Post by LMR on 07/21/13 at 2:19am
Silver Dollar Nationals
I-80 Speedway
July 20, 2013
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Owens Wins Barnburner in Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80 Speedway
by James Essex
GREENWOOD, NE (July 20) - In what will go down as one of the best races of 2013, Jimmy Owens wins the Third Annual Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80 Speedway tonight. Owens fought hard for the $27,000 pay day, battling several drivers throughout the race. He took the lead for the final time on lap 56 when race leader Ryan Gustin fell out after hitting the turn one wall following a restart. Gustin had charged all the way from his 34th starting spot, to grab the lead on lap 47. The event was co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil MLRA.
Tony Jackson, Jr. started 14th, and charged to a second place finish. Current LOLMDS point's leader, John Blankenship came from 12th to take third ahead of Jason Feger and Billy Moyer.
"I don't know what to say," said Owens afterwards as he took several deep breathes on a hot night in Nebraska. "The car was awesome all weekend! The track slicked off from top to bottom and we could run anywhere on it. Gustin had the car to beat. Once he passed me, I thought he was going to win it. I have seen what he can do in a modified, but to do it against these guys tonight, speaks highly of the talent he has."
Feger started on the pole and led the first nine circuits until Owens forged ahead. Owens and Feger swapped the lead numerous times, as they raced their way through traffic. Gustin climbed to third behind Owens and Feger and on the lap 45 restart he bolted past Feger and take over second. A lap later Gustin took the lead from Owens.
Gustin held on to the lead until misfortune struck on lap 55. He got into the back of Kyle Berck's car, causing significant damage to his car and bringing out the caution flag for Berck. Gustin fired into turn number one on the restart, but his ill-handling car rammed into the concrete wall causing even more damage, which ended his night after a magnificent run. Gustin was dejected in the pit area as he let a golden opportunity slip away. "I followed him (Berck) for a lap or two and he came down the track and I got into him. When you have Jimmy Owens behind you, you have to go."
"I have to thank Mike Reece, Reece Monument Company, Gantte Appraisals, Cornett Racing Engines, and Bloomquist Race Cars," said Owens, who recorded the 41st win of his LOLMDS career.
Jackson had his best career finish in LOLMDS competition and thought he had a shot at the end on Owens. "I thought I could catch him late in the race when he got into traffic a little bit. I was gaining on him, but he was just too fast. If we keep running like this, hopefully we can get out and run some more national shows with these Lucas Oil drivers. They are great to race with."
Blankenship maintains his points lead in the series after taking home third. "We went out and hot lapped and broke an oil line. Thank you to my amazing crew for all of their hard work. We had a new Jay Dickens engine in and it ran really well here tonight. Congratulations to Jimmy and Tony."
Completing the top ten were Billy Moyer, Will Vaught, Steve Francis, Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr., and Travis Dickes.
Chris Simpson, Will Vaught, Tim Isenberg, Steve Francis, and Jason Feger won their respective 1st-round heat races. Don O'Neal, Brian Birkhofer, Tony Jackson Jr., Mike Marlar, and Jimmy Owens won their respective 2nd-round heat races.
A-Main
1 2 20 Jimmy Owens $27,000
2 14 56J Tony Jackson Jr.
3 12 23 John Blankenship
4 1 25F Jason Feger
5 19 21SR Billy Moyer
6 15 1V Will Vaught
7 3 15 Steve Francis
8 5 3S Brian Shirley
9 4 28E Dennis Erb Jr
10 10 21T Travis Dickes
11 7 71 Don O’Neal
12 22 50 Denny Eckrich
13 18 0 Scott Bloomquist
14 11 9T Tim Isenberg
15 17 28 Eddie Carrier Jr
16 16 11T Tyler Reddick
17 9 5 Jared Landers
18 28 44 Earl Pearson Jr
19 31 18J Chase Junghuns
20 34 19R Ryan Gustin
21 8 32X Chris Simpson
22 25 14 Kyle Berck
23 30 2A John Anderson
24 29 21JR Billy Moyer Jr.
25 13 25C Chad Simpson
26 23 28M Jimmy Mars
27 6 15B Brian Birkhofer
28 21 75P Terry Phillips
29 26 85D Mark Dotson
30 24 1G Justin Gregg
31 32 4 Tad Pospisil
32 20 5B Mike Marlar
33 27 20X Rodney Sanders
34 35 24 Bill Leighton, Jr.
35 33 82 Robbie Andersen
B-Main #1 Finish (Top 3 Transfer): Denny Eckrich, Justin Gregg, Mark Dotson, Jason Krohn, John Anderson, Jay Brunson, Tad Pospisil, Jerry Lierly, Robbie Andersen, Billy Murphy, Billy Moyer Jr., Bill Leighton, Jr., Bill Koons, Ryan Gustin, Wendell Wallace, Earl Pearson Jr.-DNS, Al Humphrey-DNS
B-Main #2 Finish (Top 3 Transfer): Jimmy Mars, Kyle Berck, Rodney Sanders, Tommy Weder, Justin Asplin, Chase Junghans, Jack Sullivan, Scott Lewis, Jason O'Brien, Craig Vosbergen, Mike Collins, Steven Kempt, Brian Kenkel, Alonzo Grosse-DNS, Corey Zeitner-DNS, Kevin Sather-DNS, Justin Zeitner-DNS
Non-Qualifiers Bash Finish (16 Laps): Jason Krohn, Tommy Weder, Jerry Lierly, Jay Brunson, Mike Collins, Bill Koons, Jason O'Brien, Scott Lewis, Brian Kenkel, Jack Sullivan, Billy Murphy, Justin Asplin, Craig Vosbergen, Steven Kempt
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will round out the month of July, starting on Friday night, July 26th, at Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, PA. The series will then head over to Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, MD for the annual Conococheague 50. Both events will include RED BUCK Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and 50-Lap, $10,000-to-win main events. For more information, log onto: www.roaringknob.com and www.hagerstownspeedway.com.
For the latest breaking news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log onto www.lucasdirt.com