Billy Moyer celebrates in Victory Lane.
TAMPA, FL (February 14, 2015) – Billy Moyer picked up his third victory of the week in the 39th Annual East Bay Winternationals on Saturday Night. Moyer pulled away late to win for the 26th time in his Hall-of-Fame career at East Bay Raceway Park. Moyer survived a side-by-side tussle with Jimmy Owens to take the win in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event.
Defending LOLMDS National Champion, Don O’Neal, finished second, followed by Jonathan Davenport, Owens, and Jared Landers.
Owens led the first 28 laps of the 50 lap main event with Moyer following closely the entire time. The two had a fierce battle for the lead for several laps until Moyer was able to forge ahead. O’Neal, Davenport, and Owens had a closely contested battle for second as Moyer pulled away.
“First off, I have to thank my crew. We broke a rear end on the car on our second lap of qualifying. As quickly as they move the show along here, if we were in the first heat, I don’t think we would have been able to make it out,” said the winner, who made the call in time to keep his pole-starting spot in the second heat race.
“We are always prepared, we had a spare rear end ready to go. We had my crew and Billy Jr.’s crew there all helping. The track was the best it’s been all week. All of us drivers could run anywhere on it. They watered the top more today, and I think that helped me. I could get up there and get some traction,” said the 57-year-old in Lucas Oil Victory Lane.
“Jimmy and I had a heck of a race. I mean we were running hard and didn’t touch. It just shows you that you can race hard and clean and not tear up everybody’s equipment. The way the track was tonight, you could bounce through a hole and hit somebody, but that didn’t happen. The track had a lot of character in it, and we’re happy to come home with the win.”
Moyer’s Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Henderson Motorsports, Sunoco, Red Line Oil, Royal Jones, Messilla Valley Transportation, Garnant Family Farms, and Watters Auto Land.
O’Neal, in the Clint Bowyer Racing, Barry Wright Chassis was real happy with his finish. “We haven’t been that good this week, but the crew worked hard on this car, Lance, Barry, Jeremy, and Tony did a great job. Billy was just better than all of us tonight. I want to thank Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil, Crawford Supply, and Georgia Boot.”
Davenport, who won the LOLMDS event last Saturday Night at Golden Isles had his best East Bay finish of the week with a third place. “We kind of got shuffled back on that one restart, but I was able to get the car to work up top better. I ran down Jimmy and Don. I thought I could get Don on the last lap, but we couldn’t quite make the pass. The track was real racy tonight. I have to thank Kevin and LeRoy Rumley, Longhorn Chassis, TS Crane Service, Sundance Flowback and Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas.”
Completing the top ten were Mike Benedum, Tim Dohm, Devin Moran, Steve Francis and Eddie Carrier Jr.
In preliminary action, Tim Dohm set the overall Miller Welders Fast Time (Group A) amongst the 35 entrants, with a lap of 15.103 seconds. Scott Bloomquist set the fastest time in Group B with a time of 15.368 seconds. Tim Dohm, Billy Moyer, Jimmy Owens and Earl Pearson Jr. won their respective heat races. Stormy Scott and Dan Stone won their respective B-Mains.
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