ROSSBURG, Ohio — Twice Bobby Pierce took the best punch of his opponents. And twice he got off the mat.
Grabbing his second career World 100 victory, the 27-year-old from Oakwood, Ill., collected $57,000 at Eldora Speedway while behind the wheel of, fittingly, a Longhorn chassis adorned with Rocky-themed graphics.
"Every champion was once a contender," Pierce's accompanying T-shirts said, "who refused to give up."
And Pierce never gave up, regaining the lead first from odds-on favorite Jonathan Davenport and then from emotional favorite Dale McDowell with five laps remaining to capture Dirt Late Model racing's most prestigious event in front of a record crowd.
Talk about the Eye of the Tiger in surviving the treacherous high groove with an ultrathin cushion between his car and Eldora's unforgiving concrete wall.
"No matter what it took," Pierce said in victory lane, "I was getting it done up there."
Last winning the race as a teenager in 2016, Pierce took the checkers 0.387 of a second ahead of McDowell to deny the Team Zero Race Car driver a victory on the same day of late car builder Scott Bloomquist's tear-jerker celebration of life service. Pierce's victory also denied the third-finishing Davenport the chance for a record-tying sixth globe trophy that would've tied another of the sport's titans, Billy Moyer.
Pierce let it all hang out in his boxing-themed car with a "checkers or wreckers" attitude in the closing laps in outrunning two Georgians.
"That's the style I grew up racing," Pierce said. "Man, the car just went around there flawlessly there at the very end. I knocked the spoiler off hard with two to go and I was like, 'Man, that's it, I might have just stepped on it.' Luckily, I got back down in that rubber line good enough and hit my last corner there pretty good and almost missed the last car corner there. It was pretty nerve-racking."
Chickamauga, Ga.'s McDowell, whose lone World 100 win came 19 years earlier when he inherited a victory after Shannon Babb was disqualified at the scales, settled for second with Blairsville, Ga.'s Davenport in third. Rocket Chassis house car driver Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was fourth followed by Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, who started and finished fifth.
Garrett Alberson, who led 19 of the first 25 laps, ended up seventh in a thriller that included eight lead changes among four drivers with Pierce having to regain the lead from the other three drivers after falling behind each of them.
"That was an awesome race," Pierce said in victory lane. "I can't wait to watch it."
The polesitting McDowell led four circuits before the first of two cautions, but Alberson went by on the restart and looked as good as he did seven days earlier in winning the Valvoline American Late Model Iron-Man Series Baltes Classic at Eldora.
But the third-starting Pierce soon picked up the pace, slipping ahead to lead laps 23-24 before Alberson inched back out front on lap 25.
Pierce was back ahead on lap 26, but by that time the crafty Davenport, who came from his ninth starting spot a night earlier for a 25-lap semifeature victory, moved into contention. When Davenport found traction down the backstretch on lap 35, his No. 49 zipped inside turn three and appeared to surprise Pierce in taking the point. Even with 65 laps remaining, Pierce thought the race was over.
"When the 49 took off, that was it. You know that's about all she wrote most of the time," Pierce said. "I started — not catching him — but I saw he was in my view again and there was only like one (lapped car) between us at the time. This was about a little after halfway and I was like, 'Well, it's early to start beating the wall down, but I'm gonna start doing it. And we passed him."
The high-side run to regain the lead on lap 63 paid off for Pierce, but a lap-68 caution gave Davenport a crack on a restart that Pierce was able to shut down by sliding in front of him in turn two. The two appeared to make slight contact.
"That was the one thing I was probably worried about the most was a restart. And I think I kind of snookered him," Pierce said. "I fired it more in turns three than I did turn four and had a pretty good restart and was able to slide him. And when we drove off from him there on that restart, I was like, 'OK, we can actually win this thing.' "
While Davenport couldn't muster another challenge, McDowell's middle groove helped him gain ground and he took the second spot from Davenport on lap 81. He continued to cut into Pierce's lead, and, when he grabbed the top spot on the 92nd lap, Pierce for the second time thought the race was lost.
"I saw a black car and (he) passes me and I see the 17 on the car and I'm like, 'Oh, he's in the lead now,' " Pierce said. "I thought I was screwed because (if) Dale passes you on the bottom like that, you're normally done. And I don't know, when he caught the back end of that lapped traffic there, he slowed up just a little bit and I was like, 'This is my shot to do it.' And I luckily nailed my corners."
With McDowell hung up by lower-running lapped cars, Pierce rolled around on the high side in turn two on lap 96. He closed out the victory, his commitment to the high groove paying off.
"I think we finally got the car figured out for one of the two (grooves)," Pierce said. "You're gonna set your car up for the middle or you're gonna set it up for the top. And we were kind of trying to set it up for both. But I said, you know, there's a decent amount of cushion off turn four. That was about the only spot where there was a little curb. I was just like, 'Well, if I'm gonna win the race, I'm probably gonna do it on top.'
"We got the car balanced for the top. I'd kind of been fighting that balance issue all weekend. We got the car a little more balanced for me where it wasn't kind of teetering over."
McDowell, one of the speakers during Bloomquist's frontstretch celebration of life service at noon with more than 5,000 spectators remembering the Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash three weeks earlier, dearly wanted to win one for Bloomquist's family. But he couldn't repel Pierce in the final laps.
"I did everything I could do, and I couldn't run up there where he and Jonathan were running. I was just too tight and I shoved right front tire off, so I had to run the middle," McDowell said. "And it just wasn't meant to be, you know? I got up there to those lapped cars and the air got off of me and I slowed down a little bit, but even when I would try to go around them, I'd shove pretty hard. I shoved down there pretty hard one time. I had to shut down in turn two. It just wasn't meant to be."
Calling Bloomquist's daughter Ariel over for an embrace during a postrace interview, McDowell said "we've had an awesome weekend with all the Bloomquist family here. It's amazing."
Moments later, McDowell added: "If we could have won, it would have been a huge party."
He was proud to drive a car that Bloomquist and his brother Shane McDowell worked closely on in recent years.
"What about those Bloomquist Race Cars?" he said. "They're still here. Scott's still here. He's gonna be here a while. Hopefully we can keep coming, come back and keep these things up front."
Davenport, who drives an Eldora-specific Longhorn Chassis that's untainted by the dirt of any other track, didn't find the race car as strong as he did in June when he led 100 laps of Eldora's six-figure Dream.
"Bobby was just a little better than me around the top and then Dale was a little better than me around the middle," Davenport said. "I took off pretty good there and in the middle of the race I just kind of felt like I did (Wednesday). I was kind of up in the right rear and just kind of loose. So I was just kind of pacing behind the lapped cars and couldn't really make any ground. Every time I tried to move out, I thought it was a little dirtier. And then, then I heard Bobby come by on a cushion, and I'm like, 'Well, I looked at the scoreboard and I think he was like 30-something laps left, so I said, 'I better not let him get too far ahead because there will not be a caution.
"I tried to get up there and run with him and I thought I was pretty decent there, and I got to turning down off turn two and start getting a little bit of a run on him. But it just wasn't enough."
A sixth World 100 will have to wait at least another year for the Double L Motorsports driver.
"Hat's off to my guys. I did the best job I could for them. They did the best job they could for me," he said. "Maybe one day we'll get us another one."
Notes: Pierce won his 32nd race of the season. His right-rear tire was nearly flat after victory lane ceremonies. ... Just before the lap-68 caution for a slowing Kyle Strickler, Pierce had a frontstretch scrape with the slower car of Daulton Wilson as they came together at the flagstand. Both maintained control. ... Besides the caution for Strickler, the only other slowdown came on the fourth lap when Nick Hoffman headed pitside to have his crew check on power steering problems. ... Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., a two-time semifeature winner Thursday and Friday, started 11th and never ran higher, settling for 11th at the finish. ... In his second straight World 100 start, Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, Tenn., had a solid 10th-to-sixth run. ... Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., in 15th was the best finishing driver among three first-time World 100 starters. Ross Bailes of Clover, S.C., finished 16th and Ethan Dotson retired just after halfway in 24th. ... The announcers went silent on the 18th lap in honor of Scott Bloomquist, who won his first two of four World 100s in No. 18 cars.
Correction: Fixes details about Hoffman's pit stop.
54th annual World 100
Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., Longhorn, $57,000
2. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., Team Zero, $25,000
3. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $15,000
4. Tim McCreadie (1), Watertown, N.Y., Rocket, $12,500
5. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, Longhorn, $10,000
6. Cory Hedgecock (23), Loudon, Tenn., BMF, $9,000
7. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., Longhorn, $8,000
8. Garrett Smith (10), Eatonton, Ga., Longhorn, $7,500
9. Ryan Gustin (19r), Marshalltown, Iowa, Infinity, $7,250
10. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., Capital, $7,000
11. Hudson O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Longhorn, $6,750
12. Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., Longhorn, $6,500
13. Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., Longhorn, $6,250
14. Josh Rice (11), Crittenden, Ky., Rocket, $6,000
15. Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga., Double Nickel, $5,850
16. Ross Bailes (87), Clover, S.C., Longhorn, $5,700
17. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, Ga., Longhorn, $5,650
18. Brandon Overton (11), Evans, Ga., Infinity, $5,600
19. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., Longhorn, $5,550
20. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., Longhorn, $5,500
21. Brian Shirley (8), Chatham, Ill., Team Zero, $5,475
22. Kyle Strickler (8), Mooresville, N.C., Longhorn, $5,450
23. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $5,425
24. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., Longhorn, $5,400
25. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., Longhorn, $5,400
26. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., Longhorn, $5,400
27. Nick Hoffman (2H), Mooresville, N.C., Longhorn, $5,400
28. Ricky Weiss (7), Headingley, Manitoba, Sniper, $5,400
Lap leaders: McDowell 1-4, 92-95; Alberson 5-22, 25; Pierce 23-24, 26-34, 63-91, 96-100; Davenport 35-62
Fast qualifier (among 108 cars): McCreadie, 14.879 seconds
Heat race winners: Thornton, Moran, Davenport, Pierce, Alberson, McDowell
Consolation winners: Owens, English
Provisional starters: Strickler, G. Smith
Preliminary feature winners: Gustin, O'Neal (2), Davenport
Feature lineup
(100 laps)
Row 1: Dale McDowell, Garrett Alberson
Row 2: Bobby Pierce, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 4: Tim McCreadie, Shane Clanton
Row 5: Ethan Dotson, Cory Hedgecock
Row 6: Hudson O'Neal, Brnadon Overton
Row 7: Josh Rice, Ryan Gustin
Row 8: Daulton Wilson, Chris Madden
Row 9: Nick Hoffman, Brian Shirley
Row 10: Kyle Strickler, Garrett Smith
Row 11: Jimmy Owens, Tanner English
Row 12: Donald McIntosh, Brandon Sheppard
Row 13: Carson Ferguson, Ross Bailes
Row 14: Kyle Bronson, Ricky Weiss
10:38 p.m. | Parade laps
Scott Bloomquist cars paced the field with Ariel Bloomquist, the late Hall of Famer's daughter, waving from the passenger side of a two-seater and track owner Tony Stewart driving the other. The cars paced the four-wide parade lap ahead of the 100-lapper.
10:18 p.m. | Driver intros
Driver introductions get rolling as the 100-lapper is just around the corner.
9:58 p.m. | Feature stats
Three drivers are set to become first-time World 100 starters when the green flag drops on the main event. Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., and Ross Bailes of Clover, S.C., earned their first starting berths in Dirt Late Model racing's most prestigious event.
Among chassis manufacturers, Longhorn Chassis has far and away the most starters with 17 in the 28-car field, including five of six heat winners. Rocket Chassis has three starters with two apiece for Team Zero Race Cars and the first-year Infinity Chassis. Also in the race is a single starter for Capital Race Cars, Sniper Chassis, BMF Race Cars and Double Nickel Race Cars.
The state of Georgia dominates the field with seven starters. North Carolina and Illinois have three starters apiece while Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee have two starters. Single-state/province starters are from Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Manitoba, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and South Carolina.
Correction: Fixes to seven Georgia starters sted eight.
9:42 p.m. | English wins second consolation
Tanner English led all 20 laps to capture the second consy and transfer to his second straight World 100. Joining him in transferring to the main event were seventh-starting Brandon Sheppard and first-time World 100 starter Ross Bailes, who took third from final transferree Ricky Weiss on the final lap. The lone caution flew on the 11th lap when Wil Herrington slowed.
Second consolation finish: Tanner English, Brandon Sheppard, Ross Bailes, Ricky Weiss, Chase Junghans, Dennis Erb Jr., Adam Stricker, Kent Robinson, Daniel Hilsabeck, Timothy Culp, Oakley Jones, Devin Gilpin, Spencer Hughes, Luke Morey, Kyle Hammer, Kye Blight, Jensen Ford, Steven Roberts, Brenden Smith, Manny Falcon, Wil Herrington, Jared Landers. Scratched: Chris Ferguson, Shannon Babb, Trent Ivey.
9:27 p.m. | Owens wins first consolation
Leading all the way, polesitter Jimmy Owens won the first 20-lap consy to transfer along with seventh-starting Donald McIntosh, who earned his first World 100 berth. Carson Ferguson and Kyle Bronson also transferred in finishing thid and fourth. Six cautions slowed the action, four on the 14th lap (first after Gregg Satterlee hit the wall, then after a Gavin Cowan spin, a Joseph Joiner spin and finally when Matt Dooley was sent around in turn one). Tyler Erb made a 10th-to-fifth charge but got into the Eldora concrete for a flat tire on the 10th lap. Clay Stuckey spun for a lap-two caution.
First consolation finish: Jimmy Owens, Donald McIntosh, Carson Ferguson, Kyle Bronson, Tyler Carpenter, Zack Mitchell, Michael Norris, Clint Keenan, Tyler Millwood, Clay Harris, Jordan Koehler, Clay Stuckey, Kaede Loudy, Jason Jameson, Haiden Cowan, Gregg Satterlee, Joseph Joiner, Tim Lance, Matt Dooley, Gavin Cowan, Tyler Erb, Stormy Scott, Doug Drown. Scratched: Jason Feger, Zack Dohm.
9:05 p.m. | Bloomquist vibes
The driver in the World 100 field most closely connected to the late Scott Bloomquist will lead the feature field to the green flag.
Veteran Dale McDowell, whose brother and car owner Shane houses the team’s Bloomquist-designed Team Zero car in a shop on Bloomquist’s property in Mooresburg, Tenn., put a storybook result in play after winning the sixth heat. The 58-year-old will make his 17th straight and 24th career World 100 feature start as he seeks his second win in the event, which he captured in 2005 when apparent victor Shannon Babb was disqualified for weighing in light.
“I told you all earlier today,” McDowell said, “when I get in here (his car) I realize how hard (Bloomquist) worked on these things. We’re gonna try to bring it home for him.”
McDowell has 10 consecutive top-10 finishes in the World 100, but he’s only started in the single digits four times during that streak. He’s accustomed to starting deep in the field, including a 14th-place start in 2015 and five other starts 19th or worse. The last time he started from the pole was in 2016 when he went on to lead 32 circuits (laps 1-16, 19-23 and 40-52) before settling for a third-place finish in the race won by a teenaged Bobby Pierce.
9:03 p.m. | Consolation race lineups
(20 laps; top four transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Jimmy Owens, Joseph Joiner
Row 2: Carson Ferguson, Michael Norris
Row 3: Jason Jameson, Kyle Bronson
Row 4: Jason Feger, Donald McIntosh
Row 5: Gavin Cowan, Tyler Erb
Row 6: Tyler Carpenter, Zack Mitchell
Row 7: Clay Harris, Tyler Millwood
Row 8: Kaede Loudy, Gregg Satterlee
Row 9: Stormy Scott, Haiden Cowan
Row 10: Clay Stuckey, Matt Dooley
Row 11: Clint Keenan, Doug Drown
Row 12: Tim Lance, Zack Dohm
Row 13: Jordan Koehler
Second consolation
Row 1: Tanner English, Ross Bailes
Row 2: Adam Stricker, Chase Junghans
Row 3: Ricky Weiss, Spencer Hughes
Row 4: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Gilpin
Row 5: Daniel Hilsabeck, Kye Blight
Row 6: Wil Herrington, Oakley Johns
Row 7: Chris Ferguson, Jared Landers
Row 8: Luke Morey, Kyle Hammer
Row 9: Dennis Erb Jr., Jensen Ford
Row 10: Shannon Babb, Timothy Culp
Row 11: Kent Robinson, Brenden Smith
Row 12: Steven Roberts, Manny Falcon
Row 13: Trent Ivey
8:48 p.m. | McDowell wins sixth heat
Dale McDowell cruised to a 2.832-second victory in the sixth heat to earn the pole for the 100-lapper. Brnadon Overton was second with Brian Shirley a close third to transfer to the main event. Adam Stricker was the top non-transferree in fourth.
Sixth heat finish: Dale McDowell, Brandon Overton, Brian Shirley, Adam Stricker, Ricky Weiss, Devin Gilpin, Wil Herrington, Jared Landers, Dennis Erb Jr., Steven Roberts, Timothy Culp, Stacy Boles, Mike Benedum, Tyler Collins, Forrest Trent. Scratched: Cody Sommer, Ashton Winger, Andy Clark.
8:43 p.m. | Another milestone
Two weeks removed from his first-ever Lucas Oil Series victory and six days from his first Eldora triumph in the Baltes Classic, Garrett Alberson took another big step in his burgeoning career with a flag-to-flag win in Heat 5 that earned him the outside pole for the World 100.
Alberson was all smiles after transferring into the World 100 for the second time in five attempts. He only snuck into the feature field through a B-main last year, starting 28th and retiring early for a 26th-place finish.
“This is too cool,” said Alberson, whose World 100 week started with a crash during hot laps on Thursday that forced him to turn to his second Roberts Motorsports car. “Just to get in this race is so hard.”
8:42 p.m. | Herrington spins in final heat
Wil Herrington spun for a second-lap caution in the sixth heat. Forrest Trent drew a first-lap yellow to trigger a complete restart. Dale McDowell leads the sixth heat after one lap complete.
8:38 p.m. | Sixth heat lineup
Row 1: Brandon Overton, Brian Shirley
Row 2: Dale McDowell, Wil Herrington
Row 3: Adam Stricker, Timothy Culp
Row 4: Jared Landers, Steven Roberts
Row 5: Ricky Weiss, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 6: Forrest Trent, Devin Gilpin
Row 7: Cody Sommer, Mike Benedum
Row 8: Stacy Boles, Tyler Collins
Row 9: Ashton Winger, Andy Clark
8:36 p.m. | Alberson wins fifth heat
Garrett Alberson, Sunday's Baltes Classic winner at Eldora, led all the way to win the fifth heat over Hudson O'Neal with Nick Hoffman getting the third and final transfer spot. Ross Bailes, who briefly grabbed the second spot from O'Neal on an early restart, ran third mos of the way but lost the spot to Hoffman late. Trent Ivey slowed for a lap-four caution after his No. 88 suffered front-end damage after contact with Jordan Koehler.
Fifth heat finish: Garrett Alberson, Hudson O'Neal, Nick Hoffman, Ross Bailes, Chase Junghans, Brandon Sheppard, Kye Blight, Chris Ferguson, Kyle Hammer, Shannon Babb, Brenden Smith, Casey Noonan, Trent Ivey, Jordan Koehler, Brndon Moore, Jeff Robertson. Scratched: Jason Riggs.
8:28 p.m. | Wreck in fifth heat
A bottled up start on the fifth heat ended up with Luke Anstett and Jeff Robertson colliding and spinning off turn four. Anstett's car was towed away ahead of a complete restart.
8:27 p.m. | No. 1 driver rolls
Bobby Pierce, the top racer in DirtonDirt.com’s power rankings, rolled to victory in the fourth heat to remain perfect starting the World 100 in his spectacular career. He’s entered the event 11 times and never missed the feature lineup since his debut in 2013 as a 16-year-old.
The 2016 World 100 winner wasn’t sure his Longhorn Chassis was at its best yet, however.
“Not really,” he said when asked if his car felt better than earlier in the week. “Even the middle’s so fast right now. I just hope the cushion stays there because I feel like I need something to lean on.”
Pierce’s inside second row starting spot marks the fifth time in his career he’ll being the World 100 among the top six.
8:21 p.m. | Fifth heat lineup
Row 1: Garrett Alberson, Ross Bailes
Row 2: Hudson O'Neal, Nick Hoffman
Row 3: Jordan Koehler, Brandon Sheppard
Row 4: Chris Ferguson, Trent Ivey
Row 5: Chase Junghans, Brenden Smith
Row 6: Jason Riggs, Shannon Babb
Row 7: Casey Noonan, Kyle Hammer
Row 8: Kye Blight, Luke Anstett
Row 9: Jeff Robertson, Brandon Moore
8:18 p.m. | Pierce wins fourth heat
Bobby Pierce made a crossover move on Cory Hedgecock on a lap-five restart and led the rest of the fourth heat. Hedgecock finished second with Chris Madden also transferring to the 100-lapper after fighting off Garrett Smith. A lap-12 caution appeared for a slowing Tristan Chamberlain after a lap-five caution as Chase Frohnapfel got into the wall, drawing his second yellow of the race.
Fourth heat finish: Bobby Pierce, Cory Hedgecock, Chris Madden, Tanner English, Garrett Smith, Spencer Hughes, Daniel Hilsabeck, Oakley Johns, Luke Morey, Jensen Ford, Kent Robinson, Manny Falcon, Ben Watkins, Tristan Chamberlain, Chase Frohnhapfel, Mike Spatola. Scratched: Robby Hensley, Bryant Dickinson.
8:11 p.m. | J.D. right to the front
Jonathan Davenport didn’t have much trouble shooting from the third starting to the lead in his run to victory in Heat 3.
In fact, the two drivers ahead of him made it easy on the five-time World 100 champion. First Ethan Dotson bobbled in turn four heading to the completion of the first lap to let Davenport slide into second, and then Carson Ferguson slipped high in turn two moments later to hand the lead to J.D. for good.
But while Davenport continued his march toward a record-tying sixth World 100 crown, he shied away from discussing the possibility.
“We got a long way to go before we can talk about winning the World,” Davenport said. “Our car’s really good, feels real consistent right there. We gotta go through it real good and see what happens.”
Davenport will make his 12th consecutive World 100 start since failing to qualify in his first three attempts (2009, ’10, ’12). His fourth starting spot marks the sixth time he’ll take the green flag among the top six.
8:10 p.m. | First-lap slowdown in fourth heat
On the opening lap of the fourth heat, Chase Frohnapfel spun while Mike Spatola and Manny Falcon slowed. The race restarted with Cory Hedgecock out front.
8:08 p.m. | Fourth heat lineup
Row 1: Cory Hedgecock, Garrett Smith
Row 2: Bobby Pierce, Chris Madden
Row 3: Jensen Ford, Spencer Hughes
Row 4: Daniel Hilsabeck, Tanner English
Row 5: Ben Watkins, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 6: Mike Spatola, Oakley Johns
Row 7: Kent Robinson, Robby Hensley
Row 8: Manny Falcon, Chase Frohnapfel
Row 9: Luke Morey, Bryant Dickinson
8:05 p.m. | Davenport wins third heat
World 100 favorite Davenport earned a second-row starting spot by winning the third heat, transferring to the main event with race rookie Ethan Dotson and Daulton Wilson. Polesitter Carson Ferguson led early but got into the backstretch wall, handing the point to Davenport.
Third heat finish: Jonathan Davenport, Ethan Dotson, Daulton Wilson, Carson Ferguson, Jason Jameson, Donald McIntosh, Tyler Carpenter, Tyler Millwood, Stormy Scott, Matt Dooley, Tim Lance, Carson Brown, Travis Stemler, Seth Daniels, Shannon Thornsberry, Steve Lance Jr., Mike Bargo, Nick Cox.
8:01 p.m. | Streak continues
Seeking to join his father Donnie Moran as a World 100 winner, Devin Moran locked into the event’s finale for the ninth straight time since 2015 after nipping Shane Clanton by a mere 0.174 of a second to win the second heat. But Moran knows a prelim checkered flag doesn’t spell feature success.
“I’ve won a lot of heat races on big nights and didn’t get the job done,” said Moran, whose career best World 100 finish is sixth in one of the two races in 2021. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. I felt real unbalanced.”
Clanton, meanwhile, will make his 15th career World 100 feature start. He hasn’t finished better than seventh, however, since he won the event in 2008.
7:56 p.m. | Third heat lineup
Row 1: Carson Ferguson, Ethan Dotson
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Jason Jameson
Row 3: Daulton Wilson, Donald McIntosh
Row 4: Stormy Scott, Tyler Millwood
Row 5: Tyler Carpenter, Matt Dooley
Row 6: Travis Stemler, Carson Brown
Row 7: Shannon Thornsberry, Tiim Lance
Row 8: Steve Lance Jr., Seth Daniels
Row 9: Mike Bargo, Nick Cox
7:55 p.m. | Still perfect
Ricky Thornton Jr.’s flag-to-flag victory put him in the World 100 starting field for the sixth time in as many attempts. He’s never failed to crack the lineup since making his event debut in 2018.
Can the 33-year-old from Chandler, Ariz., improve upon his career-best finish of fifth in 2022? He intimated that he needs to find more speed in his Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis after beating Tim McCreadie by 0.531 of a second.
“It feels good,” said Thornton, whose outside third row starting spot will mark the third time he starts among the top six in the World 100. “(But) I feel like McCreadie probably was a little better than us looking at the (video) board there.”
7:54 p.m. | Moran wins second heat
Devin Moran led all the way from outside the front row to win the second heat over fourth-starting Shane Clanton while Ryan Gustin got the final transfer spot. Doug Drown spun for the race's lone caution on the third lap and a later brush with the wall cost Jason Feger time. Feger later reported he broke a motor.
Second heat finish: Devin Moran, Shane Clanton, Ryan Gustin, Joseph Joiner, Michael Norris, Jason Feger, Tyler Erb, Clay Harris, Gregg Satterlee, Clay Stuckey, Doug Drown, Freddie Carpenter, Rob Anderzack, Jackson Lovelady, Jon Hodgkiss. Scratched: Jeff Babcock, Terry Wolfenberager, Kenneth Howell.
7:48 p.m. | Second heat lineup
Row 1: Joseph Joiner, Devin Moran
Row 2: Ryan Gustin, Shane Clanton
Row 3: Jason Feger, Michael Norris
Row 4: Tyler Erb, Clay Stuckey
Row 5: Jeff Babcock, Gregg Satterlee
Row 6: Doug Drown, Clay Harris
Row 7: Freddie Carpenter, Jackson Lovelady
Row 8: Jon Hodgkiss, Rob Anderzack
Row 9: Terry Wolfenbarger, Kenneth Howell
7:45 p.m. | Thornton wins first heat
RIcky Thornton Jr. wrapped up a flag-to-flag victory in the first heat with Tim McCreadie and Josh Rice getting the other two transfer spots. Kyle Strickler, who ran second early, slipped back to finish fifth and later had to get a push back to his pit area.
First heat finish: Ricky Thornton Jr., Tim McCreadie, Josh Rice, Jimmy Owens, Kyle Strickler, Kyle Bronson, Gavin Cowan, Zack Mitchell, Kaede Loudy, Haiden Cowan, Clint Keenan, Zack Dohm, Austin Kirkpatrick, Mike Provenzano, Rusty Ballenger, Jerry Bowersock, Dustin Nobbe. Scratched: Frank Heckenast Jr.
7:40 p.m. | Bowersock exits
With polesitter Ricky Thornton Jr. leading the first heat, the night's first caution appeared on the eighth lap when Jerry Bowersock slowed heading into turn one and headed pitside. Thornton, Kyle Strickler and Tim McCreadie hold transfer spots under caution. McCreadie and Zack Dohm did a little paint-swapping in the early laps with Dohm fading badly thereafter. A second caution appeared a lap later when Rusty Ballenger in a scramble.
7:37 p.m. | First heat lineup
Row 1: Ricky Thornton Jr., Kyle Strickler
Row 2: Tim McCreadie, Zack Dohm
Row 3: Kyle Bronson, Josh Rice
Row 4: Jimmy Owens, Zack Mitchell
Row 5: Gavin Cowan, Rusty Ballenger
Row 6: Kaede Loudy, Jerry Bowersock
Row 7: Austin Kirkpatrick, Haiden Cowan
Row 8: Frank Heckenast Jr., Mike Provenzano
Row 9: Dustin Nobbe, Clint Keenan
7:05 p.m. | Feeling better
Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va., isn’t quite back to 100 percent physically in the wake of suffering an attack of kidney stones that led him to a hospital visit early Thursday morning, but he’s vastly improved from the combination of pain and fatigue that plagued him during Thursday’s preliminary program.
“I’m a lot better now,” Carpenter said. “I passed a few" of the stones.
Carpenter, 34, is seeking his first-ever World 100 feature start in his sixth attempt since 2016. He experienced a setback in Friday’s first semifeature when a broken rocker arm forced him to retire early and finish 25th, but he had a replacement part brought in and it was installed in his engine shortly before the start of Saturday’s hot laps.
7:01 p.m. | Weighty situation
As the start of Saturday’s program approached, DIRTcar officials found that Eldora Speedway’s electronic scales were malfunctioning as cars crossed them for pre-race weight checks.
While officials felt the problem could be rectified, they sought to make sure a backup plan was in place so they pulled the World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series scales out of the national tour’s operations trailer parked in the pit. The WoO set is set up near the Eldora’s scales, ready in case they’re needed.
6:50 p.m. | Madden’s ready
Chris Madden’s G.R. Smith-owned Longhorn Chassis looked thoroughly beat up after the Gray Court, S.C.’s lap-10 scrape with Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, Ga., in Friday’s first semifeature sent him spinning into the turn-one wall. The car’s nosepiece was so crunched that observers figured there must be significant damage to the suspension and perhaps frame as well.
But according to Longhorn staffer Tommy Grecco, who handled assembling the new car for Smith and is assisting the team at Eldora, the damage was actually minimal. In fact, while the team had to install a new front and rear bumper and reposition the fuel cell slightly (the car also clipped the wall with its rear end before nosing in), they didn’t have to replace its nosepiece. They simply used some heat to bend the nose back into shape and bolted it back on.
“We got pretty lucky,” Grecco said. “We’re in good shape. If we can get in the race, I really feel we have a top-five car — and maybe better.”
Madden is scheduled to start outside the second row in the fourth heat after just missing the inversion.
6:39 p.m. | Strong rebound
Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., thought his World 100 weekend might be over when a misfiring engine forced him to pull off the track before a Thursday shootout race. He had already broke an engine during Wednesday’s Castrol FloRacing Night in America program and a second motor failure would have left him without a working powerplant in his Koehler Motorsports team’s trailer.
But Owens and Co. gave the engine a close inspection on Friday and found his Thursday problems were “just issues” and they “took care of all that” to let his weekend roll on. He proceeded to bounce back in a major way, finishing a strong fourth in the second semifeature for his best World 100 preliminary result since a runner-up in 2022.
“We got a really good race car and something finally went our way,” said Owens, a three-time Eldora crown jewel winner (two World 100s, one Dream) who starts seventh in Saturday’s first heat. “I don’t remember the last time something went our way here at Eldora. I think I’ve got more DNFs here than anywhere. Most of my DNFs in my career pertain to here.”
Owens, who won the World 100 in 2007 and ’11, hasn’t finished the finale in the top 10 since back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2018-19. Friday’s performance raised his hopes for a return to form, but he still needs improvement from his Rocket Chassis.
“We’re not as free as we need to be through the corners,” said Owens, who returned to his familiar green color scheme this weekend after racing an orange car in recent seasons. “I feel like we made a little bit of gains in the feature. I felt like on long greens I could close in on the guys, but we gotta fire off a lot better.”
6:29 p.m. | Nerve-racking wait
Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, Tenn., enjoyed a career night at Eldora on Friday, winning a heat race (or a "shootout" as the prelims were dubbed this year) for the first time and registering a personal-best runner-up finish in the second 25-lap semifeature.
The 32-year-old’s strong performance with his BMF Chassis propelled him to a perfect standing in the event points, putting him on the pole position for Saturday’s fourth heat. That also meant his stomach has been churning with nervousness since he first saw the lineups.
Hedgecock told DirtonDirt.com’s Michael Rigsby that the anticipation of leading a Saturday-night World 100 heat to the green flag has him wanting to “puke and vomit” as the moment draws closer. He said he’s confident his car can put him in the feature field, but he had to battle through the nerves to make it a reality.
While Hedgecock finished 27th in last year’s World 100, he noted that he was granted a 15th-row starting spot in the 28-car field through an officiating error. He said he wants to crack the finale’s lineup in more memorable fashion this time after failing to qualify in his four other attempts (2019, both ’21 events, ’22).
6:23 p.m. | Odds and ends
Reserved seating is sold out and Eldora Speedway officials expect the largest crowd in the 70-year history of the track. ... Only two of 12 drivers among front-row starters in heat races haven't started a World 100 feature: Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., and Ross Bailes of Clover, S.C. ... The eight previous World 100 starters are spread evenly throughout the heat race lineups with two apiece in the first (Tim McCreadie and Jimmy Owens) and last heats (Brandon Overton and Dale McDowell) and one each in heats 2-5 (Shane Clanton, Jonathan Davenport, Bobby Pierce and Hudson O'Neal). ... Active World 100 winners who didn't enter this year's event are six-time winner Billy Moyer, Chub Frank and 2006 winner Earl Pearson Jr., who had entered the event every year from 2006-23. ... The 10th row of the feature lineup will be made up of two provisional starters. Those positions go to the two highest drivers in preliminary points who don't transfer to the main event through their heat race, starting with the top points earner McCreadie.
6:03 p.m. | Fitting tribute
The Dirt Late Model world lost Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist on Aug. 16 when he died in vintage plane crash on his family’s farm in Mooresburg, Tenn., but he turned out a huge crowd at Eldora one time on Saturday afternoon.
An estimated 5,000-plus people filled the half-mile oval’s frontstretch grandstand and stretched into the corners to attend a celebration of life for the legendary racer who won a record 12 crown jewel events at Eldora. Longtime Bloomquist friend and fellow racer Dale McDowell, Rocket Chassis co-owner Mark Richards and Bloomquist’s 18-year-old daughter, Ariel, a freshman at East Tennessee State University, were among those who spoke to the throng on hand to remember the all-time great.
The highlight of the memorial ceremony came when an specially-made urn holding Bloomquist’s ashes was loaded into an SUV and driven around the track with McDowell following behind the wheel of a Dirt Late Model boasting a wrap mirroring a No. 18 car that Bloomquist raced in 1986. As the two vehicles made several laps, one of Bloomquist’s favorite songs — Shinedown’s “Planet Zero” — was played over the P.A. system.
Richards’s remarks included a suggestion that seemed to be well received by those in attendance.
“Anybody that can fill this many people in a grandstand like this …” Richards said with his voice trailing off for a moment. “He deserves to have this grandstand called the Scott Bloomquist grandstand. I know the (Eldora) owner (Tony Stewart) and I think we can get that done.”
5:47 p.m. | Taste of autumn
After Eldora’s World 100 week began with summer-like temperatures — including highs in the mid- to upper-80s Wednesday and Thursday — Saturday’s finale has brought much more autumn-like conditions.
There’s a decided dip in the temperature with Saturday’s high only climbing into the mid-60s. Temps are expected to dip below 50 by feature time and perhaps near the low-40s by its completion with a cool breeze to boot, making sweatshirts and jackets the order of the night for attendees.
Perhaps the greatest news for Saturday’s action: there has been plentiful sunshine and the forecast calls for the evening sky to be partly cloudy with no rain.
All drivers on hand headed to an autograph session in the Eldora barn outside turns three and four at 3:30 p.m. and the drivers’ meeting was held there at 4:30 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. with opening ceremonies planned to commence at 7 p.m.
Heat race lineups
(15 laps; top three transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Ricky Thornton Jr., Kyle Strickler
Row 2: Tim McCreadie, Zack Dohm
Row 3: Kyle Bronson, Josh Rice
Row 4: Jimmy Owens, Zack Mitchell
Row 5: Gavin Cowan, Rusty Ballenger
Row 6: Kaede Loudy, Jerry Bowersock
Row 7: Austin Kirkpatrick, Haiden Cowan
Row 8: Frank Heckenast Jr., Mike Provenzano
Row 9: Dustin Nobbe, Clint Keenan
Second heat
Row 1: Joseph Joiner, Devin Moran
Row 2: Ryan Gustin, Shane Clanton
Row 3: Jason Feger, Michael Norris
Row 4: Tyler Erb, Clay Stuckey
Row 5: Jeff Babcock, Gregg Satterlee
Row 6: Doug Drown, Clay Harris
Row 7: Freddie Carpenter, Jackson Lovelady
Row 8: Jon Hodgkiss, Rob Anderzack
Row 9: Terry Wolfenbarger, Kenneth Howell
Third heat
Row 1: Carson Ferguson, Ethan Dotson
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Jason Jameson
Row 3: Daulton Wilson, Donald McIntosh
Row 4: Stormy Scott, Tyler Millwood
Row 5: Tyler Carpenter, Matt Dooley
Row 6: Travis Stemler, Carson Brown
Row 7: Shannon Thornsberry, Tiim Lance
Row 8: Steve Lance Jr., Seth Daniels
Row 9: Mike Bargo, Nick Cox
Fourth heat
Row 1: Cory Hedgecock, Garrett Smith
Row 2: Bobby Pierce, Chris Madden
Row 3: Jensen Ford, Spencer Hughes
Row 4: Daniel Hilsabeck, Tanner English
Row 5: Ben Watkins, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 6: Mike Spatola, Oakley Johns
Row 7: Kent Robinson, Robby Hensley
Row 8: Manny Falcon, Chase Frohnapfel
Row 9: Luke Morey, Bryant Dickinson
Fifth heat
Row 1: Garrett Alberson, Ross Bailes
Row 2: Hudson O'Neal, Nick Hoffman
Row 3: Jordan Koehler, Brandon Sheppard
Row 4: Chris Ferguson, Trent Ivey
Row 5: Chase Junghans, Brenden Smith
Row 6: Jason Riggs, Shannon Babb
Row 7: Casey Noonan, Kyle Hammer
Row 8: Kye Blight, Luke Anstett
Row 9: Jeff Robertson, Brandon Moore
Sixth heat
Row 1: Brandon Overton, Brian Shirley
Row 2: Dale McDowell, Wil Herrington
Row 3: Adam Stricker, Timothy Culp
Row 4: Jared Landers, Steven Roberts
Row 5: Ricky Weiss, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 6: Forrest Trent, Devin Gilpin
Row 7: Cody Sommer, Mike Benedum
Row 8: Stacy Boles, Tyler Collins
Row 9: Ashton Winger, Andy Clark
Corrections: Fixes heat lineup order
Saturday’s schedule
(All times local)
7 a.m.-11 a.m. - Breakfast served (turn four concession building)
11 a.m. - Ticket office opens (ticket and pit pass sales)
11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. - Scott Bloomquist’s celebration of life (victory stage)
Noon - Pits, suites and concessions open
1 p.m. - Grounds cleared and secured
2 p.m. - All gates, suites and concessions open
2 p.m. - Church service (behind main office)
3:30 p.m. - Driver autograph session (fan zone)
4:30 p.m. - Public drivers’ meeting (fan zone)
6:30 p.m. - Hot laps
7 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
Competition
- Late Model heats (15 laps)
- Late Model consolations (20 laps)
- 54th annual World 100 feature (100 laps)
Correction: Fixes spelling of Clint Keenan's names.
