THE BEAT GOES ON: Tanner English Nets $30K in Second Consecutive World of Outlaws Win at Davenport

English scores back-to-back wins and Bobby Pierce earns third straight runner-up finish in Quad Cities 150

DAVENPORT, IA – August 27, 2022 –After waiting 45 races before claiming his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series win, Tanner English said he thought the path to his second victory would be easier.

The Benton, KY driver didn’t wait long to prove himself right.

Less than 24 hours after scoring his first career Series win during the second night of the Quad Cities 150 at Davenport Speedway, he returned for the event’s epic $30,000-to-win finale, passing Ryan Gustin for the lead, and holding off Bobby Pierce for back-to-back wins.

Despite finding the winning formula for the second consecutive night, his journey to Victory Lane was very different.

English started on the pole of Saturday’s 70-lap Feature but lost the lead to Ashton Winger early on. He fell out of the top five and bided his time until his car came to life with less than 20 laps left.

That patience paid off as English worked his way to third on a restart with 11 laps remaining.

When the green flag flew, he dropped to the bottom, sprinting past Ryan Gustin as Lap 62 clicked off the scoreboard.

It looked like he’d be on cruise control to the checkered flag, but a yellow slowed the field with six laps to go, pitting English against a surging Shannon Babb and a familiar foe—Pierce.

The two drivers pulled away from Babb on the restart and waged war for the final six laps. Pierce swung his car to the top, hoping to find momentum while English stayed the course on the bottom.

As they came to the checkered flag, English found the speed he needed in Turn 4, beating Pierce to the line by a few car lengths.

The Rookie of the Year contender said his patience in the race's first half set the stage for his rise to the top at the end.

“At the start there, I was just biding my time and trying to not spin the tires because I knew what I had,” English said. “I knew they needed to last, and we just made it last, and with about 10 or 11 to go, I had caught back up to them. I don’t know if their tires just went away or what happened.

“Mine just stayed the same the whole race, and I didn’t really lose any time. So, I don’t know. The car was just awesome.”

English’s second straight win moves him closer to Dennis Erb Jr. in the championship standings. The Carpentersville, IL driver finished 19th after being involved in the caution with 11 laps left.

Erb’s points lead has been cut to 98 points with 12 races remaining, while English leads Blair by 84 points in the Rookie of the Year race.

Pierce crossed the line second for the third straight night. Like English, the Oakwood, IL driver came on late in the Feature before falling short of the $30,000 prize.

“Tanner drove a hell of a race, I was trying all I could to catch him,” Pierce said. “The cushion was very, very thin and there was a little left in Turn 3 but not enough out of 4.

“This place provides such good racing all the time. It was a little more dirty tonight than I preferred, but it eventually got there. It just took a long, long time to get there. The last five laps, I was trying all I could because I knew Tanner was so good on the bottom that it was going to be hard to beat him without being ahead of him on the restart.”

Shannon Babb, from Moweaqua, IL crossed the line third after starting last in the Feature. The “Mowequa Missile” praised Davenport Speedway’s track crew and how well his Longhorn chassis ran in his charge to the front.

“They did a hell of a job of preparing that track and reviving it,” Babb said. “We were able to work on our car and make a few adjustments. And starting last, I was like, man, these guys are going to lap me in a hurry, so I got to get my ass going.

“They did a great job with the track, and we were able to go everywhere that I needed to go. I’m just impressed with this new car. This Longhorn chassis is really fast, this Vic Hill engine is really good, and I’m just really tickled to death to get by a lot of those cars.”

Shane Clanton, the 2015 Series champion, finished fourth—his best finish of the weekend.

The “Georgia Bulldog” credited how well his Capital Race Car has been running of late as one of the reasons he’s started to get better finishes at the 1/4-mile track.

“I feel way better than I’ve ever been here,” Clanton said. “Yes, they changed the shape of the racetrack a little bit, but also, my race car is a little better, too. So, that makes me feel real good.”

Justin Kay from Wheatland, IA, rounded out the top five. The son of track promotors Ricky and Brenda Kay stated he was thrilled to get his first top-five finish with the World of Outlaws Late Models.

“It’s great doing it at home, at Dad’s racetrack, and with everyone I know that’s here, it’s awesome,” Kay said. “I’ll take [a top-five] anywhere.”

Gustin and Winger, who led laps in the Feature, both went to the pits in the final 12 laps. The Marshalltown, IA driver finished 20th, while Winger crossed the line in 15th.

English’s confidence continues to rise after scoring his second straight World of Outlaws win at Davenport. However, he knows he can’t let that confidence climb too high as the Series returns to the Southeast on Labor Day weekend.

“I think if we keep on doing what we’re doing and staying consistent, we’ll be alright,” English said. “Some of these tracks coming up are a little harder for me. The red dirt tracks I’m not the best on.

“We need to learn a little bit down there and maybe lean on our guys at Longhorn a little bit and see if we can get some more information and get a little bit better.”

UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet head to the Southeast for a Labor Day Weekend doubleheader. First, the Series returns to Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, TN, on Friday, Sept. 2, for the Smoky Mountain Showdown.

Then, the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models travels to Georgia for a trip to Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, GA, on Saturday, September 3.

TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3CGldJg

ENGLISH LESSON: Tanner English Schoos Pierce, Moran for First World of Outlaws Win at Davenport

The Benton, KY driver beat Pierce to the finish line by 0.235 seconds

DAVENPORT, IA – August 26, 2022 –Tanner English may never forget the number 0.235.

All he needed was a 0.235 second lead at the finish line Friday night to claim his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series win during night two of the Quad Cities 150 at Davenport Speedway.

His journey getting there was no easy climb, though. Race after race this season he inched closer and closer to his first Series win, but a win seemed almost out of the question Friday night, having to transfer out of the Last Chance Showdown and then come from 18th in the 40-lap sprint around the 1/4-mile track.

However, as motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “The harder the journey, the sweeter the victory.”

"This is big, this is huge for our team," English said. "This will get the momentum rolling. You know when you win one it feels like it's a little easier after that. So, it's been a long time coming."

The Benton, KY driver needed all 40 laps around the Iowa track as he sliced his way from 18th to first around the bottom, passing Bobby Pierce on the last lap and last corner to win by a nose.

English’s ascension toward the front of the field started slowly as he worked his way to eighth in the race’s first 25 laps. However, a caution with 15 laps to go set the stage for the epic finale.

He thundered to the bottom on the restart, picking off five cars in one lap to get to third—his eyes squarely on Pierce and Devin Moran as they waged war for the lead.

English inched closer until he caught the lead duo with two laps left. That’s when Pierce opened the door for the Series Rookie, who didn’t squander his opportunity.

The “Smooth Operator” moved to the top, trying to keep Moran from getting by. But it wasn’t only “The Mailman” lurking behind him.

English kept his Longhorn chassis locked to the bottom and pulled into a three-wide battle in traffic as they took the white flag—none of them yielding an inch.

Pierce and English stormed away from Moran on the backstretch, leaving the two drivers to fight for the win in the final two corners.

They raced side-by-side through Turns 3 and 4, but English found the boost he needed to cross the finish line first, a triumphant victory that had the entire Davenport Speedway crowd standing and cheering.

English said he was worried his opportunity might not come, knowing how good Pierce can be running the top.

“When Bobby got to Trevor {Gundaker, a lap car], and he had to move, I was a little scared because he’s always better on the top, so I figured he’s just going to pull away,” English said. “He got off that bottom there, and it doesn’t matter how far ahead somebody is. If they’re running the bottom, it dirties the air up.

“So, when he went to the top, I think I had just enough gap between me and Trevor that I had clean air, and that car stuck the best it stuck all night. I made two perfect corners, and then next thing you know, I’m pulling up beside him.”

The Feature wasn’t the only climb English and his Riggs Motorsports team faced throughout the night. He didn’t get the start he wanted to after timing eighth in Group B of My Place Hotels Qualifying, that eventually led to him having to transfer out of the Last Chance Showdown. However, he stated he was proud of his crew for remaining optimistic.

“Everybody kept their heads up,” English said. “I think the only person who doubted us was me. I was a little down after the Heat Race, and I’m telling you, I took everything off this car. I changed every single shock, and I did everything I thought I needed to do.

“I ran that (Last Chance Showdown), and I was really good. I knew we had a decent car, I just needed to make the right tire choice, and we’d be alright.”

English’s $10,000 triumph also helped him cut into Dennis Erb Jr.’s lead in the battle for the 2022 championship. Erb now leads English by 136 points after a sixth-place finish Friday night.

English also extended his lead to 58 points in the Rookie of the Year race over Max Blair, who finished fourth.

Bobby Pierce came less than a car-length short of reaching Victory Lane for the second consecutive night. The Oakwood, IL, thought he had the winning formula but stated he didn’t realize English was there until the end.

“I didn’t even know Tanner was in the picture,” Pierce said. “It was an exciting race, but unfortunately, we were just the second-place car. I was having a hard time holding off Devin (Moran) because he was a little better. I felt like toward the end of the race. Tanner obviously was the best car at the end of the race.

“If I had a second shot, I probably run the top in (Turn) 3 and 4 or anticipate [Trevor Gundaker] pulling in and getting right down to the bottom and blocking. You never know what’s going on behind you, so it’s just one of them deals.”

Devin Moran, from Dresden, OH, crossed the line third. The “Mailman” said he was happy with his car but opened the door for English to slip by like Pierce.

“It’s just the way it goes,” Moran said. “I felt like we had a really good car, and I could run that middle-top. I just got caught up with Bobby and just let Tanner go by.

“It was just one of them deals. I need to get my race car a little better so I can get by him and don’t have to worry about that.”

Ashton Winger finished fifth—his second top-five finish of the weekend.

Tanner English completed an uphill climb Friday night at Davenport Speedway, tasting Victory for the first time in World of Outlaws CASE Late Model competition. It’s a sweet triumph he’ll remember not only for the celebration, but how difficult the journey was to get there.

UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet return to Davenport Speedway for the final night of the Quad Cities 150 presented by Hoker Trucking for a 70-lap, $30,000-to-win finale. The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets presented by Toyota will join the field for the second consecutive night.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App

Here are the top five in Quad Cities 150 points entering Saturday’s finale:

1. Bobby Pierce 1481
2. Ashton Winger 1467
3. Devin Moran 1445
4. Tanner English 1441
5. Ryan Gustin 1424