The first night of racing at Volusia Speedway Park for the World of Outlaws Late Models was already eventful, but a couple hours after the race, it got crazier.
The original winner of the race in Dennis Erb Jr. failed to report to post-race inspection, deeming him ineligible to claim the victory.
Instead, second-place finisher Brandon Sheppard was given the win.
WoO LM: Dennis Erb Jr. disqualified, Brandon Sheppard wins Volusia Night 1
The statement from World of Outlaws Late Model Series Director Casey Shuman was short and sweet:
“It was announced at the drivers meeting there would be post-race inspection,” Shuman said in a release. “Unfortunately, Dennis did not meet that requirement and was penalized.”
Erb Jr., however, according to people close to the situation, didn’t know where to go for post-race inspection.
The good guy loses cause of a miscommunication on where to go on post race tech. Tech him at his pit, illegal there then ok. But this is BS. Not even an Erb fan but com’on. https://t.co/ZiGBoHZcE5
— Jacqueline Rumley (@jacqbrush) February 13, 2020
As we’ve seen in the past, the series has as close to a zero-tolerance policy as one could imagine. Missing tech inspection, no matter the circumstances, always results in a disqualification.
The dismay comes from the lack of communication.
Erb Jr. said that he was waiting after the victory lane ceremony to figure out where to go for postrace inspection.
“I’m the one that was standing on the front straight-away, with nobody around me, waiting to see what to do,” Erb Jr. told DirtonDirt. “Like I said, I just drove up here. They’ve checked cars at the trailers before.”
Erb Jr. criticized the series for its lack of consistency on multiple issues as well, as can be seen in the video below.
Dennis Erb Jr.'s thoughts✔️
WoO Director Casey Shuman's thoughts ✔️
Overton vs. Whitener ✔️We have ALL the EXCLUSIVE REACTIONS at DirtonDirt! — https://t.co/0iCsU9wepq pic.twitter.com/usyaXRDnZi
— DirtonDirt (@DirtonDirt) February 13, 2020
The series will return to action tonight, as well as Friday and Saturday, at Volusia. Hot laps are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET and the racing will be televised on DirtVision.com.
| 2020 World of Outlaws Late Model Standings | ||||
| Position | Driver | Points | Behind | |
| 1 | Brandon Sheppard | 588 | -0 | |
| 2 | Darrell Lanigan | 558 | -30 | |
| 3 | Ricky Weiss | 544 | -44 | |
| 4 | Chris Madden | 542 | -46 | |
| 5 | Mike Marlar | 538 | -50 | |
| 6 | Cade Dillard | 538 | -50 | |
| 7 | Scott Bloomquist | 512 | -76 | |
| 8 | Brian Shirley | 508 | -80 | |
| 9 | Chase Junghans | 508 | -80 | |
| 10 | Rick Eckert | 508 | -80 | |
| 11 | Dennis Erb Jr. | 496 | -92 | |
Dennis Erb Jr. disqualified
WoO LM: Brandon Sheppard tries to maintain early season success
