ROSSBURG, Ohio — Tim McCreadie always salutes the fans when he reaches victory lane. And in capturing a 51st annual World 100 preliminary feature Wednesday at Eldora Speedway, he feels a special kinship with the faithful at Tony Stewart's legendary half-mile oval.

"They've treated me like I'm one of their own. I spent, I know it doesn't look like it, but I spent a few years sitting in turn three watching these big 100-lappers because I wasn't fast enough to get in, so I feel like we're all about the same," McCreadie said. "They work hard for their money, they try to come here and buy our T-shirts, they do all this stuff, and I know this team here works damn hard for their money and we haven't always had it easy.

"But you just savor it even more when you win, man, because life's hard, and from 20 minutes after this race for a few hours, we'll be happy, then tomorrow we've gotta do it all over again."

The 47-year-old Watertown, N.Y., driver certainly hopes he can duplicate his Wednesday performance in Thursday's $54,000-to-win main event because he was the undoubted class of the field in the caution-free 25-lapper.

Starting ninth in the 24-car field, McCreadie was quickly in the top five, up to third by lap 14 and reeling in front-row starters and early frontrunners Shannon Babb and Darrell Lanigan. McCreadie, the 2018 World 100 winner, blew past Babb on the 18th lap and proceeded to build a four-second lead the rest of the way in cruising to victory.

Babb, the Moweaqua, Ill., driver who led the first 17 laps, settled for second with Union, Ky.'s Lanigan securing the third spot. Tenth-starting Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., rallied to fourth and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., improved one spot to fifth in the night's second preliminary. Johnny Scott of Las Cruces, N.M., led flag-to-flag in the first 25-lapper.

McCreadie felt at home in the low groove, "right around the hub, just keep your left side in the brown," he said. "I don't know what everybody else felt, but I felt so good (down low), I thought, 'Well, don't ever leave the bottom.' "

His Paylor Motorsports Longhorn Chassis house car team overthought how their car might work with Eldora's format of inverts in prelims — the track mixed up the format used at June's double Dream weekend — but in the end it didn't matter.

"It kind of put ourselves in a hole," McCreadie said of his fifth-row starting spot. "I didn't think we could get there, but the guys, they're so good these guys" he added in thanking his crew. "I don't know man. It was a lot of fun."

Babb felt pretty solid until McCreadie ran off and hid over the final seven laps.

"It was a good run for us tonight. You know, we had the starting spot there on the pole. That was everything we needed. We've got a little bit of work to do to it," Babb said. "Timmy, he got by us and drove away and made us look like we really needed to work on the car a little bit. But all in all, we're happy to start the weekend out here at Eldora and I can't wait to get back on the track more and see what the adjustments make. Tickled to death with this Team Zero car."

The handling of Lanigan's car wasn't quite what he needed, but the veteran looking for his first World 100 victory grabbed the final podium spot.

"It's nice to come up here and run well. That should get us a good spot for tomorrow night and we'll see if we can't do a little bit better," he said.  "We're just a little snug getting in (to the corner) and couldn't steer across the center. If we can get it freed up a little bit and still leave the corner, I think we'll be right there."

Preliminary notes and results:

Feature lineup

Row 1: Shannon Babb, Darrell Lanigan
Row 2: Michael Chilton, Gregg Satterlee
Row 3: Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran
Row 4: Shane Clanton, Mike Marlar
Row 5: Tim McCreadie, Hudson O’Neal
Row 6: Dale McDowell, Ricky Weiss
Row 7: Spencer Hughes, John Blankenship
Row 8: Mark Whitener, Ashton Winger
Row 9: Kody Evans, Brian Shirley
Row 10: Jason Papich, Jensen Ford
Row 11: Rick Eckert, Chad Simpson
Row 12: Freddie Carpenter, Boom Briggs

Pre-feature notes

Hudson O’Neal, who won a preliminary feature during the last World 100 weekend in 2019, captured the second heat but starts 10th because he was the fastest qualifier among the 10 drivers who made the inversion. … Dale McDowell went from an apparent Heat 1 victory to a third-place finish after officials penalized him two spots for firing outside the restart zone, handing the checkered flag to Jimmy Owens. The penalty cost McDowell dearly; winning the race would have put him third in the feature’s starting order, but instead he starts 11th. … Devin Moran pulled off the move of the prelims, ducking underneath Shannon Babb off turn four on the final lap to steal the victory. The loss didn’t cost Babb, however, as he hit the 10-car inversion perfectly to land the pole position for the A-main; Moran starts sixth. … Ricky Weiss experienced mechanical trouble during time trials, sending the Canadian and his team scrambling to ready his Sniper Chassis for the third heat. Weiss and his crewmen were seen working simultaneously on the car’s right-front, left-rear and driveline and completed the repairs in time for Weiss to snatch a third-place finish. … Californian Jason Papich finishing fifth in Heat 3, earning a feature berth in his first career appearance at Eldora. … G.R. Smith started on the pole of the second heat, but he clipped the outside wall and headed pitside with right-rear damage. … Boom Briggs broke a jack shaft on his first qualifying lap, necessitating hasty repairs before the third heat. He rallied to crack the feature lineup with a late-race pass of Billy Franklin for the fourth and final transfer spot in the B-main. … Mike Provenzano pounded the turn-one wall on the opening lap of the fourth heat, but he was able to limp his brand-new machine into the pit area. … Steve Casebolt’s qualifying time was disallowed due to a droop-rule infraction. He was unable to recover from the penalty and didn’t qualify.

B-main results

(12 laps; top four transfer)

Finish: Rick Eckert, Chad Simpson, Freddie Carpenter, Boom Briggs, Duane Chamberlain, Billy Franklin, Casey Noonan, Ryan King, Josh Morton, Dustin Nobbe, Steve Casebolt, Dale Markham, Chris Nash, Kyle Hammer. DNS: Steven Roberts, G.R. Smith, Bryant Dickenson, Mike Provenzano.

Heat race results

(10 laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Jimmy Owens, Shane Clanton, x-Dale McDowell, Spencer Hughes, Kody Evans, Freddie Carpenter, Duane Chamberlaine, Steven Roberts, Ryan King, Kyle Lear.
x-Docked two positions for jumping initial start.

Second heat: Hudson O’Neal, Gregg Satterlee, Ricky Weiss, John Blankenship, Brian Shirley, Chad Simpson, Josh Morton, Kyle Hammer, Dale Markham, G.R. Smith.

Third heat: Darrell Lanigan, Tim McCreadie, Michael Chilton, Mark Whitener, Jason Papich, Rick Eckert, Dustin Nobbe, Jon Hodgkiss, Boom Briggs, Bryant Dickerson.

Fourth heat: Devin Moran, Shannon Babb, Mike Marlar, Ashton Winger, Jensen Ford, Billy Franklin, Casey Noonan, Chris Nash, Steve Casebolt, Mike Provenzano.

Pre-race notes

Mark Whitener of Middleburg, Fla., is among a large group of drivers making their World 100 debuts this week at Eldora. A standout regional racer who mostly runs Limited and Crate Late Model events in the Southeast, Whitener’s only previous Eldora appearance came in a Dream earlier in his career when he failed to make the main event piloting a car with a spec engine. Driving an open-engine Rocket Chassis for Big Frog Motorsports this week, Whitener is confident he has a better shot of cracking the main event lineups this time around. … Big Frog Motorsports owner Augie Burttram was hoping to make the trip to Eldora after receiving from a bout with Covid-19 and pneumonia that hospitalized him for over a week last month, but he had to stay home in Ocala, Fla., due to the passing of his mother. … Billy Franklin of Calera, Ala., is another first-time World 100 entrant. The veteran driver, car owner and sponsor said he was “nervous” about taking his first laps around Eldora, a track he previously visited as a fan more than 10 years ago and in 2018 when he fielded a car for Brandon Overton in the World 100. Franklin’s No. 17 sports a scheme honoring his favorite college football team — the Alabama Crimson Tide — that includes photos of the university’s legendary head coach, Nick Saban, on its doors. … G.R. Smith of Cornelius, N.C., is making his first start since June’s Dreams in a 3-race-old Brodnax Shaker Motorsports Longhorn car. A World 100 winner as a car owner in 2017 with Jonathan Davenport, Smith, who has never attempted to run the World 100 as a driver, sat idle throughout the summer as his team awaited parts to have engine rebuilds completed. … Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., has a casino-themed wrap on his Double Down Motorsports machine. … Kyle Hammer of Clinton, Ill., who is in the World 100 field for the second time in his career (he didn’t qualify in 2018), is racing for the first time out of a very recognizable orange truck and trailer. It’s the rig that Rick Eckert of York, Pa., has used since 2003; Eckert sold the transporter to Hammer’s father, Don, and delivered it to the Hammers himself earlier today because his special-event car owner, Texan Allen Murray, decided late last week to field a World 100 entry for Eckert. … John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., is making his first start since competing in June’s double Dreams. … Jason Papich of Nipomo, Calif., is truly making an unexpected appearance at Eldora. He was planning to fly home after running Sunday’s holiday-weekend event at Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Ill., but a flight-booking snafu prompted him to ask his crew chief, Tim Douglas, who maintains Papich’s equipment in a Missouri shop, if he’d like to give the World 100s a try. When Douglas agreed to ready a car for Eldora, Papich rearranged his schedule to stay in the Midwest with his wife and three kids and tackle the famed track for the first time in his career.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)

1. Spencer Hughes (11), Meridian, Miss., 15.819
2. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 15.883
3. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.958
4. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 16.074
5. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 16.082
6. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., 16.099
7. Mark Whitener (58), Middleburg, Fla., 16.129
8. Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio, 16.156
9. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 16.171
10. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 16.205
11. Michael Chilton (97), Salvisa, Ky., 16.221
12. Jensen Ford (83), Johnson City, Tenn., 16.223
13. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 16.257
14. G.R. Smith (22), Cornelius, N.C., 16.317
15. Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., 16.351
16. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 16.423
17. Kody Evans (4G), Camden, Ohio, 16.451
18. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 16.503
19. Rick Eckert (0), York, Pa., 16.613
20. Ashton Winger (6w), Hampton, Ga., 16.616
21. Ryan King (1G), Seymour, Tenn., 16.632
22. Bryant Dickinson (5*), Ionia, Mich., 16.692
23. Jason Papich (91P), Nipomo, Calif., 16.833
24. Casey Noonan (1N), Sylvania, Ohio, 16.833
25. Duane Chamberlain (20c), Richmond, Ind., 16.951
26. Chad Simpson (25s), Mount Vernon, Iowa, 17.001
27. Jon Hodgkiss (69), Kennedy Township, Pa., 17.251
28. Billy Franklin (17F), Calera, Ala., 17.265
29. Freddie Carpenter (0K), Parkersburg, W.Va., 17.316
30. Josh Morton (20M), Piqua, Ohio, 17.343
31. Dustin Nobbe (5N), Batesville, Ind., 17.646
32. Mike Provenzano (27), Marseilles, Ill., 17.714
33. Kyle Lear (151), Severna Park, Md., 17.871
34. Dale Markham (3M), Maple Park, Ill., 17.883
35. Ricky Weiss (7W), Headingley, Manitoba, 18.195
36. Chris Nash (354), Vicksburg, Mich., 18.376
37. Steven Roberts (111), Jesup, Ga., no time
38. Kyle Hammer (45), Clinton, Ill., no time
39. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., no time
    Steve Casebolt (C9), Richmond, Ind., 16.091 (failed post-qualifying inspection)

Wednesday's schedule

11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Technical inspection for Late Models
Noon: All admission gates/suites/concessions open
5 p.m.: Drivers’ meeting
6:30 p.m.: Hot laps
- Time trials
8 p.m.: Racing begins
- Heats
- Consolation races
- Two $10,000-to-win 25-lap features