Knoxville Raceway
Live updates: Lanigan tops Richards
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editorKNOXVILLE, Iowa (Sept. 28) — Blog-style updates from Saturday’s action at the 10th annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, where a $40,000-to-win purse is on the line (results unofficial):
10:54 p.m. | Lanigan outduels Richards
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (Sept. 28) — Darrell Lanigan overtook Josh Richards after a lap-long, side-by-side duel on a lap-94 restart and held on for a $40,000 victory Saturday in Knoxville Raceway's 10th annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals. | Complete Knoxville coverage
The 43-year-old Union, Ky., driver earned his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and a measure of revenge after a dustup with Richards in the previous night’s preliminary feature.
Richards, of Shinnston, W.Va., was denied a three-race sweep in one of Dirt Late Model racing’s richest weekend’s at the historic half-mile oval better known for sprint-car racing. He posted his third career runner-up finish at Knoxville.
Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., inherited third place after a late-race accident that shuffled the top five while last year’s winner Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., was fourth ahead of Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who lost two spots on the final restart.
The event had six slowdowns, the two most serious for rollover accidents, both on lap 94. Eddie Carrier Jr.’s rollover accident in turn three didn’t hurt him, but the red flag set up a key restart that knocked out some top contenders.
Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., tried to dive under Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., in turn one and made contact, sending Feger into the wall for a spin that briefly got upside down. O’Neal’s car dropped won the banking and forced Dale McDowell and Scott Bloomquist into the infield, ending McDowell’s racing and forcing Bloomquist to the pits for repairs.
Four other yellows flew between laps 32-47 for Jared Landers (blew tire on lap 32 and stopped on lap 47), Jimmy Owens (stopped in turn four on lap 39) and on lap 41 when Brandon Sheppard jumped the cushion and hit the turn-three fence.
10th annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals
1. Darrell Lanigan (29), Union, Ky., Rocket, $40,000
2. Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., Rocket, $20,000
3. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., Warrior, $10,000
4. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., Barry Wright, $8,750
5. Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., Victory Circle, $7,500
6. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., Rocket, $7,000
7. Brady Smith (2), Solon Springs, Wis., Bloomquist, $6,500
8. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., Bloomquist, $6,000
9. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Bloomquist, $5,500
10. Chad Simpson (25), Mount Vernon, Iowa, MasterSbilt, $5,000
11. Jason Utter (31), Columbus Junction, Iowa, MasterSbilt, $4,500
12. Ryan Unzicker (24), El Paso, Ill., MasterSbitl, $4,000
13. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., Bloomquist, $3,500
14. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., Pierce, $3,400
15. Don O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., MasterSbilt, $3,300
16. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., Warrior, $3,200
17. Eddie Carrier Jr. (28), Salt Rock, W.Va., Rocket, $3,100
18. Ryan Gustin (19), Marshalltown, Iowa, Rocket, $3,000
19. Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, Ill., MasterSbilt, $2,900
20. Denny Eckrich (50), Tiffin, Iowa, Barry Wright, $2,800
21. Billy Moyer Jr. (21jr), Batesville, Ark., Victory Circle, $2,700
22. Jared Landers (5), Batesville, Ark., Barry Wright, $2,600
23. Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis., MB Customs, $2,500
24. Earl Pearson Jr. (44), Jacksonville, Fla., Longhorn, $2,500
25. Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., Rocket, $2,500
26. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., Victory Circle, $2,500
27. A.J. Diemel (58), Elk Mound, Wis., MB Customs, $2,500
28. Morgan Bagley (14m), Longview, Texas, Rocket, $2,500
29. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, MB Customs, $2,500
30. Bub McCool (57j), Vicksburg, Miss., Barry Wright, $2,500
31. Justin Kay (15k), Wheatland, Iowa, Barry Wright, $2,500
32. Tony Jackson Jr. (56), Lebanon, Mo., Rocket, $2,500
D-main winner: Steve Lance Jr. C-main winner: Brian Birkhofer: B-main winner: Bagley. Thursday’s preliminary feature winner: Richards. Friday’s preliminary feature winner: Richards.
Blog-style reports of Saturday's action:
10: 32 p.m. | Lanigan wins $40,000
Overtaking Josh Richards with a strong restart on lap 95, Darrell Lanigan wins the 10th annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals by three lengths over RIchards. Tim McCreadie was third followed by Steve Francis and Billy Moyer.
10:27 p.m. | Ready for resart
The top eight got a big shuffling with the wreck on the lap-94 restart. Richards still leads with Lanigan second and Billy Moyer third. Tim McCreadie, Brady Smith, Steve Francis, Scott Bloomquist and John Blankenship (all on the lead lap).
10:21 p.m. | Another rollover (this time Feger)
Jason Feger has a rollover accident in turn two after Don O'Neal knocked him into the wall trying to make a slide-job pass for another red flag. O'Neal dove under Feger entering turn one and when he slid up, he knocked Feger into the wall. His car spun around and rolled while slapping the fence; he's OK. ... After O'Neal came down off the banking, he shoved Dale McDowell and Scott Bloomquist toward the infield. Bloomquist was able to go to the pits where he's getting lots of work done while McDowell was towed off the track. ... Feger walked to the infield and past his hauler, heading down to O'Neal's hauler; a big crowd gathered but it's unclear if Feger and O'Neal were ever face-to-face.
10:20 p.m. | Six-lap shootout
The cleanup for Carrier's wreck is complete and the 100-lapper concludes with six laps remaining.
10:12 p.m. | Lap-94 red flag for Carrier's rollover
Eddie Carrier Jr. rolled in turn three and his car ended up on its wheels between turns three and four; he's not hurt. ... That'll set up a six-lap shootout to the finish and gives Moyer the chance to mix it up with Richards and Lanigan, who have been the class of the field. ... The top 10 for what could be the final restart: Richards, Lanigan, Moyer, Feger, O'Neal, McDowell, McCreadie, Bloomquist, Francis and Blankenship. ... Lucas Oil Series points leader Jimmy Owens is among drivers a lap down in 12th.
10:09 p.m. | Lanigan jumps cushion
Richards got a bit of a cushion on lap 89 when Lanigan jumped the cushion in turn two. ... Moyer has closed the gap a bit, but it's still a two-car race with Lanigan pulling closer with nine laps remaining.
10:07 p.m. | Richards leads lap 84
Richards dve under Lanigan in turn three on the 84th lap to take command. ... Lanigan ist staying right with him and nearly nosed under him on lap 86 in turn two. ... Moyer is the fastest car on the track, but he's more than a straightaway behind.
10:05 p.m. | Richards closing in
Richards has cut Lanigan's lead down to fewer than 10 legnths by lap 78. ... Moyer slid past Feger for third on lap 81
10 p.m. | Lanigan's biggest lead
With 35 laps remaining, Darrell Lanigan has his biggest lead at a half-straight over Richards, and Feger is another straightaway behind. ... Lanigan's lead reached a full straightaway on lap 70. ... The top 10 at lap 75: Lanigan, Richards, Feger, Moyer, McDowell, McCreadie, Francis, O'Neal, Bloomquist and Blankenship.
9:55 p.m. | Francis into top 10 at halfway
Steve Francis is up to eighth and on the move at halfway. ... Lanigan still leads comfortably over Richards with Feger back in third, further back. ... Feger and McDowell have shown signs of keeping up with the top two occasionally, but Lanigan and RIchards appear to be the class of the field so far, and it's a safe bet Richards is content to run in second for the time being.
9:53 p.m. | Another Landers yellow
Jared Landers rolls to a stop at the top of the backstretch to draw a lap-47 yellow. ... The lap-47 restart order: Lanigan, Richards, McDowell, Feger, Moyer, O'Neal, Gustin, McCreadie, Blankenship and Bloomquist in 10th.
9:52 p.m. | Gustin seventh
Iowa favorite Ryan Gustin is seventh, picking up three spots overall; the modified ace is in his first 100-lap Late Model event.. ... Lanigan and Richards have broken away again out front, but they appear to be pacing themselves compared to the flatout efforts earlier in the race. ... Dale McDowell regained third from Feger affter the lap-41 restart.
9:45 p.m. | Sheppard into fence on lap 41
Brandon Sheppard got into the fence between turns three and four and while he got barely clipped by someone, everyone was able to avoid him for the third caution. ... Sheppard was towed off the track. ... Jason Feger is up to third after slipping by Earl Pearson Jr. on the previous spot. ... Among those pitting: Jared Landers, Dennis Erb Jr., Steve Francis, Jimmy Mars and Jimmy Owens. ... Lap-41 restart: Lanigan, Richards, Feger, McDowell, O'Neal, Pearson, Moyer, Gustin, McCreadie and Bloomquist in 10th. ... Before the field went back to green, Earl Pearson Jr. rolled to a stop in turn four and required a push to the pits; he's out.
9:41 p.m. | Owen stops on lap 39
The second caution appeared on lap 39 when Jimmy Owens stopped in turn four. ... Jimmy Mars and Jared Landers also pitted during the yellow; most of the early pitters are adding fuel. ... Lap-39 restart order: Lanigan, Richards, McDowell, Feger, O'Neal, Pearson, Moyer Sr., McCreadie, Blankenship, Gustin, Bloomquist, Mars, Sheppard, Smith, Carrier, Chad Simpson, Francis, Utter, Owens, Heckenast, Landers, Denny Eckrich, Erb and Unzicker.
9:40 p.m. | Pearson into top five
Eighth-starting Earl Pearson Jr. took fifth from Tim McCreadie on the lap-32 restart. ... McCreadie also lost spots to Don O'Neal and Billy Moyer. ... Shannon Babb pulled off on lap 34. ... A two-car breakaway with Darrell Lanigan and Josh Richards on lap 38.
9:35 p.m. | Landers blows tire
The first caution appeared on lap 32 when Jared Landers blew a right-rear tire. ... Ryan Unzicker and Frank Heckenast Jr. also dropped into the pits with flats. ... Lineup for lap-32 restart: Lanigan, Richards, McDowell, Feger, McCreadie, Diemel, Pearson, Mars, O'Neal and Bloomquist in 10th. ... Diemel gave up that spot for a pit stop. ... Twenty-five of 32 starters are on the lead lap and four drivers have retired. ... Officials say McDowell led lap seven, so there's been three leaders so far.
9:34 p.m. | Clear track for Lanigan
After spending 10 laps trying to dispose of Chris Simpson, Morgan Bagley and Shannon Babb, leader Darrell Lanigan has clear track on lap 30.
9:31 p.m. | Lanigan leads lap 20
Lanigan made an outside move on Richards in turns one and two on lap 20 to take command. ... Three slower cars are directly in front of the leaders. ... MCDowell is third followed by Jason Feger and A.J. Diemel further back. .... The fast conditions are making it tough to lap the "slower" cars.
9:30 p.m. | Lots of traffic
Richards is facing lots of traffic ealry while lapping many cars early. ... Darrell Lanigan took second from Dale McDowell on lap 13. ... Jason Feger was up to fourth shortly thereafter, dropping A.J. Diemel to fifth.
9:25 p.m. | Richards leads early
Josh Richards went around polesitter Dale McDowell in turn one on the first lap to take command. ... Tim McCreadie slipped up in turn two on the ifrst lap and dropped back to eighth. ... Richards, McDowell and Darrell Lanigan are in a three-car breakaway after five laps with A.J. Diemel a distant fourth. ... Justin Kay was the first car a lap down on the seventh lap. ... Tony Jackson Jr. retired on the eighth lap.
9:21 p.m. | Four-wide parade laps
The 32-car bunched in four-wide formation for a parade lap and the green flag is set to fly shortly.
9:12 p.m. | Driver intros wrapping up
Series announcer James Essex is wrapping up staged driver introductions for the 32-car field. "Tonight's a whole different story," said Josh Richards, starting outside the front row in the quest for his third victory of the weekend.
8:38 p.m. | Bagley wins B-main
In a race where former winner and Iowa favorite Brian Birkhofer heartbreakingly fell short of the A-main, polesitter Morgan Bagley held off 10th-starting Denny Eckrich for a victory in the 20-lap B-main. They transferred to the main event along with Shannon Babb, Tony Jackson Jr., front-row starter Ryan Unzicker and ninth-starting Justin Kay. Birkhofer, starting near the back after winning the C-main, reached the fifth spot with three laps to go, but he blew a tire exiting turn four on the final lap, allowing Kay to snag the final transfer spot.
B-main finish: Morgan Bagley, Denny Eckrich, Shannon Babb, Tony Jackson Jr., Ryan Unzicker, Justin Kay, Austin Hubbard, Chase Junghans, Brian Birkhofer, Jason Rauen, Rodney Sanders, Jason McBride, Tyiler Bruening, Mike Fryer, Terry Phillips, Joel Callahan, Dennis Erb Jr., Brian Shirley, Andy Eckrich, Dave Eckrch, Matt Furman, Chris Spieker, Rich Bell. Scratched: Mike Marlar.
8:06 p.m. | Birkhofer wins C-main
Sixth-starting Brian Birkhofer overtook Dave Eckrich in turn one with four laps remaining to win the C-main. He transferred to the B-main along with fellow Iowa drivers Andy Eckrich, Dave Eckrich and Tyler Bruening. Rich Bell was further back in fifth, his weekend done. Charlie McKenna and Ray Guss Jr. were among drivers tangled up in a turn-two accident early in the race.
C-main finish: Brian Birkhofer, Andy Eckrich, Dave Eckrich, Tyler Bruening, Rich Bell, Spencer Diercks, Mike Fryer, Chris Spieker, Jay Johnson, Travis Dickes, Steve Lance Jr., Michael Smith, Darrel DeFrance, Billy Moyer Jr., Dustin Walker, Kent Robinson, Skip Frey, Charlie McKenna, Tim Isenberg, Tim Lance, Ray Guss Jr. Scratched: Jason Jaggers.
7:51 p.m. | Saturday's odds and ends
Morning and early afternoon rain on a dreary Iowa day delayed things about a half-hour at the track, but skies had cleared by 5 p.m. on a lovely but cool evening with temperatures in the high 50s. ... Dale McDowell and Josh Richards are on the front row for the A-main, which follows three consolation races. ... Richards won Thursday and Friday's prelims and will try to become only the second driver to sweep three nights of Knoxville Late Model action; Iowa native Billy Moyer pulled off the feat in 2010. ... Dennis Erb Jr. and Billy Moyer Jr. will receive Lucas Oil provisionals for the main event.
7:47 p.m. | Lucas Oil's 2014 schedule released
Five first-time tracks are on the 2014 schedule for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series released today at Knoxville. New to the series: ArkLaTexas Speedway in Vivian, La.; Outlaw Motor Speedway in Muskogee, Okla.; Macon (Ill.) Speedway; Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn.; and 201 Speedway in Sitka, Ky. | 2014 Lucas Oil schedule
The 47-race schedule has the framework of recent years with East Bay Raceway Park’s six-race Winternationals including big-purse events like the Knoxville Nationals, Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., Topless 100 at Batesville (Ark.) Motor Speedway, North-South 100 Speedway at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., and Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway’s Jackson 100.
The Carl Short-promoted Hillbilly 100 and Dirt Track World Championship are also on the schedule, but the venues haven’t been announced.
7:35 p.m. | D-main results
Steve Lance Jr. of Cuba, Ill., captured the D-main to transfer to the C-main along with Skip Frey, Michael Smith and Dustin Walker.
D-main finish: Steve Lance Jr., Skip Frey, Michael Smith, Dustin Walker, Curt Schroeder, Ray Sveegen, Greg Kimmons, Dennis Vandersmeerch, Stew Hayward. Scratched: Jesse Stovall, Jonathan Brauns, Brian Harris.
7:30 p.m. | Tonight's race lineups
Feature event
Row 1: Dale McDowell, Josh Richards
Row 2: Darrell Lanigan, A.J. Diemel
Row 3: Jason Feger, Tim McCreadie
Row 4: Jimmy Mars, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 5: Scott Bloomquist, Ryan Gustin
Row 6: Don O’Neal, John Blankenship
Row 7: Jimmy Owens, Billy Moyer
Row 8: Jason Utter, Bub McCool
Row 9: Eddie Carrier Jr., Brandon Sheppard
Row 10: Chad Simpson, Jared Landers
Row 11: Brady Smith, Steve Francis
Row 12: Chris Simpson, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 13: B-main transfers
Row 14: B-main transfers
Row 15: B-main transfers
Row 16: Provisional starters
B-main
(20 laps; top six transfer)
Row 1: Morgan Bagley, Ryan Unzicker
Row 2: Tony Jackson Jr., Shannon Babb
Row 3: Rodney Sanders, Austin Hubbard
Row 4: Matt Furman, Joel Callahan
Row 5: Justin Kay, Denny Eckrich
Row 6: Ricky Weiss, Chase Junghans
Row 7: Dennis Erb Jr., Jason Rauen
Row 8: Jason McBride, Mike Marlar
Row 9: Terry Phillips, Brian Shirley
Row 10: C-main transfers
Row 11: C-main transfers
C-main
(15 laps; top four transfer to B-main)
Row 1: Andy Eckrich, Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 2: Kent Robinson, Dave Eckrich
Row 3: Rich Bell, Brian Birkhofer
Row 4: Tim Lance, Charlie McKenna
Row 5: Tyler Bruening, Jason Jaggers
Row 6: Mike Fryer, Chris Spieker
Row 7: Spencer Diercks, Ray Guss Jr.
Row 8: Travis Dickes, Tim Isenberg
Row 9: Jay Johnson, Darrel DeFrance
Row 10: D-main transfers
Row 11: D-main transfers
D-main
(12 laps; top four transfer to C-main)
Row 1: Jesse Stovall, Michael Smith
Row 2: Skip Frey, Steve Lance Jr.
Row 3: Jonathan Brauns, Dustin Walker
Row 4: Ray Sveeggen, Greg Kimmons
Row 5: Brian Harris, Curt Schroeder
Row 6: Dennis Vandersmeerch, Stew Hayward
