Tim McCreadie led all the way in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway on Saturday night but had to survive a late challenge before eventually claiming his second victory in this prestigious race.
The Longhorn Chassis driver from Watertown, NY earned $50,000 in the fourth consecutive weekend of races paying that amount for the LOLMDS on the 4/10 mile Sarver, PA track and shown live by MavTV Plus.
A total of 54 cars were signed in for competition
The lineups for Saturday’s heat races will be determined based on the results of the Thursday and Friday features.
Heat 1 Results: 1. Brandon Sheppard, 2. Mike Marlar, 3. Ashton Winger
Heat 2 Results: 1. Tim McCreadie, 2. Garrett Alberson, 3. Chris Ferguson
Heat 3 Results: 1. Earl Pearson Jr., 2. Hudson O’Neal, 3. Jimmy Owens
Heat 4 Results: 1. Tyler Erb, 2. Gregg Satterlee, 3. Mark Whitener
Heat 5 Results: 1. Brandon Overton, 2. Daulton Wilson, 3. Ricky Thornton Jr.
Heat 6 Results: 1. Michael Norris, 2. Jonathan Davenport, 3. Charles Powell
B-main 1 Finish: 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Rick Eckert
B-main 2 Finish: 1. Chub Frank, 2. Matt Lux
B-main 3 Finish: 1. Kyle Strickler, 2. Jared Miley
Feature Re-cap: At the start of the 100-lap main event it was McCreadie who would take the early lead over Sheppard, Pearson, Erb and Overton. The top-5 ran in tight formation until a lap 4 caution for a spin by Owens slowed the action.
On the lap 4 restart, Pearson moved to second while Overton stepped up to fourth. Thursday and Friday night preliminary winner Marlar rose to the sixth position and looked to climb higher. Sheppard moved back to second when he passed Pearson on lap 9.
Sheppard closed right to the rear spoiler of McCreadie as those two drivers contested the lead on lap 13. Overton entered the fight for the top spot as he moved up to third and drew near to McCreadie and Sheppard. Marlar broke into the top-5 by passing Erb on lap 16.
Drivers seemed content to hold station as the race approached the quarter mark. However, Marlar made a move on lap 33 when he passed Pearson for fourth.
Sheppard closed in on McCreadie on lap 43 but a yellow flag for the slowing car of Erb would be displayed one lap later. On the restart, Pearson took fourth away from Marlar while Sheppard and Overton fought over the runner-up position.
Marlar regained fourth on lap 49 with an outside pass.
Spencer Hughes slowed to bring out a caution on lap 57.
After numerous attempts, Overton finally took second away from Sheppard on lap 60 as McCreadie continued to show the way. Marlar took third away from Sheppard on lap 62.
Overton closed in on McCreadie as the lead duo approached slower traffic. Both Overton and Marlar looked to close in on McCreadie as the laps clicked away. However, McCreadie picked his way through slower traffic skillfully and was able to maintain a relatively comfortable advantage.
McCreadie appeared to be in complete control until the very end when Overton closed dramatically as the cars took the white flag. But in the end, it would be McCreadie who would claim the big payday.
Feature Results: 1. Tim McCreadie, 2. Brandon Overton, 3. Mike Marlar, 4. Brandon Sheppard, 5. Earl Pearson Jr., 6. Ricky Thornton Jr., 7. Garrett Alberon, 8. Daulton Wilson, 9. Gregg Satterlee, 10. Mark Whitener, 11. Chris Ferguson, 12. Hudson O’Neal, 13. Jimmy Owens, 14. Rick Eckert, 15. Tyler Erb, 16. Ashton Winger, 17. Spencer Hughes, 18. Kyle Strickler, 19. Jonathan Davenport, 20. Chub Frank, 21. Scott Bloomquist, 22. Jared Miley, 23. Ross Robinson, 24. Charles Powell, 25. Matt Lux, 26. Alex Ferree, 27. Dan Stone, 28. Michael Norris, 29. John Garvin Jr.
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Dennis Erb Jr. completes I-55 sweep with Saturday night triumph
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