Login |
forgot?
Watch LIVE at | Events | FAQ | Archives
Sponsor 340
Sponsor 717

DirtonDirt.com

All Late Models. All the Time.

Your soruce for dirt late model news, photos and video

  • Join us on Twitter Join us on Facebook
Sponsor 525

National

Sponsor 743

Florence Speedway

McDowell fastest among 71 North-South qualifiers

August 13, 2010, 6:45 pm
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writer
Dale McDowell greets Florence fans. (thesportswire.net)
Dale McDowell greets Florence fans. (thesportswire.net)

UNION, Ky. (Aug. 13) — Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., topped 71 qualifiers on Friday at Florence Speedway in time trials for the 28th annual Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100. McDowell earned $1,000 from Red Buck Cigars for his 17.335-second lap on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at the half-mile northern Kentucky oval. | Complete North-South 100 coverage

With a three-car inversion for Saturday's heat races, McDowell will start inside the second row in the first heat race. Six heat races are scheduled for Saturday night followed by consolation races and the 100-lap main event, which pays $50,000 to the winner. Saturday's racing is scheduled for 8 p.m.

"I should've know we'd have these dadgum inverts when I'm fast," McDowell joked, making light of the series dropping heat-race inversions at most shows but using one at Florence. It's going to be a good show for the race fans. Inverts are a lot of fun (but) it's a lot more fun for you guys than it is us."

"Maybe we can get up through there tomorrow in the heat race. The car was really good, and I think Red Buck for putting the pole award up, and I'm glad to receive it."

Saturday's heat race polesitters are Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C.; Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis.; Chris Wall of Springfield, La.; Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa; and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. Behind McDowell among the top qualifiers were Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., who nearly went to the top of the heap despite being the final qualifier of the night in his new Longhorn Chassis.

McDowell, who drives a car owned by NASCAR standout Clint Bowyer, is still looking for his first victory of the season on the Lucas Oil Series.

"We've been in position to win a couple of races, and we just haven't capitalized," he said. "We've just broken something or whatever. We've really been struggling. ... we've had some good runs that make us think things are going the right direction, then we'll go somewhere and really just not have anything go our way. Hopefully this will be a good race."

Pre-qualifying notes

Drivers from the first qualifying group earned starting spots in the first three heats, while drivers in the second qualifying group were sent to heats 4-6. ... David Spille is driving the No. 118D owned by Randy Sebree, a car he's driven the last few weeks at Florence. ... Lucas Oil Series regular Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., has split with car owner Bob Harris of Shelbyville, Tenn. ... Greg Johnson of Bedford, Ind., is piloting the Jack Rainey-owned No. 49 formerly driven by Jeremy Hines. ... Wayne Chinn of Bradford, Ohio, is driving the Gary Engle-owned No. 15 formerly piloted by Johnson. .... Hall of Famer Freddy Smith is piloting the Warrior Race Cars house car. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based chassis builder hasn't fielded the No. G1 since the fall of 2008. ... Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn., is running his first race on the series since being hit with a $1,500 fine for running an illegal tire at a June race at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn.; Ogle's car dumped water on the track during his hot-lap session. ... The modified heats were briefly held up when a car got into the turn-three wall and knocked down the concrete; it was quickly repaired. ... Other excitement arose during modified heats when driver Rick Corbin, a formerly Late Model piloted, retaliated during a caution period and was disqualified for the night.

Heat race lineups

First heat
Row 1: Chris Madden, Scott Bloomquist
Row 2: Dale McDowell, Jason Jameson
Row 3: David Spille, Chris Brown
Row 4: Chris Wilson, Wayne Chinn
Row 5: Tim Isenberg, Josh McGuire
Row 6: James Rice, John Mason
Second heat
Row 1: Dan Schlieper, Freddy Smith
Row 2: Mike Marlar, Brett Wyatt
Row 3: Zack Dohm, Bub McCool
Row 4: Matt Miller, Steve Shaver
Row 5: Wendell Wallace, John Blankenship
Row 6: Steve Landrum, Roger Williams
Third heat
Row 1: Brady Smith, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Greg Johnson, Jimmy Mars
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, Darrell Lanigan
Row 4: Jerry Rice, Stacy Taylor
Row 5: Skip Arp, Tim Prince
Row 6: Tim Rivers, Jason Whitaker
Fourth heat
Row 1: Chris Wall, Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 2: Earl Pearson Jr., Ray Cook
Row 3: Jesse Lay, Rod Conley
Row 4: Billy Moyer Jr., Jack Sullivan
Row 5: Tyler Reddick, Duane Chamberlain
Row 6: Bob Lanter, Mick Sansom
Fifth heat
Row 1: Brian Birkhofer, Don O'Neal
Row 2: Bart Hartman, Justin Rattliff
Row 3: Audie McWilliams, Billy Moyer
Row 4: Steve Casebolt, Dustin Neat
Row 5: Robby Hensley, Mark Vineyard
Row 6: Adam Dixon, Brandon Green
Sixth heat
Row 1: Steve Francis, Brad Neat
Row 2: Billy Ogle, Eric Wells
Row 3: Jordan Bland, Mike Jewell
Row 4: Josh Williams, Scott James
Row 5: Jeep Van Wormer, D.J. Wells

Row 6: Chad Smith

Time trials

First group
  1. Dale McDowell (17m), Rossville, Ga., 17.335
  2. Mike Marlar (36), Winfield, Tenn., 17.367
  3. Greg Johnson (49), Bedford, Ind., 17.422
  4. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 17.506
  5. Freddy Smith (G1), Seymour, Tenn., 17.521
  6. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 17.552
  7. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 17.571
  8. Dan Schlieper (9), Sullivan, Wis., 17.612
  9. Brady Smith (2), Solon Springs, Wis., 17.613
  10. Jason Jameson (29j), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 17.683
  11. Brett Wyatt (17), Crossville, Tenn., 17.689
  12. Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis., 17.733
  13. David Spille (118D), West Harrison, Ind., 17.738
  14. Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 17.778
  15. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 17.812
  16. Chris Brown (21), Cleveland, Texas., 17.814
  17. Bub McCool (57j), Vicksburg, Miss., 17.825
  18. Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., 17.838
  19. Chris Wilson (17), Louisa, Ky., 17.840
  20. Matt Miller (7), Waterville, Ohio, 17.844
  21. Jerry Rice (11), Verona, Ky., 17.920
  22. Wayne Chinn (15), Bradford, Ohio, 18.005
  23. Steve Shaver (6), Vienna, W.Va., 18.040
  24. Stacy Taylor (27), Jacksonville, Ark., 18.068
  25. Tim Isenberg (9T), Marshfield, Wis., 18.069
  26. Wendell Wallace (88), Batesville, Ark., 18.116
  27. Skip Arp (31), Georgetown, Tenn., 18.147
  28. Josh McGuire (41), Grayson, Ky., 18.191
  29. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., 18.227
  30. Tim Prince (P1), Heltonville, Ind., 18.231
  31. James Rice (11r), Verona, Ky., 18.236
  32. Steve Landrum (18), Erlanger, Ky., 18.242
  33. Tim Rivers (46), Salem, Ind., 18.382
  34. John Mason (72), Millersburg, Ohio, 18.471
  35. Roger Williams (49), Walton, Ky., 18.780
  36. Jason Whitaker (13), Cincinnati, Ohio, 18.908
Second group
  1. Earl Pearson Jr. (44), Jacksonville, Fla., 17.393
  2. Bart Hartman (75), Zanesville, Ohio, 17.443
  3. Billy Ogle Jr. (201), Knoxville, Tenn., 17.446
  4. Eddie Carrier Jr. (28), Salt Rock, W.Va., 17.461
  5. Don O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 17.490
  6. Brad Neat (41), Dunnville, Ky., 17.492
  7. Chris Wall (71), Springfield, La., 17.505
  8. Brian Birkhofer (15B), Muscatine, Iowa, 17.557
  9. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., 17.577
  10. Ray Cook (53), Brasstown, N.C., 17.588
  11. Justin Rattliff (16), Campbellsville, Ky., 17.72
  12. Eric Wells (18), Hazard, Ky., 17.774
  13. Jesse Lay (63), Verona, Ky., 17.776
  14. Jordan Bland (12), Campbellsville, Ky., 17.825
  15. Audie McWilliams (10), Walton, Ky., 17.842
  16. Rod Conley (71r), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 17.875
  17. Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 17.882
  18. Mike Jewell (9), Scottsburg, Ind., 17.951
  19. Billy Moyer Jr. (21), Batesville, Ark., 17.961
  20. Steve Casebolt (c9), Richmond, Ind., 18.012
  21. Josh Williams (jj2), West Harrison, Ind., 18.055
  22. Jack Sullivan (1), Greenbrier, Ark., 18.065
  23. Dustin Neat (25), Dunnville, Ky., 18.132
  24. Scott James (44), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 18.135
  25. Tyler Reddick (11), Corning, Calif., 18.199
  26. Robby Hensley (21), Richwood, Ky., 18.203
  27. Jeep Van Wormer (55), Pinconning, Mich., 18.214
  28. Duane Chamberlain (1c), Richmond, Ind., 18.300
  29. Mark Vineyard (4), Knoxville, Tenn., 18.375
  30. D.J. Wells (11), Wooton, Ky., 18.425
  31. Bob Lanter (17), Cincinnati, Ohio, 18.499
  32. Adam Dixon (D11), Hebron, Ky., 18.519
  33. Chad Smith (19c), Centerville, Ohio, 18.771
  34. Mick Sansom (20m), Salt Rock, W.Va., 19.412
  35. Brandon Green (21), Walton, Ky., no time

Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100

Track: Florence Speedway (half-mile clay oval) in Union, Ky.
Dates: Aug. 13-14, Friday and Saturday
Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Purse: $50,000 to the winner and at least $1,000 to each starter
Last year’s winner: Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (complete race history)
Track contact: Call (859) 493-0034 or florencespeedway.com
Friday: Time trials for Late Models; purse stocks and modifieds also in action
Saturday: Heat races, consolation races and 100-lap Late Model feature; modifieds are also in action.
Notes: On Saturday afternoon, the track hosts National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Saturday afternoon before racing action. Drivers being inducted: Steve Kosiski, Roger Long, Ernie Derr, Ronnie Weedon, Billy Scott and Mike Head. Contributors to the sports being inducted are the Thomas family of East Alabama Motor Speedway, and former car owner Bobby Paul. ... Lucas Oil Series points leader Scott Bloomquist won the North-South in '88 and 2000. ... Bart Hartman, the race's 2005 winner, earned a $5,000 victory at Florence on July 24; he was suspended five race earlier this year by the track for using a chemically-enhanced tire. ... The North-South is one of the few major events Hall of Famer Billy Moyer has never won. ... All frontstretch grandstand sections (A-J) are now reserved seating in all rows. ... The lower 10 rows on the backstretch are general admission seating with rows 11 and up reserved. ... Fans heading to the track should be aware of the U.S. 127 yard sale along the highway near the track. Be careful for pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles.
advertisement
Sponsor 682
 
Sponsor 1249
 
Sponsor 728
©2006-Present FloSports, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information