ROSSBURG, Ohio — With the band back together, Jonathan Davenport and his crew played one of their greatest hits.

The Blairsville, Ga., driver, with former crew chief Kevin Rumley and Co. rejoining the 33-year-old Davenport in his new G.R. Smith-owned ride, dominated Saturday’s 47th annual World 100 for a $50,000 payday at Eldora Speedway, winning the sport’s most prestigious race for the second time in three years.

The third-starting Davenport blew into the lead from the outset and ran virtually unchallenged in becoming the first World 100 winner in 14 seasons to go flag-to-flag at the Tony Stewart-owned half-mile oval.

Outside front-row starter Gregg Satterlee of Indiana, Pa., notched his first-ever Eldora finish with a runner-up performance while Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., was third in his best finish. Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who started 25th, and two-time preliminary race winner Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., rounded out the top five in front of a record-setting Eldora crowd.

Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., who held the second spot from lap 60-89, had two slipups after a restart with 11 laps remaining and dropped from contention, finishing 11th.

Davenport’s victory would’ve seem unfathomable just a few months ago as the driver who swept Eldora’s Dream and World 100 in 2015 during a career season with the K&L Rumley Enterprises team was winless in Super Late Model competition through the first half of 2017.

Leaving the Barry Wright Race Cars house car team the first week in August, Davenport ended up connecting with North Carolina transplant G.R. Smith, kicking off their partnership with back-to-back victories. Davenport added a $25,000 Hillbilly 100 triumph just seven days ago at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., and the team headed to Eldora with help from his former car owners — Kevin Rumley and his Hall of Fame engine-building father Lee Roy — joining in to help along with crew member Bryan Liverman.

The obvious hashtag — #TheBandisBackTogether — became the team’s theme of the weekend, and they struck a winning tune Saturday with Davenport’s dominating performance while buoying G.R. Smith’s operation.

“I’ve just gotta thank G.R. Smith. If you only know our past, man, it’s so cool,” Davenport said with a laugh in victory lane. “Probably the first time we met one another, we was racing and, you know, I guess, I don’t know, I ran over him, and he ran over me, and we had a little altercation there. But anyway, it’s so cool for him to step out (of the car) …”

Davenport, the weekend’s overall fast qualifier who finished second to Lanigan in Thursday’s opening preliminary feature, had a hard time believing he was standing on Eldora stage after his 2017’s struggles.

“Just the year that I had … you know, I love Barry and Lance (Wright) to death. Things just didn't work out over there,” Davenport said “I have all the respect for them in the world, but man, just to be almost in the gutter for a half a year, then come here and win the biggest race there is, it’s an amazing turnaround.”

Davenport’s ride appeared flawless all race long. His only real scare came on lap 66 when the ailing car of last year’s winner Bobby Pierce slowed abruptly in front of him in turn two. Davenport steered away from that danger as a yellow flag appeared.

He faced his most serious racing challenged when a caution appeared for debris with 11 laps remaining after Davenport — as he did most of the race — was enjoying a comfortable lead. Overton took his best shot on the restart, briefly pulling alongside, but he ended up pushing the issue so hard that he twice slipped up, slapping the wall and fading from contention while Davenport edged away from Satterlee the rest of the way.

“That’s a damn good race car is what you saw right there,” Davenport said in victory lane. “This place has changed … I finally figured out what I needed before we (teams were allowed to) cut tires and everything. I could get a good line up by the wall and I was really comfortable. And I kept watching videos, kept watching videos, and it always seemed to go to the bottom, so I just really set my mind (for) the first 25 or first 30 (laps), I just wanted to run around the bottom and see where it went.”

Top, middle or bottom, Davenport seemed to have the field covered wherever he wanted to race — starting just a moment after the green flag dropped.

“He didn’t even give me and (polesitter Hudson (O’Neal) a chance — he went by us that first corner and just never looked back,” Satterlee said.

Despite vainly chasing Davenport the rest of the way, Satterlee was “extremely happy” with his “awesome car” in improving from his previous best World 100 finish — eighth place in 2014.

“Hopefully I want to get up there someday and see what it feels like,” Satterlee said, glancing up at Davenport’s photo session on the victory stage. “It’s good to get a top-three here. This is by far the best finish I’ve ever had hear, so we’ll take it, and I guess this is one step closer to hopefully getting up on that stage.”

Marlar likewise had his best World 100 run in his seventh start in the race, improving on the ninth-place run 12 years earlier.

“It was a good run for us. It’s the best run I’ve had up here. I’ve been in the top 10, not in the top five. I’m glad to see the front up here for a change, so it was a fun night for us,” Marlar said. “It’s just a testament to my crew, my car owner Ronnie Delk. You don’t come to a stage this big without the best equipment that you can have.”

Six cautions slowed the race, the most significant when eighth-running Scott Bloomquist and seventh-running Tim McCreadie got briefly hooked together in turn three as McCreadie was slowing with a left-rear flat tire on lap 29.

Pierce, who faded quickly after starting in the fourth row, slowed to draw cautions on laps 59 and 66 with damage to the right-rear corner of his car.

Earlier yellows appeared when Jeep Van Wormer had a lap-four flat tire and another yellow flew on lap 16. A lap-25 yellow appeared for a slowing Kyle Bronson.

Notes: Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, Wis., was the last World 100 winner to lead 100 laps in 2003. … Davenport is the first driver to win the World 100 twice in three seasons since six-time race winner Billy Moyer won in 1998 and 2000. … Moyer, 59, finished eighth in potentially his final World 100 start. … Four-time World 100 winner Scott Bloomquist retired with transmission problems on the 60th lap while running sixth. … Friday preliminary feature winner Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., was the first retiree with a broken lift bar; he was running fourth when he retired on the 10th lap. … Davenport became the first driver to win the Hillbilly 100 and World 100 in the same season since Earl Pearson Jr. in 2006.

Preliminary notes and results:

10:34 p.m. | Main event notes

Lap 100: Davenport goes flag-to-flag to win the 47th annual World 100.

Lap 90: Overton gets into the wall, giving the second-spot to Satterlee.

Lap 89: A yellow flag waves for debris on the racetrack. Davenport leads Overton, Satterlee, Marlar and McDowell.

Lap 88: Overton gets into the wall in turns three and four, slowing his pace.

Lap 81: With 19 laps remaining, second-running Overton is closing in on the race leader.

Lap 75: Davenport leads Overton, Satterlee, Marlar and Dale McDowell, who started 25th.

Lap 66: Pierce slows in front of the race leaders to draw a caution, with Davenport narrowly missing a collision with the No. 32 in turns one and two. Davenport leads Overton, Satterlee, Lanigan and Marlar.

Lap 61: Bloomquist retires to the pit area as the race stays green.

Lap 59: Overton overtakes Satterlee on the restart to run in second.

Lap 58: Bobby Pierce slows in turn four to draw a caution. Brandon Sheppard, Josh Richards and Hudson O'Neal are among drivers pitting under the yellow flag.

Lap 50: Navigating lapped traffic, Davenport continues to set a torrid pace over the field. He leads Satterlee, Overton, Lanigan and Marlar.

Lap 30: Using the restart to his advantage, Overton takes over the third-place spot.

Lap 29: Seventh-running Tim McCreadie and Bloomquist collide in turns three and four to draw a caution. McCreadie heads to the hot pit with a flat tire, while Bloomquist continues with slight damage to his nose piece. Shane Clanton and Jimmy Mars pit under the caution. Starting 27th, Chris Simspon runs eighth.

Lap 25: Bronson slows to draw another caution. Davenport holds his lead over Satterlee, Marlar, Lanigan and Overton.

Lap 17: Advancing from the 17th starting spot, Brandon Overton has joined the top five.

Lap 16: A yellow flag waves as Kyle Bronson slows with a flat tire. Davenport continues to lead Satterlee, Marlar, Lanigan and Hudson O'Neal.

Lap 11: Fourth-running Don O'Neal falls off the pace, retiring to the infield.

Lap four: The first yellow flag waves as Jeep Van Wormer slows with a flat tire. Davenport leads Gregg Satterlee, Hudson O'Neal, Mike Marlar and Darrell Lanigan. Scott Bloomquist has improved from the 13th starting spot to run eight.

Lap one: Third-starting Jonathan Davenport edges ahead of polesitter Hudson O'Neal to lead the first lap.

Driver intros are complete and feature starters have been given the call to fire engines. Cars start rolling out for pace laps.

10:11 p.m. | World 100 starting lineup

Row 1: Hudson O'Neal, Gregg Satterlee
Row 2: Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar
Row 3: Don O'Neal, Darrell Lanigan
Row 4: Bobby Pierce, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 5: Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 6: Chris Madden, Jimmy Mars
Row 7: Scott Bloomquist, Zack Dohm
Row 8: Billy Moyer, Tim McCreadie
Row 9: Brandon Overton, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 10: Josh Richards, Shane Clanton
Row 11: Jimmy Owens, Kent Robinson
Row 12: Jon Henry, Devin Moran
Row 13: Dale McDowell, Jeep Van Wormer
Row 14: Chris Simpson, Kyle Bronson
Row 15: Jason Feger, Scott James

10:07 | State and chassis representation

Illinois the most represented state and Rocket is the most represented chassis in the 30-car feature field. Fifteen states are represented led by Illinois (five drivers), Indiana (4), Georgia (4) and Tennessee (3). Ohio, West Virginia and Florida have two drivers apiece, the first time the Sunshine State has had more than one driver in the race. Rocket has one-third of the field with 10 chassis followed by the Club 29-Black Diamond cars (6), Longhorn Chassis (5), Moyer Victory (3) and Sweet-Bloomquist (2). MB Customs, Pierce, Capital and Swartz have one car apiece.

9:54 p.m. | Richards, Clanton use provisionals

Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., and Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., will use the two provisional starting spots to start the 100-lapper. Richards will roll off from the 19th position, while Clanton will start 20th. Neither driver started a consolation race. The two provisional spots go to the two drivers with the highest point total accumulated through Thursday and Friday preliminaries.

9:48 p.m. | World 100 first-timers

A pair of drivers have qualified for Eldora’s World 100 for the first time. Winning the night’s sixth heat race, 17-year-old Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., will start on the pole of the $50,000-to-win 100-lapper. Running fourth in the second consolation, Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., has also qualified for his first World 100 and will roll off from the 28th starting spot.

9:45 p.m. | Robinson wins second consolation

Kent Robinson took advantage of a late caution to grab the lead from Devin Moran. Taking the lead on the restart, Robinson paced the final four laps to race his way into the main event. Moran, Jeep VanWormer, Kyle Bronson and Scott James followed to gain entry into the World 100. From the pole, Bronson was able to get the jump at the start, but Devin Moran used momentum from the top side to get a huge run down the backstretch and lead the first lap. Moran pulled away to lead the first dozen laps relatively unchallenged until eighth-starting Michael Page surged forward to challenge for the lead. Two laps later, Page slowed with an apparent broken rearend bringing out the only caution, while giving up a transfer spot with just four laps remaining. Vic Hill won the final five-lap scramble of the evening.

Finish (top five transfer): Kent Robinson, Devin Moran, Jeep VanWormer, Kyle Bronson, Scott James, Mason Zeigler, Vic Hill, Eddie Carrier Jr., Donald McIntosh, Mike Mataragas, Travis Stemler, Jacob Hawkins, Nick Latham, Jeff Babcock, Duane Chamberlain, Casey Noonan, Tim Lance, Paul Stubber, Jeff Alsip, Michael Page, Shanon Buckingham, Riley Hickman, Brian Shirley, Shannon Babb.

9:17 p.m. | Owens wins first consolation

Outside polesitter Jon Henry took an early lead, with Jimmy Owens pulling ahead down the backstretch to take the point on the sixth lap. A yellow flag waved on lap six when Jay Johnson got into the turn three wall. Henry retook the lead on the restart, with fourth-starting Dale McDowell challenging Owens for second. With the race leaders running side-by-side down the backstretch, Owens pulled back ahead of Henry to lead lap 14. Successfully navigating lapped traffic, Owens won the consolation. Nick Hoffman was the winner of the scramble.

Finish (top five transfer): Jimmy Owens, Jon Henry, Dale McDowell, Chris Simpson, Jason Feger, Timothy Culp, Casey Roberts, Nick Hoffman, Mike Norris, Brent Larson, Steve Francis, Tim Manville, Chad Stapleton, Brandon Kinzer, Connor Meade, Blake Spencer, Jesse Lay, Ryan King, Gordy Gundaker, Adam Bowman, Dustin Nobbe, Steve Casebolt, Jay Johnson.

9:10 p.m. | Second consolation lineup

(20 laps; top five transfer)
Row 1: Kyle Bronson, Devin Moran
Row 2: Mason Zeigler, Kent Robinson
Row 3: Jeep VanWormer, Scott James
Row 4: Eddie Carrier Jr., Michael Page
Row 5: Mike Matagaras, Riley Hickman
Row 6: Donald McIntosh, Travis Stemler
Row 7: Shanon Buckingham, Shannon Babb
Row 8: Brian Shirley, Jeff Babcock
Row 9: Nick Latham, Vic Hill
Row 10: Casey Noonan, Tim Lance
Row 11: Jacob Hawkins, Duane Chamberlain
Row 12: Paul Stubber, Jeff Alsip

8:57 p.m. | First consolation lineup

(20 laps; top five transfer)
Row 1: Jimmy Owens, Jon Henry
Row 2: Jason Feger, Dale McDowell
Row 3: Chris Simpson, Timothy Culp
Row 4: Dustin Nobbe, Casey Roberts
Row 5: Nick Hoffman, Brandon Kinzer
Row 6: Tim Manville, Brent Larson
Row 7: Mike Norris, Ryan King
Row 8: Steve Casebolt, Steve Francis
Row 9: Gordy Gundaker, Connor Meade
Row 10: Jesse Lay, Jay Johnson
Row 11: Blake Spencer, Chad Stapleton
Row 12: Adam Bowman, Billy Moyer Jr.

8:55 p.m. | Teenager struggles for words

After Hudson O’Neal turned back challenges from Jimmy Mars to capture the sixth heat — and, more importantly, earn the pole position for the 100-lap feature — the 17-year-old sat in his car with amazement all over his face.

“Oh my god,” O’Neal said, shaking his head. “I’m speechless. What a dream come true … I’m sitting on the pole for the World 100!”

O’Neal will start two rows ahead of his father Don, who claimed the fifth starting spot with his Heat 2 triumph. He will share the front row with Gregg Satterlee, the driver O’Neal trails in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Rookie of the Year standings.

“I think if we can just maintain a little bit we can come out of here with a top-five,” said O’Neal, who will make his first-ever World 100 feature start after missing the cut in his event debut last year.

8:51 p.m. | Hudson O'Neal wins sixth heat

Arguably the most hotly contested heat race, Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., nipped Jimmy Mars to win the sixth heat and earn the poll for the 47th annual World 100. O’Neal took the lead on the opening lap from the pole, while Mars crossed over and made a bid for the top spot in turn one. O’Neal stretched his advantage over the final 10 laps, though Mars was able to close in as they negotiated lapped  traffic in the waning laps. O’Neal led by .137 seconds with four laps remaining. The two lead cars pulled away from third-place finisher Frank Heckenast Jr. Scott James finished fourth, one spot out of the transfer. Six cars bunched up on the back straightaway on the opening lap with Jason Jameson getting the worst end of the contact. Not caution was thrown, but Jameson slowed and pulled into the infield.

Finish (top three transfer): Hudson O’Neal, Jimmy Mars, Frank Heckenast Jr., Mason Zeigler, Scott James, Mike Mataragas, Travis Stemler, Brian Shirley, Vic Hill, Jacob Hawkins, Jeff Alsip, Steve Lance, Rob Toland, Jason Jameson; Scratched: Chase Junghans, Walker Arthur.

8:47 p.m. | Satterlee a contender

Gregg Satterlee wore a huge smile when he took his helmet off after crossing the track scales to clinch his victory in the fifth heat and earn the outside pole for the 100-lapper. He made it clear that he’s never before felt so good circling the Eldora half-mile.

“This is definitely the best car we’ve ever had here,” said Satterlee, whose best finish in four previous World 100 starts is an eighth in 2014. “I think it’s just going to be a small adjustment (made before the feature).”

As Satterlee added with a chuckle, “I guess that just leaves me to screw it up now.”

8:42 p.m. | Satterlee wins fifth heat

Polesitter Chris Madden edged ahead of third-starting Gregg Satterlee to lead the opening lap, as outside polesitter Shane Clanton slipped back to fourth. Crossing ahead of Madden, Satterlee took the lead on the third lap, with sixth-starting Devin Moran challenging Jeep Van Wormer for the third-place spot. Satterlee stretched his lead at the halfway mark, with Brandon Overton improving from seventh to join the frontrunners. A three-car battle for the final transfer spot ensued late-race, with Overton and Van Wormer closing in on third-running Moran. Satterlee won the heat, with Madden running second. Overton edged Moran at the line to grab the final transfer spot.

Finish (top three transfer): Gregg Satterlee, Chris Madden, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Jeep Van Wormer, Michael Page, Shane Clanton, Donald McIntosh, Shannon Babb, Nick Latham, Tim Lance, Paul Stubber, Jon Hodgkiss, Troy Worrick, Raymond Merrill, Mark Whitener.

8:39 p.m. | J.D. cruises

Jonathan Davenport made a miscue early in the fourth heat, but he survived the brush with the outside wall to capture the prelim by 2.792 seconds over Tim McCreadie.

“The car felt pretty good,” Davenport said of his G.R. Smith-owned XR1 Rocket. “I messed up one time — I think I knocked the spoiler off it — but we held on.”

Davenport will make his fifth career start, all coming consecutively since 2013. He won the event in 2015.

8:36 p.m. | Davenport wins fourth heat

Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., found the same speed he had during Thursday preliminaries as he rolled to a win in the fourth heat race from the pole. Second-starting Tim McCreadie survived an early battle with Eddie Carrier Jr. to grab the second spot, while Dennis Erb Jr. rallied from the 11th starting spot to finish second. Erb Jr. was in fifth place by lap five. He then took advantage of a caution on lap seven that bunched the field, making it three-wide on the restart to get into transfer position. The race was slowed by caution on lap seven for Dustin Mitchell.

Finish (top three transfer): Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Dennis Erb Jr., Kyle Bronson, Kent Robinson, Eddie Carrier Jr., Riley Hickman, Shanon Buckingham, Jeff Babcock, Casey Noonan, Duane Chamberlain, Don Hammer, Bryant Dickinson, Chris Ferguson, James Rice, Dustin Mitchell; Scratched: Cody Mahoney.

8:27 p.m. | Marlar primed for World success

Winning the third heat left Mike Marlar focused on breaking through for an up-front finish in the World 100 headliner.

“I’ve seemed to have struggled here in the past getting past the top five,” said Marlar, who best finish in six previous World 100 feature starts is ninth, in 2005. “I’ve got a lot of top 10s, so we’re gonna have to make the right adjustments.”

8:23 p.m. | Marlar wins third heat

Polesitter Mike Marlar shot to the lead at the drop of the green flag, as third-starting Brandon Sheppard pulled ahead of Billy Moyer to run in second. As the laps clicked off, Sheppard began closing in on Marlar, with Moyer holding positing in third. A yellow flag waved on lap 10 as Joey Moriarty slowed on the racetrack. Nicholas Fenner spun in turn three on the ensuing restart to draw another caution. Marlar held his lead on the restart, with Jason Feger challenging Moyer for third. With three laps remaining, it was Nick Hoffman charging from 11th to run in fifth. Dominating the final laps, Marlar won the third heat.

Finish (top three transfer): Mike Marlar, Brandon Sheppard, Billy Moyer, Jason Feger, Timothy Culp, Nick Hoffman, Brent Larson, Steve Casebolt, Connor Meade,  Blake Spencer, Billy Moyer Jr., Jeremiah Hurst, Steven Roberts, Nicholas Fenner, Jared Miley, Joey Moriarty.

8:21 p.m. | No worry in Bloomquist pit

Scott Bloomquist looked to be in trouble when his car steamed and dropped moisture in the pit area after he weighed in on the track scales following his 10th-to-third run in the first heat, but the situation seemingly wasn’t serious.

Bloomquist’s engine builder, Andy Durham, dived under the hood of the No. 0 after the machine was pushed to Bloomquist’s trailer, but he didn’t find any major problems. He reported that it appeared the overflow in Bloomquist’s car was filled too much, causing fluid to escape after the checkered flag.

8:15 p.m. | O’Neal gives CBR second win

Don O’Neal made Clint Bowyer Racing two-for-two in Saturday’s World 100 heat races, capturing the second prelim by a comfortable margin over Earl Pearson Jr. to put him in the century grind’s fifth starting spot alongside his teammate Darrell Lanigan.

While O’Neal is also chasing his first-ever World 100 triumph, he didn’t bubble with quite the same anticipation as Lanigan after crossing the scales.

“It’s a good start,” said O’Neal, who has won Eldora’s Dream. “One-hundred laps is a long time around here, so just having a shot at the win at the end is all I’m hoping for.”

8:13 p.m. | O'Neal wins second heat

Polesitter Don O’Neal won the second heat race with ease, cruising to a 3.057-second triumph over Earl Pearson Jr. and Zach Dohm. O’Neal easily beat fellow front-row starter Josh Richards into turn one as Richards fell into a three-wide battle for the second spot with Pearson and Jon Henry. Richards lost the spot as Pearson moved to second. Fifth-starting Zach Dohm trekked down third-running Henry over the final four laps, making the pass for the final transfer spot as they headed to the white flag. Dohm’s charge fell just short of a runner-up spot at Pearson held on for second.

Finish (top three transfer): Don O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr.,  Zach Dohm, Jon Henry, Josh Richards, Chris Simpson, Casey Roberts, Tim Manville, Ryan King, Gordy Gundaker, Jay Johnson, Adam Bowman, Joey Coulter, Jerry Bowersock, Chris Barton.

8:05 p.m. | Lanigan riding high

Already on a hot streak with back-to-back wins in preliminary features, Darrell Lanigan sounds absolutely thrilled with his chances for a first-ever World 100 triumph after capturing the first heat to earn the sixth starting spot in the feature.

“This car has been awesome the whole time up here,” said Lanigan, who has started the World 100 a total of 22 times without reaching victory lane. “I just can’t wait for the race to start.” 

8:01 p.m. | Lanigan wins first heat

Charging around the bottom of the racetrack, polesitter Darrell Lanigan edged ahead of Bobby Pierce to lead the opening lap, with the front-row starters racing side-by-side in the early running. As Jimmy Owens and Mike Norris battled for third, Scott Bloomquist advanced from his ninth starting spot to run in fourth by the sixth lap. Lanigan held his lead at the halfway mark, with Bloomquist moving past third-running Owens to take a transfer spot. Lanigan held off Pierce to win the heat, with Pierce and Bloomquist rounding out the podium to transfer to the feature.

Finish (top three transfer): Darrell Lanigan, Bobby Pierce, Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Dale McDowell, Dustin Nobbe, Brandon Kinzer, Mike Norris, Steve Francis, Jesse Lay, Chad Stapleton, Doug Drown, Bob Gardner, Michael Chilton, Curtis Roberts, Brett Miller, Doug Hammer, Tony Jackson Jr.

7:49 p.m. | First heat set to roll

With pre-race ceremonies complete, the first heat is ready to roll, with back-to-back preliminary winner Darrell Lanigan and defending World 100 winner Bobby Pierce on the front row.

7:39 p.m. | Young O’Neal slaps wall

A large crowd of bystanders gathered around Hudson O’Neal’s pit stall after hot laps to watch a flurry of repair activity on the 17-year-old’s car, which sustained damage when he caught the outside wall during hot laps.

O’Neal limped off the track with a crushed right-rear deck and front suspension damage, but crew chief Zach Frields and Co. quickly went to work on the machine and were confident it could be fixed without any residual problems.

A fourth-place finisher in a preliminary feature on Friday, O’Neal starts on the pole in the sixth heat.

6:55 p.m. | Notable World 100 stats

• The World 100 has previously been contested on Sept. 9 seven times and has seen seven different winners: Brian Birkhofer (2012), Jimmy Owens (2007), Earl Pearson Jr. (2006), Billy Moyer (2000), Jack Boggs (1995), Jeff Purvis (1984) and Larry Moore (1979).

• In seven of the last 10 World 100s, a car sporting No. 1 has finished among the race’s top 10 drivers. The top performer overall piloting a No. 1 machine over that timeframe was Wayne Chinn, who placed fourth in 2007. Despite the frequent top 10s, no driver of a No. 1 machine has cracked the race’s podium since Chub Frank did so in 2005.

• Since winning his first World 100 start in 1988, Scott Bloomquist has failed to start the race just three times (’99, ‘05 and ‘16). Following up the two previous missed races, Bloomquist returned and finished among the race’s top five the next season.

• Only five drivers have started each of the last five World 100s: Shane Clanton, Darrell Lanigan, Dale McDowell, Chris Madden and Jimmy Mars.

•The World 100 has an active streak of five straight years with both different chassis brand winners and state winners.

• An Illinois driver has finished among the World 100's top five in five straight seasons. That is both the longest active streak for any state and the longest streak in the Illini State’s history.

• The last driver to lead the first World 100 lap and then go on to win the race was flag-to-flag winner Dan Schlieper in 2003.

• In 2016’s World 100, fifth-place finisher Earl Pearson Jr. placed among the top five for the first time since he won the race in 2006.

6:50 p.m. | So you’re saying there’s a chance?

Last year was supposedly going to be Billy Moyer’s final attempt at the World 100. The six-time race winner is back again this year — starting second in Heat 3, in fact — and he didn’t exactly rule out making another try in 2018.

While Moyer told pit reporter Ben Shelton in a pre-race interview that he’s “pretty sure” this will be his last World 100, he admitted that he can’t completely commit to retiring from Eldora competition.

“I guess I always leave myself that little option (to continue racing),” Moyer said. “I’m not playing games. Last year I thought I had enough, but we came back. We’ll just have to see what happens (in ’18).”

Moyer is turning 60 on Oct. 17, however. It’s a milestone that he can’t overlook.

“Doing this stuff isn’t the same at 60 as it is at 25, that’s for sure,” he said with a smile.

6:43 p.m. | Hot laps ready to roll

Drivers have made their way to staging for optional hot-lap sessions. Hot lap groups will be based on heat race lineups. After hot laps, pre-race ceremonies will get under way, with heat races to follow.

6:30 p.m. | Overton has uphill climb

Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., won a preliminary feature on Thursday night, but he smacked the turn-one wall during qualifying on Friday evening and ultimately didn’t qualify for the A-main. As result, the 26-year-old sensation has some work to do before he can even think about starting the World 100 for the second time in his career.

With Overton starting seventh in the fifth heat — behind strong contenders (in order) Chris Madden, Shane Clanton, Gregg Satterlee, Shannon Babb, Jeep Van Wormer and Devin Moran — he’ll need to hustle his Dream Racing Longhorn by Weaver machine to gain a transfer spot.

“We got a good car, but with this many cars (racing) a lot of luck plays into it,” said Overton, who finished third in June’s 100-lap Dream. “I feel good that we’ll have a good car in the feature, but we have to make it in first. That’s the tough part about starting as far back as we are (in the heat). You don’t want to screw up your race package to get in the race, but you gotta do something to get in there.”

Overton said he won’t follow up his weekend at Eldora with another crown jewel bid in the Sept. 14-16 Late Model Knoxville Nationals. With Dream Racing crewman Josh Gunter getting married next Saturday, Overton and the rest of the team will take the weekend off to attend the wedding in Crossville, Tenn.

6:17 p.m. | Friday’s rookie awards

Friday’s Shane Unger Rookies of the Race awards were presented before Saturday’s hot laps. For the second night in a row, Jared Miley of South Park, Pa., earned a $500 bonus as the top rookie performer. Friday’s second-best performing rookie was Connor Meade of Clay City, Ky., who received a $300 prize. With Friday's third-best performance, Tony Jackson Jr. of Lebanon, Mo., was awarded $200.

6:05 p.m. | More misfortune for Junghans

Eldora Speedway is becoming a frustrating place for Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan.

The 24-year-old driver retired from a Friday-night heat race due to terminal engine trouble, sidelining him for the remainder of the weekend. He remains in the pit area with his hauler but is a spectator for the Saturday night’s grand finale.

Junghans mourned that he just has “no luck” at the World 100, an event he entered twice previously (2014 and ’15) but has only one feature start (a 23rd-place finish in a ’14 preliminary) to his credit. He came to Eldora this weekend with heightened hopes after finishing 14th in June’s Dream headliner — the first time he qualified for the Dream’s 100-lapper in four attempts — but didn’t transfer into a Thursday feature before his Friday’s problems.

According to Junghans, he’s unsure about whether he will enter the Sept. 14-16 Late Model Knoxville Nationals in the wake of his Eldora struggles.

5:15 p.m. | Henry hopes momentum rolls on

Jon Henry of Ada, Ohio, lost a top-five finish in Friday night’s second 25-lap preliminary feature when Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., snuck by him on the final circuit, but the 31-year-old was still satisfied with his sixth-place result.

“I hated that,” Henry said of watching Pierce overtake him with the checkered flag in sight. “I was really trying to get through that lapped car, but he kept pinching me off into the wall and then Pierce ended up rolling us there at the checker.

“But a seventh (in a Thursday-night preliminary feature) and a sixth with these guys? I’m really happy, and I think our car’s fast too. I think if we get a good (heat-race) start tomorrow, then who knows?”

Henry, who entered the World 100 hot off back-to-back ALMS-sanctioned victories last weekend at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park and Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, starts fourth in the second of six 15-lap heats. He has heavy-hitters Don O’Neal, Josh Richards and Earl Pearson Jr. ahead of him in the lineup, but he’s confident that he can get his Dargie-powered Club 29 Race Car into a transfer spot and perhaps earn a career-best World 100 finish.

“If we can start midway toward the front I think we’ve got a good shot,” said Henry, whose only previous World 100 feature start came in 2011 when he finished 22nd. “The way our car’s been in these (slick) conditions, it’s really good. When the track’s a little fast we’re not as good, but when it starts to slow down, this car’s really good.”

4:45 p.m. | Arthur opts for PPV

As this weekend’s army of World 100 entrants headed to the barn above turns three and four to participate in Saturday afternoon’s autograph session, Walker Arthur of Forest, Va., was preparing to climb into his hauler and head home. He competed in Thursday night’s preliminary program but then called off his Eldora assault after struggling to get up to speed.

“We just weren’t no good,” said Arthur, who made his first visit to the half-mile oval in two years. “We’ve been here two or three times … we keep coming back to see if we can get any better, but we haven’t yet.”

Arthur simply sat out Friday evening’s action and planned a mid-afternoon Saturday departure from the pit area. His itinerary called for a return to his shop by midnight so he could retrieve his Crate Late Model and compete in a local show on Sunday night at Natural Bridge (Va.) Speedway, which is just a half-hour drive from his home.

Didn’t Arthur want to stick around a few more hours to see the World 100 finale?

“I’ll watch it on DirtonDirt on the way,” he said with a smile, referring to the pay-per-view video coverage he can get on his cell phone.

4:30 p.m. | Perfect day

After Friday night’s preliminary program was delayed nearly two hours by a rogue rain shower that struck Eldora following the completion of time trials, precipitation seems to be completely out of the picture for Saturday evening’s World 100 grand finale.

Conditions are absolutely gorgeous — brilliant, sunny skies with the temperature sitting comfortably in the low 70s. A fall-like cool is expected after the sun sets with temperatures falling into the 50s.

Pre-race awards are scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m. — a change in the original schedule that had hot laps starting at 6 p.m. Practice is now set to start at 6:40 p.m. with opening ceremonies likely beginning around 7:30 p.m. and racing to follow.

Heat race lineups

(15 laps; top three transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Darrell Lanigan, Bobby Pierce
Row 2: Jimmy Owens, Mike Norris
Row 3: Brandon Kinzer, Dustin Nobbe
Row 4: Dale McDowell, Tony Jackson Jr.
Row 5: Scott Bloomquist, Curtis Roberts
Row 6: Doug Drown, Steve Francis
Row 7: Jesse Lay, Chad Stapleton
Row 8: Bob Gardner, Brett Miller
Row 9: Michael Chilton, Doug Hammer
Second heat
Row 1: Don O’Neal, Josh Richards
Row 2: Earl Pearson Jr., Jon Henry
Row 3: Zack Dohm, Chris Simpson
Row 4: Casey Roberts, Ryan King
Row 5: Tim Manville, Adam Bowman
Row 6: Gordy Gundaker, Shannon Thornsberry
Row 7: Jerry Bowersock, Joey Coulter
Row 8: Chicky Barton, Chase Porter
Row 9: Jay Johnson, Tanner English
Third heat
Row 1: Mike Marlar, Billy Moyer
Row 2: Brandon Sheppard, Jason Feger
Row 3: Jared Miley, Timothy Culp
Row 4: Steve Casebolt, Connor Meade
Row 5: Billy Moyer Jr., Brent Larson
Row 6: Nick Hoffman, Steven Roberts
Row 7: Jeremiah Hurst, Joey Moriarty
Row 8: Blake Spencer, Nicholas Fenner
Row 9: Lance Elson, Drake Meeks
Fourth heat
Row 1: Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie
Row 2: Eddie Carrier Jr., Chris Ferguson
Row 3: Kent Robinson, Riley Hickman
Row 4: Jeff Babcock, Kyle Bronson
Row 5: James Rice, Shanon Buckingham
Row 6: Dennis Erb Jr., Duane Chamberlain
Row 7: Casey Noonan, Dustin Mitchell
Row 8: Bryant Dickinson, Cody Mahoney
Row 9: Don Hammer
Fifth heat
Row 1: Chris Madden, Shane Clanton
Row 2: Gregg Satterlee, Shannon Babb
Row 3: Jeep Van Wormer, Devin Moran
Row 4: Brandon Overton, Andrew Reaume
Row 5: Michael Page, Tim Lance
Row 6: Raymond Merrill, Mark Whitener
Row 7: Nick Latham, Paul Stubber
Row 8: Jon Hodgkiss, Donald McIntosh
Row 9: Troy Worrick
Sixth heat
Row 1; Hudson O’Neal, Jimmy Mars
Row 2: Jacob Hawkins, Frank Heckenast Jr.
Row 3: Brian Shirley, Scott James
Row 4: Mason Zeigler, Jason Jameson
Row 5: Jackie Boggs, Mike Mataragas
Row 6: Travis Stemler, Steve Lance
Row 7: Vic Hill, Rob Toland
Row 8: Jeff Alsip, Chase Junghans
Row 9: Walker Arthur

Feature lineup structure

Row 1: Sixth heat winner, fifth heat winner
Row 2: Fourth heat winner, third heat winner
Row 3: Second heat winner, first heat winner
Row 4: First heat runner-up, second heat runner-up
Row 5: Third heat runner-up, fourth heat runner-up
Row 6: Fifth heat runner-up, sixth heat runner-up
Row 7: First heat third place, second heat third place
Row 8: Third heat third place, fourth heat third place
Row 9: Fifth heat third place, sixth heat third place
Row 10: Provisional starters
Row 11: First consy winner, second consy winner
Row 12: First consy runner-up, second consy runner-up
Row 13: First consy third place, second consy third place
Row 14: First consy fourth place, second consy fourth place
Row 15: First consy fifth place, second consy fifth place

Saturday's race schedule

- Heat races (six 15-lap heats; top three transfer; 4-11 to consolations)
- First consolation race (20 laps; top five transfer)
- First consolation scramble (five laps; $1,500-to-win)
- Second consolation race (20 laps; top five transfer)
- First consolation scramble (five laps; $1,500-to-win)
- 47th annual World 100 (heat winners inverted)

Saturday's track 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.-8 p.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 open
Noon: All concessions open
3:30 p.m.: Autograph session in Fan Zone
4:30 p.m.: Drivers’ meeting in Fan Zone
7 p.m.: Start of program