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East Bay Raceway Park

15-year-old Reddick stuns field at East Bay

February 9, 2011, 5:01 pm
By Joshua Joiner
DirtonDirt.com staff writer
Tyler Reddick celebrates at East Bay. (thesportswire.net)
Tyler Reddick celebrates at East Bay. (thesportswire.net)

GIBSONTON, Fla. (Feb. 9) — Tyler Reddick has repeatedly said how excited he is to be driving his new Bloomquist Race Car. It showed Wednesday night at East Bay Raceway Park.

The 15-year-old driver from Corning, Calif., who dove into the Dirt Late Model scene two years ago at Florida Speedweeks, raced to victory lane in just his second race in the chassis built by Scott Bloomquist. As Reddick took the checkered flag — ahead of Bloomquist — fans rose to their feet and raised their arms in triumph for undoubtedly the youngest Super Late Model winner in Speedweeks history. | Complete Speedweeks coverage

Reddick overtook race-long leader and polesitter Dan Schlieper on the 22nd lap of the Dart Winternationals by Magnaflow 30-lap feature and survived two late restarts to claim his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.

“I was so excited there the last five laps,” an elated Reddick said in victory lane after a flag-waving celebration atop his car's roof. “We were fast enough and I knew we had something for Dan. I was just waiting for the right chance and he gave it to us. I can’t believe we got our first win here this early in the week."

Schlieper took the lead on the start of the race with Jimmy Owens in second. The third-starting Reddick moved by Owens on lap three and quickly erased Schlieper’s lead. The young driver glued his race car to the bottom of the racetrack and followed the fellow Team Zero driver through the first half of the race.

The two drivers reached heavy lapped traffic just passed the halfway point and Reddick began to challenge for the point. After looking under Schlieper a number of times, Reddick pulled alongside the leader exiting turn two on lap 22 and rubbed past Schlieper's No. 9 at the other end of the racetrack.

But Schlieper didn’t let Reddick get away easily. The veteran driver squeezed Reddick to the bottom of the track enter turn three and the two made slight contact in the middle of the corner.

“He definitely didn’t wanna give it up,” Reddick said of the battle with Schlieper. “We’ve both been wanting to win for a while and needed to win. He gave me a little rub there, but it was fun racing with him.”

Schlieper twice looked to retake the lead in the outside groove, but his attempts were denied by cautions. He was alongside Reddick with head of steam when Brad Neat slowed and brought out a caution on lap 24. He had another run on Reddick two laps later when a three-car wreck in turn four slowed the pace.

Reddick pulled away on the race’s final restart and cruised to the victory. Schlieper faded in the race’s waning laps, falling back to fourth at the finish. Bloomquist was second with ninth-starting Steve Francis picking up two spots late to finish third. Schlieper and Don O'Neal, who ran as high as third, rounded out the top five.

“We had a good race going on there," Schlieper said, "but those late yellows kind of killed me, one right after another. The tire I had on, it played into his favor and not mine. I had him passed after that, but the yellows kept coming out, and it is what it is."

Notes: Reddick's Bloomquist Race Car has a Gaerte Engine and sponsorship from Broken Bow Records, America's Incredible Pizza and VP Racing Fuels. ... It was the first Late Model victory for the driver who has two full years in the division. ... Nineteen of 26 starters were running at the finish. ... Eddie Carrier Jr. and Terry Casey were among drivers eliminated in a second-lap scramble in turn one. ... Brad Neat got into the turn-four berm and forced a complete restart on the first attempted lap, but he got his spot back for the restart. He slowed to draw the lap-24 yellow. ... The lap-26 caution appeared when David Breazeale spun in turn four trying to avoid contact with a slowing car.

Finish: (1) Tyler Reddick, (2) Scott Bloomquist, (3) Steve Francis, (4) Dan Schlieper, (5) Don O’Neal, (6) Jimmy Owens, (7) Eric Jacobsen, (8) Mike Marlar, (9) Dale McDowell, (10) Rick Eckert, (11) Jared Landers, (12) Josh Richards, (13) Dennis Erb Jr., (14) Austin Hubbard, (15) Jason Feger, (16) Donnie Moran, (17) Justin Rattliff, (18) David Breazeale, (19) Ray Cook, (20) Wayne Chinn, (21) Brad Neat, (22) Wendell Wallace, (23) Chris Wall, (24) Tim Dohm, (25) Terry Casey, (26) Eddie Carrier Jr. Fast qualifier (among 62 cars): Schlieper, 14.296. Heat race winners: Schlieper, Reddick, Neat, Owens, Bloomquist, O’Neal. Consolation winners: Carrier, Dohm. Strawberry Dash winner: Wallace. Provisional starter: Feger.

Blog-style reports of Wednesday's preliminaries:

Mid-race notebook

Bloomquist Race Cars hold the top four starting spots ... That includes a driver new to the chassis, 15-year-old Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif. "I'm pumped," said Reddick as he scurried around the pits before the main event. He struggled a bit in the car initially, but discovered he had the wrong rebound settings on his new Ohlins Shocks. Fixing that made the difference, he said. Now he faces the task of manhandling the car on the rugged East Bay oval, where steering is tough for the youngster with the slight frame. He's been trying to gain strength. "I'm going to go crazy (with strength-training) when I get home." ... Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky., starts third after winning his first career heat race at East Bay. "I'm usually 15th in the consy," Neat cracked. Neat set fast time Tuesday night, but struggled in the main event. "Now we've gotta run good when it pays," he said. ... Car owner Ernie Davis was impressed with the fourth-to-second move his driver Josh Richards made in the fourth heat race, finishing just behind Jimmy Owens after running mid-pack most of the way. "Another lap and I think he might've got Jimmy," Davis said. "He was trucking."

Strawberry Dash

Wendell Wallace, who last won a feature at East Bay 11 years ago, led every lap of the Strawberry Dash to earn the final feature starting position. Wallace cruised to the easy win over Steve Casebolt and John Blankenship.

Finish: Wendell Wallace, Steve Casebolt, John Blankenship, Tim McCreadie, Bub McCool, Chad Hollenbeck, Doug Blashe.

Second consolation

Polesitter Tim Dohm jumped to the early lead of the second consolation race, while Earl Pearson Jr., Ricky Weiss and Jared Hawkins battled for second. The battle didn’t last long before Pearson triggered a 13-car pileup when he turned sideways exiting turn four on lap one. Pearson corrected and continued on but went to the pit area during the ensuing caution. Of the 21 cars that started the race, only 11 were still on the track when the race went back green. The race ran caution-free after the restart, with Dohm leading every lap for the victory. Terry Casey ran a distant second with Justin Ratliff claiming the third and final transfer position.

Finish: Tim Dohm, Terry Casey, Justin Rattliff, Jared Hawkins, Ricky Weiss, Vic Coffey, Doug Blashe, Chad Hollenbeck, Russ Adams, Mark Andersen, Bob Geiger, Greg Fore. Involved in lap-one wreck: Earl Pearson Jr., Dillan White, Billy Moyer Jr., Dan Stone, Tim Isenberg, Jason McBride, Jason Feger, Skylar Marlar, Bobby Pierce.

First consolation

Eddie Carrier Jr. moved to the lead on the start and led every lap for the victory. It didn’t come without challenge as both Austin Hubbard and Frank Heckenast Jr. made it a three-car battle for the lead early in the race. Carrier pulled away following a lap-five restart, leaving Hubbard and Heckenast to battle for the runner-up spot. Heckenast gave it all he had on the high side, but his race came to an end when he slammed the turn-two wall with three laps remaining. Hubbard finished second, while Donnie Moran passed Bub McCool for the third and final transfer position with two laps remaining.

Finish: Eddie Carrier Jr., Austin Hubbard, Donnie Moran, Bub McCool, Eric Wells, Bobby Pierce, Wendell Wallace, Steve Casebolt, John Blankenship, Travis Varnadore, Chad Valone, Keith Nosbisch, Leon Henderson, Jim O’Hara, Michael Chilton, Frank Heckenast Jr.,Tim McCreadie, Joe Denby.

Sixth heat

Polesitter Don O'Neal led all the way for a victory in the final 10-lap heat, taking the checkers ahead of fellow MasterSbilt house car driver Ray Cook, who ran fourth early. The third and final transfer spot was a tight battle between former WISSOTA and UMP champs Ricky Weiss and Dennis Erb Jr. Weiss kept Erb in check the second half of the race, but after trying the low groove most of the race, Erb jumped to the high groove in turn one on the final lap and swept around Weiss for the final spot. Jason Feger ran second the first four laps before getting into the wall and dropping out. The first of two cautions appeared on the fourth lap when two Chads — Hollenbeck and Stapleton — tangled exiting turn two. Hollenbeck's car suffered right-side body damage. On the restart, Hollenbeck got sideways on the frontstretch in a scramble with Russ Adams, while simultaneously Feger jumped the turn-one cushion and banged the wall, suffering right-front damage.

Finish: Don O'Neal, Ray Cook, Dennis Erb Jr., Ricky Weiss, Dillan White, Chad Hollenbeck, Russ Adams, Chad Stapleton, Jason Feger, Brandon Thirlby.

Fifth heat

Scott Bloomquist, winner of Tuesday night’s Winternationals opener, put himself in position to win another feature by winning the fifth heat. Bloomquist powered by polesitter Mike Marlar on the start of the race and led every lap of the caution-free race. Marlar trailed Bloomquist the entire distance to finish second, with Jared Landers finishing in the third and final transfer position. Earl Pearson Jr. finished fourth with Terry Casey fifth.

Finish: Scott Bloomquist, Mike Marlar, Jared Landers, Earl Pearson Jr., Terry Casey, Billy Moyer Jr., Tim Isenberg, Greg Fore, Doug Blashe, Vic Coffey.

Fourth heat

Outside front-row starter Jimmy Owens outdueled polesitter Chris Wall early in the race, then held off a charge by sixth-starting Josh Richards on a one-lap dash to the checkers for the victory. Owens will start on the front row of the feature for the second straight night. Richards ran outside the three transfer spots most of the way, but he took to the high groove on a lap-nine restart and swept around Tim Dohm and Wall. In the first half of the race, Wall nosed in on Owens repeatedly, nearly pulling alongside a few times before slipping in turn four on the sixth lap. Dohm, who started third but slipped back to fifth early, looked like he had the final transfer spot sewn up until Richards came alive. The lone caution appeared just after the white flag fell when Justin Rattliff and Skylar Marlar tangled in turn three, leaving Marlar's car spun; he suffered damaged to the left-front nosepiece.

Finish: Jimmy Owens, Josh Richards, Chris Wall, Tim Dohm, Jared Hawkins, Justin Rattliff, Dan Stone, Jason McBride, Mark Andersen, Skylar Marlar, Bob Geigler.

Third heat

Front-row starters Frank Heckenast Jr. and Brad Neat raced side-by-side for the first lap of the third heat race with Neat taking the lead on the front straightaway. Neat led every lap for the win. Heckenast slid high exiting turn two on the second lap, allowing Rick Eckert and Eric Jacobsen to go by. Eckert finished second, while Heckenast and Jacobsen battled for third. Heckenast passed Jacobsen on lap seven, but Jacobsen went back by for the final transfer position on the final lap. Heckenast settled for fourth with Wendell Wallace fifth. The race’s only caution came when Danny Mitchell slowed with eight laps complete.

Finish: Brad Neat, Rick Eckert, Eric Jacobsen, Frank Heckenast, Wendell Wallace, Bobby Pierce, Steve Casebolt, Michael Chilton, James O’Hara, Danny Mitchell.

Second heat

Polesitter Tyler Reddick, anxious all winter to get rolling in his Bloomquist Race Car, took advantage of a pole position in the second heat and cruised to an easy victory. Sixth-starting Steve Francis finished second as he was the benefactor of a first-lap scramble between outside front-row starter Donnie Moran and fourth-starting Dale McDowell. They got hung up exiting turn two on the first lap, then got together again on the seventh lap when Moran slid into McDowell's door in turn four in a battle for third. McDowell survived for the third and final transfer spot. Moran slipped back to finish sixth.

Finish: Tyler Reddick, Steve Francis, Dale McDowell, Austin Hubbard, Eric Wells, Chad Valone, Donnie Moran, Leon Henderson, Joe Denby. Scxratched: D.J. Wells.

First heat

Polesitter Dan Schlieper jumped to the lead on the start of the first heat race and held off challenges from both Wayne Chinn and David Breazeale for the win. Breazeale passed Chinn for second on lap four, but never found a way around Schlieper. Chinn held off Eddie Carrier Jr. for the third and final transfer position. Bub McCool finished fifth. Keith Nosbisch brought out the race's only caution when he had a flat tire on lap nine.

Finish: Dan Schlieper, David Breazeale, Wayne Chinn, Eddie Carrier Jr., Bub McCool, Tim McCreadie, John Blankenship, Travis Varnadore, Chuck Julien, Keith Nosbisch.

Qualifying

Dan Schlieper of Oak Creek, Wis., topped a field of 62 drivers Wednesday in time trails for the second event of East Bay Raceway Park's 35th annual Dart Winternationals by Magnaflow.

“This is an awesome way to start the night out. We had an oil line that came loose (in hot laps), but we got that taken care of,” said Schlieper, a former track record holder at East Bay. “I don’t think the track was ready for a track record tonight, but I was giving it all I had that’s for sure.”

Schlieper will start on the pole of the first of six heat races for the $5,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event. Unofficially the other heat race polesitters are: Tyler Reddick, of Corning, Ca.; series rookie Frank Heckenast Jr. of Frankfort, Ill.; Chris Wall of Springfield, La.; Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn.; and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind.

The top three finishers from each of six heat races will transfer to the 30-lap main event. Two drivers from each of three consolation races also transfer to the main event. Rounding out the 26-car field is the fastest qualifier who failed to transfer through prelims and winner of the Strawberry Dash for non-qualifiers.

Scott Bloomquist won the Winternationals opener Tuesday. The opener was originally scheduled for Monday night, but rain forced the event to be postponed. That event will be made up either Friday or Saturday.

Heat race lineups

First heat
Row 1: Dan Schlieper, Wayne Chinn
Row 2: David Breazeale, Bub McCool
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 4: Travis Varnadore, John Blankenship
Row 5: Keith Nosbisch, Chuck Julien
Second heat
Row 1: Tyler Reddick, Donnie Moran
Row 2: Eric Wells, Dale McDowell
Row 3: Austin Hubbard, Steve Francis
Row 4: Leon Henderson, Chad Valone
Row 5: Joe Denby, D.J. Wells
Third heat
Row 1: Frank Heckenast Jr., Brad Neat
Row 2: Eric Jacobsen, Rick Eckert
Row 3: Bobby Pierce, Wendell Wallace
Row 4: Michael Chilton, Danny Mitchell
Row 5: Jim O'Hara
Fourth heat
Row 1: Chris Wall, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Tim Dohm, Jared Hawkins
Row 3: Skylar Marlar, Josh Richards
Row 4: Justin Rattliff, Jason McBride
Row 5: Mark Andersen, Dan Stone
Row 6: Bob Geiger
Fifth heat
Row 1: Mike Marlar, Scott Bloomquist
Row 2: Jared Landers, Terry Casey
Row 3: Earl Pearson Jr., Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 4: Greg Fore, Tim Isenberg
Row 5: Vic Coffey, Doug Blashe
Sixth heat
Row 1: Don O'Neal, Jason Feger
Row 2: Ricky Weiss, Ray Cook
Row 3: Dennis Erb Jr., Chad Stapleton
Row 4: Dillan White, Brandon Thirlby

Row 5: Russ Adams, Chad Hollenbeck

Pre-race notes

Chris Wall considered going to his backup car after wrecking his primary car in a consolation race Tuesday night. But his backup is a new race car he’s hoping to save until Thursday when races start to count towards Lucas Oil Series championship standings. The crew of the 2010 Lucas Oil Series Rookie of the Year instead made repairs to the wrecked car and Wall will race it Wednesday. ... Steve Casebolt was among three new entries for Wednesday night’s event, but he missed time trials because his spoiler wasn't legal and required a lengthy fix. The Richmond, Ind., driver’s race car is carrying sponsorship from Rockstar Energy Drink in 2011. ... Duane Harbaugh of Hedgesville, W.Va., also scratched before time trials. ... Vic Coffey will enter his first Winternationals event of 2011 Wednesday. A representative from Safety Solutions was fitting Coffey for a Hybrid Pro head and neck restraint system Wednesday afternoon so Coffey would comply with new safety rules of the Lucas Oil Series. ... Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., switched engines Wednesday after blowing his primary engine Tuesday night. ... Josh Richard’s crew also swapped engines Wednesday after the primary engine in his Ernie Davis-owned Rocket slung the belts in Tuesday’s feature. ... A new hauler entered the East Bay pit area Wednesday afternoon. Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., plans to enter his first Winternationals event Thursday.

Time trials (unofficial)

First group

  1. Dan Schlieper (s9), Oak Creek, Wis., 14.296
  2. Tyler Reddick (11), Corning, Ca., 14.494
  3. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 14.520
  4. Eddie Carrier Jr. (28), Salt Rock, W.Va., 14.534
  5. Wayne Chinn (15), Bradford, Ohio, 14.534
  6. Donnie Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 14.553
  7. Brad Neat (41), Dunville, Ky., 14.592
  8. David Breazeal (54), Four Corners, Miss., 14.615
  9. Eric Wells (18), Hazard, Ky., 14.672
  10. Eric Jacobsen (5), Seacliff Beach, Calif., 14.676
  11. Bub McCool (57j), Vicksburg, Miss., 14.679
  12. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 14.683
  13. Rick Eckert (24), York, Pa., 14.723
  14. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 14.750
  15. Austin Hubbard (19), Seaford, Del., 14.762
  16. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 14.766
  17. Eddie Carrier Jr. (28), Salt Rock, W.Va., 14.780
  18. Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., 14.790
  19. Wendell Wallace (88), Batesville, Ark., 14.833
  20. Travis Varnadore (1cj), Dover, Fla., 14.966
  21. Leon Henderson (10), Laurel, Miss., 15.011
  22. Michael Chilton (97), Salvisa, Ky., 15.019
  23. John Blankenship (23), Williamson, W.Va., 15.041
  24. Chad Valone (2v), Warren, Pa., 15.131
  25. Danny Mitchell (18D), Clarksburg, W.Va., 15.303
  26. Keith Nosbisch (01), Valrico, Fla., 15.460
  27. Joe Denby (27j), Tullahoma, Tenn., 15.477
  28. Jim O'Hara (44), Moscow, Pa., 16.135
  29. Chuck Julien (56), Apaka, Fla., 17.022
  30. Duane Harbaugh (87), Hedgesville, W.Va., no time
  31. D.J. Wells (11), Wooton, Ky., no time

Second group

  1. Chris Wall (71W), Springfield, La., 14.333
  2. Mike Marlar (36), Winfield, Tenn., 14.345
  3. Don O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 14.357
  4. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 14.415
  5. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 14.468
  6. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 14.481
  7. Tim Dohm (6T), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 14.552
  8. Jared Landers (777), Batesville, Ark., 14.583
  9. Ricky Weiss (7), St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba, 14.633
  10. Jared Hawkins (37), Fairmont, W.Va., 14.65
  11. Terry Casey (16c), New London, Wis., 14.688
  12. Ray Cook (53), Brasstown, N.C., 14.698
  13. Skylar Marlar (257), Winfield, Tenn., 14.73
  14. Earl Pearson Jr. (44), Jacksonville, Fla., 14.754
  15. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.763
  16. Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., 14.765
  17. Billy Moyer Jr. (21jr), Batesville, Fla., 14.779
  18. Chad Stapleton (32), Edinburgh, Ind., 14.885
  19. Justin Ratliff (16), Campbellsville, Ky., 14.907
  20. Greg Fore (77), Greenville, Miss., 14.934
  21. Dillian White (54), Crofton, Ky., 14.946
  22. Jason McBride (77), Carbondale, Ill., 14.976
  23. Tim Isenberg (9), Marshfield, Wis., 14.981
  24. Brandon Thirlby (m14), Traverse City, Mich., 14.982
  25. Mark Andersen (85), Blanchard, Mich., 14.993
  26. Vic Coffey (32C), Caledonia, N.Y., 15.026
  27. Russ Adams (74), Princeville, Ill., 15.092
  28. Dan Stone (21D), Thompson, Pa., 15.141
  29. Doug Blashe (1), Marion, Wis., 15.369
  30. Chad Hollenbeck (4DS), Kingsley, Pa., 15.389
  31. Bob Geiger (38), Laurel, Del., 16.074

Feature lineup

Row 1: Schlieper, Owens
Row 2: Reddick, Bloomquist
Row 3: Neat, O'Neal
Row 4: Breazeale, Richards
Row 5: Francis, Marlar
Row 6: Eckert, Cook
Row 7: Chinn, Wall
Row 8: McDowell, Landers
Row 9: Jacobsen, Erb
Row 10: Carrier, Dohm
Row 11: Hubbard, Casey
Row 12: Moran, Rattliff
Row 13: Feger, Wallace

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