Eldora Speedway
Owens fastest at World 100; heat invert is six
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writer
Fast qualifier Jimmy Owens (right) and second fast Chris Madden (DirtonDirt.com)
ROSSBURG, Ohio (Sept. 7) — Setting fast time at the World 100 isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, you can say you're faster than 200 some odd cars and you've got a guaranteed starting spot in the feature, but it's certainly no guarantee Saturday will go smoothly.
Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., was satisfied with setting fast time at the World 100 for the second time in three years, but afterwards he had heat-race inversions and worries about the first lap of Saturday's first heat on his mind.
"The first thing that's crappy about being fast qualifier is that you know you're not going to get start where you qualified," said Owens, who will start sixth in the first heat after a draw for heat-race inversion. "You're in the first heat, the track's wide open, it's really hard to pass. It's really hard to make the show when you set quick time."
But don't bet against Owens racing his way into the feature. He's the only driver at Eldora who's been in the starting lineup for the past seven 100-lap races at the legendary half-mile oval, and he's beginning the home stretch of a solid season that includes a $50,000 victory in last month's North-South 100 at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky.
Owens' quick time of 15.690 was about one-tenth of a second off his 2005 World 100 quick time, but it was plenty fast enough to top fellow Bloomquist Race Cars driver Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., who was second at 15.708. Steve Shaver (15.763) of Vienna, W, Va., Steve Francis (15.853) of Ashland, Ky., and Don O'Neal (15.924) of Martinsville, Ind., rounded out the top five in qualifying. The top 120 qualifiers clinched positions in Saturday's six heat races.
Time-trialing more than 200 cars is always a lengthy process, but it was extended further Friday when a half-hour rainstorm hit the track just as hot laps were starting at 6 p.m. The sun popped back out at 6:35 but it wasn't until after 8 that practice could resume. The added moisture to the track meant drivers had plenty of traction to work with.
"I wouldn't say it threw a kink in our plans," Owens said. "It made me nervous about the earlier guys having a better qualifying time and (then) the track slowing down. But it seemed to hold up good the whole first round.
"The car felt really good in hot laps. I was kind of antsy because we were pretty quick hot-lapping, so we were afraid to make too many changes, and we made a few changes before qualifying, and you're always nervous because the track blows off a little bit, but it held up really good."
Now all Owens has to do is get a little sleep and try not to worry too much about finishing in the top three of Saturday's heat to earn a transfer spot to the feature.
"The first heat's always a doozy," Owens said, wondering about possible rain in the forecast. "We'd like to have the track a little bit drier for the first heat than what it normally is."
