ROSSBURG, Ohio (June 6) — Competing for national touring wins and triumphing at racetracks he hadn't previously won at, Josh Rice’s confidence this season has been noticeably high. Entering Saturday’s Dream XXXI finale at Eldora Speedway after Friday's prelim action, his confidence must now be nothing short of sky-high.

The 26-year-old added to his surging stock Friday by capturing the biggest win of his career to date — the $30,000 rain-postponed prelim from Thursday in impressive, poised fashion over the sport’s top-ranked driver, Bobby Pierce.

Friday’s victory at Eldora marks his seventh overall win of 2025, with five of those wins over his last six races.

“I thought (Indiana’s) Brownstown (Speedway) was hard to win at, this place is damn near impossible to win at. Especially to do it over the 32, he wins every damn weekend,” Rice said of outdueling Pierce. “We’ve been good here recently. Good thing we hot lapped again. I’m glad it rained out (Thursday) because I probably would have never won this deal.

“We hot-lapped there and wasn’t very good, threw what we knew was going to be close. Honestly, we didn’t know if it was going to be close or not, but it worked — $30,000 holy s---!”

Rice’s Eldora win adds to a season where he’s picked up first-time wins at Brownstown on May 31 and Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy, Mich., on May 24, and a campaign where he's challenged for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series wins March 21-22 at Ohio's Atomic Speedway (runner-up finish) and Brownstown Speedway (fifth-place finish).

Friday's winning move for Rice, whose full-time job is working nightshifts at international shipping company DHL Group, came with 11 laps to go where he ran away from Pierce on a lap-41 restart for a decisive 4.677-second victory.

The path to victory for Rice also came without challenges from the front row starters, Wil Herrington and Carson Ferguson, both whom experienced rollovers that drew two separate red flags during the 50-lap feature. Both drivers also emerged unhurt.

Second-starting Carson Ferguson flipped after overstepping the turn-one cushion on the initial start. Ferguson landed on his roof and collected Chris Simpson, who came away with left-knee discomfort after the race.

“Just the way the air is here, clean air is just really important, so me and Wil, we were just trying to beat each other to the cushion,” Ferguson said. “He had turned down when he needed to clear me and I just, the way the air was, I didn't position myself good enough to counter him beating me to the cushion. I kind of gave myself no way out."

Herrington, meanwhile, led the opening nine laps from the pole before fading to fourth when the turn-one cushion bit him on a lap-41 restart attempt, sending him twirling upside down before landing back on four wheels.

Fourth-starting Tyler Erb commanded laps 10-30 aboard his Dukes of Hazzard-inspired race car before overstepping the turn-two cushion and letting Rice by on lap 31.

Pierce, who overcome right-rear damage when he narrowly missed Ferguson’s opening-lap flip, thought he had Rice beat when he surged around the Verona, Ky., driver on lap 33. But Pierce only led laps 33-39 until the lurking Rice made his winning move on lap 40. When Pierce passed him on lap 33, Rice thought, ‘Well, there’s that,’ believing that Pierce had the race won.

“I was just riding through the middle there and felt like I was staying with him, and I felt like he was getting tighter and tighter,” Rice said of trying to catch Pierce. “I told these guys, man, I don’t want to fix this thing. I just want to finish. I kept riding and riding, and he kept getting closer and closer. Finally, I was like, ‘Hell with it. It’s time to send it in three and four.’ What a hotrod, man.”

Can Rice now string together 100 laps and win the $100,000 Dream top prize? He's given observers no reason to believe he can't, not even Jonathan Davenport, Friday’s first prelim winner who watched Rice impressively outduel the nation’s top-ranked driver in Pierce.

“That’s so awesome to get your first win here," Davenport said. "It’s definitely an unbelievable feeling. And the way he done it, man. Bobby drove up through there, Bobby got by him, but he kept his head about him and drove back by him. Congratulations to him. He done an excellent job.”

After compiling the second-most Dream points, Rice will start fourth in Saturday's second heat after the four-car inversion. A heat race win means he starts the 100-lap finale in fifth. Finishing second means he'd start eighth and third in his heat would start him 14th.

Feature lineup

(50 laps)

Row 1: Wil Herrington, Carson Ferguson
Row 2: Max Blair, Tyler Erb
Row 3: Josh Rice, Bobby Pierce
Row 4: Michael Leach, Daulton Wilson
Row 5: Dale McDowell, Chris Ferguson
Row 6: Joseph Joiner, Austin Smith
Row 7: Kale Green, Jimmy Owens
Row 8: Devin Moran, Nick Hoffman
Row 9: Garrett Smith, Chris Simpson
Row 10: Cory Lawler, Mike Spatola
Row 11: Drake Troutman, Kyle Bronson
Row 12: Hudson O'Neal, Tristan Chamberlain
Row 13: Forrest Trent, Frank Heckenast Jr.

Feature postponed

Rain that hit during the second consolation race halted action for the rest of the night, forcing a postponement of the 50-lap feature to Friday night.

Consolation race results

(12 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation: Drake Troutman, Hudson O'Neal, Forrest Trent, John Henderson, Brenden Smith, Carson Brown, Clay Harris, Mason Zeigler, Zack Mitchell, Eli Johnson, Rod Conley, Dennis Erb Jr. Scratched: Michael Page, Kody Evans.

Second consolation: Kyle Bronson, Tristan Chamberlain, Frank Heckenast Jr., Jason Riggs, Tyler Carpenter, Montana Dudley, Jerry Bowersock, Ben Sukup, Evan Koehler, Justin Cooper. Scratched: Ryan Payne, Zack Dohm, Oakley Johns.

Heat race recap

Wil Herrington led all 10 laps from the pole, taking the checkers 2.105 seconds ahead of second-starting Max Blair. Jimmy Owens improved two positions to finish third, followed by Dale McDowell and Chris Simpson rounding out the top-five finishers. … Austin Smith cruised to win the second heat race, leading the entire way and crossing the line 1.728 seconds ahead of second-starting Chris Ferguson. Chris's cousin, Carson Ferguson started and finished third, with sixth-starting Garrett Smith in fourth and Joseph Joiner punching their tickets into Thursday’s 50-lap main event. … Second-starting Michael Leach dominated the third heat, winning by 1.867 seconds over polesitter Kale Green. Josh Rice, Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman held serve in finishing third through fifth. The race’s lone caution came on the opening lap when Hoffman appeared to make contact with Tyler Carpenter, sending Carpenter spinning, collecting Oakley Johns and Justin Cooper. Johns could not continue, while Carpenter completed a couple more laps before pulling off with heavy left-side damage. … Inheriting the lead on the seventh lap after race-long leader Zack Dohm appeared to lose an engine, second-starting Tyler Erb led last four laps to win the fourth and final race by 1.027 seconds over fourth-starting Daulton Wilson. Devin Moran, Mike Spatola and Cory Lawler were the rest of the drivers clinching their spot in the night’s $30,000-to-win Dream XXXI opening qualifying night. Debris slowed the action on the sixth lap after Jason Riggs and Ryan Payne made contact, but kept going; the second and final caution was for Dohm’s apparent engine failure. … The four prelims combined to last 17 minutes, 40 seconds.

Heat results

(10 laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Wil Herrington, Max Blair, Jimmy Owens, Dale McDowell, Chris Simpson, Drake Troutman, Brenden Smith, John Henderson, Mason Zeigler, Dennis Erb Jr., Eli Johnson. Scratched: Michael Page.

Second heat: Austin Smith, Chris Ferguson, Carson Ferguson, Garrett Smith, Joseph Joiner, Hudson O'Neal, Forrest Trent, Carson Brown, Clay Harris, Zack Mitchell, Rod Conley. Scratched: Kody Evans.

Third heat: Michael Leach, Kale Green, Josh Rice, Bobby Pierce, Nick Hoffman, Frank Heckenast Jr., Tristan Chamberlain, Montana Dudley, Justin Cooper, Jerry Bowersock, Tyler Carpenter, Oakley Johns.

Fourth heat: Tyler Erb, Daulton Wilson, Devin Moran, Mike Spatola, Cory Lawler, Kyle Bronson, Jason Riggs, Evan Koehler, Ben Sukup, Ryan Payne, Zack Dohm.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Michael Page (18x), Douglasville, Ga., 15.239
2. Joseph Joiner (10), Milton, Fla., 15.309
3. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 15.436
4. Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C., 15.461
5. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 15.485
6. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 15.546
7. Wil Herrington (15k), Hawkinsville, Ga., 15.547
8. Austin Smith (11), Cedartown, Ga., 15.682
9. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 15.733
10. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 15.823
11. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, 15.834
12. Garrett Smith (10), Madison, Ga., 15.869
13. John Henderson (2x), North Augusta, S.C., 15.901
14. Carson Brown (28), New London, N.C., 16.087
15. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 16.175
16. Forrest Trent (101), Morristown, Tenn., 16.201
17. Eli Johnson (55), Moore Haven, Fla., 16.247
18. Clay Harris (6H), Jupiter, Fla., 16.265
19. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 16.288
20. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.344
21. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 16.344
22. Kody Evans (4G), Camden, Ohio, 16.411
23. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 16.422
24. Zack Mitchell (57), Enoree, S.C., 16.901
Group B
1. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 15.114
2. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 15.144
3. Josh Rice (11), Crittenden, Ky., 15.259
4. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 15.369
5. Michael Leach (09), Sun River, Mont.,15.383
6. Tyler Erb (01), New Waverly, Texas, 15.400
7. Kale Green (4), Pelion, S.C., 15.434
8. Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 15.452
9. Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C., 15.452
10. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 15.495
11. Tyler Carpenter (28c), Parkersburg, W.Va., 15.514
12. Cory Lawler (93), Hanover, Pa., 15.633
13. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 15.674
14. Jason Riggs (81), College Grove, Tenn., 15.707
15. Montana Dudley (7), Phenix City, Ala., 15.720
16. Ryan Payne (12R), Pennsboro, W.Va., 15.882
17. Oakley Johns (c6), Hohenwald, Tenn., 15.930
18. Evan Koehler (114e), Mount Airy, N.C., 15.950
19. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill.,15.959
20. Mike Spatola (89), Manhattan, Ill., 15.977
21. Justin Cooper (00), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 16.142
22. Ben Sukup (07), Norfolk, Neb., 16.212
23. Jerry Bowersock (95), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 16.317

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local)
11 a.m. - Ticket office opens (ticket and pit pass sales)
Noon - Pits open
12:30 p.m. - Technical inspection begins
1 p.m. - Grounds cleared and secured
2 p.m. - All gates, suites and concessions open
3 p.m. - Ballroom dinner buffet begins
6:20 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting (infield)
6 p.m. - Ballroom dinner buffet closes
7:15 p.m. - Hot laps
8 p.m. - Opening ceremonies
Competition
- Late Model time trials
- Late Model heats (10 laps)
- Late Model consolations (12 laps)
- Late Model feature (50 laps)
Following last checkered flag: Live music (fan zone)