Eldora Speedway

Dream XIX: Saturday's live updates

June 8, 2013, 4:55 pm

By Joshua Joiner and Todd Turner

DirtonDirt.com

Scott Bloomquist wins his sixth Dream. (thesportswire.net)

ROSSBURG, Ohio (June 8) — Dominating the final 36 laps, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., captured his unprecedented sixth $100,000 Dream at Eldora Speedway. The sixth-starting Bloomquist moved under Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., on lap 65, built nearly a half-track margin and then survived a pair of late restarts to earn a victory in the Dream XIX presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers. | Complete Dream XIX coverage

Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who started 17th, and tail-starting Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., took shots at Bloomquist on restarts in the final 10 laps, but Bloomquist easily edged back away to stay in firm control.

Erb, also driving a Bloomquist car, was second to earn a career-high $20,000. Richards crossed the line third but was disqualified when he weighed in 32 pounds below the 2,300-pound mininum at postrace inspection.

That moved Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, to third with Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., in fourth and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., in fifth. Mars was shuffled back late to finish sixth after leading laps 23-64.

Polesitter Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif., led the first 22 laps before retiring, while Matt Miller of Whitehouse, Ohio — winner of preliminary features on Thursday and Friday — rallied from 14th to second but lost a driveshaft on lap 91 while trying to catch Bloomquist.

Four cautions slowed the action, the most serious for a multicar incident exiting turn two involving Steve Casebolt, Wayne Chinn, Devin Moran and Jonathan Davenport. A lap-23 caution appeared for Reddick's departure while lap 91 and lap 98 yellows appeared for the lost driveshafts of Miller and Duane Chamberlain of Richmond, Ind., who ran as high as second but fell out of the top five in the final 25 laps.

Dream XIX presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers

Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., Bloomquist, $100,000
2. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., Bloomquist, $20,000
3. Brian Birkhofer (15B), Muscatine, Iowa, MB Customs, $10,000
4. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., MasterSbilt, $6,000
5. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Bloomquist, $5,000
6. Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis., MB Customs, $4,000
7. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., Bloomquist, $3,500
8. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., Barry Wright, $3,000
9. Tim Fuller (19), Watertown, N.Y., Capital, $2,500
10. Terry Phillips (75), Springfield, Mo., Bloomquist, $2,475
11. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., Warrior, $2,450
12. Eddie Carrier Jr. (28), Salt Rock, W.Va., Rocket, $2,425
13. Jon Henry (15), Ada, Ohio, Rocket, $2,400
14. Duane Chamberlain (20c), Richmond, Ind., Rocket, $2,375
15. Matt Miller (3), Whitehouse, Ohio, Rocket, $2,350
16. Wayne Chinn (1), Bradford, Ohio, MasterSbilt, $2,325
17. Jared Landers (5), Batesville, Ark., Barry Wright, $2,300
18. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., Capital, $2,275
19. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., Victory Circle, $2,250
20. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., Rocket, $2,200
21. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., Rocker, $2,175
22. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, MB Customs, $2,150
23. Steve Casebolt (c9), Richmond, Ind., MasterSbilt, $2,125
24. Tyler Reddick (11), Corning, Calif., Bloomquist, $2,100
25. Gregg Satterlee (22), Rochester Mills, Pa., Rocket, $2,075
26. Devin Moran (99m), Dresden, Ohio, MasterSbilt, $2,050
27. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Barry Wright, $2,025
Disqualified. Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., Rocket, $2,000
Fast qualifier (among 84 cars): Davenport, 15.386 seconds
Heat race winners: Bloomquist, Chamberlain, Carrier, Mars, Fuller, Reddick
C-main winner: Brian Shirley
C-scramble winner: R.J. Conley
B-main winner: Owens
B-scramble winner: Donnie Moran
Provisional starters: Davenport, Clanton, Henry, Richards
Thursday feature winners: Richards, Miller
Friday feature winners: Miller, Erb

Blog-style updates from Saturday's action at Eldora:

Feature updates

Lap 100: Bloomquist was never threated in a two-lap shootout to the finish, winning his unprecedented sixth $100,000 Dream over Erb, Richards, Birkhofer and McDowell. Richard was disqualified for being 32 pounds light at the scales.

Lap 98: CAUTION Duane Chamberlain drops a driveshaft in turn three to draw a caution with two laps remaining. That erases more than a straightaway lead for Bloomquist while Erb is second ahead of Richards, Birkhofer, Mars, McDowell, Owens, Madden, Fuller and Francis

Lap 93: Bloomquist edges away while Erb jumps up to second followed by Richards, Birkhofer and Mars, who got shuffled back.

Lap-92 restart: Bloomquist, Mars, Birkhofer, Richards, Erb, McDowell, Madden, Chamberlain, Fuller and Owens in 10th.

Lap 92: CAUTION Second-running Matt Miller loses a driveshaft on the backstretch, ending an otherwise excellent Dream weekend. He was gaining on the leading Bloomquist — it would've been a long haul — but his last lap he gained three-tenths on Bloomquist.

Lap 85: Bloomquist is cruising, lapping all but 12 competitors by this point; Mars is a third of a lap behind with the 14th-starting Miller hot on his heels.

Lap 75: Bloomquist stretches his lead to nearly a full straightaway and he's got open racetrack; Mars, Birkhofer and Miller are battling a few lapped cars, but they're falling farther behind.

Lap 70: Bloomquist has a half-straight lead on Mars while Birkhofer is just behind Mars in third; Chamberlain is in fourth, trying to hold off Miller.

Lap 65: Bloomquist takes the lead from Mars, sliding under him in turns three and four. He showed his nose a few times before that but successfully made the pass on his first real attempt.

Lap 60: Rundown: Mars, Bloomquist, Chamberlain, Birkhofer, Madden, Miller, Richards, Fuller, Phillips and Erb in 10th.

Lap 54: Bloomquist takes second from Chamberlain; he's a half-straight behind Mars with no lapped cars between them.

Lap 50: At halfway, Mars has a half-straight lead on Chamberlain, who is just ahead of Bloomquist with Birkhofer and Fuller a bit further back.

Lap 40: Mars has a half-straight lead on Chamberlain, and a lapped car between them. Fuller, Bloomquist and Birkhofer are closer together in third through fifth. Phillips, running 11th, is a half-lap behind Mars.

Lap 30: Terry Phillips, who was lapped early in the race and then pitted, is back up to 11th; Mars leads Chamberlain, Fuller, Bloomquist and Birkhofer. Phillips and Clanton are the only drivers consistently running in the low groove.

Lap 25: Mars leads on the restart while Chamberlain shot between Fuller and Bloomquist exiting turn two to take the second spot. Third is Fuller followed by Bloomquist, Birkhofer, Madden, Richards and Miller.

Lap-22 restart: Mars, Fuller, Chamberlain, Bloomquist, Birkhofer, Miller, Madden, Richards (started 30th), Francis and Owens (started 21st) in 10th.

Lap 23: CAUTION as leader Tyler Reddick slows exiting turn four; Jimmy Mars inherits the lead; the lap count will go back to lap 22.

Lap 20: Reddick pulled away on the restart while Mars took second from Fuller. ... Also getting good restarts: Birkhofer (up to sixth) and Matt Miller (seventh).

Lap-17 restart: Reddick, Fuller, Mars, Chamberlain, Bloomquist, Carrier, Madden, Birkhofer, Francis and Landers in 10th. Next is McDowell, Miller, Satterlee, Owens and Babb. ... Reddick has right-rear damage when he got into the turn-four wall on lap seven just after entering lapped traffic. He's stuck with the high groove, along with his pursuers, most of the way, but Terry Phillips, running low, was able to unlap himself as the lower groove appears capable. Phillips was among those ducking into the pits under caution. Casebolt and Chinn returned to the track after getting attention in the pits.

Lap 17: CAUTION (and then a red flag) for a multicar pileup in turn four; involved are Wayne Chinn, Devin Moran, Steve Casebolt and Jonatahn Davenport, the last to arrive to the mess. Moran suffered heavy right-side damage and went to the pits along with Chinn; Casebolt's car was able to pull away, too. Davenport pulled away and likely suffered the last damage.

Lap 15: Reddick leads just ahead of Fuller and Mars; Terry Phillips, running low, has unlapped himself over the previous half-dozen laps. Duane Chamberlain is pulling closer in fourth.

Lap 7: Reddick gets slightly into the turn-four wall, scrubbing some of his lead over Fuller.

Lap 5: Reddick has a half-straightaway lead on Tim Fuller and is nearing lapped traffic with Mars, Chamberlain and Carrier chasing him, all on the high side.

Lap 1: The feature rolled at 11:27 p.m. with Reddick leading Fuler, Mars, Chamberlain and Carrier.

11:21 p.m. | Feature field rolls

Pace laps are under way with the completion of driver intros and the command to fire engines.

11:06 p.m. | Another shot at pole

Tyler Reddick knows what it's like to start on the pole at Eldora. He hopes this time around goes better than last year's World 100, when he led only the first two laps and retired on lap 41. "We learned from our mistakes last time we were here and started on the pole," the 17-year-old said. "Our car's really good, so hopefully I can just get out front and cruise."

Pre-feature notes

First-time Dream starters among the 28-car field: Wayne Chinn, Gregg Satterlee, Devin Moran, Mason Zeigler, Jon Henry, and Chris Simpson. ... Eight chassis brands are represented in the feature field led by Rocket Chassis with eight entries and Bloomquist Race Cars with six. Next are MasterSbilt (4), MB Customs (3), Barry Wright Race Cars (3), Capital (2), Warrior (1) and Victory Circle (1). ... Both Capital entries made the race and all the MB Customs entries except Jay Johnson made the starting field. ... Fifteen states are represented in the starting field with home-state Ohio leading the way with four starters. Georgia has three starters followed by two apiece for New York, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana. ... States with one driver apiece: Missouri, South Carolina, California, Wisconsin and Arkansas. ... The night's 50-50 drawing paid $7,280 to a lucky fan. The West Ohio Food Bank and Tony Stewart Foundation shared the other half of the pot.

10:56 p.m. | Fuller's return

Tim Fuller hasn't competed at Eldora since 2009, but the Watertown, N.Y., driver find himself starting outside the front row in Dream XIX. "I haven't been exceptionally well here in the black, but right now there's still some bite out there," he said. "Hopefully we can get the jump on the start and stay out front."

10:47 p.m. | Will low groove be there?

Jimmy Owens was fast on the top side of the track in dominating the B-main, but he knows he want be able to run that same line if he's going to be a factor in the main event. "Our car's really fast up there, but you've gotta go where they're not," Owens said. "It's gonna be tough because everyone's so fast up against that cushion. We'll have to try to make the bottom work and hope it's there."

10:38 pm. | Owens wins B-main

Jimmy Owens led all the way to win the B-main with Tim McCreadie finishing second. Terry Phillips and Shannon Babb were third and fourth to transfer to the main event while Chris Simpson and John Blankenship swapped positions twice in the final half-lap in finishing fifth and sixth in the final transfer spots. Billy Moyer Jr. was in a three-wide battle with Simpson and Blankenship heading into turn three on the final lap, but his low-groove run fell short. Two cautions slowed the action, the first on lap 11 for debris on the backstretch; Bub McCool slowed in turn three on lap 17. Josh Richards and Jon Henry both retired but will rely on fast-qualifier provisionals to start on the last row of the 28-car feature. Donnie Moran won the $1,000 B-scramble over Brian Shirley, Billy Moyer Jr., Mike Spatola, Jason Montgomery, R.J. Conley, Tim Lance, Michael Asberry, Jay Johnson and Andrew Reaume.

B-main finish: Jimmy Owens, Tim McCreadie, Terry Phillips, Shannon Babb, Chris Simpson, John Blankenship, Billy Moyer Jr., Donnie Moran, Brian Shirley, Mike Spatola, Jason Montgomery, Andrew Reaume, R.J. Conley, Michael Asberry, Tim Lance, Jay Johnson, Austin Hubbard, Scott James, Josh RIchards, Bub McCool, Billy Moyer, Jeep Van Wormer, Brad Neat, Jon Henry. Scratched: Shannon Thornsberry.

10:23 p.m. | Mid-event notebook

B-main polesitter Shannon Thornsberry scratched, moving Tim McCreadie to the pole position. ... Jon Henry would’ve moved up to the pole, but he elected to start on the tail, banking on a fast-qualifier provisional. ... First-time Dream starters so far: Wayne Chinn, Gregg Satterlee, Devin Moran, Mason Zeigler. ... Chad Little, NASCAR director of the Camping World Truck Series, was on hand early in the night to check out the track for the first time. Eldora Speedway is hosting the tour’s Mudsummer Classic on July 24. ... The six-car C-scramble after the C-main included drivers from three countries: the United States, Canada (Don Gordon) and Australia (Ross Nicastri).

10:11 p.m. | B-main lineup

(20 laps; top six to main event)
Row 1: Shannon Thornsberry, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Jon Henry, Austin Hubbard
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, John Blankenship
Row 4: Terry Phillips, Shannon Babb
Row 5: Mike Spatola, Josh Richards
Row 6: Chris Simpson, Billy Moyer
Row 7: Jason Montgomery, Jeep Van Wormer
Row 8: Billy Moyer Jr., Tim Lance
Row 9: Michael Asberry, Donnie Moran
Row 10: Brian Shirley, Bub McCool
Row 11: Andrew Reaume, Jay Johnson
Row 12: Scott James, Brad Neat

10:06 p.m. | Shirley wins C-main

Brian Shirley cruised to an easy victory in the C-Main with Bub McCool safely running second most of the way. The battle for third was a wild one with Jay Johnson hanging out over Andrew Reaume, Scott James and Brad Neat, the top six transferring to the B-Main. Doug Drown ran among the top six most of the way but Neat edged him at the finish. After the C-main, the $1,000-to-win scramble among non-transferring cars was won by R.J. Conley over Brandon Sheppard, Justin Chance, Ross Nicastri, Don Gordon and Doug Drown.

C-main finish (six transfer to B-main): Brian Shirley, Bub McCool, Jay Johnson, Andrew Reaume, Scott James, Brad Neat, Doug Drown, R.J. Conley, Brandon Sheppard, Justin Chance, Ross Nicastri, Don Gordon, Nick Latham, Ryan Sutter, Danny Mitchell, Ernie Cordier. Scratched: Steve Shaver, Dustin Neat, Chad Simpson, Dusty Moore, Chad Smith, Bobby Pierce, Jeff Provinzino, Tyler Erb.

9:53 p.m. | C-main rolls

Lots of scratches in the C-main as it rolls. Drivers not going: Steve Shaver, Dustin Neat, Chad Simpson, Chad Smith, Dusty Moore, Jeff Provinzino, Bobby Pierce and Tyler Erb. An early caution appeared in the C-main when Ernie Cordier got into the backstretch wall.

9:42 p.m. | It's the C-main for James

Scott James was disappointed with the way his heat race turned out after rough track conditions caused front suspension damage to his car while leading the second heat race. "To be leading and pulling away like that, it sucks because our car was really that good," James said. "We had a car to win tonight and now we're in the C-main."

9:40 p.m.: A chance meeting

Austin Hubbard and Josh Richards bumped into each other while waiting for consolation lineups to be posted and took the opportunity to discuss their heat race run-in. They had a tight battle for fourth in the fourth heat race before Hubbard secured the position over Richards.

Richards said he didn't think Hubbard gave him enough room when he passed him for the fourth spot. Hubbard replied: "I gave you all I could, but you know how this place is.”

That was as far as the discussion went before the two drivers moved on to talking about track conditions.

9:31 p.m | C-main lineup

(15 laps; top six transfer)
Row 1: Brian Shirley, Steve Shaver
Row 2: Doug Drown, Jay Johnson
Row 3: Brad Neat, Chad Simpson
Row 4: Dustin Neat, Bub McCool
Row 5: Danny Mitchell, Ernie Cordier
Row 6: Justin Chance, Chad Smith
Row 7: Dusty Moore, Andrew Reaume
Row 8: Scott James, Brandon Sheppard
Row 9: Ryan Sutter, R.J. Conley
Row 10: Jeff Provinzino, Bobby Pierce
Row 11: Tyler Erb, Justin Coulter
Row 12: Don Gordon, Nick Latham

9:17 p.m. | Reddick wins tight one

Tyler Reddick, 17, earned the Dream pole by capturing the sixth heat. Reddick took control early when polesitter R.J. Conley pushed up the track in turn one, forcing outside front-row starter Gregg Satterlee up near the wall. Reddick built a big lead, but Satterlee tracked him down late along with Steve Casebolt. They ran tightly the rest of the way with all three transferring to the feature in a race where Reddick lapped several cars. John Blankenship was fourth and Billy Moyer fifth, but they were far behind the three-car breakaway.

Sixth heat finish: Tyler Reddick, Gregg Satterlee, Steve Casebolt, John Blankenship, Billy Moyer, R.J. Conley, Donnie Moran, Chad Simpson, Chad Smith, Nick Latham, John Mason, Brandon Thirlby, Greg Johnson, Shane Unger.

9:14 p.m. | Reddick leads sixth heat

Taking advantage when polesitter R.J. Conley pushed up high in turn one on the first lap, third-starting Tyler Reddick took control of the sixth heat and built a huge lead. Gregg Satterlee is trying to chase him down while Steve Casebolt is up to third.

9:11 p.m. | Fuller wins fifth heat

Tim Fuller led the rest of the way in a two-lap shootout to capture the fifth heat over Dale McDowell, who turned back Dennis Erb Jr. just after the restart. All three transfer to the main event with Fuller making just his second career Dream start and first since 2008. Tim McCreadie, who held a transfer spot part of the race, ended up fourth. Polesitter Brad Neat wasn't a factor in finishing seventh.

Fifth heat finish: Tim Fuller, Dale McDowell, Dennis Erb Jr., Tim McCreadie, Chris Simpson, Michael Asberry, Brad Neat, Justin Chance, Ryan Sutter, Don Gordon, Randy Weaver, Morgan Bagley, Don O'Neal, Jacob Hawkins.

9:08 p.m. | Hawkins to hospital

Jacob Hawkins was taken to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater, Ohio, after mud apparently struck his helmet early in the fifth heat. He slowly drove to his pit area where medical personnel attended to him before an ambulance took him out of the infield pits.

His older brother Jared Hawkins said Jacob was conscious but dazed and “had no idea where he was.” Jared Hawkins was told that they planned to take X-rays at the hospital for possible facial injuries, including his nose and jaw, and to check him for a possible concussion.

9:05 p.m. | Weaver out in fifth heat

Just after the white flag flew in the fifth heat, Randy Weaver got into the turn-three wall to end his race; he was running sixth.Tim Fuller is in control of the race on lap 14 with Dale McDowell second and Dennis Erb Jr. third after taking a spot from Tim McCreadie. There will be a green-white--checkered finish.

9 p.m. | Fifth-heat caution

After the red-flag for Jacob Hawkins, fifth-heat action continued with Tim Fuller leading Dale McDowell and Tim McCreadie. A lap-eight caution appeared for debris in turn three.

8:45 p.m. | O'Neal into wall

On the third lap of the fifth heat, Don O'Neal was running fourth when he got into the wall in turn one, shedding pieces of yellow plastic from his MasterSbilt house car. Tim Fuller is leading the lead over Tim McCreadie and Dale McDowell. Jacob Hawkins was slowing just before O'Neal's accident with an apparent injury. Hawkins stayed in his car at his pit area several minutes before medical personnel put him in an ambulance for a trip to the hospital; it wasn't clear what his injuries were. O'Neal's car suffered heavy right-side damage. "Our night's over with," he told Eldora pit announcer Ozzie Altman.

8:42 p.m.: | Mars wins fourth heat

Outside front-row starter Jimmy Mars held off a late charge from fifth-starting Brian Birkhofer, his fellow MB Customs chassis designer, for a victory in the fourth heat. Birkhofer was just behind in second while third-starting Mason Zeigler transferred to his first Dream feature. Eleventh-starting Austin Hubbard dropped Josh RIchards to fifth in the final laps. Polesitter Darrell Lanigan, out in a first-lap wreck, was in the pits along with Brandon Sheppard (who overheated), Justin Coulter and Frank Heckenast Jr., caught up in Lanigan's wreck. "My quarter(panel) must've got caught on (Mars's) body panel because it just pulled me right around," Lanigan said.

Fourth heat finish: Jimmy Mars, Brian Birkhofer, Mason Zeigler, Austin Hubbard, Josh Richards, Tim Lance, Jay Johnson, Ernie Cordier, Brandon Sheppard, Justin Coulter, Darrell Lanigan, Frank Heckenast Jr.

8:40 p.m. | Heat-four caution for Coulter

With Jimmy Mars leading on lap 11, Justin Coulter slowed on the backstretch to draw a caution in the fourth heat. Mars is dominating the heat with Mason Zeigler second. Brian Birkhofer took the third and final transfer spot from Josh Richards on lap nine.

8:34 p.m. | Lanigan out in wreck

In a first-lap wreck in the fourth heat, Darrell Lanigan ended up against the turn-four wall as he and Frank Heckenast Jr.'s car briefly bounded into the air. The wreck apparently happened when a plastic piece on the car of Jimmy Mars caught onto Lanigan's quarterpanel, and "it pulled us on around," Lanigan said. He's OK but the car is heavily damaged, as is the car of Heckenast, who had nowhere to go. Josh Richards caught of a piece of it too, but it's unclear how the damage to the right-side of his car will affect his handling.

8:29 p.m. | Back to racing

After a lengthy period to try and whip the track surface into shape, the fourth heat is on the track with Darrell Lanigan and Jimmy Mars set to got from the front row.

8:27 p.m. | Busy in the Francis pits

After blowing an engine at the conclusion of his heat race, Steve Francis appealed to officials to go to a backup car, but it was denied. Cars must be damaged in a wreck, not just have engine problems, but Francis didn’t understand. "They've told us five times we can go to backup cars this weekend, now we can't? It doesn't make much sense to me,” he said. His engine ran hot after the nose folded over and blocked the air flow, and the powerplant gave up on the final lap. He called the track conditions "brutal" and said he'd “never seen anything like it.” The team is going to work swapping engines. He’s scheduled to start 15th.

8:12 p.m. | Babcock's demise

Jeff Babcock of Wayne, Ohio, the Johnny Appleseed Classic two weeks ago at Eldora, saw his Dream hopes end against the turn-three wall. He's OK, but said the car is "junk" after the accident in the third heat. "That was a pretty hard one. It just stuck and launched me straight into the wall." ... Steve Francis finished third in the third heat, but he blew a motor at the finish. With the temperature up to 280 degrees during the red flag, he was planning to pull to the pits, but car owner Clint Bowyer encouraged him to stay on the track. ... A dozen pack trucks and four tracks are still working the track surface to try and smooth things out for the remaining three heats.

8:04 p.m. | Rough racetrack

As Jimmy Owens watched the Warrior Race Cars house car crew go to work on Scott James' battered car, someone looking on said "It's a little rough out there." Owens replied: "No, it's a lot rough out there.” ... Jon Henry finished fourth in the third heat, sending him to a consolation race in a race where his car was battered. "I've never been kicked in ass as hard as I was just now. It's freaking crazy,” Henry said. The whole right side of Henry's car is barely hanging on. Even the right side of the roof and the air breather cover are bent. He says it's all from the cushion. ... Eldora track crews are working on the track surface between the third and fourth heats, bringing out the sheep's-foot and other equipment to try and pack down the surface.

7:53 p.m. | Carrier wins third heat

Eddie Carrier dominated the second half of the third heat for an easy victory, finishing nearly a straightaway ahead of polesitter Wayne Chinn, who will make his first-ever Dream start. Eighth-starting Steve Francis fought an ill-handling car the last half of the race, holding off Jon Henry on the last lap. Texas youngster Tyler Erb ran as high as fourth, but he retired in the closing laps. The rugged surface is asking a lot of the cars. Following the heat, Chinn — parked in the outer pits — went to the Jacob Hawkins pit area near the scales to get a quick dose water on his radiator.

Third heat finish: Eddie Carrier Jr., Wayne Chinn, Steve Francis, Jon Henry, Mike Spatola, Billy Moyer Jr., Doug Drown, Danny Mitchell, Scott James, Tyler Erb, Jeff Babcock. Scratched: Earl Pearson Jr., Kent Robinson, James Rice.

7:45 p.m. | Tricky conditions

The high-speed conditions and rim of mud developing on the middle-upper part of the corners is making life difficult for drivers. "It's got such a big lip, you're just wide open around that lip all the way around," said Shane Clanton, who is taking a fast qualifier provisional. "And you just can't pass anyone like that."

7:44 p.m. | Carrier leads heat three

Eddie Carrier leads the third heat at a lap-eight caution for more debris. Polesitter Wayne Chinn is second and eighth-starting Steve Francis is third, but Francis has left-front problems that are hampering his steering. It's unlikely he can hold onto the spot as his car has pushed up toward the wall the last few laps. Doug Drown is fourth and Tyler Erb, looking for his first Dream start, is fifth. Another caution appeared on the lap-eight restart when Jeff Babcock slowed, then another caution appeared when Babcock got into the turn-three wall on the next restart.

7:36 p.m. | Trouble for leader in heat three

Scott James has led the third heat from the outset, but he suffered some left-front damage when his car dug in briefly in turn one on the fourth lap. As a matter of fact, plastic from the nosepiece of James's Warrior House Car flew up and drew a caution. Wayne Chinn and Jeff Babcock are chasing James. Eddie Carrier came alive on the lap-four restart and took the lead, but a caution flew for Danny Mitchell's turn-four spin. James and Babcock headed for the pit under caution.

7:34 p.m. | Moyer Jr. spins in heat three

The third heat required a restart when seventh-starting Billy Moyer Jr. spun in turn one on the first lap. The race began after Eldora's pack trucks mashed down the cushion developing in the middle of the track.

7:31 p.m. | Chamberlain thanks lucky stars

Duane Chamberlain, who won the second heat race to earn his third career start in the Dream, found that he had a flat right-rear by the time he made it to his pit area just beyond the scales inside turn four. "Lucky. ... We got real lucky," said the Richmond, Ind., driver, who ran mostly unchallenged in winning his first-ever Dream heat. Chamberlain finished 17th in the Dream in 2003 and 21st in 2009.

7:27 p.m. | First-heat recap

Jonathan Davenport will take a fast-qualifier provisional after his first-lap accident in turn one. “(Chris) Madden just cut down in front of me and I didn't have no where to go. I had no choice to lift and there was nothing I could do from there.” The AES Racing crew immediately went to work straightening out Davenport’s body damage while waiting to cross to the outside pit area. ... Brian Shirley also ran into trouble in the first heat in a first-lap collision with Shannon Thornsberry that knocked him from contention after starting fourth. "I don't know if (polesitter) Scott (Bloomquist) just didn't go or what. But all of a sudden we were all running over each other,” Shirley said. "It's just the havoc of being in the first heat. It's a sad situation, but it's just the way the cards are drawn for ya."

7:22 p.m. | Polesitter rules second heat

Polesitter Duane Chamberlain cruised to victory in the second heat, finishing a half-straightaway ahead of fellow front-row starters Jared Landers in the 15-lap prelim run caution-free. Landers survived a nosepiece that was partially tucked under on the left-front, holding off a late rally from Matt Miller, the third and final driver transferring. Jimmy Owens was fourth ahead of Shannon Babb and Shane Clanton, who will take a fast-qualifier provisional. With most cars hammer-down in the middle of the racetrack on a hooked-up surface, there was little passing after drivers shuffled into position after the first lap.

Second heat finish: Duane Chamberlain, Jared Landers, Matt Miller, Jimmy Owens, Shannon Babb, Shane Clanton, Jeep Van Wormer, Steve Shaver, Bub McCool, Andrew Reaume, Bobby Pierce, Ross Nicastri, Tim Rivers, Jeremy Payne.

7:15 | Bloomquist wins first heat

Scott Bloomquist captured the first heat race, cruising the final 10 laps to finish a half-straightaway ahead of fellow Bloomquist Race Cars driver Chris Madden. Eighth-starting Devin Moran made his first Dream, grabbing third from Dustin Neat just after the lap-five restart and keep Madden in his sights the rest of the way. Neat led the first few laps, but he struggled after the restart and ended up retiring. Brian Shirley ended up two laps down in seventh because he lost two laps before a caution was thrown for his flat tire.

First heat finish: Scott Bloomquist, Chris Madden, Devin Moran, Shannon Thornsberry, Terry Phillips, Jason Montgomery, Brian Shirley, Dustin Neat, Dusty Moore, Jonathan Davenport, Jeff Provinzino, Jerry Bowersock. Scratched: Eric Wells, Jason Smith.

7:11 p.m. | Davenport out of first heat

Jonathan Davenport will certainly be taking a provisional after contact sent him sideways in turn one on a lap-five restart. The spinning Davenport collected Jerry Bowersock and Jeff Provinzino in the mess. Bowersock's car, one of three St. Henry Nite Club entries, was towed off the track. The running order at lap five: Scott Bloomquist, Dustin Neat and Chris Madden.

7:05 p.m. | Rough start in first heat

Dustin Neat got a good jump on Scott Bloomquist to immediately lead the first heat while there was plenty of contact in turn two when Shannon Thornsberry got briefly sideways, giving Brian Shirley nowhere to go. Bloomquist caught up with Neat and went ahead on the third lap while Shirley's race was over when his left-rear tire, surely related to his first-lap scrape, blew to draw a lap-five caution.

7:01 p.m. | First heat rolling

The first heat is on the track with Dustin Neat and Scott Bloomquist on the front row. Each heat race is 15 laps with the top three finishers going to the main event, finishers 4-6 going to the B-main and finishers 7-10 going to the C-main. The drivers are taking a few hot laps to blow off the racing surface.

6:59 p.m. | First heat observations

Starting fourth in the first heat race, Brian Shirley needs to pick up just one spot to transfer into the main event. But with a heavy track surface awaiting the first heat, Shirley knows that's no simple task.

"It's going to be pretty fast, probably wide open for 15 laps," Shirley said as he surveyed the final moments of track prep from the staging area. "It's gonna be tough to pass like, but hopefully we can at least get one of them."

6:52 p.m. | Dream pay-per-view

Eldora Speedway's production team is providing pay-per-view coverage of Dream racing for the third straight night. Click this link for details and more information.

6:45 p.m. | Expected scratches

Among drivers expected to scratch from heat races are Eric Wells (first heat), Jason Smith (first heat), Earl Pearson Jr. (third heat) and Kent Robinson (third heat). All had engine problems or crashes or both that shortened their weekends. Other possible scratches may come among drivers who decide to take a fast-qualifier provisional. Jon Henry is considering that strategy in the third heat if either Shane Clanton or Jonathan Davenport are able to transfer to the main event in the two earlier prelims.

6:43 p.m. | Brad Neat's strategy

With only one car and one engine at his disposal this weekend, Brad Neat elected to skip all of Thursday and Friday’s preliminary racing other than qualifying. That plan has worked well so far — he’s starting pole of the fifth heat race — but Neat worries the lack of racing may catch up with him.

"These guys here are good anyway, but you give them extra laps and they're only gonna get better,” said Neat, fielding a car for Catlettsburg, Ky.-based Tim Logan Racing. "There's no doubt we're probably a little behind, but we came up here to race this race and that's what we're focused on."

6:40 p.m. | Solid spot for Satterlee

After dropping from first to third in his heat race Friday night, Gregg Satterlee hopes starting on the outside of the front row instead of the inside will make for a better result in tonight’s sixth heat race.

“It definitely seemed like (the top groove) had the advantage last night,” the Rochester Mills, Pa., driver said. “Hopefully I can flat-foot it all the way around the first corner and keep it there for 15 laps."

Satterlee has typically struggled in heat races at Eldora, but he’s hoping to change that trend tonight.

"We always seem to qualify good here, but it comes race time and we start backing up,” he said. “We've changed some things we think will help, so hopefully we're a little better."

6:38 p.m. | Blankenship's backup

John Blankenship isn’t worried about having to run a backup car tonight. In fact, he actually sees it as an advantage.

Blankenship’s primary car for the weekend, which was wrecked in Thursday’s preliminary action, was an unproven brand new Rocket Chassis, but his backup car is the same Rocket he’s used to win two of the past three Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races.

“It’s the one I probably should’ve been running here, but I just didn’t want to wad it up,” Blankenship said his backup car. “Now we’ve gotta run, but maybe that’s a good thing. If any of our cars can get the job done, it’s that one.”

6:36 p.m. | Heat race polesitters

Check out DirtonDirt.com's video page for interviews with the six heat race polesitters.

6:25 p.m. | Family connections

Among family members entered in Dream XIX are Donnie and Devin Moran (father and son), Chad and Chris Simpson (brothers), Billy Moyer and Billy Moyer Jr. (father and son) and Brad and Dustin Neat (brothers). ... None of the pairing have both made the same Dream race before. ... The Neat brothers are both heat race polesitters. ... The last family members to be in the same race were father-and-son Delmas and R.J. Conley in 2004; R.J. Conley is entered in this year's event.

6:18 p.m. | Davenport's plans

With a six-car invert for the heat races, fast qualifier Jonathan Davenport of Blarisville, Ga., knows he has his work cut out for him. And if the AES Racing driver is going to make it to the front of the 15-lap prelim, he knows he’s going to need a little help.

“It ain’t gonna be easy. We’re gonna need some luck and a couple of cautions,” said Davenport, who’ll be chasing front-row starters Dustin Neat and Scott Bloomquist among others in his heat race. “If not, that front row’s gonna get gone in a hurry.”

With the guarantee of a fast-time provisional, Davenport is assured of at least the 19th starting spot for the feature if he can’t break into the to three of his heat race. With that in mind, he said he’ll likely take it easy if his heat race doesn’t look very promising after the first few laps.

“I’m gonna go as hard as anybody those first laps and see how it pans out,” he said. “But if we get strung out and can’t go nowhere, I’ll probably ease up a bit and make sure we’ve still got a good car for the feature.”

6:16 p.m. | Four provisional starters

While most of Saturday's program is identical to previous years, this year's Dream is scheduled to start a race-record 28 drivers. The extra two drivers will come with two more fast qualifier provisionals. The first two provisionals will be set following the heat races with the fastest two qualifiers who don't transfer to the main event earning 10th-row starting spots. Following the C-main and B-main, the next two fastest qualifiers will be added to the 14th row.

6:14 p.m. | A little race history

Five-time race winner Scott Bloomquist leads all drivers with 16 Dream starters; he's followed by Steve Francis (15), Darrell Lanigan (14) and Billy Moyer (13). ... Tennessee drivers lead the way with seven Dream victories. ... Four of the last five Dream winners have come from south of the Mason-Dixon line. ... Bloomquist has an average finish of 6.06 in his 16 starters, the best among any driver with at least six starts; Darrell Lanigan is just behind him at 6.07.

6:02 p.m. | Pre-race notes

Wayne Chinn in the third heat race is the only heat polesitter who hasn't previously made a Dream feature. ... Scott Bloomquist, who starts outside the front row in the first heat, is gunning for his unprecedented sixth Dream victory. ... After overcast skies earlier in the day, the sun is shining with temperatures in the mid-70s during a three-race weekend with near-perfect weather. ... The newly-expanded Dream format included twin features on Thursday and Friday with Matt Miller picking up two victories (and $7,500) while Josh Richards earned a $2,500 victory and Dennis Erb Jr. pocketed $5,000 in Friday's nightcap. ... Saturday's action is nearly identical to the Dream's traditional Saturday action.