Brownstown Speedway
Jackson 100: First-timer McCreadie gets $20,000
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writer
McCreadie (39) outdueled Pearson (44). (Jeremey Rhoades)
BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (Sept. 20) — No one can deny Brownstown Speedway's Jackson 100 has lost a little luster since its glory days of the 1980s and '90s.
But the 29th version of the event received more than just a spit-shine with Tim McCreadie's dramatic $20,000 victory at the quarter-mile oval in southern Indiana. | Postrace notebook | Slideshow | Jackson 100 qualifying
The Watertown, N.Y. driver, becoming only the third racer in the past 24 years to win a feature in his first visit to Brownstown, was the last of four leaders in a 100-lap thriller highlighted by eight official lead changes and other laps seemingly too close to call.
McCreadie first took the lead from Jimmy Owens on the 69th lap, lost the point to polesitter Earl Pearson Jr., for four circuits, then resumed command from lap 83 the rest of the way for his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season.
Owens, of Newport, Tenn., was undone by a groove change when he sensed Pearson and McCreadie threatening him near lap 65. He fell back to third before recovering to finish second in one of the richest events in Brownstown's history. Pearson, the series points leader from Jacksonville, Fla., stuck with the low groove all night and settled for third ahead of Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and fellow Kentuckian Steve Francis, who led 18 of the first 22 laps.
McCreadie, the former big-block modified driver and son of modified legend "Barefoot" Bob McCreadie, adds the Jackson 100 title to the lucrative Topless 100 title he won last month at Batesville (Ark.) Speedway, a $25,000 payday on the Lucas Oil circuit.
He follows Hall of Fame driver Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, Tenn. (1984) and Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark. (2006) as the only three drivers since 1984 to win at Brownstown in their first visit. McCreadie also became the first race winner to capture the Dirt Late Model special in his first Jackson 100 start since Kenny Brightbill, another big-block modified ace, pulled off the feat in 1985.
Pearson led the first three laps from his pole position before Francis swept ahead and took command in the high groove. But the third-starting Owens stalked Francis several laps and the frontrunners swapped the lead on laps 21-22 with Owens taking over from Francis for good on lap 23. Owens stayed comfortably out front until cautions on laps 41 and 55 bunched the field and put Pearson and McCreadie right on his rear deck in the second half of the race.
Owens, worried his high groove wasn't going to hold out, edged down looking for a faster line and gave McCreadie the room to sweep into the lead on lap 69 while Pearson worked underneath Owens for second shortly thereafter.
Traffic for the frontrunners allowed the low-running Pearson to track down McCreadie and go ahead on lap 79, but soon enough other slower cars played to McCreadie's favor and he grabbed a lead on lap 83 he'd never give up. Owens got rolling again in the high groove in the late stages, but it was too late to catch McCreadie.
Lucas Oil @ Brownstown: (1) Tim McCreadie, (2) Jimmy Owens, (3) Earl Pearson Jr., (4) Darrell Lanigan, (5) Steve Francis, (6) Jeep Van Wormer, (7) Don O'Neal, (8) Rick Eckert, (9) Scott Bloomquist, (10) Darren Miller, (11) Dennis Erb Jr., (12) Matt Miller, (13) Michael England, (14) Steve Casebolt, (15) Josh McGuire, (16) John Mason, (17) Cody Mahoney, (18) Greg Johnson, (19) Bart Hartman, (20) Dan Schlieper, (21) Brian Birkhofer, (22) Donnie Moran, (23) Steve Barnett, (24) Randy Korte, (25) Shannon Babb. Fast qualifier (among 58 cars): McGuire, 15.221 seconds. Heat race winners: McGuire, Francis, Eckert, McCreadie, Owens, Pearson. Consolation winners: Bloomquist, Korte. Provisional dash winner: Barnett.
9:54 p.m.: McCreadie back ahead
Still near dead even between Tim McCreadie and Earl Pearson Jr. with McCreadie's higher line putting him back ahead on lap 84. Jimmy Owens, fading a dozen laps earlier, is battling with Pearson for second as McCreadie edges away on lap 88.
9:52 p.m.: Dead heats (and then Pearson)
Tim McCreadie and Earl Pearson Jr. crossed the line side by side on laps 78 and 79. Pearson appeared to have the edge on lap 80 and definitley lap 81 as a slower car briefly delayed T-Mac.
9:51 p.m.: High vs. low part duex
Tim McCreadie leads in the high groove with Earl Pearson Jr. staying right with him down low. Jimmy Owens, who led from laps 21-68, is hanging tough in third but Darrell Lanigan is battling him for the spot on lap 76.
9:49 p.m.: McCreadie leads lap 69
With Jimmy Owens apparently having problems, Tim McCreadie took command on lap 69. Earl Pearson Jr. is working under Owens, whose car doesn't seem to be working as it was.
9:46 p.m.: Owens still leads
After 60 laps, Jimmy Owens leads in the high groove with Tim McCreadie (high) and Earl Pearson Jr. (low) in hot pursuit. Darrell Lanigan has taken fourth from Steve Francis.
9:42 p.m.: Caution for Casebolt
Steve Casebolt stopped in turn four on the 55th lap to draw the second caution. Jimmy Owens leads followed by Tim McCreadie, Earl Perason Jr., Steve Francis and Darrell Lanigan. Sixth is Don O'Neal followed by Darren Miller, Jeep Van Wormer, Dennis Erb Jr., and Rick Eckert in 10th. Next is Scott Bloomquist, Josh McGuire, Michael England and Steve Casebolt.
9:41 p.m.: Lap-55 rundown
Jimmy Owens leads after 55 laps followed by Tim McCreadie, Earl Pearson Jr., Steve Francis, Darrell Lanigan, Don O'Neal, Darren Miller, Jeep Van Wormer, Dennis Erb Jr. and Rick Eckert. The top six are on the same straightaway. (Brian Birkhofer is out).
9:39 p.m.: T-Mac pressures Owens
Jimmy Owens leads in the extreme high groove followed by Tim McCreadie as Earl Pearson Jr. sticks with his low groove in third. Steve Francis has new life with a strong high-side restart and is dueling with Darrell Lanigan for fourth on lap 46.
9:36 p.m.: Not quite caution-free
The Jackson 100 has run caution-free a few times in the past 10 years, but not this one. The double-file restart for lap 41 is set with Jimmy Owens out front. Earl Pearson Jr. picked the inside groove and Tim McCreadie will start on the outside.
9:33 p.m.: Caution for Bloomquist
The first yellow appeared on lap 41 as Scott Bloomquist pulled up in turn four (apparently to duck to the pits and change tires). Jimmy Owens leads followed by Earl Pearson Jr., Tim McCreadie, Darren Miller, Darrell Lanigan, Don O'Neal, early leader Steve Francis, Rick Eckert, Dennis Erb Jr., and Brian Birkhofer in 10th. (All lapped cars must go to the tail). In 11th is Jeep Van Wormer followed by Matt Miller, Josh McGuire, Michael England, Steve Casebolt and Scott Bloomquist. Donnie Moran appears to be the only lapped car on the track. Among drivers out: Shannon Babb and Randy Korte (Correction: not Greg Johnson)
9:31 p.m.: High vs. low
Jimmy Owens is sticking with the high groove and has clear sailing in the lead, while polesitter Earl Pearson Jr. has cast his lot with the low groove. He's about a half-straightaway behind Owens after 35 laps.
9:29 p.m.: Lap-30 rundown
After 30 laps: Jimmy Owens, Earl Pearson Jr., Tim McCreadie, Steve Francis, Darren Miller, Darrell Lanigan, Don O'Neal (Randy Korte has pulled off).
9:28 p.m.: Owens leads lap 21
Jimmy Owens worked under race-long leader Steve Francis to lead lap 21. Francis fought back on the next lap, but now Owens is working lapped traffic in the low groove while Francis and Tim McCreadie are up top.
9:27 p.m.: 20 laps down
Steve Francis lapped Dan Schlieper on the 13th lap and has nearly a small margin on second-running Jimmy Owens after 20 laps. Next in line: Tim McCreadie, Earl Pearson Jr., Darren Miller, Darrell Lanigan, Rick Eckert and Don O'Neal.
9:25 p.m.: Francis leads after 10 laps
Steve Francis leads in the high groove after 10 laps with Jimmy Owens taking second after Earl Pearson Jr. briefly dipped into the low groove. Tim McCreadie and Darren Miller are in the top five.
9:22 p.m.: Green flag
Earl Pearson Jr. and Steve Francis are door-to-door in the early laps; it's a dead heat on lap three.
9:19 p.m. Four-wide salute
Steve Barnett and Darren Miller have returned from the pits as the field forms for the four-wide salute. Fireworks are erupting from the turns three-four end of the track. Miller is moving toward his original seventh starting spot, which he'll retain. Lucas Oil Series rules allow for changes before the race as long as the green flag hasn't dropped.
9:15 p.m.: Engines fire
The call has been made to start engines and the 25-car field has rumbled to life. Provisional starter Steve Barnett immediately did a U-turn and headed for the pits in his No. 89. Barnett is starting his 25th Jackson 100. Moments later, Darren Miller headed down the turn-one track exit and headed for the pits.
9:12 p.m.: Fresh track surface
While the track surface slicked off nicely for heats and consolation races, promoter Tim Keithley and track officials didn't gamble that the track would hold up for the 100-lap feature (Matt Miller's victory last year came on a rubbered-down track). Workers spent about an hour working on the surface to whip it into shape for the feature. One modified consolation has run on the track but there still seems to be plenty of moisture in the track and with temperatures cooling, it seems unlikely the track would lock down.
9:07 p..m: Driver intros
Announcers James Essex and Chris Nunn are midway through driver introductions for the 100-lap feature, sponsored by Bob Poynter Ford. Earl Pearson Jr. and Steve Francis are set to start on the front row of the 25-car field. Virtually every car in the field has been shined up with the cars of Pearson, Darren Miller and Jeep Van Wormer looking particularly sharp.
Feature
Following the provisional dash, the track did extensive track surface preparation for the feature during an Intermission. A consolation race for modifieds pulled on the track about 8:40 p.m. and the 100-lap Late Model feature should follow it.
Provisional dash
The track is running a six-car dash with the winner earning the track provisional for the feature. The six drivers in the dash: Shannon Reed, Steve Barnett, Tim Prince, Mike Jewell, Chad Stapleton and Scott Jones. Barnett won the race after starting outside the front row.
Second consolation
Polesitter Randy Korte stayed ahead of a wild battle for the second and final transfer spot, winning easily while several cars dueled behind him. Wayne Chinn, Mike Jewell, John Mason and Brian Shirley were among drivers looking for the second transfer spot as Chinn (high) and Mason (low) ran side by side through the middle laps. Mason edged ahead for good on the seventh lap. Jewell faded and Shirley couldn't get within striking distance late in the race. Steven Godsey drew a second-lap caution. Billy Drake gave up a second-row starting spot because he switched to a backup car for the consolation. He finished seventh.
Finish: Randy Korte, John Mason, Wayne Chinn, Brian Shirley, Joe Janowski, Billy Drake, Mike Jewell, Justin Shaw, Jason Jameson, Dan Sturgeon, C.J. Rayburn, Mike Bechelli, Steven Godsey, George Scheffler, Wesley Morrison Jr., Derek Ramp, Charles Ross, Steve Smith.
First consolation
Polesitter Scott Bloomquist, a two-time Jackson 100 winner, cruised to victory over fellow front-row starter Greg Johnson in the 12-lap consy. Only those two transferred to the feature event in the caution-free affair as Johnson took the second and final transfer spot from three-time track champion Steve Barnett on a lap-seven restart. Barnett faded to fourth behind Steve Casebolt, who should be in line for a series provisional. The race's lone caution appeared on the seventh lap when fourth-starting Scott James slowed on the seventh lap.
Finish: Scott Bloomquist, Greg Johnson, Steve Casebolt, Steve Barnett, Freddy Smith, John Gill, Kerry Hansen, Shannon Reed, Bart Hartman, Justin Rattliff, Brian Wilhite, Scott Jones, Jason Smith, Tim Prince, Patrick Sheltra, Chad Stapleton, Kevin Claycomb, Terry Casey, Scott James, Rohn Moon, Tory Routier.
Sixth heat
In another win by an outside front-row starter, Earl Pearson Jr. got rolled in the high groove and outran third-starting Michael England, who ran a little lower in futilely trying to catch the winner. England ended up just two lengths behind at the finish while polesitter Cody Mahoney stuck with the low groove in finishing third, holding off a mid-race challenge from two-time Jackson 100 winner Billy Drake. A caution appeared on the first lap when Charles Ross spun in turn four, drawing a yellow.
Finish: Earl Pearson Jr., Michael England, Cody Mahoney, Billy Drake, Brian Shirley, Steve Smith, C.J. Rayburn, Derek Ramp, Charles Ross.
Fifth heat
Jimmy Owens capitalized on his high-side momentum to sweep into the early lead as he cruised to victory from outside the front row. Third-starting Matt Miller slid under polesitter Dan Schlieper on the first lap, but Miller stayed at least a half-straightaway behind the rest of the way. Schlieper, who moved up high to follow Owens and Miller after the first lap, was third while Joe Janowski was a distant fourth, just ahead of Wayne Chinn, who he overtook on the eighth lap of the caution-free prelim.
Finish: Jimmy Owens, Matt Miller, Dan Schlieper, Joe Janowski, Wayne Chinn, Jason Jameson, Justin Shaw, Mike Bechelli, Wesley Morrison Jr.
Fourth heat
In his first-ever race at Brownstown, Tim McCreadie started outside the front row and ran away in the 10-lapper, finishing nearly a straightaway ahead of a battle for second between Jeep Van Wormer and polesitter Shannon Babb. Babb nosed in on Van Wormer a few times before dropping back in the third and final transfer spot. Randy Korte was further back in fourth in the No. 69 normally piloted by Bryan Bernhardt.
Finish: Tim McCreadie, Jeep Van Wormer, Shannon Babb, Randy Korte, Mike Jewell, John Mason, Dan Sturgeon, Mark Bechelli, Steven Godsey, George Scheffler.
Third heat
In a race with another three-wide backstretch battle on the first lap, outside front-row starter was able to slip away from polesitter Darrell Lanigan and fourth-starting Dennis Erb Jr., who got a great start before dropping into a duel for the final transfer spot with Justin Rattliff, who is piloting the car of fellow Kentuckian Michael England. Eckert and Lanigan secured their transfer spots without much problem, but the third spot was up for grabs in the second half of the race. Rattliff took a shot at Erb on a lap-seven restart, but he slipped over the turn-three banking to fall from contention. A lap-two caution came out when Tim Prince and Patrick Sheltra both got out of shape in turns three and four. Prince went over the banking on the seventh lap for another yellow.
Finish: Rick Eckert, Darrell Lanigan, Dennis Erb Jr., Steve Barnett, Freddy Smith, Rohn Moon, Patrick Sheltra, Justin Rattliff, Tim Prince, Jason Smith.
Second heat
Polesitter Steve Francis survived three-wide backstretch battle on the first lap and rolled to victory in the second 10-lap heat race. Fellow front-row starter Greg Johnson and third-starting Brian Birkhofer pulled nearly even with the polesitter early before Francis squeaked away; he went on to win by three lengths over Birkhofer, who swapped the second position with Johnson on lap two. Johnson faded to fourth as seventh-starting Donnie Moran marched forward to get the third and final transfer spot. A bad start brought out a caution and a complete restart.
Finish: Steve Francis, Brian Birkhofer, Donnie Moran, Greg Johnson, Steve Casebolt, Terry Casey, Shannon Reed, Brian Wilhite, Chad Stapleton, Tory Routier.
First heat
Overall fast qualifier Josh McGuire, starting outside the front row, jumped into the lead and rolled to a victory in the first heat. Third-starting Darren Miller quickly moved up to second and made occasional challenges of McGuire, but settled for second. Polesitter Don O'Neal fought off race-long challenges from Scott Bloomquist to get the third and final transfer spot in the caution-free event. Bart Hartman, who started outside the second row, got too high on the start in turn two and never recovered. Scott James finished far behind the top four in fifth.
Finish: Josh McGuire, Darren Miller, Don O'Neal, Scott Bloomquist, Scott James, Kevin Claycomb, Kerry Hansen, John Gill, Bart Hartman, Scott Jones.
Heat race lineups
Row 1: Don O'Neal, Josh McGuire
Row 2: Darren Miller, Bart Hartman
Row 3: Scott Bloomquist, Scott James
Row 4: Kevin Claycomb, John Gill
Row 5: Kerry Hansen, Scott Jones
Second heat
Row 1: Steve Francis, Greg Johnson
Row 2: Brian Birkhofer, Terry Casey
Row 3: Steve Casebolt, Shannon Reed
Row 4: Donnie Moran, Chad Stapleton
Row 5: Brian Wilhite, Tory Routier
Third heat
Row 1: Darrell Lanigan, Rick Eckert
Row 2: Rohn Moon, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 3: Justin Rattliff, Jason Smith
Row 4: Steve Barnett, Patrick Sheltra
Row 5: Freddy Smith, Tim Prince
Fourth heat
Row 1: Shannon Babb, Tim McCreadie
Row 2: Jeep Van Wormer, Randy Korte
Row 3: Mike Jewell, Mark Bechelli
Row 4: Steven Godsey, Dan Sturgeon
Row 5: John Mason, George Scheffler
Fifth heat
Row 1: Dan Schlieper, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Matt Miller, Jason Jameson
Row 3: Wayne Chinn, Justin Shaw
Row 4: Joe Janowski, Mike Bechelli
Row 5: Wesley Morrison Jr.
Sixth heat
Row 1: Cody Mahoney, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 2: Michael England, Billy Drake
Row 3: Brian Shirley, Steve Smith
Row 4: C.J. Rayburn, Derek Ramp
Row 5: Charles Ross
