Dirt on Dirt - McCreadie dominates for his second Jackson 100

September 26

Brownstown Speedway,

Brownstown, IN

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (Jackson 100) - $15,000

Information provided by: Robert Holman (last updated September 28, 8:19 am)

McCreadie dominates for his second Jackson 100

Jackson 100

Tim McCreadie
Jonathan Davenport
Tanner English
Zack Dohm
Earl Pearson Jr.
Mike Marlar
Tyler Erb
Chris Ferguson
Devin Moran
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Steve Casebolt
Shane Clanton
Kyle Strickler
Josh Richards
Jimmy Owens
Hudson O'Neal
Billy Moyer Jr.
Greg Johnson
Kyle Bronson
Chad Finley
Bobby Pierce
Tyler Bruening
Chad Stapleton
Billy Moyer
Scott James
Stormy Scott
Josh Rice
Michael Chilton

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Todd Battin

Tim McCreadie led 86 laps in winning his second Jackson 100.

What won the race: Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., overtook Jonathan Davenport on the 15th lap and led the rest of Saturday's Jackson 100 on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for his second victory in Brownstown Speedway's biggest event. The 2008 race winner earned $15,000 for his seventh Lucas Oil victory of the season.

Key notes: The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series wrapped up its doubleheader weekend at Brownstown Speedway with the 41st annual Jackson 100. ... Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., claimed Friday’s weekend opener at Brownstown after pulling away from an early back and forth battle and later holding off Ricky Thornton Jr. Richards notched his third series victory of the season in the Night Before the Jackson 100 at the quarter-mile oval.

On the move: Tanner English of Benton, Ky., sarted 11th and finished third; Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, started 24th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: McCreadie’s Paylor Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Mega Electric, Sweeteners Plus, Racing for Heroes and Bilstein.

Points chase: After Brownstown: 1. Jimmy Owens (7,655); 2. Tim McCreadie (7,175); 3. Jonathan Davenport (7,000); 4. Josh Richards (6,925); 5. Tyler Erb (6,750); 6. Shane Clanton (6,430); 7. Devin Moran (6,380); 8. Kyle Bronson (6,330); 9. Tanner English (6,125); 10. Billy Moyer Jr. (6,035); 11. Earl Pearson Jr. (6,005); 12. Tyler Bruening (5,365); 13. Hudson O’Neal (5,230); 14. Stormy Scott (4,995).

Current weather: Clear, 64°F

Car count: 60

Fast qualifier: Kyle Strickler

Time: 13.828 seconds

Polesitter: Kyle Strickler

Heat race winners: Kyle Strickler, Ricky Thornton Jr., Billy Moyer, Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Zack Dohm

Consolation race winners: Scott James, Chad Finley, Steve Casebolt

Provisional starters: Billy Moyer Jr., Tyler Bruening, Stormy Scott, Chad Stapleton

Next series race: October 2, Raceway 7 (Conneaut, OH) $12,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff and series reports

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. — When Dirt Late Model racers get their pictures taken, it’s usually good news. But Tim McCreadie wasn’t so sure Saturday night during the waning laps of Brownstown Speedway’s 41st annual Jackson 100.

The Watertown, N.Y., driver was looking for his second straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and seventh series win of the season, but he knew three-time tour champion and fellow Longhorn Chassis driver Jonathan Davenport was lurking in the second spot.

“I started seeing people taking pictures, so I figured, man, somebody’s gotta be coming if everybody’s snapping pictures all the way around the track,” McCreadie said. “So I just figured I’d do the best I can.”

McCreadie’s best was continuing his steady line around the quarter-mile oval at the southern Indiana fairgrounds track as he led the final 86 laps for a $15,000 payday, his second victory in a race he first won in 2008. He celebrated with two rounds of donuts on his way to victory lane, where he danced a little jig atop his victorious No. 39 in front of the Brownstown throng.

“It’s crazy, I was telling Josh Richards earlier tonight, when I first came here, the first time out of the gate, and I thought, ’Man, I love this place. This oughta be a lot of fun winning,’ ” McCreadie told series announcer James Essex in victory lane. “And what did you say, 15 years? Ten years? Twelve years later, it hasn’t been much fun for 11 of them, but 12’s pretty cool, that’s for sure.”

Davenport, the Blairsville, Ga., driver who started outside the front row and led the first 14 laps, drew within a half-second of McCreadie with 10 laps remaining, but McCreadie edged away for a 2.455-second margin at the checkers. Tanner English of Benton, Ky., improved eight positions in finishing third while Zack Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., who held the second spot for more than 20 laps, was fourth. Four-time series champion Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., finished fifth after starting 12th.

Davenport got the jump on polesitter Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., to take the early lead, but as the frontrunners entered slower traffic for the first time, McCreadie found a higher line that was working better than Davenport’s lower groove.

“I just was probably one lap too late in moving up there when I was leading and ready to lap cars,” Davenport said. “As soon as I thought about moving up, I seen (McCreadie’s) nose and I knew he was going to get the lead there. I searched everywhere after that, and me and Zack had a good race side-by-side.”

McCreadie never faced a serious challenge after taking command, but it was anything but easy, he said.

“Tonight, for me personally, (the track surface) had a little brown strip that was out there, and it just held on the right track and kept my momentum up,” he said. “I’m telling you, I’m wore out. This is probably the hardest I’ve worked for anything. I know it’s a little track and you’re riding around at 7,800 (RPMs) all the way around this place. I don’t know.

“I saw 49 on the board and I figured, ’Don’t hold off one lap.’ Because he’ll make me pay. I thought he was getting close at the end and I just kind of moved down because it was cleaner (on the track surface).”

McCreadie had a few tense moments exiting turn two at the wall-less track where slipping over the berm can spell disaster.

The winner’s favored groove was “a little brown streak” around and track, “and it’s just got a little, just a little adhesive, that would (traction) my car up. I’d circle around on it. Any time I’d tried to diamond off it — early I could — but later I just lost a little bit of traction.”

Davenport, who won a back-and-forth mid-race battle with Dohm to regain the second spot, simply couldn’t find a way to keep up with McCreadie. He was closest at lap 90 but the winner drew back away over the final 10 laps.

“I just wasn’t good enough,” Davenport said. “McCreadie’s really consistent right now and he’s really good, so just to keep him honest, we’re doing pretty good with this Nutrien Ag Longhorn.”

English broke into the top five on the 73rd lap and picked off two more drivers the rest of the way for one of his strongest runs of the season at one of his favorite racetracks.

“It seemed like every time we had a caution we’d pass two or three cars and kind of even out,” English said. “At the end everybody started fading a little bit, and I started gaining on ’em and began picking ’em off. I had one of the best cars I’ve had all year and I can’t thank everybody enough.”

The most significant caution appeared on the 30th lap when sixth-place finisher Mike Marlar and Friday feature winner Josh Richards tangled on the backstretch battling for fifth. Marlar, who was recovering after nearly slipping off the track, made contact with Richards who spun into turn three and fell from contention.

Besides the Marlar-Richards tangle, four other yellow flags appeared, three over an eight-lap stretch early in the second half of the 100-lapper.

A lap-53 yellow dropped when Chad Finley slipped off the racetrack. Tyler Bruening’s turn-two spin drew a lap-61 slowdown, and another yellow appeared on lap 62 for slowing Lucas Oil Series points leader Jimmy Owens. The race’s first caution appeared for a slowing Scott James on lap 25.

McCreadie, whose 2008 victory at Brownstown came in his first trip to the track, relished his most recent Indiana visit for his car owners.

“It’s a dream season for us right now,” McCreadie said, “especially with Donald and Gena pushing us along.”

Notes: McCreadie notched his 22nd career Lucas Oil victory. … Friday's runner-up Ricky Thornton Jr. broke a steering rack in the first half of the race and soldiered to a 10th-place finish. ... Sixteen drivers finished on the lead lap. … Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., a three-time Jackson 100 winner, was inducted into Brownstown’s Hall of Fame during pre-race ceremonies. He was an early retiree in the main event. … Mike Marlar, who scratched early from Friday’s action, was back on the track after Jack Cornett of Somerset, Ky.’s Cornett Racing Engines came up to provide a new powerplant for Marlar’s Ronnie Delk-owned No. 157. … Don O’Neal spun in his heat race and suffered significant damage when he collected Tegan Evans. … Brayton Laster was competing after taking his SAT, the college entrance exam, earlier in the day.

Consolation results

(12 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation: Scott James, Shane Clanton, Justin Rattliff, Colten Burdette, Stormy Scott, Tyler Bruening, Trevor Landrum, Austin Burns, Jeff Shackelford, Larry Grube, Anthony Kinkade, Duane Chamberlain, Chad Stapleton, Devin Gilpin.

Second consolation: Chad Finley, Michael Chilton, Cory Hedgecock, Skyller Lewis, Billy Moyer Jr., Tristan Chamberlain, Scott Young, Brian Godsey, Jeff Roth, Kody Marsee, Don O'Neal, Shelby Miles, Tegan Evans, Dustin Linville.

Third consolation: Steve Casebolt, Tyler Erb, Justin Shaw, Jared Bailey, Tyler Neal, Jason Jameson, Marty O'Neal, Josh Hall, Tim Vance, Reid Millard, Robby Hensley, Troy Worrick, Brayton Laster, Joe Godsey.

Heat race results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First heat: Kyle Strickler, Devin Moran, Bobby Pierce, Justin Rattliff, Chad Stapleton, Stormy Scott, Austin Burns, Devin Gilpin, Tyler Breuning, Jeff Shackelford.

Second heat: Ricky Thornton Jr., Mike Marlar, Hudson O'Neal, Shane Clanton, Scott James, Colten Burdette, Duane Chamberlain, Trevor Landrum, Anthony Kinkade, Larry Grube.

Third heat: Billy Moyer, Tanner English, Chris Ferguson, Chad Finley, Cory Hedgecock, Don O'Neal, Jeff Roth, Kody Marsee, Don O'Neal, Tegan Evans. Scratched: Dustin Linville.

Fourth heat: Jonathan Davenport, Josh Richards, Kyle Bronson, Skyller Lewis, Michael Chilton, Billy Moyer Jr., Shelby Miles, Tristan Chamberlain, Brital Godsey, Scott Young.

Fifth heat: Tim McCreadie, Greg Johnson Josh Rice, Justin Shaw, Joe Godsey, Jared Bailey, Marty O'Neal, Robby Hensley, Josh Hall, Troy Worrick.

Sixth heat: Zack Dohm, Earl Pearson Jr., Jimmy Owens, Tyler Erb, Steve Casebolt, Tyler Neal, Jason Jameson, Tim Vance, Reid Millard, Brayton Laster.