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James Essex
MIDDLEBOURNE, W.V. (August 31) - Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN rolled into Tyler County Speedway on Sunday Night for the first time in his racing career and it paid off handsomely as he captured the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series $40,000 to win 40th Annual Hillbilly 100. Owens took the lead on lap 41 from Tim Dohm after a caution flag had wiped out Dohm's huge lead. Owens then led the rest of the race holding off Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL and Dohm of Cross Lanes, WV for the victory. Ricky Williams of Beckley, WV finished fourth with Darren Miller of Chadwick, IL collecting his fifth straight LOLMDS top five finish coming across the line just behind Williams.
Scott James, last year's Hillbilly 100 runner-up, started on the pole and led the first 11 laps until Dohm, who started fifth charged to the point racing past James to take the lead. Dohm then pulled away as he set a blistering pace as he pulled out to a healthy lead with 15 laps in the books with James running in second followed by Brian Shirley, Donnie Moran and Bart Hartman.
Owens, who started 12th was charging through the field, was up to fifth hounding Moran for position on lap 17. With 20 laps recorded Dohm was well out in front as he was lapping cars at a breathtaking clip as James was maintaining his stranglehold on second as Owens was on the move.
Owens stormed by Shirley for third on lap 22 as he closed quickly on James in the race for second. Owens and James would run side-by-side for several circuits with Owens passing him on lap 31. Owens then had an uphill battle if he was going to chase down Dohm because Dohm had put several lapped cars between himself and Owens.
A caution on lap 40 for Corey Conley would be the hope that Owens was looking for because it took away Dohm's huge lead and put all the lapped cars on the tail for the restart. Owens took full advantage of the restart as he would pass Dohm for the top spot using the high groove coming off of turn number four on the 41st circuit.
The race would go 11 more laps under green until Steve Casebolt stopped in the middle of the backstretch on lap 52. Owens would get a good restart as Dohm would put the pressure on him as Pearson was now in the thick of things after he took a provisional where he started 23rd.
With 40 laps remaining in the event Owens, Dohm and Pearson were putting on quite a show for the record crowd that had gathered to watch the race. The trio raced sliced and diced through traffic lap after lap and with 30to go Owens was hanging on.
Dohm moved to within two car lengths of Owens and with 25 laps to go with Pearson hugging the bottom part of the race track. James was still in fourth as Bart Hartman and Ricky Williams were going three-wide for fourth.
Dohm then would do a slidejob on Owens passing him for the lead briefly on lap 76, but Owens did the same to Dohm and re-passed him heading into turn number three to retake the lead. The top three continued their journey through race traffic and with the help of no caution flags the rest of the way the race would be settled amongst those three participants.
Pearson picked up the pace and swept past Dohm to take second away from him on lap 84. Pearson then appeared to have the car to get by Owens in the late stages of the event as the laps would down. Pearson pulled to the rear decklid of Owens and with ten laps to go he was right there in contention for the win.
Pearson would pull even on lap 92 with Owens, but Owens fought him off as he went on to take his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season by a narrow margin over Pearson at the finish line to score the $40,000 victory.
In Lucas Oil victory lane Owens was complementary of his crew after the disappointment of not making the LOLMDS event the night before at Portsmouth, OH. "I can't thank my car owner Mike Reece enough and my crew chief and Cousin Chris Fox, the car was set up beautifully here tonight, its first time we've ever seen this place and I really like it, I know now why they call it the bullring."
"That caution flag obviously helped us out tremendously because Dohm had a big lead and it brought him back to us and our car fired great on the restart and we were fortunate enough to get by him and then we had a really good race for the lead there, but traffic was a little crazy out there but we are thankful to get this win and it was a safe race."
Owens drove his Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Gantte Appraisals, PRC, VP Racing Fuels, Hoosier Tires, Red Line, Wear Development, Mike's Mini Late Models and Alwee Trucking Company.
Pearson continued to lead the series point's standings with his second place finish in the Bobby Labonte Racing/LifeLong Locks/MasterSbilt Dodge Charger. Dohm came home third in his Dohm Cycle Sales/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Rocket Monte Carlo SS with Ricky Williams having his best ever LOLMDS finish in fourth driving his Axis Custom Decals/Pro Power Performance Racing Engines/Rocket Monte Carlo SS who finished just ahead of Miller in his NAPA/Pro Power Engines/Moyer Victory Circle Ford.
Completing the rest of the top ten were Bart Hartman, Scott James, Brian Shirley, Mike Balzano and Donnie Moran.
The next Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be on Friday and Saturday Night, September 19th and 20th for the Jackson 100 at Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, IN paying $20,000 to win. For more information you can go to www.brownstownspeedway.com.
For the latest information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log onto www.lucasdirt.com, or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Sunday Night, August 31, 2008
Tyler County Speedway - Middlebourne, WV
PRC Fast Time: Tim Dohm/12.713 seconds
Hawk Brake First Heat (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Tim Dohm, Donnie Moran, Paul Wilmoth, Joe Loudin, Rick Williams, Jeep VanWormer, Scott Bloomquist, Brad Neat, Chuck Harper, Butch McGill, Jackie Boggs, Paul Baker, Mark Banal, Lance Elson, Dan Morrison
Hawk Brake Second Heat (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Richard Frazier, Jared Hawkins, Josh McGuire, Scott Irvin, Dan Shrigley, Larry Kingseed, Dan Schlieper, Roy Roush, Jeff Burdette, Denver Gibson, Chad Todd, Dave Hackathorn, Greg Buckland, Gary Knollinger
AFCO Racing Products Third Heat (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Brian Shirley, Darren Miller, Doug Horton, Booper Bare, Steve Lucas, Billy Drake, Dusty Hamrick, John Mason, Nick Corbitt, Freddie Carpenter, Tyler Carpenter, Marshall Wiblin, Kris Southern, Joe Ramey
Tiger Rear Ends Fourth Heat (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Scott James, Freddy Smith, Corey Conley, Keith Barbara, Jason Fitzgerald, Bobby Hill, Sonny Conley, Donnie Dotson, Jason Witherite, Rod Gibson, Robbie Bostic, Dwight Henry, Glynn Booth, Brad Hutson - DNS
Hawk Brake Fifth Heat (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Bart Hartman, Steve Shaver, Steve Wilmoth, Earl Pearson Jr., Davey Johnson, Chris Garnes, Steve Casebolt, Wayne Chinn, Justin Rattliff, Zach Dohm, Doug Eaton, Ronald Clevenger, Jim Quaigg, Michael England - DNS
Hawk Brake Sixth Heat (10 Laps-Top 3 Advance): Terry Casey, Jimmy Owens, Mike Balzano, Rick Aukland, Eddie Carrier Jr., Tim Senic, Charlie George, Joel Prosser, Steve Weigle, Greggie Oliver, Rickey Conley, Anthony Huber, Josh Coffman, Don Conley
Mason Racin' Rebel Shock Dyno First B-Main (12 Laps-Winner Advances): Rick Williams, Scott Bloomquist, Jeep VanWormer, Dan Schlieper, Dan Shrigley, Chuck Harper, Roy Roush, Greg Buckland, Jeff Burdette, Larry Kingseed, Butch McGill, Scott Irvin, Joe Loudin, Dave Hackathorn, Paul Baker, Brad Neat, Chad Todd, Denver Gibson, Jackie Boggs - DNS, Mark Banal - DNS, Lance Elson - DNS, Gary Knollinger, Dan Morrison
Quarter Master Second B-Main (12 Laps-Winner Advances): Booper Bare, Keith Barbara, Jason Fitzgerald, Billy Drake, Steve Lucas, Sonny Conley, Dusty Hamrick, Bobby Hill, John Mason, Freddie Carpenter, Jason Witherite, Nick Corbitt, Marshall Wiblin, Dwight Henry, Glynn Booth, Tyler Carpenter, Robbie Bostic, Donnie Dotson, Rod Gibson, Kris Southern - DNS, Joe Ramey - DNS, Brad Hutson - DNS
Mason Racin' Rebel Shock Dyno Third B-Main (12 Laps-Winner Advances): Rick Aukland, Earl Pearson Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr., Davey Johnson, Steve Casebolt, Chris Garnes, Tim Senic, Charlie George, Joel Prosser, Wayne Chinn, Greggie Oliver, Zach Dohm, Justin Rattliff, Josh Coffman, Steve Weigle, Don Conley, Ronald Clevenger, Jim Quaigg, Doug Eaton, Rickey Conley, Anthony Huber - DNS, Michael England - DNS
40th Annual "Hillbilly Hundred" Feature Finish (100 Laps): Jimmy Owens, Earl Pearson Jr., Tim Dohm, Rick Williams, Darren Miller, Bart Hartman, Scott James, Brian Shirley, Mike Balzano, Donnie Moran, Steve Shaver, Steve Wilmoth, Joe Loudin, Paul Wilmoth Jr., Doug Horton, Terry Casey, Rick Aukland, Steve Casebolt, Corey Conley, Freddy Smith, Booper Bare, Sonny Conley, Josh McGuire, Butch McGill, Richard Frazier, Jared Hawkins
Race Statistics
Entries: 85
Caution Flags: 4
Lap Leaders: Scott James 1-11, Tim Dohm 12-40, Jimmy Owens 41-100
Fast Time Provisional: Joe Loudin
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr., Steve Casebolt
Tyler County Speedway Track Provisional (Hillbilly Qualifier): Butch McGill
Tyler County Speedway Track Provisional (Steel Block): Sonny Conley
PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Earl Pearson Jr. (Started 23rd and finished 2nd - advanced 21 positions)
Allstar Performance Performer of the Race: Rick Williams
K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Earl Pearson Jr.
Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: Terry Casey
ASI Racewear Lucky 7 Award: Scott James
Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race: Chris Fox
Comp Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing Engines
Time of the Race: 40 minutes
Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings
1) Earl Pearson Jr. (Jacksonvile, FL) 6590
2) Bart Hartman (Zanesville, OH) 5965
3) Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN) 5860
4) Billy Drake (Bloomington, IL) 5420
5) Scott James (Lawrenceburg, IN) 5185
6) Terry Casey (New London, WI) 5145
7) Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) 5090
8) Dan Schlieper (Sullivan, WI) 5045
9) Freddy Smith (Seymour, TN) 4645
10) Wayne Chinn (Bradford, OH) 4290
Quarter Master Rookie of the Year Points Standings
1) Terry Casey (New London, WI) 5145
2) Wayne Chinn (Bradford, OH) 4290
3) John Blankenship (Williamson, WV) 1060
4) Tony Knowles (Tyrone, GA) 505
5) Eric Jacobsen (Seacliffe Beach, CA) 385
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