ROSSBURG, Ohio — After a winless August, Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., got September — and his weekend at the 47th annual World 100 — off on the right foot.
Overton used his right foot to mash the gas on a new Longhorn Chassis and lead all 25 laps for a $10,000 preliminary victory as he pulled away from runner-up Chris Madden on a lap-22 restart to put himself in a solid position heading to Saturday’s $50,000-to-win finale.
Earl Pearson Jr. pressured Overton early, and Madden turned up the wick amid traffic in the race’s late stages, but Overton kept his throwback Dream Team car out front in racing to victory.
“We definitely made a lot of improvements from early on in the day,” Overton said. “We were definitely no good when we unloaded. This is a brand new car, first night on it. I’d say it was pretty good right out of the box. I got nervous a couple of times. I didn’t know if I should have been on that top or that bottom on those restarts. But sometimes everything just falls your way.”
Madden, of Gray Court, S.C, ended up seven-tenths of a second behind at the finish while eighth-starting Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind. was third after his Clint Bowyer Racing teammate Darrell Lanigan won the first $10,000 prelim.
Zack Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., improved eight positions to finish fourth and Pearson, of Jacksonville, Fla., rounded out the top five.
Overton wasn’t too sure about staying out front on the double-file restarts, but he decided to swing high off turn four — a strategy that appeared to work well.
“I didn’t know if I was doing it right or wrong,” Overton said. “I was so tight getting into one down there, I didn’t want to be pinched in that bottom and get down there and shove and let somebody roll around me on the outside. Once I got going, I felt all right. I got in traffic and I seen (Chris) Madden kind of floating up to that top. Sometimes you just can’t mess up and I guess that was one of mine.”
He’s eager to see what he can do for the rest of the weekend.
“We’re just going to keep tinkering this thing a little bit,” Overton said. “It was pretty good. These preliminaries, it’s nice to win $10,000, but them 100 laps is what counts and a lot of stuff changes from 25 to 100, that’s for sure. So we’re just going to keep working on it, try to make some smart decisions and see if we can’t park this thing here Saturday.”
The fifth-starting Madden was the fastest car on the track as he caught Overton amid traffic with about five laps remaining, but his charge fell short.
“We were really rolling right there at that time,” Madden said. “I think we had the better car. Hats off to my guys working hard on this thing and getting us back out here today.
“We had some problems hot-lapping today and broke some stuff. But those guys worked hard and got us back out there and give me a good race car tonight. We’ll tune on it a little bit for tomorrow and try to get us a win.”
O’Neal and Dohm swapped the third spot after the final restart, but his car’s handling wasn’t good enough to keep up with Overton.
“Starting eighth like that, it was hard to pass out there,” O’Neal said. “We got a good start, we were just too tight. We’ll free up a little for tomorrow night and see what we’ve got.”
The feature was slowed by four cautions, the first for debris on lap and another quick yellow on the ensuing restart when several cars tangled out of turn four including Jimmy Owens, Brent Larson, Chris Ferguson, Jason Feger and others.
The third yellow came out on the eighth lap when Scott Bloomquist and Shane Clanton tangled exiting turn two with Clanton’s right-front getting hung up on left-rear of Bloomquist, who had advanced 11 positions from his 22nd starting position. Clanton ended up ninth an Bloomquist finished 12th.
The final caution appeared for Billy Moyer Jr. with three laps remaining.
Preliminary results:
Feature lineup
Row 1: Brandon Overton, Jason Jameson
Row 2: Earl Pearson Jr., Josh Richards
Row 3: Chris Madden, Steve Casebolt
Row 4: Frank Heckenast Jr., Don O'Neal
Row 5: Chris Ferguson, Jackie Boggs
Row 6: Brent Larson, Tim Dohm
Row 7: Timothy Culp, Jason Feger
Row 8: Shane Clanton, Devin Moran
Row 9: Jimmy Owens, Michael Page
Row 10: Michael Norris, Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 11: Andrew Reaume, Scott Bloomquist
Row 12: Tim Manville, Mason Zeigler
Even consolation results
Second consolation finish (top two transfer): Scott Bloomquist, Mason Zeigler, Dennis Erb Jr., Nick Latham, Dale McDowell, Jerry Bowersock, Duane Chamberlain, Raymond Merrill, Doug Drown, Jay Johnson, Ryan King, Don Hammer, Bryant Dickinson, Bob Gardner, Chris Barton, Rob Toland.
First consolation finish (top two transfer): Andrew Resume, Tim Manville, Jared Miley, Tony Jackson Jr., James Rice, Kyle Bronson, Chad Stapleton, Mike Matagaras, Joey Coulter, Joey Moriarty, Blake Spencer, Connor Meade, Adam Bowman, Jeff Alsip.
Even consolation lineups
(12 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Mason Zeigler, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 2: Nick Latham, Jerry Bowersock
Row 3: Ryan King, Scott Bloomquist
Row 4: Duane Chamberlain, Raymond Merrill
Row 5: Bryant Dickinson, Jay Johnson
Row 6: Doug Drown, Bob Gardner
Row 7: Dale McDowell, Rob Toland
Row 8: Chris Barton, Don Hammer
Second consolation
Row 1: Tony Jackson Jr., Andrew Reaume
Row 2: Jared Miley, Tim Manville
Row 3: Mike Mataragas, Joey Coulter
Row 4: James Rice, Joey Moriarty
Row 5: Kyle Bronson, Adam Bowman
Row 6: Blake Spencer, Michael Chilton
Row 7: Chad Stapleton, Connor Meade
Row 8: Jeff Alsip, Drake Meeks
Even heat notes
Dale McDowell and his crew unloaded their backup Sweet-Bloomquist car after his primary machine sustained significant right-side damage when he couldn’t avoid the machine driven by 16-year-old Eldora first-timer Drake Meeks of Parkersburg, W.Va., who slid into the outside wall between turns one and two as McDowell led the first heat. “He just came back across the racetrack and I had nowhere to go,” a dejected McDowell said. … Chris Madden conceded that he caught a break with McDowell’s troubles to win the first prelim, but he was happy to recover well from a slight “malfunction” in his car during time trials. … Though Josh Richards ran away from the pack in the second heat, his romp wasn’t as easy it his margin of victory (nearly 3 seconds over Frank Heckenast Jr.) would indicate. “It’s tricky,” he said of the track surface. “I almost got into the wall into (turn) one. It’s getting real slick.” … Earl Pearson Jr. offered an interesting reference to his nickname after trading slide-jobs with Timothy Culp to win the third heat. “I wanna say hi to my family back home in (Jacksonville) Florida getting ready for the Hurricane (Irma),” he said. “Maybe this will be the Hurricane’s night.” … Jason Jameson was pleased after steering his Rattliff Racing mount to victory in the fourth heat to earn the outside pole for the 25-lap even feature, but he conceded he needs to fine-tune his car. “It’s a work in progress,” he said. “Every time we come up here we’re getting a little better, but we need to get better in the middle in the slick.” … Brandon Overton stalked Jackie Boggs throughout the fifth heat until finally pulling a slider on the Kentucky driver in turn four and winning the drag race to the checkered flag by a mere 0.022 of a second. “We was a little free so I had to be patient,” said Overton, who claimed the pole position for the even feature. “I thought he was gonna go right back by me (off turn four), but we held on.”
Fifth heat
With a last-lap slider as they raced off of turn four, Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., stole the evening’s final heat race from race-long leader Jackie Boggs. Boggs crossed under Overton as they duo raced to the checkers, but came up .022 seconds short — less than the length of his car’s nosepiece — in a near photo finish after leading the first nine laps. Shane Clanton finished third, while Billy Moyer Jr., picked up the final transfer spot ahead of first-time Eldora visitor Jared Miley. The win puts Overton on the front row for the night’s second $10,000-to-win preliminary feature. With a big run down the backstretch, fourth-starting Clanton made an early charge at the leaders, but settled back into third. Clanton made a bid for second on lap six with a move to the bottom of the track in turn four but couldn’t get by.
Finish (top four transfer): Brandon Overton, Jackie Boggs, Shane Clanton, Billy Moyer Jr., Jared Miley, Ryan King, Joey Moriarty, Jay Johnson, Chad Stapleton, Chris Barton.
Fourth heat
Former Florence, Ky., track champ Jason Jameson won the fourth heat to grab a front-row starting spot in the night’s even feature. Jameson was well ahead of the battle for second between Chris Ferguson and Jason Feger. Jameson finished 2.457 seconds ahead of Ferguson. Feger finished third, with Mike Norris holding off a late charge from Dennis Erb Jr. Erb rallied from his seventh starting spot to pressure Norris on the final lap, but couldn’t make a clean pass.
Finish (top four transfer): Jason Jameson, Chris Ferguson, Jason Feger, Mike Norris, Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Mataragas, Duane Chamberlain, Adam Bowman, Bob Gardner, Jeff Aslip.
Third heat
Swapping crossover moves with Timothy Culp following a lap-five restart Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., emerged as the heat-three winner. Culp led the field into turns one and two on the start, but couldn’t hold off Pearson, who used a slide job exiting turn four to take the lead on lap one. Pearson eased out to a big lead before the yellow waved for Michael Chilton on lap five. On the restart, Pearson and Culp battled for the lead, with Don O’Neal joining the fray. O’Neal took the second spot from Culp and held it to the finish. Culp settled for third, while Georgian Michael Page grabbed the final transfer spot.Kentucky native Chilton brought out the first caution when he tagged the turn one wall and slowed going down the backstretch. Chilton was running in the final transfer spot at the time. Eldora Speedway regular Andrew Reaume finished fifth.
Finish (top four transfer): Earl Pearson Jr., Don O’Neal, Timothy Culp, Michael Page, Andrew Reaume, Jerry Bowersock, James Rice, Bryant Dickinson, Michael Chilton, Rob Toland.
Second heat
Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., rolled to an easy win the second heat. Blasting to the point from the second row on the opening lap, the fourth-starting Richards topped polesitter Frank Heckenast Jr. by 2.884 seconds. Those two finished comfortably ahead of Zack Dohm and Jimmy Owens, who grabbed the final transfer spot. After failing to make the pill draw and get his car through tech, Scott Bloomquist started lated in the 11-car field and finished seventh. Bloomquist now heads to a consolation race.
Finish (top four transfer): Josh Richards, Frank Heckenast Jr., Zack Dohm, Jimmy Owens, Mason Zeigler, Tim Manville, Scott Bloomquist, Kyle Bronson, Doug Drown, Connor Meade, Don Hammer.
First heat
Taking advantage of a lap-four caution, Chris Madden of Gaffney, S.C., led the final six laps to win the first heat. Madden cruised to a dominating 5-second victory over Steve Casebolt. Brent Larson pulled ahead of Tony Jackson Jr. late for the third spot, while Devin Moran took the fourth and final transfer spot from Jackson on the final lap. The race was slowed by one caution when race leader Dale McDowell was collected in a hard crash with Drake Meeks. McDowell got the jump on Casebolt on the opening lap and pulled out to a 1-second advantage. But when Meeks of Parkersburg, W.Va., spun in turn one, McDowell had no where to go and careened into the slower car, ending the night for both drivers.
Finish (top four transfer): Chris Madden, Steve Casebolt, Brent Larson, Devin Moran, Tony Jackson Jr., Nick Latham, Joe Coulter, Raymond Merrill, Blake Spencer, Dale McDowell, Drake Meeks.
Even heat lineups
(10 laps; top four transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Dale McDowell, Steve Casebolt
Row 2: Chris Madden, Devin Moran
Row 3: Tony Jackson Jr., Brent Larson
Row 4: Nick Latham, Raymond Merrill
Row 5: Joey Coulter, Blake Spencer
Row 6: Drake Meeks
Second heat
Row 1: Frank Heckenast Jr., Zack Dohm
Row 2: Jimmy Owens, Josh Richards
Row 3: Doug Drown, Connor Meade
Row 4: Mason Zeigler, Tim Manville
Row 5: Kyle Bronson, Don Hammer
Row 6: Scott Bloomquist
Third heat
Row 1: Timothy Culp, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 2: Michael Chilton, Don O’Neal
Row 3: James Rice, Andrew Reaume
Row 4: Michael Page, Jerry Bowersock
Row 5: Rob Toland, Bryant Dickinson
Fourth heat
Row 1: Jason Jameson, Chris Ferguson
Row 2: Jason Feger, Mike Norris
Row 3: Mike Mataragas, Adam Bowman
Row 4: Dennis Erb Jr., Duane Chamberlain
Row 5: Jeff Alsip, Bob Gardner
Fifth heat
Row 1: Jackie Boggs, Brandon Overton
Row 2: Jared Miley, Shane Clanton
Row 3: Ryan King, Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 4: Jay Johnson, Chad Stapleton
Row 5: Joey Moriarty, Chris Barton
Qualifying
Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., was smiling after turning a lap of 15.291 seconds to top the 103 entrants in time trials.
“My car was just real maneuverable,” Marlar said of his 3-race-old Ronnie Delk-owned XR1 Rocket. “I think that was the key.”
Marlar is hopeful that the strong start to the weekend will lead to success in Saturday night’s World 100, a race he’s started six times since 2003. He best finish is ninth, in ’05.
When Marlar received his fast-time recognition on Eldora’s homestretch stage, he offered his best wishes and asked the racing community to pray for legendary chassis builder C.J. Rayburn, who is scheduled to undergo open-heart surgery on Friday.
Pre-race notes
Weather conditions for the start of the World 100 weekend are decidedly fall-like with temperatures only reaching into the 60s and a steady breeze prevailing. … The 104-car field is down four entrants from 2016. … Dream winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., didn’t draw a qualifying pill before the close of the draw at 4:30 p.m. so he can’t participate in time trials. He will be allowed to tag the tail of a heat race. … Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., is behind the wheel of the G.R. Smith-owned XR1 Rocket that he began driving a month ago, but the personnel around him this weekend will bring back memories of his historic 2015 season that include a sweep of Eldora’s crown jewels. The trio that comprised Davenport’s K&L Rumley team in ’15 — crew chief Kevin Rumley, crewman Bryan Liverman and car owner/engine man Lee Roy Rumley — has reunited to assist the Smith-J.D. effort. Liverman has been working for Smith; Kevin Rumley joins the operation at the track for the first time this weekend and offering some week-day assistance in recent weeks. … Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., who during June’s Dream weekend won a preliminary feature and finished third in the 100-lap finale, has his Dream Racing No. 116 machine carrying a predominantly yellow-and-orange scheme that resembles cars driven in the past by his team manager Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn. … Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., has a wrap on his No. 71 that mirrors the yellow-and-red look of his father Don’s 2000 Rayburn car. The 17-year-old O’Neal, who surprised his father with the throwback mount, said he was just 2 days old when his dad competed in the 2000 World 100 with his similarly-painted car. … Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., prepared three Dirt Late Models for the weekend: a Billy Moyer Victory Race Car he’s driving, a Longhorn for Tim Lance of Brimfield, Ill., and a Victory machine for Steve Lance Jr. of Cuba, Ill. … Last year's World 100 winner Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., has his car adorned with a pair of comic book villains — the Joker and Harley Quinn — but he didn’t unveil the car by dressing up as the Joker and conducting a skit with his girlfriend and a crewman like he did last year. … Tanner English of Benton, Ky., said that his superb 2017 campaign (17 overall wins) prompted him to enter the World 100 for just the second time in his career. The 24-year-old failed to qualify in his first attempt in 2014. “The last time I didn’t have no business being here,” English said. “We didn’t have the motor we needed to run here, but we do now (a Dickens powerplant is under the hood of his XR1 Rocket).”
Preliminary stats
In the previous 16 World 100 preliminary features, there have been 13 different winners. Three drivers have scored two victories: Dale McDowell, Matt Miller and Brandon Sheppard. Surprisingly, June’s Dirt Late Model Dream winner, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., has never captured a preliminary. … Eight of the previous 16 World 100 preliminary features have been won in flag-to-flag fashion. The farthest back any driver has started and won one? Jimmy Owens came from 14th during Thursday’s even feature in 2014. … In 2016's World 100 preliminaries there were 18 heat race winners; only Shane Clanton and Earl Pearson Jr. scored victories during each of their programs. Additionally, there were eight different consolation winners in as many races. … Only one time since 2000 has the weekend’s fast qualifier gone on to win Saturday's World 100: Jimmy Owens in 2007. … Only once in the four previous World 100 editions that have included preliminary features has an early winner gone on to win Saturday’s main event. The lone exception was Bobby Pierce, who won a Friday preliminary feature in 2016 and then went on to top the finale the next night.
Time trial results
Driver (car no.), hometown, time
- Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 15.291
- Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio, 15.299
- Dustin Nobbe (5N), Batesville, Ind., 15.360
- Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., 15.360
- Darrell Lanigan (14), Union, Ky., 15.394
- Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., 15.427
- Jacob Hawkins (20), Fairmont. W.Va., 15.429
- Mike Norris (72), Bulter, Pa., 15.430
- Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 15.435
- Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 15.460
- Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.469
- Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 15.479
- Brandon Kinzer (18), Allen, Ky., 15.490
- Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 15.505
- Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 15.506
- Michael Chilton (97), Salvisa, Ky., 15.510
- Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 15.525
- Eddie Carrier Jr. (10), Salt Rock, W.Va., 15.527
- Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 15.528
- Jared Miley (H1), South Park, Pa., 15.542
- Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 15.547
- Steve Casebolt (C9), Richmond, Ind., 15.605
- Jimmy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis. 15.608
- Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 15.620
- Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 15.622
- Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., 15.633
- Scott James (83), Bright, Ind., 15.675
- Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 15.719
- Chris Simpson (32), Oxford, Iowa, 15.736
- Brandon Overton (116), Evans, Ga., 15.739
- Kent Robinson (7R), Bloomington, Ind., 15.740
- Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 15.748
- Donald McIntosh (7), Dawsonville, Ga., 15.756
- Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 15.758
- Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill., 15.764
- Timothy Culp (C8), Prattsville, Ark., 15.794
- Jon Henry (15), Ada, Ohio, 15.817
- Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 15.818
- Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill., 15.818
- Jackie Boggs (4B), Grayson, Ky., 15.822
- Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 15.827
- Tony Jackson Jr. (56), Lebanon, Mo., 15.832
- Brian Shirley (3S), Chatham, Ill., 15.840
- Doug Drown (240), Wooster, Ohio, 15.841
- Jeep Van Wormer (55), Pinconning, Mich., 15.862
- James Rice (11r), Verona, Ky., 15.863
- Cody Mahoney (4), Hanover, Ind., 15.876
- Mike Mataragas (1m), DeKalb, Ill., 15.885
- Jeff Babcock (7B), Wayne, Ohio, 15.887
- Ryan King (1G), Seymour, Tenn., 15.912
- Riley Hickman (R1), Ooltewah, Tenn., 15.927
- Brent Larson (B1), Lake Elmo, Minn., 15.931
- Casey Roberts (101), Toccoa, Ga., 15.948
- Connor Meade (00), Clay City, Ky., 15.951
- Gordy Gundaker (11), St. Charles, Mo., 15.952
- Andrew Reaume (88), Blenheim, Ontario, 15.96
- Curtis Roberts (9R), Coleman, Mich., 15.984
- Adam Bowman (77), Seymour, Ind., 16.043
- Steve Lance (48), Cuba, Ill., 16.052
- Billy Moyer Jr. (21), Batesville, Ark., 16.059
- Shannon Thornsberry (17), Martin, Ky., 16.068
- Nick Latham (31), Winchester, Ohio, 16.069
- Vic Hill (1), Mosheim, Tenn., 16.088
- Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 16.094
- Walker Arthur (87), Forest, Va., 16.096
- Michael Page (18x), Douglasville, Ga., 16.109
- Steven Roberts (111), Jesup, Ga., 16.114
- Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 16.163
- Mark Whitener (C02), Middleburg, Fla., 16.165
- Jay Johnson (93), West Burlington, Iowa, 16.191
- Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 16.217
- Raymond Merrill (12M), Sallisaw, Okla., 16.22
- Jeremiah Hurst (58), Dubuque, Iowa, 16.224
- Tim Manville (33), Highland, Ill., 16.233
- Nick Hoffman (2), Mooresville, N.C., 16.245
- Jerry Bowersock (95), Wapakoneta, Ohio, 16.253
- Casey Noonan (1N), Sylvania, Ohio, 16.300
- Duane Chamberlain (20C), Richmond, Ind., 16.302
- Travis Stemler (2TS), Ionia, Mich., 16.318
- Chad Stapleton (32), Edinburgh, Ind., 16.343
- Steve Francis (15), Bowling Green, Ky., 16.351
- Joey Coulter (2), Concord, N.C., 16.375
- Shanon Buckingham (50), Morristown, Tenn., 16.387
- Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 16.414
- Dustin Mitchell (89), Pine Level, N.C., 16.421
- Rob Toland (39), Davenport, Iowa, 16.441
- Jesse Lay (33), Walton, Ky., 16.449
- Jeff Alsip (128), Independence, Ky., 16.512
- Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., 16.527
- Joey Moriarty (51), Peoria, Ariz., 16.531
- Paul Stubber (31AUS), Bunbury, W. Australia, 16.608
- Blake Spencer (6S), St. Augustine, Fla., 16.634
- Lance Elson (17E), Wellsburg, W.Va., 16.743
- Don Hammer (45H), Clinton, Ill., 16.849
- Jon Hodgkiss (69), Kennedy, Pa., 16.925
- Bryant Dickinson (79),Ionia, Mich., 16.996
- Troy Worrick (79), Marion, Ind., 17.106
- Bob Gardner (4G), East Peoria, Ill., 17.269
- Brett Miller (97M), Greeneville, Tenn., 17.352
- Chicky Barton (144), Middlesboro, Ky., 17.528
- Nicholas Fenner (22F), Morenci, Mich., 17.854
- Byron Meeks (28X), Parkersburg, W.Va., 17.874
- Chase Porter (34), DuQuoin, Ill., 18.395
- Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., no time
Thursday’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
- Five odd/even heat races (10 laps; alternating odd/even with top four transferring to main event)
- Two odd/even consolation races (12 laps; two drivers apiece from each consy transfer to main event)
- Odd feature race (25 laps; heat race winners inverted)
- Even feature race (25 laps; heat race winners inverted)
Thursday schedule
6 a.m.-6 p.m.: Showers open (front of Lot 2)
7-11 a.m.: Breakfast at turn four concessions
8 a.m.: Hillside markings may begin
8 a.m.-8 p.m.: Turn-three race registration opens (pit passes and media credential sign-in)
9 a.m. Turn-three pit gate opens
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Technical inspection for Late Models
10 a.m. Main gate ticket office opens (tickets, pit passes and will call)
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
5 p.m.: Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m.: Hot laps
8 p.m.: Racing begins
Thursday night party: Following the completion of racing in the Fan Zone