SARVER, Pa. — Brandon Overton endured an off-night in his first competition since his mindboggling $273,000 sweep of a pair of Dream races at Ohio's historic Eldora Speedway two weeks ago.

That off-night came Thursday in the weekend-opening Firecracker 100 prelim at Lernerville Speedway, when DirtonDirt.com's top-ranked driver finished a ho-hum 11th at the track where he won his first World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series feature five years ago.

But Overton fans needn't worry.

The 30-year-old Evans, Ga., on Friday got right back on track, grabbing a $6,000 Firecracker prelim victory, matching Thursday winner Brandon Sheppard and assuring himself an up-front starting spot for heat races preceding Saturday's 100-lap feature, when $30,000 is on the line.

Overton used the low groove to slide under polesitter and race-long leader Mark Whitener of Middleburg, Fla., on the 13th lap and cruised the rest of the caution-free 30-lapper.

"We wasn't very good at all yesterday and I didn't start off today off real good, either. We qualified really bad. We worked on it, threw some things at it for the heat race, and it worked. We came up through there and won our heat," said Overton, who started fifth in the main event. "We just positioned ourselves a little bit better tonight. We learned some stuff last night and today ... and just got lucky it all worked out for us. Our car was really good in the race."

Hometown driver Michael Norris, who was looking for his third Firecracker preliminary victory, finished 1.735 seconds back in second while Whitener settled for a third-place finish in his return to the Big Frog Motorsports ride. Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., started and finished fourth while New Berlin, Ill.'s Sheppard improved three positions in rounding out the top five.

Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., started alongside Whitener on the front row, but he slipped back early and settled for a seventh-place finish behind Max Blair of Centerville, Pa.

Overton hadn't run at Lernerville on the current tire rule, and that has "thrown us a little curve" in making his car work. He used a harder-compound tire in finishing 11th Thursday, a softer-compound tire in winning Friday, and expected to be back on hard tires for Saturday's long-distance finale.

"At least we've got something to work with now. A hundred laps is a long time and we're going to be on different tires again tomorrow, and I'm kind of looking forward to it," Overton said. "We're throwing darts and we'll try to hit it again tomorrow."

Norris, a 2018 and '19 Firecracker prelim winner, wished he'd have pressed the issue early in the race while running second to Whitener.

"I wish I could've gotten by Whitener sooner, because I just felt like I was better than him early on in the race. But man, he was doing everything right to screw my line up," Norris said. "Then Overton came by (to take second from Norris) and I was like, 'I've gotta get by this Whitener.' "

Norris knew his only chance at Overton would've been in lapped traffic, but the high side "never cleaned up. Like I could never get (rolling). I was just kind of using the momentum line through the middle to top (groove), and that's where my car's happy. If you're going to lose to anybody, I guess there ain't not shame in losing to him."

Whitener, who competed at Lernerville a week earlier after rejoining Augie Burttram's Big Frog team, led early but saw the writing on the wall when Overton pulled nearly alongside for a near dead heat on the 12th laps.

"I seen him and I cut down, but I just couldn't hold him off. He was just there. I couldn't run where he was. I was going to try and find something," the third-place finisher said. "He could just rotate in the bottom and just traction off."

Notes: Overton scored his 15th career WoO victory, three of them at Lernerville. He won a 2016 prelim and the 100-lapper in 2017. ... Overton has victories in six of his last seven feature starts overall, including two Dream prelims and two Dream 100-lappers at Eldora that paid $273,000 on June 9-12. ... Runner-up Mark Whitener won for Big Frog last week at Marion Center (Pa.) Raceway; he's planned to compete in WoO action that was rained out at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Knox Dale, Pa., and Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway but ran weekly events at Lernerville and Marion Center instead. ... Twenty-three of 26 starters completed 30 laps in the second Firecracker prelim.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Mark Whitener, Chub Frank
Row 2: Michael Norris, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 3: Brandon Overton, Max Blair
Row 4: Ricky Weiss, Brandon Sheppard
Row 5: Spencer Hughes, Chris Madden
Row 6: Ryan Gustin, Jared Miley
Row 7: Chris Ferguson, Rick Eckert
Row 8: Mason Zeigler, Cade Dillard
Row 9: Alex Ferree, Boom Briggs
Row 10: Tyler Bruening, Mike Benedum
Row 11: Dale McDowell, Dan Stone
Row 12: Darrell Lanigan, Scott Bloomquist
Row 13: Brent Larson, Kyle Strickler

Consolation results

(10 laps; top 2 transfer)

First consolation finish: Tyler Bruening, Dan Stone, Chad Finley, Kyle Lukon, Ross Robinson, Kyle Strickler, Dan Angelicchio, Gary Lyle, Todd Bachman, Joshua Powell. Scratched: Charles Powell Jr., Pancho Lawler.

Second consolation finish: Mike Benedum, Darrell Lanigan, Brent Larson, Clinton Hersh, Tyler Dietz, Gregg Satterlee, Cla Knight, Gary Stuhler, Ahnna Parkhurst, Joe Petyak, Mike Lupfer, Ken Monahan.

Third consolation finish: Dale McDowell, Scott Bloomquist, Ryan Scott, Ken Schaltenbrand, Colton Flinner, Jason Covert, Logan Zarin, Levi Yetter, Rich Wicker, Shawn Schaltenbrand. Scratched: Tommy Schirnhofer.

Heat results

(10 laps; top 3 transfer)

First heat finish: Michael Norris, Ricky Weiss, Chris Ferguson, Tyler Bruening, Chad Finley, Charles Powell Jr., Kyle Lukon, Ross Robinson, Pancho Lawler.

Second heat finish: Mark Whitener, Spencer Hughes, Mason Zeigler, Dan Stone, Kyle Strickler, Dan Angelicchio, Gary Lyle, Todd Bachman, Joshua Powell.

Third heat finish: Chub Frank, Ryan Gustin, Alex Ferree, Mike Benedum, Clint Hersh, Mike Lupfer, Cla Knight, Gary Stuhler, Joe Petyak.

Fourth heat finish: Max Blair, Brandon Sheppard, Rick Eckert, Darrell Lanigan, Gregg Satterlee, Brent Larson, Tyler Dietz, Ken Monahan, Ahnna Parkhurst.

Fifth heat finish: Brandon Overton, Chris Madden, Cade Dillard, Scott Bloomquist, Colton Flinner, Ken Schaltenbrand, Levi Yetter, Shawn Schaltenbrand. Scratched: Tommy Schirnhofer.

Sixth heat finish: Dennis Erb Jr., Jared Miley, Boom Briggs, Dale McDowell, Ryan Scott, Jason Covert, Logan Zarin, Rich Wicker.

Time trials

First group   

1. Michael Norris (72), Sarver, Pa., 15.986
2. Spencer Hughes (11H), Meridian, Miss., 16.297
3. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 16.417
4. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 16.483
5. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 16.505
6. Mike Benedum (25), Salem, W.Va., 16.512
7. Ricky Weiss (7W), Headingley, Manitoba, 16.537
8. Mark Whitener (58), Middleburg, Fla., 16.672
9. Chub Frank (119), Bear Lake, Pa., 16.766
10. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 16.797
11. Dan Stone (2), Thompson, Pa., 16.893
12. Alex Ferree (4), Saxonburg, Pa., 16.919
13. Kyle Lukon (C02), Burgettstown, Pa., 16.963
14. Kyle Strickler (8), Mooresville, N.C., 17.059
15. Clinton Hersh (16H), Somerset, Pa., 17.140
16. Chad Finley (42), Dewitt, Mich., 17.162
17. Dan Angelicchio (14), Mt. Pleasant, Pa., 17.215
18. Cla Knight (42K), North Augusta, Ga., 17.268
19. Ross Robinson (7R), Georgetown, Del., 17.363
20. Gary Lyle (10L), Leechburg, Pa., 17.474
21. Mike Lupfer (06), Shermans Dale, Pa., 17.487
22. Charles Powell Jr. (94), Brookline, Pa., 17.565
23. Todd Bachman (66), Natrona Heights, Pa., 17.712
24. Gary Stuhler (4s), Greencastle, Pa., 17.745
25. Pancho Lawler (93), Glenville, Pa., 17.803
26. Joshua Powell (11), Sarver, Pa., 17.929
27. Joe Petyak (44P), Gallitzin, Pa., 17.980

Second group   

1. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 16.605
2. Cade Dillard (97), Robeline, La., 16.822
3. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 16.928
4. Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., 16.939
5. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 16.943
6. Jared Miley (10), Pittsburgh, Pa., 16.977
7. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 16.986
8. Colton Flinner (48), Allison Park, Pa., 17.008
9. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 17.039
10. Rick Eckert (0E), York, Pa., 17.101
11. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 17.139
12. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 17.222
13. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 17.222
14. Logan Zarin (1z), Moon Township, Pa., 17.250
15. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 17.259
16. Jason Covert (72), York Haven, Pa., 17.260
17. Brent Larson (B1), Lake Elmo, Minn., 17.314
18. Ken Schaltenbrand (29S), Sarver, Pa., 17.417
19. Tyler Dietz (77), Pittsburgh, Pa., 17.554
20. Levi Yetter (9), Cabot, Pa., 17.604
21. Ryan Scott (0S), Pittsfield, Pa., 17.618
22. Ahnna Parkhurst (23), Evans, Ga., 17.635
23. Shawn Schaltenbrand (26), Sarver, Pa., 18.007
24. Rich Wicker (2T), Mahaffey, Pa., 18.162
25. Ken Monahan (311), Lakeland, Fla., 18.178
26. Tommy Schirnhofer (8S), Pittsburgh, Pa., no time

Friday’s schedule

6 p.m. - WoO Late Model hot laps
- RUSH Crate Late Model hot laps
- WoO Late Model qualifying
- RUSH Crate Late Model hot laps
7:30 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
- WoO Late Model heats (10 laps)
- RUSH Crate Late Model heats (10 laps)
- WoO Late Model redraw
- WoO Late Model consolations (10 laps)
- RUSH Crate Late Model Dash (6 laps)
- WoO Late Model feature (30 laps)
- Fireworks