Weekend Recap will be a regular feature throughout the 2017 season on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, a brief summary of the various national and regional touring series that impact the east Tennessee area will provide a quick review of what happened over the past weekend.
It seems to be a recurring theme for this piece to point out that weather was a factor in the past racing weekend and this weekend was certainly no different. One of the sport of Dirt Late Model racing’s biggest annual events, the World of Outlaws Late Models sanctioned Firecracker 100 at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway, was to have been a three-day affair that culminated with the $30,000-to-win crown jewel event. However, the preliminary races scheduled for Thursday and Friday were shelved due to rain. Ultimately, only one preliminary, run on Saturday afternoon, took the place of the two originally scheduled.
The Southern Nationals Bonus Series had two events set for the weekend but their Friday night race planned for Kentucky’s Ponderosa Speedway was cancelled due to rain. The Saturday night event at Florence Speedway went on as scheduled.
The Ultimate Super Late Model Series saw its race scheduled for Saturday night at North Carolina’s Dublin Motor Speedway get washed out by Mother Nature.
World of Outlaws Late Models: After rain interfered with the plans of this national touring series on Thursday and Friday, a $6,000-to-win feature race was finally held on Saturday afternoon.
Mike Marlar set fast time in qualifying for this race but Brandon Sheppard did what he has done often this season and that is to draw the pole position in the series redraw. From there, the driver of the Rocket Chassis house car pulled away to a relatively easy 30-lap victory to earn a $6,000 payday. Mike Marlar, Chub Frank, Don O’Neal and Gregg Satterlee rounded out the top-5 at the finish.
Click here for a full rundown and complete race story.
Brandon Sheppard
The main event of the weekend was held on Saturday night as the Firecracker 100 took the green flag at Lernerville. Michael Norris was the fast qualifier but the heat races were won by Tim McCreadie, Scott Bloomquist, Chris Madden and Brandon Overton. After the WoO Late Models redraw it was Overton who would start the 100-lapper for the pole.
Dirt Late Model Dream winner Bloomquist saw his night come to an early end when he went pit side before the drop of the green flag due to mechanical issues.
Once the feature went green, it was Overton who took command and drove on to a flag-to-flag victory to accumulate $30,000 in earnings. Mike Marlar raced to his second runner-up finish of the day as he offered a strong late race challenge for the lead. Tim McCreadie, a hard-charging Don O’Neal and Chris Madden completed the top-5 in the final running order.
Click here for a full rundown and complete race story.
Brandon Overton
Southern Nationals Bonus Series: After a rain out at Ponderosa on Friday, the SN Bonus Series made its way to Kentucky’s Florence Speedway on Saturday night for a $10,000-to-win event.
Salt Rock, WV driver Eddie Carrier, Jr. set the fast time in qualifying then started from the pole when the 50-lap feature took the green flag. However, second starting Donald McIntosh charged to the early lead and showed the way for the first 18 laps until he hit the first turn wall while racing among slower traffic. Carrier then inherited the lead and held the top spot until the checkered flag waved. Seventeenth starting Jason Jameson, Michael Chilton, Steve Casebolt and Zack Dohm rounded out the top-5 at the finish.
Eddie Carrier, Jr.(photo from @GarySkinner on Twitter)
