This past weekend Portsmouth Raceway Park welcomed what is believed to be the largest crowd in the 24-year history of the track, as the Coleman-Family-owned facility hosted the 34th Annual Optima Batteries Dirt Track World Championship presented by NAPA Auto Parts. Mooresburg, TNs Scott Bloomquist captured the $50,000-dollars-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Series finale. Martinsville, INs Don ONeal held off Newport, TNs Jimmy Owens to win the Lucas Oil Points. Fairmont, WVs Jake Hawkins won the Modified A-Main, and several local drivers represented themselves well in both the Late Model and Modified Divisions. In total, 173 race teams rolled into Portsmouth for The DTWC. There were 89 Late Models and 84 Modifieds. The Late Model car count was PRPs highest for a single event. It was the second highest car count of any major Late Model race in 2014, second only to Eldoras World 100. The weekend full of racing began on Thursday night with the Modifieds. In addition to time trials, there were six Modified heats, four B-Mains, and a non-qualifiers race. On Friday, the Late Models took to the track for time trials and six 20-lap heat races. Saturdays slate was rained out and postponed until Sunday where racing got underway at 1 p.m. with three 20-lap Late Model B-Mains, a 30-lap Modified feature, The Jim Dunn Memorial Late Model Non-qualifiers Race, and the 100-lap Late Model DTWC. The Late Model feature witnessed hard racing throughout, as all 30 drivers who started the race took the initial green with hopes of pocketing the $50,000-dollar prize. There were four different leaders and five lead changes in an event that witnessed six cautions. The race was made up of drivers representing 10 different states (OH, KY, WV, NC, IN, PA, AR, TN, IL, and GA). Wheelersburg racers Delmas, Rod, and R.J. Conley all raced their way in. The 2014 PRP Track Champ Ben Adkins of West Portsmouth received a track provisional as did Grayson, KYs Jackie Boggs for winning the 2014 Boone Coleman Memorial Gator 50 back in May. Pole-sitter Eddie Carrier, Jr. led early but was quickly overhauled by Billy Moyer. Owens took the lead away from Moyer on Lap 39. Three laps later Bloomquist captured the lead from Owens. Owens charged back to the front on Lap 54, but on Lap 61 Bloomquist powered back out front to stay. After fading midway through the race, Carrier rebounded for a second-place finish. Owens nabbed third. ONeal captured fourth, and Jason Feger rounded out the top 5. Billy Moyer was sixth. Dennis Erb, Jr. charged from 24th to seventh. Dale McDowell finished eighth. Ashland, KY native Steve Francis was ninth, and Tim McCreadie capped the top 10. The highest finishing PRP regular was Rod Conley, who came in 16th earning $2,200. Jackie Boggs fought his way up from 28th to 13th but had issues on Lap 70 and wound up pulling out of the race 30 laps shy of the finish. One of the most breath-taking moments of the feature occurred off of turn 4 on lap 98, as ONeal got way crossed up. The veteran made a nice save and avoided an accident which couldve cost him the Lucas Championship. Friday nights Late Model Heats were all entertaining. They all went 20 laps with the top three coming out of each. Jonathan Davenport, Gregg Saterlee, and R.J. Conley all transferred from the first. Moyer, Mason Zieglar, and Rod Conley came out of the second. Bloomquist, Josh Richards, and Brandon Shepphard transferred out of the third. ONeal, Feger, and Frank Heckenast, Jr. came out of the fourth. Owens, John Blankenship, and Doug Drown were the top three in Heat 5. Carrier, Steve Casebolt, and Delmas Conley came out of Heat 6. The three B-Mains were each 20 laps. The top two transferred from those. Earl Pearson, Jr. and Tim McCreadie came out of the first B. Brandon Overton and Dale McDowell transferred from B-Main #2, and Dustin Linville and Dennis Erb, Jr. came out of the third B. Scott James won The Jim Dunn Memorial but chose to leave with a secure $3,000 rather than opting to tag the tail of the feature which wouldve given him the chance at $50,000 but only guaranteed him $2,000. R.J. Conley was the Late Model Fast Qualifier Friday night. He wound up pulling out of the feature on Lap 25 after his fan blade came off. The former PRP champion finished the A-Main in 29th. As for the Modified portion of the show, Jake Hawkins led the feature from flag to flag, but a couple of late cautions made things very interesting. Nevertheless, Hawkins held off K.C. Burdette by less than two tenths of a second to take the win. Joey Kramer rounded out the top 3. Two-time reigning PRP track champion Todd Robinson from South Point battled his way from 16th to fourth. Ironically, he wouldve not been able to race had Saturdays action not have gotten pushed back to Sunday. The extra night enabled him and his crew to repair some mechanical issues to his car. Another two-time PRP track champion, Tim Tribbey, also charged hard up through the field. The Waverly native started 26th and raced his way up to an eighth-place finish. Weasel Rhoades was the Modified quick qualifier on Thursday but had a flat in his heat and suffered rear-end damage in his B-Main which prevented him a shot at making the field. The 2015 Dirt Track World Championship will return to PRP and will pay a DTWC record $100,000 to the Late Model winner!!!
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 23:49:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015