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Bloomquist Wins Sixth Dream

060813 DreamVL

Bloomquist Rolls To Record Sixth Victory In Dirt Late Model Dream XIX by Ferris Commercial Mowers At Eldora Speedway

Hall of Fame Driver Authors Vintage Performance To Bank Another $100,000 First-Place Prize

By Kevin Kovac, DIRTcar Racing PR

ROSSBURG, OH – June 8, 2013 – Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., authored another vintage performance at Eldora Speedway to capture Saturday night’s 100-lap Dirt Late Model Dream XIX Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers.

Simultaneously ending a rare five-year absence from Victory Lane at Tony Stewart’s famed high-banked, half-mile oval and busting out of an early-season slump, Bloomquist methodically marched forward to take the lead from Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., on lap 65 and dominated the remainder of the distance. The 49-year-old easily handled two late-race restarts to claim the DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned event’s $100,000 top prize for a record sixth time.

“It’s been kind of a rough spring,” said Bloomquist. “We’ve not had the wins that we are used to or accustomed to. We’ve had a lot of bad luck, just a lot of crazy things happening to us. It’s been bad, but I told everybody (entering the Dream), ‘This is gonna turn around. It’s gonna turn around quick and big. We’re gonna go win this hundred-grand. That will be the end of this bad luck streak.’

“Everybody was just kind of looking at me like, What are you doing? I said, ‘Don’t worry – we can do it.'”

Indeed he did – and in no-doubt-it fashion. No one was able to threaten Bloomquist once he completed his advance from the sixth starting spot to the lead in dirt Late Model racing’s richest race.

Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., chased Bloomquist under the checkered flag, finishing 1.527 seconds back in second place. But Erb, who started 17th, didn’t even crack the top five until lap 91 – and after vaulting from fifth to second on a restart that circuit, he spent the final circuits fighting to maintain the runner-up spot rather than attempting to challenge Bloomquist.

Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who won last September’s World 100 at Eldora, placed third, Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., was fourth and 21st-starter Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., took advantage of restarts on laps 91 and 98 to sneak up the rundown and complete the top five.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., crossed the finish line in third place after climbing as high as second from the 28th starting spot, but the fast-time provisional starter was disqualified and placed last in the rundown when his Rocket Chassis house car weighed in 32 pounds below the 2,300-pound minimum at the post-race weigh-in. He attributed the inspection failure to his forgetting to bolt a lead weight to the car during his team’s scramble to repair damage sustained in a heat-race tangle.

Bloomquist, who made his 17th career Dream A-Main start, pointed to Friday night’s preliminary feature as a key to his convincing triumph. He started at the rear of the 25-lap race, using it as a test session to tune his self-built Team Zero machine.

“Racing ain’t getting any easier,” said Bloomquist, whose previous Dream victories came in 1995, 2002, ’04, ’06 and ’08. “The competition is getting tougher. You gotta just never quit looking and searching.

“That’s one thing that last night did for us – instead of getting out there and racing hard, I came in and I tried a couple of things. When the cautions came out I’d try something drastic just to give me some direction to go. We hardly ever get that (type of opportunity) here.”

Once Bloomquist realized at the start of the Dream headliner that his car was working so well that he “could do no wrong with it,” he settled into a familiar pattern. He demonstrated the patience that has brought him so much success at Eldora, watching from a comfortable distance as 17-year-old Tyler Reddick of DuQuoin, Ill., jumped off the pole position to lead laps 1-22 before breaking a driveshaft and then Mars inherited the top spot and set the pace.

“Early I let them get away from me,” said Bloomquist, who ran fifth for much of the race’s first half. “I just did not want to spin the tires. I knew I was running a fast enough pace not to get passed, so I just sat there, waiting, letting heat build in my tires, and trying not rip all the edges off by trying to go too fast to soon.

“That’s definitely what made it feel like the old days (at Eldora). We used to do that a lot – just wait for the last 30 (laps), and everybody would already have all the edges gone (off their tires) and burnt their stuff up and then everybody would go, ‘Where did he find a half-second?’

“Well, I just wasn’t pushing yet,” he added, “and I would have enough edges left to push it at the end.”

Bloomquist passed Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., for third on lap 47 and Duane Chamberlain of Richmond, Ind., for second on lap 53. He then ran down Mars, who had inherited the lead when Reddick departed on lap 22, and sailed in front for good on lap 65.

Within 10 laps Bloomquist had built more than a straightaway lead. He stretched his edge to nearly a half-lap at one point and was still in front by over five seconds on lap 91 when a caution flag flew for Matt Miller of Whitehouse, Ohio, a preliminary feature winner on both Thursday and Friday whose late bid to run down Bloomquist ended five laps after he passed Mars for second place due to a broken driveshaft.

Bloomquist had to deal with double-file restarts on lap 91 and 98, but the slowdowns did little more than prolong the race.

“You hate to see those cautions at the end like that, but the car felt so good,” said Bloomquist, emerged triumph one year after finishing a career-worst 21st in the Dream. “The car just took off (on the restarts). I could run any line around this racetrack.”

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Erb, 40, was satisfied with earning a $20,000 runner-up check behind the wheel of his Team Zero by Bloomquist car. It was his career-best finish in four Dream A-Main starts, topping his fifth-place run in 2012.

“We just kept plugging away and we got up there to the front,” said Erb, who dueled for second with Richards for the final 10 laps. “We couldn’t stay with Scott but we’ll take second.”

Mars, who led laps 23-64, was still in second on lap 91 but got shuffled back to sixth in the official order of finish; Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., placed seventh after climbing as high as fourth; Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished eighth after changing engines following heat action; Fuller faded to ninth in his second career Dream A-Main start; and Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., finished one lap down in 10th.

Four caution flags slowed the event, with the only significant incident coming on lap 17 for a four-car tangle off turn two involving Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., Steve Casebolt Jr. of Richmond, Ind., Wayne Chinn of Bradford, Ohio, and Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio.

Eighty-four cars entered the Dream XIX by Ferris, which featured an expanded three-day format that for the first time included complete racing programs with twin 25-lap features on Thursday and Friday. Saturday night’s heat-race lineups were determined using each driver’s best time-trial lap from qualifying on Thursday and Friday nights.

Davenport earned $1,000 for registering the fastest overall lap of the weekend with his 15.386-second clocking on Friday night. He beat the Thursday-night circuit turned in by defending Dream champion Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., by a mere .001 of a second.

Winners of Saturday’s six 15-lap heat races were Bloomquist, Chamberlain, Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., Mars, Fuller and Reddick. Owens won the 20-lap B-Main and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., topped the 15-lap C-Main.

A pair of five-lap ‘Scrambles’ for drivers failing to earn transfer positions in the B- and C-Mains were also contested. With each sprint offering a $1,000 top prize and full DIRTcar UMP points, Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, captured the ‘B-Scramble’ and R.J. Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, won the ‘C-Scramble.’

Former Dream winners Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., saw their evenings end early due to heat-race accidents.

Lanigan spun into the turn-four wall while attempting to pass Mars for the lead on the opening lap of the fourth heat and was hit hard by Frankie Heckenast of Orland Park, Ill. Richards was also involved, but he was able to continue racing despite the significant right-side damage his car sustained.

O’Neal, meanwhile, limped into the pit area on lap eight of the fifth heat after slapping the wall between turns one and two. His MasterSbilt house car had its right-side bodywork ripped away.

A red flag was needed shortly after O’Neal’s crash so safety crews could tend to Jacob Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., who needed medical attention after driving his St. Henry Nite Club car to his team’s trailer in the pit area. Hawkins was reportedly struck in his helmet by an object while racing and was transported to a local hospital for treatment of possible facial injuries.

With Richards’s disqualification, Fuller was the highest-finishing WoO LMS regular in the Dream 100. Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., finished one lap down in 11th and Clanton was scored 18th after using a fast-time provisional to start the A-Main and dropping out on lap 66.

Other WoO LMS regulars who joined Lanigan on the Dream non-qualifiers list were Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., whose bid ended in the B-Main with a flat right-rear tire on his Chad Stapleton-owned; Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, who dropped out of a heat with a blown left-rear tire; and Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., who became a spectator for the weekend after finding terminal engine trouble following his ninth-place feature finish on Thursday night.

The next crown-jewel DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Late Model event at Eldora is the 43rd annual World 100 on Sept. 5-7. The race pays $46,000 to win and will also follow the new Dream format of twin 25-lap features on Thursday and Friday nights.

For more information on DIRTcar Racing, visit www.dirtcar.com.

Dirt Late Model Dream XIX by Ferris Commerical Mowers Finish (Finish/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (6) Scott Bloomquist100 $100,000
2. (17) Dennis Erb Jr./100 $20,000
3. (10) Brian Birkhofer/100 $10,000
4. (11) Dale McDowell/100 $6,000
5. (21) Jimmy Owens/100 $5,000
6. (3) Jimmy Mars/100 $4,000
7. (7) Chris Madden/100 $3,500
8. (15) Steve Francis/100 $3,000
9. (2) Tim Fuller/100 $2,500
10. (23) Terry Phillips/99 $2,475
11. (22) Tim McCreadie/99 $2,450
12. (4) Eddie Carrier Jr./99 $2,425
13. (27) Jon Henry/98 $2,400
14. (5) Duane Chamberlain/96 $2,375
15. (14) Matt Miller/91 $2,350
16. (9) Wayne Chinn78 $2,325
17. (8) Jared Landers/69 $2,300
18. (20) Shane Clanton/66 $2,275
19. (24) Shannon Babb/66 $2,250
20. (16) Mason Zeigler/35 $2,200
21. (26) John Blankenship/31 $2,175
22. (25) Chris Simpson/30 $2,150
23. (18) Steve Casebolt Jr./26 $2,125
24. (1) Tyler Reddick/22 $2,100
25. (12) Gregg Satterlee/17 $2,075
26. (13) Devin Moran/17 $2,050
27. (19) Jonathan Davenport/17 $2,025
28. (28) Josh Richards-DQ (light)

Heat 1 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Chris Madden, 3. Devin Moran, 4. Shannon Thornsberry, 5. Terry Phillips, 6. Jason Montgomery, 7. Brian Shirley, 8. Dustin Neat, 9. Dusty Moore, 10. Jonathan Davenport, 11. Jeff Provinzino, 12. Jerry Bowersock (DNS) Eric Wells, Jason Smith

Heat 2 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Duane Chamberlain, 2. Jared Landers, 3. Matt Miller, 4. Jimmy Owens, 5. Shannon Babb, 6. Shane Clanton, 7. Jeep VanWormer, 8. Steve Shaver, 9. Bub McCool, 10. Andrew Reaume, 11. Bobby Pierce, 12. Ross Nicastri, 13. Jeremy Payne, 14. Tim Rivers

Heat 3 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Eddie Carrier Jr., 2. Wayne Chinn, 3. Steve Francis, 4. Jon Henry, 5. Mike Spatola, 6. Billy Moyer Jr., 7. Doug Drown, 8. Danny Mitchell, 9. Scott James, 10. Tyler Erb, 11. Jeff Babcock (DNS) Earl Pearson Jr., Kent Robinson, James Rice

Heat 4 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Jimmy Mars, 2. Brian Birkhofer, 3. Mason Zeigler, 4. Austin Hubbard, 5. Josh Richards, 6. Tim Lance, 7. Jay Johnson, 8. Ernie Cordier, 9. Brandon Sheppard, 10. Justin Coulter, 11. Darrell Lanigan, 12. Frankie Heckenast (DNS) Chad Stapleton, Craig Smith

Heat 5 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Tim Fuller, 2. Dale McDowell, 3. Dennis Erb Jr., 4. Tim McCreadie, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. Michael Asberry, 7. Brad Neat, 8. Justin Chance, 9. Ryan Sutter, 10. Don Gordon, 11. Randy Weaver, 12. Morgan Bagley, 13. Don O’Neal, 14. Jacob Hawkins

Heat 6 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Tyler Reddick, 2. Gregg Satterlee, 3. Steve Casebolt Jr., 4. John Blankenship, 5. Billy Moyer, 6. Donnie Moran, 7. Chad Simpson, 8. Chad Smith, 9. R.J. Conley, 10. Nick Latham, 11. John Mason, 12. Brandon Thirlby, 13. Greg Johnson, 14. Shane Unger

C-Main Finish (15 laps – Top 6 Transfer to B-Main): 1. Brian Shirley, 2. Bub McCool, 3. Andrew Reaume, 4. Jay Johnson, 5. Scott James, 6. Brad Neat, 7. Doug Drown, 8. R.J. Conley, 9. Brandon Sheppard, 10. Justin Chance, 11. Ross Nicostri, 12. Don Gordon, 13. Nick Latham, 14. Ryan Sutter, 15. Danny Mitchell, 16. Ernie Cordier

C-Main Scramble Finish (5 laps): 1. R.J. Conley, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Justin Chance, 4. Ross Nicostri, 5. Don Gordon, 6. Doug Drown

B-Main Finish (20 laps – Top 6 Transfer to A-Main): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Tim McCreadie, 3. Terry Phillips, 4. Shannon Babb, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. John Blankenship, 7. Billy Moyer Jr., 8. Donnie Moran, 9. Brian Shirley, 10. Mike Spatola, 11. Jason Montgomery, 12. Andrew Reaume, 13. R.J. Conley, 14. Michael Asberry, 15. Tim Lance, 16. Jay Johnson, 17. Austin Hubbard, 18. Scott James, 19. Josh Richards, 20. Bub McCool, 21. Billy Moyer, 22. Jeep VanWormer, 23. Brad Neat, 24. Jon Henry

B-Main Scramble Finish (5 laps): 1. Donnie Moran, 2. Brian Shirley, 3. Billy Moyer Jr., 4. Mike Spatola, 5. Jason Montgomery, 6. R.J. Conley, 7. Tim Lance, 8. Michael Asberry, 9. Jay Johnson, 10. Andrew Reaume

060813 DreamLive3

LIVE UPDATES 6/8: DIRTcar UMP-Sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream by Ferris At Eldora Speedway

ROSSBURG, OH – June 8, 2013 – The 19th annual DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Dirt Late Model Dream Presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers draws to a spectacular close tonight at Eldora Speedway with drivers chasing the big $100,000 top prize — the richest first-place payoff in the sport.

Tonight’s program features six 15-lap heat races (with the lineups set by each driver’s best qualifying lap on Thursday or Friday); a C-Feature and C-Scramble; a B-Feature and B-Scramble; and the 100-lap Dream A-Main.

To follow the the progress of the eight World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars in action and view updates of news, pit notes and results from tonight’s show, click the ‘Full Story’ link below. Be sure to refresh your browser throughout the night to see the latest information.

The finish

12:45 a.m.Bloomquist just completed his post-race press conference in the tower….

Dream Finish: 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Dennis Erb Jr., 3. Brian Birkhofer, 4. Dale McDowell, 5. Jimmy Owens, 6. Jimmy Mars, 7. Chris Madden, 8. Steve Francis, 9. Tim Fuller, 10. Terry Phillips, 11. Tim McCreadie, 12. Eddie Carrier Jr., 13. Jon Henry, 14. Duane Chamberlain, 15. Matt Miller, 16. Wayne Chinn, 17. Jared Landers, 18. Shane Clanton, 19. Shannon Babb, 20. Mason Zeigler, 21. John Blankenship, 22. Chris Simpson, 23. Steve Casebolt Jr., 24. Tyler Reddick, 25. Gregg Satterlee, 26. Devin Moran, 27. Jonathan Davenport, 28. Josh Richards (DQ)

Richards light

12:23 a.m. – Josh Richards weighed in 32 pounds light at the scales after the race, disqualifying him from an apparent $10,000 third-place finish. Brian Birkhofer moves to third as a result.

No. 6

12:17 a.m. – Bloomquist pulls away over green-white-checkered restart finish to win his record sixth Dream over Erb, Richards, Birkhofer and McDowell.

Heartbreak for Miller

12:05 a.m. – Matt Miller broke a driveshaft on lap 91, bringing out a caution flag as he ran in second place. Miller had taken second from Jimmy Mars for second on lap 86 and had cut about two seconds off Bloomquist’s edge before experiencing misfortune.

Bloomquist now leads Mars, Birkhofer, Richards, Erb, Carrier, McDowell, Madden, Chamberlain and Fuller.

Bloomer on top

12 midnight – Bloomquist overtook Mars for the lead on lap 65, and at lap 75 he’s leading Mars by nearly a straightaway. Birkhofer and Matt Miller are hot on Mars’s rear bumper.

Trouble for Reddick

11:42 p.m. – Tyler Reddick relinquished the lead on lap 22, slowing to bring out a caution flag. Jimmy Mars will now lead the pack to the restart over Fuller, Chamberlain, Bloomquist, Birkhofer, Matt Miller, Madden, Richards (from 28th and last) and Francis.

First caution

11:35 p.m. – The race is under caution for the first time on lap 17 for a four-car backstretch tangle involving Steve Casebolt Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Wayne Chinn and Devin Moran.

Tyler Reddick has led all the way so far from the pole, but he had Tim Fuller, Jimmy Mars and Duane Chamberlain in line directly behind him as he negotiated lapped traffic before the caution flag flew.

Moments away

11:10 p.m. – Pre-race driver introductions are completed and the 28 Dream starters are now buckling into their cars on pit road. The field will soon roll onto the racetrack for the $100,000-to-win event.

Familiar front-row mates

10:55 p.m. – Front-row Dream starters Tyler Reddick and Tim Fuller have a special tie.

It was Fuller, of course, who helped Reddick and his family’s team enter the dirt Late Model world in 2009. Reddick’s grandfather, who fields the youngster’s equipment, hired Fuller prior to the start of that season to prepare the cars that Reddick drove on the WoO LMS in ’09.

Fuller ended his deal with Reddick’s team ended midway through the ’09 campaign.

Dream XIX by Ferris Starting Lineup:

Row 1: Tyler Reddick/Tim Fuller
Row 2: Jimmy Mars/Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 3: Duane Chamberlain/Scott Bloomquist
Row 4: Chris Madden/Jared Landers
Row 5: Wayne Chinn/Brian Birkhofer
Row 6: Dale McDowell/Gregg Satterlee
Row 7: Devin Moran/Matt Miller
Row 8: Steve Francis/Mason Zeigler
Row 9: Dennis Erb Jr./Steve Casebolt Jr.
Row 10: Jonathan Davenport/Shane Clanton
Row 11: Jimmy Owens/Tim McCreadie
Row 12: Terry Phillips/Shannon Babb
Row 13: Chris Simpson/John Blankenship
Row 14: Jon Henry/Josh Richards

 

Dream field is set

10:50 p.m. – The 28-car starting lineup for the Dream 100 is set after Jimmy Owens raced to victory in the 20-lap B-Feature. Also transferring to the A-Main were Tim McCreadie, Terry Phillips, Shannon Babb, Chris Simpson and John Blankenship, who finished second in last year’s Dream.

Jon Henry and Josh Richards fell back on their fast-time provisionals to earn starting berths in the Dream.

Donnie Moran, meanwhile, captured the 5-lap B-Scramble to pocket $1,000.

B-Main Finish (20 laps – Top 6 Transfer to A-Main): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Tim McCreadie, 3. Terry Phillips, 4. Shannon Babb, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. John Blankenship, 7. Billy Moyer Jr., 8. Donnie Moran, 9. Brian Shirley, 10. Mike Spatola, 11. Jason Montgomery, 12. Andrew Reaume, 13. R.J. Conley, 14. Michael Asberry, 15. Tim Lance, 16. Jay Johnson, 17. Austin Hubbard, 18. Scott James, 19. Josh Richards, 20. Bub McCool, 21. Billy Moyer, 22. Jeep VanWormer, 23. Brad Neat, 24. Jon Henry

B-Main Scramble Finish (5 laps): 1. Donnie Moran, 2. Brian Shirley, 3. Billy Moyer Jr., 4. Mike Spatola, 5. Jason Montgomery, 6. R.J. Conley, 7. Tim Lance, 8. Michael Asberry, 9. Jay Johnson, 10. Andrew Reaume

 

Shirley captures C-Feature

10:10 p.m. – After his heat-race troubles, Brian Shirley kept his night alive by winning the 15-lap C-Feature. He’ll move on to the 20-lap B-Feature, where he’ll attempt to make his way forward to grab one of the six transfer spots to the Dream 100.

R.J. Conley, meanwhile, earned $1,000 for winning the 5-lap C-Scramble, a short sprint comprised of drivers who didn’t transfer through the C-Feature.

C-Main Finish (15 laps – Top 6 Transfer to B-Main): 1. Brian Shirley, 2. Bub McCool, 3. Andrew Reaume, 4. Jay Johnson, 5. Scott James, 6. Brad Neat, 7. Doug Drown, 8. R.J. Conley, 9. Brandon Sheppard, 10. Justin Chance, 11. Ross Nicostri, 12. Don Gordon, 13. Nick Latham, 14. Ryan Sutter, 15. Danny Mitchell, 16. Ernie Cordier

C-Main Scramble Finish (5 laps): 1. R.J. Conley, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Justin Chance, 4. Ross Nicostri, 5. Don Gordon, 6. Doug Drown

Preparing for last-chance events

9:30 p.m. – The Eldora track crew is back on the track for some reconditioning work before the start of the C-Feature, which will immediately be followed by the 5-lap, $1,000-to-win C-Scramble for the drivers who don’t move on to the B-Feature.

Teenager grabs pole

9:20 p.m. – Tyler Reddick went flag-to-flag to win the sixth and final heat, earning the 17-year-old transplanted Californian the pole position for the Dream 100.

Gregg Satterlee, who comes to Eldora hot off winning the Appalachian Mountain Speedweek title, finished second and former Dream winner Steve Casebolt Jr. was third.

Heat 6 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Tyler Reddick, 2. Gregg Satterlee, 3. Steve Casebolt Jr., 4. John Blankenship, 5. Billy Moyer, 6. Donnie Moran, 7. Chad Simpson, 8. Chad Smith, 9. R.J. Conley, 10. Nick Latham, 11. John Mason, 12. Brandon Thirlby, 13. Greg Johnson, 14. Shane Unger

Fuller earns outside pole

9:15 p.m. – WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller will start the Dream 100 from the outside pole after winning the fifth heat over Dale McDowell and Dennis Erb Jr., who overtook Tim McCreadie for the third and final transfer spot on a lap-eighth restart.

Fuller will make just his second career start in the Dream 100. He finished 22nd in 2008, failed to qualify in ’09 and didn’t enter the event the last three years.

WoO LMS rookie Morgan Bagley was an early retiree, pulling off on lap 10 after blowing a left-rear tire.

Heat 5 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Tim Fuller, 2. Dale McDowell, 3. Dennis Erb Jr., 4. Tim McCreadie, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. Michael Asberry, 7. Brad Neat, 8. Justin Chance, 9. Ryan Sutter, 10. Don Gordon, 11. Randy Weaver, 12. Morgan Bagley, 13. Don O’Neal, 14. Jacob Hawkins

Red flag in Heat 5

8:55 p.m. – The third heat was stopped with three laps complete so West Virginia’s Jacob Hawkins could receive medical attention. He drove his St. Henry Nite Club car into the pits but his crew immediately summoned medical attention for their driver, who reportedly was struck by something that flew inside his cockpit. He is out of the car and being evaluated in an ambulance by the safety team.

Initially, a caution flag was thrown on lap three for former Dream winner Don O’Neal, who slapped the wall hard between turns one and two. He limped into the pit area with the right-side bodywork of his MasterSbilt house car torn away.

Mars holds off his buddy

8:45 p.m. – Jimmy Mars turned back a final-lap challenge from Brian Birkhofer to win the fourth heat. Mason Zeigler finished third, putting the 20-year-old Pennsylvanian into the Dream for the first time in his young career.

Josh Richards salvaged a fifth-place finish despite running with his car’s right-side damaged significantly from the opening-lap incident with Darrell Lanigan and Frankie Heckenast.

Heat 4 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Jimmy Mars, 2. Brian Birkhofer, 3. Mason Zeigler, 4. Austin Hubbard, 5. Josh Richards, 6. Tim Lance, 7. Jay Johnson, 8. Ernie Cordier, 9. Brandon Sheppard, 10. Justin Coulter, 11. Darrell Lanigan, 12. Frankie Heckenast

Lanigan in hard wreck

8:35 p.m. – Former Dream winner and defending WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan saw his weekend come to an abrupt end on the opening lap of the fourth heat when he slid sideways in turn four while attempting to pass Jimmy Mars for the lead and ended up getting hit hard by Frankie Heckenast. Lanigan’s WoO LMS rival Josh Richards was also involved; as Heckenast’s car bounced in the air it caught the right side of Richards’s machine.

All drivers are O.K. and Richards was able to continue despite the damage.

Francis changing engines

8:20 p.m. – Reports for the pit area indicate that Steve Francis’s engine expired as he completed the third heat, forcing him to swap powerplants because he’s not allowed by rule to pull out a backup car. With the fourth heat still not on the track as packer trucks circle the speedway, Francis’s Clint Bowyer-owned team should have plenty of time to make the change.

Track reconditioning

8:05 p.m. – With the track surface turning up much choppier in the corners than it’s been this week, the Eldora track crew has taken to the speedway to rework the clay. Heats will resume shortly.

Carrier survives Heat 3

8 p.m. – West Virginia’s Eddie Carrier Jr. emerged triumphant in the marathon third heat, which was slowed by five caution flags and one red flag as drivers battled a track surface that has become choppy in the corners.

Carrier worked his way forward from the fifth starting spot to defeat Wayne Chinn and eighth-starter Steve Francis, who held on to a transfer spot despite racing half the distance with his car’s handling hampered by a bent nosepiece.

Scott James jumped out to the early lead, but on lap four he hit a rut wrong in turn one and damaged the nosepiece of his Warrior Chassis house car. A piece of bodywork flew off his machine – drawing a caution flag for debris – and he was unable to steer the car at speed when the green flag returned. He pulled off during a lap-five caution period but later returned to the racetrack three laps down with his nosepiece completely removed, hoping to gain a couple positions to keep his night alive.

A red flag was needed on lap eight after Jeff Babcock hit the turn-three wall. His car’s nosepiece broke apart when he slammed into the cushion, sending him into the concrete.

Heat 3 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Eddie Carrier Jr., 2. Wayne Chinn, 3. Steve Francis, 4. Jon Henry, 5. Mike Spatola, 6. Billy Moyer Jr., 7. Doug Drown, 8. Danny Mitchell, 9. Scott James, 10. Tyler Erb, 11. Jeff Babcock (DNS) Earl Pearson Jr., Kent Robinson, James Rice

Chamberlain all the way

7:30 p.m. – Duane Chamberlain dominated the second heat, leading the caution-free event from flag-to-flag. He crossed the finish line 1.619 seconds ahead of Jared Landers, who barely held off third-place finisher Matt Miller after crushing the right-front bodywork on his Clint Bowyer-owned car with two laps to go.

Former Dream winners Jimmy Owens and Shane Clanton finished fourth and sixth, respectively, falling short of transferring to the 100 through a heat. Clanton is assured of a fast-time provisional, but Owens can’t count on a provisional to get into the finale.

Heat 2 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Duane Chamberlain, 2. Jared Landers, 3. Matt Miller, 4. Jimmy Owens, 5. Shannon Babb, 6. Shane Clanton, 7. Jeep VanWormer, 8. Steve Shaver, 9. Bub McCool, 10. Andrew Reaume, 11. Bobby Pierce, 12. Ross Nicastri, 13. Jeremy Payne, 14. Tim Rivers

Bloomer tops Heat 1

7:20 p.m. – Scott Bloomquist passed Dustin Neat for the lead on lap three and never looked back en route to capturing the first heat. Chris Madden finished second in a Bloomquist-built car and teenager Devin Moran was third to transfer to his first-ever Dream 100.

Brian Shirley, who started from the pole position in last year’s Dream, slowed on lap three with a blown left-rear tire that severely damaged his car’s bodywork. He went down a lap before a caution flag flew for his stopped car on lap five.

The restart following Shirley’s caution saw the weekend’s overall fast-timer, Jonathan Davenport, slide sideways between turns one and two after contact with another machine and collect Jeff Provinzino and Jerry Bowersock. Davenport, who was able to drive his damaged car into the pit area, will be in the Dream 100 thanks to a fast-time provisional.

Heat 1 Finish (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer to A-Main/4-6 to B-Main/7-10 to C-Main): 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Chris Madden, 3. Devin Moran, 4. Shannon Thornsberry, 5. Terry Phillips, 6. Jason Montgomery, 7. Brian Shirley, 8. Dustin Neat, 9. Dusty Moore, 10. Jonathan Davenport, 11. Jeff Provinzino, 12. Jerry Bowersock (DNS) Eric Wells, Jason Smith

Here we go….

7 p.m. – The field for the first heat has fired up and is about to roll onto the half-mile oval.

Under the weather

6:50 p.m. – If WoO LMS star Tim McCreadie is going to add a crown-jewel victory at Eldora to his resume tonight, he’s going to do it at less than 100 percent physically. The 39-year-old from Watertown, N.Y., isn’t feeling well today; he participated in this afternoon’s driver autograph session, but only after lounging in his team’s hauler for most of the day.

McCreadie, who starts fourth in the fifth heat, has qualified for the Dream 100 A-Main six times in his seven event appearances since 2004 with a career-best finish of fifth in ’08. He hasn’t raced in the 100-lap finale since a 15th-place finish in 2010; he didn’t enter the race in ’11 and failed to qualify last year.

Looking to repeat

6:40 p.m. – Shane Clanton is already one of just five drivers to win the Dream and World 100 at Eldora. Tonight he’d like to become the first to capture the Dream in back-to-back years.

Driving the same Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car he steered to victory in last year’s Dream — albeit rebuilt with a new front flip after he crashed it during last year’s World 100 weekend — Clanton turned the fastest lap in Thursday’s qualifying session and ended up with the second-quickest circuit overall of the weekend. He opted to scratch from Thursday’s racing action to save his equipment, but he did race last night and finished 13th.

While Clanton wasn’t a factor last night, he feels his machine is certainly strong enough to contend for victory tonight.

“Our car is real good,” said Clanton, who will start sixth in the second heat. “Hopefully we can do the same thing we did last year and win another hundred-thousand.”

Shooting for a sweep

6:15 p.m. – Matt Miller walked across the stage moments ago and was asked if he’s ready to go three-for-three this weekend after capturing 25-lap features on both Thursday and Friday. The 41-year-old from Whitehouse, Ohio, didn’t guarantee his second Dream 100 victory (he previously was triumphant in 2005), but he’s ready to chase the big money with his very potent Rick Delong-owned Rocket car.

“This is one of those places you get fired up for,” said Miller, who will start third in the second heat. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we’re got a great car. I couldn’t be more happy for Rick (Delong) and his guys. I’d love to win it for them.”

Staying power

6:10 p.m. – Five drivers competing in this weekend’s action ran the inaugural Dream 100 A-Main in 1994. The select group includes Darrell Lanigan (finished third), Scott Bloomquist (fourth), Donnie Moran (10th), Steve Francis (16th) and John Mason (20th).

In addition, two sons of two drivers who raced in that historic first Dream 100 nearly two decades ago are competing this weekend: Bobby Pierce (his father Bob finished seventh in the ’94 event) and James Rice (his dad Jerry was 18th in ’94).

Pomp & circumstance beginning

6 p.m. – Opening ceremonies for tonight’s program have started on Eldora’s stage. The lineup includes the introduction of the former Dream winners in action this weekend: Scott Bloomquist, Donnie Moran, Jimmy Mars, Billy Moyer, Darrell Lanigan, Matt Miller, Steve Casebolt Jr., Jimmy Owens, Don O’Neal and defending champion Shane Clanton.

Anticipation building

5:25 p.m. – Gorgeous weather — sunny with temps in the 70s — is prevailing here at Eldora Speedway as the start of the final night of the 19th annual Dirt Late Model Dream by Ferris approaches. Tonight’s program begins at 7 o’clock sharp with the first of six 15-lap heat races.

The top-three finishers from each heat race will transfer to the Dream 100, with finishers 4-6 moving to the B-Feature and 7-10 to the C-Feature. The 28-car Dream starting field will be filled out with the top-six finishers in the B-Feature and four fast-time provisionals.

Here are the lineups for tonight’s heat races….

Heat 1 Lineup:

Row 1: Dustin Neat/Scott Bloomquist
Row 2: Shannon Thornsberry/Brian Shirley
Row 3: Chris Madden/Jonathan Davenport
Row 4: Terry Phillips/Devin Moran
Row 5: Jerry Bowersock/Eric Wells
Row 6: Dusty Moore/Jason Montgomery
Row 7: Jeff Provinzino/Jason Smith

Heat 2 Lineup:

Row 1: Jared Landers/Duane Chamberlain
Row 2: Matt Miller/Shannon Babb
Row 3: Jimmy Owens/Shane Clanton
Row 4: Jeremy Payne/Jeep VanWormer
Row 5: Steve Shaver/Bub McCool
Row 6: Ross Nicastri/Bobby Pierce
Row 7: Tim Rivers/Andrew Reaume

Heat 3 Lineup:

Row 1: Wayne Chinn/Scott James
Row 2: Doug Drown/Jeff Babcock
Row 3: Eddie Carrier Jr./Jon Henry
Row 4: Billy Moyer Jr./Steve Francis
Row 5: Tyler Erb/Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 6: Kent Robinson/Mike Spatola
Row 7: James Rice/Danny Mitchell

Heat 4 Lineup:

Row 1: Darrell Lanigan/Jimmy Mars
Row 2: Mason Zeigler/Frankie Heckenast
Row 3: Brian Birkhofer/Josh Richards
Row 4: Tim Lance/Justin Coulter
Row 5: Brandon Sheppard/Jay Johnson
Row 6: Austin Hubbard/Chad Stapleton
Row 7: Craig Smith/Ernie Cordier

Heat 5 Lineup:

Row 1: Brad Neat/Tim Fuller
Row 2: Dale McDowell/Tim McCreadie
Row 3: Morgan Bagley/Don O’Neal
Row 4: Randy Weaver/Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 5: Jacob Hawkins/Chris Simpson
Row 6: Michael Asberry/Ryan Sutter
Row 7: Justin Chance/Don Gordon

Heat 6 Lineup:

Row 1: 71c-R.J. Conley/Gregg Satterlee
Row 2: Tyler Reddick/Steve Casebolt Jr.
Row 3: Billy Moyer/John Blankenship
Row 4: Chad Smith/Chad Simpson
Row 5: Greg Johnson/Donnie Moran
Row 6: John Mason/Brandon Thirlby
Row 7: Nick Latham/Shane Unger

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