Brandon Overton just keeps winning at Eldora
The preliminary events that will lead into the 50th annual World 100 played out at the Eldora Speedway on Friday night. The field was divided into two groups for the purpose of contesting two separate events at the legendary Rossburg, Ohio track. At the end of the night, it was Brandon Overton who claimed the win in the Group A feature as a caution-free night of racing played out. The Longhorn Chassis driver from Evans, Georgia was awarded $10,000 for his victory.
A combined total of 79 cars were signed in for competition.
Mike Marlar topped Group A qualifying with a time of 15.324 seconds around the half-mile clay oval beating out Devin Moran, Austin Kirkpatrick, Scott Bloomquist, Dale McDowell, Spencer Hughes, Jonathan Davenport, Shane Clanton, Kyle Strickler and Stormy Scott.
Dale McDowell took the win in the first heat race ahead of Kyle Strickler, Frank Heckenast Jr., Mike Marlar and Max Blair while Kyle Bronson bested Spencer Hughes, Devin Moran, Dennis Erb Jr. and Stormy Scott in the second preliminary.
Jimmy Owens outran Ricky Thornton Jr., Austin Kirkpatrick, Chris Simpson and Jonathan Davenport in the third heat just before Jensen Ford was victorious in the fourth and final heat by defeating Brandon Overton, Shane Clanton, Scott Bloomquist and John Blankenship.
Shannon Babb, Michael Page, Kody Evans and Mike Norris transferred to the main event out of the lone Last Chaance Showdown.
At the start of the 25-lap feature it was Overton who took the lead with Thornton, Ford, Owens and Bronson trailing. Owens quickly went to work as he passed by Ford to take third on the second circuit. Further back, Strickler swept around Bronson to break into the top-5.
Owens grabbed the runner-up position away from Thornton on lap 4 while Strickler wrested the fourth spot away from Ford on lap 5. All the while, Overton was seemingly on cruise control as he pulled away to a relatively comfortable margin.
Bronson took fourth away from Ford as the race approached the halfway mark.
The field spread out and clicked off laps with the exception of the battle for fourth between Thornton, Strickler and McDowell in a race that would run its full distance caution free.
But in the end, it was all Brandon Overton who took the checkered flag to add to his 51st World 100 win from the previous night.
Feature Finish: 1. Brandon Overton, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Kyle Bronson, 4. Ricky Thornton Jr., 5. Dale McDowell, 6. Kyle Strickler, 7. Jensen Ford, 8. Dennis Erb Jr., 9. Mike Marlar, 10. Jonathan Davenport, 11. Spencer Hughes, 12. Frank Heckenast Jr., 13. Scott Bloomquist, 14. Shane Clanton, 15. John Blankenship, 16. Devin Moran, 17. Mike Norris, 18. Chris Simpson, 19. Michael Page, 20. Stormy Scott, 21. Max Blair, 22. Shannon Babb, 23. Kody Evans, 24. Austin Kirkpatrick
