UNION, KY (August 13, 2011) – Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN has won the Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil on Saturday Night at Florence Speedway. Owens took the lead on lap 75 from Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN as he went on to score his third career victory in the annual $50,000 to win event. Bloomquist had to hold off a hard-charging Brad Neat of Dunnville, KY to finish second. Neat started 15th and finished third, followed by Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC. Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN rounded out the top five. “It feels great to win this race again,” said the 39-year-old Owens who joins the late Jack Boggs as the only 3-time winner of the race. “I never got the chance to race with Jack Boggs, I know all about what he did in Late Model Racing and to be mentioned in the same breath as him, it’s just a tremendous accomplishment, I have to my car owner, Mike Reece, he’s here tonight and all the crew, they did a great job all weekend long.” Don O’Neal has led more laps than any other driver the last two years in this race. He grabbed the lead at the start of the race with Bloomquist running second. Bloomquist shadowed O’Neal for 22 laps of the race before taking over the top spot on lap 23. Bloomquist then pulled away from O’Neal and the rest of the field as he stretched his lead out to several car lengths. As the race reached the halfway mark, it was Bloomquist, Owens, Marlar, O’Neal, and Lanigan all outpacing the field. Owens then started to close the gap on Bloomquist ever so slightly as Bloomquist was having to deal with lapped traffic. Owens cut the deficit to half a straightaway when a caution for John Blankenship, who slowed on the front-stretch with a flat tire. This time on the restart Owens was bound and determined to pass Bloomquist as he went to the top of the race track and passed him on lap 75 to take over the point. Over the last 25 laps of the race, Owens had to hold off Bloomquist, who was having his position threatened by Neat. But Owens was able to put enough distance between the Bloomquist-Neat battle to go on and capture his fifth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2011 and he expanded his points’ lead over Bloomquist. “I didn’t now if could do anything with Scott once I caught him, the cautions sure helped us, and it looked like his left rear tire sealed over, I just got tired of running there on the bottom, so I decided to go up top and that was the way to go around him. I was worried there for a while that the track was going to become one-groove but it held up nicely, the car worked so well on it at the end. Scott builds a great race car and to beat him is always tough,” said Owens. Owens’ Cornett Racing Engines powered Bloomquist Race Cars Ford is sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Gantte Appraisals, Red Line Oil, Hoosier Tires, Ohlins, Midwest Sheet Metal and VP Racing Fuels. Bloomquist in his Hawkeye Tricking, Roush-Yates Racing Engines, Bloomquist Race Cars Ford just edged out the Red Buck Cigars, Cornett=powered Longhorn Chassis of Neat. Cook, in one of his best runs at Florence was fourth in the D&R Racing, Rockstar Energy, MasterSbilt. Marlar debuted a new ride in the Billy Ward Rocket Chassis came home fifth. Completing the top ten were Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA; Steve Francis of Ashland, KY, who was PPB Erson Cams Hard Charger of Race. Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY; Clint Smith of Senoia, GA; and John Blankenship of Williamson, WV. The next Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event will be on August 19th and 20th with the $40,000 to win COMP Cams Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR. For the latest breaking news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log onto www.lucasdirt.com or call the series’ office at (951) 532-2503. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesRace Summary Friday Night, August 12th, 2011 Sunoco Race Fuels “North/South 100” Presented by Lucas Oil Products, Inc. Florence Speedway – Union, KY Red Buck Cigars Fast Time: Steve Shaver / 16.742 seconds (Group A and Overall) Chris Madden / 17.193 seconds (Group B) Wiles Driveshafts First Heat (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Vic Hill, Joe Janowski, Clint Smith, Chip Brindle, Dustin Neat, Tim Breeding, Steve Shaver, Danny Erskine, Josh Richards, Dale McDowell, Bub McCool, Greg Martin-DNS, David Webb-DNS Wiles Driveshafts Second Heat (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Mike Marlar, Jacob Grizzle, Brad Neat, Kent Robinson, Eddie Carrier Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Tim Tungate, Jason Barrett, Rob Starkey, Jason Montgomery, James Rice Sweet Manufacturing Third Heat (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Don O’Neal, John Blankenship, Earl Pearson Jr., Jared Landers, Eric Wells, Jimmy Mars, Chad Smith, Dustin Linville, Billy Guillion, Justin Rattliff, Jim Price, Jarrod Breeding HAWK Brakes Fourth Heat (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Jimmy Owens, Chris Madden, Jonathan Davenport, Steve Francis, Chris Brown, Zack Dohm, Shave Clanton, Josh McGuire, Rod Conley, Chris Combs, Steve Landrum, Jeff Watson, Dan Deaton Wiles Driveshafts Fifth Heat (12 Laps – Top 3 Advance): Scott Bloomquist, Steve Casebolt, Tyler Reddick, Greg Johnson, Mike Jewell, Josh Williams, Scott James, John Gill, Jesse Lay, Jeff Raisor, Tim Prince, Kenneth Howell-DNS Sweet Manufacturing Sixth Heat (12 Laps – Top 3 Advance): Darrell Lanigan, Chris Wall, Ray Cook, dan Schlieper, Jeep VanWormer, Jeff Aslip, Brian Gray, Frank Heckenast Jr., Chris Wilson, Jason Riggs, Robby Hensley, Chub Frank-DNS JRi Shocks First B-Main (15 Laps- Top 2 Advance): JARED Landers, Kent Robinson, Steve Shaver, Eddie Carrier Jr., Dustin Neat, Dustin Linville, Chad Smith, Eric Wells, Tim Breeding, Tim Tungate, James Rice, Rob Starkey, Jim Price, Jarrod Breeding, Bub McCool, Jason Barrett, Billy Guillion, Josh Richards, Brandon Sheppard, Chip Brindle, Brian Shirley, Danny Erskine, Dale McDowell-DNS, Jason Montgomery-DNS, Justin Rattliff-DNS, Jimmy Mars-DNS, Greg Martin-DNS, David Webb-DNS Wrisco Aluminum Second B-Main (15 Laps- Top 2 Advance): Greg Johnson, Steve Francis, Chris Brown, Shane Clanton, Jeep VanWormer, Zack Dohm, Dan Schlieper, Mike Jewell, Frank Heckenast Jr., John Gill, Chris Combs, Chris Wilson, Brian Gray, Jeff Aslip, Jesse Lay, Rod Conley, Steve Landrum, Jason Riggs, Jeff Raisor, Josh McGuire, Josh Williams, Scott James-DNS, Kenneth Howell-DNS, Robby Hensley-DNS, Jeff Watson-DNS, Dan Deaton-DNS, Chub Frank-DNS “29th Annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil Products, Inc. Feature Finish – 100 Laps:Jimmy Owens, Scott Bloomquist, Brad Neat, Ray Cook, Mike Marlar, Jonathan Davenport, Steve Francis, Darrell Lanigan, Clint Smith, John Blankenship, Don O’Neal, Jared Landers, Tyler Reddick, Josh Williams, Eric Wells, Bub McCool, Joe Janowski, Jacob Grizzle, Frank Heckenast, Jr., Vic Hill, Chris Madden, Kent Robinson, Dale McDowell, Greg Johnson, Earl Pearson, Jr., Chris Wall, Steve Casebolt “29th Annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil Products, Inc. Feature Finish – 100 Laps
FINISH | START | CAR # | DRIVER NAME | HOMETOWN |
1 | 6 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN |
2 | 2 | 0 | Scott Bloomquist | Mooresburg, TN |
3 | 15 | 41n | Brad Neat | Dunnville, KY |
4 | 18 | 53 | Ray Cook | Brasstown, NC |
5 | 5 | 16m | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN |
6 | 14 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA |
7 | 22 | 15 | Steve Francis | Ashland, KY |
8 | 4 | 28 | Darrell Lanigan | Union, KY |
9 | 13 | 44c | Clint Smith | Senoia, GA |
10 | 11 | 23 | John Blankenship | Williamson, WV |
11 | 1 | 71 | Don O’Neal | Martinsville, IN |
12 | 19 | 777 | Jared Landers | Batesville, AR |
13 | 16 | 11t | Tyler Reddick | Corning, CA |
14 | 25 | JJ2 | Josh Williams | W. Harrison, IN |
15 | 27 | 18e | Eric Wells | Hazard, KY |
16 | 23 | 57J | Bub McCool | Vicksburg, MS |
17 | 7 | 6J | Joe Janowski | Carmel, IN |
18 | 9 | 99G | Jacob Grizzle | Blairsville, GA |
19 | 26 | 99jr | Frank Heckenast, Jr. | Frankfort, IL |
20 | 3 | 1v | Vic Hill | Mosheim, TN |
21 | 8 | 44m | Chris Madden | Gaffney, SC |
22 | 21 | 7R | Kent Robinson | Bloomington, IN |
23 | 24 | 17m | Dale McDowell | Chickamauga, GA |
24 | 20 | 24h | Greg Johnson | Bedford, IN |
25 | 17 | 44 | Earl Pearson, Jr. | Jacksonville, FL |
26 | 12 | 71w | Chris Wall | Springfield, LA |
27 | 10 | c9 | Steve Casebolt | Richmond, IN |
Race Statistics Entrants: 74 Lap Leaders: Don O’Neal (Laps 1 – 22); Scott Bloomquist (Laps 23 – 74); Jimmy Owens (Laps 75 – 100) Caution Flags: Steve Casebolt (Lap 9); John Blankenship (Lap 67); Chris Madden, Jared Landers (Lap 70); Frank Heckenast Jr. (Lap 76) Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Bub McCool, Dale McDowell Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisionals: Frank Heckenast Jr., Eric Wells Florence Speedway Track Provisional: Josh Williams PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Steve Francis (Started 22nd; Finished 7th; Advanced 15 positions) Allstar Performer of the Race: Brad Neat K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Jimmy Owens Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: Jared Landers COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing Engines Janowski Insurance Feature Winner: Jimmy Owens Outerwears Challenger of the Race: Steve Francis Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award: Steve Casebolt DirtonDirt.com Crew Chief of the Race: Chris Fox (Jimmy Owens) Time of Race: 63 minutes 14 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:
POS | CAR # | DRIVER NAME | HOMETOWN | POINTS |
1 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | 4600 |
2 | 0 | Scott Bloomquist | Mooresburg, TN | 4440 |
3 | 71 | Don O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | 4060 |
4 | 15 | Steve Francis | Ashland, KY | 3785 |
5 | 44 | Earl Pearson, Jr. | Jacksonville, FL | 3705 |
6 | 777 | Jared Landers | Batesville, AR | 3545 |
7 | 41n | Brad Neat | Dunnville, KY | 3520 |
8 | 53 | Ray Cook | Brasstown, NC | 3510 |
9 | 23 | John Blankenship | Williamson, WV | 3485 |
10 | 57J | Bub McCool | Vicksburg, MS | 3325 |
11 | 11t | Tyler Reddick | Corning, CA | 3285 |
12 | 17m | Dale McDowell | Chickamauga, GA | 3065 |
13 | 18e | Eric Wells | Hazard, KY | 2965 |
14 | 99jr | Frank Heckenast, Jr. | Frankfort, IL | 2830 |