The Dirt Late Model world is set to contest its first ‘crown jewel’ race of the 2014 season and three east Tennessee drivers played prominent roles in the preliminary action on Friday night at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar and Scott Bloomquist were among the heat race winners and are set to start the 100-lap feature at the front of the field on Saturday night.
Jimmy Owens will start 6th in the Show-me 100.
Owens has won the Show-me 100 in each of the last three years and looks to be in good shape to add a fourth trophy. The Newport driver started from the pole position in Heat 4 after setting the fast time in Group B qualifying with a lap of 15.442 seconds around the 3/8 mile clay oval. He then drove away for a convincing win over Billy Moyer, Jr., Shannon Babb and John Blankenship.
After a redraw among the heat race winners, Owens will start the feature from the outside of the third row.
Mike Marlar will start the Show-me 100 from the front row.
Marlar started on the outside of the front row had to race the up-and-coming Robert Baker hard for the lead in the initial laps of Heat 5. The two-time Hillbilly 100 winner from Winfield went on the claim the race by a fairly comfortable margin ahead of Baker and veteran stars Billy Moyer, Sr. and Earl Pearson, Jr.
After the redraw, Marlar will start the feature from the outside of the front row on Saturday.
Scott Bloomquist will start the Show-me 100 from 5th.
Bloomquist, also a multiple-time Show-me 100 winner, started from the pole position in Heat 6 and had to hold back Midwestern stars Bobby Pierce and Brian Shirley in the early going. After some daring moves through lapped traffic, the Mooresburg driver was able to distance himself from the pack and drive on to the win ahead of Pierce, Eddie Carrier, Jr. and Shirley.
After the redraw, Bloomquist will start the feature from the inside of the third row.
Other heat race winners on Friday were Tony Jackson, Jr., Don O’Neal and Jesse Stovall. They will start the main event from 1st, 3rd and 4th respectively.
Ryan Gustin set the overall fast time in qualifying with a lap of 15.142 seconds around the southern Missouri track.
