*Note: Information for this story was gathered from reports by DirtonDirt.com as well as various Twitter and Facebook postings.
The North/South 100 held each year at the Florence Speedway is one of Dirt Late Model racing’s crown jewels. The $50,000-to-win event is also among the richest races the sport has to offer which means the nation’s top drivers typically make their way to the northern Kentucky track for a shot at glory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned affair.
Among those top drivers are east Tennessee stars Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar and Randy Weaver. And each of these four competitors is very much in the mix for a top starting spot when the feature takes to the track on Saturday night.
The North/South 100 employs a passing points system in a series of heat races on the first night of competition to lock sixteen drivers into the starting lineup for Saturday’s main event. When the points were counted at the end of Friday night’s activities, the four Tennesseans mentioned above were among the top scorers and are guaranteed entry into the feature.
Mooresburg’s Bloomquist was the top points scorer overall on Friday night while Newport’s Owens was second best, Winfield’s Marlar was fourth and Crossville’s Weaver was fifteenth.
The odd numbered points getters will go into a dash race on Saturday that will set the inside of rows 1-8 for the starting grid. Bloomquist will lead the way when the green flag drops on that race with John Blankenship, Don O’Neal, Steve Francis, Jared Landers, Doug Drown, Tim McCreadie and Weaver following.
The even numbered points getters will go into a dash race on Saturday that will set the outside of rows 1-8 for the starting grid. Owens will lead that event to the green with Marlar, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Brandon Overton, Jimmy Mars, Gregg Satterlee, Jesse Lay and Boyd’s Speedway co-owner Dale McDowell in tow.
The winner of each dash race will start on the front row in the feature.
Each driver participated in two heats on Friday night and was scored based on the number of cars passed during both of those races combined.
Bloomquist was the only driver to win two heats, starting from the outside of the front row in his first heat race then coming from 10th in his second preliminary.
Scott Bloomquist out scored the competition on Friday night in Florence.
Owens started 9th and finished 2nd in his first time on track then won from the outside of the front row in his second outing.
Jimmy Owens scored the second highest number of points in Friday’s heats.
Marlar started 10th and finished 3rd in his first trip on track then ran 2nd behind Owens after starting from the pole in his second go around.
Mike Marlar was 4th overall in points scored on Friday in Florence.
The red hot Weaver, who recently ran off a string of six consecutive feature wins, started 10th and finished 5th in his first heat race. He then started 2nd and finished 3rd in his second heat to secure a spot in the dash races.
Randy Weaver earned a guaranteed starting spot in the North/South 100 with his efforts on Friday night.
