What won the race: Clearing polesitter Scott Crigler with a turn-three slide job on the opening lap, second-starting Eli Ross of Muskogee, Okla., pounded the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track's cushion for all 20 circuits Friday in a dominating flag-to-flag victory in the POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour-sanctioned Deuces Wild prelim. Ross rolled to capture the $3,000 paycheck, his second career Heartland victory and 14th overall feature win of the season.

Quotable: "I got a really good start and I knew (Scott Crigler) was gonna slide up in (turns) one and two. I knew that if I could just get under him coming out of two, I might have a better shot sliding him in three and four, and that’s what I did," Ross said. "Hats off to him for racing me clean and all that. We had a really good car this weekend, it was super balanced. My whole team, I’m really thankful for this opportunity."

Key notes: Ross carved his way through lapped traffic and led virtually unchallenged in beating Scott Crigler by 1.613 seconds at the checkers. ... He added to his first career Heartland Tour victory on Aug. 21 at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, Kan., also worth $3,000. ... The points-leading Crigler will enjoy a 29-point lead over his son, Sawyer Crigler, entering Saturday's Heartland season finale as he seeks the inaugural series title. ... The younger Crigler started eighth and finished fifth. ... Fourth-starting Tyler Wolff pressured Scott Crigler near the race's halfway mark before becoming mired in lapped traffic and falling into the clutches of Rodney Sanders and Patrik Daniel. ... Daniel briefly took fourth from Sanders on the 16th lap before hopping the turn-three cushion a couple circuits later and slapping the wall, leaving his spoiler dangling in the wind for the final few laps. ... Sanders, who was making his first Late Model start in more than two years, finished fourth while Daniel faded to ninth thanks to the resulting body damage. ... Kayden Clatt, who topped Thursday's time trial sessions for both nights of the Deuces Wild Championship weekend at Texas, wound up sixth. ... The green-to-checkered feature lasted six minutes with eight starters completing the distance and 13 running at the finish. ... Jake Nightingale (engine) scratched.

On the move: Sawyer Crigler of Alton, Mo., started eighth and finished fifth.

Winner's sponsors: Ross drives a Longhorn Chassis powered by a Pro Power Racing Engine and sponsored by Jay Hodge Chevrolet, Ross Construction, Prophet Plumbing, York Street Tire, Hornback’s Catfish Ranch, Turf Specialists, Morgan Towing & Recovery, The Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation, Maxima Racing Oils, Peterson Fluid Systems, Joe Godsey Racing, Bill Frye Motorsports, Schoenfeld Headers, Deatherage Opticians and Raptor Designs.

Points chase: After Texas Friday: 1. Scott Crigler (928); 2. Sawyer Crigler (899); 3. Kayden Clatt (785); 4. Jake Nightingale (739); 5. Joey Smith (717).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 61°F

Car count: 17

Fast qualifier: Kayden Clatt

Time: 15.878 seconds

Polesitter: Scott Crigler

Heat race winners: Scott Crigler, Eli Ross

Next series race: November 7, Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) $3,000