Lucas Oil Speedway
Owens shines, tops Wall at Diamond Nationals
Jimmy Owens heads for victory. (Mike Musslin)
WHEATLAND, Mo. (July 17) — Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., held off a late charge from Chris Wall of Holden, La., to capture Saturday’s fourth annual CMH Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway. Owens took home $10,000 for his seventh Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season in snapping Earl Pearson Jr.’s series-record four-race win streak. | Video
Wall and Pearson finished second and third with Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., in fourth and Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., rounding out the top five. Series points leader Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., was sixth.
Owens led all 50 laps and was in control for most of the event. He was challenged by Pearson midway through the race and by Wall in the waning laps. Wall managed to close to within a car length of the leader when he bobbled on the white flag lap, but Owens recovered to fight off the challenge.
Notes: Owens drives a Bloomquist Race Car powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument and Gantte Appraisals. ... Owens has 19 career series victories, third on the all-time list. ... The event was co-sanctioned with the Lucas Oil Midwest LateModel Racing Association. Four cautions slowed the action: Eric Wells (lap 7); Terry Phillips (15); Dan Schlieper (41); Steve Casebolt and Al Purkey (42). ... Dale McDowell’s 21st-to-eighth run gave him the PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger honors for the second straight night. ... The event was taped for a two-hour broadcast special to air on Speed at a later date. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature: Dave Eckrich, Alan Vaughn, Sonny Findling, Brandon McCormick, J.D. Hubert and Joe Kosiski. ... Lucas Oil competitors return to action July 27 at Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway. The Tuesday night special marks the first series visit.
CMH Diamond Nationals: (1) Jimmy Owens, (2) Chris Wall, (3) Earl Pearson Jr., (4) Billy Moyer, (5) Brady Smith, (6) Scott Bloomquist, (7) Ray Cook, (8) Dale McDowell, (9) Brian Birkhofer, (10) Brad Neat, (11) Wendell Wallace, (12) John Blankenship, (13) Steve Casebolt, (14) Tim Isenberg, (15) Dan Schlieper, (16) Al Purkey, (17) Tyler Reddick, (18) Eric Wells, (19) Pat Doar, (20) Brad Looney, (21) Jeremy Payne, (22) Jimmy Mars, (23) Billy Moyer Jr., (24) Don O’Neal, (25) Stacy Taylor, (26) Terry Phillips, (27) Bub McCool. Fast qualifier (among 43 cars): Owens, 15.812 seconds. Heat race winners: Bloomquist, O’Neal, Owens, Neat. Consolation winners: Cook, Phillips. Provisional starters: Schlieper, Isenberg, Looney, Purkey, Reddick.
