Florence Speedway
Notes: Linville ready to tackle North-South 100
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editor
Dustin Linville won his first Florence race last month. (thesportswire.net)
UNION, Ky. (Aug. 9) — One thing Dustin Linville has learned about fatherhood is that coming home from a bad night at the racetrack to see his 3-month-old daughter Riley peacefully sleeping in the crib makes things right.
“It’s just been a blessing,” Linville said Friday at Florence Speedway, where he’s preparing for the $50,000-to-win Sunoco North-South 100 on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. “It just puts a smile on your face.” | Complete North-South coverage
Not that Linville, the 22-year-old Bryantsville, Ky., driver, has needed much uplifting after going to the races this season. Most of his nights have been successful in a part-time season with just 14 nights of racing. He’s got nine top-five finishes and four victories at four tracks in a Swartz Race Car that’s just over a year old.
Linville finished 11th in last year’s North-South 100, his first start in Kentucky’s richest Dirt Late Model race, and hopes for more success after clicking off a July 13 victory at the undersized half-mile oval in northern Kentucky.
Besides winning at Florence, Linville has victories at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway, Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky., and 201 Speedway in Sitka, Ky., where he collected $3,000. His Florence victory was somewhat of a surprise after leader Jason Jameson took the white flag comfortably ahead of Linville.
“I was already settling for second,” Linville said, but when Jameson got into the turn-two wall, he zipped past and took his first victory at Florence. “You’d have thought it was more than a regular show. I was pretty excited.”
Linville credits fellow Kentucky driver Jackie Boggs with putting his personal touch on his No. D8 car.
“He’s helped us a ton with it,” Linville said. “It’s a pretty good hot rod.”
First time for Zeigler
Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., is among several drivers making their first racing appearances at Florence, along with Tommy Weder Jr. of Woodward, Okla., Dylan Ames of Harvest, Ala., Kyle Bronson of Tampa, Fla., and Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa.
At least Zeigler has seen a race at Florence, dropping by for last season’s Spring 50 after traveling out west. And he’s also got Austin Hargrove on his side, a crew chief who has helped Bart Hartman to victories at Florence. He’s eager to get some laps on it Friday night before Red Buck Time Trials for the Lucas Oil competitors, who will run heat races, consolations and the 100-lapper on Saturday.
“I love it,” said the 20-year-old Zeigler, who has two victories in 22 starts overall. “The track looks awesome.”
He’s got a strategy for Friday’s action: “Just go out in hot laps and follow somebody good,” he said.
Florence has the reputation for slick track conditions, and Zeigler says his slick-track efforts have improved with Hargrove’s assistance.
“Austin’s getting me a lot better in the slick ... he’s gotten me away from using three-wheel breaks all the time. That’s made a huge difference,” Zeigler said. Will it work? “We’ll know this weekend, I guess.”
Zeigler points to a solid fourth-place run on a slick surface July 20 at Elkins (W.Va.) Raceway, when he gained a half-dozen spots in a $10,000-to-win event. And as far as performing well at a new track, Zeigler won earlier this season at Dog Hollow Speedway in his debut at the now-closed track in Strongstrown, Pa.
Juice back at Florence
Two-time STARS champion Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., is trying to make his first North-South 100 lineup at Florence since 2004 when he was piloting the Dale Beitler-owned No. 19j. He finished eighth that year and decided to make a return during a break from his tug-boat duties with Imperial Towing.
He’s driving his self-owned No. 1j and pitted next to local favorite Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who sold Johnson his car.
“I figured that it’s close to Darrell’s shop and since I have a Club 29 car it might be a good idea,” Johnson said. “The car’s been good everywhere we’ve been, really — as long as we don’t mess it up, it’s good.”
Johnson’s coming to Florence fresh off a $2,200 victory Sunday at Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, Pa., where he won the Ernie Jones Memorial. He’s had a little extra time to race this summer because the tug-boat business has been slow the last six weeks with a slowdown in coal traffic.
Johnson’s whose usual route takes him from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Cairo, Ill., says business is expected to pick up again soon.
Conley’s hot streaks
R.J. Conley of Wheelersburg, Ohio, has won five of his last eight starts heading to Florence, the track where he won the Ralph Latham Memorial in 2001. The 49-year-old Conley joked that it hasn’t been his own doing.
“Every now and then they let you win if you race long enough,” Conley cracked.
But driving a new Rocket Chassis he debuted in June, Conley’s been more than lucky. He started a four-race winning streak on July 17 with a $5,000 victory in the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals, his first victory on that tour. Next came three victories over an eight-day stretch between Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park and Southern Ohio Speedway in Wheelersburg, Ohio.
The new car was originally too tight, but he’s finally found some balance that led to his success. So much success, in fact, that even in his older car he was disappointed in letting an Aug. 3 race slip away at 201 Speedway in Sitka, Ky.
Conley led most of the way, but with about 10 laps remaining in the Hatfield-McCoy 50, he slipped over the cushion briefly and ended up third in a race won by Eddie Carrier Jr.
Odds and ends
Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., is gunning for his second straight $50,000 victory. He’s coming off his richest career victory last weekend at Cedar Lake Speedway’s USA Nationals in New Richmond, Wis. ... Team Dillon Racing driver Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., is piloting Ty Dillon’s No. 41 instead of his regular No. 17m. ... Modified regular Chris Stotts of Shade, Ohio, is making a rare Late Model start in a Dave Norton-owned Swartz Race Cars. Stotts made a few Late Model starts last season in the Gary Engle-owned car now driven by Greg Johnson. ... Saturday’s events include inductions for the 2013 class of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. This year’s class: Eddie Carrier Sr., Darrell Dake, Bill Frye, John Gill and Willy Kraft, as well as contributors Bret Emrick, Joe Garrison and Jack Starrette. ... Gill will is expected to be the only inductee competing, driving a four-bar suspension Rayburn Race Car owned by Bobby Wolter of Lexington, Ky. The No. 75 in Gill’s car is white with shadowed text highlighting Gill’s championships and biggest victories. ... Tim Prince and Nick Latham, tied for the Florence points lead in the Late Model division, are pitted together on the slope deep in the pit area.
