season wins record if he wins all five of the remaining races on the 2023 schedule. That record is currently held by four-time Series champions Brandon Sheppard and Josh Richards (18).
A win this weekend would be his 19th career Series victory.
Bulldog Country: A Georgia doubleheader means a return home for 2015 Series champion Shane Clanton.
The Billy Clanton Classic at Senoia is a race in his dad’s honor—one he’s won twice in its seven-year history. He also has more top fives than any other driver in the event (4).
Clanton has also succeeded at Rome, scoring two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series wins in 2006 and 2010.
If he sweeps the weekend, Clanton will become the fourth driver in Series history to reach 50 wins.
Back to the Gumbo: Saturday night marks the fourth appearance for the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models at Senoia Raceway—known for its gumbo clay.
In the three Series events at the track, Sheppard and Chris Madden won the first two in 2017 and 2018 before Ashton Winger held off Madden to win in 2021.
Kyle Bronson also has victories at the track, winning the Peach Bowl in 2021 and 2022.
A Triumphant Debut: The World of Outlaws ARP Southeast Showdown at Rome Speedway is the Series debut at the 1/2-mile red clay oval. It’s also the first 1/2-mile track the World of Outlaws have raced at since DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.
Along with Clanton, Madden has found success at Rome with four wins at the track, including two national touring Series victories.
Fourteen-time World of Outlaws winner Dale McDowell, who’s expected to attend this weekend, has two victories at Rome in 2023, winning a Spring Nationals Series race in May and a Hunt the Front Super DIRT Series race last month.
A Six-Way Dance: Entering last weekend’s races at Brownstown and Fairbury, positions four through nine in the Series standings were separated by 62 points. That number has shrunk to 42.
Bronson moved up two spots to fourth after a fifth and sixth-place finish. However, he leads Ryan Gustin by eight points, while Nick Hoffman and Brian Shirley are 10 points out of fourth.
Tanner English and defending Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. are still in striking distance, sitting 38 and 42 points behind Bronson.
As the drivers continue to battle for positions, there’s a $32,000 difference between fourth and ninth. The driver who finishes fourth wins $75,000, while the driver who finishes ninth gets $43,000.
