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• Bloomquist Captures Firecracker 100

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Bloomquist Cruises To Second Career Victory In Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com At Lernerville Speedway

Lanigan’s Late-Race Bid Falls Short In World of Outlaws Late Model Series Spectacular

By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

SARVER, PA – June 30, 2012 – Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., was flawless from start-to-finish en route to his second career victory in the Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com on Saturday night at Lernerville Speedway.

The 48-year-old dirt Late Model legend overtook teenager Tyler Reddick of DuQuoin, Ill., for the lead on lap two and never looked back. He gracefully handled the race’s two restarts and outlasted the late-charging Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., to become the second two-time winner of the six-year-old World of Outlaws Late Model Series event.

Bloomquist banked $30,100 after crossing the the finish line 1.582 seconds ahead of Lanigan, who was mounting a dramatic bid for victory when he slipped over the four-tenths-mile oval’s cushion between turns one and two on lap 98. Lanigan, 42, lost precious ground to Bloomquist and didn’t have enough time to recover, leaving him a runner-up in the Firecracker 100 for the fourth time in the last five years.

Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., finished about two seconds behind Lanigan in third, continuing his WoO LMS hot streak in the Sweeteners Plus Warrior. Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., ran second for more than half the distance but settled for a fourth-place finish in the Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car and Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., placed fifth driving the Team Dillon Warrior No. 41 that 2011 ARCA Racing Series champion Ty Dillon steers in selected events.

Bloomquist started third in his self-built Team Zero chassis, but he needed just a single lap to break into the lead for good. He surged by front-row starters Reddick and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who took the green flag from the pole position, for the top spot on lap two and immediately pulled away.

“They just weren’t going anywhere,” Bloomquist said of his quick ascension to the race lead. “Our car was just that good, and I thought, ‘I’m not gonna sit here and mess with this. I’m just gonna go.’ The car really did fire off.”

By lap 35 Bloomquist held an edge over three seconds – nearly a full straightaway – on Clanton, who advanced from the eighth starting spot to second in 14 laps. Caution flags on laps 44 (flat tire on the car driven by John Garvin Jr. of Sarver, Pa.) and 55 (problems for Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa.) tightened the field, but Bloomquist maintained solid control on each restart and never faced any serious pressure.

The race was certainly not without anxiety for Bloomquist. He battled the tricky Lernerville layout throughout his run in front.

“I love being in the lead – don’t get me wrong,” said Bloomquist. “But leading the race can be taxing on you because you’re looking around – and this place has so many possibilities. I love this racetrack because you can drive it so many different ways. If your car’s not handling, there’s someplace on that racetrack that it should handle. You just gotta find it.

“There were a couple times I slid the car, and when I went in the next corner it was extremely loose. You had to be so intense out there to not slide the tires at all and to just be sure you were picking the right groove around the racetrack.”
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Lanigan, who started seventh, made the race interesting during its late stages. The current WoO LMS points leader battled his way forward to grab second from Clanton on lap 62 and slowly-but-surely cut his deficit to Bloomquist from over two seconds to just a half-second as lap 96 was scored.

Badly craving a Firecracker 100 victory after finishing second three years in a row from 2008-2010, Lanigan tossed his Rocket machine hard around the outside of the track. Bloomquist was keenly aware of the possibility that the approaching challenger could steal the race.

“I’ll tell you what’s the worst thing that can happen – it’s if you have the most dominant car of the weekend and get beat in the last 10 laps of a race or something happens at the end,” said Bloomquist, who won Thursday night’s first 30-lap WoO LMS preliminary A-Main and finished second in Friday night’s headliner. “We were real concerned about that. Tommy (Hicks, Bloomquist’s chief mechanic) was showing me hand signals and I knew somebody was close. I didn’t know who it was though.

“I just had to really get back in the zone and focus on the racetrack and not think about somebody else.”

Bloomquist stayed smooth enough to hold on for his first Firecracker 100 triumph since capturing the inaugural event in 2007. It was his 24th victory on the WoO LMS since 2004 and his tour-leading seventh career win in a 100-lap event.

In addition, Bloomquist joined Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., as a two-time winner of the Firecracker 100. Mars, who beat Bloomquist to win last year’s event, was not a factor on Saturday night, failing to crack the top 10 before retiring on lap 66 due to an overheating engine.

“We’ve been coming to this race every year that they’ve run it and we’ll keep coming as long as they have it,” said Bloomquist. “We enjoying coming up here.”

Lanigan would certainly enjoy competing at Lernerville a bit more if he could finally break through to win the Firecracker 100. He’s become a perennial bridesmaid in the event.

The former WoO LMS champion’s latest Firecracker 100 heartbreak came after he hopped the cushion with two laps to go, ending his hopes of unseating Bloomquist.

“I don’t know about being owed one, but I don’t think we’re meant to win this race,” said Lanigan. “We’ve run second so many times here. But if we wouldn’t have jumped that cushion we were gonna make it awful interesting. I think it would’ve been his ass, but we ran second.”

McCreadie, 38, registered a career-best Firecracker 100 finish and his 11th top-five finish in the last 13 WoO LMS A-Mains, putting a smile on his face. But he wondered what could have been had he been able to sneak past Lanigan while the two drivers battled at the back end of the top 10 midway through the race.

“We were good, way better than I’ve ever been here in this race,” said McCreadie, who started ninth. “I thought if I could get by Darrell, maybe we would’ve been the guy up there. But I’d get to him, get beside or even get by him, and the yellow would come out.

“I needed to get by him so I could be in his position the rest of the way through, and then who knows what would’ve happened.”

Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., started fourth and ran in the top five for nearly three-quarters of the distance before settling for a sixth-place finish. Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., made the biggest advance, scrambling from the 24th starting spot to a seventh-place finish. Jared Miley of South Park, Pa., who started 23rd, placed eighth to earn the highest Firecracker 100 finish ever by a Lernerville regular; Reddick faded to ninth at the checkered flag; and WoO LMS rookie Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., rounded out the top 10.

Fifty-four cars were entered in the final night of the Firecracker 100 weekend.

With Saturday night’s heat races lined up using drivers’ best finish from the Thursday and Friday preliminary action, the 12-lap qualifiers were captured by McCreadie, Reddick, Marlar, Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., and Clanton. The 15-lap B-Mains were won by Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., and Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y.

Morgan Bagley made his long trip from Longview, Texas, worthwhile with a victory in the ‘Uncle Sam 30′ Non-Qualifiers’ Race that preceded the Firecracker 100. He beat Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., to the finish line for a $3,000 prize in his first-ever visit to Lernerville.

The Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com will be broadcast as a two-hour special event on the SPEED cable network.

The next action for the WoO LMS is the ‘Wild West Tour,’ a six-race swing that visits Amsoil Speedway in Superior, Wis., on July 6; Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., on July 7; Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, S.D., on July 10; Red River Co-op Speedway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 12; River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., on July 13; and North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn., on July 14.

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com’ at Lernerville Speedway (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

1. (3) Scott Bloomquist/100 $30,100
2. (7) Darrell Lanigan/100 $15,650
3. (9) Tim McCreadie/100 $7,650
4. (8) Shane Clanton/100 $6,550
5. (11) Dale McDowell/100 $5,000
6. (4) Mike Marlar/100 $4,500
7. (24) Eddie Carrier Jr./100 $3,000
8. (23) Jared Miley/100 $2,500
9. (2) Tyler Reddick/100 $2,350
10. (10) Bub McCool/100 $2,950
11. (1) Chub Frank/100 $2,450
12. (18) Tim Fuller/100 $2,350
13. (5) Rick Eckert/100 $2,350
14. (17) Jack Sullivan/100 $2,150
15. (22) Vic Coffey/100 $2,050
16. (12) Dan Stone/99 $1,400
17. (20) Clint Smith/99 $1,850
18. (26) Kent Robinson/98 $1,750
19. (27) John Garvin Jr./81 $1,200
20. (14) Jimmy Mars/66 $1,000
21. (21) Gregg Satterlee/62 $1,000
22. (15) Bump Hedman/62 $1,000
23. (6) Brady Smith/54 $1,000
24. (13) Dave Hess Jr./53 $1,000
25. (25) Pat Doar/53 $1,550
26. (19) Ron Davies/46 $1,000
27. (28) Mike Pegher Jr./25 $1,000
28. (16) Austin Hubbard/4 $1,000

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses
NOTE: The car Austin Hubbard qualified through a heat was stricken by terminal engine problems, forcing him to start from the rear of the field in Morgan Bagley’s car.

Time of Race: 41 Mins., 28.893 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.582 Secs.
Yellow Flags: 2 (Laps 44, 55)
Lap Leaders: Reddick (1); Bloomquist (2-100)
Provisional Starters: Doar, Robinson (WoO); Garvin, Pegher (track)
Rookie of the Race: McCool ($250)
WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Marlar ($500)

Heat No. 1 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Tim McCreadie, 2. Scott Bloomquist, 3. Dale McDowell, 4. Austin Hubbard, 5. Gregg Satterlee, 6. Jared Miley, 7. Morgan Bagley, 8. Chuck Sarver, 9. Jared Hawkins, 10. Jeff Jones, 11. Derek Stefanick

Heat No. 2 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Tyler Reddick, 2. Bub McCool, 3. Dan Stone, 4. Jack Sullivan, 5. Pat Doar, 6. Corey Conley, 7. Jamie Lathroum, 8. Matt Lux, 9. Mike Johnson, 10. Herman Bertolini, 11. Davey Johnson

Heat No. 3 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Darrell Lanigan, 3. Dave Hess Jr., 4. Tim Fuller, 5. Vic Coffey, 6. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 7. Coleby Frye, 8. Chris Casner, 9. Russell King, 10. Jill George, 11. Alex Ferree

Heat No. 4 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Brady Smith, 2. Chub Frank, 3. Jimmy Mars, 4. Ron Davies, 5. John Garvin Jr., 6. Dan Swartzlander, 7. Garrett Krummert, 8. John Lobb, 9. John Mason, 10. Ken Schaltenbrand, 11. Chris Schneider

Heat No. 5 (12 laps – Top 4 Transfer): 1. Shane Clanton, 2. Rick Eckert, 3. Bump Hedman, 4. Clint Smith, 5. Eddie Carrier Jr., 6. Kent Robinson, 7. Tony Mussolino, 8. Jason Rider, 9. Mike Pegher Jr., 10. Derrick Casner

B-Main No. 1 (15 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Gregg Satterlee, 2. Jared Miley, 3. Jamie Lathroum, 4. Corey Conley, 5. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 6. Pat Doar, 7. Morgan Bagley, 8. Chuck Sarver, 9. Chris Casner, 10. Jill George, 11. Jeff Jones, 12. Herman Bertolini, 13. Derek Stefanick, 14. Matt Lux, 15. Mike Johnson (DNS) Jared Hawkins, Davey Johnson

B-Main No. 2 (15 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Vic Coffey, 2. Eddie Carrier Jr., 3. Kent Robinson, 4. John Mason, 5. Coleby Frye, 6. Dan Swartzlander, 7. Ken Schaltenbrand, 8. John Lobb, 9. Garrett Krummert, 10. Tony Mussolino, 11. Mike Pegher Jr., 12. Jason Rider, 13. Chris Schneider, 14. John Garvin Jr. (DNS) Russell King, Derrick Casner, Alex Ferree

Uncle Sam 30 Finish: 1. Morgan Bagley ($3,000); 2. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs ($1,500); 3. Corey Conley ($800); 4. John Mason ($700); 5. John Lobb ($600); 6. Garrett Krummert ($500); 7. Chris Casner ($400); 8. Chuck Sarver ($375); 9. Dan Swartzlander ($350); 10. Jason Rider ($325); 11. Herman Bertolini ($300); 12. Jeff Jones ($300); 13. Jill George ($270); 14. Jamie Lathroum ($260); 15. Ken Schaltenbrand ($240); 17. Mike Johnson ($230); 18. Derek Stefanick($220); 19. Coleby Frye ($210); 20. Tony Mussolino ($200); 21. Matt Lux ($200) DNS – Russell King, Derrick Casner, Alex Ferree, Jared Hawkins, Davey Johnson

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:

Arizona Sport Shirts ($100 product certificate to 23rd-place finisher I n A-Main or next highest w/decal): None
Armor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Scott Bloomquist
Cometic Gasket ($50 cash to 12th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tim Fuller
Comp Cams ($50 cash to 10th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
Comp Cams ($50 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal):
Dominator ($50 cash to 6th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tyler Reddick
Eibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs/Ken Schaltenbrand
Gravely ($50 cash to 7th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
JE Pistons ($50 cash to 16th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Clint Smith
JE Pistons (one compete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 11th-place finisher or next highest w/decal – $285 value): Chub Frank
JE Pistons (one complete set of JE Pro Seal rings to 21st-place finisher or next highest w/decal – $285 value): Pat Doar
Klotz Synthetic Lubricants ($50 cash to 17th-place finisher or next highest finisher): Kent Robinson
MSD Ignition ($50 cash to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie
MSD Ignition ($25 cash to 24th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Pat Doar
Ohlins Pole Award ($50 cash to fast qualifier or next highest w/decal): None
Quartermaster ($100 product certificate to A-Main winner or next highest w/decal): Tim McCreadie
Quartermaster ($50 product certificate to 5th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Dale McDowell
Quartermaster ($25 product certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Vic Coffey
Roush-Yates Performance Products ($50 cash to 4th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Tyler Reddick
Roush-Yates Performance Products (carburetor repair kit to 18th-place finish in A-Main or next highest w/decal – $100 value): Kent Robinson
Roush-Yates Lap Leader Award (one pair of Wiley X Sunglasses to driver who leads most laps in A-Main): Scott Bloomquist
STP ($50 cash to 2nd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Darrell Lanigan
SuperFlow ($50 cash to 14th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Jack Sullivan
VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash to 9th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
VP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (one VP 5-gallon container to fastest qualifier who misses A-Main or next highest with decal – $30 value):
WIX Filters ($50 cash to 13th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Rick Eckert
Wrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner if decal displayed – $200 value): Darrell Lanigan
XS Power ($50 cash to 3rd-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
XS Power ($60 product certificate to 8th-place finisher in A-Main or next highest w/decal): Bub McCool
XS ‘Power Move of the Race’ ($60 product certificate): Jared Miley

2012 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 30 – 22 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/points/deficit to leader):

1. Darrell Lanigan 3130
2. Rick Eckert 2978 (-152)
3. Tim McCreadie 2946 (-184)
4. Chub Frank 2868 (-262)
5. Shane Clanton 2852 (-278)
6. Bub McCool 2736 (-394)
7. (tie) Clint Smith 2708 (-422)
7. (tie) Vic Coffey 2708 (-422)
9. Pat Doar 2554 (-576)
10. Tim Fuller 2546 (-584)
11. Kent Robinson 2462 (-668)
12. Jack Sullivan 2376 (-754)
13. John Lobb 2300 (-830)
14. Mike Marlar 1906 (-1224)
15. Jill George 1464 (-1666)

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Gravely Tractors (Official Lawn Equipment), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), Vicci (Official Uniform), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors Butlerbuilt, Cometic Gaskets, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Eibach Springs, JE Pistons, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, MSD Ignition, Ohlins Shocks, QuarterMaster, Roush Yates Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos, Wix Filter, Wrisco Aluminum and XS Power Racing Batteries; along with manufacturer sponsors Integra Shocks, GRT Chassis, Jake’s Carts, Longacre, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, TNT Rescue, and Warrior Chassis.

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LIVE UPDATES 6/30: World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com’ at Lernerville Speedway

SARVER, PA – June 30, 2012 – The Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com weekend culminates tonight at Lernerville Speedway with the running of the grand $30,000-to-win finale.

After Scott Bloomquist and Dan Stone scored victories in the pair of 30-lap preliminary A-Mains run the past two nights, all focus shifts to the sixth annual Firecracker 100. Tonight’s heat races will be aligned using each driver’s best finish from the two preliminary programs.

For live updates of all the news, pit notes and results from tonight’s action, click the ‘Full Story’ link below. Be sure to refresh your browser throughout the night to see the latest information.
 
Bloomer back in Victory Lane

Scott Bloomquist grabbed the lead from Tyler Reddick on lap two and never looked back en route to his second career victory in the Firecracker 100 Presented by GottaRace.com. He didn’t receive a single serious challenge in a race slowed by just two caution flags, but Darrell Lanigan was closing in on Bloomquist when he hopped the cushion between turns one and two on lap 98, dive-bombing his bid.

As Bloomquist celebrated another $30,000 triumph, Lanigan had to resign himself to his fourth runner-up finish in the last five years in the Firecracker 100. He crossed the finish line 1.582 seconds behind Bloomquist.

Firecracker 100 Finish: 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Darrell Lanigan, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Shane Clanton, 5. Dale McDowell, 6. Mike Marlar, 7. Eddie Carrier Jr., 8. Jared Miley, 9. Tyler Reddick, 10. Bub McCool, 11. Chub Frank, 12. Tim Fuller, 13. Rick Eckert, 14. Jack Sullivan, 15. Vic Coffey, 16. Dan Stone, 17. Clint Smith, 18. Kent Robinson, 19. John Garvin Jr., 20. Jimmy Mars, 21. Gregg Satterlee, 22. Bump Hedman, 23. Brady Smith, 24. Dave Hess Jr., 25. Pat Doar, 26. Ron Davies, 27. Mike Pegher Jr., 28. Austin Hubbard

The big one

9:50 p.m. – The Uncle Sam 30 Non-Qualifiers’ Race just ended with Texan Morgan Bagley taking the $3,000 win over Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, Corey Conley, John Mason and John Lobb.

The eight-minute horn to line up the Firecracker 100 has been blown by WoO LMS officials. Teams are now beginning to roll toward the racetrack for driver introductions and, soon after, the start of the $30,000-to-win Firecracker 100.

Bad luck for McSling

9:20 p.m. – Austin Hubbard is scheduled to start 16th in the Firecracker 100, but he just reported that engine problems (water-pump bolts backed out during his heat race) have forced him to scratch his family-owned machine and start Texas driver Morgan Bagley’s car at the rear of the field. Hubbard plans to take the green flag for the $1,000 last-place money and then pull in.

“Living the dream, baby,” said Hubbard as he left the WoO LMS trailer.

Firecracker field set

9:15 p.m. – As the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 Non-Qualifiers’ Race begins, the Firecracker 100 starting field is set. Gregg Satterlee and Vic Coffey won the twin 15-lap B-Mains with Jared Miley and Eddie Carrier Jr. finishing second in each event, respectively, to also transfer.

WoO LMS points provisional starters will be Pat Doar and Kent Robinson, and Lernerville track provisionals go to John Garvin Jr. and Mike Pegher Jr.

Firecracker 100 Lineup:

Row 1: Chub Frank/Tyler Reddick
Row 2: Scott Bloomquist/Mike Marlar
Row 3: Rick Eckert/Brady Smith
Row 4: Darrell Lanigan/Shane Clanton
Row 5: Tim McCreadie/Bub McCool
Row 6: Dale McDowell/Dan Stone
Row 7: Dave Hess Jr./Jimmy Mars
Row 8: Bump Hedman/Austin Hubbard
Row 9: Jack Sullivan/Tim Fuller
Row 10: Ron Davies/Clint Smith
Row 11: Gregg Satterlee/Vic Coffey
Row 12: Jared Miley/Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 13: Pat Doar/Kent Robinson
Row 14: John Garvin Jr./Mike Pegher Jr.

Pole-zilla

8:40 p.m. – After Mike Marlar, Brady Smith and Shane Clanton raced to victories in heats 3-5, respectively, the top-two finishers in each prelim reported to the walkway in front of the grandstands to redraw for Firecracker 100 starting spots. Each driver was paired with a youngster, who pulled the number from WoO LMS announcer Rick Eshelman’s coffee jug.

Chub Frank had the lucky kid, getting the pole position for the 100 — and earning the boy a free t-shirt from Chub as a thank-you. Teenager Tyler Reddick drew the outside pole, putting the 50-year-old Frank alongside the 16-year-old Reddick for the green flag.

The B-Mains are now being contested…

Full heat results can be found here.

T-Mac draws first blood

7:55 p.m. – Tim McCreadie got the first rise from the big crowd tonight, outgunning polesitter Scott Bloomquist on an opening-lap restart of the first heat to grab the lead and holding on for the remainder of the distance for the win. T-Mac beat Bloomquist to the checkered flag by 0.200 of a second in a finish that had the fans on their feet.

Tyler Reddick looked strong in the second heat, rolling to a prelim victory for the second consecutive night. He crossed the finish line 2.274 seconds in front of Bub McCool.

The third heat is now on the track.

For full heat race results, click here.

First laps

7:20 p.m. – Practice for tonight’s Firecracker 100 is complete with Rick Eckert topping the speed charts at 16.460 seconds. The defending WoO LMS champion is seeking to end his nightmarish week — a rash of engine trouble, a major hauler breakdown — on a high note in a race that he led early last year before settling for a third-place finish.

Darrell Lanigan was second-fastest in hot laps. A runner-up in the Firecracker 100 in each year from 2008-2010, he’s coming off his worst WoO LMS outing of the season last night: a 21st-place finish after he needed to use a provisional to start the A-Main. The Kentucky star is certainly focused on turning around his dismal Friday night; he put a new rearend in his car this afternoon and did several other tweaks to his Rocket machine.

Third-fastest in practice was Kent Robinson, who made his first start in a MasterSbilt car he purchased two weeks ago from the Virginia-based team for which Ronnie DeHaven drives. The car, which Robinson obtained to serve as a backup after he lost the service of a mount in a rough flip on June 17 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa., still sports a plain yellow paint scheme. Robinson actually hadn’t even sat in the car until deciding to take it out for hot laps today.

Heat races are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Prelims

6:20 p.m. – As WoO LMS race director Bret Emrick prepares to hold his final Drivers’ Meeting of the weekend, teams and fans are discussing the upcoming heat races. Five 12-lap qualifiers — with starting positions awarded by virtue of drivers’ best finish in the two preliminary programs — will be run with the top-four finishers from each transferring to the 100-lapper and the top-two finishers redrawing for the first 10 starting spots in the A-Main.

Heat-race lineups are below:

Heat 1

Row 1: Scott Bloomquist/Tim McCreadie
Row 2: Gregg Satterlee/Dale McDowell
Row 3: Austin Hubbard/Jared Hawkins
Row 4: Jared Miley/Chuck Sarver
Row 5: Jeff Jones/Morgan Bagley
Row 6: Derek Stefanick

Heat 2

Row 1: Dan Stone/Tyler Reddick
Row 2: Bub McCool/Jamie Lathroum
Row 3: Pat Doar/Jack Sullivan
Row 4: Matt Lux/Corey Conley
Row 5: Mike Johnson/Herman Bertolini
Row 6: Davey Johnson

Heat 3

Row 1: Mike Marlar/Darrell Lanigan
Row 2: Vic Coffey/Tim Fuller
Row 3: Dave Hess Jr./Coleby Frye
Row 4: Boom Briggs/Chris Casner
Row 5: Russell King/Jill George
Row 6: Alex Ferree

Heat 4

Row 1: Brady Smith/Jimmy Mars
Row 2: Chub Frank/John Garvin Jr.
Row 3: Ron Davies/Dan Swartzlander
Row 4: John Mason/John Lobb
Row 5: Garrett Krummert/Ken Schaltenbrand
Row 6: Chris Schneider

Heat 5

Row 1: Shane Clanton/Rick Eckert
Row 2: Clint Smith/Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 3: Bump Hedman/Kent Robinson
Row 4: Mike Pegher Jr./Jason Rider
Row 5: Tony Musolino/Derrick Casner

Dandy Dan

6:05 p.m. – After Scott Bloomquist won the Firecracker 100 Horseshoes Tournament, it should have come as no surprise that Dan Stone was the leader of the victorious team in the second annual Driver/Fan Cornhole tourney. Stone’s win gave the two winners of the preliminary A-Mains triumphs in the Saturday-afternoon fan interaction activities as well.

Stone and partner Dale Sipe of York, Pa., beat Team John Lobb in the final of Cornhole, a popular game in which participants attempt to throw beanbags into holes on an angled board. A total of 12 drivers participated in the Cornhole competition, including Vic Coffey, John Garvin Jr., Russell King, Gregg Satterlee, Kent Robinson, Brady Smith, Shane Clanton, Tim Fuller, Austin Hubbard and Darrell Lanigan.

Stone was paired with a fan who got some television time on SPEED during last year’s World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Remember the four guys dressed as Teletubbies who swarmed WoO LMS champion Rick Eckert at the end of his post-race interview with WorldofOutlaws.com and joined him for photos on stage? Sipe was the green Teletubby.

Sipe did not bring his Teletubby costume to the Firecracker 100 (he’s here with only one of his cohorts), but he said his group will be in costume for this year’s World Finals. They’re trying to come up with a new idea, though, to spice up their legend.

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Bloomer adds to resume

5:40 p.m. – Scott Bloomquist won Thursday night’s preliminary A-Main. He’s a favorite to win the Firecracker 100 for a second time tonight.

But earlier today, Bloomquist registered a victory that meant a lot to him — without even firing an engine. The dirt Late Model legend was on the winning team of the annual Firecracker 100 Driver/Fan Horseshoes Tournament, which was held in the speedway parking lot.

Bloomquist has been part of the horseshoes tourney in each of the previous five years it was contested but never managed a triumph. That changed this year when Bloomquist and partner Ross Miner of Mill Run, Pa., combined to run through the eight-team bracket, clinching the title by defeating Team Clint Smith in the championship round.

Bloomquist and Miner were interviewed on stage after their win by announcers Dow Carnahan and Shane Andrews. Bloomquist talked at length on numerous racing subjects, but he also mentioned his love for horseshoes.

“I gotta thank my grandfather for teaching me to play (horseshoes) when I was eight years old,” said Bloomquist, who split $200 in cash with Miner for the victory. “I enjoy playing. We have a regulation pit back at the shop that we don’t get to play on too often, so I always enjoy playing here during the Firecracker.”

Miner is actually a two-time member of a winning Firecracker Horseshoes Tournament team, joining Chub Frank to win in 2010. His wife teamed with Lynn Geisler to win last year’s horseshoes tourney, proving the horseshoes acumen of the Miner household.

Other drivers who participated in the horseshoes competition were Geisler, Bub McCool, Dave Hess Jr., Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs and Tim McCreadie.

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Anticipation building

4:20 p.m. – Hot and muggy conditions once again prevail here at Lernerville Speedway as the countdown to the start of the sixth annual Firecracker 100 is well underway.

Teams have spent the afternoon preparing their cars for 100 laps of combat and the spectator gates swung open just minutes ago for fans to find their seats and meet the drivers, who are currently sitting at a long line of tables underneath the grandstand for the traditional pre-race autograph session.

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