ROSSBURG, Ohio — Shrugging off a penalty for an illegal start, Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., led all but three laps Friday night at Eldora Speedway for a 25-lap preliminary victory during Dream XXIII presented by Ferris Mowers weekend.

Ninth-starting Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., gained ground on Lanigan late in the race but settled for a second-place finish, 1.318 seconds behind at the finish. Thursday preliminary winner and six-time Dream winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., who slipped by polesitter Zack Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., in the final laps, was third while Dohm and Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., rounded out the top five.

Lanigan was scheduled to start fourth, but because he wasn’t nose-to-tail with the car in front of him, officials called back the initial start and put him in the sixth starting position. It didn’t matter as Lanigan’s put his Clint Bowyer Racing machine quickly into third spot and set his sights on the lead.

“The car was awesome,” Lanigan said. “I got penalized there at the beginning. I really didn’t know you weren’t allowed to go all the way to the top there, as long as you stayed in position. But the car was good. I got around them pretty quick there and once I got in clean air it was awesome.

“We brought a really good piece up here,” Lanigan said on the victory stage. “All my guys, they’ve worked their butt off. I have to thank everybody on this car,” Lanigan added. “It’s been a while since I’ve been up here, so it’s definitely nice to be back up here."

Dohm took command early in the inside lane with outside front-row starter Kyle Bronson, Lanigan and Clanton giving chase.

Lanigan moved up to second with a lap-three slide job in turn three, then used the outside lane to go around Dohm and take command on the fourth lap, nipping Dohm at the line.

From there, Lanigan pulled away from Dohm while Bronson, Shane Clanton and Bloomquist were holding top-five spots as Madden started to get rolling behind them.

Madden continued his charge, moved into fourth on lap eighth, took third from Bloomquist on lap 14 and finally past Dohm on lap 17.

By then Lanigan was too far ahead for Madden to catch, but the South Carolina driver gave it his best shot.

“I think two more laps and we would have had him,” said Madden, who is among the top points earners from Thursday and Friday’s prelims heading for Saturday’s $100,000-to-win finale. “We had a great race car. Those guys started up front ... same thing as last night. We need more than 25 laps. I’m looking forward to tomorrow for sure.”

Bloomquist couldn’t duplicate his victory from Thursday night.

“We just tried a couple of different things tonight,” Bloomquist said. “We were pretty good last night. We got a good night’s test. More than likely we’ll end up going back to what we were running last night.”

The 25-lapper’s lone caution appeared for Lanigan’s illegal start. Timothy Culp was penalized for not following the nose-to-tail rule on the second start, but no caution was thrown and he was unofficially docked in the final rundown from ninth to 11th..

Preliminary results and notes:

Consolation

Polesitter Jason Jameson shot to the lead on the opening lap, as Jason Feger and Rusty Schlenk battled for the fourth and final transfer spot. Second-starting Devin Gilpin worked the high side, reeling in Jameson as the race neared the halfway mark. As the battle continued up front, seventh-starting Jimmy Owens joined the challenge for the last transfer spot. Gilpin edged ahead of Jameson at the line to lead lap eight, as Owens moved in to the third-place spot. Gilpin held off Jameson to win the consolation, with Jameson, Owens and Schlenk transferring to the feature.

Finish (top four transfer): Devin Gilpin, Jason Jameson, Jimmy Owens, Rusty Schlenk, Spencer Diercks, Casey Roberts, Nick Latham, Jeep Van Wormer, Jesse Lay, Chase Junghans, Jason Feger, Tim Lance, Casey Noonan, Scott James, Dustin Nobbe, Troy Worrick, Blake Spencer, Bryant Dickinson, Matt Lux.

Heat notes

Dennis Erb Jr. couldn’t believe his eyes when race-long leader Chris Madden made his lane choice for a double-file restart with two laps remaining in the first heat. “I was actually kind of surprised that Chris picked the bottom there,” said Erb, who watched Madden spin his wheels into turn one when the green flag flew and bolted from third to first to score a dramatic win. … Jeep Van Wormer figured he must have run over something on the racetrack to blow a right-rear tire while holding a transfer spot with one lap remaining in Heat 1. “It doesn’t look like there was anything rubbing,” he said. … Timothy Culp wore a broad smile after capturing the second heat over a fast-closing Scott Bloomquist. “It’s crazy just to be out here and race with these guys,” he said. “It’s a great confidence builder for me.” … With a Heat 3 triumph, Donald McIntosh rebounded well from a Thursday-night outing that started off poorly when he slapped the wall hard in time trials. “I can’t thank these guys enough for standing behind me,” said McIntosh, who is seeking his first-ever start in the 100-lap Dream feature. “We had a rough night yesterday.” … Shane Clanton was still looking for more speed out of his Capital Race Car after winning the fourth heat. “We changed a lot of stuff (after finishing fourth in a Thursday feature),” he said. We’ve been working hard to get our car balanced, but we’ve got more work to do.”

Consolation lineup

(12 laps; top four transfer)
Row 1: Jason Jameson, Devin Gilpin
Row 2: Rusty Schlenk, Spencer Diercks
Row 3: Jesse Lay, Nick Latham
Row 4: Jimmy Owens, Jason Feger
Row 5: Casey Noonan, Casey Roberts
Row 6: Chase Junghans, Troy Worrick
Row 7: Dustin Nobbe, Tim Lance
Row 8: Scott James, Matt Lux
Row 9: Jeep Van Wormer, Bryant Dickinson
Row 10: Blake Spencer

Fourth heat

Outside polesitter charged ahead to take an early lead, as third-starting Darrell Lanigan slipped past Hudson O’Neal to run in second. With the top-four pulling away, a close battle ensued between Chris Ferguson, Spencer Diercks and Jason Feger for the final transfer spot. Holding nearly a straightaway lead, Clanton won the heat race, with Lanigan finishing second. Mike Mataragas finished third, with O’Neal running fourth. Ferguson ran fifth to transfer to the feature.

Finish (top five transfer): Shane Clanton, Darrell Lanigan, Mike Mataragas, Hudson O’Neal, Chris Ferguson, Spencer Diercks, Jason Feger, Troy Worrick, Matt Lux.

Third heat

Working around the bottom of the racetrack, polesitter Kyle Bronson lead the opening lap, as Jimmy Owens began his charge from the tail of the field. Outside polesitter Donald McIntosh slipped ahead to lead the second lap, as Rodney Sanders and Jackie Boggs battled for the third-place spot. Narrowly sliding ahead of Boggs, Tyler Erb moved in to fourth at the halfway mark. McIntosh won the heat race, with Bronson, Erb, Sanders and Boggs transferring to the main event.

Finish (top five transfer): Donald McIntosh, Kyle Bronson, Tyler Erb, Rodney Sanders, Jackie Boggs, Rusty Schlenk, Jimmy Owens, Chase Junghans, Scott James, Blake Spencer.

Second heat

Taking in three-wide down the backstretch, third-starting Timothy Culp sloped ahead of the front row starters to lead the first lap, with outside polesitter Jake O’Neil edging ahead to lead the second circuit. Culp regained the lead a lap later, with Scott Bloomquist working back to the front after getting shuffled back early. Bloomquist slid in to the second spot on lap seven, with fifth-starting Brandon Overton challenging O’Neil for third. Culp picked up the heat race win, with Bloomquist and Overton rounding out the podium.

Finish (top five transfer): Timothy Culp, Scott Bloomquist, Brandon Overton, Jake O’Neil, Gregg Satterlee, Devin Gilpin, Nick Latham, Casey Roberts, Tim Lance, Bryant Dickinson.

First heat

Charging around the high side, outside polesitter Chris Madden jumped to an early lead. As Madden distanced himself from the field, fourth-starting Dennis Erb Jr. set his sights on second-running Jeep Van Wormer, with Shannon Babb battlingFrank Heckenast Jr. for the fifth and final transfer spot. With Madden holding nearly a half-track lead over the field, Zack Dohm slipped ahead of Erb and Van Wormer down the backstretch to move in to second on lap nine. A yellow flag waved on the ninth lap when Van Wormer slowed in turn four with a flat tire, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Using the restart to his advantage, Erb grabbed the lead on the restart, edging ahead of Dohm to win the heat race. Dohm finished runner-up with Madden, Heckenast and Babb transferring to the feature.

Finish (top five transfer): Dennis Erb Jr., Zack Dohm, Chris Madden, Frank Heckenast Jr., Shannon Babb, Jason Jameson, Jesse Lay, Casey Noonan, Dustin Nobbe, Jeep Van Wormer.

Qualifying

Heat race lineups

(10 laps; top five transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Jeep Van Wormer, Chris Madden
Row 2: Frank Heckenast Jr., Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 3: Shannon Babb, Zack Dohm
Row 4: Jesse Lay, Casey Noonan
Row 5: Jason Jameson, Dustin Nobbe
Second heat
Row 1: Nick Latham, Jake O’Neil
Row 2: Timothy Culp, Scott Bloomquist
Row 3: Brandon Overton, Gregg Satterlee
Row 4: Casey Roberts, Tim Lance
Row 5: Devin Gilpin, Bryant Dickinson
Third heat
Row 1: Kyle Bronson, Jackie Boggs
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Donald McIntosh
Row 3: Rusty Schlenk, Chase Junghans
Row 4: Scott James, Rodney Sanders
Row 5: Blake Spencer, Jimmy Owens
Fourth heat
Row 1: Hudson O’Neal, Shane Clanton
Row 2: Darrell Lanigan, Chris Ferguson
Row 3: Mike Mataragas, Spencer Diercks
Row 4: Jason Feger, Troy Worrick
Row 5: Matt Lux, Jerry Bowersock

Pre-race notes

The briefest of showers passed through the area around 1 p.m., but the skies cleared wonderfully and the temperature topped 80 degrees as the start of hot laps approached. … DIRTcar officials brought 25 drivers to Eldora’s infield care center on Friday afternoon to conducted random drug tests under the World Racing Group’s new-for-2017 drug testing policy. … WRG’s affiliation with Eldora for the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Dream also includes the use of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series truck and trailer, which is parked in the pit area and has been designated as the place where top-finishing teams must take their tires for postrace sampling. … Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, who is ranked third in the WoO points standings, struggled on Eldora’s slick Thursday surface and didn’t qualify for a feature. After missing just one A-main field this season before last night (the Lucas Oil Series Bad Boy 98 at Batesville, Ark., in April), Erb admitted his DNQ was “frustrating, but it’s a reality check.” … Jerry Bowersock of Wapakoneta, Ohio, is missing from Friday’s night’s field after competing on Thursday. Bowersock, who plans to be back for Saturday’s finale, racing his open-wheel modified tonight at Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio, where he’s ranked second in the points standings and chasing a NASCAR-sanctioned title that pays $6,000. … Tim Manville of Highland, Ill., who ranked 38th in Dream points after Thursday, discovered a broken retainer in his car’s engine late Friday afternoon while prepping for the evening’s action. At the start of practice his team was awaiting a replacement part to arrive from engine builder Mike Dargie’s shop in Richmond, Ind.; with an estimated half-hour fix, the likelihood of Manville participating in time trials appeared slim but he was considering tagging a heat race if repairs were made in time. … Matt Lux of Franklin, Pa., had some trouble getting comfortable Thursday in his first appearance at Eldora since 2008, but he gained confidence with his consolation race performance in. “We made some changes and I felt pretty good,” said Lux, who returned to Eldora because his car owner, Jim Detman, had never been to the track and wanted to make the trip. “Hopefully we’ll be better tonight.” … Another driver back at Eldora this weekend after a lengthy absence is Brian Harris of Davenport, Iowa, who accepted an offer to drive veteran Iowan Jay Johnson’s Black Diamond machine just days before the start of the event. The 38-year-old Harris didn’t qualify in his first Dirt Late Model start since the end of the 2015 season when he decided to stop racing because he was hampered by lingering effects of a serious neck injury he suffered in a 2007 crash at West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway. Harris said exercises he’s been doing over the past year have eliminated the pain he was feeling, prompting him to climb back behind the wheel.

Time trials (unofficial)

Driver (car no.), hometown

1. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 17.819
2. R.J. Conley (71C), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 17.902
3. Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 17.933
4. Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., 18.005
5. Donald McIntosh (7), Dawsonville, Ga., 18.009
6. Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio, 18.094
7. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 18.128
8. Steve Francis (15), Bowling Green, Ky., 18.18
9. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 18.203
10. Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., 18.214
11. Timothy Culp (C8), Prattsville, Ark., 18.275
12. MIke Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 18.282
13. Tyler Erb (91), New Waverly, Texas, 18.303
14. Ricky Weiss (7W), Headingley, Manitoba, 18.309
15. Darrell Lanigan (14), Union, Ky., 18.311
16. Kody Evans (4G), Camden, Ohio, 18.327
17. Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 18.375
18. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 18.381
19. Jake O’Neil (0), Tucson, Ariz., 18.383
20. Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 18.386
21. Jackie Boggs (4B), Grayson, Ky., 18.395
22. Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 18.412
23. Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 18.459
24. Andrew Reaume (88), Blenheim, Ontario, 18.481
25. Jeep Van Wormer (55), Pinconning, Mich., 18.491
26. Kent Robinson (7R), Bloomington, Ind., 18.493
27. Nick Latham (31), Winchester, Ohio, 18.494
28. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 18.497
29. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 18.556
30. Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, 18.615
31. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 18.66
32. Billy Moyer Jr. (21), Batesville, Ark., 18.674
33. Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 18.711
34. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 18.759
35. Brandon Overton (116), Evans, Ga., 18.784
36. Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 18.833
37. Rusty Schlenk (1CJ), Weston, Ohio, 18.835
38. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 18.855
39. Mike Mataragas (1m), DeKalb, Ill., 18.893
40. Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis., 18.908
41. Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 18.94
42. Ryan King (1G), Seymour, Tenn., 18.957
43. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 18.983
44. Joey Moriarty (51), Peoria, Ariz., 19.019
45. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 19.061
46. Spencer Diercks (29D), Davenport, Iowa, 19.063
47. Jon Henry (15), Ada, Ohio, 19.063
48. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 19.069
49. Jesse Lay (33), Walton, Ky., 19.107
50. Brian Harris (93), Davenport, Iowa, 19.114
51. Casey Roberts (101), Toccoa, Ga., 19.137
52. Jacob Hawkins (20), Fairmont. W.Va., 19.16
53. Scott James (83), Bright, Ind., 19.174
54. Brian Shirley (3S), Chatham, Ill., 19.178
55. Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 19.195
56. Steve Casebolt (C9), Richmond, Ind., 19.201
57. Casey Noonan (1N), Sylvania, Ohio, 19.222
58. Shanon Buckingham (50), Morristown, Tenn., 19.225
59. Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill., 19.232
60. Eddie Carrier Jr. (10), Salt Rock, W.Va., 19.266
61. Rodney Sanders (20), Happy, Texas, 19.269
62. Forrest Trent (101T), Talbot, Tenn., 19.28
63. Troy Worrick (79), Marion, Ind., 19.302
64. Tyler Bruening (16), Decorah, Iowa, 19.38
65. Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 19.422
66. Jeff Babcock (7B), Wayne, Ohio, 19.501
67. Devin Gilpin (1G), Columbus, Ind., 19.519
68. Nick Hoffman (2), Mooresville, N.C., 19.554
69. Blake Spencer (6S), St. Augustine, Fla., 19.625
70. Matt Lux (111), Franklin, Pa., 19.639
71. Jeff Beyers (27), Pana, Ill., 19.653
72. Kenny Collins (1C), Colbert, Ga., 19.668
73. Dustin Nobbe (5N), Batesville, Ind., 19.717
74. Brett Miller (97), Metamora, Ohio, 19.767
75. Bryant Dickinson (5*), Ionia, Mich., 19.868
76. Brian Ligon (444), Evans, Ga., 21.151
77. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., no time
78. Tim Manville (33), Highland, Ill., no time
79. Jerry Bowersock (95J), Wapakoneta, Ohio, no time

Accrued Dream weekend points

(Through Thursday's events)

1. Chris Madden - 988
2. Scott Bloomquist - 986
3. Billy Moyer - 970
4. Don O’Neal - 955
5. Chris Simpson - 953
6. Darrell Lanigan - 952
7. Gregg Satterlee - 952
8. Jonathan Davenport - 944
9. Dale McDowell - 938
10. Brandon Overton - 937
11. Tim McCreadie - 936
12. Brandon Sheppard - 934
13. Devin Moran - 928
14. Kent Robinson - 927
15. Zack Dohm - 920
16. R.J. Conley - 914
17. Shane Clanton - 913
18. Earl Pearson Jr. - 910
19. Steve Francis - 910
20. Frank Heckenast Jr. - 906
21. Eddie Carrier Jr. - 896
22. Billy Moyer Jr. - 894
23. Dennis Erb Jr. - 892
24. Jimmy Mars - 891
25. Casey Roberts - 890
26. Bobby Pierce - 887
27. Shannon Babb - 886
28. Jeep Van Wormer - 886
29. Hudson O'Neal - 884
30. Steve Casebolt - 882
31. Nick Hoffman - 880
32. Rusty Schlenk - 878
33. Jon Henry - 875
34. Mike Marlar - 864
35. Dustin Nobbe - 862
36. Ryan King - 858
37. Jason Feger - 856
38. Tim Manville - 854
39. Devin Gilpin - 852
40. Jeff Babcock - 844
41. Chase Junghans - 842
42. Nick Latham - 840
43. Jake O'Neil - 836
44. Kyle Bronson - 822
45. Shanon Buckingham - 820
46. Jacob Hawkins - 816
47. Jackie Boggs - 814
48. Mason Zeigler - 812
49. Brian Shirley - 806
50. Timothy Culp - 804
51. Andrew Reaume - 798
52. Rodney Sanders - 788
53. Jimmy Owens - 786
54. Spencer Diercks - 782
55. Jason Jameson - 768
56. Chris Ferguson - 764
57. Rod Conley - 762
58. Tyler Bruening - 762
59. Scott James - 758
60. Tim Lance - 758
61. Bryant Dickinson - 750
62. Mike Mataragas - 744
63. Tyler Erb - 742
64. Casey Noonan - 742
65. Ricky Weiss - 742
66. Joey Moriarty - 738
67. Jesse Lay - 734
68. Matt Lux - 734
69. Donald McIntosh - 732
70. Forrest Trent - 732
71. Brian Ligon - 716
72. Kenny Collins - 716
73. Brett Miller - 710
74. Kody Evans - 708
75. Blake Spencer - 704
76. Brian Harris - 700
77. Jerry Bowersock - 700
78. Troy Worrick - 684
79. Jeff Beyers - 0

Friday's race schedule

6 p.m. - Hot laps by qualifying group
6:30 p.m. - Time trials
7:55 p.m. - Invocation and national anthem
8 p.m. - Racing begins
- Heat races (10 laps; alternating odd/even with top five transferring to main event)
- Consolation races (12 laps; one for odd, one for even and top four transferring to main event)
- Odd feature race (25 laps)
- Even feature race (25 laps)

Friday's event schedule

6 a.m.-6 p.m.: Showers open (front of Lot 2)
7-11 a.m.: Breakfast at turn-four concessions
10 a.m. Main gate ticket office opens (tickets, pit passes and will call)
10 a.m.: Turn-three race registration opens (pit passes and media credential sign-in)
10 a.m.: Turn-four ticket office opens (tickets and pit passes)
10 a.m.: All ADA parking opens (permit required)
11 a.m.: Grandstand cleared and secured for grand opening
Noon: All admission gates/suites/concessions open
Noon: Turn-three pit gate opens
Noon: Technical inspection for Late Models
5 p.m.: Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m.: Hot laps
8 p.m.: Racing begins